Alternative 3 / Ken Mitchell

Alternative 3

category: thriller, author:

Ken Mitchell

original copyright 2003

read in December 2011

Agamedes' opinion: 8 out of 10

The book began slowly.

Oh dear, I though, another Nazi-who-survived-the-war thriller. Not that I can remember reading any others... but it does seem that the top Nazis were really tough to kill. Like zombies, really: they seem to be... ended, yet as soon as you turn your back -- they're back.

Anyway, Alternative 3 is not another Nazi-who-survived-the-war thriller.

After a somewhat boring introduction -- the backstory -- we meet the hero of this book. And then the fun begins!

A nerd hero, with extreme hacker skills. Watched by his parole officer. Watching as several friends and acquaintances are destroyed by the group behind a major conspiracy... By that I mean, destroyed by the people who want their existence to be hidden behind a wild conspiracy "theory"...

The hero is not a true nerd. Sure, he can hack into any system... Just give him a safety pin to short-circuit a public phone line and within minutes he'll have cracked into the NORAD site and be using NORAD radar to track the real Santa... Yet despite these skills, he gets the girl. He could have had the other girl. And he can pedal mutant bikes across deserts and security fences.

This is the hero that we all want to be... smart, sneaky and successful with women. (Feel free to replace "women" with "men", as appropriate.)

Once Alternative hits its stride, it is non-stop fun. About as believable as any over-the-top conspiracy theory. (In an end-of-book author's note, Mitchell writes that he used conspiracies straight from the internet. It's not just "the truth" that's out there...) Although, interestingly enough...

By the end of the book, we still don't know -- for sure -- how much of the conspiracy theory is "true". Sure, there's a cover-up. Sure, there's advanced technology. But is the entire "theory" correct? We never find out...

As with any conspiracy-based thriller, the story is in the battle for survival. So as not to strain the reader's willing suspension of disbelief, thrillers end with a valid reason why the unmasked conspiracy is still not widely known... The usual method is, to destroy all evidence.

Was it Michael Crichton who spent an entire book discovering a tribe of intelligent apes -- only to have every single one of them destroyed in the final chapter? With every trace of their homes also -- conveniently -- destroyed? That's the typical, weak, wrap-up of the major conspiracy uncovered / major discovery made style of book. And it's weak as water.

It's like a standard old style sit-com. It doesn't matter what happens during the episode. As long as the visible situation at the end is exactly the same as the situation at the start.

With Alternative 3, Mitchell avoids that weak ending.

Not that I'm entirely happy with the ending!

The book ends well. Loose ends wrapped up, plot twists satisfactorily explained. It's just that I would have liked the hero to make a more positive statement!

The first few chapters -- backstory to the conspiracy -- are hardly necessary. Then the hero successfully survives all that the baddies can throw at him. But really, his efforts have not changed the conspiracy status quo. At the end of this book -- we have returned to the start of the episode.

For my own satisfaction I like to think that... soon after the final chapter of this book... the hacker hero will get further into Alternative 3. Perhaps he will take it over. And steer it from the path of evil, to the path of niceness and good...

Apart from that... apart from my desire for the hero to do more that survive... it's a good book. (Perhaps I want the hero to do more that just survive, simply because I like him?!) Really quite a good book.

Just a tiny bit unbelievable (btw, that's intended as humourous irony). A few weaknesses... A previous reader of my copy of the book has circled the sentence where petrol is used to refuel a diesel vehicle... A question as to how many people are knowingly involved in the secondary conspiracy... and how was it all funded.

All that is nit-picking.

Read it, enjoy it.

And wonder what all those indestructible Nazis will get up to next...

..o0o..

These reviews are provided by Agamedes Consulting. For an independent and thoughtful review of your processes, problems or documents, email nickleth at gmail dot com.

PissWeakly: the Index

The Redemption of Althalus / David & Leigh Eddings

The Redemption of Althalus

category: fantasy, author:

David & Leigh Eddings

original copyright 2000

read in December 2011

Agamedes' opinion: 5 out of 10

This is a book that you simply cannot put down.

I made the mistake of putting it down. Which gave me time to think: this book is a load of rubbish...

It was easy reading, though nothing much was happening. As long as I kept on reading -- with my mind in neutral -- I was happy with the book. It was only when I stopped to think, that I realised that I was not enjoying it.

That was about a third of the way in. By half way I was struggling. Lightweight froth, ridiculously weak plot, too much talk and not enough action.

Page 279 of 693 and I have given up.

Redemption is a moralising child's fable. Where the child should be a tweener girl with religious inclinations and a leaning towards simplistic romance. Perhaps that child would enjoy the book. As a parent I would prefer my children to not read such nonsense.

The two main characters start to kiss. This is getting a bit hot, thinks the man. Perhaps we shouldn't, says the woman. Okay we won't, says the man. And that's that.

If you think that that's a bit... childish?... then you really don't want to meet the cat... She's soooo cute and cuddly and how could anyone possibly resist her... Fine for a while but eventually grates on the nerves.

Then there's the moralising. It's not too long but it's regular.

One character will suggest something. Another character will explain that that's wrong, immoral, not nice. The first character will agree. It's not character development, it's morality lessons for the reader.

Perhaps the authors have not heard that authors should show rather than explain.

On the positive side: This is, "A new single-volume epic". I appreciate that. I am rather sick and tired of fantasy books that just have characters from previous volumes carrying on with previous actions. If an author doesn't know how to end the story -- perhaps they should go back to authors' school.

If you believe that The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is essential reading for every child then your children should also be forced to read The Redemption of Althalus. Perhaps Redemption also includes someone being sacrificed. On the bright side, the characters in Redemption are not as creepy as those in the Wardrobe. They are simply so nice, so clever, so always correct and so good... that they make you cringe.

Enough.

Perhaps, too much.

..o0o..

These reviews are provided by Agamedes Consulting. For an independent and thoughtful review of your processes, problems or documents, email nickleth at gmail dot com.

PissWeakly: the Index

Unseen Academicals / Terry Pratchett

Unseen Academicals

category: fantasy, humour, author:

Terry Pratchett

book 37 of Discworld
original copyright 2009

read in December 2011

Agamedes' opinion: 8 out of 10: really quite good

Yet another Discworld book... Many of the same old characters... Still a lot of fun!

Actually, there are more new characters than old. At least, more story built around the new characters. Which is good. For a while, Discworld seemed to be in a bit of a slump, with familiar characters -- admittedly in new adventures -- but acting largely as expected.

Going Postal was an earlier return to form... Well, a return to a new start, with many new characters... Anyway... Going Postal has been made into a movie. Perhaps (I think to myself) because Going Postal has a story which can stand alone.

Unseen Academicals can also stand alone.

Yes, there are several well known wizards of Unseen University. Ridcully's character has become somewhat more realistic, Ponder Stibbons has developed his career and the Dean has changed jobs. Rincewind has a cameo role -- in his usual put-upon style -- but he is now accepted as a regular staff member of UU. The wizards have more depth to their characters.

The non-academic staff of UU has also made an appearance. Many of these characters are new. (To me, anyway. Perhaps they did appear in books that I have not yet read?) These newly-revealed people -- plus a few from outside UU -- play the key roles in Academicals.

The writing style has also changed.

I complained about the hopeless loser role of Rincewind in The Colour of Magic. Now the characters are strong... almost super strong. Nutt the dribbler (see below) is -- to not give too much away -- more than he seems. As he develops his self-confidence, he becomes almost unstoppable... Perhaps even unstoppable, forget the "almost".

Other characters also assert themselves. Which adds up to a totally unbelievable story which is all, perfectly... believable. Believable, that is, given the inherent magic of a world which rides on the backs of elephants which stand on a rather large turtle.

