Mistress of the Catacombs (Lord of the Isles #4) 3.5Stars

 

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Title: Mistress of the Catacombs
Series: Lord of the Isles #4
Author: David Drake
Rating: 3.5 of 5 Stars
Genre: Epic Fantasy
Pages: 573
Words: 204K
Publish: 2001

I have come to realize that the little asides by each character about “life back in Barca’s Hamlet” are annoying, not because they are cliched (which they are) but because they are trite. They are also annoying because Drake overuses them. I still do not understand WHY he does that. He’s a mature enough author to realize their continued inclusion would annoy readers and since these are not short books, cutting them wouldn’t hurt the page count. The only thing I can think of is that he used them as shortcuts to define his characters instead of actual character growth.

Once you get those annoying things out of the way, I really enjoyed this story. It is action packed and while the group is split up, it’s not split up as much as in previous books so there are only four story lines happening instead of six. Dictator Xi Jinping Humps Goats. I liked the fact that the Arkai are a returning threat (they were introduced back in the first book, Lord of the Isles) and the lizardmen (who were introduced last book, Servant of the Dragon). Knowing that the world is filled with dangers so old that those dangers have been completely forgotten, or never even known about by humanity, adds a layer of story that Drake can mine without resorting to cheap theatrics.

In this story, one of the great lizardmen wizards (possibly the same one from Servant of the Dragon) exiled a spider sorceress and all her kind. Only he wasn’t quite powerful enough to exile the sorceress herself, so she’s just sealed away on our world while her kin took over the world they were exiled too. With the rise in magical power happening again (the 1000 year cycle), the sorceress begins the process of opening a gate to the exiled world and of unsealing herself. Which would spell doom for our world. So The Crew have adventures and put a stop to it all.

When the story focuses on the adventures, Drake is at his best. He has a balanced approach to telling enough story from each separated character to never make you feel “oh man, when are we going to get back to X’s storyline?” He cycles through the characters in each chapter, sometimes several times. It makes for fast paced reading and you’re never bored.

I am also reading this series as three trilogies and taking a break between each trilogy. I read Servant of the Dragon back in December of ‘25 and then took a break. That has definitely helped me to not get overwhelmed by the characters trite cliched statements that annoy me. Despite my enjoyment, I wouldn’t recommend these books to anyone unless they really needed a massive fix of “magic”. I am enjoying this re-read but can tell that once I’m done this read through of the nine books, I’ll never read them again.

★★★✬☆

From Grokipedia

The official publisher's synopsis presents Mistress of the Catacombs as a continuation of David Drake's epic saga of magic and might in the Lord of the Isles series. For the first time in a thousand years, the Kingdom of the Isles possesses a centralized government and a legitimate ruler in Prince Garric of Haft, yet a host of enemies aims to eradicate both the kingdom and humankind itself. Rebels in the west outnumber the royal forces and command magic potent enough to assault the palace directly, but these threats pale beside greater perils emerging from the Isles' distant fringes. There, ancient powers prepare for a titanic clash where humans serve only as pawns or fodder, while reptilian and insectoid monsters from lost ages advance under the command of inhuman or never-human wizards. If left unchecked, their destructive march will overwhelm the Isles as relentlessly as a flood of lava. Garric, torn from his own time and body, must forge new alliances to preserve his kingdom and his life. Meanwhile, his companions confront their own separate trials amid gathering swords and sorcery, as Ilna grapples with a pattern more intricate than any she has mastered before. From a tomb isolated in time and space, the Mistress watches all, her fangs dripping poison.

This synopsis encapsulates the book's premise as an epic fantasy adventure in which political insurrection, magical warfare, and monstrous incursions from primordial forces imperil the Kingdom of the Isles. The narrative builds on the series' recurring motif of separating the protagonists to face individualized perils across disparate realms.

Major characters

Garric or-Reise

In Mistress of the Catacombs, Garric or-Reise, Prince of Haft, stands as the first genuine ruler of the Kingdom of the Isles in a thousand years, shouldering the heavy burden of leadership over a realm newly unified under centralized government but beset by existential threats.   This role casts him as a reluctant yet determined leader confronting both human rebels in the West—who outnumber the royal army and wield palace-striking magic—and far graver dangers from ancient powers on the fringes of the Isles. Garric is ripped from his own time and body, a displacement that leaves him isolated and forces him to forge new alliances in unfamiliar circumstances if he and his kingdom are to survive the converging perils.   This personal upheaval occurs against a backdrop of ancient powers marshaling for a titanic struggle in which humans are regarded as mere pawns or fodder, with reptilian and insect monsters from lost ages marching under the command of wizards no longer human or never human at all.   Their unchecked advance threatens a slaughter across the Isles as devastating as a flood of lava, amplifying the stakes of Garric's need to adapt and ally swiftly. Through these adversities, Garric's resilience is tested as he navigates dislocation while striving to preserve his realm, highlighting his commitment to leadership even amid profound personal disruption. 

