Friday, February 28, 2014

Agnes Grey (Classic)


Agnes Grey - Anne Brontë This review is written with a GPL 3.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at Bookstooge.booklikes.blogspot.wordpress.com by express permission of this reviewer

Synopsis
Young Agnes must venture forth into the big bad world to earn her living since her father ignored her mother's advice and lost all their money.

My Thoughts
Agnes is a sheltered young woman who goes out to earn money to help relieve the family problems due to her father's speculation.
But since she's not of the laboring class, she can only do certain kinds of work because heaven forbid she do something below her station. So she goes through several families as a governess.

And this is where my snark and meany side kicked in. Agnes expects that she can reason with the children to make them act in the way she wants, as she doesn't have the authority or backing from the parents to make the children do things. The first family has a young boy as the oldest. Have you ever tried to reason with a young boy? Yeah, it doesn't work so much. Even if he's a good boy. And such like.

And remember that "class/station" thing? Well, Agnes gets all riled up when the people she is working for treat her like a servant and ignore her and don't ask her to in their social circles.

WELL, BIG FREAKING DUH!

I take that back. She doesn't get riled up. She sermonizes and moralizes to her journal. Which brings up the other thing I didn't like about Agnes. She was a naive, self-righteous milk-sop. Argh.

With all that, you might wonder why I gave it 3 stars. It was well written. It was engaging. It showed me how a closeted young girl would react to the more decadent side of England. I don't know if I want to read Anne's one other book now though. Pure vanilla pudding is ok, but nothing you want to eat a lot of.

Rating: 3 of 5 Stars
Author: Anne Bronte

Thursday, February 27, 2014

Morningside Fall (Legends of the Duskwalker #2) (ARC)


Morningside Fall (Duskwalker Cycle) - Jay Posey I received this copy from the publisher through Netgalley.com and that in no way has influenced my opinion in regards to this review.

This review is written with a GPL 3.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at Bookstooge.booklikes.blogspot.wordpress.com by express permission of this reviewer

Synopsis
Wren is now titular governor of Morningside. But there are undercurrents and political intrigue. Eventually Wren, his mother, his military group of bodyguards and a friend or two are forced out of the city, have lots of Weir battles and return to Morningside where a horrifying discovery is made.

My Thoughts
Wren was the main character for this book. It made for a completely different kind of book even though it was exactly the same type as Three. Does that make sense?
Instead of a kick ass alpha male who was actually a hero, we get a young kid who is desperately trying to fill shoes that he knows are too big for him.

The action is just as intense as the first book, with a mysterious old blind man who can use a sword like a japanese legend, a hardcore military group who just kill everything and Weir acting extremely un-Weir like.

Wren was the hero here. He's 8 years old and I alternately felt joy, happiness, sadness and at a couple of times I just thought "thank goodness I've never known THAT kind of responsibility and despair!"  While the focus was different because it was about Wren and not Three, this was just as well written, engaging, full of character and pure awesomeness.

And then the ending. Asher is a fantastic villain. He's horrible, evil and smart. He's not cartoony, he's not laughable and what he has accomplished, in becoming digital and somehow controlling the Weir, is just awesome.


I've used the word awesome a lot in this review but you know what? It totally deserves it. After this book, Posey has moved from my short list to my Authors I Will Be Reading Sight Unseen list.

Rating: 4.5 of 5 Stars
Author: Jay Posey

Sunday, February 23, 2014

Promise of Blood (Powder Mage #1)


Promise of Blood (The Powder Mage Trilogy) - Brian McClellan This review is written with a GPL 3.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at Bookstooge.booklikes.blogspot.wordpress.com by express permission of this reviewer

Synopsis
General Tamas overthrows the king of his land because said king was going to pretty much sell the country out to pay off his debts.
Only problem is, there's a god's curse. So Tamas not only has to deal with making his country work again, but plan against an invasion and investigate what this god's curse is and what it means.

My Thoughts
This was flintlock fantasy. So while I liked it, it was grim, gritty, dirty, bloody, smoky and violent. I also liked the idea of there not only being magicians, but also people who could use black powder to power themselves up.

