The last time I picked up a Peter F. Hamilton book was about a year ago. Unfortunately, Misspent Youth wasn’t very impressive compared to the rest of the Commonwealth Universe. However, it gave me a goal: to finish all the books in the Commonwealth Universe. Jumping ahead, I must say: I love the Commonwealth Universe. It might start slow with Misspent Youth, but it picks up steam quickly in the following books and doesn’t stop until the very end.
The final series, The Chronicles of the Fallers, consists of two books: The Abyss Beyond Dreams and Night Without Stars. The story takes place both within the Void and outside it, recounting the tale of humans trapped with a highly hostile alien race and their desperate struggle to survive. The author masterfully weaves an intriguing story about a society that once thrived on advanced technology but is forced back to 21st-century tech levels as it attempts to return to the Commonwealth—all while fending off the Fallers.
The series brings back two main characters: Nigel Sheldon and Paula Myo, who both work to rescue humans from the Void and the Fallers. Hamilton expands on the inner workings of the Void, giving the story an exciting twist while managing to keep the Void series on its own unique path. Additionally, he delves into how the Void’s mechanics became so convoluted and expansive by the end of the Void series.
I enjoyed The Chronicles of the Fallers immensely. It connects beautifully with the previous books while developing a new, exciting storyline. The entire Commonwealth Universe is a sublime experience, and I wish Peter would continue working on it, but otherwise, it is a great place to stop.
I know I haven’t discussed much of the plot, but I feel I wouldn’t do it justice. The Chronicles of the Fallers must be read as a sequel to the earlier stories. That way, you’ll be fully immersed in the experience. If you enjoyed the previous books, you won’t be disappointed—I certainly wasn’t.
In a nutshell: +: Well-written and easy to read +: Continuation of the Commonwealth Universe +: Old characters in a new setting +: New and exciting storyline +: A wonderful finale to the entire universe =: Excellent books, but I highly recommend reading them only after finishing the previous series
Title: The Chronicles of the Fallers Author: Peter Hamilton Cover:
I never read books about architecture or architects, and reading this book wasn’t my idea. However, once I commit to something, I see it through. I purchased the book a few months ago, new, for about $66 (Canadian dollars). I’ll come back to the price later. The book itself is relatively small and short, a bit over 300 pages with a well-sized font, ample space between chapters, and the smallest page area I’ve ever seen in a technical book.
I’ve never held an architectural position, and in fact, I have a fairly limited understanding of an architect’s role in the first place. With over a decade as a software engineer, I tend to see architects as people to avoid whenever possible, as they often say “no” to technical or design proposals more than “yes.” Granted, software engineers can be overly eager to make unnecessary changes or introduce new shiny tech that ends up causing more problems or becoming redundant. But to this day, I only approach an architect when all other options are exhausted and never with new ideas or proposals.
“It is often easier to ask for forgiveness than to ask for permission.”
Grace Hopper
Given all of the above, expressing an opinion on this book is challenging, as I have nothing to compare it to. However, I’ll share my thoughts and feelings about it
The Good: The book is easy to read and understand. The author does not waste time stretching out discussions unnecessarily. The list of topics is solid and covers many critical areas of any IT organization. I found a few nuggets that resonated with me, such as automation, standardization, version control, diagrams, and feedback. While I have minor disagreements on automation, I generally align with the author and hope modern IT organizations follow these ideas and recommendations. The book also includes plenty of references to other materials, books and movies.
Ugly bits: While the references to other resources are appreciated, there is an underlying irony: if you’ve read some of the books mentioned, you likely don’t need to read this one at all. Kent Beck, Robert C. Martin and Martin Fowler, for example, provide enough practical knowledge, discussions, and examples that render many subjects covered here self-evident and redundant. Furthermore, while the book covers a broad range of topics, it often lacks depth and detail. It feels like reading an abstract with a bit more substance; the subjects are clear and touched upon, but there’s little practical detail to learn from. It feels like a lot of knowledge but practically little comes to fruition.
