Whispers Underground / Ben Aaronovitch

Whispers Underground
(Peter Grant #3)
by Ben Aaronovitch
fantasy

copyright 2012
read in December 2014

rated 7/10: well worth reading

More fun and fantasy in the great city of London !

Surprisingly little death and violence. Surprisingly ? It may be an attack of cynicism but I expect these wizard in the big city stories to attempt to excite me with extreme violence. And with episodes of near sex, of course.

Peter Grant books one and four have the expected levels of violence. Is number three an accidental aberration, or did some marketing guru detect a slight slump on sales ?!

Not to worry. It's a most enjoyable book.

The regular social irony seems to have shifted to sarcasm. You know, it has moved from humour towards insult. Still funny though.

The plot is more straightforward than I expected. It's very close to being just one murder investigation. Though the final dénouement is not even the identification of the murderer...

In fact, there are several things which make this book different from the other two that I have reviewed. This is not a criticism, just an observation... And if they were all the same, I would suspect that the author was following a standard formula... :-)

I am, however, confused by the minor subplot involving the faceless man...

This book is clearly set before Broken Homes. Yet the hero remembers being pushed off a roof by the faceless man. Which happened at the end of Broken Homes ! Am I confused ? Or is the faceless man in the habit of regularly pushing Peter Grant off roofs ?!

I think that my rating may be a point lower than for other books in the series. Due to a few unexpected niggles affecting my enjoyment...

This is still an excellent book. And well worth reading.

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Problems ? Solved

The Serrano Legacy / Elizabeth Moon

The Serrano Legacy
by Elizabeth Moon

science fiction, chick lit

#1 Hunting Party
copyright 1993
rated 6/10: read to pass the time

#2 Sporting Chance
copyright 1994
rated 7/10: well worth reading

read in December 2014

Hunting Party is light, fun, unsurprising. There's the ex-space-navy captain now reduced to captain of a space yacht for the idle rich. There's the crew of the yacht, a bunch of no-hopers who do not meet the new captain's naval standards. And the passengers, idle, rich and beautiful.

They all develop as expected...

Yet it's not all space adventure. In fact, most of the action takes place on a planet. And I tell you what: this is the first time that I have truly understood the joy of fox hunting !

Okay, it's not entirely due to Moon's writing. She sets the scene, with descriptions of the hunt. Not all good, especially if you have trouble staying on a horse. I read beyond the story...

Milady loves riding horses. She loves the steeple-chase, with its jumps and other obstacles. Take a large area, dotted with a large variety of obstacles. Add one fox -- and you have a randomly set, ever changing obstacle course ! A challenge which is new and different, each time it is run.

Now I understand the popularity of our local fox hunting club. Which has never, in its entire history, seen a fox.

This first book of the Serrano series is predictable, lightweight and a lot of fun.

The second book -- Sporting Chance -- is less predictable, more complex, even more fun.

The captain is more settled. The crew are at a better standard. And the idle rich youngsters have done their essential growing up.

You know what still surprises me ? It's the amount of work it takes just to get a space ship into space !

There's a surprising amount of effort spent just fitting out and stocking up. Leaving very little time for space battles. In fact, once more, there is a lot of action on planets... Or on space stations which service the planets.

Finally, the rich old lady, the idle owner of the space yacht... She spends most of the book... Well, let's not provide a spoiler :-) But it's a very sympathetic treatment of a too common situation.

Book one is an introduction to the characters and the situation. Book two puts the now more capable characters into a more difficult adventure. It's still chick lit but ... better.

It's difficult to introduce a new series of books. Really, though I think that Moon learnt, and applied that learning to the writing of book two.

I still have book three to read and review. I'm looking forward to it.

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Problems ? Solved

The City / Stella Gemmell

The City
by Stella Gemmell
fantasy

copyright 2013
read in December 2014

rated 6/10: read to pass the time

I once read a book called, "How to Write a Bestseller". The main message of that book was, that success comes from a formula. Gemmell may have read that same book.

A key element of the success formula is "complexity". The City has complexity in spades. Nothing wrong with that. It's complex but clearly written; the complexity can be unraveled.

Another key element is to have a lot of characters, all interacting and possibly interrelated. Tick. The idea is, there will be at least one character with whom each reader will be able to identify.

That's rubbish.

If I like the main characters then I am likely to enjoy the book. If I dislike the main characters then I will probably dislike the book. If there are so many characters that there is at least one that I will like... then I may as well be reading a telephone directory.

Then there's violence. Actually, I'm not sure whether violence was an essential part of the success formula. The City certainly truckloads of blood and violence and sudden death.

I almost categorised it as "military" fantasy, there are so many battles. But the battles -- and the centuries-long war -- are just background. This is not military fantasy.

Despite my dislike of bestseller formula, I enjoyed reading most of this book... Up to the end, I would have rated it higher than six. So what don't I like ?!

Stella Gemmell's background is politics and journalism. Perhaps she realises the reality, that war is just a small part of politics and power. That's reality. I read for escapism.

There are battles and victories and defeats. Heroic deeds and base treachery. And at the end... nothing much has changed.

Sure, several evil rulers have been overthrown. The current battles have been ended. Some major characters have survived. But...

Another evil ruler had taken over. The attitude of war is still there, there may be a lull but the war will continue. The surviving heroes get to survive... nothing more. Oh, and they find out that all their heroism was being stage-managed for the benefit of others.

What's the point ?!

Real life may be pointless and miserable. Well, it is if you look too closely at politics and read too much journalism :-) I prefer my fantasy to be more optimistic. The City just leave me feeling, so what. (Or bleagh, if that's how it's spelt.)

Oh, one more rule from the bestseller formula: leave enough loose ends for another book. Yep, you guessed it. More loose ends than a knitted scarf in a kitten factory.

Too complex, too many characters, too pointless to enjoy. Otherwise, not too bad.

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Problems ? Solved 

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14mar18:

I pick up this book... read a few pages... realise that I have read it before. Not to worry, I think, it seems to be an entertaining book. I have forgotten most of what happens. So...

I read a few chapters. Read through the slaughter of 20,000 or so conscripted soldiers. Have already met three sets of characters who would be central characters in any well-written book -- meet them once, then they disappear. Read my earlier review. Give up in disgust.

My dislike of never-ending sagas has grown. If an author doesn't have any idea how to wrap up their own plot -- why should I bother to read it?

Rating it now, I would say, four out of ten: bad but could be read. That is, could be read by someone with a strong stomach and no interest in endings.

Not a novel. Just a pointless and endless pot-boiler.

The High Druid's Blade / Terry Brooks

The High Druid's Blade
(Defenders of Shannara # 1)
by Terry Brooks

fantasy

copyright 2012
read in December 2014

rated 6/10: read to pass the time

I love the way that Terry Brooks builds on his world. The Shannara books are a continuing saga. Two dozen books, so far. Linked by characters from two families. Separated by generations.

Each group of stories involved a new group of characters, though the main characters will be from within the well known families. Some long-lived characters provide continuity. Yet even the longest-lived eventually become history.

Characters arrive, develop, die, often of old age. Shannara -- the land -- has time to develop a rich and detailed history. Each novel continues the Shannara story, with a new phase of Shannara history.

I have the feeling that each of these different stories... is the same story...

A member of the Leah family lives an ordinary life. He is forced to pick up the magic sword. He finds the the magic sword leads him into magical action and adventure.

Meanwhile, a member of the Ohmsford family is living an ordinary life. That person discovers the ability to use the magical wish song. The wish song leads to a life of magical action and adventure.

It all seems to be fantasy-by-the-numbers. A return to a familiar story set in a familiar land.

Nothing wrong with that.

It's simple adventure. Magical wish fulfillment. Nice characters. Satisfactory ending. All fun. Nothing startling. Except, perhaps, the book's title...

I think that the hero has been trained to become "The High Druid's Blade". You know, the fighter who will be the sharp edge to the druid's magic. Except that the author seems to have forgotten to mention this... Or perhaps it's just so obvious that it doesn't need to be mentioned...

Not to worry. This is an enjoyable book. A light read for a few hours light entertainment. Perhaps a good introduction to the world of Shannara. Certainly an enjoyable continuation for readers who are already Shannara fans.

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Problems ? Solved

Rangers of the Lone Star / Zane Grey

Rangers of the Lone Star
by Zane Grey

western

copyright 1915 ?
read in December 2014

rated 7/10: well worth reading

There seems to be some mystery about this book... There's very little about it on the web. The only clear reference that I found says that it was stitched together -- by the publishers, in 1915 -- from parts of other Zane Grey works...