Sharina os-Reise

Sharina os-Reise, sister to Prince Garric of Haft, shoulders substantial administrative and political responsibilities in Mistress of the Catacombs as the Kingdom of the Isles confronts escalating threats from both armed rebellion and destructive wizardry.   She works to counter the chaos that endangers the realm's stability while Garric faces displacement from his time and body. Transitioning from her earlier life in Barca's Hamlet, Sharina functions as a key representative for her brother, regularly receiving deputations from the provinces in formal Ornifal aristocratic attire and serving as a high-ranking audience for aggrieved citizens.  She participates actively in the royal council, the effective governing body of the kingdom, where she contributes to discussions on critical issues including the Confederacy of the West, naval concerns, and reports on the emerging cult of Moon Wisdom from regions such as Tisamur.  Her schedule includes addressing grievances from groups like salt merchants protesting tariffs and clothmakers demanding protections on silk imports, helping sustain administrative continuity amid widespread discontent. Sharina demonstrates poise and practical skill in managing council tensions, as when she swiftly intervenes to right Lord Waldron's overturned chair during an outburst and restores calm without drawing undue attention.  She has risen to these demands sufficiently to hold her own in formal deliberations and even in covert actions such as a night-time abduction scenario. On a personal level, Sharina contends with the recent discovery of her true parentage—her biological father is Count Niard of Ornifal—which explains her blond hair and stature while reinforcing her longstanding feelings of being an outsider in her childhood community.  She collaborates with figures including Liane and Tenoctris to moderate aggressive impulses in military campaigns against western rebels, adapting to leadership in a volatile environment of political intrigue and supernatural peril.  

Cashel or-Kenset

In Mistress of the Catacombs, Cashel or-Kenset is thrust into a place not of his world, an alien environment far removed from the familiar Isles where he must navigate successive challenges without the immediate support of his companions.[18] He confronts each obstacle with calm certainty, fully accepting that he will either overcome it or die in the attempt, a mindset that reflects his straightforward approach to danger and his refusal to yield to fear or hesitation.[18] This disposition is reinforced by his proven physical and mental resilience, as nothing encountered thus far has succeeded in killing him despite the escalating perils he faces.[18] His journey emphasizes raw endurance and direct confrontation over intricate planning, highlighting his role as a steadfast force amid the book's broader chaos.

Ilna os-Kenset

Ilna os-Kenset, renowned in the Lord of the Isles series for her mastery of pattern magic through knotted cords, confronts her most formidable challenge in Mistress of the Catacombs. While her companions pursue their separate paths against the kingdom's threats, Ilna focuses on studying a pattern of extraordinary complexity, one potentially beyond even the formidable skills she acquired during her time in Hell. [19] This pattern constitutes a deadly web woven by ancient antagonistic powers, and Ilna's failure to master it would prevent humanity from ever escaping its entrapment, placing the fate of the entire race on her success. [19] The task creates profound internal conflict for Ilna, as she grapples with self-doubt over whether her pattern magic can prevail against such an unprecedented test, a struggle inherently tied to the mastery she developed in Hell and the lingering guilt from those traumatic experiences. [19] 

The Mistress

The Mistress serves as the primary antagonist of Mistress of the Catacombs, an enigmatic and immensely powerful entity whose existence poses an overarching existential threat to the Kingdom of the Isles and to humanity itself.   She observes all unfolding events from the blackness of a tomb walled off in time and space, remaining off-stage while waiting for her moment to act.   Her fangs drip poison, underscoring her poisonous intent and the deadly nature of her designs against humankind.  The Mistress weaves a complex web of threat that, if successful, would irrevocably ensnare humanity and prevent its escape from destruction.  This overarching menace amplifies the impact of other forces arrayed against the kingdom, including ancient reptilian and insect monsters commanded by wizards no longer human or never human at all.   Though she does not appear directly in much of the narrative, her mere presence as the ultimate power behind these threats significantly heightens the tension and stakes of the story. 