The Bad: The author frequently explains concepts through analogies, drawing from non-tech areas. While analogies can be effective, some of these were poorly chosen. Occasionally, the analogies were overly simplistic; at other times, they were unnecessarily complex. In rare cases, the analogy was worse than the technical explanation itself. For instance, the author used forensic/police sketch artists as an analogy for architectural mapping/diagrams. This was frustrating—it felt irrelevant, and I have no interest in, nor do I understand, police work. Another annoyance was the inclusion of URLs for diagrams in a printed book. Why not print them? The chapter on diagrams seemed interesting but ultimately uninspired, as if the authors added just enough content to make it feel important but not enough to fully explore the topic or provide more examples. I found it perplexing that the book relied so heavily on unrelated analogies, considering it isn’t targeted at novices. Surely, any software engineer or architect reading this book would have a baseline understanding of IT. The author could have used this space to provide more detailed discussions and practical examples instead. Lastly, the book’s treatment of hiring and staffing was minimal. While it mentions the importance of interactions across organizational levels, it barely touches on better hiring practices and only in passing. It’s ironic that the author can talk about communicating between the “engine room” and the “penthouse” but neglects to elaborate on Human Resources.
So, what’s the verdict? Let’s go back to the $66 price tag. For that amount, I expected at least 400 full-sized pages of deeper, more practical knowledge. I’m not sure who this book is for. Is it for the ivory tower architect who lost touch with tech a decade or two ago? Or for the new architect who has only heard of Git, pipelines, and containerization in passing at a conference? The book isn’t bad, but I can’t say it’s good either. Would I buy it again? No. Would I recommend it? No. You could gather the same knowledge by locking yourself in a room with YouTube for 10-20 hours and watching IT conference talks by top industry architects. I would give the book a green light for $20, as it is short and has a few valuable nuggets, but not for $66.
In a nutshell: +: Easy, fast, and short read +: Covers various relevant IT topics +/-: Includes many references and broad topic coverage -: Heavy reliance on analogies, not all effective -: Lacks depth, details, and practical discussion =: Don’t waste your money. If you can pick up the book for $20 and are interested in the topic, go for it. Otherwise, spend time on YouTube learning from top industry architects for 10-20 hours, and you’ll likely be better off.
Title: The Software Architect Elevator: Redefining the Architect’s Role in the Digital Enterprise Author: Gregor Hohpe Cover:
Critical Mass is the continuation of the Delta-V storyline. The focus now shifts from the journey home to a rescue operation. To save their crew mates, the team must also save the world. It is gripping and entertaining to follow. What intrigues and bothers me is the notion that the environmental crisis on Earth is inevitable, and the only solution is to consume and build more using resources available only in space. While I understand that this is just a plot, it resonates chillingly with our current state of affairs, which is one of the reasons I appreciate Daniel Suarez’s work.
Just to step aside for a moment, yesterday I was thinking about Daniel’s book “Kill Decision”, which I read about 11 years ago. It’s striking how, less than a decade later, we have “killer drones.” Anyone following the Ukrainian war knows about the thousands of drones, both small and large, flying over the battlefield. Although we have not yet reached the point of swarms and autonomous machine decision-making, we are getting closer.
Returning to Critical Mass, while I enjoyed it, I found the first book (Delta-V) a bit more thrilling, perhaps due to the adventure of going to space. Critical Mass feels more predictable, even though the author has left room for surprises and twists. I also feel there is a lack of technological elaboration, especially concerning cryptocurrency. When reading about non-existent fictional technology, providing details is challenging. However, when the technology already exists, it’s a shame not to delve into it. But this is just my selfish desire. Overall, it is an enjoyable book, though I wonder if I will pick it up again in the future.
In a nutshell: +: Pleasant read +: Realistic feel of near-future tech +: Fair continuation of the previous book +/: Some technologies could have been explored more -: Less thrilling than the previous book =: Critical Mass is a nice book and hard to pass up after diving into Delta-V. However, it is less thrilling, and the tech isn’t elaborated as much as I would like. Overall, a nice read.
The last time I wrote about Daniel Suarez’s book was nearly a decade ago (Influx), even though I revisit Daemon and Freedom TM every so often. I don’t consider myself a fan, but I do check on Daniel’s books periodically.