The same source says that this is the only Grey book written in the first person. Even with my own limited Grey reading, I had thought that the first person narration was unusual.

So is it a good book ? Yes :-)

Though it is really way, way over the top. Put the hero's underpants on the outside and he's the Phantom. Add a cape and he's Batman. This is not just a Texas Ranger... This is a story of the epitome of all heroic Texas Rangers !

And it's still a good book... A classic Western. With some unusual features...

You know the scene, at the end of the movie, where it's the hero and his loyal sidekick against the entire gang of baddies ? Where they are outnumbered and absolutely nothing can save them ? Until all the solid citizens pop out of the side streets to support the hero with their own guns...

Well...

That scene is in Rangers. Except that it's no last minute surprise. Because the hero has already put on a lot of work to make sure that the solid citizens will support him at the appropriate time.

Which makes for less suspense but a whole lot more sense.

So, once again, Grey has surprised me with a clever -- and sensible -- plot. His characters have depth and interest. The wrapup at the end requires more than just a big gun battle.

There's no doubt that good will triumph over evil. The surprise is that the triumph requires more than just a fast gun and two powerful fists.

Another very enjoyable Zane Grey western.

Just so, so... over the top... in the attitude to the hero.

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Problems ? Solved

Pirate Freedom / Gene Wolfe

Pirate Freedom
by Gene Wolfe

historical... action ?

copyright 2007
read in December 2014

rated 3/10: so bad it's embarrassing

This book is rubbish. Avoid it.

The cover claims that it is "science fiction". No, it's not. It's a long and boring series of anecdotes about pirates.

Here's the formula:

Read a book such as, The Boys Big Book of Exciting Pirate Adventures. Take every incident -- real and rumoured -- and write it all down. Write it all down as though every single incident had happened to the one character.

Make sure that your writing style is boring, rambling and with plenty of statements such as, I'll tell you about this later. Oh, and add lots of details about ships, to prove that you read a few Wikipedia entries on sailing ships.

Then realise that no-one will read a boring book about pirates. Not even if they enjoyed Pirates of the Caribbean. Readers expect characters, plot, action and suspense.

Is this book a very clever attempt to write in the style of a very boring person telling his first person account of a series of very boring anecdotes ? Well, success ! This book is as boring as its narrator.

Not to worry ! You're well known as a writer of science fiction. So you add a paragraph at the start and a paragraph at the end, to make your boring pirate into a boring time traveler. And claim that this book is science fiction.

What a load of absolute drivel.

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Problems ? Solved

World of Warcraft: Wolfheart / Richard A. Knaak

World of Warcraft: Wolfheart
by Richard A. Knaak

fantasy, fansonly

copyright 2011
read in November 2014

rated 7: well worth reading

This is fantasy and it's quite good. Some surprisingly interesting angles. For example, how do the Elves feel now that they have lost their immortality ?

On the other hand, the target audience is players of World of Warcraft. The story is complete in itself but it's set in the World of Warcraft universe. Or... I don't know... is it really any good for non-fans of World of Warcraft ?

I play WoW. Wolfheart fills in the story between two game releases. Fascinating stuff ! To a WoW player...

Central to Wolfheart are the Worgen. So that's what happened ! I thought. And promptly went and started my first Worgen character...

As a World of Warcraft player and fan, I rate this book as a seven, well worth reading.

For a non-WoW-player... Would this book be interesting ? It's very hard for me to tell !

"Fansonly" in the very bad sense of, "it's rubbish" ? I don't know. And, really... I don't care... Seven is my own rating for my own enjoyment :-)

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Problems ? Solved

Beyond World's End / Mercedes Lackey

Beyond World's End
by Mercedes Lackey, Rosemary Edghill
fantasy

copyright 2001
read in November 2014

rated 6/10: read to pass the time

Mercedes Lackey appears to be the grand ruler of a particular set of Elven worlds. There are plenty of Elven books with Lackey named as author and one or two others as co-author. Perhaps it's like academic papers, where students do the work and the supervisor's name guarantees publication...

This book is one of a music themed series set in the Lackey universe. I checked Wikipedia to see where it fits in which series... and the answer is too complicated ! As far as I can tell, there are several series of books and short stories and they all overlap and interact.

Just accept it. This book is just one episode in a continuing saga. Yet it can easily be read alone. Which is both good and bad...

There is enough back-story to tell us what went before. Perhaps a bit too much back-story. Noooo... Some of it is irrelevant but it's all good fun. Much like the rest of the book. Good fun.

There are really nasty villains. Really nice support cast. Side plots which sound like fun but which go nowhere. Yes, I can see a lot more books in the future of this series...

Then the hero is in a terrible predicament -- so he used his extra-strength magical powers to escape. He's in another terrible predicament -- so he overacts, to gain the villain's respect. Another terrible predicament -- so he waits for the cavalry to ride to his rescue...

No doubt that he will escape. No great suffering, no interminable suspense. Just action, low level romance... and good fun.

Oh, and detailed descriptions of the hero's new apartment, of all its furniture and fittings, even of the contents of every drawer and cupboard. Regular changes of clothes, with descriptions of each item worn. Romantic interest, villains, various support characters, all carefully dressed and carefully described.

Yes, by all my definitions, this is chick lit fantasy !

If you enjoy the Lackey Elven books, well, this is one of them. I'm neutral: I read it, enjoyed it, would read more but will not go out of my way to find more.

It's an easy read with a rather dark and brutal set of villains. There are plenty of loose threads which will add enjoyment to future books. It's set in a standard Elven universe with predefined characters but it reads well as a standalone novel.

Good fun. Strong yet sympathetic descriptions of human poverty, despair and drug use. An overall sense that caring and niceness will win the day.

I enjoyed it.

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Problems ? Solved

Vlad the Paler / Malthea

Vlad the Paler
by Malthea

porn, fantasy

copyright 2011
read in November 2014

rated 6/10: read to pass the time

Read to pass the time... Unless, that is, you're actually after porn. Possibly young adult porn. Man on man, young adult, vampire porn... In which case -- this book is worth a seven, well worth reading. Very... hot.

When I read fantasy I have a standard measure: if we are told what the hero and/or heroine is wearing, it's chick lit. Well, we are told what Vlad is wearing, we are told what his friends are wearing, but the man on man sex does not seem to go with "chick" lit... I may need to adjust my parameters :-)

The sex is great ! Who would have thought that the main benefit of vampirism would be a great sex life ?! The second best benefit is that you now look like the perfect Goth...

In between the numerous sessions of hot sex, there is also time for fighting evil. To fight evil, a vampire needs a team of assistants. And what a great bunch of assistants !

Vlad himself is a very good character. He's over 21... so this is not child porn, no-one likes child porn... But really, he's a teenager. Well brought up, well meaning, occasionally right up himself. (Figuratively, that is.) As a vampire, he's a very nice person.

And hey, that name has to earn him extra points !

His friends are equally likeable but two dimensional. And far too many of them. Perhaps "Malthea" really is a first-time author ? She has all these great ideas -- and throws far too many into this one story.

Speaking of which: the story ends but the book carries on. Sure, there's a lot of wish fulfillment in the author's mind. But please, save it for the second book !

In this first book I would have liked to have read just enough to let me know that there is more to Vlad's family than I expected. Just a hint. So that when I read book two, I am surprised but I can still accept it. At the end of this book, there is a lot which just does not fit into this story.

Yes, it's all very nice. It would make more sense if gradually revealed in the next book... Where we can learn more about Vlad and his team.

It's an enjoyable book. With an excellent title :-) Easy to read, lots of fun.

Just be warned: it is gay porn. In case that would offend you.

I wonder if my state library knows that it provides gay porn for its eBook readers ?!

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Problems ? Solved

Seed / Rob Ziegler

Seed
by Rob Ziegler
science fiction

copyright 2011
read in November 2014

rated 9/10: really, really good

Harsh, violent, post-apocalyptic. Every day a struggle to survive. Death is common, from disease, starvation and violence.

Yet the characters have retained their humanity.

The hero murders others for their food, for his own survival. Okay, he'll only kill other thieves and murderers... A minor mitigation. On the other hand, he loves and looks after his brother.

The two boys travel with their murder mentor. The three depend on each other for survival. And they care for each other. It's almost a father-son relationship.