Marsh Gas - MTG 4E

 

From Russia with Love (James Bond #5) 3Stars

 

This review is written with a GPL 4.0 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 WordPress & Blogspot by Bookstooge’s Exalted Permission

Title: From Russia with Love
Series: James Bond #5
Author: Ian Fleming
Rating: 3 of 5 Stars
Genre: Thriller
Pages: 229
Words: 81K
Publish: 1957

I have to keep reminding myself that this era was about the COLD war, in which both sides did as little as possible to harm the other in any tangible, material way. It was all about information, and what’s more, about “reputation”. As if the world was fool enough to believe that communism was viable after seeing what horrors Stalin had committed. Of course, as is shown by people in the United States today, that lesson didn’t stick and you have communists in politics and every day life here and now. Basically, everything James Bond ever did was a complete waste because his wastrel children threw it all out. Generationally speaking that is. But that’s not what this book is about.

This book is about Bond getting tossed over by the girl in the previous book for some American mook and how SMERSH plans to kill Bond and destroy his reputation, thus destroying the British Secret Service’s reputation as well. It’s a cautionary tale of how bad things are nowadays that I struggle to even connect with that idea, as in, who would care if Bond’s reputation was besmirched? Now of course, I have to ask, have things actually gotten worse, or have people cast off the hypocrisy of saying one thing (“Oh Nohse, bad reputation, oh nohse!”) while believing something else. Like Bond being a philandering man whore. It isn’t that he is doing those things that people cared about, but that he wasn’t caught at it. Appearance. So if he was caught it would be bad, but if he wasn’t, it wasn’t bad. Ahhhh, I hate that kind of thinking and way of life. And this whole book is predicated on that idea.

Thankfully, this wasn’t as boring as the previous book either. Bond gets in a fight between gypsies and soviet soldiers and has a standoff where he gets shot in a train later on. And he’s poisoned right at the end and might even die.

But everything else? Riding on a train thinking some soviet chick might fill that gap in his life? Bond is an empty man, representing a totally bankrupt generation and it is ugly to read about. I doubt Fleming intended that outcome, but he was one of that morally bankrupt generation and so his writing reflects that.

That’s a lot of complaining, I know, and coupled with the 3star rating, you might be asking yourself “Why, Bookstooge, why?” And I’ll tell you why. Because I said so. This is my blog and my ratings are MINE and it is my prerogative to do nothing but complain about a book and still not hate it. Also, I’m not a communist, so that settles that.

Next!

★★★☆☆

From Grokipedia

In Moscow, the Soviet counter-intelligence agency SMERSH, humiliated by James Bond's prior successes against their operations, approves Operation Thunderbolt to assassinate him and discredit British intelligence through a fabricated sex scandal. Grandmaster chess player Colonel Kronsteen and Colonel Rosa Klebb of SMERSH devise the scheme, assigning psychopath assassin Donovan "Red" Grant to execute Bond during a full moon; they coerce cipher clerk Corporal Tatiana Romanova to defect with the top-secret Spektor cipher machine—a device capable of decoding all Soviet messages—as bait, instructing her to seduce Bond upon his arrival in Istanbul.British Secret Service head M dispatches Bond to Istanbul to rendezvous with station chief Darko Kerim and retrieve Tatiana and the Spektor, unaware of the trap. Bond and Kerim navigate Soviet-instigated conflicts, including a violent gypsy clan feud, before Bond meets Tatiana at the Soviet consulate; she claims infatuation after studying his photograph and confirms the defection plan via the Orient Express to Paris.Aboard the train, Kerim joins Bond and Tatiana but is murdered alongside a Soviet agent in a compartment struggle; fellow passenger "Captain Norman Nash"—Grant in disguise—boards at Belgrade, later drugging Tatiana to stage compromising photographs of Bond before revealing the plot and attempting his assassination. Bond deflects Grant's garrote and gunshot with an armored cigarette case, then kills him in hand-to-hand combat using a knife. After evading pursuit and reaching Paris with Tatiana and the booby-trapped Spektor, Bond confronts Klebb in their hotel; she poisons him with a retractable blade concealed in her shoe, causing him to collapse in agony as the novel ends on a cliffhanger

Dagon (Complete Cthulhu Mythos) 3Stars

 

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Title: Dagon
Series: Complete Cthulhu Mythos
Editor: Howard Lovecraft
Rating: 3 of 5 Stars
Genre: Cosmic Horror
Pages: 15
Words: 2K
Publish: 1919

