Legend / David Gemmell

Legend
by David Gemmell

fantasy, action
first (or last!) of the Druss / Drenai saga

copyright 1986
read in December 2012

rated 8 /10: really quite good

Started off just a bit clichéd... until I realised that Gemmell may have begun this particular boy-meets-girl, fight-side-by-side, fight-each-other, fall-in-love cliche...

Then there's the cold-looks, scares-baddie, sword-wielding-inspires-heroism-and-loyalty super-hero... Gemmell may have invented this one, too. He has certainly taken the cliches and run with them!

Anyway...

This is a rip-roaring yarn of sword and sorcery. A steady build-up of action. Heroic deeds against insuperable odds. With gentlemanly violence on either side.

You can almost imagine Bertie Wooster telling Jeeves to lay out the best silver: Tonight we dine with the enemy, tomorrow we slaughter them. Pip, pip, old chap!

It's a war of brutality, violence and Queensberry Rules. Fight for life and freedom, give no quarter, respect the enemy. And allow some time for true love to bloom.

Right from the start there is an expectation that the good guys are on a hiding to nothing. There is no way that they can win. Very little chance that they can even survive. And by the end -- nearly everyone is, indeed, dead.

Despite this, the book is positive.

The fighters know why they fight. The dead, gave their lives for a cause in which they believed. The survivors know that they did not fight in vain.

Apparently Lord of the Rings was an inspiration. LotR is an epic battle of good versus evil. Legend is also an epic battle... of good versus good-from-another-perspective. Interesting...

Legend is the tale of a single battle. Made epic by the scale, the people and the overall understanding of what makes a great story.

Legendary.

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Problems ? Solved

The Adventures of Sally / P.G. Wodehouse

The Adventures of Sally
by P.G. Wodehouse

humour
written in 1922
read in December 2012

rated 7 /10: well worth reading

Before I read this book I expected to write, Another great book by Wodehouse... What else can I say.

I mean, I've read enough Wodehouse to know the style: charming, light, warm.

Yet Sally is different...

The Adventures of Sally is set largely in America rather than England. The characters are mostly American. And not every character is likeable!

There is the boxer who enjoys hitting his opponents. There is the money man who is a fool for his woman. His woman, who is her own woman and a fool.

The first fiance turns out to be a self-centred, self-pitying incompetent. The second fiance -- despite being an Englishman -- is an unpleasant snob.

I am surprised!

Perhaps it's because the book is set in America... a melting pot of races, people and classes. Whereas Bertie Wooster and his friends live in splendid upper-class English isolation.

Perhaps the characters of Sally were based on observation of actual Americans... Wodehouse did live in America for most of his life. And, as a corollary, the Wodehouse England may have been based on youthful memories and rose-tinted imagination...

For whatever reason, this book includes several characters who may be actively disliked. Which is unusual -- in my limited readings of Wodehouse.

Is this really unusual? Or is my Wodehouse experience too limited...

I look forward to reading more books by P.G. Wodehouse. I know that I will enjoy them. And I am interested to see if I will meet more of these definitely dislikeable Americans.

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The Way of Shadows / Brent Weeks

The Way of Shadows
by Brent Weeks

Night Angel (1)
fantasy

copyright 2008
read in December 2012
rated 8 / 10: really quite good

At the end of this book the author writes that the truly evil part of this story is near the start, in the abuse of children in street gangs. The rest, he writes, is tough and gritty but infused with hope.

Tough and gritty... indeed!

This book -- first of a trilogy -- tells of the hero's rise from child crim and victim, to professional assassin. Sounds bad, I know. Yet this trainee assassin has feelings and principles. The quintessential killer with a heart of gold...

Okay, the concept is a cliche. Implemented well.

The characters are troubled and sympathetic. I think that "conflicted" is the correct word... Sometimes that means that you don't know what they will do next -- nor why. With Weeks' characters you can understand their motivations. And even if you dislike some of their actions, you can see why they acted that way.

The death count rises rapidly in the last third of the book... Some likeable characters are killed. We are, after all, in book one of three. There is death and tragedy -- but not despair. The good guys suffer -- but they are fighting... and winning minor victories.

The characters move from personal suffering, to personal success, to global suffering, to personal survival. Just as they drag themselves clear of personal issues, the global problems take precedence...

As the heroes overcome their personal challenges, I grow to like them. As the challenges grow, I am cheering for the heroes. And the heroes come through...

The book ends with global catastrophe and personal success. A very satisfactory cliff-hanger of an ending...

I look forward to reading book two of this trilogy.

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Problems ? Solved

Astrotruckers / Mikael Niemi

Astrotruckers
by Mikael Niemi
translated from Swedish by Laurie Thompson

written in 2004
translated in 2007
read in December 2012

science fiction, collection
rated as 6 / 10: read to pass the time

A lot of interesting science fiction type ideas. Some social satire presented with a dash of sometimes rough humour. A Scandinavian view of the world. What's not to like?

Well, it's not a novel. It's not even a collection of short stories. It's a collection of ideas.

Some of the ideas are presented as stories. Those stories add very little to the core idea. The occasional comment by the author that this is not a story... well... honest but adds very little to the enjoyment of reading.

Niemi -- the author -- has a heap of interesting ideas. He has taken a lazy approach to these ideas: here they are, I'm not going to wrap them up in the fancy framework of a story...

All very nice. An idea for its own sake.

Unfortunately it leaves me not asking for more.

The ideas are mixed, so there is no theme which makes me think, I'd like to read more. There are no regular characters, so I am not left wondering, what will they do next.

So okay, read this book to pass the time. And to open your mind to some interesting and possibly new ideas.

I'm hoping to find the interesting ideas in a book with a plot and characters. With a beginning a middle and an end. That is, in a story.

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Problems ? Solved

Apocalypse Cow / Michael Logan

Apocalypse Cow
by Michael Logan

published 2012
Science Fiction
rating 7 /10: well worth reading

Here's a funny quote from Terry Pratchett: "Apocalypse Cow made me snort with laughter." That could be the funniest line in (though it's actually on) this book.

There are suggestions that this book is humorous. It is not. There are some ironic, even sarcastic, comments on society. There are some chuckles.

Mostly, this is a blood-spattered action-packed adventure. Typical horror story, perhaps, with people dying -- horribly -- on every other page. Read the back cover and you get an idea of how few people will survive to the end of the book... Then the compulsory, but wait, it's not over yet, ending.

So it's not humour. Despite Terry Pratchett's humorous introduction.

On the other hand... it's quite a good book.

At the start we are introduced to the main characters. And what an unlikeable lot they are! There are some tiny little positive notes. Yet it reads like some of the worst books of so-called humour, where noone could possibly like any of the characters.

And yet...

Those tiny positives grow. The characters become likeable. Until -- by half way through -- I do care what happens to them.

Then there's all the telling rather than showing. Quite a lot of it. Yet each lot of telling is short. Not long enough to be boring, just enough to be noticeable.

So as a novel it has faults. Yet it is an enjoyable novel. Once I get to know the characters, I like them. Well, I like the small handful who are good guys, anyway.

And by the last third of the book -- I wanted to read on, to find out what happens next.

A good book, worth reading. As long as you are willing to read rather tasteless descriptions of violent death. And open descriptions of the feelings and physical responses of the horny teenager...

A difficult start but it improved, markedly.

Give it a go. Laugh at the clever title. Enjoy the action and horror -- with occasional chuckles and some depth of character. Not perfect but well worth reading.

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Dream Stone / Glenna McReynolds

Dream Stone
by Glenna McReynolds

fantasy
follows The Chalice and the Blade

copyright 1998
read in December 2012
rating 8: really quite good

This book is "really quite good" if you like romantic fantasy! I just like adventure, nice characters and a satisfactory ending. This book has all of that.

Dream Stone is a dream of summer, with the richness of life glowing in the glorious sunshine. It's a dream of spring, with love bursting forth in all its heartfelt splendour. It is a dream of autumn, with everyday work to be done in preparation for winter.