Other characters are also desperate, violent and entirely sympathetic. Not all -- there are some real creeps -- but the apocalypse had not destroyed every finer feeling.

There's an organic "factory" which produces the bulk of available food. How was it created ? The origins are both surprising -- and completely believable.

Okay, I do have a couple of niggles...

First, there are several typos. Words that sounds the same but have the wrong meaning. And several uses of words that are similar, but wrong.

Nitpicking, I know !

Then there is the use of ?Mexican? language... The hero and his friends speak a mixture of English and -- I'll call it -- Spanish. No worries with that, it suits the story. But...

What about readers who don't speak Spanish ?!

No, I'm sorry, I'm not going to use Google Translate on every other page. Some phrases I can guess. Others... I just skim over, ignore, perhaps miss some vital point...

Here's how I think it's done: you write the Spanish in italics with the English translation after it. For example:

"_Por que tan pensativo, viejo rata?_" he inquired. Isn't the moon lovely tonight?

Okay, that may not be a good translation :-)  The point is... Provide a translation ! Remember that you are writing for an English-speaking audience !

Okay. That's out of my system.

It's a great book. Brutal, violent, touching, involving. The climactic battle suits this book... It would be way over the top in other books. The ending is satisfying, conclusive, indicating that the world is improved but there are still problems. Then the hero does... exactly as his character would be expected to do.

All this in the author's first book ! Which, I admit, helped crank the rating up from a good 8.

And a final word for the publisher... Night Shade Books. "An independent publisher of quality science-fiction and fantasy." Never heard of you before. I'll be keeping an eye out for your books in the future.

This could be the best science fiction that I have read, for quite a long time.

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Problems ? Solved

Old Pulp SciFi

October 2014... Holiday time... and I relaxed with a few downloaded science fiction stories. Turns out, they were mostly short stories and from pulp magazines from the early days of sf... The early days, that is, of my own sf reading.

Interesting memories !

A Martian Odyssey
by Stanley Grauman Weinbaum
copyright 1949
rated 5: readable, but only if there's nothing else

There's an episode of the TV series QI where Stephen Fry tells the story of an Eskimo tribe and their sacred meteorites. The meteorites were the tribe's only source of metal. And were objects of tribal worship.

An American explorer discovers the tribes. Discovers the meteorites. Is amazed. So he steals the meteorites and takes them home to America.

Weinbaum has taken that story and set it on Mars.

Is A Martian Odyssey a warning ? A pointed reminder that relative strength is no excuse for theft of cultural artifacts ? A sarcastic commentary on the ignorance of the explorer with superior firepower ?

Or is it just an example of a 1949 attitude that primitive tribes are there to be exploited.

Stairway to the Stars
by Larry Shaw
copyright 1951
rated 6: read to pass the time

So where are all the aliens ? Oh, they've just banned all contact until we get ourselves into space... Why, banned ? Here's one explanation.

What else is there in this story ? Mad scientist, honest but slow editor, beautiful alien and sneering alien. Alien powers and human responses.

From the introduction, the editor may be a bit of fun at the expense of an actual editor... Which badly loses its point, when all the knowledgeable in-crowd has died of old age.

Just a bit of fun. Enjoyable. Nothing great.

Star Guard
by Andre Norton
copyright 1955
rated 6: read to pass the time

Turns out that this is a complete novel. Thanks to Baen Books and their policy of allowing free download of complete books... As I understand it, Star Guard and Star Rangers were republished, together as Star Soldiers, in 2001.

Earth has entered space -- and found that it is crowded with aliens. Earth people find themselves to be low people on the totem pole...

The bulk of the book is a bunch of sword-wielding humans battling their way across an alien planet. Unbelievable -- but no more unbelievable than any other adventure story :-)

Then we meet the people who are working -- secretly -- to set Earth free. Humans will be forever free... eventually !

Excitement and adventure in a not too challenging plot. Read, enjoy.

Star Rangers
by Andre Norton
copyright 1953
rated 6: read to pass the time

Another enjoyable and unbelievable romp. Less aliens and more... possible... significance. Set in the same universe as Star Guard but many years later...

I think that's right. I was uncertain when I read it. It's now more than a month -- and many books read -- later. Sorry !

What I do remember, is that I enjoy a book which teaches me some history ! March east out of Rome, the Emperor tells his Legion. March east and never stop marching...

And the Star Rangers have a very similar objective. The universe may be falling down around their ears. The Star Rangers know -- and will follow -- their duty.

More meaningful than Star Guard, with less action. I appreciate the efforts of the heroic Rangers. They aim to build a better galaxy, one planet at a time...

It's not great. Just not too bad.

Equation of Doom
by Gerald Vance
copyright 1957
rated 6: read to pass the time

Tough hero, beautiful heroine, evil aliens. A mind-boggling secret which will give ultimate power to its discoverer.

Is the universe ready for such power ?

The plot is slightly complex, with no great surprises. What's the role of the beautiful but dumb stripper ? Unexpected but no real surprise.

Okay, it's not a great story. But it is nice to have a story with a message.

Standard space fare. Fun to read. Perhaps a small cut above the rest.

The Cosmic Express
by Jack Williamson
copyright 1930
rated 7: well worth reading

Well worth reading ?! Well...

Simple, fun, totally cliche plot twist. Was it a cliche in 1930 ?

Then there's the science. Well beyond its time. In fact, well beyond today's science ! Using technology that was only successfully implemented for the construction of the NCC 1701, the USS Enterprise...

The world had been set to rights. Weather is fine, everyone is happy. Life is one long warm happy summer's afternoon... Boring, eh ?!

The hero is bored. So he teleports to a "real" environment. One where he can prove his capability. Where he can succeed by dint of his own hard work !

Of course, a real environment turns out to be much worse than he imagined...

Still, I wonder if the truth would discourage every would-be adventurer ?

Wouldn't it be nice to have just a little bit of excitement ? Can't the weather control managers at least provide the occasional unexpected rainstorm ?

Williamson recognises that Utopia can easily become very boring. Nice. Safe. But boring.

It's unfortunate that he only investigates the other extreme, of constant deadly danger. Then does not consider that it's not really utopia if life is always boring.

In the Year 2889
by Jules Verne
copyright 1889
rated 5: readable, but only if there's nothing else

Rated 5 ? Is that a bit harsh ? Perhaps.

But there is no story.

This is an essay on life and technology of the far future. So Verne may have a great imagination. That doesn't make for a great story.

On the other hand... This story was written more than a century ago. The predictions are imaginative but not great. What we do get...

What we get, is an insight into the thinking of the year 1889. This is what the advanced thinkers of the day were seeing, for their own far future. For that, it is an interesting story.

If it were written today ? There's nothing really bad about it. I would just read it and think, Ho hum.

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Problems ? Solved

Riders of the Purple Sage / Zane Grey

Riders of the Purple Sage
by Zane Grey, copyright 1912

... and

The Trail Driver
by Zane Grey, copyright 1935

westerns

read in November 2014

rated 8 / 10: really quite good

I am now a Zane Grey fan.

This makes three Grey westerns that I have read. I have enjoyed all three. Each of the three is different.

Purple Sage stars the country. The country is remote, wild, beautiful. Described with poetic amazement.

Of course there are people in the story. Couples who fall heavily in love. Bad guys who want to tear them apart. All very stereotypical, really... But still enjoyable.

The bad guys are interesting: Mormons. Evil Mormons ? I remember a Sherlock Holmes story (The Sign of Four ? ) where Mormons were painted in a similar light: patriarchal, controlling their own people, willing to kill outsiders.

I checked wikipedia. Reading between the carefully impartial lines, yes, early Mormons were more than just religious nutters with unbelievable beliefs... They also, in their early days, had very bad press...

And since one of the good girls is a Mormon -- she has to battle her innocent faith to see that religion and evil are not mutually exclusive. And I expected a western to be simple black hat versus white hat !

I loved one particular line in the book... The hero has just shot the religious bad guy. The bad guy is dying. The hero tells him, Speak quickly to your god because you won't get to see him again where you're about to go...

Okay, the ending is no great surprise. Though there is a drawback -- a finality -- to the ultimate solution. Yet Grey has remembered to build a clever loophole into that solution: it's not as final as the hero would expect. Very clever !

The story of Purple Sage is straightforward and very enjoyable. The good guy characters are honest, tough and likeable. The real star of the book... is the purple sage country.

Trail Driver stars the cowboys.

