Title: The Positronic Man
Author: Isaac Asimov and Robert Silverberg
Type: Fiction
Page Count: 226
Rating: 4.25/5
When I ordered this book online, I didn’t realise that it was co-written and thought that it was just an Asimov novel. Then, when I picked it up, I was wondering whether I’d be able to tell which author wrote which parts based upon their voices. That didn’t really happen, and it just read like Asimov’s novels.
I believe it’s also based on Bicentennial Man, which I think I’ve read at some point, but it was long enough ago that I couldn’t remember anything. That meant that other than knowing that it was a robot novel, I went in pretty blind.
That’s actually not a bad shout, and I can give you the information you’ll need to decide whether to read it without too many spoilers. It basically follows a robot who starts to take on ever more human qualities and who eventually tries to prove to the world that he’s a person, even while admitting he’s not a human.
The most interesting parts here are the bits which deal with morality and questions of what exactly it is that makes someone human. That’s where Asimov is at his best, and he really shines here even if it’s actually Silverberg. It doesn’t matter.
Cary Elwes – As You Wish | Review
Title: As You Wish
Author: Cary Elwes
Type: Non-Fiction
Page Count/Review Word Count: 262
Rating: 5*/5
Cary Elwes – As You Wish
This was inconceivably good.
True, it might not make much sense to you unless you’re already a fan of The Princess Bride, because this is basically a memoir of the movie’s creation. Written by Cary Elwes, the actor who played Westley, and with support from Joe Layden, who’s written or co-written over thirty New York Times bestsellers, you know you’re in for a treat here.
I particularly enjoyed the fact that each of the actors also contributed to the book, although the way that their comments were inserted was occasionally clunky and/or repetitive. There’s not much point including a quote from Christopher Guest, for example, if he’s just repeating what’s already been said. But overall, it was better for including those comments and so I can’t complain too much.
Granted, I’m only three books into the month so far, but I think this has a decent shot at being my book of the month. The Princess Bride has been a favourite film of mine since I was a kid, and I particularly enjoyed reading about how Elwes and Mandy Patinkin trained up for their epic sword fight. I used to watch that fight over and over again, rewinding our VHS copy so many times that it ended up ruining the tape and making it unwatchable.
And of course, The Princess Bride itself is based on a cracking book by William Goldman. Read Goldman’s book, watch the film and then read this.
Cary Elwes
Click here to buy As You Wish.