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I like how they show the results as a histogram of ratings. This makes it easy to distinguish a game that everyone thought was mediocre from one that a lot of people liked, but a lot of others didn't. I wish imdb, iblist, and all the other similar sites would do the same.

I reviewed this book on IBList.org last year. I figure I'll repost it here just to add another voice to the chorus.

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Economics, espionage, nanotechnology, black holes, social enginerring, and carnival phenomena. This book winds all these disparate subjects together into one (mostly) cohesive plot. This tends to lead to parts of the book reading more like college textbook excerpts than light sci-fi reading, but that may very well increase the appeal for the hard-core geek readers. The pacing occasionally suffers from the massive amounts of technobabbling exposition, but you still slog through it like a rubbernecker watching a car crash -- you just can't wait to see what it all means.

The character development is better than average, though there could have been more character-building scenes without significantly slowing the pace. Indeed, the technologies and concepts often get more ink than the characters do. (Because, really, there's only so often you can be hit over the head with the "socialism/marxism/communism/*-ism is bad!" bat before you're ready to start skimming instead of really reading.)

Overall, this was a good book. It could even make a good series, should Stross continue to write for it. College students pumped up on technobabble and economic/social theory will breeze through it, but the rest of us will still enjoy it.

Jordan's first five or six books are good reading, but then the series start to stall. Not much happens. I have a like-dislike relationship with Goodkind's books. On one hand they are very captivating, on the other they are pretty naive.

Now, my suggestions.

Fantasy:
George RR Martin - A song of fire and ice (series)
Stephen Donaldson - The chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever (two series, one listed)
Tad Wiliams - Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn (series)
Stephen Erikson - A tale of the Malazan book of the fallen (series)

Science fiction:
Stephen Donaldson - The Gap series
Peter F Hamilton - Night's Dawn Trilogy
Greg Egan - Diaspora

And all the classic; Douglas Adams, Isaac Asimov, Frank Herbert, etc.

A word of warning. Both series by Stephen Donaldson contain main characters whose actions at times might seem offensive/disturbing to many.

Jordan's first five or six books are good reading, but then the series start to stall. Not much happens. I have a like-dislike relationship with Goodkind's books. On one hand they are very captivating, on the other they are pretty naive.

Now, my suggestions.

Fantasy:
George RR Martin - A song of fire and ice (series)
Stephen Donaldson - The chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever (two series, one listed)
Tad Wiliams - Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn (series)
Stephen Erikson - A tale of the Malazan book of the fallen (series)

Science fiction:
Stephen Donaldson - The Gap series
Peter F Hamilton - Night's Dawn Trilogy
Greg Egan - Diaspora

And all the classic; Douglas Adams, Isaac Asimov, Frank Herbert, etc.

A word of warning. Both series by Stephen Donaldson contain main characters whose actions at times might seem offensive/disturbing to many.

Jordan's first five or six books are good reading, but then the series start to stall. Not much happens. I have a like-dislike relationship with Goodkind's books. On one hand they are very captivating, on the other they are pretty naive.

Now, my suggestions.

Fantasy:
George RR Martin - A song of fire and ice (series)
Stephen Donaldson - The chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever (two series, one listed)
Tad Wiliams - Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn (series)
Stephen Erikson - A tale of the Malazan book of the fallen (series)

Science fiction:
Stephen Donaldson - The Gap series
Peter F Hamilton - Night's Dawn Trilogy
Greg Egan - Diaspora

And all the classic; Douglas Adams, Isaac Asimov, Frank Herbert, etc.

A word of warning. Both series by Stephen Donaldson contain main characters whose actions at times might seem offensive/disturbing to many.

Jordan's first five or six books are good reading, but then the series start to stall. Not much happens. I have a like-dislike relationship with Goodkind's books. On one hand they are very captivating, on the other they are pretty naive.

Now, my suggestions.

Fantasy:
George RR Martin - A song of fire and ice (series)
Stephen Donaldson - The chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever (two series, one listed)
Tad Wiliams - Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn (series)
Stephen Erikson - A tale of the Malazan book of the fallen (series)

Science fiction:
Stephen Donaldson - The Gap series
Peter F Hamilton - Night's Dawn Trilogy
Greg Egan - Diaspora

And all the classic; Douglas Adams, Isaac Asimov, Frank Herbert, etc.

A word of warning. Both series by Stephen Donaldson contain main characters whose actions at times might seem offensive/disturbing to many.

Jordan's first five or six books are good reading, but then the series start to stall. Not much happens. I have a like-dislike relationship with Goodkind's books. On one hand they are very captivating, on the other they are pretty naive.

Now, my suggestions.

Fantasy:
George RR Martin - A song of fire and ice (series)
Stephen Donaldson - The chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever (two series, one listed)
Tad Wiliams - Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn (series)
Stephen Erikson - A tale of the Malazan book of the fallen (series)

Science fiction:
Stephen Donaldson - The Gap series
Peter F Hamilton - Night's Dawn Trilogy
Greg Egan - Diaspora

And all the classic; Douglas Adams, Isaac Asimov, Frank Herbert, etc.

A word of warning. Both series by Stephen Donaldson contain main characters whose actions at times might seem offensive/disturbing to many.

Jordan's first five or six books are good reading, but then the series start to stall. Not much happens. I have a like-dislike relationship with Goodkind's books. On one hand they are very captivating, on the other they are pretty naive.

Now, my suggestions.

Fantasy:
George RR Martin - A song of fire and ice (series)
Stephen Donaldson - The chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever (two series, one listed)
Tad Wiliams - Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn (series)
Stephen Erikson - A tale of the Malazan book of the fallen (series)

Science fiction:
Stephen Donaldson - The Gap series
Peter F Hamilton - Night's Dawn Trilogy
Greg Egan - Diaspora

And all the classic; Douglas Adams, Isaac Asimov, Frank Herbert, etc.

A word of warning. Both series by Stephen Donaldson contain main characters whose actions at times might seem offensive/disturbing to many.

Jordan's first five or six books are good reading, but then the series start to stall. Not much happens. I have a like-dislike relationship with Goodkind's books. On one hand they are very captivating, on the other they are pretty naive.

Now, my suggestions.

Fantasy:
George RR Martin - A song of fire and ice (series)
Stephen Donaldson - The chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever (two series, one listed)
Tad Wiliams - Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn (series)
Stephen Erikson - A tale of the Malazan book of the fallen (series)

Science fiction:
Stephen Donaldson - The Gap series
Peter F Hamilton - Night's Dawn Trilogy
Greg Egan - Diaspora

And all the classic; Douglas Adams, Isaac Asimov, Frank Herbert, etc.

A word of warning. Both series by Stephen Donaldson contain main characters whose actions at times might seem offensive/disturbing to many.