And it's a dream of winter, with danger and the threat of death for the unwary.

Does that sound rather poetic? I hope so... because Dream Stone is an epic myth set in blank verse...

Well, not really. What I'm trying to say is, this is a book which reads like an epic poem. Flows and rhythms and images and imagination... Yet so very readable.

McReynolds has written -- it seems to me! -- from the heart. The result, is a story which glows.

Okay, it's not a genre-shattering classic. Yet it is a very enjoyable book.

Tolkien's hobbits are amazed to realise that Elves have lived through three Ages of the world. McReynolds' fairies have lived just as long, yet they are the everyday heroes of the story. It's a different -- and enjoyable -- point of view.

Their everyday lives are included in the story. Not in the sense of, look, I've created a complete world... It's just, life continues on, around the adventure.

The love scenes are over the top... Sex, in the forget-to-breathe style of Twilight. Yet with the reality of not-always-perfect first attempts.

Battle scenes are... vague. Raise the magic sword, charge ahead... then skip forward to counting the dead bodies. This is a fantasy romance, the battles are simply parts of the plot... Devices to provide threat -- and to add stress to the romantic relationships.

This is a simple story which is set in the middle of an enormously complex world history.

This story, is a lot of fun.

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Problems ? Solved

Wet world / Mark Michalowski

Wet World
by Mark Michalowski
a Doctor Who book

science fiction
copyright 2007
read in December 2012

rating 6: read to pass the time

I was a fan of the old Doctors Who. You can see this coming... I don't like the new Doctors Who. The new Doctors are childish, over-confident and under-performing. Relationships with the companions are also a bit embarrassing.

Some of the "new" stories are okay. I admit that I have not watched many -- I turn off when the melodrama becomes too bad. Still, perhaps the stories may, in fact, be science fiction -- under the surface coating of rom com children's adventure.

This book overcomes most of the weaknesses of the tv show.

The weaknesses are still there: over confident grins, romantic looks, too clever solutions, contrived plot... Yet it is quite easy to read.

I turn off the TV show. How can I bear to read the book?!

A book may be read at any speed... Well, a book may be read, or read slowly and carefully -- or a book may be skimmed... And that's what I did with Wetworld.

When the Doctor was too smug, I skimmed. When Martha was a bit silly, I skimmed. When the story was readable -- I read.

The book is quite readable. And at points where I would have grimaced and reached for the off button of the TV remote control -- I simply read a bit faster. And enjoyed the book.

As science fiction, Wetworld is acceptable. For fans of the old Doctors Who, the book is readable. For fans of the new Doctors: read and enjoy... It's the new Doctor Who, in the great new medium of, "print".

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Learning the World / Ken Macleod

Learning the World
by Ken Macleod

science fiction
published 2005
read in November 2012

rating 8: really quite good

An author from Scotland. Writing science fiction. Surely there can't be two of them. Surely I've read another of his books... So I searched through the list of books I've read. And sure enough: The Night Sessions by Ken Macleod...

Is this really the same author? The books are so different! And both are really quite good.

At the start, though, I have a problem... The (first) main character is a bit of a pain. So I think. A whingey boy with silly opinions of other people... Then this character is referred to as "she"... And the character is suddenly much more reasonable.

Interesting, really. Am I so full of stereotype bias?! Is a girl allowed to hate a man -- yet the same hate makes a boy whingey? Oh dear. Oh well...

So I start with a vague dislike of one character. Make a sudden switch to acceptance and liking. Then enjoy the rest of the book.

Not that the book is perfect!

I have a lot of trouble distinguishing the various characters -- especially the humans. The character's names are unusual... interesting... but so unusual that I have trouble remembering them... As I meet a character I think, which one is this? So I may be missing some of plot!

Apart from that... I'm not too fond of the ending...

I always have problems with the multiple universe theories. (Except in Anathem, where out all seems to make sense.)

Okay, the creation of multiple universes is thrown up early on in the book. Then it is used to emphasise the less than perfect role of humans... Okay, point made. Just made -- in my opinion :-)  -- a bit too bluntly.

On the other hand... the humans are, indeed, less than perfect. And the aliens are better, in a very straightforward way.

An enjoyable story with a lot of good characters. And a message for humanity, whether or not I agree with it :-)

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Problems ? Solved

Gardens of the Moon / Steven Erikson

Gardens of the Moon
by Steven Erikson
fantasy / action
book 1 of Malazan Book of the Fallen

published 1999
read in November 2012

my rating: 6, read to pass the time

The book begins with an Introduction by the author. If the introduction does not put you off, okay. The author is smarter than us. He knows what makes a great fantasy book. Everyone else is wrong. So he says.

As one of those wrong people, I believe that an author should provide a story for the readers. A story. You know, one of those things with a beginning, a middle and an end. With plot to link them all. And characters to add interest.

Okay... in this story, Erikson has done that. So why am I complaining? It's not just the patronising introduction...

As I began to read, I began to think, these people are familiar. And yes, I have read another Erikson book. I read it in 2007, before I began this blog. The memory has stayed with me.

Erikson writes that his work is a history. So he can't help out if it's not a neat and self-contained story. What a cop-out! An author too lazy to pick out a coherent storyline, so he claims that it's part of a grander epic.

Just to interrupt this rant... Gardens is a coherent story. Feel free to read and, probably, enjoy.

Do not read later books on the series. Not unless you are prepared to read every book in the series.

My memories of that later book are awfully clear... One group of people battle across a continent, following another, smaller group. The smaller group do nothing much other than the minimum required to keep ahead of the first group. Meanwhile, two other people (?) also set off across the continent. Half way across, one of them is killed. Another person takes his place. The new two carry on.

The two groups do not interact. They never meet each other. The entire book is dedicated to journeys which would be one or two connecting chapters in any more reasonable book. As a single book -- a load of rubbish.

But, as I said, Gardens is more like a real novel. Beginning, middle and end. I have no trouble accepting a to-be-continued end to the book. At least the current adventure reaches some sort of conclusion.

Yet there are still problems with the author's view of his book as one chapter of a history.

Other authors use coincidences to link the plot. You know, the young man with the magic sword just happens to be the lost prince... It can be embarrassing. Done well, the links and coincidences can build to a gripping novel.

Erikson takes a simpler approach... Need to introduce some essential linking action? Just add a new character. Need more tension? Just add a new character. Need a reason for the characters to conquer a city? Introduce a new character who is mentioned in passing but never appears...

Gardens of the Moon is a mass of characters doing a loosely related set of exciting actions. In this book, it all adds up, eventually. In the one later book that I have read, the various actions fail to add up to a story. They remain as chapters of unrelated books. Total fail.

Read this book. Ignore the rest.

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Shadow of the Scorpion / Neal Asher

Shadow of the Scorpion
by Neal Asher

science fiction
published 2008, read in November 2012

rating 6 / 10: read to pass the time

Six out of ten? Or possibly 7 -- if you're a fan of Agent Cormac of the Polity.

I enjoy Asher's books (the few that I've read, and I want to read more). The Polity is rough, tough and enjoyable. But this is my first meeting with Agent Cormac. So as far as I can tell:

Cormac has spent several books righting wrongs. Scorpion appears to be providing an insight into his childhood. Into the early days of his violent life. Which I would appreciate more -- if I had previously read of his adult adventures!

As a standalone book...

Scorpion is a modern equivalent of For Mars! Young man goes through basic training and comes out as a man.

Aside: My reviews are now being posted as an email from a tablet PC. This approach limits my flexibility. Specifically, I cannot proved you with a hot link to other reviews... Sorry! It also explains why the format of recent posts is so boring :-)  Anyway...

I have only just read For Mars! (Yes, the ! is part of the title.) As I read Scorpion I began to see similarities. In more than the basic boy-becomes-man plot.

