Warship (Black Fleet #1)

This review is written with a GPL 3.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at Bookstooge.booklikes.blogspot. wordpress.leafmarks.com & Bookstooge's Reviews on the Road Facebook Group by Bookstooge's Exalted Permission.
Title: Warship
Series: Black Fleet
Author: Joshua Dalzelle
Rating: of 5 Battle Axes
Genre: SFF
Pages: 320
Format: Kindle





Synopsis:
Captain Jackson Wolfe is an Earther, a drunk and the only half-decent "warrior" aboard the last of 4 Warships remaining to humanity.
On the last mission of the ship, engineered to destroy Wolfe's career, they come across obliterated planets. Against orders, surviving mutiny and with a secret helper from the Spooks, Wolfe is determined to find out who did this to humanity and to make sure we are ready to fight back.

My Thoughts:
This started out kind of rough, with the author giving all sorts of immaterial descriptions and stuff that didn't really add to the plot. It was typical indie writing and I was getting all set to blast it.

Then it seemed like the author switched gears or something because things just smoothed out. I don't know if it was because we got into the action scenes or this was of particular interest to the author, but it suddenly was something that I wanted to read.

In some ways, this reminded me of most of the other kind of Indy military SFF I've read before. But I like that kind of stuff, so that didn't bother me. But if you're looking for something new, bold and brash, this isn't it.

Slaves of Socorro (Brotherband Chronicles #4)

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Title: Slaves of Socorro
Series: Brotherband Chronicles
Author: John Flanagan
Rating: of 5 Battle Axes
Genre: SFF
Pages: 482
Format: Kindle





Synopsis:
Hal and Crew are assigned to Araluen to be at the King's disposal. However, as soon as they arrive, they are met by Gilan, a Ranger and news that a village has been attacked by pirates and people captured.
Said pirates are some rogue Skandians and Hal feels it is their duty to end this problem once and for all.
A rescue mission is mounted to the slave town of Socorro.

My Thoughts:
I was ok with the first trilogy of the Brotherband Chronicles and was satisfied with how it ended. After my experience with Flanagan trying to continue the Ranger's Apprentice series I wasn't  expecting much from this "second" trilogy and in many ways was kind of dreading it.

Thankfully, this stays faithful to the original trilogy and intent, ie, a boys adventure story. And this WAS an adventure story. Fights on the sea, fights in slave markets, Aruluen Rangers shooting the crap out of people, that tiniest hint of romance, it was just right. I really have to admire Flanagan for walking that line of writing about emerging adults/adults [because this series starts out with everyone being a kid] for kids and younger adults without crossing the line into inappropriate material for 10 year olds.

I still didn't like this as much as the original Ranger's Apprentice dekalogy, but I wasn't expecting to and hence things were good.

Diggers (Bromeliad #2)

This review is written with a GPL 3.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at Bookstooge.booklikes.blogspot. wordpress.leafmarks.com & Bookstooge's Reviews on the Road Facebook Group by Bookstooge's Exalted Permission.
Title: Diggers
Series: Bromeliad
Author: Terry Pratchett
Rating: of 5 Battle Axes
Genre: SFF
Pages: 224
Format: Kindle




Synopsis:
The Store has been destined for destruction. Masklin convinces all the elves to hijack a truck and head to a quarry, where they can live in peace.
Only they can't.
Masklin heads out on a quest given to him by the Thing and the rest of the crew must keep the group of elves together and unified. Good luck with that!

My Thoughts:
Pretty much the same exact thoughts as for the previous book, Truckers.
Amusing and yet mocking.

I really shouldn't have read these first 2 back to back. The funny, amusing parts don't come off as well and the simplisticness of it all is much more in the forefront. Even though things kind of end in a cliffhanger [UFO's anyone?], it just isn't worth it it. I need some time before I plunge into the final book.

Truckers (Bromeliad #1)

This review is written with a GPL 3.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at Bookstooge.booklikes.blogspot. wordpress.leafmarks.com & Bookstooge's Reviews on the Road Facebook Group by Bookstooge's Exalted Permission.
Title: Truckers
Series: Bromeliad
Author: Terry Pratchett
Rating: of 5 Battle Axes
Genre: SFF
Pages: 292
Format: Kindle





Synopsis:
A group of elves living by a truckstop hop on a truck to find a new place to live. They come to The Store and find a whole enclave of elves who are convinced that the Store is the All of Existence. Can this small group convince them that there is more to the world than just the Store?