As for characters, it was a real mixed bag. General Tamas is a control freak who wants things done his way the first time and if it doesn't work, then somebody didn't follow orders. His son, Taniel is considered to be one of the most skilled of the Powdermages, but he's addicted to powder and is snorting the stuff the whole book through.
And those are the good guys.
Turns out that the god, Kresimir, was real and because Tamas has killed a king, he's coming back to destroy the land and start things over. And we find out Kresimir isn't the only god kicking around. Then you've got the magicians, who all hate powdermages and a foreign power getting ready to invade.

This was not a light read. At over 600 pages, I felt like I'd been dragged through the blood and muck right along with everybody else. Betrayal, distrust, weakness, disbelief, helplessness, all were there in spades. The bright hopeful spots were few and far between. Definitely not something to read if you're feeling low or depressed.

I found the writing itself to be topnotch. I don't normally like or continue reading very dark and gritty books but I do plan on reading the short stories and the rest of this series when it comes out.

Rating: 3.5 of 5 Stars
Author: Brian McClellan

Friday, February 21, 2014

Inkheart (Ink #1) DNF


Inkheart 1st (first) edition Text Only - Cornelia Funke This review is written with a GPL 3.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at Bookstooge.booklikes.blogspot.wordpress.com by express permission of this reviewer

Synopsis
Meggie and her dad Mo have an adventure when it comes to pass that Mo can read characters into and out of story books, but not entirely at will.

My Thoughts
The idea of a booklover who can read things and have them appear out of or into stories should be awesome. And if that booklover is surrounded by people who also love books, then it should be even better.

However, this was an epic Fail for me. Mo and Meggie were "true" book lovers. They loved the book as much as the story it contained. In their minds, the 2 were connected. I'm a big ereader fan, so that started things off a little awkward.

Then Mo. I disliked almost everything about him. I couldn't find something to respect in him. Meggie came across as a know-it-all, impetuous pre-teen that she was.

It was slow going and I stalled, but I figured I'd read a little bit here and there and get through it. However, I had to give up, because of the following.

Mo and Meggie had been betrayed by Fireguy to the badguy because Fireguy wanted to get back into his storybook. The badguy didn't keep his promise for betraying Mo and Meggie, so Fireguy escapes with them when they bust out.
Now, there is ONE book left of this story and Mo knows who has it. So what does he do? He FREAKING TELLS FIREGUY THERE IS ANOTHER COPY AND THAT HE KNOWS WHERE IT IS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I just gave up right then. I can only take so much stupidity and I get more than my daily ration in real life without adding to it in my reading.

Rating: 1 of 5 Stars
Author: Cornelia Funke [and yes, I  ♪ sang that funky music white boy! ♪♪]

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Orion (Orion #1)


Orion: A Novel - Ben Bova This review is written with a GPL 3.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at Bookstooge.booklikes.blogspot.wordpress.com by express permission of this reviewer

Synopsis
Orion is the chosen tool of a god, to fight another being of great power throughout the ages. Orion starts at the end of time and works back to the beginning and at each nexus in time, strives to keep the established continuum on track.

My Thoughts
I know I haven't read this book, but the premise, of a time agent working against someone else while one descends time and the other ascends time, is wicked familiar. But I can't remember what book it was, so I can't be sure which came first.

This was lightly engaging, but in all honesty, it was so preachy about free will and choice and stuff, and it was from a perspective that I completely disagree with, that it was hard to really engage in the story without going "No, that is WRONG!"  I read to escape, not debate in my mind with the author.

Then there was the little part about the flood. Or, as I would call it, Noah's Flood. and its humanistic, evolutionistic mocking of Christianity really turned me off. Snide. Very little is worse than snide condescension when you're reading something.

Apart from that, this was a slightly dry set of short adventure stories. This is a series, so I'll be trying the next book, but if it isn't any better I'll let the series go.

Rating: 2.5 of 5 Stars
Author: Ben Bova

Monday, February 17, 2014

Death Note #10 & 11 (Manga Monday)


Death Note, Vol. 10 - 'Tsugumi Ohba', 'Taskeshi Obata'
Death Note, Vol. 11 - Takeshi Obata
This review is written with a GPL 3.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at Bookstooge.booklikes.blogspot.wordpress.com by express permission of this reviewer

Synopsis
After Mello's spectacular failure in books 8 and 9, the story shifts over to Near as he tries to catch Light/Kira in a cerebral mastermind game of wits.