I guess I really missed Daniel’s writing, so it was time for a new book. I skipped over “Change Agent” and jumped to “Delta-V”; I guess I really wanted something “out of this world.” While half of the story is set on earth, the other half is set in space. I wish the author spent more story time in space, but missing all of the groundwork, struggles, training, and building relationships that got developed on earth is important to the rest of the story. Regardless, the space part came out a bit rushed and a bit superficial. While the story provides some thrilling and unexpected turns, those moments are slightly dull and short-lived.
Even though I have a couple of axes to grind, overall the story is good. I enjoyed it from the beginning to the end. I couldn’t let the book go; I just wanted to keep on going. One of the trademarks of Daniel’s SciFi is the proximity to not-so-far-away reality. Yes, it is still a plot of imagination and science fiction, but it is just close enough to contemporary technologies to give you the feel of near-future possibility, which, in turn, makes it feel more realistic. In addition, the author provides enough technical details to make technology feel real and not an abstract concept, such as “wormhole engines.” Reading the book makes me want to learn more about the science behind diving, planetary alignment, and space technologies, and in my book, the promotion of curiosity is a solid sign of the author’s good writing.
In a nutshell: +: Pleasant read +: Can’t put the book down +: Feels realistic due to proximity to contemporary technology +: Promotes curiosity towards described science and technology -: Some thrilling parts are slightly dull and short-lived =: Daniel keeps this traditional trademark of “near-future” SciFi with a good space story that is hard to put down.
I picked up the book because it is a prequel to Peter Hamilton’s Commonwealth Saga, and I love those books. “Misspent Youth” is a short story that takes place before rejuvenation and memory crystals. The story is well-written and pleasant, but that’s about it.
While I love most of the work done by Peter Hamilton, there are books that I don’t enjoy as much as others, and “Fallen Dragon” springs to mind. Unfortunately, “Misspent Youth” is added to the list today. The story feels more like futuristic romantic drama rather than science fiction, but that’s not the main issue. The primary problem is the lack of twists and plots. It feels like the story just lacks the punch.
I’m not sure where the author was going with the book. It doesn’t add or remove any value from the rest of the Commonwealth Saga, perhaps just slightly disappointing if you have expectations. But overall, if you go in without expectations, then you will enjoy it.
In a nutshell: +: Easy going +: Short +/-: No expectations, no disappointments -: Lacks twists and plots -: No punch to the story =: Nice short story, but that’s it.
Title: Misspent Youth Author: Peter Hamilton Cover:
Давно я не писал на русском языке, впрочем и не планировал писать, но из-за несложной череды событий я приобрел книгу Александра Невзорова – Искусство оскорблять.
Забавно читать его книгу и сравнивать его структуру речи и мыслей с видеозаписями на его YouTube-канале – он говорит, как пишет, и пишет, как говорит.
Я должен снять перед Александром шляпу и сказать: иронию критики тяжело пропустить, так как сам автор по сути является писателем и в какой-то степени влияет на культуру, при этом не лестно отзываясь о культуре, писателях и другом не научном сброде. Глебыч очень чётко и своевременно всегда отмечает, что он не учёный.
Крайне интересен и забавен его подход, в особенности с «доказательством» и использованием аналогий. Подход элегантен, забавен и местами щекочет мозг, но местами напрягает – «заход из далека» может занимать метры и километры, а в случаях с Глебычем и сотни километров.
На всем протяжении книги можно заметить тренд, и он не столько образовательный (хотя тут как посмотреть), сколько больше раскачиваемый – рассмотреть фундамент и отбойным молотком «проверить на прочность». По итогу автор конечно больше ломает, чем строит, хотя возможно в этом и смысл – если фундамент гнилой, то надо его вскрывать и перестраивать заново.
Книга приносит удовольствие, как изложением, так и содержанием, но подозреваю, что не всем она придётся по вкусу. Думаю, что нужно иметь хоть какой-то уровень свободы мысли и/или не принимать себя и реальность слишком серьезно, в прочем, как и себя самого.
Будучи студентом много лет назад, были курсы, которые весьма больно массажировали мозги, доставляя дискомфорт и местами боль. Бой был тяжелым и кропотливым, однако, “взяв высоту”, чувствовал себя победителем знаний человеческих. С этой книгой ощущения аналогичны, хотя и не такие интенсивные. Возможно, это именно то, чего автор и добивался.