I began to suspect that Scorpion was written for the "young adult" SF fan: young hero and simplistic style. Short sentences, simple plot logic. Group of young "cadets" thrown together, forced to build an effective team...

Of course this idealised world was soon shattered by the typical Polity violence. Still... it did make me think, how SF has changed since 1952 (the year of For Mars!). Similar themes -- such a different treatment!

Comparisons aside, Scorpion is not a great book. Gung ho action in a tough universe. An enjoyable adventure. A weak plot.

If you have already read previous Cormac adventures then this book will -- I believe -- fill in some gaps, build the back story. As a standalone novel... some of the points seem to be a little pointless.

And the gaining of a nifty personal weapon -- right at the end of the book -- is totally contrived. Except, I guess, as a necessary explanation for earlier books with a more experienced Cormac.

Enjoyable by itself. Perhaps a must-read for Cormac fans.

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For Mars! / Carey Rockwell

For Mars!
by Carey Rockwell

science fiction

published 1952, read in October 2012

rating 6 / 10: read to pass the time

Clean-cut heroic leader, strong but not so smart sidekick, super smart but troubled 2ic... Stereotyped (space) adventure.

Early pulp fiction. To be read with a touch of embarrassment. To be read and enjoyed. Critical faculties switched off.

Wikipedia does say that -- for its time -- the science is good. But the story logic! Unbelievable... yet enjoyable :-)

The heroes rescue passengers from a stricken spaceship. They then risk their lives to save the ship itself. Why? Because it's a valuable asset worth many millions of space dollars.

Two chapters later and they have destroyed the ship by crashing onto Mars. Does anyone now mention the value of the ship? Nope...

Aside from the dodgy plot, this is very clearly a "science fiction" adventure. How can you tell? Check the equipment:

The Space cadets wear their Space uniform, including Space boots. They fly a Space ship to the Space ship yards. Their Space watches tell them the Space time as they wish each other, Spaceman's luck... You get the idea! Why is a Space boot different from any other boot? We are not told.

This story is fun but not great. As a modern book I would score it as 4, bad but could be read. Set in context -- as "old" SF, available free from Gutenberg Press -- it is well worth reading.

If only to see how science fiction has changed.

And for more on that -- how science fiction has changed -- see my review of Shadow of the Scorpion...

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Chronic City / Jonathan Lethem

Chronic City
by Jonathan Lethem

published 2010, read in October 2012

category: general fiction

rating 3 / 10: so bad it's embarrassing

Let's be clear: the rating of 3 out of 10 is *my* rating. There may be readers who enjoy reading this sort of drivel. Or perhaps something interesting does happen if you can bear to read past page 85.

Not that I expected much. In Barcelona for a week, wanting a book to fill some idle moments. The nearest bookshop had a few metres of English-language books, a highly eclectic mix indeed.

I chose the one book which was written recently, vaguely SF and I had not read before. Perhaps I should have selected from the very small range of "classics".

In its general theme, this book reminds me of The Great Gatsby: a story of the rich and the beautiful, as seen by a jealous outsider. Where Fitzgerald hated the rich because he did not belong, Lethem longs to join them. Or so it would seem, from the styles of the books.

Lethem, though, takes his readers to new levels of self-indulgent boredom.

By page 85 -- which is as far as my good sense would allow me to go -- nothing has happened. The first-person storyteller has met a man with a sharp mind and poor dress sense. The two have smoked dope, eaten the same meal at the same restaurant several times, and dropped numerous references to characters and actors from TV and movies.

Are these characters and actors real? Are they invented? Are they "clever" inventions based on real people? Who knows?! Who cares.

The novel appears to be named for a favourite brand of marijuana. Perhaps it is the same brand that the author uses when writing. Because that's the way that the book reads...

Remember the stereotype Hollywood hippies? That friend of Dobie Gillis, for example... the hippies who ramble on, speaking a language of their own, making very little sense to the rest of the world. To their own drug-addled senses they are providing deep insights into the mysteries of the world. To the rest of us, they are mumbling nonsense.

Chronic City is mumbling nonsense.

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Flatland / Edwin Abbott

Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions
by Edwin A. Abbott

published 1884
read in October 2012 (and skimmed, years earlier)

categories: management, science fiction, other
rating: 7 / 10, well worth reading

Strictly speaking, this novella is "other". Categorising as "management" is misleading. I'm a victim of my own definitions, since "management" is defined as "management, business, informative stuff". And Flatland is intended to be informative.

There is a simple story: hero makes great discovery, cannot convince his friends, realises that the government is suppressing his discovery, is jailed to keep him quiet.

The main point, though, is to explain the concept of multi-dimensional universes, with dimensions from zero, through our normal three, and beyond. With rational explanation of possible life at each of the lesser-dimensioned universes.

I still cannot visualise a four-dimensional world. But Flatland makes me believe that it is possible. I'm not sure that I'm ready to believe that it is "likely"...

... Which supports one of the points which is made, gently, in the book. A 3D Sphere is dismayed that the 2D Square (the author and hero) has so much trouble believing in the third dimension. Yet Sphere has just as much trouble believing in the fourth dimension!

Sphere, of course, is from our own, 3D space. Abbott clearly explains the logical possibility of zero, one and two dimensional spaces. He then asks us to step beyond our built-in limitations -- and explore the possibility of space with four... or more... dimensions.

For a budding mathematician -- or a fan of science fiction -- this is a great little book.

Save the heavy textbooks for later. Start with Flatland, for a pleasant introduction to the possibility of multi-dimensional space.

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Flesh & Blood / Graham Masterton

Flesh & Blood
a book by Graham Masterton
category: Horror
published 1995
read in October 2012
rating: 4 out of 10

A horror story written by the numbers.

1. Start with a brutal killing.
2. Add several more deaths, pointless and with plenty of blood and pain.
3. Switch to beautiful people in a pornographically detailed sex scene.
4. Use unbelievable coincidences to link magic, murder, science and human sacrifice.
5. Wrap it all up with a non sequitur, extremely violent ending.
6. Save the last paragraph for, "To be continued..."

What a load of rubbish.

Let's start with number three, the sex scene. Hog Girl, we are told, likes to be dominated because her friend the boar always dominates the sow. So how often have you heard of a boar using several silk scarves to tie up his sow-of-the-moment?! Good grief.

Oh, and the point of the sex scene? Could have been made more clearly, in far fewer words. Without the sex. (Sorry.)

Move on to number five where, we are told, it has been predicted that evil mutant villain will be destroyed by his own, more mutant, offspring. So what happens? Mutant child does nothing more than beg mutant grandad to kill him. Until policeman hero uses police issue shotgun to blast mutant grandad to pieces.

Following which, kindly hero -- and all his police buddies -- stand in a circle and blast mutant child. (Who is now a giant pig. Don't ask.) No worry that missing the pig will shoot a policeman on the other side of the circle. No thought of using the anaesthetic dart then giving the child/pig a painless death. Good grief.

Back to point four of the horror writers' primer, where mediaeval magic is "explained" as being scientifically possible. Just two words: Good grief.

It's violent, there's an irrelevant sex scene, it's easy to read. Feel free to read it. I don't recommend it.

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The Man who would be King / Rudyard Kipling

The Man who would be King
by Rudyard Kipling
copyright 1888
cat: action
rated: 7 out of 10

As I began to read this book I was confused. What's it all about? It's an old book -- written in 1888 -- so a lot is unfamiliar. People, places, attitudes, all are unfamiliar. What I was reading did not make sense.

Then I realised that I was failing to recognise irony. Okaaaay...

Start reading again. From the beginning. And it makes more sense.

Well, perhaps Kipling is simply reflecting the reality of his times. Or it may be social commentary, making a point with slight exaggeration. To me -- reading more than a century after the book was written -- irony fits.

Remember the King and the Duke in Huckleberry Finn? Con-men to the core. Transplant them to colonial India. Add courage and some honest intentions. Offer them as being typical representatives of a common class of people. You have this story.