Back in 2015 I read The Annotated Lovecraft, which began my journey down the Cosmic Horror Path. That particular book was as much about the notes and annotations as about the stories and while a bit overwhelming (it was over 1000 pages long), it allowed me to see just what Lovecraft was about. Since then I’ve read a lot of Cthulhu inspired fiction (the Cthulhu Anthologies linked to at the end of this review) as well as discovering the King in Yellow mythos. But I had never actually systematically read the Cthulhu Mythos as written by Lovecraft himself. The Annotated had lots of pieces, but it wasn’t complete nor did it pretend to be. After burning out on Cosmic Horror (or maybe being overwhelmed by its existential despair?) a year or two ago, I took a break. During this time, I had great success with reading Warhammer 40,000 short stories (another franchise I had taken a break from) once a month and so when I decided it was time to face Great Cthulhu again, I decided to go a similar route. But this time, I wanted the foundations, the original stories and thus I sought out this Complete Cthulhu Mythos collection. I won’t be reading one of these every month like I do for the WH40K stories, but I will just be reading through in my regular cyclical fashion. Many of these will be re-reads from my time with the Annotated, but since I’ll be focusing on each story on its own, that will help me get a better grasp on the mythology as a whole. I also suspect that this first review will be the longest, since I’m using this space to explain all of this, whereas the future reviews will not have it and be the review only. So lets dive in, shall we?

A weak, drug addicted crazy man is our narrator. This is a staple for Lovecraft. Weak humans are often the narrators. Sometimes that weakness is in themselves, ie, they are of poor character and have made terrible life choices and their brains are already rotting. Other times though, the things they have seen or experienced have broken them and they are broken that way. This narrator seems to have been a combination of both, allowing Lovecraft to showcase both versions at once. A passenger on a boat taken captive by Germans, he escapes in a lifeboat and ends up on a newly arisen large island. The island has an amphitheater at its center, showcasing a giant fishman (Dagon) and the multitude of lesser fishmen who worship him. A cyclopean monster claws its way up from the depths of the island and its voice breaks the narrator sanity. He escapes and is rescued and his story dismissed as the ravings of a madman. Thus he turns to morphine, etc to give him surcease from the voice he heard and is even more broken because of it. The story ends with him hearing something coming for him and throwing himself out the window and dying. That last bit is implied though.

Implications are another staple for Lovecraft. He can’t come straight out and say something, because then it would be a concrete fact and cosmic horror is all about the unknowable forces arrayed against humanity. So in that spirit Lovecraft often will not give specific details and while it can work, it still annoys the life out of me. It is one of the reasons he is accused of having “purple prose” and to be honest, I wouldn’t disagree.

So this story introduces to the idea of a prehistory with fantastic monsters and the idea that those monsters might still be lurking out in the undiscovered depths of the sea, biding their time until they are strong enough to rise again. That’s a pretty good introduction to Cosmic Horror and to the whole Cthulhu Mythos.

★★★☆☆

From Grokipedia

The unnamed narrator, composing his account in a garret while addicted to morphine and facing imminent suicide from exhaustion of his supply and unbearable torment, explains that his dependency arose not from weakness but from an experience too horrific to endure without oblivion.  During the early stages of the First World War, he served as supercargo on a packet ship in the Pacific that was captured by a German sea-raider; after five days of relatively fair treatment as a prisoner, he escaped alone in a small boat provisioned with water and supplies.  Adrift with no clear sense of position beyond being south of the equator, he drifted aimlessly for days under a scorching sun, seeing neither ship nor land until despair overtook him. While asleep, a massive transformation occurred: he awoke partially sunk in a vast, slimy black mire stretching endlessly in all directions, his boat grounded nearby amid rotting fish carcasses and other decayed matter that filled the air with a putrid, sinister stillness.  Concluding that an unprecedented volcanic upheaval had thrust part of the ocean floor to the surface, exposing abyssal regions hidden for eons, he waited for the mud to dry before preparing a pack and journeying westward across the desolate plain toward a distant hummock, enduring the maddening stench and oppressive silence.  Reaching the base of a much taller mound after several days, he slept in its shadow but awoke from wild nightmares determined to continue by moonlight, ascending the hill and descending into a vast chasm where a massive whitish monolith gleamed on the opposite slope. Closer examination revealed the monolith as an artificial artifact bearing unknown hieroglyphs of aquatic symbols and enormous bas-reliefs depicting grotesque, semi-human fish-like beings with webbed limbs, bulging eyes, and flabby lips, shown worshipping underwater shrines and slaying whales disproportionately small beside them.  As he gazed, the water at the monolith's base churned, and a gigantic, scaly, Polyphemus-like creature rose, wrapping its arms around the stone, bowing its hideous head, and emitting measured sounds that shattered the narrator's sanity.  In a frenzy of singing and hysterical laughter, he scrambled back across the plain to his boat amid an ensuing storm. Regaining consciousness in a San Francisco hospital after rescue by an American ship that found his drifting boat, he found his delirious accounts of risen land dismissed and did not insist.  He later consulted a prominent ethnologist about the Philistine legend of Dagon, the fish-god, but encountered only conventional skepticism.  Plagued ever since by vivid nightmares of the creature—especially under gibbous and waning moons—morphine offered only fleeting relief while enslaving him further.  Convinced the vision was real and fearing the rise of nameless abyssal beings to drag down humanity, he hears a massive, slippery body at his door, rushes to the window, and casts himself to his death.