In a nutshell: +: Легко и приятно читать +: Интересные темы для рассмотрения +: Написано элегантно и красиво, чувствуется врожденный писатель +: Примеры, анализ и обсуждения -/+: Доказательство по аналогии не самый убеждающий подход =: Книга забавная и дает возможность подумать и переоценить многие вещи. Отчасти она развивает разные домыслы и исторический флаф. Я думаю, что книга полезна, периодически нужно проверять фундамент на прочность.
Title: Искусство оскорблять Author: Александр Невзоров Cover:
I chose this book among others because I wanted to get out of reading about programming, methodologies, and other related stuff. I wanted to read something more abstract, not necessarily applicable to my immediate work, and boy did I get what I bargained for.
Well, let me start with complaints. First and foremost, the book is a bit long. I feel like it could have been compressed a bit. No, there isn’t much fluff, just several chapters could have been reorganized. Second, and no less subjective, the book at some point turns into a “horror movie,” where each passing chapter, things get more dangerous, complicated, and helpless. But I have to admit, there is a certain charm to such a delivery. Last grumble of mine: few examples of highly scaled and/or distributed systems. I would love to see more examples and discussions about them. Now I know the grumble isn’t entirely fair, since I got what I wanted – “more abstract” – but by the end of the book, I was left wanting more. I guess appetite comes during a meal.
Now let’s flip the page and go in the opposite direction: the examples in the book are quite interesting and educational. I loved the discussion about Twitter’s design and a couple more along the way. I personally don’t work with databases or other data-related systems that much, so the author fascinated me quite a bit. Some discussions are quite lengthy and detailed, mostly due to the complexity of the subject, but that’s what makes them so good, opening up your mind to different ways of thinking about programs, structures, and networks. The “horror movie” comes and goes, it makes you doubt everything you took for granted, even a CPU’s ability to add two numbers together. The author seems to project a lot of paranoia, the levels are similar to the amount of paranoia exhibited by system administrators. It sure gives a lot of perspective to developers, since lots of things are assumed to work properly and not to fail at the most opportune moment. One last thing: as I was reading the book, it reminded me of a bit of fun I had reading research papers at university. Some of the design patterns did emerge from academia, and perhaps it is a good direction if you have an interest in it.
I believe the title speaks for itself. If you want to design data-intensive applications, the book might be a good start. Perhaps it will give you a good insight and/or wider perspective. But if you are looking for hands-on material, the book might disappoint you. It is hard to tell whether the book is worth it or not. I had fun reading it; I believe it is well written, and I can see that the author put a lot of work into it. So I’ll leave you with this: if you are curious about the subject, go for it!
In a nutshell: +: Well written +: Broadens horizons +: Lots of discussions and examples +: No requirement for specialized knowledge -/+: In a way, a long book; in a way, it needs to be longer =: If you have any interest in application design, the book is an awesome way to start your journey.
Title: Designing Data-Intensive Applications Author: Martin Kleppmann Cover:
I been developing software for a while now and managed to read few books on the subject. Some books are general purpose, some with narrow focus on a particular subject in the development process. Pragmatic programmer is general purpose book on the subject.
I picked up the book in hopes of learning something new, something I haven’t seen or read before. Surprising enough I did find few things, but not nearly enough to justify going through the entire book. Now let me be very clear, the book itself is a good book, if you are starting out and want to improve your skills and understand what’s out there. However it might be a waste of time if you been in the game for a while and read a few things here and there. Also I can’t help but notice that some topics are not well covered even at a basic level (IMHO).
Since negatives are largely based on the amount of knowledge/experience a developer has, let’s talk about positives. The book is well written and relatively short. There is no fluff or metaphysical discussions, just practical and pragmatic advice. The book outlines and talks about all the useful basics that each developer should have, like: structures, clean code, testing, design, refactor, thought processes, personal & team behaviour, project organization and development methodologies. There is no deep dive into any subject, just essentials – which should spark enough interest in a developer to start researching more on any particular subject of interest. The author’s personal experience also comes in handy, some things don’t change over decades.