So the characters assert themselves. Far more than in earlier books. The magic is more visible. Even if it is restricted in order to avoid full-on magic wars. And the social commentary is more direct.

The social commentary is hard and direct. Which is fine because it does not in any way detract from the entertainment. In Monstrous Regiment (from memory; I read it long before I began these reviews) the satire is slathered on with a trowel. Hammered home with a sledge hammer. This is not a problem with Academicals.

The satire is strong but not intrusive. The message that everyone deserves to be treated fairly is... well... perhaps slathered on a bit thickly. Yet it does not detract from the fun of the story.

And the societal activity which is the target of this book? It's football... Or soccer, to some.

Which brings me back to Nutt the dribbler.

How do you get those wax candles with the spooky shapes of dribbled wax down the side? You hire a candle dribbler, of course! Which links nicely -- perhaps subtly -- I almost missed it :-) -- to the theme of the book. Which is soccer.

An excellent book in an excellent series. With no-one cast as a hopeless loser. Unless he really deserves it...

..o0o..

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PissWeakly: the Index

Passion for Distance / Julia Thorn

Passion for Distance

category: "other", author:

Julia Thorn

original copyright 2011

read in December 2011

Agamedes' opinion: 6 out of 10

What can I say?! A woman runs 100 marathons and writes a book about it... If you are interested in marathons -- read the book and set your target.

If you are not interested in marathons -- this book is still interesting. It's light and easy to read. There is no pressure to get the reader to follow the author into running around the world. It's just a series of linked anecdotes, backed by some explanation of why the author would run so many marathons...

And the answer is...

Why not?!

Some people collect stamps. Some people go bushwalking. Some people run marathons. Some day I may write a book called, "Our 100 Rogaines".

Julia Thorn presents her achievement -- and the steps on the way -- as just something that she did. Interesting, challenging, more varied than you would expect. No sense of a life-long desire to do something both difficult and memorable... Running 100 marathons is just something that she has done.

I do like the way that Thorn approaches her races. She is not out to win at all costs... She is there to take part.

An early target was to run a marathon in each Australian state. Later, she wanted to set a personal best of three and a half hours. That's a good time but nowhere near Olympic standard. Having achieved that standard -- she stopped.

Not stopped running, but stopped trying to go fast. Thorn is happy to compete. She is not driven to win. This is a good example for anyone, in any sport: take part, enjoy.

That said, her training and approach to running are far more dedicated than my own! Thorn casually refers to taking part in several ultra-marathons; some day I would like to just survive an ordinary marathon. She doesn't train too hard, just a few runs a week an five minutes per kilometer. That rate is, for me, just a (so far) impossible dream.

The book makes you believe that it is possible to move beyond our sedentary limits. The training, the participation, the effort are all described as requiring just a little bit of dedication. Scale the target to your own level -- and you can do it!

My own target is to enter and complete just one marathon. Passion for Distance makes me think that it may be possible. It also makes me think -- reading between the lines -- that it will be difficult -- for me.

Not so much an inspirational book... More a book that celebrates what one woman has done. And that gives the reader an idea of what is possible -- if it's what you want to do.

..o0o..

These reviews are provided by Agamedes Consulting. For an independent and thoughtful review of your processes, problems or documents, email nickleth at gmail dot com.

PissWeakly: the Index

Crossfire / Nancy Kress

Crossfire

category: science fiction, author:

Nancy Kress

original copyright 2003

read in December 2011

Agamedes' opinion: 6 out of 10: read to pass the time

It's an interesting idea: humans caught in the crossfire of an alien war. I read the book and enjoyed it. But it is not great.

At least -- that's my opinion.

The characters are varied and well presented. Different views, different approaches to solving their problems. I find it all a bit annoying.

I like a book with a "hero". Or, at least, a strong author's view of what should be done. Crossfire presents a more realistic view, with people doing their best and hoping that it is good enough. Realistic characterisation? Or just booooring...

The author does seem to prefer the non-violent, sit-thinking-in-the-sun, vegetable aliens. As opposed to the shoot-on-sight, violence-is-the-answer, animal aliens.

But why?!

There should be room in even one universe for both dreamers and doers. Some of the human characters object to the war-stopping solution of turning the doers into enforced dreamers. The objectors argue that this is evil. It's more than that.

It seems that the animal aliens appeared, and started killing the vegetable aliens. Okay, that's bad. Did anyone think to ask why? Apparently not.

Are the animal aliens just naturally vicious? Was there a cultural misinterpretation of some initial vegetable action? Did the vegetable aliens do something so utterly horrible -- in the eyes of the animal aliens -- that vegetable puree is the only satisfactory response?

None of the characters even consider "root causes" of the conflict. After a thousand years of war, with no conclusion in sight, no-one even considers that, perhaps, there could be some room for negotiation. No, it's a straight case of exterminate or be exterminated...

I find that very disappointing. I also find that it weakens my acceptance of the actions of all the characters. The characters see only what is presented to them. They are given options that will effectively exterminate one alien race or the other. The humans do not try to look for a more acceptable outcome.

The crossfire idea is good. The human response is weak. I'd prefer a more imaginative response from the humans. And the humans are too fixed in their personal viewpoints to be particularly interesting.

Still, it's an interesting book. And perhaps there is a follow-up book, where the humans actually solve the alien crisis, rather than simply choosing which race to exterminate...

..o0o..

These reviews are provided by Agamedes Consulting. For an independent and thoughtful review of your processes, problems or documents, email nickleth at gmail dot com.

PissWeakly: the Index

Battlefield Earth / L. Ron Hubbard

Battlefield Earth

category: space opera, science fiction, author:

L. Ron Hubbard

original copyright 1982

read in December 2011 (and before, many years ago)

Agamedes' opinion: 7 out of 10

It's a simple plot: man rides horse out of his decaying, primitive village, goes on to rule the universe. A standard plot for space opera... Although, perhaps, with some twists.

My own standard for space opera is Doc Smith, the Lensman and Skylark series. In the Skylark series an Earth genius, with support from his multi-billionaire best friend, invents and builds a spaceship. He then goes on to rule the First Universe. (His arch-enemy ends up ruling the Second Universe. Doc Smith seemed to realise that the arch-enemy was a more interesting character than the somewhat saccharine hero.)

Battlefield Earth sets an even greater challenge for the hero. Yes, he is a genius but he has to learn everything -- other than how to ride a horse and kill a wild bear with a club -- from his evil captors. Having learnt everything, he utterly destroys those evil captors...

And aren't they just sooo evil! Evil and stupid! Evil, stupid, all-powerful and sooooo easily fooled by our hero!

You really have to read this book with your critical faculties switched off. The characters are cardboard. Racial stereotypes are, well, stereotyped. If you're not a good guy then you're ugly, stupid and easily defeated.

Switch off your politically correct thinking -- and enjoy!

This is space opera at its best -- or worst. It's an enjoyable romp across Earth, then across the universe. (Across the sixteen universes, actually...)

Battlefield is a book to be read and enjoyed, without too much thinking. If it were written today it would be slammed as one-eyed, racially abusive nonsense... Or would it?! I shudder to think how bad the recent movie could have been...

The book is a product of its time, the less-PC eighties.

Speaking of which...

Television last night had "The Grumpies Guide to the Eighties". Clever people paid to froth at the mouth about various topics, with "the Eighties" being last night's topic. And Battlefield Earth is a product of those Eighties...

Having freed Earth, the hero is called upon to guarantee its survival. To do this, he must impress the alien races who threaten to re-invade. The hero dresses in the best that Earth can provide:

He dons his rainbow-reflecting, skin-tight, muscle-emphasising zoot suit. Think... Freddie Mercury, if only he had access to such glittery material.

The hero has his hair done, to the ultimate of dashingly heroic impressiveness... and it's a mullet.