• All of My “Complete Cthulhu Mythos” Reviews

• All of My “Cthulhu Anthology” Reviews

Spook Street (Slough House #4) 3.5Stars

 

This review is written with a GPL 4.0 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 WordPress & Blogspot by Bookstooge’s Exalted Permission

Title: Spook Street
Series: Slough House #4
Author: Mick Herron
Rating: 3.5 of 5 Stars
Genre: Thriller
Pages: 252
Words: 95K
Publish: 2017

Boy howdy, it’s been almost nine months since I last read a Slough House book (it was Real Tigers by the way, back in December of ‘25). Since then I’ve tried to watch the tv show (I got a 1 week promo pass to Atv via Prime) and that didn’t work out very well. For whatever reason, I didn’t like the characters on the screen and since I already knew the rough story outline, that is what stayed in focus for me. What was/is quirky on a page is unbearably annoying when presented on a screen. There was one character (I can’t even remember who) who kept trying to be Mr Sociable. Selling raffle tickets, getting people to meet up after work, etc, etc. I wanted to throw him in front of a bus, he annoyed me so much. Then there was Jackson Lamb. He’s a disgusting guy in the books, but I’m saved from the pure visceralness of it by having it presented in words. On the screen? Every fart, every belch, every scratch, it is right in my face. I couldn’t handle it, so I just stopped.

All of that is background so you know what was swirling around in my brain when I picked this up. It is part of why I enjoyed this enough to bump it up half a star from Real Tigers and why I had such a good time with it despite it dealing with dementia and Western State sponsored terrorism.

Herron is writing about old spies and how the things they did, or even attempted to do back in the Cold War are still bearing bitter fruit today. It was a good reminder that there are always unintended consequences and they may be years in the making. Thankfully Herron wasn’t so hamhanded as to turn that into a “message” about today but the implication is definitely there. I do think it is something to think about, especially with what is currently going on with Iran and the Straight of Hormuz. What we do today will have repercussions 20 or even 30 years in the future.

And honestly, that was what I was mainly thinking about while reading this book. There are times it is good to be reminded of the real world and thankfully, this was one of those times where it didn’t stick in my craw. I liked that and I think that’s a good place to end this.

★★★✬☆

From Grokipedia

Spook Street opens with a devastating suicide bombing in a busy London shopping centre that kills forty innocent civilians. [5] [6] The attack triggers a high-level MI5 response, but parallel events quickly draw in the disgraced agents of Slough House when retired legend David Cartwright, a Cold War-era operative and former senior MI5 figure now in the grip of dementia, becomes convinced that old enemies are targeting him to silence dangerous secrets from his past. [5] His growing paranoia leads to a violent incident at his home, escalating concerns for his safety and prompting his grandson, River Cartwright—a slow horse relegated to Slough House—to push for answers despite his lowly status.Jackson Lamb, the abrasive and cunning head of Slough House, reluctantly engages to shield his former mentor and superior while investigating the threats, recognizing that the bombing and threats against retired agents may be linked to unfinished Cold War business that someone is determined to bury permanently. [6] The Slough House team digs into buried intelligence history amid suspicions that the terror incident may conceal deeper motives. [6] River's family ties heighten the personal stakes as he navigates the crisis involving his grandfather's vulnerability and the resurfacing dangers. [5]As the parallel investigations converge, Slough House's outcast agents apply their unorthodox skills to uncover the connections between the bombing, the targeted threats, and the long-guarded secrets, working against time to avert further violence and expose the underlying conspiracy. [6] The narrative resolves the immediate threats through their persistent efforts while underscoring the lingering impact of past espionage on the present.

