Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk / David Sedaris

Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk

(illus. Ian Falconer)

by David Sedaris

humour, fantasy

copyright 2010

read in December 2016

rated 8/10: really quite good

This is a funny little book. Funny, enjoyable and sometimes quite pointed. Very short little stories with animals as the characters. Anthropomorphised animls who are still very much, animals.

Could these stories be using pataphors ?!

Metaphor: the vigilante acted like a vicious rabbit. Pataphor: The vigilante *is* a vicious rabbit. Well, I thinks that's a pataphor :-)

It's also social satire. There's a message in each story. Or, just read the stories and chuckle. Though not all endings (spoiler alert!) not all endings are happy.

I enjoy reading this book. It's good for a laugh. And, sometimes, it makes me think.

Really quite good. And also very weird.

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Dr Nick Lethbridge / Consulting Dexitroboper
Agamedes Consulting / Problems? Solved.
====

"No plan survives contact with the enemy." … Helmuth von Moltke the Elder
   

The Useful Book of Gadgets etc / Martin Bailey

The Useful Book of Gadgets, Gizmos & Apps

by Martin Bailey

self help

copyright 2016

read in December 2016

rated 6/10: read to pass the time

One of the better lists of "essential" apps.

A hundred or so technology fixes for life's first world problems. Many are for problems that I didn't realise I had... Or didn't realise were problems. The need, for example, to store movies on one electronic device and watch them on several other devices. Really serious problems :-)

Then there's the device which sprays mist (water mist) into a room on fire. Rather than dousing the fire with water. Less water damage, excellent idea. Balanced by the sneaky app for placing last-minute bids at online auctions. Makes me wonder why ordinary humans would bother bidding.

As with any list of apps (etc), it will be out of date. The author accepts this. Many of the ideas are app categories: look out for an app which does "this"... And I like that. There are quite a few ideas which are -- I think -- worth considering. This book lets you know that it's possible, now search for the latest app.

There are also, at the end of the book, some apps which are not yet ready, or not yet working, or just plain ridiculous. Listed for entertainment value. Mind you, I had a chuckle at some of the ideas in the *main* listing :-)

All written in a light, easy to read fashion.

It's not an app bible, nor does it claim to be. It's light, it's enjoyable. And there are some interesting ideas. A good guide for the person who wants to dive in at the deep end of solving some of those tricky first world problems.

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Dr Nick Lethbridge / Consulting Dexitroboper
Agamedes Consulting / Problems? Solved.
====

"No plan survives contact with the enemy." … Helmuth von Moltke the Elder
   

Vertigo / Bob Shaw

Vertigo

by Bob Shaw

science fiction

copyright 1978

read (again) in December 2016

rated 7/10: well worth reading

I found this book sitting on my bookshelf. It's years since I first read it. Back then, all I read was science fiction and Bob Shaw was one of my favourite authors.

This time, as I read Vertigo, I remember why I enjoyed books by Shaw. And I am surprised at those memories.

I remember solid science fiction. Yet Vertigo spends most of its chapters exploring the characters. The science... Perhaps, more correctly, the *technology* is secondary. The hero could well have been injured in a skiing accident and now be afraid to get back on the skis.

Not that the characters have any great depth, they are quite shallow stereotypes, with some analysis of why they are so. Little explanation. More a pointing out of possibilities and problems. Done, however, with sympathy.

The psychology, the application of technology, the attitudes, are all a bit dated. Not necessarily wrong... Some is now out of fashion, some is now commonplace, some is now forbidden from discussion

The book is still easy to read and very enjoyable. Simple, predictable and enjoyable.

With a most interesting sign of changing attitudes, on the back cover:

A back page quote says that Bob Shaw is, "One of the most impressive writers of the genre." Of the genre?! Oh yes...

Back in 1980 -- when my edition of this book was printed -- science fiction was a distinct genre. Read by a few nerds, shunned by the masses. A book was either science fiction, or not.

Now science fiction is mainstream. In books, tv and movies. And that is good... and bad. It definitely means that I have more "science fiction" to read. And that I sometimes read a book which no sensible person would even consider. Simply because it claimed to be "science fiction".

Perhaps the fine-to-dross ratio is much the same. The mainstreaming of science fiction has certainly expanded my reading range. That has its problems. Mostly, however, it's very good.

