Skyward / Brandon Sanderson

Skyward

(Claim the Stars #1)

by Brandon Sanderson

science fiction, subadult

copyright 2018

read in December 2018

rated 7/10: well worth reading

Young girl has a family history of trouble. No-one trusts her, she will never be allowed to fly. Naturally, she wants to fly.

She gets into flight school. Everything and everyone is against her, wanting her to fail... except one crusty old ex-hero. She flies, she saves the world, she restores her family reputation.

What can I say ? This is a standard I'm-really-a-princess fairy tale. Chock full of clichés. Aimed at young adults. And very enjoyable :-)

25jul22: I've re-read it. And it's still well worth re-reading :-)

A whole lot of fun.

Dr Nick Lethbridge / Consulting Dexitroboper

...        Agamedes Consulting / Problems ? Solved

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"If it's stupid but it works, it's not stupid." … Ginger Meggs

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Dying for you to read my blog, at https://notdotdeaddotyet.blogspot.com.au/ :-)

Only Human / Sylvain Neuvel

Only Human

(Themis Files #3 of 3)

by Sylvain Neuvel

science fiction

copyright 2018

read in January 2019

rated 6/10: read to pass the time

This is the conclusion of the Themis Files. The author says that this is a trilogy. It provides a solid conclusion yet with lots of opportunity for more in the series.

As with the first two books, the action slows a bit in the middle. Not too much... This book has a different problem: the ant-racist preaching is laid on far too thick.

A good science fiction story can have a message. In the "what if" context, a message adds weight to the enjoyment of the story. Especially if I agree with the message :-) This book, though, lays it on too thick.

There's also the theme that racism -- and cruelty to others -- is the standard for humanity. It may be true. It makes for a somewhat depressing read.

So this is a book with faults -- but it is still enjoyable. Harmless entertainment if read on its own. Worth reading to wrap up the trilogy.

Dr Nick Lethbridge / Consulting Dexitroboper

...        Agamedes Consulting / Problems ? Solved

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"If it's stupid but it works, it's not stupid." … Ginger Meggs

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Dying for you to read my blog, at https://notdotdeaddotyet.blogspot.com.au/ :-)

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Waking Gods / Sylvain Neuvel

Waking Gods

(Themis Files #2)

by Sylvain Neuvel

science fiction

copyright 2017

read in January 2019

rated 7/10: well worth reading

This is book 2 of three or more but it can stand alone. Sure, there are several book one characters that I can barely remember but that does not interrupt the story. Even without their history, they soon fit in. Or pass by and disappear again.

There are lots of characters but only a few main characters. The story is told -- as in book one -- as a series of notes by or interviews with numerous people. Despite this, the plot is relatively straight line and easy to follow. The various viewpoints add interest and perspective.

Towards the middle, the story drags -- but never to the point where I would stop reading. The story is unbelievable yet logical. True "willing suspension of disbelief" science fiction.

What is annoying is the "small wizened mystic" (he's not, really) who knows all but won't tell. Full of smart alec cleverness, a real pain. I suppose he fills a gap in our understanding, he's just such a stereotypical mystic know-it-all.

The ending is wide open -- but not a cliff-hanger. The book wraps up nicely -- then adds a short chapter to introduce the challenge for book three. I accept it as "extra"; this book is complete in itself. And I'm looking forward to reading book three.

Dr Nick Lethbridge / Consulting Dexitroboper

...        Agamedes Consulting / Problems ? Solved

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"If it's stupid but it works, it's not stupid." … Ginger Meggs

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Dying for you to read my blog, at https://notdotdeaddotyet.blogspot.com.au/ :-)

Thin Air / Richard K Morgan

Thin Air

by Richard K Morgan

science fiction

copyright 2018

read in January 2019

rated 8/10: really quite good

Non-stop violent action. Heavy -- somewhat ridiculous -- sex scenes. A complex plot with constant twists and unexpected depths. Depths of conspiracy, that is.

The hero is tough and armed with the latest weapons and technology. Villains don't stand a chance. He cares for and is loyal to friends, ruthless with enemies.

It's a rough tough planet. This hero is rough and tough enough to cope. To survive. To come out on top... where just coming out alive is a sign of success.

Very enjoyable, very violent. I'm looking forward to this hero's inevitable return..