My Thoughts:
If elves were little gnomes from space that had forgotten their origins due to them living much faster than us, then you would have this book.
Throw in Pratchett's amusing mocking of organized religion, all written at a younger person's level and you have this book.

I found it amusing, slightly sacrilegious and generally a good read. I think Pratchett points some very good fingers at things that I as a Christian need to answer. It would also be a great book to discuss philosophy and the basis of religion with one's children.

That being said, while I have no problems answering, and shrugging off, Pratchett's mocking, I wouldn't give this to my kids as a steady diet. Not until they've formed their own base of Faith and have at least asked some hard questions about what they believe.

Children of Fire (The Chaos Born #1)

This review is written with a GPL 3.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at Bookstooge.booklikes.blogspot. wordpress.leafmarks.com & Bookstooge's Reviews on the Road Facebook Group by Bookstooge's Exalted Permission.
Title: Children of Fire
Series: The Chaos Born
Author: Drew Karpyshyn
Rating: of 5 Battle Axes
Genre: SFF
Pages: 512
Format: Kindle





Synopsis:
A Long Time Ago, In a Galaxy Far, Far Away...

The gods gave a human all the power he needed to fight the creatures of Chaos. After winning, said human turned on the gods themselves. They banished him and his followers from the world and then pretty much disappeared.
That "Legacy" of banishing is weakening and the Destroyer has sent his essence to be reborn into the world so that his work can be finished from that side.
This is the story of those 4 children.

My Thoughts:
I've had some up and down's with Karpyshyn's Star Wars books, so wasn't sure what to expect from his own series. Overall, I enjoyed this. His videogame background shows, a lot, however. The way the chapters were set up was very "cut scene".

Cliched fantasy. Thing is, most of the time I LIKE cliched fantasy, so this was A-OK. I think my only "huh?" moment was when it appears that the Destroyer's children are as much a danger to him as possible allies. With him being able to now send his minions through the Legacy, why did he send over his essence to be reborn? I didn't see the point of that.

This was in no way bad. It simply didn't stand out from anything in the SFF field that I've read before. It was enjoyable and I'll be continuing the series until it either ends or goes bad :-)

Moon-Flash

This review is written with a GPL 3.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at Bookstooge.booklikes.blogspot. wordpress.leafmarks.com & Bookstooge's Reviews on the Road Facebook Group by Bookstooge's Exalted Permission.
Title: Moon-Flash
Series: -----
Author: Patricia McKillip
Rating: of 5 Battle Axes
Genre: SFF
Pages: 304
Format: Kindle





Synopsis:
This omnibus edition combines the acclaimed Patricia A. McKillip's two science-fiction novels, Moon-Flash and The Moon and the Face.

Kyreol's small world begins at the Face, a high rock cliff, and ends at Fourteen Falls, a series of rapids. Each year, her people celebrate Moon-Flash—a spark of light that seems to come from and go into the moon, a symbol of life and joy. When a mysterious stranger arrives, Kyreol wants to know more about him, as well as the Moon-Flash, and soon she and her childhood friend Terje leave their home to look for answers. Those answers will pluck Kyreol from Riverworld and transform her life forever—by fast-forwarding her into a future she can barely comprehend.

My Thoughts:
I have yet to read a book by McKillip that I don't like. This was no exception. Beautiful, flowing, as much about the pacing of the words and sentences as the story itself. In all honesty, the story itself didn't do a thing for me.

November '15 Roundup

14 reads this month. Only 1 DNF and several really good ones. I think my favorite book this month was Jim Butcher's The Aeronaut's Windlass.

Notes from A Dead House (Classic)

This review is written with a GPL 3.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at Bookstooge.booklikes.blogspot. wordpress.leafmarks.com & Bookstooge's Reviews on the Road Facebook Group by Bookstooge's Exalted Permission.
Title: Notes from A Dead House
Series: -----
Author: Fyodor Dostoevsky
Rating: of 5 Battle Axes
Genre: Classic
Pages: 336
Format: Hardcover



Synopsis:
A fictionalized account of Dostoevsky's [I still don't like that spelling!] time in prison.