Imagine a list of all the things that could go wrong on a two month trail drive... Storms, stampede, rustlers, Indians, drought and flooded rivers... You name it, it'll happen !

Okay, so the plot is not the greatest. But the story is about the people. In particular, about their response to the various trials and tragedies -- and high points -- of their journey.

The characters are... well... noble. Think "noble savage" in a cowboy outfit. Completely unbelievable. Yet completely likeable. When a good guy turns bad, he is quickly punished. When another almost turns bad, he is overcome with remorse at his own weakness.

It's all so unlikely. So over-simplified. So thoroughly enjoyable.

And then Grey surprises me again.

The observer character reaches the end of the trail and realises that the experience was tough -- and cruel. We watched men battling the odds and winning. Men being "real men". (Yes, the book is the original cliche.)

Grey describes the trail country with love and admiration. He describes the cowboys as heroes, nonchalant, honest and dedicated. And the cowgirls are feisty and tough yet soft and very pretty.

Then, through the observer, he tells us that he will never again send cowboys into such a dangerous situation.

It's tough. It's heroic. Yet it's not worth the risk to the cowboys who casually face the extreme dangers of the trail.

Trail Driver is an ode to the cowboys and the country. Grey describes (an idealised version of) what happened. He recognises the possibility that the cost in young lives was just too much.

And one more surprise... Well, two.

There's a bad guy, an evil gunslinger, waiting for the good guys. In Dodge City. The cowboys are going to paint the town red, just as soon as they are paid.

One situation is dealt with so quickly that I wondered why I had been waiting with such anticipation. That other is so sad that it just has to be based on a possibly-true anecdote.

Zane Grey may have written the stories on which every western cliche is based. (If it's the first, it's not a cliche ! ) As simple stories of adventures in the old west, these are good books.

The occasional twist, the extra depths, take these books from good, to excellent.

I'm not surprised that Zane Grey books are still in print. I'm just glad that I found some.

I'm looking forward to reading the third story in the 2012 Best of Zane Grey book that I've enjoyed so much so far.

Stay tuned, for Rangers of the Lone Star :-)

Jupiter War / Neal Asher

Jupiter War
(Owner #3)
by Neal Asher

science fiction, space opera

copyright 2013
read in November 2014

rated 6/10: read to pass the time

As the Owner becomes more machine and less human, his human enemies become less humane. Is there a message here ?

Nooo... If Asher had meant to provide a message about what it takes to be human -- he would have stated it strongly and clearly. With a warp-drive sledgehammer. This is not a subtle book !

Each chapter is introduced with a message from the "subnet", a politically motivated blog. Each message provides some minor background to the story -- and a major message on the stupidity of humanity. There are messages, I enjoy them, they are not subtle.

And did I categorise the previous two Owner books as "space opera" ? If not, I apologise... Large scale action, demigod hero, rapid scientific development... It's all here.

I enjoy space opera. I enjoy science fiction. I enjoy a book which hammers me with messages -- as long as the messages are plausible.

So why only six out of ten for Jupiter War ?!

There is far too much time spent detailing the construction of the new spaceship.

It's nice to know that Asher has thought through the process of building a giant spaceship. Perhaps a dedicated hard SF fan would follow and document the process, sketch the final plans, admire the care and attention to detail...

I find that it detracts from my enjoyment of the story. While clever robots are building large steel structures -- my attention is wandering. The book begins to drag.

Compare that with the final climactic battle -- which is also described in fine but slow detail... The battle is slow but it is an essential part of the story. It doesn't drag -- it builds tension. Though the slow exposition did give me time to work out one major "surprise" :-)

And speaking of slow... My goodness, it does take a long time to dispose of a major villain, doesn't it ?! Still, the disposal is well worth the wait...

This book has a lot of over the top action, mixed with tedious space-themed filler. It's an enjoyable romp through space. The proportion of filler is just a bit too high.

====
Problems ? Solved

Black Moon / Kenneth Calhoun

Black Moon
by Kenneth Calhoun

science fiction

copyright 2014
read in October 2014

rated 5/10: readable, but only if there's nothing else

The premise is good: what if 99% of people cannot sleep ? The results: are scary and believable. So why don't I like this book ?

If it's not as miserable as The Road -- it's not for want of trying.

Actually, with a bigger cast, it's hard to not find one or more sympathetic characters. Yet when the last of these is killed off I think, How stupid was that ?!

Trying not to spoil it too much: Has no-one heard of an on switch with a timer ? Or an emergency override button ?!

Then I'm confused. Was the owl significant ? What happened to the girl sleeping in the drain ? (Though I think I can guess that one. Unless the author really did forget about her.)

What really puts me off this book is my own preference for science fiction. I'm just not into the detailed examination of the psychology of troubled but otherwise ordinary people. And boy, is there a lot of that !

The book is set post-apocalypse. Yet at least half of the story -- so it seems to me -- is set back in the good old days. Back in the good old days of internal -- mental -- problems rather than external apocalyptic and life-threatening problems.

Boring.

More correctly... I find it boring.

I read half of Black Moon. Went away for a month. And found it difficult to convince myself to read the rest.

I'm sure it's a good book... by some standards. Runner-up book of the week for suicidal readers perhaps ?

It's just not a book that interests me.

====
Problems ? Solved

Rivers of London / Ben Aaronovitch

Rivers of London

aka Midnight Riot 
(Peter Grant # 1)
by Ben Aaronovitch

horror, young adult

copyright 2011
read in October 2014

====

31jan24:

I've read this book several times. Each re-read had moved my opinion closer to... this book is horror.

I originally had it as fantasy. But... There is possession by an evil spirit. Several brutal murders. Absolutely awful damage to the possessed. (Yes, even worse than the damage to the victims of murder.

This is nasty. It is horror.

It is also police procedural, which is entertaining. Though the "humour" is more "insulting sarcasm".

I was looking for an enjoyable re-read, I am not enjoying, not enjoying the brutality.  I may stop reading... maybe not? ... There is enjoyment. But it's overlaid with unpleasant nastiness.

====

Original review from oct 2014 is below. It reflects the difference between reading very quickly and re-reading more carefully:

oct 2014: rated 8/10: really quite good

I read the third (or possibly the fourth?) Peter Grant book. Enjoyed it so much that I wanted to read the first.

This first book of the Peter Grant series -- Rivers of London -- is well worth reading !

This is a "young adult" book. There are certain boxes that must be ticked, in order to appeal to the target audience of male teenagers. I describe some of these in my review of Blood Rites, by Jim Butcher.

The hero is young but adult. Skilled but learning. Being watched carefully and with suspicion by his elders and "betters". And there is lust but no sex (that happens in a later book).

Rivers of London ticks the same boxes as Blood Rites. But Rivers ticks them subtly. With far less of the over the top comic book imagery of Butcher's Harry Dresden books.

I enjoy them both. But to me, Peter Grant is better written. As a novel, that is... As a comic book with no pictures, Dresden could be the winner.

I also enjoy the setting... Peter Grant was born, grew up, lives and works in London. The city of London is an essential background to the stories. And I get the impression that Aaronovitch both knows and loves the city of London.

Yet this novel is not perfect.

The Rivers of London of the title are key characters in the story. (Confused ? It's a fantasy. Read the book.) The Rivers are key characters yet they are not essential to the main plot.

There is murder and mayhem in modern London. Policeman Peter Grant has to solve the crimes. He does this by following careful police procedures -- another enjoyable aspect of the book ! -- and by using his magical skills.

Meanwhile, he has to sort out a disagreement between Rivers.

There is a small overlap of characters but really, it is two separate plots. It's well explained but it's a bit of a distraction.

I expect my novels to give me one major plot, perhaps with a series of subplots. I'm happy with minor plots that add variety and interest to the story.

Yet Rivers offers two strong plots. And the one related to the title of the book is the lesser of the two.

It's a weakness in the novel. It does not distract from my reading enjoyment !

I enjoyed reading book three of this series. I looked for book one, and am glad that I did. Now I need to find a copy of book two...

And I hope that there is still a book four, either written or on the way !

====
Problems ? Solved 

===

03mar19: A re-read -- and I enjoyed this book as much as the first time. With one extra: The violence is rather nasty.

Did I miss the nastiness of the violence ? Was I in a more accepting -- of violence -- mood ? Whatever the reason, this time I am uncomfortable with the number of "innocent bystanders" who are killed or injured. And the way in which they are injured is... unpleasant.

Oh well. Nasty. Funny. Still very enjoyable.