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Dr Nick Lethbridge / Consulting Dexitroboper
Agamedes Consulting / Problems? Solved.
====

"No plan survives contact with the enemy." … Helmuth von Moltke the Elder
   

Madness in Solidar / L.E. Modesitt Jr

Madness in Solidar

(Imager 9)

by L.E. Modesitt Jr

fantasy

copyright 2015

read in December 2016

rated 7/10: well worth reading

For many, many chapters, nothing happens. Well, nothing apparently exciting. Meetings are held, accounts are checked, the school for Imagers ticks over. Then there's a burst of activity -- fighting, using Imagery. Followed by more of nothing much, some excitement, more of nothing much...

So why did I rate it as seven?!

Partly because it's book nine of a series yet it stands alone. I have read only one other Imager book, the very first. There are plenty of references to the "history" of the first eight books -- yet I did not need to have read any of those books. (Though, perhaps, it would have added depth to my enjoyment.) In fact, Modesitt has dealt nicely with those first books by saying that the earlier Imagers have deliberately wiped their exploits from the history books.

So we're starting a new age of Imagers. And yet... I keep feeling that there is a book missing. Which is, I hope, just the result of a solid backstory which has not been written.

Partly, I enjoy this book because... I enjoy it :-)  Even the "boring" stuff was sort of entertaining. It certainly did not stop me reading. And it is easy to read. Then -- once the action had happened -- I found that I was just a little bit more interested in the surrounding nothing much.

Not that I could follow all that was happening... Every character is named and has their own part to play in the action. (Or, in the inaction.) I quickly gave up trying to remember the characters. Some stood out, I remember them. Others, I just treated as filler. Not worth following. So I missed some of the motivations.

And partly I enjoyed this book for something which may be purely in my imagination...

This book is set 400 years after the previous eight. The earlier characters have avoided being written up in the history books. They are remembered as heroes, their actual deeds are largely forgotten. In just one of the surviving books from that era there is a passing reference to the amazing powers of the wife of the main hero.

Was it the case, perhaps, that the first eight books were very... traditional. That men were men and that women looked pretty, supported their men, and occasionally twisted their ankles? Is that acceptable in today's books? And here is a very clever way for readers -- especially those starting Imager reading with book nine -- to accept a more egalitarian set of Imagers.

There is the male Imager and the female Imager. Each powerful, in their own ways. Was this possible in the first eight books? I'm guessing -- not. If I'm right -- that's very clever.

I enjoyed this book. Perhaps not really at a "seven" level... But, for various reasons, near enough.

PS: Having read the book... I still have no idea what the cover picture is supposed to represent.

====
Dr Nick Lethbridge / Consulting Dexitroboper
Agamedes Consulting / Problems? Solved.
====

"No plan survives contact with the enemy." … Helmuth von Moltke the Elder
   

Vengeance / Ian Irvine

Vengeance

(Tainted Realm 1)

by Ian Irvine

fantasy

copyright 2011

read in December 2016

rated 6/10: read to pass the time

It's a lot of fun. I like the main characters. It's a nonstop Saturday matinee serial, with a cliffhanger at the end of each chapter.

Not so much plot development. More action climax in chapter one and nonstop action from there on.

There's also a feeling that I have missed the *real* book one.  There are references to people and events from the past... as though they have special significance. Which is not explained. What, for example, is the special significance of the girl realising that the very old woman is her own great great grandmother?!

Not that this is a real worry... The book reads well as a standalone novel. The "significant references" don't take away from the enjoyment. This book is a satisfactory -- though somewhat over the top -- novel on its own... Until...

Until the final chapter.

Okay, the plot has sort of wrapped up. Everything has blown up but some plot threads have been nicely closed off.

And then -- the main characters are pushed off the edge of yet another cliff :-(

"The end will have you eagerly anticipating the next book". No. The end will leave you wondering why you ever read a fantasy novel which is part of a series.

Still. The cover clearly says, Book One. I was warned.

I just wish that this book had avoided the cheap and easy cliffhanger -- the "you must read the next book" -- ending.
===

01feb19: I reread this book. It takes a chapter or two to realise that I have read it before. No worries, it's easy to read. I agree with most of my original review, above. Though this time I am less annoyed at the ridiculous cliff-hanger ending. Perhaps because I am prepared for it.