White men with guns, the urge to rule and the ability to improve the primitive local lifestyle. Superstitious natives, tribal fighting, overawed by the white man's guns and apparent power. Vicious retribution and honest loyalty...

A fascinating view of a past empire. With some interesting insights into today's national identities. Plus a rip-roaring yarn of two-fisted adventure!

This book -- novella, actually -- is fun to read. And provides unexpected depths for the modern reader.

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Colours in the Steel / K.J. Parker

An enjoyable book but largely pointless.

There are characters that you can like. Not many that you can dislike. Some are vaguely sympathetic; most, you simply don't care.

The idea of legal cases being settled by sword fights is... interesting... but not a key element of the plot. The hero could as easily have been a fencing instructor, with someone determined to call him out for a duel.

The magic is interesting. Well,certainly the magic practitioners are interesting... If, in fact, any of them are really practising magic! It is still a bit uncertain.

So I read the blurbs for books two and three of the trilogy. And found no evidence of a conclusion! Book one raises some questions, some mysteries, that seem -- to me -- to be essential to the series. The blurbs give no indications that the mysteries are solved. Or even, not, solved.

We reach the end of book one and our hero goes on to... another adventure.

There may be a more coherent plot across the three books... I enjoyed book one enough to want to find out.

I enjoyed the book -- even though a lot of it is a how-to manual for middle-ages war and civilisation! (War and civilisation? Would it be enough to just write, civilisation? It is very hard to separate the two.) A manual with plenty of entertaining social commentary. Anyway...

Parker knows his/her stuff but a lot of the technical detail is too much. The idea of the Fencer occupation is great but largely pointless. The book is a detailed tale of the sack of one great city. I'm worried that the next books will be separate stories rather than a trilogy.

That said... read the book :-)

Despite its faults, it's a good book. I enjoyed it. I look forward to getting hold of the rest of the trilogy.

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Little Brother / Cory Doctorow

Little Brother

category: science fiction, subadult, thriller, author:

Cory Doctorow

original copyright 2008

read in September 2012

Agamedes' opinion: 7 out of 10, well worth reading

Well worth reading? Really? For its paranoid conspiracy message, perhaps. For the quality of writing, no.

Little Brother is subadult. It aims at the teenage -- boy -- market. At least, I guess it does. The style gives the distinct impression that the book is written by an older adult, pretending to know how a teenage boy would speak and act. The style rings false... Or, perhaps, it's me that has never spoken with a teenager :-)

It is also a thriller, in that there is a major -- adult -- conspiracy that the hero must battle. No matter which way he turns, the villains are there, watching, waiting for him to slip. Standard thriller scenario.

The book is also -- and this is its main thrust -- science fiction. Set just slightly ahead of our time. With Big Brother taking over. (Still, could be worse. The city could have been taken over by Big Brother the tv show.)

The author's message is slathered on like marmalade, thick and heavy. Complete with the Heinlein touch, of classroom discussions, where hero and villain discuss politics and philosophy. The author's view is clearly the winner, though the villain then uses positional power to shout down the author... sorry... hero.

The whole subadult writing style is... laboured, overdone, contradictory. While reading, it did seem obvious, but I did check: the author is well past 25 years old. Yet his good guys are urged to not trust anyone over 25... Urged, in one major scene, by someone aged (if I remember correctly) 32. The hero's final success is driven by a reporter -- who is as old as his parents.

And what about the hero's under-25 supporters? Well... the hero does not trust them. He forms a "ring of trust", to keep out the treacherous under-25s. A teenage personal enemy wants to turn him in to the thought police. Another teenager has been acting as a police informer.

There are two messages about trust: do not trust anyone over 25 (shouted loud and clear) and, do not trust anyone 25 or under (this is shown by act and attitude). Which perhaps adds up to a perfectly valid message: if you are fighting the thought police -- do not trust anyone.

This book is rather poorly written. Easy to read, a touch of suspense, unbelievable action. (But then it is science fiction, so that's okay!) Contradictory, with heavy-handed authorial lecturing.

But perhaps the authorial lecturing is valid. Perhaps the conspiracy theory is correct. Perhaps we do need to protect our privacy, to protect our freedom. Perhaps there are people in power who like to keep us in perpetual fear, in order to control us. Little Brother is extreme -- but the conspiracy theory may have some basis in reality.

At the very least, we need to consider the possibility that the conspiracy theory could grow into absolute truth. That the people who are -- in reality -- prepared to do anything to maintain power, could be trying hard to destroy our freedom to think.

The message is slathered on with no subtlety. Still, a novel is easier to read -- and more likely to be read -- than a political treatise. And the message is worth our consideration.

..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

Demon Mistress / Yasmine Galenhorn

Demon Mistress

by Yasmine Galenhorn

Otherworld (6)

published: 2009

Fantasy, Romance, Horror?

read in September 2012

rated 6 out of 10... read to pass the time

In the library catalogue this book is classified as both fantasy and horror. Horror?! Well, okay, there's supernatural stuff. And violence. But nothing that would lead to feelings of horror...

The story is based on three sisters, half human and half fairy. (Let's be clear about this. Each sister is half and half.) The sisters are based on Earth, battling against the Otherworld demons who (which?) would like to invade Earth.

To get the flavour of the book:

One sister has magic fire powers which tend to backfire. She also has three husbands and they all like sex at the same time. Sister two can turn into a vicious puma, to fight the demons with tooth and claw... and intelligent sword. She also, when over-excited, can't prevent herself turning into a cute and cuddly kitten. This sister has two lovers. She keeps them separate and worries over which one she will finally choose.

Sister three is a vampire. She is faithful to her lover, that is, she has promised to not sleep with any other woman. Both lovers are pleased that vampire sister is sleeping with a male demon, while lining up another male demon as a future lover. Will she, wonders vampire sister, Ever get true love?

The sex is of the style where his male organ is thrust into the warmth of her golden centre of pleasure, followed by waves of delirious rapture and, She awoke with memories of unforgettable pleasure... The violence may involve disembowelment but, it just happens. It may upset but will not offend.

When the sisters are called to help the police deal with ghouls in the park, they pause only to pick up car keys and purses... If they had also paused by the mirror to touch up their makeup -- I would not have been surprised... It's that sort of book: fun, light, romantic, girly. Very hard not to like it.

Sure, the sisters -- and their friends, and their lovers -- are fighting to save the world from unspeakable evil. Yet their concerns are much more everyday. The war is a major issue, good versus evil. The battles are at the human level and interpersonal concerns are still important.

It's a bunch of very human... supernatural... young women. Being very girly. While risking their lives to save the world.

Not a "great" book. But very easy to enjoy.

Woken Furies / Richard Morgan

Woken Furies

category: science fiction, author:

Richard Morgan

book 3 of Takeshi Kovacs
original copyright 2005

read in September 2012

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

Another take-no-prisoners action thriller! So I categorise it as "science fiction"... Sorry, it is science fiction and that's enough for me :-)

Third in a series. The plot is more complex than number two, Broken Angels. More sex scenes, too. There is some development from book two to three but Morgan has kept it all under control... That is:

If there is an overall plot across the entire series -- perhaps the slow battle of the oppressed underclass against those who have and who fight to keep power -- then it does not overwhelm this book. The characters do not grow new super-powers. They do not have to save an even larger area from an even more evil threat. Morgan has taken the same threats to freedom from a different perspective and written an equally gripping story.

There is strong violence. Is it truly violence, when death is followed by resurrection of the personality in a new body? Well, yes. There are strong sex scenes. Is it truly sex when half of it occurs within a virtual environment? Well, yes. This is not a book for the squeamish, not for the easily embarrassed.

And, once again, I am amazed at my own acceptance of a powerful political message... when it is wrapped up in a well written science fiction story. Message presented as fact: I have to believe everything said by the author. Message as fiction: I can apply part or all of the message to whatever situation I choose. My apologies to John Pilger and his fellow factual writers... I prefer the message as fiction.

