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Mark Crocker

mcrocker@books.mxhdr.net

Joined 3 years ago

Fan of DRM-Free Hard Sci-Fi novels

Also @mcrocker@indieweb.social on Mastodon

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Mark Crocker's books

To Read

Currently Reading (View all 5)

Amal El-Mohtar, Max Gladstone: This Is How You Lose the Time War (Hardcover, 2019, Simon and Schuster)

Two time-traveling agents from warring futures, working their way through the past, begin to exchange …

Most imaginative over the top, and wildly fun

This is one or the most imaginative stories I've ever read in a genre known for imagination. It's also over the top and a wild ride. There's nothing formulaic here and it will keep you guessing.

As a big fan of hard science fiction, this doesn't explain any of the time travel, or technology, which is somewhat disappointing.

On the other hand it has a very different style and a frantic energy. I'm not a fan of romance, but it has a sincerity that makes me really root for them.

A different take on first contact

A nice, short, first contact story with interesting characters who are different because it's the future, discovering just how different aliens can be.

Elaine Gallagher: Unexploded Remnants (2024, Doherty Associates, LLC, Tom)

Alice is the last human. Street-smart and bad-ass. After discovering what appears to be an …

A little fun, short read, kind of naive

A little different than my typical read. Not hard since fiction. I'm not sure if it's a little naive, or thinking outside the box, but serious suspension of disbelief is required.

Cory Doctorow: Eastern standard tribe (2005, Tor)

Art is a member of the Eastern Standard Tribe, a secret society bound together by …

Eastern standard tribe, interesting concept, convoluted plot

It's an interesting concept, but as a speculative story on the side effects of social media, it was a miss.

The implementation of the concept was also not one of Corry Doctorow's better efforts. The plot was overly convoluted, and it was really difficult to relate to the protagonist.

Down and out in the Magic Kingdom books.mxhdr.net/book/10582/s/down-and-out-in-the-magic-kingdom may also have missed it's target, but it a much better effort of prognostification on the consequences of social media.

commented on Picks and Shovels by Cory Doctorow (The Martin Hench Novels, #3)

Cory Doctorow: Picks and Shovels (EBook, 2025, Bloomsbury Publishing Plc., Tor Books)

New York Times bestselling author Cory Doctorow returns to the world of Red Team Blues …

I've highlighted several things in @pluralistic@mamot.fr 's Picks and Shovels, but one short sentence fragment I especially like is:

using a ream of his virginal fanfold printer paper

which alludes to the protagonist's earlier dumpster diving activity to find discarded tractor feed paper that had only been used on one side.

Although I never actually dived a dumpster for half used printer paper, I do remember scavenging long sections of such paper from computer room garbage cans, back in the day.