Ah well. Fashions change. But "good" space opera is "good", "forever"...

===

21apr21: I read it again.. enjoy it again -- though I must admit that I start skimming towards the end.

This is still an enjoyable... load of rubbish. Ridiculous. Unbelievable. And still enjoyable.  Though this time, I may return my copy to the second-hand bookshop :-)

..o0o..

These reviews are provided by Agamedes Consulting. For an independent and thoughtful review of your processes, problems or documents, email nickleth at gmail dot com.

PissWeakly: the Index

Change Your Thinking / Sarah Edelman

Change Your Thinking

category: self help, author:

Sarah Edelman

original copyright 2006

read in Feb 2011

Agamedes' opinion: 7 out of 10

"I'll be depressed forever." If that's you -- then get some professional help. That is one clear and helpful message from this book. Beyond that...

The back cover of this book sets the scene with that "depressed" statement. It then says that, "Change Your Thinking is the bestselling practical and reassuring guide to overcoming self-defeating thoughts and behaviour." I can't speak for the "bestselling". I can accept the rest of that claim... Note that I wrote "accept" and not "support" -- I am no expert in this field.

As I read the book -- an hour or so each evening on a too-long stay away from home -- I found that it was reassuring. I'm not a person to slavishly follow. I prefer to question and restate. Yet just reading this book did make me think, my life is not too bad at all...

And now -- dredging my memories of ten months ago -- I still carry a positive opinion of this book. From what I remember:

There are explanations of various types of "bad thinking". You experience a minor setback and you see a major disaster. Check what you see and it may fit one of the books standard misconceptions. Now write down a more realistic view of what has just happened... More realistic and probably (hopefully!) more positive.

The aim is to see your life as it is. Perhaps not through rose-tinted glasses. Certainly not through the dark grey glasses of depression.

Depression?

Depression is a clinical state. There are professionals who specialise in treating depression. Change Your Thinking offers help for people with severe depression -- with the clear proviso that, if symptoms continue, see your doctor... The author is selling help, not a snake oil panacea. It's an honest and sensible approach.

I'm not a slavish follower. I didn't do the exercises, I just read the book. It was still worthwhile.

The book explains why we can get into the habit of being negative. It explains the loose thinking by which we make mountains of misery out of the minor molehills of life. Understand your loose thinking and you can gain a better perspective.

Apply the exercises and you should get even more benefit.

And as the book tells you -- if you are still depressed, see a professional.

All good advice.

..o0o..

These reviews are provided by Agamedes Consulting. For an independent and thoughtful review of your processes, problems or documents, email nickleth at gmail dot com.

PissWeakly: the Index

Ardneh's Sword / Fred Saberhagen

Ardneh's Sword

category: fantasy, sub-adult, author:

Fred Saberhagen

book 1 or ?? of (new) Empire of the East
original copyright 2006

read in November 2011

Agamedes' opinion: 5 out of 10

This book fails to excite. Fails to impress. It's a book which is written by the numbers.

Take one wimpy kid with obvious hero potential. Add a support cast of magician, wise old teacher, tough old soldier, loyal pet with claws. Throw in a mysterious relic, promise of treasure, group of healers who set up business as far from people as possible...?! Sweeten with attractive girl and a group of cute kids...

Yuk !

Arrgh... it flows... Without much rhyme or reason, but things happen in a somewhat logical sequence. The sequence of events has some logic. The motives and actual events lack logic.

I've included this book in the category "sub-adult". Not to insult younger readers... :-) but the plot and motives are simplified. I enjoy a simple plot. But even young readers deserve a less mechanical story-line.

The book is fantasy, based on a post-post-apocalyptic world. "Post-post-apocalyptic?"

The book is set 1000 years after the Empire of the East books... which appear to have been post-apocalyptic. Where a super-computer was battling against... demons?!

So there is an underlying idea of super-technology. In a battle against the demons of myth and magic. This is trite, a cliche, clever enough as the basis for a series... Perhaps the earlier series was fantasy plus science fiction. But enough, it's drifted into pure fantasy.

Especially the ending...

Trying to not give too much away: At the grand finale, the immortal gods of legend are recreated... With their original memories... So if they are immortal -- where have they been?! And what will the real immortal gods say -- and do -- when they find that they have been cloned?!

Good grief!

After all that hard-to-believe non-excitement... This book is revealed as being chapter one of a totally new series: The Post-Post-Post-Apocalyptic World of the New Old Gods.

Groan.

..o0o..

These reviews are provided by Agamedes Consulting. For an independent and thoughtful review of your processes, problems or documents, email nickleth at gmail dot com.

PissWeakly: the Index

The Isle of Glass / Judith Tarr

The Isle of Glass

category: fantasy, author:

Judith Tarr

book 1 of The Hound and the Falcon
original copyright 1985

read in November 2011

Agamedes' opinion: 5 out of 10

Historical fantasy. A mix of real history -- I guess -- with the added element of elves. (I'm not an historian so I only guess that the history is real. Though I guess that it is "real" history that is largely based on dubious documents and word-of-mouth myths. Anyway.)

It's a religious fantasy: an elf who is a monk who accepts the then-current religious belief that elves have no soul. Which raises a severe barrier to my enjoyment of the book.

I have just read a book where people use religious stories as the basis for their own drive for power (The Doomsday Prophecy). To me, Doomsday portrays an accurate view of religion: No matter what the basis of the religion there are always people who will misuse the religious beliefs for their own uses. Isle builds on that view.

The central character of Isle is an elf. A very religious elf -- in the sense that he believes and he is as close to saintly as it is possible to be. And his religious beliefs tear him apart...

This saintly, religious elf believes -- as his religion teaches -- that he has no soul. So he is doomed to have no after-life. No matter how saintly his actual life.

What a miserable premise for a story.

What a depressing book.

Worse yet, nothing much of interest happens.

I have a book from the library: The Hound and the Falcon. It contains three complete novels of which Isle is just the first. My question now is... should I read the next novel?

Probably not, if it's going to be more miserable religious prejudice.

Oh well.

..o0o..

These reviews are provided by Agamedes Consulting. For an independent and thoughtful review of your processes, problems or documents, email nickleth at gmail dot com.

The Doomsday Prophecy / Scott Mariani

The Doomsday Prophecy

category: action, thriller, author:

Scott Mariani

book 2 of Ben Hope
original copyright 2009

read in November 2011

Agamedes' opinion: 8 out of 10

There's a real problem with religious-themed thrillers: if you are not religious then the suspense is often rather weak. I mean, if you're not worried about a second coming then you won't be worried about whether it's this week or next... The Ninth Circle suffers badly from that loss of relevance issue...

So why am I so impressed by Mariani's thriller? I mean, it's just a book about "the end times", and whether they will be this week or next week or... never.

The Doomsday Prophecy is grounded in a reality that is believable -- whether or not you are a doomsday believer. Even the most cynical reader cannot dismiss the power struggle over doomsday-influencing relics. There is no need to believe that angels and demons are battling it out in our backyard. The conflict is very, very human.

The characters and the plot, though... well...

The hero is soooo heroic! No worries, it's a work of fiction :-)

The hero is also heroically nice... He is ethical. He is incorruptible. He is loyal to his friends and kind to passing strangers. He probably sends Christmas gifts to orphans...

All of which, I like.

So what about the plot? Well... It's a bit weak.

Doomsday is action. There is a solid plot, but simple. Twists and turns -- but simple in that the hero just has to follow his nose. Or, at least, to follow the clear leads, from one twist to the next turn.

There is one point though...

The hero has finally reached the end of a massive red herring. He has nowhere to go. No leads left to follow. So what happens?

The villains decide, This man is dangerous, he must be captured. Alive. Which, of course, brings the hero back on the villains' trail!