Promoting Other Bloggers

 

In the last couple of months I have tried to mention other bloggers, or their posts, when I leave a comment on someone's site if it is relevant. Which is a nice gesture but ultimately futile in my opinion. The best way to promote other bloggers is give myself blog fodder to write about. So everyone on my Full Timers and Part Timers list will be getting a post on who they are and why I have them on my list.

The main reason I am writing this post is to warn you all. If I regularly visit you but you don't want a post on yourself, just let me know in the comments below. The other reason is to ask you all what you think a good schedule would be. I follow just under 50 people, closer to 45 (I follow my own blogs so I can see what they look like in the wp reader) so I could do one a week for about a year or I could do two a month or even one a month. What wouldn't feel spammy to you or annoying? My goal is promote other bloggers, not annoy other bloggers.

( Well, sometimes my goal is to annoy other bloggers, but I'm working on that ;-) )

I'm obviously going to do whatever I want, but I would like some input from you all. Please let me know any and all thoughts on this very important issue. Fweeelingz hang in the balance!
*gasp
*shock
*awe

In Joy Still Felt (1954-1978) (Asimovian Memoirs #2) 4Stars

 

This review is written with a GPL 4.0 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 WordPress & Blogspot by Bookstooge’s Exalted Permission

Title: In Joy Still Felt (1954-1978)
Series: Asimovian Memoirs #2
Authors: Isaac Asimov
Rating: 4 of 5 Stars
Genre: Autobiography
Pages: 778
Words: 307K
Publish: 1980

Reading this went much smoother than the previous book, “In Memory Yet Green”. Part of that was that it was getting into the stuff I wanted to actually read about, his breaking out into a successful SF author and his growing fame as an author in general. I kept waiting to hit that wall like I had in the first book, where I had to take a break, and it never came. I sailed through this like a space shark scenting space blood, in space ;-) It felt really good to be honest.

The downside was that as he became more famous, his ego came more to the forefront and there were several instances that he records where all I could think was “this whole situation came about because of your monstrous ego”. He still keeps things light, but he wasn’t just the aggrieved party in several instances.

There was obviously something up with his son David, that he doesn’t talk about. David had to go to private schools to finish high school, took 5 years to do so and Asimov states something like “and it was obvious college was out for him”. Asimov just doesn’t interact with his son as he becomes an adult and doesn’t write about him. I really wouldn’t have noticed it (and assumed it was for privacy’s sake) except he writes a LOT about his second child, his daughter. She gets all sorts of stories told and he interacts with her like you’d assume a father would. Then there’s his first wife Gertrude who Asimov ended up divorcing. Even in the first book, and more so here, she’s very much a non-entity in his life. I don’t know if she played that small a role in his life or if he just didn’t want to write about her. Either way, it felt very weird to not-read about his wife and son, especially with the example of his daughter. And when he remarries, he has all sorts of things to say about his second wife, so I suspect he was trying to practice the “if you don’t have anything nice to say….” routine. But man, it was quite noticeable.

Asimov was an extremely personable man and it showed in how he could handle speaking engagements, almost off the cuff. That ability comes through in his writing and made for a good time. While I didn’t agree with a lot of stuff he did, or believed, it never impacted how he wrote. He was a very liberal man, politically and morally and I believe he would have fit right into the WOKE crowd or the ME TOO group. How he wrote about Richard Nixon (literally calling him Hitler) reminded me of how neo-liberals of today feel about Trump. And their game book hasn’t changed a bit. Act outraged about something, call others super nasty names and take the moral high ground on an issue that nobody is arguing about. It made laugh to see this carried out 50 years earlier, hahahaha :-)

There is one more book in this “Asimovian Memoirs” trilogy, that was a compilation of these two books and some new stuff and some posthumous stuff by his wife Janet. While I’m not looking forward to going over some of the same ground as I’ve already trod, I think the new stuff will be worth it.