My Thoughts
After Mello's failed attempt at getting a hold of Kira, and the death of Light's father, things go from the action/gungho/blitz-a-rama to a much more "I know that you know that I know that you know that I know that you know" type of back and forth between Light/Kira and Near.

Sadly, Near isn't as likeable as L was and a lot of his motivation is proving that he is as good as L was. L had a hate/love camaradie with Light that was fun to read about. Near and Light just talk over the phone and we get to hear their thoughts about how they're going to outwit the other.

However, the end game is in sight. Both Near and Light/Kira are finalizing their plans to outwit the other. And just as Near and Light begin their plan, Mello shows up at the end of book 11 to throw a monkey wrench into both their plans.

In summary, I was going to throw in book 12, the final book as part of this review. But I thought it was worth it's own review next week. So next week will be the review for book 12, the final book in the Death Note series.

Rating: 4 of 5 Stars
Author: Tsugumi Ohba
Artist:Takeshi Obata

Sunday, February 16, 2014

Local Custom (Liaden)


Local Custom - 'Sharon Lee', 'Steve Miller' This review is written with a GPL 3.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at Bookstooge.booklikes.blogspot.wordpress.com by express permission of this reviewer

Synopsis
Er Thom is being forced into a contract marriage to produce an heir for his Clan. But before he can do that, he goes to see the Terran woman, Anne Davies, one last time to confess his love and then to leave it all behind him and proceed with duty. However, things don't go quite as planned, as he finds out that Anne has had his child from their last encounter.

My Thoughts
The Liaden books have been as full of romance and clan politics as they have been of action. And it works out great, it really does.

This book is based on the cross cultural miscommunication about what is right and proper for Er Thom and Anne's child, Shan. Er Thom assumes Liaden things about the outcome and makes several blunders in his interpretation of Anne's words and actions. While Anne is forced to make assumptions about Liad without nearly enough knowledge.

What drove me batty, while being awesome, was that the main characters DID communicate with each other. So many stories I've read have been driven by the characters refusing to talk to each other and things going bad because of it. So the MC's talked to each other, but it wasn't enough because their cultures were so different. And they didn't realize those differences until the very end.

Then you've got some political stuff with Anne's work about linguistics and how the Terrans, Liadens and Extrangans? might all have a common ancestor.

Overall, this was just a great addition to my reading of the Liaden Universe. Just enough action, intrigue, romance and politics [family and otherwise] to keep me reading.

Rating: 4 of 5 Stars
Author: Sharon Lee & Steve Miller

Saturday, February 15, 2014

The Widowmaker Reborn (Widowmaker #2)


The Widowmaker Reborn (The Widowmaker #2) - Mike Resnick This review is written with a GPL 3.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at Bookstooge.booklikes.blogspot.wordpress.com by express permission of this reviewer

Synopsis
Jefferson Nighthawk, aka the Widowmaker, is cloned again to rescue a young lady from a terrorist who is holding her hostage for ransom. This time, he's been cloned as a 38 year old with all his original memories.

My Thoughts
Where Jeff, the first clone, was a 23 year old horndog who thought with his genitals, this clone has 62 years of memories and an additional 15 years of age to combat that. Jefferson makes his plans from the get-go, counting on that he'll be betrayed by either the client, his lawyers or *somebody*. And his goal is to get enough money to live on, cure the original AND himself and to disappear so he doesn't spend his life running.

This Widowmaker was an experienced, hardened veteran getting a job done. He does what he needs to with minimal fuss, little show and a lot of brains.

There are still all of the obligatory cliched characters that populate Resnick's universe, but it wouldn't be his universe without them. A corrupt politician, a beautiful girl, a desperado with a twist, some sort of alien or 2. And guns and stuff. Beautiful Kablooies!

I thoroughly enjoyed this. If the final book in this trilogy holds up, I'll have to seriously consider buying this trilogy in hardcover.

Rating: 4 of 5 Stars
Author: Mike Resnick

Thursday, February 13, 2014

The Valhalla Call (Hayden War Cycle #4)


The Valhalla Call (Warrior's Wings) - Evan Currie This review is written with a GPL 3.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at Bookstooge.booklikes.blogspot.wordpress.com by express permission of this reviewer

Synopsis
The final book in the renamed series. Started out as Warriors Wings and then for some unknown reason was changed to Hayden War Cycle. Or maybe it was the other way around? I don't know and I don't really care. Right now, everything about Indies is pissing me off, even if it is just them breathing.

Basically, the humans kick the aliens' ass and make them just about beg for peace.

My Thoughts
I enjoyed this, but as there was actually very little fighting and very little Sgt, now Lt., Aida, it wasn't as enjoyable as the first book.

Humanity has been playing with the Ross gravity toys and discovers stuff about time. And the end of the story wraps up so fast, with such a big Deus Ex Machina, that it practically tore my head off. The first 7/8th's of the book seemed all setup for the action at the end: spacefleet battle, mecha taking over a ship and a gaggle of SpecOps rescuing a ship of PUC's.

This author reminds me of Gordon Dickson and his Dragon and the George series. Solid "B" author who can churn out a decent story, but just never quite connects in a way to make it big. Currie has another space series and has started one about marines or special forces or something. I'll probably check out his scifi series, but am expecting some potatoes instead of a restaurant meal :-)

Rating: 3 of 5 Stars
Author: Evan Currie

Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Hoka (Hoka #1)


Hoka - Poul Anderson, Gordon R. Dickson This review is written with a GPL 3.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at Bookstooge.booklikes.blogspot.wordpress.com by express permission of this reviewer

Synopsis
The Human Federation has The Human Burden of guiding the less fortunate species of the universe towards a more enlightened existence.
So when they discover a world of hyper intelligent small bearlike creatures [think intelligent Ewoks], a young plenipotentiary is sent to bring them into the warm brotherhood of the Federation.

My Thoughts
This was JUST what I needed to read. It was so funny and obviously tongue-in-cheek that I was chortling the whole way through. My wife finally gave up asking me what was so funny.

Basically, the Hokas take whatever stories from Earth culture and live it out. It makes for some hilarious situations. Wild West, Space Patrols, Pirates, Sherlock Holmes, Casey at the Bat, etc. Oh, it was so funny.

Alexander, the poor pleni, has his hands full dealing with situations that keep threatening to run out of control. And if even one situation gets away from him, Alexander will be sent back to the base level of the Corp, lose his livelihood and force his wife and kiddies into Grade A poverty.

Anderson and Dickson do a fantastic job of writing over the top,  keeping me amused and telling a ripping good yarn. I am really looking forward to the next book; I just hope it will be as funny.

Rating: 4 of 5 Stars
Author: Poul Anderson & Gordon Dickson

Tuesday, February 11, 2014

Shadowbred (Twilight War #1) (Erevis Cale) (Forgotten Realms)


Shadowbred: The Twilight War, Book I - Paul S. Kemp This review is written with a GPL 3.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at Bookstooge.booklikes.blogspot.wordpress.com by express permission of this reviewer

Synopsis
Erevis must rescue Magadon, who appears to have disappeared. At the same time, there are some serious political happenings going on in Sembia which have to do with the Source and the Netherese as much as anything else.

My Thoughts
I've come to accept the fact that I'm going to keep on reading these Forgotten Realms books, so I went ahead and made a shelf/tag for them, just like I have for Star Wars. They are a force unto themselves.

For the first half of the book I have to admit I was bored. Not a lot happened, it was barely about Cale at all and you had a lot of politics and religion happening.

Finally Erevis gets involved. He and Riven, Mask's Second, have both changed enough that there is no more posturing and frenemy'ing. They are allies. It was really nice to see a good solid alliance instead of the bickering we saw in the Erevis Cale trilogy.

Good amount of fighting near the end, with them breaking into a magicless prison to rescue someone.

And the ending, where they DO rescue Magadon and end up IN HELL, was pretty cool. Of course, it seems like every hero ends up in hell at one time or another, so maybe I should have been a little more stoic about it, but I thought it was cool!

Rating: 3.5 of 5 Stars
Author: Paul Kemp

Monday, February 10, 2014

Death Note #7-9 (Manga Monday)


Death Note, Vol. 7 - 'Tsugumi Ohba', 'Takeshi Obata' Death Note, Vol. 8 - 'Tsugumi Ohba', 'Takeshi Obata' Death Note, Vol. 9 - 'Tsugumi Ohba', 'Taskeshi Obata'
This review is written with a GPL 3.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at Bookstooge.booklikes.blogspot.wordpress.com by express permission of this reviewer

Synopsis
Light and L's battle comes to a shattering end but Kira's dream to rule the world is still being opposed by geniuses who take up the fight.