If only the baddies had kept their heads down, they would be safe. Ah! if only...

That little bit of silliness aside, the plot flows well. Simply, but well enough.

Clear plot, realistic motives, almost-super hero, all good!

This is a good thriller. With tension that does not depend on religious belief.

Well worth the read!

..o0o..

These reviews are provided by Agamedes Consulting. For an independent and thoughtful review of your processes, problems or documents, email nickleth at gmail dot com.

Bone Song / John Meaney

Bone Song

category: fantasy, author:

John Meaney

book 1 of Dark Suspense
original copyright 2008,

read in November 2011

Agamedes' opinion: 9 out of 10

This... is a very weird world! Yet -- within its weirdness -- absolutely logical. If corpses did provide a power source... then this could well be the world that they power.

Better yet... not all the world is the same...

The action is centred on Tristopolis. The central power plant is an awful place... which is no surprise... it is haunted by the dead people who are being tormented to provide the city with power. The power station in the country of Illuria is equally awful... yet in a different way. The energy of the dead is extracted in a different way.

One fantasy world with a variety of self-consistent countries. The countries are inspired -- loosely -- by our own. With a passing reference to a fantasy book series where power is extracted from fossil fuels...

A dark world. Gothic. Yet very human... including the non-humans.

There is a touch of humour in Bone Song. Sometimes black humour, often cynical. The occasional quotable chuckle in a dark detective novel.

The cops are tough, determined and dedicated. Okay, they are very tough. They also work closely with each other, support each other, care for each other. It's easy to like them.

I liked the characters enough to be upset by the sudden death near the end of the book.

Still, that's just me: I like all the good-guy characters to survive...

This is a great book. I hope that there are more.

..o0o..

These reviews are provided by Agamedes Consulting. For an independent and thoughtful review of your processes, problems or documents, email nickleth at gmail dot com.

Opening Atlantis / Harry Turtledove

Opening Atlantis

category: fantasy, author:

Harry Turtledove

book 1 of Atlantis
original copyright 2007,
read in November 2011

Agamedes' opinion: 6 out of 10

Ho hum. A history book.

Okay, it's called an alternative history book. Still starts out boring.

So here's a new very large island, halfway between Europe and America. It's uninhabited. The settlers decide to call it Atlantis.

So what?!

Sometime in the future -- perhaps in the second or third book of Atlantis -- there may be some impact on the world as we know it. So far, it's just settlers settling. And fighting.

The first section of the book -- initial settlement -- is really, really boring. It's a new land. There are new animals. No-one can explain why they are different to animals everywhere else in the known world. Doesn't stop the settlers killing the animals.

The second section is a battle of pirates versus settlers. A bit more excitement. Trouble is -- despite reading quite a few pages of the book so far -- we don't know the characters... Okay, we quickly learn about them. But anyone that we met earlier -- is dead.

Ditto with the third section: Descendants of original settlers fight it out. Quite exciting. Though the British fleet is so powerful that it can provide deus ex machina as and when required.

Am I supposed to be pleased that the British settlers wiped out the French settlers? Well, I'm not. Not that I have any preference for the French...

But wouldn't it be nice if the two groups could find some other way to settle their differences?

In the first section of the book, one settler uses his influence to prevent inter-settlement wars. That's nice, I thought. Perhaps Atlantis will be different.

But no.

Every native animal is being exterminated. Every native plant is being killed. Feral pests -- introduced from the home countries, deliberately and accidentally -- are taking over. Every accessible area of land is being cleared, populated, over-populated and polluted. Every person who is not "one of us" is hated, feared, conquered or killed.

It's a history of Australia...

It's a history of America...

It's a history of the human destruction of any part of our world...

So what's "alternate" about this history?

What Turtledove is saying is, Give humans any new piece of land and they will treat it like dirt.

Not an alternate history.

Just history as it happens. Everywhere.

Depressing.

Boring.

..o0o..

These reviews are provided by Agamedes Consulting. For an independent and thoughtful review of your processes, problems or documents, email nickleth at gmail dot com.

The Ninth Circle / Alex Bell

The Ninth Circle

category: fantasy, author:

Alex Bell

original copyright 2008,
read in November 2011

Agamedes' opinion: 6 out of 10

A man wakes up with no memory of who he is nor of how he lost his memory. A very bad start to any novel.

Sometimes it works, to have the reader follow the protagonist as he struggles to remember. Some very few times. For me, the amnesiac start is a turner-offer.

In Circle, the character is not particularly pleasant. He seems to be involved in some battle over the second coming... of Christ or the anti-Christ. Whoop-dee-doo. He may even be an angel, working with -- and against -- other angels. Other angels who still have their own memories. Boring, over-the-top, may work if you're seriously concerned over traditional good versus evil, and the second coming.
After a very slow fifty pages I start to read faster. Doesn't work... the book is still tedious. I jump ahead, almost 200 pages, to the final memory recovery.

Okay, the denouement is worth reading. Not worth reading the entire book to get there, but worth reading. An interesting idea.

Which then degenerates into a pointless battle with an inconclusive ending.

Really, when you are dealing with supernatural forces which can neither be killed nor defeated -- any story is bound to have an inconclusive ending.

There are, however, two aspects of the book that I do appreciate...

There is no such thing as absolute good, nor absolute evil. Though my impression -- from the bits of this book that I read -- is than Bell has taken that one step further: What appears to be "good" may be mostly "evil". And vice versa. Or, perhaps, what we see as "good" and "evil" is simply PR from creatures battling for their own selfish reasons.

And the second positive aspect?

I am left with the urge to visit Budapest, to see the sights and sculptures and magnificent memorials!
Though I may settle for a visit via Google Earth.

21apr18: 

I start reading again. Start... and give up.

Now that I've looked at my original review -- I agree. A main character who is easy to dislike. A lot of pointless worry as he fails to find his memory but manages to worry -- mostly about himself -- in a pointless and negative fashion.

Ho hum. This time I don't even bother to skip ahead; I'm not interested in how it ends. Nor even in how it develops, since I'm well short of a start let alone an ending.

On the bright side: Since the first review I *have* visited Budapest! And it is indeed a fascinating city! Well worth the visit.

Judging by the view out the windows of the main character's apartment -- he and I stayed in much the same part of Budapest.

Don't bother with this book. Do visit Budapest :-)

..o0o..

These reviews are provided by Agamedes Consulting. For an independent and thoughtful review of your processes, problems or documents, email nickleth at gmail dot com.

Collision Course / William Shatner et al

Collision Course

category: science fiction, author:

William Shatner, with Judith & Garfield Reeves-Stevens

book 1 of Star Trek Academy
original copyright 2007,
read in October 2011

Agamedes' opinion: 8 out of 10

Okay, this is not great literature. I've said it before and I'll say it again: cliches are not all bad...

I mean...

I've said it before and I'll say it again: 8 out of 10 is my opinion. Based -- mostly -- on how much I enjoyed reading the book. And I thoroughly enjoyed reading Collision Course.

You have to admire William Shatner. He has taken to his role as ex-Starfleet Captain James T. Kirk. He has taken to it... but he has not taken it too seriously.

Better yet, he has written a pre-Star Trek novel which maintains the elements which made the original Star Trek great. Characters with high moral standards. With amazing -- unbelievable! -- skills. A lot of clever and intuitive problem solving by Kirk (and by Spock). Some fisticuffs and the ability to charm the socks off attractive women. (But only the socks...)

William Shatner "has written"...??

There are two co-authors. And a comment that this is "an imaginative work deriving solely from the author's personal vision." Perhaps Shatner simply added comments based on his memories of playing the role... Still. I'd rather he take advantage of his previous and most famous role. Rather than deny it. Or, worse yet, run it down. It's nice to have good memories untainted and unchallenged...