.

Blood Rites / Jim Butcher

Blood Rites
(Dresden Files # 6)
by Jim Butcher

young adult, fantasy, horror

copyright 2004
read in October 2014

rated 6/10: read to pass the time

I've said it before... in a Dresden Files review: you can't go back.

I read half of Butcher's books. Read a lot of other books. Then went back to Dresden... And found that my view of the books has completely changed.

Yes, Blood Rites is a lot of fun. Yes, I still like Harry Dresden. But I wonder how I managed to miss the ticking of all the boxes to deliberately appeal to horny teenage boys.

This book -- this series -- is young adult. Young, male, adult.

The hero is adult, but not a part of the establishment. Like any teenage boy he has the ability, he still needs to prove his worth. The elders won't allow him to do what he knows is right.

And he knows right from wrong. In fact... an actual weakness of this book... he spends several pages explaining to the reader just how right he is with his ethical standards.

The final tick for young adult appeal, is sex.

The hero is regularly distracted by thoughts of sex. He is surrounded by incredibly sexy women. There are knickers on display, and more. (Or should that be, less ? )

Yet succumbing to lust would be the first step on the slippery slope to hell... Or, in this book, on the slippery slope to becoming a slave to the vampires. So the hero resists.

It seems essential, in young adult books, that the hero wants sex, nearly gets sex, but remains chaste. (In a later book the hero actually says no, because it would be taking advantage of a young and vulnerable girl. Of legal age, but much younger than the hero.)

What we have, is a moral fable. With action, adventure and magic. Oh, and vampires, which is why I have added horror to the categories. When I read the first few Dresden stories I saw the action, adventure and magic. But I missed -- or ignored -- the moral fable.

So really, this book is just as good as all the others... Actually, no. In Blood Rites the young adult essentials are a bit heavy-handed. But it's still a lot of fun.

I still want to read the entire series.

But if I'd read this book first... and had seen the formulaic approach to attracting the target audience... I might not have read any more.

Perhaps six out of ten is a bit unfair. There's more nudity and more almost-sex than in the other books in the series. Balanced by more of the other young adult attractors... Either that, or I'm more aware of these aspects of the book.

Whatever the reason, this book is not as good as others in the series.

Still. There are a lot of good books in the series. Every author is entitled to an off day. It's still a clever and enjoyable book.

====
Problems ? Solved

Qatar Airways and the Dreamliner

Qatar Airways and the Boeing 787 Dreamliner

rated 6/10: it's a plane

Our son asked, Are you flying a Dreamliner ? They are so quiet ! And the air is kept moist, rather than horribly drying...

Well, our eleven hours in a "lesser" Boeing is followed by six hours in a 787. So it's a good time to notice differences.

Quieter ? You have to be joking.

I don't often listen to movies -- and certainly not music -- on a plane. The background noise is just too annoying. And let me assure you -- the background noise is just as bad on a 787 as on the earlier flight.

Vibration, though... That's a different story.

When you rest your head on a plane seat it's like... well, like resting your head on something that vibrates a lot. An enormous vibration. But even, so it's bearable. The Dreamliner seems to have overcome the problem of vibration.

Not that it's smooth. But not enough vibration to notice. So that's good for resting and sleeping. No improvement for listening.

And now for a series of observations. Some may be built into the Dreamliner. Others may be due to choices made by Qatar Airways... I can't always tell.

The seats are hard. They were just as hard in the earlier plane. Not hard and uncomfortable. Not as soft as I would expect from a long-haul seat.

The Dreamliner headrest has no side adjustment. (It slides up and down -- nice. But no adjustment to catch your head as it lolls to the side.) That makes it just slightly less comfortable than the earlier flight. Neither is comfortable. The Dreamliner is just slightly less comfortable.

The Dreamliner windows tint electronically. Very clever ! Press a button to go from clear to shady and back again. Or... the pilot can override: one press of the pilot's button and all windows are clear. Nice :-)

The tray tables are the type which fold in half. Unfortunately the hinges are weak... The half nearer the passenger sags, just a little bit. Combine that with a slippery tray -- and there is a high risk of the passenger catching dinner in their lap...

Yes, there is a definite sag on the nearer edge; I tested it with a straight edge. And yes, is not just my tray table.

Push your dinner tray to the further edge of the tray table. Or catch dinner on your lap.

This problem is made worse by the way that the plane flies...

Is it the pilot, or the plane ? There is a distinct tilt to the floor. Yes -- the front of the plane is definitely higher than the back. The plane ? At least, the passenger area is definitely tilted.

Go into the nearest toilet. Lift the toilet seat. Watch it fall back down again !

Yes, there is enough tilt to force you to hold the toilet seat open as you use the toilet... Very, very awkward. On my second toilet trip I chose a toilet where the lid opened sideways... At least the plane does not lean over to one side !

The entertainment system is fun. Pity it was never tested in flight.

Almost 300 movies ! A great collection, great choice. I decided to watch The Monkey King: spoken in Chinese with English subtitles -- so I don't need to listen.

Remember Monkey, the TV series ? Just as much fun but with better production values. And the subtitles capture the same not-quite-English that was part of the fun of the original's dubbing :-)

And then the entertainment system reset itself. Oh well. A good movie while it lasted.

The 787 entertainment system has the same touch screen control. Slightly better, actually; the Sudoku game is far easier to control.

The 787 also has touch screen control on the remote... So if -- like me -- you have trouble with touch screens -- tough.

And as an added "bonus": for much of the flight we were in night time darkness. Not sure why -- it's morning -- but all the lights were dimmed. And guess what ?! When the lights are dimmed -- you can't see the part of the control which operates the reading light !

The passenger reading light is turned on and off by pressing the touch screen remote control. Where to touch ? Impossible to tell -- without an external light -- because the icon is not illuminated !

The designers really need to test their gadgets in real conditions...

And then there's the hand towels in the toilets... This is definitely Qatar. They have chosen extremely thin paper hand towels.

Why ?!?

My hands are wet. Natural enough, that's why I want to dry them. I touch the paper towels... And they just fall apart.

Worse than a paper tissue. These towels are super absorbent. One touch of a damp hand -- and the paper towel turns to mush. No chance of pulling a towel out of the dispenser. One touch of my damp hands and the next few towels are mush... and still stuck in the dispenser.

And the moister atmosphere ? Well, my eyes and hands are dry.

Finally... The seats are close together.

For the first eleven hour flight I had a reasonable amount of leg room. Not enough to be truly comfortable, but adequate. For six hours on the Dreamliner, I have had just a few centimetres less.

Just a little less legroom. Just a little less room to be comfortable.

Oh well. Nobody expects to be comfortable flying cattle class. It's just a matter of learning to sleep no matter what. And I did.

In summary -- from the passenger seat -- in economy: it's a big plane. Less vibration than some. Less comfort than some.

A means to get from point a to point b in a hurry. It's not a miracle of passenger comfort.

It's a plane.

====
Problems ? Solved

Booking Accommodation Online

Booking Accommodation Online:
Wotif, booking.com, Expedia and other "bulk booking" websites
... plus a mention of airBNB

rated 5/10: use only as required

What is the purpose of a website for booking accommodation ? To make money. That said, the rest is obvious...

Start with airBNB. It offers an apparently unique style of accommodation, staying in someone's home. Apparently unique: I've stayed in a few places which were the owner's holiday home. airBNB is -- according to the marketing -- offering *only* accommodation in someone else's home.

Other booking sites offer accommodation in more traditional hotels, motels, rental apartments and so on. This review is about the more traditional accommodation websites.

So...

I needed to stay in Lindau, Germany, on a specific date. I would be there for a major event. I was worried that the more convenient hotels would be full of other people who were there for the same event...

Sure enough, booking.com offered very few rooms in any of its suitable hotels...

I tested other websites. The same story -- a very poor choice of barely suitable rooms.

Time to panic !

In a panic, I sent emails directly to three hotels with not really suitable -- but more expensive -- rooms. Perhaps, I thought, a foreign tourist can get sympathetic placement high up on the waiting list ?! I was prepared to beg...

Quick as a flash the replies came back: offering a choice of rooms, the most suitable rooms, exactly when and where I wanted them, at the same price as the "unavailable" rooms on the bulk booking websites...

What happened to the shortage of rooms ?!

The only shortage was on the bulk booking sites. Here's how I believe it works... And I'll name booking.com, only because most of my work was through that site...

A hotel has, let's say, fifty rooms. It sets aside five rooms for sale through booking.com. If booking.com sells a night in a room, the hotel pays a fee to booking.com. But booking.com can sell a maximum of five rooms...

So booking.com will sell rooms with the pressure tactic of, "only two rooms left!" In reality, there are the two remaining booking.com rooms -- plus 45 more which are available directly from the hotel...

No shortage at all.

Yes, the hotel may have passed another five rooms to Expedia. And five rooms to Wotif. That leaves 35 rooms still available -- even when the bulk booking sites have no rooms at all on offer.

Oh, and what about the prices ? Can you get a cheaper price thanks to the bulk buying power of the bulk booking sites ? Have you ever seen a price on a bulk booking website which is lower than direct from the hotel ? Maybe you have. I have not.

If you are just looking for "a holiday" then the bulk websites provide ideas. They will toss up "deals" from around the world. Of course they will be pushing the "deals" which give them the most profit...

When I need to book accommodation, I start with Google Maps. Zoom in on areas of interest, look for "accommodation in Lindau Germany" (for example). Click on a few hotels, check whatever websites that leads to... It may be a bulk booking site or it may be a website for that hotel.

I also search for local tourist bureaus, to see if they have links to local accommodation.

With a handful of hotels of interest -- I look for a website specific to each hotel... If I have enquiries, these go direct to the hotel. In which case, booking will be done direct to the hotel (or their website). Otherwise, I will book by the most convenient means... Closer to home, this may even be by phone.

So the bulk booking sites offer no apparent price advantage. They give a false impression of the scarcity of rooms. What advantages do they offer ?

A standard booking system. This can be very useful when the hotel site is all in German ! When I struck this particular problem I sent an email to the hotel -- and the response was in English.

A convenient, all in one place itinerary. This can be useful. Though I prefer to make my own itinerary, and I include a lot more than just flights and hotels. And you may want to read my earlier review of Expedia and its empty itinerary...

A selection of hotels sorted by various attributes. The list will not be every hotel which would fit your needs. Only the hotels which have agreed to pay a fee to the bulk booking site. (One hotel, on its own website, said that it refused to pay a fee to a bulk booking site. I think it may have quoted a 20% fee...)

If you need a quick and easy means of booking accommodation, feel free to use a bulk booking site.

I like to carefully plan and tailor my trips, to look for interesting and possibly unique places to stay.

I will use a bulk booking site as one way to identify potential places to stay. I prefer to book directly with the hotel.

I have time. I believe it is worth the effort.

====
Problems ? Solved

The Technician / Neal Asher

The Technician
by Neal Asher
science fiction

copyright 2010
read in September 2014

rated 8/10: really quite good

There are some books where the quest is just over the top. You know: girl finds magic sword, realises she is last of a long line of warrior priestesses, has just 500 more pages to learn the one spell which will save the kingdom from absolute destruction... It often leaves me wondering, how can the next book possibly top that ?!

Then I read a book by Neal Asher. If there is not a threat to the very existence of all of civilisation as we know it -- then I begin to wonder why the characters bother to make the effort... Waaaayy over the top... is the Asher normal :-)

The Technician is pretty much par for the Asher course. The Polity is under threat. Just how much of a threat, is only slowly revealed.

There's action and adventure -- and seriously sophisticated technology. Plus characters who are sympathetic enough that I do care what happens to them. And then... gradually... the full scope of the danger is revealed. A sort of deadly icing on the plot cake... Hmmm... not sure if that analogy really worked :-)

I do have a minor worry with my "quite good" rating for this book.

As a work of science fiction literature, I'm not sure if this book deserves eight out of ten. Is there depth of character ? I think there is. Is there a deep, timeless and universal meaning ? Is this Shakespeare in space?

Who cares !

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. My reading enjoyment is the basis for my rating.

Eight out of ten ? Yes !

Good ? I think so. Very, very, enjoyable ? Absolutely.

====
Problems ? Solved

Expedia flight booking service

Expedia flight booking service

rated 5 out of 10: use with extreme caution

A few days ago, Expedia sent me a travel itinerary. Interesting, I thought, it was sent two weeks I before travel. So early. Curious, I thought, since I have no Expedia bookings.

I followed the link to my "itinerary". It was empty. Everything on this itinerary has been cancelled, was the message. What a stuff-up, I thought. Then thought no more about it.

Until... a few days later... Expedia sent another email. Shout about your experiences ! they shouted. Welcome back ! they enthused.

Time to review Expedia, I thought.

So:

I was planning an overseas trip. Certain cities I had to be in, on certain dates. Otherwise flexible. One destination city led me to Qatar Air, the only airline to fly there with only one stop on the way. I would be coming home from a different city.

Expedia offered plenty of flight options, a wide choice of airlines. They guarantee lowest priced flights. So I used Expedia to book a flight to Budapest, flying Qatar.

First mistake.

A subsequent check on the Qatar website showed a price -- for exactly the same flight -- but cheaper. Sure, just $50 cheaper. But it shatters the guarantee of lowest price from Expedia.

A quick email and Expedia refunded the difference. Very nice. But how many people don't double-check ? How many people overpay, just because Expedia pretend that they can guarantee the lowest price ?!

Meanwhile, I had already made my second Expedia mistake.

Expedia claim to offer the lowest priced fares. They also claim to be a "travel agent".

Why would a traveller use a travel agent ? Because a travel agent offers advice based on experience and knowledge. Because a travel agent acts as an *agent* for the traveller. First, the advice... or lack of it:

My travel dates were flexible. I played around a bit, looking at other days, other itinerary options. And found something unexpected...

Air fares vary depending on the day of the week on which you fly... Fares vary by several hundred dollars ! This is the sort of knowledge that you would expect a "travel agent" to offer as advice. You know:

"I plan to fly out on a Monday." "Can you fly out on a Tuesday ? Flights are much cheaper on a Tuesday." That's how it works with a real -- a good -- travel agent.

Not with Expedia.

That was my second mistake with Expedia. Not a fault with Expedia. Just a reminder that Expedia is a travel booking service. Not a travel agent. No matter what they claim.

So the trip is taking shape. One (expensive) flight booked. Time to add more detail...

Until my son told me, Qatar charge less if you buy several flights in the one transaction...

Oh. Is that common ? Last few flights I booked, each flight was independently priced. Buy one, buy many, individual flight prices don't change. (Or perhaps the situation has never occurred before ?! )

Warning: this is not mentioned by Expedia. It's the sort of advice you get from a real *travel agent*. Or, if you're lucky, from your son.

Third mistake: I expected Expedia to be sympathetic. Possibly even supportive. I did not want to cancel my flight. Just buy the second flight at a lower price, as though I were buying the two together.

It's not our policy to help, said Expedia.

Qatar were slightly more sympathetic. But no more helpful. The ticket was bought through a travel agent, they said. We can only help you if the travel agent contacts us. To me, that's perfectly acceptable.

What a pity that Expedia refused to do anything whatsoever to help. Not our policy, I was told. No, I lie...

Our policy states that we will not help you. That's the Expedia policy.

And they claim to be a travel "agent" !

I cancelled the flight that I had booked.

Sure, it cost me several hundred dollars. But when I later bought *all* air tickets in one transaction -- and bought tickets for flights on the cheap days -- I came out ahead.

An expensive lesson. It would have been even more expensive if I had bought the rest of the tickets through Expedia.

Well yes, of course, I bought all subsequent air tickets direct from the Qatar website.

My advice: use Expedia -- or a similar site -- to get ideas of flights and fares from a selection of airlines. , Also look for airlines which are not included in Expedia's offerings. (That was an earlier mistake -- to assume that Expedia covered all of the well known airlines.)

If in doubt, go to a *real* travel agent. If you are reasonably confident -- make the actual purchases direct from the website of your favoured airline.

And if you believe that an Expedia-like service is a good way to book your holiday *accommodation* -- wait till I write a separate review of online accommodation bookings...

====
Problems ? Solved

Telstra Australia

Telstra Australia

rated 7 out of 10 for service,
... 3 out of 10 for its non-working product

Telstra... Not my usual topic for review. Most of these reviews are books: science fiction and fantasy.

The books that I review are far easier to believe than my current efforts to get a mobile phone...

It began in March. My wife wanted a mobile phone, one that would also allow her to listen to recorded books. Internet data ? Maybe. But so little as to be insignificant.

We wanted a phone, for emergencies. With the ability to play "music", that is, to play recorded / spoken-word books.