My Thoughts:
I went into this with Great Expectations. And if you've read that great story, you'll know how I ended up feeling about this book. Very disappointed.

Part of that was due to Philosophical Musing's Wonderful Review.

But it didn't work for me. Dostoyevksky's ramblings about how wonderful and human and "feeling" all the prisoners were would be like reading something by Columbus exclaiming how round the world is. Part of it was D's exuberance over this great discovery. In that exuberance he simply tossed aside the horrible things some of these prisoners had done. I felt like he was saying "oh look, this murderer can laugh, what a wonderful human he is! Ha ha."

I have a very strong sense of Justice so this wholesale, almost naive, overlooking of crime was beyond what I could take. I intellectually understood the point that D was trying to make, especially given his time and social level but it wasn't enough.

Not a waste of time at all, but I simply did not enjoy this.

The Red Wolf Conspiracy (The Chathrand Voyage #1)

This review is written with a GPL 3.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at Bookstooge.booklikes.blogspot. wordpress.leafmarks.com & Bookstooge's Reviews on the Road Facebook Group by Bookstooge's Exalted Permission.
Title: The Red Wolf Conspiracy
Series: The Chathrand Voyage
Author: Robert Redick
Rating: of 5 Battle Axes
Genre: SFF
Pages: 466
Format: Kindle





Synopsis:
The greatest ship still in existence, The Chathrand, is making a historic voyage. It is carrying an Ambassador's Daughter who will be wed to a Prince, hence signalling the beginning of a long peace between two Mighty Empires.
But Empires are rife with corruption and full of the corruptable.
This is not a voyage of Peace, for both Empires are planning treachery. This is not a voyage of Peace, for others are planning to use it to bring back some of the mightiest and evilest power ever known to Man.

My Thoughts:
I really enjoyed this. That was a surprise because I had thought this was going to be about anthropomorphized cats [Chathrand just sounds Cat'y to me and when you've read as much SFF as I have, sometimes words have a "ring" to them that lead you to believe something about them] and it was very evident from the start that that was not the case. So my expectations were dashed from page 1.

This was an adventure story filled with magic, Awakened animals, the Littles and derring-do. It was great.

However, I found that not a single main character was good enough for me to want to care about. If any of them had died and the plot had proceeded, I would have been just fine with that. It wasn't that they were horrible people, not by any means but they never caught me by the nethers and held on.  You know how sometimes you just connect with some people? And then there are the times that you don't? I've had times where everything seemed perfect with somebody else but that spark wasn't there and things just kind of wound down. That's how it was with these main characters.

To be honest though, I don't expect to connect to characters in every book I read. It is nice when it happens, but I do have my Man Card to think about and sometimes some good old fashioned violence and action are much more necessary. Such was this book.

I am looking forward to reading this completed [HURRAY!] series.

Lalah (Mobile Suit Gundam The Origin #9) (Manga)

This review is written with a GPL 3.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at Bookstooge.booklikes.blogspot. wordpress.leafmarks.com & Bookstooge's Reviews on the Road Facebook Group by Bookstooge's Exalted Permission.
Title: Lalah
Series: Mobile Suit Gundam The Origin
Author & Artist: Yoshikazu Yasuhiko
Rating:  of 5 Stars
Genre: Manga
Pages: 420



Synopsis:
The Federation is continuing its push to eradicate Zeon. A battle ensues on Side 6 [New Texas, or something like that] that is more of a test of the Newtype than for any strategic advantage.
Char, Amuro and Lalah all meet, not knowing the other.
And Char is going crazy. There is no other explanation for his behavior, etc.

My Thoughts:
Amuro is gaining in ability quicker than ever, due to being a newtype. However, just what a Newtype is exactly is left pretty open. It would appear to be whatever the authors/artists want it to be.

Zeon's aggressive study and use of newtypes is sad and we see the consequences of one newtype pushed beyond his limit. He would have been a splendid fighter and even leader for a regular army, but in the newtype study he is used, used up and then cast aside. It is made very evident just how much of a waste this is.

I don't want to delve much into interpreting what the authors/artists message here is, but along with the very evident "war is useless and bad" vibe, I do get the sense that they are trying to say that every human life is precious. No matter if it lives up to some man made line or not.