Dr Nick Lethbridge / Consulting Dexitroboper

...        Agamedes Consulting / Problems ? Solved

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"If it's stupid but it works, it's not stupid." … Ginger Meggs

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Dying for you to read my blog, at https://notdotdeaddotyet.blogspot.com.au/ :-)

cafe: Sondrea Espresso / Osborne Park

cafe: Sondrea Espresso / Osborne Park

We had parked for the Post Office. Walked past Sondrea and decided that we needed coffee. And cake...

I couldn't resist a Melting Moment, with as much filling as biscuit. Sweet crumbly delicious biscuit, sweet filling with a tang of lemon. One is enough for a sugar rush -- and well worth it. Delicious :-) The coffee is also good.

But is this café "hipster"? No, not really. It's better.

Service is good, friendly, efficient. Yet there is no trace of the hard-wired rush of a true hipster café. Staff are friendly, smiling -- and not just when facing a customer. The waitress moves quickly but with no sense of urgency... Funny, I've not noticed the urgency in hipster cafes but the lack of it is obvious here.

There is a table of a dozen or so family & friends, plus a couple of other customers. Busy but not crowded. A family atmosphere, both customers and staff. Observation and a guess place three of four staff in the one family. Almost a country café in the city.

Lots of pre-made rolls and bowls. They look good. So many that I guess that the café gets a lot of lunch-time business. Perhaps it is the local café for people who work in the area. It's hard to imagine much passing traffic pulling in to the limited close-by parking.

We often pass by, this is the first time we have actually stopped in this shopping strip. Really, we're not likely to stop again. But -- this being my own rating system -- I rate Sondrea at three out of three. Good enough to draw me back again. Even if I never actually get there.

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22jan19: We are shopping across the road and decide that it is worth another visit to Sondrea. Again, coffees and cake, this time a Portuguese Tart. Good coffee. Good cake. Still the friendly family feel of a very pleasant café. Yes, worth a repeat visit :-)

Dr Nick Lethbridge / Consulting Dexitroboper

...        Agamedes Consulting / Problems ? Solved

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"All the world's a stage, but the script needs new writers" … Ginger Meggs

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Dying for you to read my blog, at https://notdotdeaddotyet.blogspot.com.au/ :-)

cafe: Lot Six Zero / Innaloo

12jan19 café: Lot Six Zero / Innaloo

Coffee & cake, good. Hipster cred, good but showing signs of mass market commercialisation. Service, friendly and efficient. Food, name a trendy food and it is there.

I will score this as three out of three, meaning, we enjoyed the visit and it may become a regular. That's not because it's any better than any other hipster café. It's just convenient -- for us -- to drive there and back. And parking is really easy.

This building has -- probably -- always been a café (or restaurant), so no hipster credit for being repurposed. The decorations, however, guarantee the hipster description. The best of all are the old doors, standing in a row to provide a visual screen between customers and entrance to the toilets.

Tables, wall shelves, coffee-bag seat covers, all scream … factory-produced... hipster. The wall mural is good. Is it authentic? I'd like to see inside another of the four LSZ cafes. The mural image is printed on the paper serviettes, good. If it is also reproduced on other walls, not good.

The recycled paper serviettes are labelled, "Saving the world one napkin at a time." That's good except that in Australia these are serviettes, not napkins. The sugar sachets are by the coffee supplier, glossy paper, probably not recyclable. Sugar and serviettes shout "commercial enterprise" rather than ecological hipster. Nice try -- but suspicious motivation.

Oh, and noisy... this place needs softer wall coverings. We enjoyed our coffee. The peanut slice was delicious. Yet it was a relief to get out to the relatively quiet street sounds of Scarborough Beach Road.
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07sep19 (approx): We arrive as they are closing. Coffee & cake outside, as takeaways but the seats are still not packed away. Just us and two or three other couples... peaceful. More relaxing -- more enjoyable -- than our previous visit. Yes, still on our "3 out of 3" list.

Dr Nick Lethbridge / Consulting Dexitroboper

...        Agamedes Consulting / Problems ? Solved

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"All the world's a stage, but the script needs new writers" … Ginger Meggs

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Dying for you to read my blog, at https://notdotdeaddotyet.blogspot.com.au/ :-)

cafe: Miss Maud / Innaloo

08jan19 café: Miss Maud / Innaloo

Definitely not hipster.

We have coffee and cake. And realise why Miss Maud has survived for so many years: It is pleasant, reasonable food -- and the same cakes for forever and a day.

We share a Black Forest cake: light, fluffy, sweet. A bit of cake, a lot of cream, several stewed cherries. As it has always been. Nothing amazing, nothing challenging, just a light sweet treat.

