RECLUCE: FALL OF ANGELS
-L.E. Modesitt, Jr-fantasy
-592-explains the origins of the Westwinds, from which Recluce was born. Quite interesting. A starship of women from another universe appears. Some appear to be able to use Order. One man, Nylan [the main character], is the Ordermaster of this story. He comes with the women. More whining and complaining about how he hates that force is necessary. Just refuses to accept that some people will only submit to a greater application of force. That is the main flaw with this series, in my opinion. Modesitt harps [and man, if he was a woman, I'd say she bitches] about this over and over and over. Every single novel. I like the storyline, but not that part of it. I'll keep reading, but no longer have any desire to try to buy these.
AZAZEL
-I. Asimov-fantasy
-221-a collection of short stories about a 2cm tall demon. He is at the beck and call of an acquaintance of the authors. He [the friend George] is always trying to "help" his friends using Azazel's powers. They always turn into misadventures.
THE STAND
-S. King-horror
-1153-first off, what a massive book. Second, I really enjoyed this. A plague with 99.4% death rate devastates the world. In America, people gravitate toward Boulder or Las Vegas. In Boulder is Mother Abigal and in Las Vegas is the Dark Man. This is a story about Good vs Evil and how good pays in blood and evil causes its own downfall. Some messed up views on God, some profanity and enough graphic sexual things degrade my overall view on this story however.
STAR WARS: REPUBLIC COMMANDO: TRUE COLORS
-K. Traviss-scifi
-472-follows the commandos as they find out more about the war and slowly realize that things are not as presented by Palpatine and the media. Skarata is hunting down the Kaminoan who engineered the clones so she can reverse the "fast aging" so they can live a normal length life. Traviss is really setting things up to tie in with the Legacy books. I didn't enjoy this novel nearly as much as the first two. The military jargon, the Mando'ese, it was just over used, imo, this time. You have so many different identifications for the same people [usually group oriented] that I felt like I lost track of who was who. Nulls, Alpha's, ARC's, Republic Commandos, Delta, Omega, etc, etc. Keeping track of it all really bogged the story down.
MARS: A FIGHTING MAN OF MARS
-E.R. Burroughs-fantasy
-200-a red martian man goes to rescue a martian woman who has been kidnapped. In the process he falls in love with another, discovers yet another crazed, world domineering wannabe and yet another mad scientist. Everything works out in the end. Burroughs uses the word "indubitably". How pretentious.
RECLUCE: THE CHAOS BALANCE
-L.E. Modesitt, Jr-fantasy
-596-continues the story of Nylan. He, his lover and a son leave Westwind. He ends up battling Cyador, which is the remnants of a Rationalist empire founded by long ago. Destroys Cyador by letting loose the forest of Daclos and he and Arylin become the first druids. A lot less whining. I think perhaps Modesitt realized it was overused? I don't know, we'll see how it is in future books.
ONE PIECE #16
-E. Oda-manga
-188
SHAMAN KING #13
-H. Takei-manga
-190
THE GREAT GATSBY
-F.S. Fitzgerald-fiction
-159- a man tells a sordid tale about his neighbor and a cousin. The neighbor loved the cousin 5 years ago but left. She married someone else. Her husband cheats on her but is rich. The neighbor comes back rich [from bootleg(illegal liquor, this was in the 20's) and other shady affairs] and tries to woo the cousin back. The husband gets his revenge by telling his mistress's husband that the neighbor is actually the mistress's lover. The neighbor tries to get the cousin to leave with him, she won't. The mistress's husband kills the neighbor after the mistress is run over and then kills himself. Confused yet? This was a story about fallen humanity with no redeeming quality. Why it is a "classic" is beyond me. There is no redemption and there must be in all True Stories.
TSUBASA RESERVOIR CHRONICLES #13-16
-CLAMP-manga
SHERLOCK HOLMES: A STUDY IN SCARLET
-A.C Doyle-mystery
-86- how Watson meets Sherlock Holmes. Solves a double murder mystery. Always knew the mormons were a bunch of no good...
FOUNDING OF THE COMMONWEALTH: PHYLOGENESIS
-A.D. Foster-scifi
-327-How the Thranx and Humans began the Commonwealth. Not their meeting [as in Nor Crystal Tears], but the pivotal moment when they united together. About a rogue thranx poet and a petty criminal. Pretty trivial drivel actually. But engaging.
FOUNDING OF THE COMMONWEALTH: DIRGE
-A.D. Foster-scifi
-310-a new race, the Pitar [humanoids who are physically what we all dream of] are discovered by humans. Turns out they wipe out a colony of humans[about 600,000]. Brings the thranx and humans together militarily. Also shows the founding of the interspecies church. The humanx invade the pitar homeworld. Pitar, xenophobic narcisssists, commit mass suicide to avoid the "pollution" by lesser species.
SHAMAN KING #14-15
-H. Takei-manga
ONE PIECE #17
-E. Oda-manga
-206