In the Karrinyup Telstra shop the salesman was very helpful, very understanding. Or -- as I now understand it -- he was a lying bastard who would say anything in order to make a sale.

His twelve month plan -- "Yes, definitely, it will have a little bit of data and enough phone calls for the full twelve months" -- lasted three months. A twelve month plan ? A year of phone calls, no worries ?

No.

This "twelve month plan" ran out of data -- and phone calls -- after 30 minutes of testing the phone with some geocaching.

Do you understand that ? Is that what you would expect from a "twelve month plan" ? Well, I did not. And I hate it when a salesman takes advantage of my ignorance of his not-fit-for-purpose product.

Oh, and the device is "3G". I believe that "4G" is the current standard. Sure, it makes no difference to our intended use. But did the salesman mention that he was selling an outdated product ? No way.

So the phone lost its ability to make phone calls. We cut our losses and changed to a traditional post-paid account. One that never -- really never -- runs out of phone call credit. The ideal system when phone communication is absolutely essential. With the added bonus that if you don't call, you don't pay for calls.

Sure the Telstra phone salesperson tried to sell us a plan which allowed for 500 phone calls. I patiently explained that the phone would make, on average, perhaps one phone call per month. (You're right, we're not communications junkies.)

So we identified a suitable plan. We needed a new phone number. Oh well, no trouble to tell the five people who know the previous number.

A new micro sim will be sent.

The new sim arrived on time. After a major effort to access the phone's sim card slot I realised... The new sim is not a "micro" sim.

Yes, I did discuss this with the Telstra phone person. I read "micro sim" straight off the instruction sheet that came with the phone. So they sent a non-micro sim.

After some phone discussion with Telstra...

Off to the Karrinyup Telstra shop. The cheerful saleswoman inserted a new micro sim. Told us that it would be activated -- ready to use -- in fifteen minutes.

Four hours later I'm again on the phone to Telstra. (Luckily we still have the home phone. Otherwise there would be a lot of angry visits to Karrinyup.)

The phone has not activated, I tell them. Try turning it off then on again...?

And here I learnt something new. To power off the mobile -- or to reset it -- you first need to "unlock" it. Before that the screen may be lit but it will not power off...

So I power off. Reset. Check that the sim is correctly in its slot. Reset again. Power off again. Still... no phone connection.

The Telstra person contacts their technical support. Take it into the Telstra shop, they say.

And so... after many hours of effort... phone calls from ten minutes to just short of an hour... three visits to the Telstra shop... we have a mobile phone which is not able to make a phone call.

On the bright side, it still plays the recorded books. And it works nicely over our home WiFi. And the Telstra contact staff are extremely polite and *wanting* to be helpful.

It's just a mobile phone which will not make a phone call.

Tomorrow I'm off -- again -- to the Telstra shop at Karrinyup. This time I will say, Send me a message -- from the once-new phone -- when it is really able to access the phone network.

And I'll go away and do something more useful with my time.

====
Problems ? Solved

Witches of East End / Melissa de la Cruz

Witches of East End
(start of a series)
by Melissa de la Cruz

fantasy, chick lit

copyright 2011
read in September 2014

rated 6/10: read to pass the time

Read to pass the time -- and enjoy. Light and fluffy. If you enjoy chick lit -- this is not too bad :-)

A charming family of witches. With a surprisingly powerful heritage, once they are allowed to practice their arts. Allowed ? Well, they decide for themselves that they have had enough of a quiet existence...

Romance ? Yes, of course. Hot sex ? Yes, hot and vivid but not graphically pornographic. Magic ? Of course !

I was surprised by the revelation of their background. Still, you can never be too magical...

Okay, it's soap opera with magic and very short skirts. Good fun rather than great literature.

Read it. Enjoy it. Read the next books in the series -- or not. A fun book... but no great loss of you miss it.

====
Problems ? Solved

Young Men in Spats / PG Wodehouse

Young Men in Spats
by PG Wodehouse

humour, short stories

copyright 1936
read in September 2014

rated 8/10: really quite good

Typical Wodehouse -- lighthearted, brilliant, pleasantly enjoyable. And very clever with words.

"If he had a mind, there was something on it."

What more can I say ? What more do I even need to say ?!

Except, perhaps, a special mention for, Uncle Fred Flits by... That one story is worth the price of the book :-)  Even if I had paid for it, rather than getting a dozen Wodehouse books as a present...

Excellent :-)

====
Problems ? Solved

Shrine of Stars / Paul McAuley

Shrine of Stars
Confluence (3/3)
by Paul McAuley

science fiction

copyright 1999
read in September 2014

rated 4/10: bad but could be read

Take an interesting world. Long and flat. Sort of like a segment of Ringworld. Ask the difficult questions: Who created this world ? Why ? How does it work ? What was expected to happen ?

Don't bother to answer any of these questions. Just say that it was done by scientific magic. For reasons which will forever be mysterious.

Disappointing.

And what's with the rocking planet idea ?!

The sun rises, reaches noon -- then reverses direction. So sunrise and sunset are over the same horizon. Why ?! I can almost hear the squealing of brakes, as the entire planet screeches to a halt... twice a day... so that the planet can change direction.

As in book two, the hero drifts through a series of adventures. This time, however, there is a point: each adventure provides a blunt comment on the evils of some aspect of society. Oh how bad is this society, where one tribe is always born into slavery, for example.

Then there are the rip-offs.

Many chapters of master and servant struggling towards the source of evil. Don't worry, master, cries the loyal servant. I'll carry you if I have to ! May as well call them Frodo and Sam.

Then the final "explanation" of the hero's birth. "-- All You Zombies --" anyone ?

Finally, we meet (again) with the old couple who are now revealed as the authors of the story. Where shall I begin ? asks the old man. It doesn't matter, replies his wife, Because it's a circular story. Which is perhaps intended as justification for the final two chapters... Two chapters which are completely out of sequence. And which add nothing whatsoever to the story.

Book one was interesting. Book two was tedious and had no conclusion. This book three, I read for completeness... Not worth the effort. I should have stopped after book one... or even sooner.

A disappointing treatment of a potentially interesting world.

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Problems ? Solved

Ancients of Days / Paul McAuley

Ancients of Days
by Paul McAuley
Confluence (2)

science fiction

copyright 1998
read in August 2014

rated 6/10: read to pass the time

Book one, Confluence, introduced a far-future world with a fascinating mix of scientific wonders and primitive lifestyle. It ended with the hero's escape to a sanctuary of hoped-for knowledge.

Ancients of Days continues the story with more exploration of the world and its history. It drags so badly that I was longing to reach the end. Unfortunately the book ended but the story did not.

Book two is not a story on the way to an exciting conclusion. It is a chapter with no conclusion. Book one could be read on its own. Book two is really book two part one.

Then there's the drag factor...

I was a third of the way through the book when I thought, will anything ever happen ?! Oh yes, there was action aplenty. But the action did not seem to be developing the plot. He did this, he did that, then on to the next action scene.

So I thought, Will nothing significant ever happen ? No sooner thought than the hero thought, It's about time I stopped reacting and did something significant... Then he carried on reacting.

An exploration of his world ? An expose of its history ? All there... but so what. No excitement, no tension, no sense of wonder. Just bald recording of facts.

Is this "traditional" science fiction ? Amazing science in a weak story ? Oh well. Ho hum.

Luckily I have all three books in one volume. No need to pause to absorb book two. Straight on to book three. It is, after all, just the next chapter...

And finally... Will everyone reach the end of book three and live happily ever after ? At the present kill rate, the hero is the only named character likely to survive. And it's possible that he won't be the same person anyway.

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Problems ? Solved

Confluence / Paul McAuley

Confluence
by Paul McAuley
1 of 3

science fiction

copyright 1997
read in August 2014

rated 8/10: really quite good

Confluence starts rather slowly. Then picks up speed. There are sections where the hero thinks deep thoughts -- authorial opinions -- for a page or two. A bit annoying but this world is different enough to need extra background reading.

And it is a different world ! Not amazingly uniquely fascinating... but fascinating enough. By the end of this book I think I understand the structure of this world... But why does it exist ? And what about the rest of the universe ??

The science, however, is unique... Rather, the knowledge of science is unique... within my own reading at least :-)

There is a mix of technology, from spears to ray guns, from horse and cart to antigravity floaters. People can no longer produce the more advanced technology -- but they do not think of it as magic.

