April '12

The Tenth Commandment by Lawrence Sanders

Dtb, 385 Pages
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The over-arching whine here seems to be that the main character is short; almost 5'4", or 162cm. So yes, he is short, but the way he describes it, he uses words like midget, etc and is always bemoaning his lack of stature or his small overall mass.

If you don't know me well, let me tell you why this really bothered me. I am 5'3". I've been the short guy since 7th grade. But did I whine about it? No. I DID something. Starting in highschool I worked out and by the time I ended college, I was benchpressing 175lbs, which when considering I weighed 125lbs, is something I am still pleased about. I ran and trained until I could jump high enough to touch the rim of a basketball net [dunks were out of the question], I could spike a volleyball [not well, but I was ABLE] and if anyone tried to physically intimidate me, I did what I needed to to even the odds and got right back in their face. [now, don't get me wrong, I wasn't going around picking fights, or looking for trouble, nor did I have the proverbial "something to prove", I just wasn't going to accept crap from anyone].

So when I read about someone who is smarter than me, taller than me, complaining about height and physical ability, it just doesn't ring true.

Now on to everything else.

I have not read much in the 'mystery' genre. It is too much like real life and I read to escape for the main part. But I was with my wife in the library and had forgotten my ereader at home, so I just grabbed a random book off the shelf and began to read. I'd read close to 50 pages by the time it was time to go, so I just checked it out.

Interesting, but not interesting enough that I'll go seek out more by the author. The main character seemed to do nothing but work, or go out and eat and drink with one girl or another. And in the end ends up with some tall girl, which he makes a big deal about. Geez, if you love someone, do you really notice that kind of thing? Other people might, but do you?

I found the 'mystery' to almost be the smallest part of everything. It was tangential to everything, so it had an excuse to hang around. But the double murder/scam/etc,etc, etc, wasn't brilliant or thought provoking or even really 'mysterious'. Maybe I don't know enough about mysteries? Wouldn't surprise me, to be honest.

So I don't feel like I wasted my time, not at all, but next you see me, I won't be talking your ear off about this great mystery book I just read :)



Star Wars: Riptide by Paul S. Kemp

Ebook, 199 Pages
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

While Crosscurrent had some originality, this story was nothing but a whore-story for the Fate of the Jedi sub-series.

Part of me didn't mind, because it fleshed out the baddy in FotJ, but Kemp kept throwing around "Thrawn-era" like it was a magic term and would make us the readers love his story through word-association instead of for its own merits.

And since the ending was so open ended, it will either have another book after it, or something in Apocalypse will make this necessary reading for the hardcore Star Wars fan.



 
Predator: Cold War by Nathan Archer
Ebook, 190 Pages
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Half the book seemed to be taken up with memories of the previous book, or the movie Predator II. I don't know which, as I haven't read Concrete Jungle nor seen PredII. Either way, it felt like Archer was just padding the wordcount.

Very little action between humans and predators. I think there was more fighting between humans. The predators were almost ancillary to the story, and since it is their name emblazoned across the cover, they should have played a bigger part.

This wasn't poorly written, just dashed together with little thought. Kind of like how an expert house painter might rush things for his poor relative-not a bad job, but not a real good job either. Just "meh".



Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE, Volume 02 by CLAMP

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I thought my heart would break when Sakura woke up and asked "Who...Are You?"




Revenge of the Witch by Joseph Delaney
Ebook, 158 Pages
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

When I first saw the cover, my first thought was Ranger's Apprentice! but for magic?

So I kind of went in with high expectations because the Ranger's Apprentice series was fantastic.

This turned out to be pretty good. At first I was kind of surprised by the actions of the main character,but I just kept reminding myself that he was what, 11, 12 or 13? And as long as I reminded myself of that, it was no longer surprising.

I think Delaney does a fantastic job of showing us the sad and lonely side of the life of a Spook. When his sister-in-law talks to him near the end, it really crashed home, for the character as well as for the reader. Spooks are alone, period.

I also liked the possibility of redemption hinted at for the young witch. Redemption themes always get points from  me.



Small Favor by Jim Butcher
Ebook, 432 Pages
My rating: 3 of 5 stars


While Harry got his ass handed to him SEVERAL times, and just generally got the snot kicked out of him, the tone wasn't as fatalistic as some of the previous books.

I enjoyed this, but not enough to reread or buy. So about on par with the others.




Jumper: Griffin's Story by Steven Gould
Ebook, 286 Pages
My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Unfortunately, though Gould decides to write another Jumper story, this was pretty much a copy of the earlier Jumper books, but with more death, violence and sex.

Deals with 9 year old Griffin, who can jump. He is being targeted for elimination by a mysterious group. Needless to say, he ends up moving out by his lonesome into the middle of the desert.

And right at the end, when he's 17'sh, he starts taking the fight back to the enemy. and then bam, it just ends.

Since this was written in '07, I doubt we'll be seeing any more if a sequel hasn't come out by now. Which is too bad, cause it would have been nice to see a violent psychopathic Jumper kick some Secret Society Butt.



Curse of the Bane by Joseph Delaney
Ebook, 201 Pages
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

We find out much more about Tom's mother, the Spook's past and there are more collisions/intersections with Alice.