Overall, the book is good for inexperienced developers and for the experienced developers this book might be a trip down memory lane.
In a nutshell: +: Well written & short +: All the basics +: Discussions +: Some hands-on examples -: Some subjects are not well covered even at basic level =: Good book for new developers, but not much value for experienced devs.
Title: The Pragmatic Programmer, 20th Anniversary Edition your journey to mastery Authors: Andy Hunt, David Thomas Cover:
I don’t have any particular curiosity towards soviet or post-soviet history. I watched the HBO mini-series “Chernobyl” and “Chernobyl The Lost Tapes” documentary, so I got enough of an idea about what happened. Since I was born in Russia and spent good chunk of my life there, I don’t need to be explained about corruption, incompetence and the Soviet ways.
So how did I end up with the book? I have a Canadian friend, really sharp guy, reads books, thinks things through, really fun to talk to. Many years ago, yet another regular conversation took a turn towards the topic of corruption in Canada. Before long he made a broad statement: “… it is the same in Russia”. I disagreed and he disagreed with my disagreement. This was the first time when I realized that people in Canada and in the west, don’t really understand Russia, more specifically that there is a difference between corruption and Russian corruption. In nutshell it is like comparing teenage hockey and professional hockey. Not long ago, my friend, came back to the subject of corruption, but now with a totally different position, now he no longer disagreed with me. I was surprised and he elaborated on his revelation – “Midnight in Chernobyl”, insisting that I should read the book as well.
So how is the book? Well, without a doubt the book is good, very good. It is well written and can be gulped without breaks. What you don’t find in any show or movie is nitty-gritty details and the book does a lot of justice to that. You can feel and see the system at work, incompetence, secrecy, economic and social struggle in “full HD color”. I believe the book represents a relative short and concise case study of the Soviet Union and how people though, operated and sacrificed. To some degree you will be able to understand even current situation and decision making of Russia today (including Russian invasion of Ukraine). The book is about Chernobyl, it is about the tragedy but Chernobyl story spans way beyond boundary of one location and far across entire USSR.
In a nutshell: +: Well written & easy read +: Lots of details +: Brief history of soviet reactor building +: Great insight into how the state operated +: Overview how people lived, all equal but some are more equal than others =: It is a good book, if you have any interest in historic events, pick it up. Chernobyl is one of the greatest disasters and perhaps it is worth while to learn about it, at the very least for the sake of not repeating it.
Title: Midnight in Chernobyl: The Untold Story of the World’s Greatest Nuclear Disaster Author: Adam Higginbotham Cover:
Business is a very strange beast to me, on the one hand I understand importance of it, on the other hand I never wanted to dive deep into it. I guess business to me is like forbidden fruit – it is there, it is tempting but I never got enough desire to take a bite.
Something changed over last few years and I figured it wouldn’t hurt to learn a thing or two about marketing. This book was chosen almost randomly. As I scrolled over a blog, someone highly recommended the book, without much thought I picked it up.
This is my first book about marketing and since I’m fairly clueless on the subject, it is hard to judge the content. However I can cross reference some ideas from other books and materials:
And so as I read the book, I came across some previously acquired knowledge (good refresher or reinforcement) and since the book is focused on one topic, there were more interesting tidbits.
Now I’ve been dragging my feet with this book for a very long time, embarrassingly long. It is a short read so what the problem? Well, the delivery is… for the lack of better word – ugly. Whenever I picked it up, shortly after I find my mind wondering away, loosing focus and interest. Often I had to put it away and say to myself: “may be tomorrow”. The book just simply does not flow. It is like a bumpy ride, might be entertaining for a bit but ultimately wears you out. Some books you can’t wait to pickup and keep on going, this one is the opposite – delay delay delay.
In a nutshell: +: Interesting aphorisms, anecdotes and stories +: General case studies and analysis +: More on psychological side +/-: Short book but hard read -: Lack of concrete recipes and techniques =: It is hard to make a conclusion on the book in the subject matter that I don’t know much about. I guess if you have to read it (because of a job or deep interest in the subject) then go for it. Otherwise it is not a pleasant read, you will have to commit to get through.
Title: This is Marketing: You Can’t Be Seen Until You Learn To See Author: Seth Godin Cover:
