Sunday, March 31, 2013

Review: Olympus Union: The Past Repeated


Olympus Union: The Past Repeated
Olympus Union: The Past Repeated by Gary Bloom

My rating: 1 of 5 stars



DISCLAIMER #1: The author asked me to review this and sent me a free epub version.

DISCLAIMER #2: I asked the author to make sure this was a proofread/edited copy so as not to waste my time. Therefore, I am not holding any punches.

This was a short novel, a bit over 100 pages on my Nook.

The reason I put this on my "Abandoned" shelf and gave it one star was because by the time I was halfway through I had come across several instances of:
1) TO/TOO was misused
2) words were misused [Root instead of Route]
3) words were left out of sentences [very obvious when a sentence NEEDS a pronoun, and it isn't there]
4) extremely awkward sentence structures that left me scratching my head as to what the author meant to convey

From a literary standpoint [and while SFF might not be what the so called Literati's read, it still has to follow the rules], this was SO 'amost good'.
I liked the basis of a one world gov't divided up into 10 sections [Revelations anyone?], but the characters. Caricatures, ideas of characters, extremely well painted cardboard cutouts. But not real characters.

There are just to [or is that too?] many instances of a character acting out of character [at least from the tiny bit I knew of them]:

1) you have this lady who is supposed to be the "Peace Keeper" of the whole shebang, ie, the top Warlord.Someone who is put in a position like that is not some dewey eyed idealist. They don't have to be some Satan worshipping, baby eating Nazi, but still, a corrupt set of officials isn't going to appoint a Paragon of Virtue to that position. So why does this Lady peacekeeper come across as a do-gooder?

2) the Aries Elite character. I was under the impression that the Aries were gene-modded to be supermen without the brains or emotions. But Captain Courageous is the polar opposite of his boss, an Aries who is a fat slob sitting behind a desk. Which is correct? Superman with a brain or fat corrupt Blobbo? It can't be both, they're GENE-MODDED!, ie, it is hardwired into them.

3) Kro, the mysterious guy dressed in black. He should have been cool. Space ninja. But we get someone who is completely schizo. He can avoid the OU gov't, the rebellion AND move around the solar system as he pleases, but he's worried about having enough patience to deal with one lousy lowlife spaceship captain? For someone to BE that good, they have to have the internal & external skills already worked out. Or they would have been caught/dealt with before we get to the story.


When I started this book, I felt like it could be good; run of the mill, but enjoyable.
But obvious lack of proofing/editing and unskilled character writing killed this for me.

If you read this review, you might feel like I completely savaged Mr. Bloom. And you would be correct. I did. I didn't pick this book up on my own. I was ASKED to review it.

If you want to read it anyway, and you love it, that is great! I really hope you read the rest in his series if you do. Any comments from Mr. Bloom I will do my best to answer honestly.

But just to give fair warning, inflammatory comments will simply be deleted. I don't have the patience to deal with them. .



View all my reviews

Friday, March 29, 2013

Review: Point Of Impact


Point Of Impact
Point Of Impact by Stephen Hunter

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I enjoyed the movie, Shooter, enough to check the book it was based on.

Thoroughly enjoyable. A bit of gun porn, with numbers and X's and this's and that's thrown about that meant absolutely nothing to me, but it didn't really detract from the story.

Shooting, government conspiracies, etc, etc.

It wrapped up nicely and Bob Lee gets to walk off into the sunset.

And then I see that it is a whole series. He's a middle age man from Vietnam. How many adventures can he have? I guess I'll be finding out.



View all my reviews

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Review: Goblin Quest


Goblin Quest
Goblin Quest by Jim C. Hines

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



This was a lot of fun to read.

Take your typical "hero on a quest to kill a dragon, blah, blah, blah" and completely turn it on its head.

We follow Jig, a runt of a goblin, who is nearsighted. He just wants to have enough to eat each day and to not be bullied about by the bigger goblins.

Unfortunately, for Jig, he is thrust into the company of aforementioned adventurers. Who are vile scumbags who simply want to use Jig and then kill him.

Jig ends up being the hero, and the leader of his people.

Where [b:Libriomancer|12844699|Libriomancer (Magic Ex Libris, #1)|Jim C. Hines|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1318277038s/12844699.jpg|17995680] felt like a Dresden clone, this was original. It toed the line between humor, dark humor and sadness, as we see how other races are treated by humankind.

We are also introduced to the the firespider who is part of Libriomancer.

Overall, I'm definitely looking forward to the rest of the trilogy.



View all my reviews

Sunday, March 24, 2013

Review: Caribbean Kill


Caribbean Kill
Caribbean Kill by Don Pendleton

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



This didn't get the "Ultra-violent" tag.

Overall, this seemed pretty lame. A 24hr quickie.



View all my reviews

Saturday, March 23, 2013

Review: Gunslinger Girl Omnibus 5


Gunslinger Girl Omnibus 5
Gunslinger Girl Omnibus 5 by Yu Aida

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



We get a TON of backstory for some of the Handler's here.

And the overall plot tightens up into an actual plot, instead of just short stories about the girls. And the first gens are starting to wear out, which changes the dynamics of how the Agency operates.

So lots of info, drama, guns and death.



View all my reviews

Thursday, March 21, 2013

Review: Forging the Darksword


Forging the Darksword
Forging the Darksword by Margaret Weis

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



I certainly enjoyed this more than Weis's [b:The Lost King|317383|The Lost King (Star of the Guardians, #1)|Margaret Weis|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1333286274s/317383.jpg|29051]. I think she can do fantasy very well.
It was a little confusing as the story kept jumping from one character to another at the beginning, but it then settled down on one of the "priests".
The world is based on magic but there are people who are born without magic, and they are ritually killed after their birth to protect the gene pool. Barbaric.
There is a prophecy about a "dead" king who will completely change the world.

Overall, an enjoyable read but nothing spectacular. Good enough that I'll be reading the next book however.



View all my reviews

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Review: The Time Paradox


The Time Paradox
The Time Paradox by Eoin Colfer

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



Not my least favorite of the AF series, but definitely one of the most "Bad Humans killing and polluting everything".
Interesting plot premise of time travel and the ironing out of supposed paradoxes.



View all my reviews

Monday, March 18, 2013

Review: The Wretched of Muirwood


The Wretched of Muirwood
The Wretched of Muirwood by Jeff Wheeler

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I thoroughly, completely, absolutely enjoyed this read.

To be honest, it is a typical fantasy with a young heroine overcoming great odds, finding out about her past and the promise of a great future.

But it was a great story. I never rolled my eyes, groaned or thought any disparaging remarks. It was well edited, so I was never thrown out of the story by bad grammar or an awkward phrase.

Really looking forward to the rest of this trilogy.



View all my reviews

Sunday, March 17, 2013

Review: Stardoc


Stardoc
Stardoc by S.L. Viehl

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



This was on a very quick path to 5Stars.

A young woman is fleeing her home and Earth, as her father, who is a brilliant and controlling surgeon, has her life all planned out for her.
She flees to a small colony to be part of the medical team. A colony made up of mostly non-Terrans, as humans are called. Did I mention that the controlling father is a leader in a Terrans Only group?

So the young daughter begins her work. Lots of adventures, some romance and then a very large catastrophe on an epidemic level. Which proceeds to an even larger personal crisis for our intrepid heroine.

The story ends with some seriously weird info being revealed. Really made me want to rush out and read the next book. But I didn't. For the following reasons.

1)There is one scene where she and her new lover consumate their love. It was explicit and did nothing to make the story better. It was for pure titillation and "sex sells". I was disappointed it had been added, but would have gone on to the next book, if it weren't for the next reason.

2) There is a graphic rape scene. This is what really turned me off from this book. The reasons for why it happened are explained. But the graphicness of it, the reactions of those involved, just made me feel dirty. I had to stop reading for several days before I could go back and finish the story.


So I will be reading the next book at some time in the future, but Viehl is on serious probation. There had better be NOTHING I don't like in the next book for me to continue the series past Book 2.



View all my reviews

Saturday, March 16, 2013

Review: The Steel Tsar


The Steel Tsar
The Steel Tsar by Michael Moorcock

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



The wrap of Bastable's story.