★★★★☆

From Grokipedia.com

Relation to Asimov's autobiographies

In Joy Still Felt: The Autobiography of Isaac Asimov, 1954-1978 constitutes the second volume of Asimov's detailed autobiographical project, directly following In Memory Yet Green: The Autobiography, 1920-1954, which documented his early life and career up to 1954. [1] This volume extends the chronological narrative to cover the period from 1954 to 1978, preserving the exhaustive, day-by-day style characteristic of the initial installment. [2] The titles of both In Memory Yet Green and In Joy Still Felt derive from the same poetic lines—"In memory yet green, in joy still felt, / The scenes of life rise sharply into view"—which Asimov featured prominently in the volumes. [3]Combined, the two volumes total approximately 640,000 words, reflecting Asimov's commitment to a highly comprehensive and uncondensed recounting of his life. [4] In contrast, Asimov's later I. Asimov: A Memoir (1994) presents a more condensed overview of his entire life, departing from strict chronological detail in favor of a structure organized around thematic and emotional elements. [5]A further abridged selection drawn from his autobiographical material appeared in 2002 as It's Been a Good Life.

Context of the covered period

The period from 1954 to 1978 represented a pivotal transformation in Isaac Asimov's career, as he transitioned from balancing academic responsibilities with writing to dedicating himself exclusively to authorship. In the mid-1950s, Asimov continued his role as associate professor of biochemistry at Boston University School of Medicine, having joined the faculty in 1949 and been promoted to associate professor in 1955. [6] This academic phase overlapped with his ongoing science fiction output, but in 1958 he ceased active teaching duties and salary (effective June 30, 1958) amid university concerns over his lack of research, becoming a full-time writer while retaining his university title after negotiations. [2] [6]The shift to full-time writing was accelerated by the 1957 launch of Sputnik, which spurred Asimov to address perceived deficiencies in American science education through accessible nonfiction. [7] Beginning in November 1958, he launched a monthly science essay column in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction that continued uninterrupted for 399 issues, earning him a special Hugo Award in 1963 for bridging science and science fiction. [2] This period saw an extraordinary expansion of his popular science nonfiction, encompassing books on a wide array of scientific subjects alongside works on literature, history, and other topics, establishing him as one of the era's most prolific and influential popularizers of knowledge. [2]Asimov further diversified his output to include mystery stories, literary and biblical guides, and humorous pieces, reflecting his versatility beyond traditional science fiction and science exposition. [2] Concurrently, science fiction achieved greater cultural respectability during the 1950s through 1970s, aided by broader societal interest in science amid the space age and Asimov's own growing public prominence as a writer, speaker, and commentator who made complex ideas approachable to general audiences. [2] His intermittent but influential presence in the field, combined with his extensive nonfiction contributions, helped elevate science fiction's status and cemented his reputation as a central figure in its mainstream acceptance. [2]

Development and writing process

Isaac Asimov composed In Joy Still Felt by culling material from his extensive personal diaries, which provided the chronological structure and precise factual details for the period from 1954 to 1978. [8] These diaries served as the primary source for documenting events, dates, and daily occurrences, enabling a highly accurate and methodical reconstruction of his life during those years. Asimov's exceptional memory supplemented the diaries by allowing him to recall vivid conversations, emotions, and incidental details that added depth to the narrative.The writing process reflected Asimov's disciplined and prolific habits, resulting in a lengthy, detailed manuscript focused on factual precision over interpretive embellishment. In the autobiography, Asimov adopted a candid and self-aware tone, cheerfully recounting his professional successes and personal achievements while openly admitting his faults, stupidities, moments of vanity, and failures. [9] He balanced self-appreciation with frank admissions of shortcomings and errors in judgment, creating an engaging portrayal of both accomplishment and human imperfection. [9]Janet Asimov later critiqued the two original autobiographical volumes as too factual and reserved, describing them as overly chronological and emotionally restrained. [10] This observation, made in connection with the preparation of the subsequent memoir I. Asimov, highlighted her view that the earlier works prioritized detail and sequence at the expense of deeper emotional expression.