And my apologies also to Morgan, but... The hero has chameleon hands and feet, they grow spines to help him climb vertical walls. So why oh why does he wear rubber boots when he climbs a vertical cliff?!

The rest of the (science fiction) story was, of course, totally believable:-)

..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

Talisman of Blood / Brad Higgens

Talisman of Blood

category: fantasy, author:

Brad Higgens

book 1 of Shadow of the Gryphon
original copyright 2005

read in September 2012

Agamedes' opinion: 4 out of 10, bad but could be read

There are the makings of a good story but it has failed.

Written in a simplistic style with very poor logic. It seems to be a series of incidents thrown together, with not enough thought given to transitions.

The characters are also somewhat flat. Actually... they are quite realistic. So realistic that they are boring.

There is action, there are parallel plots and some interesting characters. Just not very well presented.

Potential... but needs a complete rewrite.

Finally: As I suspected, the publisher is vanity press. For a price, they offer a complete publication service, from go to whoa. This includes copy editing...

And the copy editing has failed.

You pay for copy editing, you expect copy editing. So why are there repeated errors?! Can the copy editor read English? If I were Higgens I would ask for some money back, for failure of the copy editing.

The included-with-your-one-payment critical appraisal process was also weak. Sure, you are really paying to get printed. But was the appraisal truly critical -- or did the author fail to respond to constructive criticism.

Inside Talisman of Blood is the material for a good book. The good book has failed to eventuate.

..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

Vicky Cristina Barcelona / Woody Allen

Vicky Cristina Barcelona

category: romance, director & writer:

Woody Allen

original copyright 2008

watched in August 2012

Agamedes' opinion: 5 out of 10, watchable but only if there's nothing else

Woody Allen: loathe him or... well, loathe him.

According to the blurb, parts of this are, "so ferociously funny." Well, no. The video shop has it marked as, "drama". Not really.

There are these two young women. One is ditsy, unsettled, promiscuous and, naturally, blonde. The boring, unadventurous one is, naturally, brunette. And by "naturally" I mean "cliched". The hair itself may have been from a bottle.

They spend a couple of months in Barcelona. And in some other Spanish city. There are some interesting backdrops, with no real feel for being there.

Interesting point: In all of Barcelona there are only two Spaniards, both artists. Everyone else -- everyone in camera range, everyone who gets a speaking or even nodding part -- is American. A fine example of how travel can narrow the mind.

There is also no atmosphere. No excitement. Do you imagine Barcelona to be a vibrant city? A noisy, exciting city, a full-of-life sort of place, bustling with hot-blooded Mediterranean machismo? Well... not in this movie's sanitised version of Barcelona...

No matter where they go, no matter where they eat -- there is no background noise. No traffic. No conversation. No signs of other life. The characters may as well have never left the Hollywood studio.

Finally, the movie ends. It does not "conclude", it simply "ends".

The two Spanish artists are left to their mutually destructive ways. The blonde tart goes off on her self-destructive way. The boring brunette accepts that her life is and ever will be, boring. Nothing has changed.

Perhaps there are lessons to be learnt. Perhaps the characters note those lessons. They then continue, having ignored all possibilities of learning from the lessons.

A couple of American chicks get screwed in Barcelona. Then put it all behind them. The end.

..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

A Hat Full of Sky / Terry Pratchett

A Hat Full of Sky

Terry Pratchett

category: fantasy, humour, subadult

published 2004

read in August 2012

rated 8 out of 10, really quite good

note: Review written on a tablet PC, with limited knowledge of how to edit!

... then updated on a "real" PC !

A "young adult" book... Which means that anyone can enjoy it. And I did.

There is a very strong message running through this book: Be good, be nice. And, perhaps, Be yourself.

Can a book be "good" when the author hammers the reader with such a strong message?

Well, yes.

In Broken Angels, Richard Morgan provides a message to the reader. A warning, as much as a message. The message made me think. Which is not such a bad thing.

Pratchett's message is less subtle but more positive. Delivered with humour rather than violence. Both messages are -- in my opinion -- worth delivering. Both messages add depth to the story... something beyond the basic characters and plot. Each message targets its book's intended audience.

Okay, Pratchett does go a little over the top, occasionally. Not (necessarily) with the message. With the fairytale mysticism behind the story. All part of the fairytale story :-)

Abandon cynicism. Enjoy the book. Pratchett at his breakneck and humorous best.

..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

Evening's Empire / David Herter

Evening's Empire

category: fantasy, author:

David Herter

original copyright 2002

read in August 2012

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

I quite enjoyed this book. I'm just not sure what to make of it...

The local library has classified it as "horror". Okay, I can see why: mysterious small town, mysterious villagers, mysterious deaths and disappearances. But that's about it. There is no actual horror.

The book's blurb calls this a "fantasy". I could live with that. Though mysterious cities built by alien creatures usually imply science fiction. Except that there's no real science. Unless you count the central theme of cheese-making.

And it's that cheese theme that really has me confused! I kept expecting it to mean something! Or perhaps it does... The aliens are mistaken for rats.

Does this sound just a bit confusing? Well... it is. Especially when you throw in a Jules Verne opera, a river under the ocean, Captain Nemo, very peculiar villagers, the Anti-Cheese League...

Perhaps there are just too many ideas?

Full marks for building the mood. Full marks for a faithful following of traditional scary novels. Then the scary ending... just fades away.

Okay, it's fun. I enjoyed it. I liked the characters: the good ones, not the weird ones! The good characters acted for the general good; I like that. Just not sure what to make of the whole book! Perhaps it's too far out of my usual genre.

..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

Awakening / Lara Morgan

Awakening

category: fantasy, author:

Lara Morgan

book 1 of The Saranthium Twins
original copyright 2008

read in August 2012

Agamedes' opinion: 7 out of 10, well worth reading

I like the idea that "serpents"... dragons... are an intelligent race sharing a world with humans. Living within the terms of an agreement, for each race to support the other. The two races work together but do not share any common understandings.

Other than that -- Awakening is a reasonably standard fantasy-with-dragons. I like the characters, enough to want to read more. The story itself hangs together well, with some excitement but little suspense. Which is fine by me: I rather like a book where characters have a fair chance of living past the end.

In reading the book I went through two distinct phases -- and it may well have been the book, rather than me. First, it is a developing story of two people -- the Twins -- and their journeys from an "ordinary" life to the life of fantasy hero and heroine. An interesting world, with several distinct (human) cultures.

Half way through the book I slowly began to feel the effect of the trilogy...

The book -- or my reading -- shifted, from, Will they win? to, How far will this book get them on the way to winning? That is, the feeling grew that this really is, book one of a trilogy. Not just the first book of a series of three.

Sure enough, the book ends with cliff-hangers.

Yet there is also a satisfactory ending!

The main characters are scattered, some are unaccounted for. Yet the ones that we care about, are safe. Clearly, that is safe -- for now. Which is what I like to see.

This book is the opening scene of a war. It ends, with the heroes resting between battles. Yes, there will be more. But for now, we are safe at home. With some mysteries resolved and others yet to settle. No conclusion, but a satisfying point at which to take a break.

Okay, I'd rather have a complete story. But Awakening is good enough to read on its own. And good enough to have me hoping to read the next instalment...

With an added bonus: The author is from Western Australia, from my part of the world!

There are several good fantasy writers in Australia. Morgan is now one of them. Enjoyable, imaginative, entertaining. If the next book is as good, I will be happy. If it is even better -- then I will be very, very pleased!  And then...

I searched the web... It would seem that book 2 is published but no longer available in Australia. Book 3 is still being written -- in German, for the German market!  Ah well, it's tough in the world of writing.

Good luck, hope it all works out -- and I'll keep an eye out for a copy of Saranthium 2 and -- eventually -- three.