The weakest story of the 3. A prisoner of war, socialism, a nuke, blah, blah.



View all my reviews

Thursday, March 14, 2013

Review: Gunslinger Girl Omnibus 3


Gunslinger Girl Omnibus 3
Gunslinger Girl Omnibus 3 by Yu Aida

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



I miss Henrietta and the rest of the original crew. This is turning into a love story between cyborgs and humans.

I want cute killers.



View all my reviews

Review: Gunslinger Girl Omnibus 4


Gunslinger Girl Omnibus 4
Gunslinger Girl Omnibus 4 by Yu Aida

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



This was good, sad, happy, fulfilling and chock full of pathos.

First we get to see Angelica, the first of the 1st gens, as she just wears out. We see her past and how she passes and what it means to Marco.
On a side note, I finally realized in this omnibus that the black pages indicate a sequence occurring in the past. Only 4 omnibus editions for me to catch on. Good thing I'm not a handler, eh?

Then we move on to Triela. After Henrietta, Triela is my next favorite 'Girl'. I just find shotguns and long hair so cool.
We see her struggles as she processes what Angelica's death means, to her personally and to the group of 1st gen's.
We also get to see her handler not being a total dick. Good for him to be treating her like a human.

Smaller notes:
1) We see a group of 2nd gens. Therefore we know Petra isn't the only one now.
2) An ultimatum is made by Padania, which indicates a major ramping up of the organization for a final push.
3) The gov't recognizes the Padania could be wiped out quickly and that the Welfare Agency would no longer be needed. Aida is setting up closure on all fronts. Which is good because that means there is a definite end.



View all my reviews

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Review: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader: The Chronicles of Narnia


The Voyage of the Dawn Treader: The Chronicles of Narnia
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader: The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Each Narnia book gets better and better. In this case we are introduced to Eustace Scrubb, a thoroughly unpleasant cousin of Edmond and Lucy.

They all go to Narnia, have adventures with Caspian and then go back to England.

I find it amazing how simple and concise these stories are and yet just how engaging and wonderful at the same time. I would find myself thinking "Well, what if..., or How would this..." and I would have to pull myself back and remember that Lewis was writing this primarily for children.

And yet I was never bored, nor did I ever roll my eyes at a simplification. This was great writing. And it really shows.



View all my reviews

Monday, March 11, 2013

Review: Gunslinger Girl Omnibus 2


Gunslinger Girl Omnibus 2
Gunslinger Girl Omnibus 2 by Yu Aida

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



The latter half of this omnibus deals with the next generation of cyborgs. This girl is a bit older [16] and has all the problems that go along with that.

One thing I did NOT like was the "adult'ation" of Triela in a couple of chapters. It was extremely disburbing, even though nothing disturbing happened.

The exploitation of the girls really came across in this set. The story is no longer confined to prepubescent girls who have crushes on their handlers.



View all my reviews

Review: Gunslinger Girl Omnibus 1


Gunslinger Girl Omnibus 1
Gunslinger Girl Omnibus 1 by Yu Aida

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I gave this my "Disturbing" tag, but the Manga-ka meant this series to BE disturbing.

Young, broken girls are rehabilitated as cyborg assassins for the Italian government. They are rebuilt, "conditioned" and then paired with an adult male handler and sent on a variety of missions.

This series focuses on the fact that they are still little girls with all the emotions and foibles that go along with that.

Some chapters were action packed, others were funny, others a slice of life. They all blended into one great tapestry of terrorism, counter-terrorism and emotions.



View all my reviews

Sunday, March 10, 2013

Review: The Hound of the Baskervilles


The Hound of the Baskervilles
The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



A good story, but not much of Holmes at all. I think that the Holmes' stories should be read in order, as they do build on each other, even if in very small increments.

Get to see Watson on his own, and not liking it.



View all my reviews

Saturday, March 09, 2013

Review: Beyond The Veil


Beyond The Veil
Beyond The Veil by Janet E. Morris

My rating: 1 of 5 stars



It was obvious from the story that there was a bit of story missing. Turns out this was a second book.
It was not indicated in the title in any way.