If you love the Start Trek characters -- the original Star Trek characters -- then you can't help but love this book.

On the down side, the "science fiction" aspect of the original series is a bit light on in this book. It's almost Star Wars: an adventure which happens to be set in a future world.

Still, who cares?! This is young Jimmy Kirk teaming with young Mr Spock to solve puzzles and beat the baddies! Sure, there are holes in the plot...

The starship is evacuated... Next minute the supposedly empty ship requests permission to leave dock... Permission granted... But who cares!

Just think, "Captain Kirk rules!" and sit back to enjoy the ride :-)

..o0o..

These reviews are provided by Agamedes Consulting. For an independent and thoughtful review of your processes, problems or documents, email nickleth at gmail dot com.

Original Sin / Allison Brennan

Original Sin

category: horror, author:

Allison Brennan

book 1 of Seven Deadly Sins
original copyright 2010,
read in October 2011

Agamedes' opinion: 6 out of 10

I enjoy a book where the author happily throws out convention and invents their own mythology. After all, a novel is creative writing :-) Brennan has taken the standard "calling demons to Earth" story and built her own rules and methodologies.

aside: Though it does cross my mind that, perhaps, I have not read enough recent horror books to know what is now standard... So what?! This is a personal blog offering my personal opinions... I simply hope that you enjoy reading my posts -- opinions -- as much as I enjoy writing them :-)

Demons, it seems are all around us. Raise one and a host of others will be attracted by the ruckus. Well, why not? Not every demon will be successfully banished after its intended purpose is complete.

To add to the difficulty, magic is evil... The heroine can do magic -- she is a trained witch -- but she has realised the error of her ways. Evil demonic powers are the basis for magic so any use of magic is tainted by evil. Take that! all you Harry Potter fans!

Mind you, the heroes are constantly thwarting evil through the use of holy names, holy water and a quick prayer... So what is that if not magic?

The baddies are free to use evil magic as much as they like. The baddies also have their own people in key positions of power. The heroine spends as much time trying not to be arrested, as fighting straightforward black magic.

I wonder why the good-guy organisation has not also seeded positions of democratic power with its own minions of good? Perhaps the only people who can gain positions of bureaucratic power are those people who are inherently evil...

So it's a tough-yet-lonely -- and incredibly beautiful -- girl, battling the powers of evil and the legislatively-supported powers of the sheriff's office. With a small supporting cast, all fighting witches and demons, as they also battle their own internal demons... Simple fun, as they learn to use their powers for niceness and good.

This is an enjoyable book. With what I am beginning to think is a now-standard approach to backstory...

The backstory is revealed as the book progresses. But is it a backstory reveal? Or are these regular reminders of the previous book?!

There seems to be an entire novel in the backstory. Yet this is "book one" of seven. Have I missed book zero?

Or am I learning the new approach to writing... to provide an enormous history... which will only be presented as snippets in books one to seven.

It's confusing... but, hey, it works.

..o0o..

These reviews are provided by Agamedes Consulting. For an independent and thoughtful review of your processes, problems or documents, email nickleth at gmail dot com.

Chaos Space / Marianne de Pierres

Chaos Space

category: science fiction, author:

Marianne de Pierres

book 2 of Sentients of Orion
original copyright 2008,
read in October 2011

Agamedes' opinion: 6 out of 10

This book was a sad disappointment.

It's entertaining. It's imaginative. There is action and adventure.

So why is it disappointing?!

It is simply one chapter of a continuing saga... There are incidents but no story. The book ends with cliffhangers but no conclusion.

The High Crusade / Poul Anderson

The High Crusade

category: science fiction, author:

Poul Anderson

original copyright 1960,
read in Sep 2011

Agamedes' opinion: 7 out of 10

A small group of low level lords, plus all of their vassals and villagers, head off for the Crusades. Instead... they end up in space. Where they promptly begin to "civilise" various planets and peoples.

It's a lot of fun -- and a good book, too.

Is it just a little, well, unrealistic? Or is it possible that space is populated by aliens with not too many street smarts... Is The High Crusade an example of a book based on the natural superiority of the good ol' US of A?

Not to worry: it's a book based on the natural superiority of the British !

There are some interesting aspects to this book...

Blue Diablo / Ann Aguirre

Blue Diablo

category: fantasy, romance, author:

Ann Aguirre

book 1 of Corine Solomon
original copyright 2009,
read in Sep 2011

Agamedes' opinion:7 out of 10

Now that's interesting... I selected the categories for this book: fantasy, romance. Then had second thoughts.

Is this really fantasy?

Is Blue Diablo fantasy? Or is it horror...

I changed the categories. "Fantasy, romance" became "horror, romance". Then I changed my mind again... back to, "fantasy, romance". The fantasy is fantastic -- but perhaps a bit too brutal. Is it slipping into horror? Time to check Wikipedia...

Horror fiction is a genre of literature, which is intended to, or has the capacity to frighten its readers, inducing feelings of horror and terror. (Wikipedia, 29 Sep 2011)

Yes, Blue Diablo could frighten its readers. If the readers were sweet innocents who had not grown up on graphic computer games and violence in tv news. If the readers could believe that evil could possibly conquer a heroine who worries that her arse is too big, or a hero who could probably crack walnuts on his abs. If the readers would have feelings of horror and terror when it's revealed that the villain is the person who has very shifty eyes and an evil sneer...

Yes, it's that obvious!

To be more accurate I should say that this book is "romance, fantasy/horror". It is a romance. With a plot based on fantasy or horror themes, take your pick. In the genre of Twilight and True Blood. With the be-still-my-beating-heart feel of Twilight. The beautiful yet insecure southern heroine of True Blood but without the tie-me-up-and-whip-me-please approach to "love".

Corine Solomon -- the heroine of Diablo -- is sweet and uncertain but with a tough and independent centre. She's a slave to her hyperactive hormones -- but attempts to fight back with realism and logic. Of course, her hormones will win -- and be right :-)

. . .

Perhaps I just haven't noticed it before... Perhaps a heavy back-story has been used for many years. Perhaps it's just that I have only noticed it in relatively recent books: Blue Diablo -- apparently the first Corine Solomon novel -- is written as though it is book two. At least, for the first half.

The heroine is constantly referring to past adventures. I began to wonder, Have I missed book one? Yet by the end of the book, all is clear. The back-story is merged into the current action; merged in smaller chunks than I am used to.

I have struck that before, in just five or six other novels: a back-story which is referred to as though it were an already-published prequel. Diablo makes it all clear by the end. Of the others, perhaps half left me wondering. And for one, there was an already-published prequel...

So this book is a heavy breathing, should I shouldn't I, which incredible hunk is my true love, sort of book. Set in a fantasy world of modern America with warlocks and other magic.

The body count rises rapidly at the end. The blood flows, flesh is splattered. The evil warlock uses magic to support the modern evil of sex slavery. The violence is cartoonish but it is not kids' stuff.

Yet the key conflict remains unsettled, waiting on book two, or three, or... The key conflict? Will the heroine ever get back with her one true love...

Ah shucks :-)

btw: I passed this book to a young woman who needed a light book to fill an idle hour. She commented, Yes, it's good. Very tight.

So Blue Diablo may, in fact, be a tightly written novel. But I don't worry about that.

I enjoyed the book. That's what PissWeakly reviews are all about: Did I enjoy it?

I enjoyed reading Blue Diablo. You may, too.

..o0o..

These reviews are provided by Agamedes Consulting. For an independent and thoughtful review of your processes, problems or documents, email nickleth at gmail dot com.

Dark Space / Marianne de Pierres

Dark Space

category: science fiction, author:

Marianne de Pierres

book 1 of Sentients of Orion
original copyright 2007,
read in September 2011

Agamedes' opinion: 7 out of 10

Complex, violent and well-imagined. An interesting world and one which is not really missed when it is mostly destroyed...