..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

Scottish Highlands & Islands / Rob Humphreys & Donald Reid

The Rough Guide to Scottish Highlands & Islands

category: travel, commentary, authors:

Rob Humphreys, Donald Reid

of the Rough Guide series
original copyright 2006

read in August 2012

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

A thorough and worthy travel guide... but... outdated by the Internet.

It's nice to have some ideas about a place before you visit. To know what to look for... to know what other people found interesting. Whether or not you follow the suggestions depends on your own approach to travel. It's still nice to have the ideas.

Rough Guides give you ideas of history, sights... and food, drink and accommodation. Just like a lot of other travel guide series. Limited by the knowledge, expertise and bias of the authors. With luck the "bias" is consistent, so you can select a guide to suit your own bias. Details may get out-of-date very quickly, especially prices. Still, a good guide book is better than nothing. This Rough Guide is quite good.

Except that the Internet has all this and more... and is constantly being updated. And mobile communication is constantly improving.

I'm browsing a library copy of the Rough Guide. A worthwhile exercise. While we are away, we will use the Internet. And the latest tourist publications from wherever we visit. And our own observations, to spot places that interest us. The relatively heavy and possibly dated guide books will stay at home.

Mind you, one of the Internet sites that we may use -- while travelling -- is www.roughguides.com. The book is okay. The website may be a more current version of the book...

..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

Divergence / Tony Ballantyne

Divergence

category: science fiction, author:

Tony Ballantyne

book 3 of recursion, capacity...
original copyright 2007

read in August 2012

Agamedes' opinion: 5 out of 10, readable but only if there's nothing else

For a while I thought, Okay, this is not such a bad book. The author's name was familiar but I could not remember what else I had read.

Then I met Judy.

Oh yes... Judy of the multiple copies. Judy the weird. Judy the pointless.

Judy from the just as ridiculous Capacity.

Divergence begins with a group of people on a spaceship. Traders. Just beginning their trading careers. So far, so good. Room -- I thought -- for some interesting developments.

Then the "plot" stumbles downhill.

Everything that happens is driven by the super-AI which rules the universe. Or, perhaps, by the super-AI which was created by the first super-AI and which then rejected its creator. Why? Neither AI knows.

Or, perhaps, every action is driven by the super-AI which is built into the universe. Which may be God. Which acts to ensure that each and every human will live in an anthill which is exactly the same as every other anthill... or something. I'm not sure what happens to the animals... Perhaps they are all killed so that each and every human can have a very small fur coat.

So the "plot" is a series of actions which is forced onto the human characters. No free will. No excitement.

So, who cares?! The characters are also boring. It's nice that most of them survive to the end of the book. Although, in the Divergence universe, they may well reappear, as good as new, in a processing space. Or in a robot body. Ho hum.

To be positive... This is traditional hard science fiction: solid scientific ideas, cardboard characters, pre-primary plotting.

Easy to read. Totally unsatisfying.
===

25oct16: 

I started to read this book again. Had a vague memory that I had read it -- and not enjoyed it -- before. Thought, it doesn't matter, my opinions do change.

My opinions have changed.

My original review begins, " Okay, this is not such a bad book." This time: It's rubbish. Right from the start.

A quick check of my original review. Now I've stopped 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.

PissWeakly: the Index

Empire & Ecolitan / L.E.Modesitt Jr

Empire & Ecolitan

category: Science fiction, author:

L.E.Modesitt Jr

books  2 & 3 of Galactic Empire original copyright 1989, 1990

read in July 2012

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

Two books in one volume. Value for money :-)  Both novels are... okay.

 First up is The Ecolitan Operation. Old style space opera. Unbelievable but fun. With some environmental overtones: could an ecologically sound culture really be that good?!

 Large scale death and destruction, cardboard characters, problems solved with fist or ray gun. All that is asked of the reader is, a willing suspension of disbelief.

 Immediately following that action-packed adventure is The Ecologic Secession.

 The second book aims for less flash and more depth. It does not work very well.

 The romance is... well, what can I say...? Stilted? Just short of embarrassing? A worthy attempt but not great.

 The political dithering is realistic, on both sides of the secession. The flow of the book is more complex ( than Operation) and it works. I would say, an author improving his technical skills. And attempting to improve the quality of his story.

I enjoyed both of these books. But would not go out of my way to read 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.

PissWeakly: the Index

Broken Angels / Richard Morgan

Broken Angels

category: science fiction, author:

Richard Morgan

book 2 of Takeshi Kovacs
original copyright 2003

read in July 2012

Agamedes' opinion: 8 out of 10, really quite good(*)

A few years ago I was given a book, as a present, written by John Pilger. Boring, I thought. Biassed. What a load of negativity, of unmitigated doom and gloom.

This month I read Broken Angels. One man against corporate greed. Against corrupt government. One man who deals out nasty death before it can be dealt out to him. A thoroughly enjoyable book and... the greed, corruption and violence is so believable.

In his acknowledgments, author Richard Morgan names John Pilger as an author who provided strong influence for Broken Angels. "These writers [Pilger and others] did not invent their subject matter as I did, because they did not need to. They have seen and experienced it for themselves at first hand, and we should be listening to them."

I ignored Pilger, who writes the truth as he sees it. I enjoyed -- and accepted the message of -- Morgan, who writes of the same truths but in a futuristic setting.

A friend asked me, Why do you read so much fiction?

The messages are so much more acceptable when they are dressed up as fiction. Pilger writes of the truth and I ignore it. Morgan wraps the same truth in a "fiction" -- and I accept it as being, the truth.

A book of "the truth" is too much to accept. Why should I believe what Pilger writes? And it must be an all-or-nothing acceptance: if I reject one assertion, why should I accept the rest? A book of fiction allows me to accept whatever underlying "truth" I am willing to accept. I can recognise exaggeration. I can selectively accept only parts of the story. The rest, I can dismiss without prejudice.

So a work of "fact" leaves my ignorance untouched. A work of "fiction" has had a far larger impact on my view of the world.

Or... perhaps it's just the accumulated cynicism of the years between books.

Either way, Broken Angels is far easier to read that Pilger. Action, excitement, violence, brutality and enough heroics and ethical behaviour to let me know that the hero is the good guy. No matter how many people he kills. And it all happens in a good science fiction universe.

Some words at the end, though, do remind me of another book, where a character mentioned various types of idealists. The worst, he said (if my memory serves me correctly!), the worst kind of idealist is the one who believes that his own life -- and your life -- are less important than his ideals. That is the most dangerous type of idealist. And, it seems, Morgan's hero is just that most dangerous kind of idealist.

Read and enjoy and gain insights into the corruption of humanity.

Or just read and enjoy.

----

(*) I have rated this book as 8, really quite good. Perhaps it is really 7, well worth reading? Perhaps I'm rating high because, after a couple of really boring books... Broken Angels did seem to be really quite good.

..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

Evil for Evil / K.J. Parker

Evil for Evil

category: fantasy ?, author:

K.J. Parker

book 2 of Engineer Trilogy
original copyright 2006

read in July 2012

Agamedes' opinion: 4 out of 10, bad but could be read

This book is second of a trilogy. Perhaps there is something positive to say about the third book; perhaps some of the gloom and misery is dispelled in a somewhat happy conclusion.

Happy conclusion ? Who am I kidding ! If anyone is still alive -- anyone vaguely likable, that is -- if any likable character is still alive at the end, I would be surprised.

Let's consider the "category" of this book. The library identify it as science fiction. I've settled on fantasy. What is it really ?

There are the various city-states which are destroyed. Standard medieval places, with princes, cavalry, archers, foot soldiers with swords and pikes. Other than being not from our own history, there is no "fantasy" element to these places. No science fiction, either. Boringly standard, really.

There's a city-state where everyone operates to rules. Very strict rules, where trying to improve is punishable by death. Okay, could be fantasy or science fiction. They produce some machines which are apparently quite sophisticated. btw: This place is due to be destroyed in book three.

It's not just cities and states which are destroyed. Characters are also destroyed. Either physically or mentally or morally.