The only thing that kind of pissed me off was the continual downing of the priests. Spook keeps saying "let them stick to what they know and are good at" but that is never specified. Just a continual bombastic blast against them.

If I was reading this with a young person, that above point would be a wonderful springboard for talking about some deep theological issues though. So it isn't necessarily bad.


Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE, Volume 03 by CLAMP

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Now we know why CLAMP is drawing everyone with such freakish'ly long legs, so they can have leg battles and not have to worry about drawing more indepth whole body battles.

At first I thought the imprisoned magical entity was another version of Yuko, ultra-thin, ultra-bust.



Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE, Volume 04 by CLAMP

My rating: 3 of 5 stars
We begin to see the price Syaoran is going to have pay. So melancholy.







Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE, Volume 05 by CLAMP

My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Syaoran doesn't have one eye, and his memories stop before a certain point. Hmmm, sounds like something the Time/Space Witch Yuko would do, doesn't it?





Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE, Volume 06 by CLAMP

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

While I understand that Sakura has lost her memories, why does she have to be such a non-character? In CCS she was a little spitfire with a can-do attitude.

It feels like Syaoran is more the main character. Which maybe he is?






Caught in Crystal by Patricia C. Wrede
Ebook, 294 Pages
My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I definitely enjoyed this story the most of all the Lyra novels I've read so far.

There didn't seem to be so much a tie in with the other novels though. I wasn't sure when this was taking place.

And once again, this seemed like Wrede was copying Andre Norton's style, for fantasy.





Monster Hunter Vendetta by Larry Correia
Ebook, 450 Pages
My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Where as Monster Hunter International started off with a bang and then kind of just petered out, Vendetta starts with bang and then relentlessly pounds the reader with one battle after another until the very end, where there is a great big mother-phracking battle. Almost one long, ongoing battle.

And I loved it.

There was no gun porn, no contrived romance'y stuff, nothing that wasn't essential to the story. I felt like my backside was kicked the whole time. And Owen steps up and stops whining.

Agent Franks. Even when the reveal happened, I didn't get the play on words with his name until AFTER I was done the book. Very clever, in a simple punny way.

Overall, this was a much more enjoyable read than the first one. Looking forward to the final book now...




High Lord by Trudi Canavan
Ebook, 544 Pages
My rating: 1 of 5 stars


Dannyl and Tayend. Enough said.








The Mote in God's Eye by Larry Niven
Ebook, 560 Pages
My rating: 3 of 5 stars


A first contact novel.

I liked that humanity was not portrayed as either the evil brainless aggressor or the helpless victim.
We deal with another sentient race that is as clever and duplicitous as we are. And we win, apparently.

Not a fast paced action book. Almost more along the lines of Rendezvous With Rama, where it is more about ideas than the action, but there was some action. Enough to keep me interested anyway. Probably will read the sequel, The Gripping Hand this year.




Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE, Volume 07 by CLAMP

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I started getting bored and nothing really stuck out. Which is how I seem to remember the series going. Hopefully I have mis-remembered.




Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE, Volume 08 by CLAMP

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


The stories are starting to be broken up among the volumes, ie, we get the last of Story X in the beginning of Volume 8, then are only partway through Story Y at the end of Volume 8.

I realize it will help with the sale of the books, but it really makes it hard to remember specific lands when it is broken up across multiple books.

If it weren't for white mokona, the characters would be pretty flat and uninteresting.



Semper Mars by Ian Douglas
Ebook, 384 Pages
My rating: 3 of 5 stars


When I first started this, the profanity/obscenity word count was so high that I wondered if I would be able to finish the book.
Then it just dramatically dropped off, for no reason. I am glad it did, but I wish the author had started that trend earlier, like at page 1.

Anyway, if you like the military, hate the U.N., think the United States, Great Britain and Russia are the cat's pajamas AND think aliens are cool [whether they be benevolent or malevolent], then this book is FOR YOU!

Many instances of the author going into detail about something [a gun, a maneuver, some world politic idealogy] that didn't really interest me. Just tell me the gun shoots caseless bullets. I don't care that it can shoot XXXX number per second and go through XXXX in XXXX minutes. And I really don't care about the details of how you fight on Mars [lower gravity] or a Space Station by using your gun as a weapon AND a propellant. Just tell me you do it and I am satisfied.

Now on to why I actually liked this.

This was a setup book. We are introduced to a world that many Right-wing Americans [me included] foresee and fear.

Mars is the new frontier with the discovery of an ancient civilizations ruins.

And it all comes down to: are United States Marines as bad ass in space and on Mars against corrupt United Nations bootlicking soldiers as they are on Earth?

The answer is a resounding YES!

From multi-week hikes across the Martian desertscape to Beer Bombs [and those made me laugh out loud], nothing can completely beat down a United States Marine. And don't you forget it.

Thankfully there are several main characters that are family, so it looks like the series will be about a family, which provides nice continuity. Looking forward to the rest.



Dragon Champion by E.E. Knight
Ebook, 384 Pages
My rating: 3 of 5 stars


A fantasy story from the Dragons' perspective.

