Damn You, Entropy! is a treasure trove of science fiction quotes that spans the vast expanse of time and imagination. With over 1,001 thought-provoking snippets, it’s like stargazing through a literary telescope. But, alas, there’s a black hole in this constellation: the absence of commentary to make this any more than a curio.

Let’s start with the good points. This book is eminently quoteable. There are some great, insightful, and well-curated quotes within this book. From Asimov’s cerebral musings to the warp-speed wit of Douglas Adams, this anthology covers it all. Whether you seek warp drives or existential ponderings, you’ll find your orbit here.

The book is also well-structured. Not only is it organised by topic, but we also get a sense of chronology. We can chart the evolution is sci[fi, from early authors like Jules Verne and his Victorian visions, through to people like N.K. Jemisin and her Afrofuturism. It’s like flipping through the pages of a cosmic history book.

Ultimately, it’s just interesting, and some quotes really hit home like meteor showers; brief but brilliant. They ignite curiosity, spark debate, and remind us that imagination is our most potent means of travel.

That said, the book is ultimately a little flat for me. The void between quotes is vast. Where are the footnotes? The context? The author’s commentary? Without these, we’re lost in space, floating without coordinates. This is the real failing of this book for me. I want to enter into a debate. I want to explore the timeline of how sci-fi has developed. I want a line drawn between authors who have inspired authors who have inspired authors.

Damn You, Entropy! is a cosmic kaleidoscope, but it yearns for a celestial guide. If you seek raw inspiration, dive in, and the book is good for what it is. But bring your own star map, because sometimes, even entropy needs a nudge.

This makes the book tricky to rate. I want to say 2 out of 5, but am I rating this against a metric that the author never attempted to meet? Is this fair? It certainly succeeds at what it intends to do. That should count for something.

3/5

A book that lists science fiction quotes from Star Wars all the way to H.G. Wells. If you love science fiction, then you'll love this book. It's also a good reference to determine what books or movies you could read/see as well.

I dipped into this collection of quotes over and over. There were some favourites of mine and some new-to-me authors/novels/films/series that I added to my TBR.

Unfortunately, I had the feeling that quotes from male authors dominated the collection. i was hoping for more diversity.

All in all a book that would make a great gift for sci-fi fans.

One of the best things about quote books is discovering great authors and recognising great authors you already know and love, and Damn You, Entropy! is no different. A wonderful collection fo 1001 of the greatest science fiction quotes on every topic under the Milky Way. Great for dabbling, for research, for reading cover to cover. A reference work for all fans of science fiction and also anyone who wants to read what great writers have written on topics from art to AI to war and dystopia. A beautiful book.

A collection of quotes from scifi books, short stories, movies, Tv series, and graphic novels from classics to more recent releases. It’s wide ranging and divided by categories including death, artificial intelligence, gods, love, fear and so much more. A great book for dipping in and out of. And I love the title!

Thank you, Netgalley, for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book. These opinions are completely my own.

This is a fun book containing sci-fi quotes from various sources. I'm not the biggest sci-fi fan, but I love quotes, so I was interested. The subjects are interesting and it's enjoyable to read no matter what era, as our point of manu view of subjects is basically the same.

Thanks to Prometheus and NetGalley for providing a free digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was a fun little read. Very coffee table type of book, or if you want a good quote to use, this would be a handy reference. I found myself looking for some of my favorite quotes--most were in there, one or two were not. I also thought it was very well organized so it would be easy to leaf through to find a quote to look back on.

This book is a little treasure trove of wisdom, witty sayings, and things to discover. It draws from very diverse sources: excerpts from texts, movies, and TV series. I had fun discovering many unknown titles, but I also found great pleasure in coming across works I dearly love, like Star Trek, The Orville, The X-Files, Contact... This book brings together recent works, old ones, classics, and lesser-known pieces, appealing to all generations. My new game: opening it randomly to decide what my next read or watch will be! A book that makes you want to read more.

I enjoyed this book. I thought that the quotes selected were very meaningful. I started out selecting my favourite quotes, but the list became too long, so I started selecting my favourite chapters. And again the list became too long. Ultimately, I selected “Science” as my favourite chapter, with honourable mention to “Ethics and Morality”. But really, all the chapters were great. The book also gave me leads on what other genre books I might like to read. Overall, this is a great book for fans of the genre. Thank you to Netgalley and Prometheus for the advance reader copy.

So this is an amazing collection. The quotes come from different mediums and are mixed up together and divided by topic. The selections are smart, and I found myself reading them slowly so I could remember the impact when I first came across them.
Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this

There were so many amazing Sci-Fi quotes in this book including ones that I had forgotten. A great reminder of the amazing sci fi quotes that filled my childhood.

A fun collection of sci-fi quotes. These quotes have the power to bring back memories of the original scene and spark nostalgia. There are a large number of quotes from a wide range of sources. Well done.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for access to the e-ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

My thanks to both NetGalley and the publisher Globe Pequot Prometheus for an advance copy of this book of quotations featuring numerous words of wisdom from works of science fiction from classics to modern masters.

I don't know when I started, but I have been using file cards as bookmarks for many, many years now. Even on e-readers I keep a file card tucked away along with a pen, to write down things I come across in whatever I am reading. Usually words I don't know, foreign phrases, food stuffs, historical facts or just facts in general. And of course quotes. Lines from the author, epigraphs from others, lines of poetry. I believe the editor of this book Guy P Harrison must have done the same thing, as Harrison's collection Damn You, Entropy!: 1,001 of the Greatest Science Fiction Quotes is one of the most wide ranging and complete collections of science fiction quotes I have ever read.

The book like most quote books is broken into themes, more than fifty, dealing with Art, Free Will, Science, Artifical Intelligence, and my two favorites Doomsday and Stupidity. The quotes range from classic works like Karel Čapek's RUR, who wrote, Nobody can hate Man more than Man. There are lines from movies, Star Wars Terminator and other films. Even modern masters like Ken Liu and of course Andy Weir, where the title of this book came from are included. The introduction by Harrison is always well done, a reminder to readers about the power of science fiction, stories in general, and the hope that science fiction gives readers.

People will always have opinions about books like these. Why don't you have insert name here? I can't believe you omitted insert name here? I thought this was a a very good collection, with lots of works I remembered fondly, and a few I wrote down on my handy file card to look up later. Most of these lines put smiles on my face, as I remembered either hearing of seeing them for the first time year ago. That's the power that many of these words have.

A great gift for someone who loves the genre, likes quotes in general, or needs just a little boost to help with their writing. A really good collection that I can't wait to get a physical copy of so I can read it again.

I think this is either the first time I have read something like this or it has been a long time since the last time.
This book offers a collection of well-curated quotations from sci-fi books and films. As an avid science, sci-fi and fantasy lover and an adamant hater of quotes, I challenged myself and read this book.
If you are like me (adoring several cultural work but never finding time to wholly revisit them), this is a great guide book. Reading some of my favourite lines, discovering new ones, and being reminded of those that were buried in my memory, this book made me smile, reflect and inspired.
The quotations are categorised into sections/themes, and this allows for an easier read. Because of the nature of the book, one does not need to read it cover to cover and pick any page to start reading it.
A much needed conversation about art meets science, science meets life, life meets both and they live happily and critically ever after.