Review: The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Six More

The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Six More by Roald Dahl

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



A collection of 6 stories by Dahl. Sadly, not a funny collection, more of a rambling fiction'y whatever...



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Review: War Against the Mafia

War Against the Mafia by Don Pendleton

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



If Marvel didn't base their character of the Punisher on Mack Bolan, then I'll eat my shoes.

Sniper trained, Vietnam vet, family lost due to the Mafia, personal war, etc. Bolan ends up taking out one branch of the Mafia, while dodging the police and making to love to prostitutes, extra busty prostitutes and a supposedly innocent school teacher. Yeah, a school teacher. Who he then leaves at the end of the book.

This was extremely violent. And considering that I've read, and loved, [a:Neal Asher|56353|Neal Asher|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1207862001p2/56353.jpg] and [a:David Drake|19472|David Drake|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1207164263p2/19472.jpg], that is saying something.



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Review: The Pale Horse

The Pale Horse by Agatha Christie

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



Whenever the occult is part of a novel, I never like its inclusion.
I wasn't sure where Christie was going with this, so I was uncomfortable right up to the last chapter.
Still enjoyed the mystery...



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Review: Daughter of the Sword

Daughter of the Sword by Steve Bein

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I thoroughly enjoyed this "Special Swords" book.
The 4 storylines, [1 current, 3 historical for each of the swords], eh, I wouldn't have minded if the story had been all in the 21st century, but the history gave us the background and depth needed to make the current storyline have some "oomph".

Samurai, swords, cops and killers. If the author writes more, I'll be reading...



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Review: Slag Attack

Slag Attack by Andersen Prunty

My rating: 1 of 5 stars



This was disgusting material to read. I am not a fan of dystopian stories as it is, but this went beyond dystopia and into drug induced incoherence.

Death, debauchery,, betrayal and no hope.

Not my thing at all...



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Review: Orphanage

Orphanage by Robert Buettner

My rating: 2 of 5 stars



Part of being a good author is having a good story to tell. That, Buettner got right.
Another part of being a good author is having the grammatical and literary skills to tell your story, not only accurately, but engagingly. And Buettner failed at this.

Basically this is a coming of age story for a boy who has lost it all and spirals downward self-destructively, only to come back up and turn into a man through the military. Aliens on Ganymede and meteors all play their part as well.

The core of this book is good. But the outerlayer is just horrific. Get an editor for goodness sake, not your brother's nephew's grandmother's cousin's kid.
I would like to read more in this series, but I am not willing to subject myself to sub-par writing...



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Review: Myth-Ing Persons

Myth-Ing Persons by Robert Lynn Asprin

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



Skeeve has to rescue Aahz, outwit a world of vampires and lose a hot chick to a some annoying con artist.
All in one book.
Fluff-a-roo...



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Review: The Spirit Well

The Spirit Well by Stephen R. Lawhead

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



The story plodded along. I was also concerned by the theology expressed by some of the characters, as I wasn't able to tell if it was just the characters talking or Lawhead being extremely ecumenical...



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Review: The Bane of the Black Sword

The Bane of the Black Sword by Michael Moorcock

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



So close to contentment, and then it is ripped away.

I think this typifies the Elric experience. Pure melancholy undiluted by even a shard of true happiness...



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Review: Santiago

Santiago by Mike Resnick

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



What a great book!
A cast of characters who take their names from a balladeer, all focused on taking out the King of the Outlaws.
Who it turns out is pretty much in the same role as the captain in Resnick's Starship series.

Bounty hunters, journalists, thieves, tramps, swindlers and killers.

A tapestry of humanity, woven together for a fun read. Not a classic by any means, but a great read and re-read.



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