I found this coming of age story very interesting. Our protagonist does lots of travelling, giving the reader a much broader view of the world that EE Knight has created. Elves, dwarves, blighters, humans and dragons.

A very complicated world with the balance of powers constantly shifting and each race in some way created to counter-balance the others. Humans are doing what they do best, taking over. So why the other races don't just band together to stop them is beyond me. but of course a "real" world wouldn't be that simple now would it?

So you get factional fighting as well as racial wars. And this one dragon has to survive it all.



Dragon Avenger by E.E. Knight
Ebook, 384 Pages
My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Follows the other sibling who survived the initial assault by the Firewheel dwarves.

This book seemed to really bring home just how chaotic everything is. Nations falling apart, uprisings, villages becoming new kingdoms, etc, etc.

And lots of betrayal. It made my wonder why the dragons hadn't setup their own kingdom by now and even though an ancient dragon kingdom was touched upon, it just didn't seem "right" that they hadn't tried to band together.

The whole "stallion syndrome" is explained. But I have to say, if a creature won't change, it deserves to die. Makes it really hard to empathize with the dragons to be honest.



Wild Cards I by George R.R. Martin
Ebook,  496 Pages
My rating: 2 of 5 stars


I like the premise, about aliens using our planet as a testing lab and the results.

Didn't care so much for a jaded alt-history left leaning retell.

This just reminded me of Watchmen, in that the super powered are simply flawed humans. I don't like that.



Lio's Astonishing Tales: From the Haunted Crypt of Unknown Horrors by Mark Tatulli


A collection of comic strips.

Some made me laugh. But the lack of text didn't work so well for me. There were multiple times where I had no idea what the artist was trying to do and had to resort to the commentary [bleh].

Definitely my kind of humor though.



Hunters of Dune by Brian Herbert
Dtb, 528 Pages
My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Read 2007 4 Stars
Read 2012 3 Stars

[2007 Review]
The immediate sequel to Chapterhouse. I liked it, a lot! Follows the escaped no-ship, which breeds some gholas of Dune's past, and Murbella, who rises to unite the Bene Gesserit and the Honored Maitres against the Enemy who drove the HM's into the Old Empire. Meet Norma Cenva, who is the Oracle of Time now, and Omnius and Erasmus, who survived and for the past 15,000 years have been building up forces to once and for all wipe out humanity. Very complex threads. The 2 prequel trilogies are a must read to fully understand the ending and certain references. I look forward to the concluding novel.


[2012 Review]
I feel like I am being generous in giving this a 3 star for this re-read.
Now that the "Oh Wow, a Finish!" shine has been wiped from my eyes/mind, the mechanics of the writing shine through.
And that is NOT a good thing. Baby Herbert and Anderson are simply not the wordsmith's that Frank Herbert was.  Not to say that it is terrible writing, but it is blase and doesn't have the gravitas that Frank's writing did.

Storyline-wise, it is plodding with some excitement. If one had not read the prequel books by Baby Herbert and Anderson, the reveal about the ancient enemy would have fallen completely flat or gone over your head. It seems to me that Frank would have brought about this in a completely different way, as there were no references to any specifics about the robot empire of the Butlerian Jihad era.


Overall, I don't know if I want to read this book again, as I would be afraid I degrade it another star upon that reread.



Wild Cards II: Aces High by George R.R. Martin
Ebook, 336 Pages
My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Instead of dealing with old lefty politics, we move up to the Eighties and an alien invasion.

Find out a bit more about the bigger universe this storyline inhabits.

The short story format just isn't really working for me. To much jumping around, with lots of details simply inferred. There were times I had to backup to make sure I hadn't missed a whole story or something.

I'll probably read one more as I am enjoying this series, just not really enjoying it. And I'd rather try new books





Coraline by Neil Gaiman
Ebook, 86 Pages
My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I saw the movie first, let me be clear. So I was continually comparing the book to it.

On the whole, this was a creepy little story for children. I wonder if part of the creepiness is because as an adult, I find anything that a child has to deal with as creepy.

I also wonder if I would read this to my [hypothetical] child.

this was a stripped down story, as opposed to the movie. I actually like the movie better :)
but it was a good introduction to Neil Gaiman [as opposed to [book:American Gods|4407]]






The Gun Seller by Hugh Laurie
Ebook, 466 Pages
My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This started out very funny, Wodehouse'ian humor. Then it ruined it for me by getting all serious and political.

And the entire Ronny/Sarah thing [ie, who does he choose], the "does she love me, does she not love me", just turned me off.



Monthly Summary
19 Novels
8 Manga/Graphic Novels
6763 Pages

March '12

The Fellowship of the Ring (The Lord of the Rings, #1) by J.R.R. Tolkien

Ebook, 480 Pages
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I went into this reading with more of an eye towards "does it live up to the its fanboy hew and cry and my memories of over a decade ago?".

My first re-impression was how much like a history this was, as opposed to a modern/typical fantasy.
There are lots of songs, poems, characters declaiming whatever. I did not remember that.
History lessons kept interrupting the plot flow. You'd start down a rousing good path and then bam!, someone would start talking about something or somebody thousands of years ago that has a very tenuous connection to what is going on now. It might give greater depth to the world, but I felt like things like that could have been inserted a bit less jarringly.