Though I do have a fresh dislike for having characters in situations in which they have no control over their own fate. I'm sure the next book will show them taking some control but this ending is very much, They will have no freedom at all. Unpleasant.

The action -- on this reading -- strikes me as a series of non-stop somewhat contrived challenges. Dodge this villain and another villain pops up on the other side. There is no safety, no end, a continuous series of dangers. Yes, they do follow a reasonably tight plot. It just seems to be a few too many dangers to be dodged.

It's still, Read to pass the time. This time... I think that I will look for book two.

====
Dr Nick Lethbridge / Consulting Dexitroboper
Agamedes Consulting / Problems? Solved.
====

"No plan survives contact with the enemy." … Helmuth von Moltke the Elder
   

The Waking Fire / Anthony Ryan

The Waking Fire

(Draconis Memoria 1)

by Anthony Ryan

fantasy

copyright 2016

read in November 2016

rated 8/10: really quite good

First, a point which has nothing whatever to do with this book: The latest update of gmail (this post is sent from gmail to the blog) has a new feature. Cut-and-paste maintains the source format. So I cut-and-paste the "really quite good" of my rating. And the font is ... different. So those three words stand out as ... different. Which is ... not good. Annoying. I could "remove formatting". It was quicker to delete then retype. Enough said.

Waking Fire is a lot of fun. Quite complex and almost clever: several plot threads which run in parallel then join -- seamlessly -- when required. Though a couple of joins do seem to have missed the correct timing.

There are likeable characters, many of whom survive. The characters have some depth, they can have doubts and second thoughts. All good. There are nasty characters and stupid characters, they play their roles without making me wish that I had read a different book.

And then there are the dragons. A variety of dragons, with a variety of powers. (I'm not sure why the sea-based, whale-eating, blue dragons ever developed fire breathing capability.) The dragons may be monsters -- but they also have a history. This book introduces that history, I'm looking forward to reading more.

There are also thousands of humans, near-humans and dragons who are, well, purely cannon fodder. The dead bodies pile up. They -- both good and bad -- keep on coming. Like lambs to the slaughter. Like particularly vicious lambs.

The various plots twist and turn. New developments may be unexpected but they are a logical progression. There are no deus ex machina jumps into the ridiculous. On the other hand, a couple of surprise twists were, to me, not surprising at all. They were, however, satisfying.

This is a really enjoyable book -- though with extreme violence. Cartoon-level violence. It's there because it's that sort of world. Not just to make the reader feel sick. Blood and guts rather that gore-porn.

And then... The story ends satisfactorily, with a lot more still to come.

The book is clearly labelled, Book One. The end leaves a lot not yet done. Yet we knew to expect that the story will continue. The cover says so! A clear, Thank you, to the author and publishers: for the "Book One" on the cover. And for a story which leaves me wanting more. Yet which is a complete story by itself.

I enjoyed this book. I look forward to Book Two.

===

13sep19:

I reread this book. Picked it up, didn't realise I had already read it, started reading -- and immediately was happy to keep reading. I've just now (having finished the rereading) reread my original review. And I agree entirely with what I then wrote. Plus: I gained a fraction more enjoyment simply because I was better able to understand some of the more complicated ... things that were happening :-)

For example, I believe that there is a to-be-revealed backstory to the broader world. This second reading I notice a short paragraph which supports my earlier vague impression. Plus, of course, I get to know and appreciate -- earlier in the book -- the various characters.

So, all good. And still looking forward to reading Book Two.

A quick web check: Aha! good: Book Two has been written. It's "due to be published on June 27th." I hope that means this or last year and not the next...

28jul20:

I picked it up and didn't recognise the title. It took me two paragraphs to recognise... By then I was hooked. Again.

This time, I took some time to remember characters. So I noticed that there were more relationships than I had recognised the first two times... Interesting -- and clever.

I also had an even stronger feeling of, To be continued. Yet it doesn't matter -- the end of the book provides a very satisfying conclusion. It's just that there is so much still to be done. Really, I must try to get hold of the next two in the series.

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Dr Nick Lethbridge / Consulting Dexitroboper
Agamedes Consulting / Problems? Solved.
====

"Omne ignotum pro magnifico est" … Tacitus: Agricola