Science and technology ability has been lost. Understanding and application remains. There are primitive people but the world civilisation is not -- technologically -- primitive.

The standard magic sword is understood to be an intelligent artifact. The search for parents is understood to be a search for people with a shared pattern of DNA. The spaceship parked by the mercenary market is known to be... a spaceship.

All this allows the hero to immediately embark on a more advanced level of quest. More advanced than in the usual primitive hero in a constructed world story, that is.

Yet the hero still teams up with the cunning yet loyal thief and the strong and impetuous warrior. With the hero -- a likeable trio of adventurers !

Then, at the end of the book, stage one is complete. Yes, it's clearly only the beginning of the quest. Yet it is a satisfactory ending. I could stop reading here and be satisfied.

Yet I do have the next two books.

I enjoyed this first book. I'm looking forward to reading the next.

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Problems ? Solved

Kiteworld / Keith Roberts

Kiteworld
by Keith Roberts

science fiction, early steam punk

copyright 1985
read in August 2014

rated 6/10: read to pass the time

A series of stories provides a series of views of Kiteworld. A series of depressing views provides a confused view of a miserable world.

Okay, it's not the worst book that I've recently read. I started reading The Chalk Giants by the same author, Keith Roberts. That one is either a series of snippets -- not stories -- about one character but jumping round in time and space. Or it's a series of unrelated snippets about several unrelated and unpleasant people... I gave up reading before any of it made any sense.

Kiteworld continues the author's confusing style of writing. He doesn't bother to name his characters. I'm left wondering, who is this ? Is it the character that I met in a previous story ?

Finally... well past halfway through this book... Roberts realises that... perhaps a book needs to reach some sort of conclusion. Several characters appear in more than one chapter. There is a feeling of a plot progressing.

Then there's the revolution.

The two arms of the state church kill and burn and loot. The "Ultras" suddenly appear -- I don't remember them from earlier in the book, perhaps I was asleep. These Ultras are really scary -- so we are told.

Then the not-really-magic plane appears. All the miserable characters from the earlier stories reappear. There's the man who swore revenge so he became a shopkeeper ?! His adopted daughter the thief and procurer. He loved her so much that when she continued her old line of work, he raped her then threw her out of the house.

There's the rich slut. She had finally given in to blackmail and married a rich child molester. Now she's killed him and let the lunatics out of the asylum.

The girl with no mind slept with her brother. When found out, the brother killed himself... Rather that trying to protect the girl that he claimed to love.

This mixed grab bag of killers and rapists and assorted nasties... These are the "innocents" who are saved. To be taken to a mysterious land which we have never heard of before. A land of happiness and light and of it's-not-really-miraculous healing.

Good grief.

Still. After struggling through the start I did manage to read all the way to the end.

Which is more than I can say for The Chalk Giants. So that's a recommendation.

Of sorts.

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Problems ? Solved

Zero Point / Neal Asher

Zero Point
Owner (2)
by Neal Asher

science fiction

copyright 2012
read in August 2014

rated 7/10: well worth reading

Shades of Doc Smith ! Though the science has been updated. Oh, and Doc Smith would have had his heroes across the galaxy by book two...

And that surprised me...

In Owner book one, the goodies escape from an oppressive Earth. Okay, I thought, book two will have them half way to the next star system... Plenty of baddies already on board. Add a few aliens and there's enough material for an entire book. Or two.

But no. We're still in our own Solar System. With an interesting shift in the politics of still-oppressive Earth.

Because that is a major theme of the Owner books... Politics. Well, politics in the broad sense of, what people will do to maintain the personal power that they get through practical application of political ideas.

Book one slathered on the message, rather too thickly. Book two makes its point just as strongly but more subtly.

Each chapter begins with a pointed message -- presented as an extract from a "current" book, or article, or notes from a meeting. These are outside the story so I read them as being separate from the story. They do not intrude.

Remember Heinlein ? Remember the characters who would spend several pages "discussing" the author's political views ? I find that the pointed messages at the start of each chapter are far less intrusive. And just as powerful.

Oh, and I suppose I could say something about the story itself...

A lot of fun !

Action, adventure, mad despot driving the hasn't-really-got-a-chance threat. Superhero laid low by kryptonite but offers just enough support to help clever assistants to survive the morning -- then superhero returns just on time to save the day... Followed by ridiculously over the top effort to save his only surviving relative.

What I mean is: great fun !

Solid science fiction, boys own adventure, adult level violence.

Not so much "what if". More a book of "why not".

I think I'll enjoy the third Owner book. But I wonder if they'll ever get out of the Solar System...

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25may20:  I read it again. Which I didn't realise -- until a gruesome little scene, well into the book. Worth reading again... though I was glad to reach the end. This time round it just didn't match what I was looking for.

I did enjoy the science. Having recently attempted to read a possibly more recent Asher book, this one is ... not realistic... but believable. Still "science fiction"; the other book was mad science that may as well have been fantasy magic.

On this reading I seem more aware of the characters. None of whom are likable. Both hero and villain are -- to my mind -- equally self-centred, self-deluding, up themselves with power. Neither looks for advice. Though the hero does at least pretend to listen. And, at the end, he does feel that he is still somewhat human.

I enjoyed reading it, though less than the first time. At the end I have no urge to seek out book three... but then, I'm now looking for different things in the books that I'm reading.

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Problems ? Solved

Demi-Monde (1): Winter / Rod Rees

Demi-Monde (1): Winter
by Rod Rees

science fiction, chick lit

copyright 2011
read in August 2014

rated 6/10: read to pass the time

A great idea for a world -- all the psychopathic, murderous, power-mad nuts from history, all in one world. I was afraid it could be too nasty for me... but it wasn't.

Demi-Monde is chick lit. Very violent chick lit. Though the violence is muted -- once a character is well-known to the reader, they are very unlikely to die.

Chick lit ? Most of the main good guys are gals... Heroines rather than heroes. Supported by a male who is smart, brave and most importantly -- in love with the heroine.

One hero is so "modern" that he buys clothes for his heroine. Sexy clothes which fit ! Barely ... :-) And the emphasis on what the heroine is wearing -- is a key indicator of chick lit.

It's a lot of fun. Perhaps worth more than six out of ten. But...

The book does not end.

Rather, the book ends but the story does not. Okay, the Winter on the title suggests that there are four books in the series. But really... Does it have to end with so *many* cliff-hangers ?!

Annoying.

Very, very, annoying.

 . . . 

Afterword: I may have been a bit harsh.

I did enjoy this book. I enjoy the chick lit aspects -- I enjoy the softer approach to action and violence.

There was some excellent word-play, mostly on the names of the various groups of people. As an example -- pure word-play: "4telling" is speaking of the future, 3telling is speaking of the present, 2telling of the past... and 1telling is keeping silent. Brilliant !

Since the Demi-Monde is a grab-bag of history's worst haters, racists, xenophobes, misogynists, etc, etc -- there's a lot of casual name-calling. The sort of stuff that would get you arrested in our "more enlightened" cultures. Is this acceptable ? Doesn't worry me... But I'd be surprised if the professional hate-haters are not upset. So, another interesting aspect to this book.

Then I reached the end of the book. And found that it is the middle -- or earlier -- of the story.

Will I read Spring ? And, presumably, Summer and Autumn ? But what if there's Winter2 ?! And a continuation of the story via Great Beyond: Close By, and Great Beyond: Further Out ??!

No... without a clear indication that this story will ever end...

I'll cut my losses.

I may read more books in this series.

I certainly will not search for them.

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Problems ? Solved

Brokedown Palace / Steven Brust

Brokedown Palace
by Steven Brust

fantasy

copyright 1986
read in August 2014

rated 6/10: read to pass the time

This story is an allegory. I know it is because the author tells us the message in the last chapter. Un. Subtle.

There are also a lot of loose ends: The mysterious fan. The know-all girl. The source of all the major changes to the palace. Are we meant to guess ? Or are these simply loose ends which Brust failed to explain...

What's it all about ?! Other than the stated message, that is...

It's a bit like the old myths... (Is that deliberate ? ) Something may have happened, no-one quite understands it, so the storytellers make up what may have happened. And leave gaps where their imagination is lacking.

It's a fun fairytale with an unsatisfying conclusion. Okay, change occurs -- somehow. One man will get the girl -- we are told -- after the end of the book. And a few people found their purpose in life.

All a bit unsatisfactory.

A fun fairytale. But unsatisfactory.

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Problems ? Solved