Now, this book makes clear how much a wordsmith Tolkien was. Sentences, paragraphs, etc, flowed like water over stones. Tolkien used his words to great effect, in creating the underscored terror of the Nazghul, to the cheek and courage of the hobbits, to the weariness of Strider, to the overweening pride and lust of Boromir. What made Tolkien write those songs/poems mentioned above was what ennabled to him write these characters so that you BELIEVED they were real. You love them, you laughed at them, you groaned at them, you howled in outrage at them. But they were not cardboard and 2 dimensional.

Another aspect I liked was how Tolkien hints at a MUCH vaster history of the world but does not hint in such a way as to distract from the main plotline. And since I know about The Silmarillion, The Book of Lost Tales, Part OneThe Book of Lost Tales, Part Two, and Christopher Tolkien, if I so choose, I can go exploring Middle Earth another time, albiet in a much drier way.

I also found myself wishing I had a dictionary handy [I read it on my Sony 505, which has no built in dictionary] as Tolkien used words that were either out of style or 'english' [as opposed to 'american']. I was able to figure most things out by context, but his writing is getting old enough, and he was a lover of old languages anyway, that a dictionary would be helpful.

Compared to The Hobbit, this was definitely not as whimsical, as childlike nor as happy go lucky.

This book is definitely 2-3 steps above maturity-wise. And that is a good thing. We the reader are dealing with a much greater plot of import than in the Hobbit, and so the tone is appropriate.

So, while it doesn't live up to the ZOMG! hype, it lives up to my expectations as a serious, well written [most important in my book, hahahaa] fantasy story with defined lines of good and evil.



Wizard's Hall by Jane Yolen

Dtb, 133 Pages
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I was completely charmed by this book. I know part of this was because I was a bit tired and jaded from some of the rather heavy tomes [physically and philosophically] I've gone through in the past couple of months.

This was just a breath of fresh, simple air after the heavy perfumes and extremely complicated "smells" of other books. A simple draught of clean spring water after a surfeit of wine, beer, ale and sparkling juices.

Henry is a poor schlup who just tries, and succeeds. No epic quests, no hidden evil cousin/father/son/mother/aunt, etc, etc hidden in the wings to pop out and extend the story.

A simplistic story about a boy that made me grin. I don't know if I'll ever read this again, but I am glad I came across this little gem.



The Two Towers by J.R.R. Tolkien

Ebook, 336 Pages
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Where Fellowship of the Ring felt like a history in many respects, Two Towers just kicked butt.

Chases, battles, hoards of orcs, warriors, Gollum. It felt like a whirlwind of action. I especially enjoyed Strider, Legolas and Gimli's chase of the hobbits.

One thing I noticed. In the movie, the orcs blow a hole in the wall at Helm's Deep, and I was like "Yeah, whatever. Not in the book, but cool". Well blow me down, but it IS in the book. Very understated and all, but there none-the-less. [tip 'o the hat to Mr Jackson]

So my verdict on this book? Better than the previous and a jolly well written book!



Chapterhouse: Dune by Frank Herbert

Dtb, 436 Pages
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Ahh, Frank, to think this was your last book. The mysteries of Dune just beginning to truly unfold and you leave us.

So, this book delves even deeper into Herbert's sexual obsession. Everything in this story revolves around sex, or some sort of sexual perversion [addiction, child rape, etc].

If you can get past all that, there is actually a good story. Humanity has scattered into the great unknown after Leto II's stifling influence is removed. Now a part of that scattered humanity has returned, bent on conquest and domination: The Honored Matres.

But as the story unfolds, we learn that all is not as it seems. Do the Honored Matres return for pure dominance? Or is there another, a deeper, more chilling reason? One that the Million Worlds SHOULD be very afraid of?

Just as the tension ratchets up, the Bene Gesseret's plan for survival enacted, the book ends. And we are left hanging, wondering.

I can remember reading this in highschool, and feeling betrayed and wondering how an author could do such a thing as dying with a series unfinished. Ahh, the naivete of youth. Robert Jordan hadn't died, Rand Al'thor hadn't been in my mind yet. So this was my first experience with Story Interrupted.

And I stoically accepted it and let it scar my soul.



Percepliquis by Michael J. Sullivan

Ebook, 344 Pages
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Everything wraps up nicely. A dramatic buildup AND a happy ending.

And none of this "I'm happy, so somebody somewhere must be getting a knife in the back to compensate" angst.

Percepliquis was exciting. It was tense. And while critics and others might have analyzed things and realized things before I did, I had a great trip of discovery.

Man, I am SO glad the SFBC carries these in hardcover. They are a story worth being in hardcover!

And I would like to thank Liviu for introducing me to this series with his review of the first book, the Crown Conspiracy.

So Michael J. Sullivan, Thanks! It has been a great ride and I hope to be privileged enough to read more stories by you in the future.



The Return of the King by J.R.R. Tolkien

Ebook, 512 Pages
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This would have gotten a 5star except for the Appendices.

A great end fraught with danger, determination, steadfast loyalty, overwhelming odds and over it all the hero's tinge of melancholy.