Lots of characters. Most have a part to play -- though some do not. Yet. This is clearly book one of... several. It does, however, stand by itself.

Lots going on, it takes a while to follow the various characters. After a while it gets clearer.

Still, there is -- perhaps -- too much going on. It does make for an interesting book. It could have been simplified... perhaps.

This book can be read by itself; there is a satisfying conclusion. Really, though, it is very clearly a book which is meant to be read as, part one of... several.

..o0o..

These reviews are provided by Agamedes Consulting. For an independent and thoughtful review of your processes, problems or documents, email nickleth at gmail dot com.

The Venus Series / Edgar Rice Burroughs

Pirates of Venus
and
Lost on Venus

category: space opera, author:

Edgar Rice Burroughs

book 1 & 2 of The Venus Series
original copyright 1932, 1933,
read in September 2011 (and before, in 1997)

Agamedes' opinion: 7 out of 10

Carson Napier makes a one way trip to Venus... How does his story get back to Earth? Luckily for us, Carson was taught telepathy...

Amtor (or Venus, as we call it) is populated by humans, near-humans and sub-humans. Evolution on Amtor follows a similar path to that on Earth, with the human form being top of the evolutionary ladder. The good humans look good and the bad humans have shifty eyes.

The jungles of Amtor are populated by wild beasts -- mostly ferocious, mostly bad-tempered. There are many harmless beasts but they are generally eaten then forgotten. Only the vicious killers get more than a page of description!

These adventures on Amtor are full of heroic acts and incredible coincidences...

Do androids dream of electric sheep? / Philip K. Dick

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?

category: science fiction, author:

Philip K. Dick

original copyright 1968,
read in September 2011 (and before, in Feb 05)

Agamedes' opinion: 5 out of 10

Sadly dated.

Or, perhaps, it's just me...

In 1968 -- when Androids was written -- perhaps I would have agreed with Dick, that the world was going downhill fast. That nuclear war, lifelike androids and interplanetary migration were just around the corner. That by 1992 emotional control and telepathic empathy would be implemented and automated. By 1992!

Perhaps it is just me. Perhaps I have changed.

As I started to read Androids I thought, What a gloomy world. What an extreme case of all that is bad overcoming all that is... well... better. I seem to have a less negative view of the future of humanity.

Not a positive view. Just, less negative.

Turn Coat / Jim Butcher

Turn Coat

category: fantasy, author:

Jim Butcher

book 11 of the Dresden Files
original copyright 2009,
read in Sep 2011

Agamedes' opinion: 8 out of 10

With each Dresden Files book, Butcher adds complexity -- and danger. Not quite the right word... Let me explain.

The plots have always been somewhat complex: these books are detective mystery fantasy. The complexity is added by the scope of characters.

Dresden works in modern Chicago. With various "fantasy" realms which add magic to the mix. Each novel stands alone but each novel adds to the background. In Dresden's world you can't simply say, this is a Vampire problem... It's, Which group of Vampires? How does it affect the Wizard Council? Will the Faerie get involved? etc, etc, etc.

I have not read all of the Dresden Files, so some references go over my head. Doesn't matter, there is sufficient explanation in this book. I suspect, however, that it would not be wise to read this book -- eleventh in the series -- as your first Dresden novel. It would be like joining a tv soap opera in the middle of its third season...

Hunter's Run / George R.R. Martin et al

Hunter's Run

category: science fiction, author:

George R.R. Martin, Gardner Dozois, Daniel Abraham

original copyright 2007,
read in Sep 2011 (and before, in Feb 2009)

Agamedes' opinion: 7 out of 10

In its first 20 or so pages this book would normally have been ringing serious warning bells. Bad book, bad book, bad book. However, I also remembered that I had read this book before -- and enjoyed it. So what was... almost... so bad?

• The hero starts the book with no knowledge of who or where he is. Bad sign. The reader can expect to be confused. Even worse, the hero doesn't know how he got to his current position. Warning: confusing flashbacks dead ahead...
• The hero is Mexican. A "non middle-class white American" sometimes works... but is often just... because. In an author's note Dozois had read, "Where is the space hero who is Mexican?" and thought, "that was a fair question." So, although he "didn't know much about Mexican culture," he decided to make his hero a Mexican. This token Mexicanism should scare the sensitive reader...
• The hero has just killed someone in a knife fight. The reader is lead to wonder, Who will he kill next?
• Final danger sign: there are three authors. The first is George RR Martin. The same author who put his name to Busted Flush -- a comic book which forgot to include the explanatory pictures.

Despite all this... Hunter's Run is not too bad at all.

Sure, the introduction -- called an "Overture", for no good reason; there is no musical theme to the book -- the introduction is set a few solid steps into the plot. We then flash back... and forward... and back... and... Anyway,

The Uplift War / David Brin

The Uplift War

category: science fiction, author:

David Brin

book 3 of Uplift
original copyright 1987,
read in July 2011 (and before, several years ago)

Agamedes' opinion: 9 out of 10

We were heading off on holiday. I needed a book to read... (Never be caught with an hour to spare and no book to read!) Picked up The Uplift War...

What a great book! Just as much fun as the first time I read it. And that was long enough ago that the book was still able to surprise me. (Mind you, even when I immediately re-read a book -- I am surprised by how much I missed the first time!)

Unfortunately... I then read another book on that holiday. Came home to re-start yet another... And failed to review Uplift.

So memory has faded.

There was action and adventure. Suspense and humour. Excellent Earthlings -- of several species -- and believable aliens. All tied into a universe so exciting -- so full of possibility -- that you just wish it were true...

Though there is one... over-riding... problem:

Nimisha's Ship / Anne McCaffrey

Nimisha's Ship

category: science fiction, romance, author:

Anne McCaffrey

original copyright 1998, read in September 2011

Agamedes' opinion: 6 out of 10

McCaffrey at her sweetest...

It's an easy book to read... as long as you can stand saccharine! Well, no, not that bad. But really:

A wormhole in space is swallowing spaceships. The ships get damaged in transit and -- at best -- land heavily. On unknown and highly dangerous planets. Crew and passengers die horribly as they learn the dangers of their new home...

Until Nimisha arrives.

Nimisha has a brand new spaceship which she designed and (almost) built by herself. So Nimisha and Nimisha's ship arrived undamaged and introduce themselves to the earlier castaways... And no-one else dies. Well, they can't die, because everyone is so nice.

Pawn of Prophecy / David Eddings

Pawn of Prophecy

category: fantasy, young adult, author:

David Eddings

book 1 of The Belgariad
original copyright 1982,
read in August 2011

Agamedes' opinion: 6 out of 10

Perhaps this book is worth more than six out of ten. Perhaps I was influenced by having just read a much better book. I had just read Jim Butcher's Furies of Calderon -- and found Pawn to be very weak in comparison.

Pawn of Prophecy is a much older book. It targets a younger audience. The lucky coincidences and holes in the plot are even larger than in Furies... But does all this matter?

The two worst parts of Pawn are at the beginning...

Right there on the cover is printed, "A classic coming-of-age epic". A quote attributed to Christopher Paolini. Paolini?! What would Paolini know about a good book?!

Furies of Calderon / Jim Butcher

Furies of Calderon

category: fantasy, young adult, author:

Jim Butcher

book 1 of The Codex Alera
original copyright 2004,
read in August 2011

Agamedes' opinion: 8 out of 10

This book is, "A classic coming-of-age epic". Actually, this quote is pinched from the cover of another book, Pawn of Prophecy, which will be the next to be reviewed. Both Pawn and Furies are coming-of-age fantasies. One book is much better than the other.

Furies of Calderon says, in its Prologue, that the course of history is determined by the actions of the individual. The book then documents the actions of several individuals... and documents them well.