What if you asked Cormac McCarthy to write a "fantasy" novel -- but with less of the cheerful positivism that failed to grace The Road... You could end up with Evil for Evil.

What if you asked Woody Allen to define characters for a "fantasy" novel -- self-pitying, whining, ineffectual -- but with less reason to like them and with no chance of self-improvement... You could end up with Evil for Evil.

Characters do something, go somewhere, look as though they may just make a fair go of their lives. Then they are dragged back to an even worse situation. Or they just hang around, doing nothing. And are dragged down. Or killed.

Sometimes, the characters talk to themselves, for pages at a time (or so it seems; it drags). They explain to themselves how absolutely useless they are. How everything they do is wrong. Then they carry on being useless and doing the wrong things.

There is one central character (the eponymous engineer?) who is central to everything. He is willing to kill hundreds of thousands of strangers, to kill people who trust him, to kill people who are almost friends. He is also happy to destroy cities and countries. This is the central character of the series... Really, he sets the miserable tone for this story.

Forget it.

..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

Imager / L.E. Modesitt Jr

Imager

category: fantasy, author:

L.E. Modesitt Jr

book 1 of the Imager Portfolio
original copyright 2009

read in July 2012 

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

Tedious.

Exceedingly tedious.

Imager is an introduction to a series. It may be a fascinating series. As a book, this one is boring.

Young man becomes an apprentice artist. Passes ten years between chapters. Spends the rest of the book learning to be an imager, a magician.

We are given full details of every lesson. Every conversation. Every... single... boring... meal.

Half way through this book I thought, Why are we told what is eaten at every single meal? Why are we told what clothes the hero wears? What clothes his girlfriend wears? I see several possibilities.

Perhaps Modesitt is being paid by the word. Perhaps he has a well-imagined world but no plot, so he describes the world. Perhaps -- and I give this possibility the highest probability -- perhaps Modesitt has been told that lots of women are reading fantasy series. So, he thinks, Keep the women happy by detailing every meal and every costume...

Does it work? Do food and clothes attract the female reader? I don't know. Perhaps a female reader could tell me.

In between lessons and meals and descriptions of clothes, the hero is the target of assassins. As far as I can tell, there are three groups of assassins out to kill him.

One group seems to be linked to some people that the hero killed. As far as I can tell, it's not the killing which upset them. No worries, someone else has already killed that lot. Or at least scared them away.

They were scared away by the second lot. The second lot are believed to have a long-term grudge against the hero. Sometime in the future... in a far distant book, perhaps... the hero expects that this group will punish him severely. His evidence? Well, they killed the people who wanted him dead, didn't they?!

Then there's the third lot of killers... Who seem to be part of international attempts to destabilise the hero's country. This group randomly kill beginner imagers, those who don't know enough to defend themselves. When the hero proves hard to kill -- they just keep on trying!

Meanwhile, the hero is learning his magical tricks. Naturally enough, he is the best imager for hundreds of years. On top of this, he has the unexplained and unrelated Guesswork Superpower: when he guesses that the baddies are hidden behind the garden wall -- he is always right...

Okay, so it's an interesting world. The many dozens of characters are mostly cardboard. The hero is food- and clothing-fixated but otherwise acceptable. It makes for an interesting chapter one.

But a whole book? With so much scene-setting, so much explanatory conversation... so little actually happening!?  No way.

Light.  Wordy. Tedious.

..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

Anathem / Neal Stephenson

Anathem

category: science fiction, author:

Neal Stephenson

original copyright 2008

read in July 2012

Agamedes' opinion: 7 out of 10, well worth reading

Round about page 100, one of the characters complained about his life. "If only something would happen," he said. Strangely enough, I had been thinking the same thing.

This is a very slow-moving book.

Perhaps it was near page 150 that I was reminded of the standard advice to authors: Show, don't tell. Perhaps Stephenson has read that advice. Perhaps he didn't understand it.

Here's the hero. He's spent many pages in earnest discussion with other characters. And, occasionally, with himself. Now, thinks Stephenson, it's time to show something... So what does he do? The hero shows some tourists round a museum, while telling them -- and us -- some more of the history of his world...

Boring!

Still, it does get better.

Anathem is a textbook, a primer, in quantum physics. Wrapped up in a slow-moving story of "alien" invasion. The textbook material is quite good... Several times I found myself thinking, Wow! so that's what [some esoteric theory of physics] is all about!

This book does hit many of the essential points of traditional "hard" science fiction. One major scientific theme. Clever but cardboard characters. Scientific theory made practical to save the world. Hero is logical, understanding, brilliant. There's a token love interest. Rest of the world is, by and large, cooperative.

Look, I may sound as though I think that this book is awful -- but I don't and it's not! There are just so many faults... But the faults are all part of good science fiction. Except, perhaps for the slow-moving plot.

Those characters...

I spent several years in a support group for intellectually gifted children. Often, it was the parents who needed support. One particular issue was with "average" parents of exceptionally intelligent children.

"My child is a mind reader," was a common claim...

The smart child sees clues... The parent rushes them past the bike display. They quickly hide the small tool kit. They spend an hour locked in the garage, after a large cardboard parcel has been delivered... Aha! thinks the child, It looks as though I'm getting a bike for my birthday! Not mind-reading, just observation and logic.

The main characters of Anathem are like that: intelligent, logical, taking small clues and building a clear picture of the world around them. With an added bonus: the Anathem characters are also able to turn scientific theory into practical devices. How can the aliens possibly win, when the heroes can "read their minds" and build effective counter-measures?!

If you enjoy hard science fiction, read Anathem. If you want a primer on quantum physics, read Anathem. If you are a slow reader, or easily bored... try any book by Doc Smith.

..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

Leave it to Psmith / PG Wodehouse

Leave it to Psmith

category: humour, author:

PG Wodehouse

book 2 of Blandings
original copyright 1923

read in June 2012

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

Enjoyable, entertaining, light, likable: a typical Wodehouse book!

The hero -- Psmith -- is a bit of a rogue. A delightful, charming rogue. Also loyal, honest, dependable... Honest? An honest rogue?! Of course this is a book by PG Wodehouse.

Psmith sees an attractive woman, sheltering from the rain. Psmith selects the best umbrella available... it belongs to another member of the club but so what? Could Psmith leave a lady at risk of rain? A lady wearing such a beautiful hat, a hat that would obviously be spoilt by getting wet... In such need, a gentleman will happily offer another gentleman's umbrella...

And this is Wodehouse. The umbrella will eventually be returned to its rightful owner.

Wodehouse writes -- with humour and affection -- of the English upper classes. The characters are varied and distinct. Bright, dim. Strict, casual. Beautiful, ... pretty. Handsome, ... okay. Even the criminals are quite acceptable members of society!

Yes, there are criminals. And Psmith -- of course -- foils their dastardly deeds. Sends them on their way... no hint of police, no jail, no punishment. And Psmith gets the girl.

This is a delightful story about delightful people.

Read it, enjoy it, occasionally laugh aloud.

Leave it to Psmith to make your heart feel lighter.

..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

Dead Men's Boots / Mike Carey

Dead Men's Boots

category: fantasy, author:

Mike Carey

book 3 of Felix Castor
original copyright 2007

read in June 2012

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

This book is definitely noir. So deep in noir that it almost comes out the other side. Deep dark, with humour. Darkness laid on just a bit too thick.

World-weary, tough, cynical. A hero who's seen it all and found it all, wanting. And says so, with some excellent one-liners.

The effect is, dark humour that is somewhat depressing.

Nothing that makes you outright miserable. Just nothing really cheerful, either. The hero has no real friends, just acquaintances who work with him because they don't have a better choice. The hero feels some guilt for manipulating nice people into supporting him. He's right to feel guilty.

Then the humour fades away and is replaced by escalating violence. Personal violence and mass violence.