It's not terrific -- but we will return. To Innaloo or to any other Miss Maud. We will return because it is pleasant -- and familiar. So, rated three out of three.

But not at all hipster.

Dr Nick Lethbridge / Consulting Dexitroboper

...        Agamedes Consulting / Problems ? Solved

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"All the world's a stage, but the script needs new writers" … Ginger Meggs

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Dying for you to read my blog, at https://notdotdeaddotyet.blogspot.com.au/ :-)

cafe: The Coffee Corner / North Perth

cafe: The Coffee Corner / North Perth

7 Jan 19: I was looking for a café to catch up with a friend. It needed to be halfway between his place and mine. With easy parking. Coffee Corner suited all requirements. But...

There is parking next to the café. It needs to be approached from a road behind... Not to worry, there is plenty of parking -- pub parking, unused at this time of day -- across the road. My more clever friend found his way to the café parking.

Is this café hipster ? Almost definitely nearly.

We are the only two patrons, two old blokes meeting to gossip. We sit in the lounge chairs. The only other seats are stools, I don't think we would have stayed for stool sitting.

The café faces a busy street, traffic noise comes and goes. The music inside is loud and louder but is turned down, no fuss, when I ask. Though it gets a bit louder as the young things in charge close up for the day... It closes at three, I had not realised. We amble out and sit for a while at a nearby bus stop. Which turns out to be no noisier than inside the café.

Inside, there is a huge air-con pipe across the ceiling. Plus two stainless steel tanks attached to the wall. Future brewing set-up ? There are pipe connectors to the tanks but they are not connected to anything. Pure hipster decoration, I think.

Is the café repurposed ? Sort of. It seems to be an old shop, now a clean and painted café. Are there tatts & man buns ? No, the two girls are cheerful, clean, neat, girl-next-door. Nothing weird at all.

The coffee is excellent, my friend tells me that his bagel is good. The food available -- at this tail end of a week day -- is several bagels with various probably healthy fillings. They do look good.

It's a nice place. On its way but not yet fully hipster. Friendly, helpful staff. Worth the visit but expect to sit on a high stool -- or stand -- if you are not the only patrons. We won't be back. Only because we are old enough to want peace, quiet and a guarantee of comfortable seats. Rated two out of three.

Dr Nick Lethbridge / Consulting Dexitroboper

...        Agamedes Consulting / Problems ? Solved

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"All the world's a stage, but the script needs new writers" … Ginger Meggs

===

Dying for you to read my blog, at https://notdotdeaddotyet.blogspot.com.au/ :-)

Revenant Gun / Yoon Ha Lee

Revenant Gun

(Machineries of Empire #3)

by Yoon Ha Lee

science fiction

copyright 2018

read in January 2019

rated 8/10: really quite good

Hard -- complex -- unbelievable -- science fiction. Getting better, too: third book in the series and I believe I almost understand most of what is going on :-)

It's a complex world and technology runs rampant. Yet there is a very human feel to the story. Even the non-humans have sympathetic characters.

The end is absolutely satisfactory... with room for further stories. There are no ridiculous cliff-hangers. There are several situations which are... sort of... resolved. Settled for the short-term. With plenty of opportunity for further exploration. The main story is wrapped up but the universe is wide and full of possibilities. I'm looking forward to more of these complex, high tech yet very human stories.
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09oct19:

I started to read this book... quickly realised that I have read it before... stopped reading. Not because it is not a good book! (Sorry about the double negatives.)

Having read only a few pages... having been reminded of the book... I am still happy to rate it as eight out of ten. It's just, right now, I want a lighter book. One where goodies will clearly win, where they do win, where the baddies just don't stand a chance. I want simple, unchallenging "space opera". Which I then found, in The Collapsing Empire :-)

Oh, yes, I would change just one thing from my initial review of this book: Make it "space opera" rather than "science fiction".

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06jan21: Yep, I've read it again. All the way through. Enjoyed it again.

I'll add another thought: this is "hard" science fiction (as well as space opera :-) The story uses science -- and maths -- as a central fact of life. Yet there is plenty of story (and character) around the science.

I see from my previous comment that the book was too heavy for what I wanted. Strangely enough... This time I read Revenant as a break from an even heavier book... Oh well, a lot of enjoyment depends on how I feel at the time.

Dr Nick Lethbridge / Consulting Dexitroboper

...        Agamedes Consulting / Problems ? Solved

===

"All the world's a stage, but the script needs new writers" … Ginger Meggs

===

Dying for you to read my blog, at https://notdotdeaddotyet.blogspot.com.au/ :-)