But it wasn't even engaging. I enjoyed the first Thieves' World book of short stories, but this, this was just plain old boring D&D.



View all my reviews

Friday, March 08, 2013

Review: Star Wars: Scoundrels


Star Wars: Scoundrels
Star Wars: Scoundrels by Timothy Zahn

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



A good non-jedi romp with some good old friends. Sadly, Chewbacca doesn't get much action, but he IS there.

Several times it was mentioned how Han had had the reward from [b:Star Wars: A New Hope|599090|Star Wars Episode IV A New Hope (Star Wars, #4)|George Lucas|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1349016127s/599090.jpg|123227] stolen from him. Either I missed something in some other novel, or Zahn is setting up info for future novels.



View all my reviews

Thursday, March 07, 2013

Review: The Frog Princess


The Frog Princess
The Frog Princess by E.D. Baker

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



My wife read the whole series and compared them to [a:Patricia C. Wrede|36122|Patricia C. Wrede|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1215652809p2/36122.jpg] and her [b:The Enchanted Forest Chronicles|86238|The Enchanted Forest Chronicles (The Enchanted Forest Chronicles, #1-4)|Patricia C. Wrede|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1328875611s/86238.jpg|164046] series.

A young princess kisses an enchanted frog and turns into one herself. All about her adventures with Frog Boy as they try to turn back in Prince and Princess.



View all my reviews

Wednesday, March 06, 2013

Review: Times of Trouble


Times of Trouble
Times of Trouble by Russell Blackford

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



This series was convoluted and while it explored what time travel could mean, it seemed like there was more "puttering around" than kick-ass action.

Not as engaging as the T2 series by [a:S.M. Stirling|14002|S.M. Stirling|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1311578420p2/14002.jpg].

A good read, but it was NOT a "grab you by the throat and shake you until your teeth rattle" thriller.



View all my reviews

Tuesday, March 05, 2013

Review: The Land Leviathan: A New Scientific Romance


The Land Leviathan: A New Scientific Romance
The Land Leviathan: A New Scientific Romance by Michael Moorcock

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



Even though I don't think Bastable is considered an incarnation of the Eternal Warrior, his helplessness in the face of a force greater than himself that throws him through the multi-verse definitely places him at least as a companion.

Quite interesting to see a world where reverse-racism was about to be worldwide.



View all my reviews

Sunday, March 03, 2013

Review: The Pool of Fire


The Pool of Fire
The Pool of Fire by John Christopher

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



The weakest of the Tripod series.

A great read for a beginner scifi reader, but for an adult with some serious "epic'ness" under their belt, this shows its faults.

Give it to your young teen or preteen and let them enjoy.



View all my reviews

Saturday, March 02, 2013

Review: Hellstrom's Hive


Hellstrom's Hive
Hellstrom's Hive by Frank Herbert

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



If it wasn't for [b:Dune|234225|Dune (Dune Chronicles, #1)|Frank Herbert|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1349105964s/234225.jpg|3634639], I suspect nobody these days would be reading anything of Herbert's.

This was about some sort of weird "next step in human evolution", along the insect lines. Humans turning into insect like society, under the nose of regular humans.

Infatuation with sex, underground tight-knit society, and a long-term plan to supplant 'regular' humans.

Not a very endearing read.



View all my reviews

Friday, March 01, 2013

Review: The Red Knight


The Red Knight
The Red Knight by Miles Cameron

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



The first 20% was all 2Star.

The swearing, the eff word being dropped at least once a page, the unspoken assumption that you just raped nuns because they were available, the complete baseness of the mercenary troop, it really disgusted me.

I think it was supposed to. But I don't have to be dipped into a cesspool to know it stinks something terrible. So that was very disappointing.

Then a switch was flipped, and whammo, the swearing stopped, people started showing the tiniest bit of good character and the action kicked way up.

4star stuff for the rest of the book. It was a cool magic system, a really interesting world, and the characters' interactions were more than believable.

But if 10pounds of milk chocolate are coated in 1pound of crap, you're still screwed.

When the next book comes out, I'll at least start it and hope Cameron doesn't sink me into the mire.



View all my reviews