Review: Buying Time by Joe Haldeman

I picked up this book purely on a whim as it was recommended to me by the reading app I often use. I had never heard of it or the author. But it sounded interesting, to say the least. The plot of the book was a future world where people who could pay would live extended lifetimes. Hence the title of the book.

The story was told from the perspective of two people the first being Dallas Barr, and the second one Maria Marconi. The perspectives seemed to switch every now and then and it would name the person who was doing the "talking" before proceeding. The elite society of "immortals" was introduced from the perspective of Dallas, and the reader gets the background on how the process works and what entails staying part of this society.  For instance, in order for an immortal to keep being an immortal, they must raise one million pounds before the expiration of their current life.  They can only do this on their own and cannot save money from a previous incarnation.

This was really basic and kind of a man's man kind of read with flashy sounding items and a lot of sex. For instance, the author describes how the immortals like to party and use designer drugs such as Cream, and defend themselves with guns like a Crowd Pleaser. There was a plot beneath the main plot that made for some suspense, and to make the story slightly more interesting. Some parts of the book were kinda mundane such as when they discussed population numbers and periods of time. I felt that this section of the book was very unnecessary.  This was a relatively fast read and was not too complex with the science talk. This was an okay read if you are looking for something fast to fill the void in your reading schedule or just want a mindless kind of sci-fi story to pass the time. I do not think this will go down as one of the great science fiction classics of the late '80s. I rated this as 3 out of 5 stars on Goodreads.com.

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Book Review: California by Eden Lepucki

When I first heard about this book, and that it was considered a Post Apocalyptic fiction I was immediately intrigued. I guess growing up during the cold war and seeing many films that dealt with the threat of doomsday have created this fascination with this media for me. So I added it to my to be read list, and decided to get to it sometime in the future. Working in a library I am bombarded by books everyday( an occupational hazard), and I saw that we had this book on our best sellers shelves.

Upon reading this book you are introduced to the two main characters, Cal and Frida. They are a married couple living in a simple what is best described as a shack in the middle of nowhere.  One of the things that makes this book so interesting is the mystery of how this future came to be within the story. As you get further into it you are given small tidbits of what occurred to these people to make them end up living in the forest, and on the edge of civilization. For instance at the start of the book Frida often thinks of how things used to be, and she keeps random "treasures", which she calls her artifacts. One of these items is something that is obviously a piece of technology that is only referred to as the device.  We are given clues about the economy failing, and extreme weather conditions.  The mystery, the secrets, and lies definitely help make this a page turner.  While reading this it made me think a lot about what makes a civilization, and how vital interacting with other people is, and how sometimes it can be so dangerous too. The things we don't think about such as human nature, and elements of government.  How would we react to the failing of our society, and  a stunted economy. Choosing to only interact with close communities. While reading this it brought to mind a lot of the things that we tale for granted when it comes to society,civilization, and just what being human means to survive. This book could be a stand alone but leaves room for a sequel. I do not know if the author intends to pick up the world of California again or to leave it be? I rated this 4 out of 5 stars on Goodreads. If you are into dystopian or thrillers this book may appeal to you.