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Monday, March 25, 2002 Strange cookie fortune: "Promote literacy. Buy a box of fortune cookies today." I fail to see how this is a fortune. It's a blatant advertisement. There are a string of lotto numbers below the message though so it's not a total loss. However, I usually don't see the relevancy of predicting the future. The weather people might be an exception, but then again, you can never go wrong if you always carry an umbrella. Crystal balls, tarot cards, runes--all entertainment devices. But it gets annoying after awhile, especially with those psychic network infomercials and spam. Besides, I find future predictions constraining. There's no room for free will if the time line is already planned out. I'd feel more comfortable believing that I could become anything if I just set my mind to it. I don't want to be predestined for a predetermined fate. Speaking of time, I've just finished To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis. Yeah, the book has been sitting around on my desk for over a year gathering dust, but slowly (and surely) I'm getting to all the novels I have managed to accummulate the past year and a half. To Say Nothing of the Dog (winner of a Hugo Award in 1999) is a time-travel, futuristic, historic, comedy, mystery, and romance all rolled into one. And did I also mention the novel is chock full of literary allusions? It's ultimately cerebral and entertaining at the same time. Ned Henry, a historian hired by an obsessive aristocrat wanting to restore a cathedral bombed during World War II, is constantly "dropping" through time to authenticate a hideous object called the bishop's bird stump. Hijinks ensue when Verity Kindle, another historian, accidentally brings back something from the past. For those of you unfamiliar with science fiction, the beginning may be a little disorienting. Henry, the narrator, starts off suffering from "time-lag" and the first few chapters are an immediate submersion into rambling and time travel lingo. However, it's not your typical sci-fi with space ships and exploding planets--most of it, in fact, takes place in 1888 Victorian England. It's easily one of the more funnier books I've read in a while. Highly recommended. Other reviews: Ala.org Epiphyte.net Good Reports Ooblick.com SciFi.com SFF.net SFSite.com Stanford [posted by S. Y. Affolee on 9:47 PM : ]
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