Catch up

Ok, here it is, I'll just give a teaser here about what I'll write, and then those who care can read the entire thing.
Fahrenheit 451: high school reading material, good emotions
Childhood's End: a bit weird, and more psy-fi than sci fi.
Wrinkle in Time: Kids book on the top 100 list of sci fi novels. Kind of a chick book, but the list compells me.
Snow Crash: Hiro Protagonist. Actual main character name. I think Heroes ripped this off.

Fahrenheit 451: Apparently everyone but me read this in high school, so I'll not go into too much detail. Basic premise: if we continue to value entertainment over knowledge, eventually, knowledge will be considered dangerous, and we'll burn all our books, and pay people to do it. Classic Dystopia, but I really enjoyed how Bradbury delved into the emotions of someone who is struggling against all he knows, but feels is not the way things should be. There is a paragraph toward the end of the book that struck me, and probably will remain how I remember the book. One of the old exiled professors talks about mourning the loss of someone. When we are gone, no one will ever, ever do things the way we do things, or say things the way we say things. Even if someone had a list of all the things we've ever done and will do, and tried to duplicate them, it still would not be the same. We are individuals, and that makes the loss of anyone a terrible loss.

Childhood's End: Weird. Basic premise: Aliens come to earth, and they take over all the workings of the world. They prevent humanity from going to war with itself, and then things just kind of settle. The real reason that they arrive is to make sure humanity's big moment goes off without a hitch. Humanity's big moment: All the kids, everywhere, develop beyond the normal capacity for thought and paranormal stuff, and they all become part of a really creepy/huge/weird overmind. the end. of earth. cuz the kids blow it up when they transform to pure energy. oh an the parents all have to watch it and then they have to leave. the end.

A Wrinkle in Time: Epic good and evil, with a bit of religion thrown in. Basic Premise: The Darkness is taking over planets and galaxies, and there are a few people with certain characteristics that are good at fighting darkness, and do so. Heroine triumphs by saving her little brother from the Darkness (represented by a big brain that controls people and takes away their free will) because she has something that the Darkness doesn't have; love. Yeah, it is kind of sappy at the end, but really a great wholesome kids book. That's right, kids books make it on the top sci fi novels of all time.

Snow Crash: really good cyber punk! And the (Hiro) Protagonist uses swords. a lot. I'm fairly certain that the Character of Hiro Nakamura, in the TV show Heroes is at least loosely based on this guy, but I'd have to do some research on that. There's definitely some entertaining views of the future, in both political, technological and social areas. If you've ever worked in any corporation you know the power of the three ring binder, which is the way corporate tells everyone exactly what policy is an how to follow it. Franchises are the way of the future, why not have a Mafia Franchise. Really a complex book, with a lot of double meanings and political satire, and mumbo jumbo. and the book was long! I love that! mainly because some sci fi novels get in, tell the story, and get out. but Snow crash takes you deeper into the world, into the minds of the people, and develops not just the main character, but the main nine characters. world building, at it's finest.

There you have it, I'm all caught up