Then I start in on the appendices. Tolkien let his History Buff streak break loose and I was so bored.



Star Wars: Lando Calrissian and the Flamewind of Oseon by L. Neil Smith

Dtb, 181
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Ok, this was more Lando and less Star Wars.
this book was written in '83. In what movie do we see Jabba the Hutt in all his ingloriousness and what year did that movie come out?
I am asking because one of the villians, while humaniod, really could have been almost a double for Jabba in how he was described.

So anyway, I am trying to figure out the plot of this story. From what I can gather, Lando gets invited to a super-casino, wins and is then double crossed somehow to help bring down a rich drug addict.
All the while trading english sounding banter with his robot friend.
This was not eye-rolling like say The Truce at Bakura, but you'd have to really like Lando a lot to recommend this to others.

I'll try to find the other 2 and see if the whole trilogy as a whole is blase, better or stinko!

And the ending? Can anyone say Han Solo Envy?



Monster Hunter International by Larry Correia

Ebook, 478 Pages
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Urban fantasy with Cthulthuic overtones and gun porn.

The action is incredible. The first chapter had me from the get-go. Hand to claw fighting? In a skyscraper office? Bring it on!

Then we get introduced to a 100+ year old organization dedicated to bringing home the monster bacon. However, they don't really seem to have learned much, as most of their tactics are along the "grab them by the balls and pull, HARD" variety instead of strategic plans meant to outthink their opponents.

The characterization was 2D, and because of that, so was the little romance side story.

The writing was amateurish, without polish. But I did not have to re-read sentences several times to try to figure out what the author was saying.

Gun porn. In spades. I almost went catatonic with boredom several times. But if you like knowing the spec's of guns, you will love this. And Christmas even comes TWICE for the main character.

Baddies. Mainly seem to deal with variety's of undead, which seem to be all in the Vampirric family, from the zombie who wants to eat brains, to the master vamps, who can practically be incinerated and still regenerate.
The main baddie has the Cthulthu tentacle thing going on, and you found out more about a different dimension, and Ancient Evil Ones. " A cthulthu by any other name...."

So I enjoyed this, but I doubt I will ever re-read it. I will read the final 2 books in the trilogy, as I want to know about the In-laws and Lycanthropes.



The Skin Map by Stephen R. Lawhead

Ebook, 342 Pages
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Leylines made this fantasy for me.

While I enjoyed this overall, it seemed like the main male character didn't change AT ALL, while his erstwhile lost girlfriend seemed to become a completely different character all together.

And what the heck is up with Great-X-Grandpa not telling our little hero what the blazes is going on or how to use his power? Seems Gramps might have lost a couple of brain cells with all his jumping around.

I wouldn't buy this in paper. Not worth the room it would take up. But a fun romp for an afternoon's read on your ereader.



The Wicked Day by Christopher Bunn

Ebook, 363 Pages
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A big battle, people becoming Anbeorun, it all came together kind of fast.

But I still enjoyed this as much as the first one. In a different way. Where as The Hawk and His Boy, was focused on small events, Jute, this focused on all of Tormay and the battle against the dark.

And as is common among dual'istic fantasy, there is no final victory, only a staving off. Which leaves the author plenty of room to tell more stories, should he choose.



Tsubasa: Sakura and Syaoran Return, Vol. 1 by CLAMP

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Since the series is finished now, now I can read the whole thing without having to wait months or more for each book.

Having really enjoyed the CCS anime, seeing Sakura & Syaoran as young adults was great.

CLAMP does spectacular artwork here, even if it is a bit "line busy" for my taste.

And White Mokono makes me laugh almost as much as Black Mokono from XXXHoLiC Volume 1



Others by James Herbert

Dtb, 512 Pages
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I went into this expecting a horror story, as I had formed the impression that that was what Herbert wrote.

This was just sad. A mis-formed detective starts having dreams, visions about something horrible.

But it is so long leading up to that that I was bored. Then things get really rushed and then it ends.

There was nothing scary. There were some horrible things described, but nothing scary. So I am disappointed and doubt I'll read more by this author.


Monthly Summary
11 novels
1 graphic novel
4117 Pages

February '12

The Motive by John Lescroart

Dtb, 404 pages
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I did not realize this was Book 11 in a series. And after reading it, I still couldn't really tell. Just vague hints of the past and the future.

I guess if you like murder thrillers with large dashes of legality thrown in, this is for you.

I just read it because I needed a dtb for when my ereader was down. Outside of my genre to boot. Not a waste of time, but will not be seeking out more by the author.



I Shall Wear Midnight: A Story Of Discworld by Terry Pratchett

Dtb, 359 Pages
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This felt very "tacked on" to the Tiffany Aching series.

and boy, did Pratchett allow his vitriol and hate of religion show through. I know he has always not been shy about making fun of religion or anything, but this wasn't making fun, but outright scorn.

It just wasn't the light heartedness that I have always associated with Pratchett.



Distant Thunders by Taylor Anderson

Ebook, 432 pages
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I enjoyed this, with the following caveats;

1) So much techno-babble made my eyes glaze over
2) it is OLD technobabble-made my eyes glaze over even more
3) introducing the split in the "british" empire, the existence of the Dominion, the existence of lots of non-grik Grik and the continued expanding threat of the Grik, it was all too much for one book.
4) step by step repairs-BORING.

But other than that, good stuff :)



Unseen Academicals by Terry Pratchett

Ebook, 448 Pages
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Amusing, with a heavy dash of Vetinari.

phrackin' "FOOTBALL".

If I owned this ebook, I would go through and change all instances of football to the proper term of soccer.

and the fat girl getting it on with the goblin, or whatever Nutts was. Maybe Pratchett has a secret chubby fetish? I don't know.

I am crabby. Not a good time to write a review. So ignore this and go on about your business...



The Sacred Band: Book Three Of The Acacia Trilogy by David Anthony Durham

Ebook, 544 Pages
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I found this book much like Acacia: The War with the Mein, in that I had a hard time starting, but the ending was good and I enjoyed the read.

This book definitely moved beyond the fantasy action and delved into optimism, hope, philosophy[undefined] and reason.

It made for a satisfying read, even if it was slow and not gripping.

I found it very uplifting to see the author portraying characters who deliberately broke their cycles of violence and hate and reforged circles of love and hope. Just when you thought someone was a complete badguy, they change, are redeemed and make things better.



The Dragon on the Border by Gordon R. Dickson

Ebook, 488 Pages
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

James the Magic Dragon, [insert the rest of the stupid Puff the Magic dragon song here].

things are starting to go stale for me. James and Co have to go battle the forces of evil, yet again, without real aid from his Wizard Mentor and save the day with Brit cunning and 21st century know-how.
And the humor was gone. The first book was funny. Nothing here was funny. And the constant worrying about drinking wine all the time is getting old. Deal with it.

It was still a cool story, with practically invincible invisible enemies, and another worm to fight.



Sisterhood of Dune by Brian Herbert

Ebook, 448 Pages
My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This was more enjoyable than Paul of Dune and I think I enjoyed it a little more than The Winds of Dune.

However, I was/am also reading Heretics of Dune, so was able to contrast directly between Brian Herbert/Kevin Anderson and Frank Herbert. It was just sad.

Sisterhood is just an adventure scifi story that could either stand on its own or be part of a duology or [heaven forbid!] a trilogy. Things, exciting things sometime, happen. But I honestly cannot say that I would find this book [along with all the rest of the H&A's Dune stuff] interesting if I wasn't already enthralled by the original Dune Saga by Frank.

The enjoyment from this book came from seeing the fleshing out of Frank's ideas and not from the actual authors writings or ideas. And while H&A might be laughing all the way to the bank, we the fans know that they are simply riding the coattails of a much better author.

So enjoy all the stuff by H&A [and I plan on continuing to read what they put out], but realize they are the dollop of sour cream on top of the chili. It enhance the food, but it is NOT the meal.



Heretics Of Dune by Frank Herbert

Dtb, 471 Pages
My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Good Stuff!

Having read Sisterhood of Dune at the same time, I was able to appreciate Frank Herbert as a superior author telling a superior story.

We move away from the Direct Atreides Scions and move towards a larger scope of characters, groups of humanity as main characters, as it were.

The Bene Gesserit, the Teilaxu, Honored Matres, etc. They are representative of the scope of humanity and how it has changed [or not] and each group is represented by an individual-macrocosm and microcosm come together to tell a rich story.

The metaphysical plays a big part, but Herbert also seems to have taken a crash course in freudian thinking and EVERYTHING revolves around sex. Makes you wonder if Herbert wasn't getting any by the way he seems to obsess about in this book. Or maybe he was just a lech....



The Shadow at the Gate by Christopher Bunn

Ebook, 462 Pages
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I enjoyed this as much as The Hawk and His Boy. It is a good read that is not too heavy or self-serious.

My only beef is how powerless the Anborean seem to be.

Wondering how the final book will wrap up everything because there is so much potential to be explored. Looking forward to it though.



Revan by Drew Karpyshyn

Ebook, 272 Pages
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This was pedantic and the worst video game tie in so far. Completely put me off the Old Republic sub-series since it is NOTHING but a money grab.

No good story. And that was what was really disappointing. Karpyshyn did some good work with Bane, but Revan and Co just stank of cardboard and the green stench of a cash cow.



Inheritance by Christopher Paolini

Ebook, 769 Pages
My rating: 1 of 5 stars


Review to come later this week when I have more time. But I can tell you, it won't be nice...

2.29.12

Ok. This book was several hundred pages too long. I enjoyed the ending, and the final battle was pretty good, but everything leading up to it was horrifically detailed so as to bore me out of my mind.

Paolini's writing has not changed from when he wrote Eragon. His youth saved him from many scathing comments from me. But now, he is a published author with 3 huge books under his belt, and Inheritance felt as poorly written as Eragon was.

There is NO excuse for this. He is no longer a 15 year old ripping off Star Wars and Lord of the Rings. He is a twenty something who SHOULD have matured, but this book does not reflect that in any way that I could tell.

Long winded descriptions that go on for pages. Awkward emotional scenes that just didn't really seem real. Characters who are still as 2D as they were in the first books.

This took me over a month to finish. Not because of it's size, but because I simply lost interest in the labyrinth of Paolini's love of his own words.

IF he does publish any more books, I know he is now on my Do Not Waste Time Reading list.



Spin by Robert Charles Wilson

Dtb, 458 Pages
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I was induced to read this by Sergio, a complete stranger who commented on my review of Bios, encouraging me to read Spin.

Bios was horrible.

But I figured that if a complete stranger could take the time to recommend a different book by the author, then I should try it.

I am glad I did.

It confirms my opinion that Wilson is a pseudo-scyence lover and a snob of HUGE proportions. And he's a complete dickhead who loves his own words like a lover.

Unlike Bios, this had an interesting premise-mankind stalled while the universe races on.

But the execution was horrific. The main character representing all those who are uncertain but don't trust religion. The sister, who gets taken in by a cult, because as we the readers all know [Wilson doesn't insinuate this point, he BLUDGEONS], all religions are false and are simply setup by smart people to take advantage of the gullible. The brother, the brilliant scientist who keeps on going in the face of any and all discouragement and setbacks and who is so pure as to sacrifice himself for Scyence's sake [and yes, Scyence seems to be Wilson's god here. He just doesn't want to admit it].

So if you enjoy thinly disguised "philosophy" [ie, I'm right, you are wrong, because I wrote it so], then I think Wilson is for you. I've read less preachy and pushy Christian romances than this, and that is saying something!

so thank you Sergio. You have helped me definitely cross off Wilson from my TBR author list. And yes, that is a good thing :D




Monthly Summary
12 Novels
5555 Pages [now is that a cool number or what!?!?]

January '12

The Dragon Knight by Gordon R. Dickson

Ebook, 503 Pages
My rating: 3 of 5 stars


While I thought Jim had grown a pair by the end of the previous book, this book gives lie to that idea.

Jim is the wussiest over 6ft person imaginable[and he is not a stringbean]. He is athletic, smart and he HAS MAGIC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And I still have to hear him be concerned because someone calls him Lord James instead of plain ol' Jim.

Fun story, just not as good as it could have been with a hero who had a backbone.



The Scorch Trials by James Dashner

Ebook, 321 Pages
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I enjoyed this, and was horrified at the same time.

Some of the things that happen just gave me the willies and made me think "I'd NEVER let my pre-teen read this stuff".

And I'm still no closer to figuring out what is going on.



Dune Messiah & Children Of Dune by Frank Herbert

Dtb, 592 Pages

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Dune Messiah:

Paul Atreides' downfall. The Jihad has been conveniently all wrapped up and the bureaucracy is starting it's inevitable creep.

Paul has trapped himself by prescience and knowing the future destroys him.

He gives up, but I can't blame him.



Children of Dune:

Leto and Ghanima are the main characters. Alia takes the predetermined path of the preborn. Leto takes the path of vision instead of prescience and sets up humanity for the Golden Path, whatever that is.

Fantastic! Instead of a simple messianic action story like Dune, we get a full fledged galactic spanning empire intrigue underpinned by arguments of free will and what it means to be human.

There were lots of monologues and dialogues that Herbert threw in that bored me to tears, or went completely over my head, or appeared to delve into completely pointless ethereal world views,

BUT, it was great nonetheless! I feel like I can learn a lot of what is going on inside Herberts head, and I always like a psychological twist to my reads.



Cobra Gamble: Cobra War, Book III by Timothy Zahn

Dtb, 400 Pages
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

The story snores to its inevitable ending. I was bored and glad for the end. The ending might wrap up this particular story line, but it seems more like a middle of a longer series. I'd say 5 or 6 books long.

The only good thing was seeing some of the characters exhibit real character. There were several instances where the character had to give their word and then a situation came up where it made sense to break their word, but they didn't.

I found that encouraging.



The Death Cure by James Dashner

Ebook, 305 Pages
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Fight, run, repeat. All the way to the end.

It got repetitive and mind numbing. Ended ok, but every horrible thing that happened, felt like a waste.



Knife of Dreams by Robert Jordan

Ebook, 704 Pages
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this, but it didn't get 5 stars because there just so much info not wrapping up that I couldn't truly immerse myself completely in the book.

Once I was done, I realized, this was the last book Jordan wrote by himself. And I tell you, if I had read up to this book then heard that Jordan had died, I would have been REALLY angry.

I am so glad I still have several books ahead of me.



The Dragon Heir by Cinda Williams Chima

Ebook, 528
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A nice wrap up to this series.

It seemed like there was a lot more teenage angstyness and crap like that.

A lot more action and fighting. Good stuff.



The Broker by John Grisham

Dtb, 368 Pages
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

My only other Grisham was The Firm, so I don't much to compare to.
This book was bland, boring and filled with repeated, ad nauseum, references to drinking coffee and talking in Italian.

I'm never reading another John Grisham book. I'm 50/50, so I don't want to chance it getting worse...



The Hawk And His Boy by Christopher Bunn

Ebook, 225 Pages
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The more I read Young Adult books, the more I am liking them.
Clean, tight short story, bit less jaded views of good and evil.

I hope the rest of the series lives up to this book. This does suffer from first book syndrome and leaves you with a cliffhanger right at the end. Good thing we don't have to wait for the next book.