The characters are strong and well-meaning. Even the baddies have good intentions. The book even provides a nice piece of philosophy to explain the motivations of the bad guys:

The Badgy Book / Diane West et al

The Badgy Book

category: collection, travel, author:

Diane West et al

original copyright 1998

Agamedes' opinion: valuable!

Not much that I can really say about this book... since I didn't read it.

We were driving north from Perth and stopped for a break at Badgingarra. Nothing much there but all we wanted was a break from driving. All I knew about Badgingarra was, that my brother lived and worked on a farm in the area, many years ago.

We stopped in the shop. Only one shop in town, as far as we could see. So we stopped there. Ordered coffees and cake...

... And saw, The Badgy Book.

That, I said, looks interesting... Well, interesting to my brother, anyway. The book is a collection of stories and anecdotes. Stories of the development and growth and people of the Badgingarra area. It's been perhaps thirty years since my brother lived here, he does keep in touch with friends from the area, he may know some of the people writing and being written about.

Diane West... the first of several authors... Surely my brother knows Diane West?! I'm sure I've heard the name.

Diane West? I say to the woman in the shop. I think that my brother knows her...

Diane died, a few years ago, replies the woman.

Oh.

We bought the book, we drank, snacked and relaxed. Walked through the nearby Vern Westbrook Walk -- very interesting -- and carried on driving.

This is the sort of book that every town, village, association, interest group... should write.

Surface Detail / Iain M. Banks

Surface Detail

category: science fiction / fantasy, author:

Iain M. Banks

book 12(?) of Culture
original copyright 2010,
read in Aug 2010

Agamedes' opinion: 5 out of 10

If I wanted to pick just one word to summarise Surface Detail, it would be "tedious". The author seems to have forgotten to add "action" to his check-list. For the first 400 or so pages... nothing much happens.

Rather, things are happening -- but those happenings are swamped by... well... the surface detail of descriptions of the Culture. Oh, look! here's something wonderful! How does it advance the story? Not at all... But look, it's wonderful!

Go back and watch the very first Star Wars movie. The first one that was made, I mean. Look at the background, the detail, the little robots running round polishing and cleaning. Does anyone say, Look at that little robot! Isn't it wonderful!

No...

Rider at the Gate / C.J. Cherryh

Rider at the Gate

category: science fiction / fantasy, author:

C.J. Cherryh

book 1 of Nighthorse
original copyright 1995,
read in August 2011

Agamedes' opinion: 8 out of 10

Is there a clear distinction between "fantasy" and "science fiction"? No...

Rider at the Gate is science fiction. I say so, Wikipedia says so, our state library says so. The library has also categorised this book as fantasy -- and I agree.

The author has created a brand new world. A world in which animals -- all of the indigenous animals -- use telepathy. So far -- this is pure fantasy.

The world has been settled by... not a local tribe of dwarfs, not an invading group of orcs... but by non-telepathic humans. Humans from another planet. From another planet? Oh, okay... this book must be "science fiction"... But it's not.

Colony / Rob Grant

Colony

category: science fiction, humour, author:

Rob Grant

original copyright 2000,
read in Jul 2011

Agamedes' opinion: 6 out of 10

There on the cover is this book's big selling point: Rob Grant, co-creator of Red Dwarf. The cover picture -- on my copy! -- is of a head which looks a lot like Arnold Rimmer. A head with a sneer. A head in a bottle.

Not sure if this is all positive or negative...

Arnold Rimmer is the best actor in Red Dwarf. He is quite a good character. One of the show's failings is that it too often leaves Rimmer as an idiotic loser with no saving graces.

Was Colony going to be a story of an idiotic loser with no redeeming graces? Yuk :-(

Blood / Joseph Glass

Blood

category: thriller, author:

Joseph Glass

book 2 of Dr Susan Shader
original copyright 2000,
read in Jul 2011

Agamedes' opinion: 6 out of 10

The library has categorised this book as "horror". Perhaps it does have "the capacity to frighten its readers, inducing feelings of horror and terror." Perhaps I'm just too blase...

There are rapes, murders, mutilations, combinations of all three. Plus various other nasties. There is some detail -- but far less than in the gore-porn of tv shows such as Silent Witness.

On the other hand -- there is never any real threat to the heroine. Not after she's already survived a previous book! Though one character seemed pointless until she became a final victim.

All in all, I felt neither horror nor terror. Perhaps some sympathy for the victims, some disgust at the baddies -- including the legal baddies.

Out of Time / Samantha Graves

Out of Time

category: romance, author:

Samantha Graves

follows on from Sight Unseen
original copyright 2008,
read in Jul 2011

Agamedes' opinion: 7 out of 10

If you like romance -- this is romance. Add some paranormal powers, bad guys who won't hesitate to kill. Love, lovers and betrayal. And a hero and heroine who fall in bed and then fall in love -- despite their own best efforts.

Yes, it's a romance :-) And very enjoyable.

The hero is so macho that every right-thinking girl will swoon. All he needs is the softening influence of "the right woman" to help him understand that yes, there is good in the world.

The heroine is beautiful, strict and boring. With the ability to kick butt, thanks to a short course in self defence. All she needs is a macho hero, to help her realise that she is as good as anyone else in the world. And possibly better.

The Left Hand of Darkness / Ursula K. Le Guin

The Left Hand of Darkness

category: science fiction, author:

Ursula K. Le Guin

original copyright 1969,
read in Jun 2011 (and before, in about 1972)

Agamedes' opinion: 4 out of 10

I read this years ago. Back then, I devoured science fiction... I read so fast that I often could not remember the names of the author... I read and enjoyed -- or not -- and moved right on to the next book. Perhaps that is why I have no negative memories of The Left Hand.

This time -- it's boring.

From the blurb, this book "poses [questions] about sexuality, gender roles and the organisation of society". Yes, that's the way I remember it. This time, though, I seem to be struck by a heavy dose of cynicism.

The planetary setting is both freezing cold and populated by hermaphrodites. As I read it, the lack of wars is due to the hermaphroditism of its inhabitants: because they spend most of their time as neuters, they do not have the testosterone drive to start wars.

On the other hand,

Club Dead / Charlaine Harris

Club Dead

category: fantasy, author:

Charlaine Harris

book 3 of True Blood
original copyright 2003,
read in Jul 2011

Agamedes' opinion: 6 out of 10

A book from a series which has spawned a tv series. What more can I say?

Well...

Several books in this series had been written before 2005, the copyright year of Twilight. If anything is derivative, it's Twilight. Which just goes to show:

Sure, you can copy the idea: ordinary girl loves vampire, gets tangled up in vampire world. Faces vampire-related dangers. But you can still make it better.

Club Dead gets off to a slow start. At least, it seems slow... perhaps because I'm starting with the third book in the series. I have not had time to learn to love the heroine -- nor to understand her relationship with her vampire lover.

The book stars Sookie Stackhouse. Does the author know what sooky is to an Australian? Try, "complaining, whingeing, sad; jealous." And that exactly describes the Sookie of the story. Especially at the start, as she fails to cope with the apparent loss of affection from her vampire lover.

Is he worth the effort of caring? Not as far as I can tell from this book. Perhaps there is reason to care, in the previous two books.

Then there's the vampire race.

Maxwell & Williams "Microstoven"

Non-stick pot: Microstoven

by Maxwell & Williams

category: gadget, author:

Agamedes

bought in 2010, lasted till 2011

Agamedes' opinion: 3 out of 10: So bad it's embarrassing

About eighteen months ago we were given a present, a Maxwell & Williams non-stick cook-pot.

A beautiful pot with a clever name: Microstoven... Microstoven... get it? MICROwave + STOVE + OVEN... Clever, eh?