My Thoughts
L was simply out maneuvered by Light/Kira. And pays the price. Contingency plans are brought into play and L's successors, Mello and Near, come on board as main characters.

Mello and Near are L divided into 2 people. Mello is passionate, willing to go to extreme ends to prove his point and he has a sweet tooth. Near is much more emotionless, taking a disinterested view of everything and he likes to play with toys.

These 3 volumes were an almost literal wall of text. I felt like I was reading a novel instead of manga.

A couple of things struck me. First off, guns. Or the lack there of. Watanari had a sniper rifle and you see the police force having hand guns, but they never get used. And Light's father preaches about it not being legal for him to carry a gun when he resigns from the force. Made me thankful for our 2nd Amendment.
Second, the whole right and wrong of what Kira is doing. Everybody takes the stance that popular opinion is what makes something right. So if Kira can convince enough people to support him, then he'll be in the right and his cause just. What a pack of bologna! That pissed me off.

Thirdly, Light is getting more and more willing to do whatever it takes to achieve his goals. He is willing to sacrifice his dad, his sister, his girlfriend, everyone in fact, to get what he wants. Selfish beyond belief.
I felt kind of burnt out after reading volume 6 and wasn't sure how I was going to react to more volumes. And when L dies and Light has won, and then successors to L show up, my first reaction was "Come on, get it over with". But with 2 volumes of Mello and Near, I am liking this. They "do" so much more than L. And this series needed an action villain.

Rating: 5 of 5 Stars
Author: Tsugumi Ohba
Artist:Takeshi Obata

Friday, February 07, 2014

Freeware (Ware Tetralogy #3) DNF


Freeware - Rudy Rucker This review is written with a GPL 3.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at Bookstooge.booklikes.blogspot.wordpress.com by express permission of this reviewer

Perversions and too graphic for me sex completely destroyed my desire to finish this book.

And I won't be bothering with the final book at all.

Thursday, February 06, 2014

Sicilian Slaughter (The Executioner #16)


Sicilian Slaughter (The Executioner, #16) - Jim Peterson This review is written with a GPL 3.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at Bookstooge.booklikes.blogspot.wordpress.com by express permission of this reviewer

Synopsis
Mack heads to Sicily to put the kabosh on the Don who's been importing muscle to the United States for the Mafia Families.

My Thoughts
First off, this was written by a different author and it really shows. Instead of the Heroic Adventurer who shrugs off death and despair and keeps on soldiering, this Bolan is a lot more human. He's practically done in physically from the last book, mentally and emotionally he's at the cracking point, and Peterson writes this into the story.

Part of me liked this and part of me didn't. It was nice to see Bolan as a bit more human, but to be honest, I read these stories because he isn't just human. He is the Punisher, the Executioner. He is MORE than human.

The overall plot was typical with nothing standing out. Mack goes in and causes Hell and Death. And escapes by the skin of his teeth.

I did notch this down half a star because apparently everyone woman who met Mack had an extremely large "bosom"  [and the word bosom was used in this book more times than I've read in the last couple of years!] and instantly got wet just from looking at him. I don't read these books for cheap thrills, but for cheap violence.

We'll see if Peterson writes some more or if it goes back to Pendleton.

Rating: 2.5 of 5 Stars
Author: Jim Peterson

Tuesday, February 04, 2014

Wetware (Ware Tetralogy #2)


Wetware - Rudy V. B. Rucker This review is written with a GPL 3.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at Bookstooge.booklikes.blogspot.wordpress.com by express permission of this reviewer

Synopsis
Some years later after Hardware. Sta-Hi is now a Private Investigator, on the moon and drug free after accidentally killing his wife Wendy in a drug induced haze. Humanity has taken over the main Moon city and the boppers have moved underground.

My Thoughts
This was just as well written, engaging, funny and seriously psychedelic as the first book.