The Night Eternal by Guillermo del Toro

Ebook, 318 Pages
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

The weakest book in the Strain Trilogy.
Angels, some seriously blasphemous new age God re-interpretation, apocryphal scripture like stuff. It all came out of left field all of the sudden.
We have a story involving Vamps as virus vectors and how they plotted among themselves and suddenly we're all metaphysical and religious?
And very poorly thought out religion at that.

There was no tension. No suspense. Characters and situations felt like the authors had already used them up and now they were paper thin [no pun intended] and being over/misused.
It wasn't bad, it just didn't live up to the mysteriousness and high-tension created in the first book.



The Omen Machine by Terry Goodkind

Ebook, UNFINISHED


I was around the 100 page mark when I realized that Terry GoodkindRichard was still harping about freewill and determinism.

Tell me a good story, not a Ayn Rand philosophy. Could not finish it.



1Q84 by Haruki Murakami

Ebook, 1084 Pages
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This was a moody, emotionally driven book.

I felt completely in sync with the characters ups and downs. This was some seriously good writing.

When the author wrote about a character going grocery shopping, and described it in nigh excruciating detail, I still found it engrossing.

The mystery of the little people, the 2 moons, the tension about Sakigake[or however it is spelled], the unfolding of the romance across time between the 2 main characters, I found it all absorbing and enthralling.

Then there was the graphic sex. Again, again and again. It fit with the flow of the narrative, but it was not necessary. Murakami is a good enough author that he could have gotten his point across in the way he wanted without the graphicness. When I read a book, I do not want to read that kind of stuff.

And that is why I only gave it 2 stars. The writing and storyline really deserved closer to 5, but because of the sexual aspect I could not recommend this book to anyone.

Nor am I now willing to try the author's other works. It just is not worth it to me.



God Emperor of Dune by Frank Herbert

Dtb, 404 Pages
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Good stuff.

After having read Brian Herbert & Kevin Anderson's prequels and sequels, the little throw away references took on a much larger import.

The Golden Path is still not spelled out for the reader. We simply have to figure out stuff while the main story unrolls. That is one thing I really enjoy about the Dune Chronicles, they are not the "Transformers" of books, but a very thoughtful and insightful look at what it means to be human.

Herbert deftly weaves words and thoughts to reveal his idea of what humanity is and where he thinks it could go. In many ways, a psychological version of what Neal Asher graphically shows with his souped up science in his Polity universe.

Poor Leto. To see, to know, to sacrifice, all for a species that turns on him, reviles him, fears him, worships him and ultimately, just wishes he didn't exist.

Herbert also tries to posit the non-existance of any sort of God because he claims it is incompatible with free will; free will being the ability to DO anything one wants. which is why the argument fails, because free will is about the ability to make the CHOICE about doing something, even if it is between 2 horrible choices.

So anyway, lots to love about this book :)



Cowl by Neal Asher

Ebook, 336 Pages
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Confusing start and lots of scientific'y talk about time travel and chronal possibility, blah blah blah.

It comes down to lots of fighting and people killing things and each other.

I liked this more than Asher's The Departure., but not as much as the Polity Universe.



The Alloy of Law by Brandon Sanderson

Ebook, 265 Pages
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Now this book was a LOT of fun to read. It was not one of Sanderson's 600+ page epic tomes, but a fun revisitation to the Mystworld.

This was really a western at heart. I remember reading Louis Lamour when a young teen and how it appealed to me. Thankfully, Sanderson doesn't write the same ultra-cliches that Lamour did, but that spirit was there.

The untamed gunslinger/magicuser comes back to supposed civilization and ends up having to clean up messes worse than he ever found out in the Wild, Wild West.

And it was a lot of fun to see allomancy used differently. Sanderson has given some good thought to the practical application and while I didn't really care about the particulars, it was good to know that the internal physics of the world hadn't been thrown jambalaya like into the plot pot.



Prospero Lost by L. Jagi Lamplighter

Ebook, 352 Pages
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Somebody loves them that Shakespeare fella.

I read "The Tempest" back in highschool. I can't remember to much about it.
And this series is it's sequel. Daughter of Prospero is the main protaganist. And I have to admit, I didn't much like her.

This appears to be urban fantasy desperately NOT trying to be urban fantasy. And with some really out there religious ideas, this just didn't grab me.

I'll be reading the rest of the trilogy, but it is not high on my list.



False Gods by Graham McNeill

Ebook, 288 pages
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

Yep, I am done with this series.

For beings with such "superior intellect" ad nauseum, some of these characters sure are stupid.

The style of writing made me want to barf.



Novice by Trudi Canavan

Ebook, 480 Pages.
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

My main issue with this book was how Sonea kept withdrawing from conflict instead of dealing with it.

I think that mainly due to my testosterone and the male ability to put EVERYTHING into terms of "fight or die".

Something about Akkaron just doesn't wring true. The final paragraphs made me feel much better about him and that shouldn't be the case with a main antagonist.

Dannyl and his issues did make it such that I would not be buying this series. Deviancy has no place in my home.


MONTHLY SUMMARY
17 Novels
1 Unfinished novel
7464 Pages