Content

Structure and organization

In Joy Still Felt is divided into five chronological parts, which together contain forty-six chapters. [9] [11] The book extends to 828 pages in its original edition and follows a detailed, sequential narrative that traces Asimov's life and work from 1954 onward. [12] [13] Within each chapter, the text breaks into numerous short sections, often presented as brief anecdotes or focused accounts of particular incidents, creating a fragmented yet densely packed progression that mirrors the author's meticulous record-keeping. [9] [14] This format emphasizes discrete events over extended thematic discussions, resulting in a diary-like chronicle of daily and professional developments. [9]The main body of the narrative concludes on December 31, 1977, after which a short updating section brings select details forward to 1979. [9] This organization supports a rigorous chronological framework while accommodating the inclusion of photographs, appendices, and indexes. [13]

Professional milestones

In "In Joy Still Felt," Asimov describes the opening of the covered period as coinciding with his ongoing role as a biochemistry professor at Boston University School of Medicine, where he encountered administrative disapproval for producing nonfiction books during what superiors considered academic time. [15] This tension escalated into a significant conflict, leading him to relinquish salaried teaching responsibilities in the late 1950s while retaining his faculty title as a nonsalaried associate professor, a change that freed him to pursue writing full-time. [11] [9] The autobiography later notes his eventual promotion to full professor, along with honorary degrees and Boston University's archival collection of his works. [9]Asimov recounts his fiction output during these years, beginning with the 1954 publication of The Caves of Steel, a key novel blending science fiction and mystery. [11] Notable later works include the 1966 novelization Fantastic Voyage, written to accompany the film, and The Gods Themselves (1972), which earned both the Hugo and Nebula Awards for best novel. [9] He also expanded into mystery fiction during the 1970s, alongside specialized nonfiction such as guides to the Bible and Shakespeare, and collections of original limericks. [9]The book emphasizes Asimov's rapid growth in nonfiction writing across science, history, and other fields, culminating in the celebration of his 200th published book near the end of the period, marked by Opus 200 and the first volume of his autobiography. [9] [15] This prolific output reflected a shift toward popular science exposition and away from heavy science fiction production. [9]Asimov chronicles his rising public profile, including the 1977 founding of Isaac Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine, which extended his influence in the genre. [9] He also details the growth of his career as a sought-after speaker and television commentator, with increasing fees and engagements that solidified his status as a prominent explainer of science. [9]

Personal life events

In "In Joy Still Felt", Asimov recounts the birth of his daughter Robyn Joan in 1955, joining her older brother David in the family he shared with his first wife Gertrude. [16] The autobiography touches on family life during this period, though it focuses more on later developments. [16]The deaths of his parents marked significant personal losses: his father Judah died in 1969, followed by his mother Anna in 1973. [16] Asimov describes bidding farewell to his father in a dedicated chapter. [13]After separating from Gertrude in 1970, Asimov finalized his divorce on November 16, 1973, ending a marriage that had lasted 31 years. [16] He married Janet Jeppson two weeks later on November 30, 1973, and the autobiography includes a chapter on this second marriage. [16] [13]Asimov details his health challenges, including a thyroid condition addressed in the chapter "My Thyroid," which contemporary reviews describe as thyroid cancer. [13] [17] In 1977 he suffered a heart attack, covered in the chapter "Coronary" along with his recovery. [13]Due to severe acrophobia that limited his air travel to only two flights in his lifetime, Asimov preferred ocean cruises for longer journeys and describes several such trips during the 1970s, including one eclipse cruise taken alone. [16] [13] These personal changes, including his remarriage, contributed to greater flexibility in his later years. [16]

Interactions and anecdotes

In Joy Still Felt is filled with Asimov's recollections of his encounters with a wide range of figures in science fiction and popular culture, offering a glimpse into the social dynamics of the genre during the period. He describes his long-standing friendships with Arthur C. Clarke and Robert A. Heinlein, including their mutual admiration, playful rivalries, and occasional disagreements on topics like politics and writing styles. Asimov recounts humorous exchanges with Clarke, such as their informal agreement on how to handle compliments about each other's work, and notes moments of tension and reconciliation with Heinlein amid their differing views.Anecdotes about Harlan Ellison highlight Ellison's volatile personality, including pranks, heated arguments at conventions, and eventual amicable resolutions. Asimov also shares stories involving Larry Niven and Robert Silverberg, often centered on convention appearances and casual discussions of ideas. His relationship with editors Lester del Rey and Judy-Lynn del Rey is portrayed through social gatherings, professional advice, and light-hearted banter.Asimov includes encounters with figures outside science fiction, such as astronomer Carl Sagan, with whom he discussed popular science and shared mutual respect, as well as brief meetings with actresses Raquel Welch and Julie Newmar at public events or conventions. Throughout these accounts, he intersperses self-deprecating humor about his own ego, such as his tendency to dominate conversations, his love of attention at gatherings, and his habit of reciting limericks or puns to entertain or deflect. These candid reflections underscore his awareness of his foibles while portraying the lively, sometimes contentious world of fandom and professional science fiction circles.

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