The boppers have been pushed underground and are trying to survive. One group wants to mix bopper and human in a new synthesis called a Meatbopper. They kind of succeed, but don't think through the scenario and so ultimately fail. Which leads a renegade human to invent a "virus" to destroy the boppers. Which in turn leads to a new lifeform of the boppers, kind of like a butterfly coming out of it's chrysalis.

Rucker's mind must be one messed up place to think up the things that happened in this book. And yet at the same time he must have a great mind, for he executes it perfectly. It is kind of scary actually, considering such a dichotomy of mind existing.

I'm not sure I've ever encountered something this odd before. Which is nice, to have a novelty, but I couldn't live on a straight diet of such weirdness. First, I don't want to become that jaded in my reading tastes. And Second, and in all seriousness, Robot/Human sex, even non-graphic, just makes me shudder.

Rating: 3.5 of 5 Stars
Author: Rudy Rucker

Monday, February 03, 2014

Death Note #4-6 (Manga Monday)

Death Note, Vol. 4 - Tsugumi Ohba Death Note, Vol. 5 - 'Tsugumi Ohba', 'Takeshi Obata' Death Note 06 - Tsugumi Ohba
This review is written with a GPL 3.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at Bookstooge.booklikes.blogspot.wordpress.com by express permission of this reviewer

Synopsis
A second Kira appears, and it seems they have greater powers than Light. And Light starts a long term plan that creates a Third Kira while clearing him and his new girlfriend, Misa, of having anything to do with the original or 2nd Kira.

My Thoughts
A second Kira appears and appears that Kira2 wants to hook up with Kira. So Light maneuvers things, while trying to avoid L, to meet Kira2.

And once Light and Misa [who is Kira2] are together, Light must come up with a plan to fool L, kill him and then get rid of Misa. Meanwhile, L is still convinced that Light is Kira, no matter the evidence. And puts Light, Light's father and Misa all in confinement for almost 2 months to try to get some more info to prove Light is Kira.


And finally, Light gives his notebook to another person to throw L off the scent. And loses his memory in the process and goes back to good old Light who wants to catch Kira.

Yep, folks, these 3 volumes have more twisty, turny, unnecessary, silly, awesome and totally over the top moments than you can shake a stick at.  There is also a lot of text. In most manga, as much of the story is told through the art as through the text. Here, that simply isn't possible. "Thinking" specific thoughts can't be really drawn, you know?

On the down side of things, L's gut instinct that Light is Kira is getting annoying. He's right, but it has nothing to do with Logic or evidence. And Light is turning really scary. He's willing to kill off innocents, planning on it in fact, to further his aims.

I'm still liking this, but the second impression isn't nearly as faultless as the first.

Rating: 4 of 5 Stars
Author: Tsugumi Ohba
Artist:Takeshi Obata

Sunday, February 02, 2014

Software (Ware Tetralogy #1)


Software - Rudy Rucker This review is written with a GPL 3.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at Bookstooge.booklikes.blogspot.wordpress.com by express permission of this reviewer

Synopsis
A drug induced, hazy look at the future with robots controlling the moon and all the old people living in Florida. And one man's quest to not die.

My Thoughts
I have no idea why I picked up this set of books, but I have to admit I am glad I did.

Anderson Cobb is an old geezer living in Florida along with the rest of the nation's Pheezers, subsisting on free food and alcohol and worrying about how he is going to pay for a new heart, as he is afraid of death way beyond the normal.
Cobb is also the man who freed the robots from their Asimovian coding. The robots promptly took over the moon and have been living there since.
Cobb was tried as a traitor to humanity and stripped of all his rights as a genius computer coder.

And now the robots want Cobb on the moon to help them with some more coding so that the human consciousness can be digitized. And they also need the help of a completely drugged out loser who has officially changed his name to Sta-Hi.

Ok, while this type of off the wall look at the future is about as normal as a bad acid trip while on weed and scotch [I suspect that combo would kill you, but I really have no experience with illegal drugs], it is written so well that I was sucked along almost against my will.

I don't like old useless alcoholics, useless young drug addicts nor the made up words describing a made up future.

But I liked this. And I understood it. Even with it's own internal slang not explained, the world situation barely explained and the action so fast that you'll miss something important if you blink.

In the end Cobb dies because the computers don't understand death and Sta-Hi marries some random woman. It totally fit with the rest of this book.

Rating: 3 of 5 Stars

Author: Rudy Rucker