16 Comments

On 9/11, I just finished a techno-thriller published in 1999 and it was amazing how much our actual lived history feels like it's the history of some alternative universe, not our own, given how much stuff is completely different not only on the surface, but underneath everything as well.

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Yeah, I even remember a couple of techno-thriller that had the villains crashing airliners into ground targets.

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Even one from Tom Clancy about a Japanese pilot who still hated the USA because of WWII events. "Debt of Honor" from early 1990s.

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I read a lot, but little science fiction. If it's sorta real, please give title and author.

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Acts of the Apostles by John Sundman:

https://wetmachine.com/acts-of-the-apostles/

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Thanks. I added it to my Kindle library.

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Let me know what you think. It's a fun techno-thriller.

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I finished the first chapter. I do like the writing style and dialog. The beginning of the story, Pavel reminds me of a real-life experience. We once hired a summer intern who was in Atlanta studying for a masters degree in structural engineering. He was Indian and maybe twice as smart as me (I know, there are a few commenters here who would say: Who isn't?). His design work was exactly what the author described as the Pavel character. My intern was a wizard at structural analysis - design, not so much. He came from a culture where artistry and labor were cheap and concrete, rebar and construction machinery were very expensive. In Georgia, construction carpenters and iron workers were expensive and dealt best with rectangular and cylindrical shapes - rectangular much preferred. I took the intern to a construction site to explain his design to a foreman. not good. Much coaching on revising design drawings required.

Reality is real whether related to silicon and electrons or rebar and concrete.

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If you end up liking the author, he has his own Substack here:

https://substack.com/@johnsundman

I'd probably hold off on reading that until you get through the book first to avoid any accidental spoilers.

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Well I'm up to about 70% and something is happening. Better. I did spend some time thinking about reading brain waves and came up with one very narrow useful application. My thermostat has network capability which is very handy. My wife's temperature tolerance changes about 20 times daily - too often for normal thermostat programming. Direct transmittal of her desired setting to the thermostat would be great but I'm afraid I would have to buy several new heat pump compressor motors each year.

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LOL!

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After several more chapters I've expanded my thinking. I told my wife maybe her temperature tolerance swings were caused by hormones. She said she was 80 years old and did not have hormones. Maybe nanobots like those mentioned in the novel could be produced to act on glands and other body parts that signal the brain about temperature discomfort. Maybe the brain could be convinced that some temperature between 70 and 75 degrees is ideal. It surely would save wear and tear on the compressor motor and reversing valve.

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Well, I've read about 60% of the book. It's long but interesting action is widely spaced. It's sorta like reading an action novel set in a marine environment with two-thirds of the narrative being how to operate the GPS system and maneuver a boat into a docking space. I'll finish it, but I hope it will get better.

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Whew, I'm finished with it. Some good writing, some good story telling. but not enough of either for me to read another thousand pages like that. I'll stick with James Lee Burke, Joe R. Langsdale, Thomas Perry, Lee Child and a few others.

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The companion volumes are a good bit more experimental, so if this wasn't 100% to your taste, you may want to pass on those two.

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I will. It's queued up for late next week.

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