Here's the label from the bottom of the pot:

The pot feels great. Light and smooth. A pleasure to work with. And non-stick, the label says so.

There is more information on that label. A series of icons:

The Rise of the Iron Moon / Stephen Hunt

The Rise of the Iron Moon

category: science fiction: steampunk, author:

Stephen Hunt

book 3 of Jackals
original copyright 2009,
read in June 2011

Agamedes' opinion: 6 out of 10

As I started reading I thought, yes, this is quite fun. As I read on I down-graded my assessment. Part of it is the standard problem, of reading first the third book in a series.

But there's more.

Iron Moon introduces a couple of interesting characters. So far, so good. Then we jump to the characters from -- it seems -- previous books. Who -- because the author already knows them -- get just a sketchy introduction. There is a basic dissonance: thorough introductions to characters who turn out to be second-string support, weak introductions to main characters.

Reading just this one book, there is very little to attract me to the main characters.

Okay... All of that is a problem with having missed the first two books in the series. But...

There are three main characters -- and a whole lot of Star Trek ensigns...

Breaking Dawn / Stephenie Meyer

Breaking Dawn

category: romance, author:

Stephenie Meyer

book 4 of Twilight
original copyright 2008,
read in May 2011

Agamedes' opinion: 8 out of 10

At last (for me) the final chapter in the Twilight saga! And what a saga it has been... Oh! the suffering! Oh! the drama! Oh! the romance...!

Yes, I have enjoyed Breaking Dawn just as much as I enjoyed books one, two and three in the Twilight series. There is, however, one major strength which is also a weakness, in this final book of the series.

Typically enough -- as the fourth book -- you expect that the weakness is to do with unfamiliarity with the characters. Unfamiliarity for the reader who starts at book four, that is. Well, no...

Aside: Category: romance? Yes, definitely. Romance is the main theme of the entire series. Fantasy? Yes, there are plenty of fantasy elements. And I don't just mean that true love is a fantasy! Horror? Hardly! Still... there are vampires, there are werewolves, there is sudden death and threat of sudden death. So, okay, add the horror label... Really, though, this is pure romance set in a world of fantasy.

This book is a conclusion. A wrap-up. In fact, I only started reading the Twilight series because of a book review which said that this book was a good conclusion... So I started reading only because I had been promised a satisfactory ending. (In general I tend to avoid books which become instant cult fiction. On the unsubstantiated grounds that cult means rubbish and that a cult series means never-ending rubbish.)

So, this book is definitely a conclusion.

Tangled Webs / Anne Bishop

Tangled Webs

category: horror, author:

Anne Bishop

book 6 of Black Jewels
original copyright 2008,
read in May 2011

Agamedes' opinion: 3 out of 10

This book is so bad that it's embarrassing.

The Outback Stars / Sandra McDonald

The Outback Stars

category: military science fiction, author:

Sandra McDonald

book 1 of three
original copyright 2007,
read in May 2011

Agamedes' opinion: 7 out of 10

There's a lot going on in this book... A lot to like, too.

First, there's the space ship. It is huge! Giant blocks of self-contained cities (or cargo holds), attached to a base, to form one enormous ship. If you have the power to push (not that there is any explanation of the power source) then why not push a lot. There's no friction in space, so no need to be neat, no need for aerodynamics.

The spaceships travel along mysterious rivers in space. Shortcuts between the stars. Created by a long-vanished alien race... Again, no explanations. The shortcuts simply exist.

One of the sub-plots is the search for better control of an alternative -- also alien, unexplained -- transportation system. A bit of mysticism here, with dream messages from Dreamtime spirits... Though that could as well be telepathic communications from the aliens, since this book is "science fiction".

Amongst all of this technology -- the real story is of the crew who work in Supply on the spaceship.

Bridge of Birds / Barry Hughart

Bridge of Birds

category: fantasy, author:

Barry Hughart

book 1 of Master Li and Number Ten Ox
original copyright 1984,
read in May 2011

Agamedes' opinion: 7 out of 10

Something different...

This is fantasy set in old China. Not in a post-apocalyptic, China now rules the world, reconstructed China. Nor an alternative, these aliens act Chinese China. But the "real" ancient China. The China of legend.

That said, perhaps the legends have been rewritten.

Did you ever watch Monkey? The TV series with the trouble-making monkey god, his companion Pigsie, others whose names escape me and the monk, who acts as Monkey's guide and conscience. Every episode a new adventure, a new villain. And many of the villains turned out to be demons.

Bridge of Birds is a bit like that: Over the top adventures with demonic enemies. Though without Monkey's terrible dubbing, thank goodness!

Death Masks / Jim Butcher

Death Masks

category: fantasy, action, author:

Jim Butcher

book 5 of The Dresden Files
original copyright 2003,
read in May 2011

Agamedes' opinion: 8 out of 10

After a few rather disappointing books -- it's great to get back to an enjoyable author! I've read a few of Butcher's books and enjoyed them all. Action, humour, magic and great characters...

I've categorised Death Masks as "fantasy, action"... I don't (yet?!) have a category for "crime". The whole Dresden Files series is gumshoe: hard-boiled private investigator with dames, booze, thugs and scheming evil villains... Philip Marlowe, I think, is the original. (Must read some Philip Marlowe books!)

The Dresden villains are particularly evil. When bad guys can be demons and other supernatural creatures, evil is easy to arrange. On the other hand, there are also some really, really, good, good guys. Ones who work for the angel who reports directly to God, for example.

Amongst all this, the author -- via PI and wizard Harry Dresden -- maintains an almost science fiction attitude: all these gods, demons, faeries, ogres, they are just creatures from alternate universes -- or planes of existence -- with their own powers and drives and rules.

Busted Flush / George R.R. Martin

Busted Flush

category: fantasy, author:

not really George R.R. Martin

book 19 of Wild Cards
original copyright 2008,
read in May 2011

Agamedes' opinion: 3 out of 10

Apparently, this is a "mosaic novel". That may mean, "Don't blame me, I only wrote some of it." Or possibly, "Be nice to me and I'll publish some of your work in 'my' next 'novel'."

It's "mosaic" because there are nine separate authors. Each author writes a series of related chapters. The series of related chapters are then interspersed to form a book. Perhaps, by the end of the book, the separate series of chapters somehow link together. Or perhaps not.

btw: None of the authors are George R.R. Martin.

A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. As far as I read, Busted Flush is a series of short stories. Perhaps they do -- eventually -- join up to form "a long narrative". Perhaps not. As far as I read it was a series of short stories and not a novel.

As a book, this is a comic.

All Tomorrow's Parties / William Gibson

All Tomorrow's Parties

category: science fiction, author:

William Gibson

original copyright 1999,
started reading in April 2011

Agamedes' opinion: 4 out of 10

The most interesting thing about this book is the word map generated by my review:

The map was generated by Wordle... What a brilliant idea! I simply pasted in the text of the review...

Then found that the word "good" was highly visible. I had used "good" in the negative sense, of "no good reason" to read the book. Yet the single word "good" leaped out of the word map...

Just goes to show: It's not the words that give meaning, it's the way we use those words.

btw: The above map was generated by pasting the text -- with the word "good" removed. So the map is meaningless but at least it is not misleading.

---

I started reading this book. Found it a bit hard to get into it, read another. Read a couple more. Read a few more chapters of this book. Gave it away as a bad job.

Near future science fiction: don't like it. Miserable characters: no thanks. Confusing story with random jumps to unexplained situations: need a good reason to read on... I found no good reason.

I don't know what was going on. I don't know who the characters were, neither the ones we met nor the ones referred to by the characters we did meet.

Gave up reading.

..o0o..

These reviews are provided by Agamedes Consulting. For an independent and thoughtful review of your processes, problems or documents, email nickleth at gmail dot com.