Don't get me wrong: this book will not make you feel miserable. But when the villains are roundly trounced the hero -- and the reader -- are left feeling... low. It feels as though this is not a victory... just a temporary staving off of the inevitable defeat.

Felix Castor -- the hero of this book -- can be compared to Harry Dresden of the Dresden Files. Both are magic workers battling supernatural enemies in an almost here-and-now big city. Read my review of Grave Peril, where Dresden's life appears to be on a downward spiral. Yet Dresden still has friends -- loyal friends. And Dresden favours the truth rather than manipulation.

Dead Men's Boots has no positive inter-personal interactions. When the hero says that he is reluctant to help, you believe him. When he seems to continue on because evil acts must be punished, you wonder if he is just protecting himself from future retribution.

Read this book, you may enjoy it. Do not expect to be cheered up when the hero finally wipes out the baddies. To the very last ghoul and ghost. With no feeling at all of a job well done.

..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 Jazz / Melissa Scott

The Jazz

category: science fiction, author:

Melissa Scott

original copyright 2000

read in June 2012

Agamedes' opinion: 7 out of 10, well worth reading

This is an enjoyable book with some surprises. Well, not so much surprises. More, I was surprised when some stereotypes failed to materialise...

Which is good !

First up, the conflict of the story is set up by a teenage hacker. Or, rather, a teenager who uses a tool which was hacked by a friend. The heroine is a smart web user with a past. She helps the teenager.

I kept expecting the teenager to come out of his shell, to develop, to use his skills to somehow solve some of the stories problems. But... he remained a teenager: sometimes surly, sometimes scared, sometimes suitably chastened. Which is fine, really... I suspect that my expectations were set by my recent readings of teen-boy-saves-world-and-gets-the-girl wish-fulfilment stories.

Then there's the heroine with the past...

At one point she thinks, Is this all a long-term plot aimed at me? Then she dismisses the idea as being worthy only of conspiracytheory.com... Which is a pity, since I was looking for a deeper plot. A major conspiracy plot, perhaps.

The Jazz is a straightforward story of nice people versus nasty. No great conspiracies, no nasty surprises. Just a looming threat, a few good friends and fast evasive manoeuvres. With the heroine using her special skills -- right at the last minute -- to save the day.

No great plot complexity but an interesting world. And nice characters except for the one, chief villain.

A pleasantly enjoyable book.

March to the Stars / David Weber & John Ringo

March to the Stars

category: military science fiction, author:

David Weber & John Ringo

book 3 of March...
original copyright 2003

read in May 2012

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

As I read the first few pages of this book I finally realised just what distinguishes military science fiction... Okay, it's taken me a while. Perhaps I did understand it before. It just clicked, this time, with a very loud click.

Military science fiction is about armies! Or navies, air forces, space fleets... What it is not about, is individuals.

Standard science fiction may have an army. The hero will be, perhaps, a raw recruit. Distinguishing him -- or her -- self by courageous actions, strategic thinking, individual heroism. And, more often than not, by deliberate disregard of orders in support of the greater good.

In military SF the hero is the army. There will be great leaders. There will be heroic individuals. If there is any deliberate disregard of orders, the disregarder will be shot. In military SF the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. And everyone knows it.

March to the Stars is the continuing saga of a small group of space marines, marooned on a less-than-ideal planet. Where less-than-ideal is a euphemism for, absolutely lethal... Lethal wildlife, lethal flora, lethal locals.

If this were ordinary SF, the marines would settle in and build a better civilisation. Or become tough yet benevolent rulers of the existing barbarian civilisations. Check out A Princess of Mars for a good example: tough planet, tough hero, lots of battles, lots of armies -- but not military SF.

Because the March novels are military SF, the army has two objectives: protect the nominal leader because he is a member of the imperial family, and get back to their headquarters planet. And they do this with military precision.

Monsters are destroyed and local armies are defeated. Not that the local armies offer much of a challenge: they have the numbers but not the skill of the empire's marines. Though locals are recruited -- and trained -- to become lethal fighters on the side of good.

And yes, the marines are on the side of good. Not always deliberately. It just happens that this group of marines works for the branch of the royal family which supports good... And I suspect that the marines would fight just as hard for evil, if their nominal commander said so.

"Good", of course, is in the eye of the beholder.

The current heir to the throne is just naturally benevolent. Which is just as well because his word is law. His grandfather was equally benevolent -- but believed in rule by consensus -- which lead to riots, revolution and suffering. Might is also right. And it's just lucky that the might of the nice marines is mightier than the vicious might of the local cannibals.

Have you read Doc Smith's Lensman series? In those books, might is right. Yet there is a forgiving approach to defeated enemies, an approach which is shared by Weber & Ringo. The Lensman civilisation smashes an aggressive planet... Both sides then realise that it was all a misunderstanding... The two civilisations then become the best of friends.

Towards the end of March to the Stars, the marines revisit various locals who supported the marines -- or were thrashed -- in this and previous books. Supporters have gained and are thriving. Enemies have learnt and show signs of thriving. Even the latest defeated enemies -- cannibals who are seen to be evil -- are forgiven... and will soon be returned to niceness by the power of the empire.

All very much in support of "good", though you may disagree with some of the specific implementations of "good".

So the hero of the story is the army. There are individual heroes, all with their role to play -- as a part of the army. The deathcount is large... but the army survives.

Don't get me wrong! There are individual dramas! These are stereotype soldiers with feelings... Some soldiers, we could even begin to like. Just a few, but perhaps enough.

This is military SF. It tells a story of a small army battling heroically against the odds. Enough enjoyment to leave me interested in reading more. To a fan of military SF -- I suspect that this is worth a bit more than my own six out of ten.

..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

Swarmthief's Dance / Deborah J. Miller

Swarmthief's Dance

category: fantasy, author:

Deborah J. Miller

book 1 of Swarmthief Trilogy
original copyright 2005

read in May 2012

Agamedes' opinion: 7 out of 10, well worth reading

My first thought was to give an opinion for this novel of six out of ten -- read to pass the time. Then I started to think of the new ideas in the novel... and raised my opinion to seven, well worth reading.

The Swarmthief story is not great. Average excitement. Minimum tension. Unbelievable escapes. Nothing bad about all this. Just not the material for a "great" book.

Yet there are several new... and interesting... ideas. Starting with the gods.

The gods of the Swarmthief world play a central part in the story. There's an unfortunate mix of direct action and attempting to exert influence... Miller varies the gods' powers, with no explanation. Yet they are definitely key players.

And what an unpleasant lot of gods they are!

The main god character is a naive, unworldly(!) character. He doesn't get out much. Invites a pretty goddess to a picnic, offers sex and is surprised when she says, No thanks.

So, we think, nasty god of the underworld versus sweet goddess and her protective sisters... Will the humans align with good, or with evil?

Until the goddesses reappear in the story. Turns out that they are just as unworldly, over-reacting and insensitive as the god of the underworld... Help me! says one. Help me because you are my slave! says another. Sheesh! What happened to the idea that good gods care?!

The monsters, though, are good... Boring, but good.

Forget about dragons -- these are dragonflies! Monstrous dragonflies -- big enough to carry four or five people. Made up of millions of ordinary-sized insects. A small carry-case of insects will magically group into one gigantic flying insect. With a tendency to fall apart during flight...

Forget the logic, forget about conservation of mass... These monsters are brilliant!

Brilliant... yet boring. Mostly, they are just there. Standing very still. Or being forced to fly. Still, this is book one of a trilogy; there are already signs that the dragonflies -- the Swarms -- will develop.

So there are two rather original ideas: Controlling gods with variable power, no great smarts and unpleasant levels of self-interest. And gigantic dragon...flies. Great ideas! I hope that Miller is able to improve the next two books, to match the original ideas.

The next two books...

Where will Miller go, with the next two books of the trilogy?

The first book is a standard building up of a team of heroes. Meet someone interesting, they have specialist abilities, they join the team. Book two, the team goes on to battle evil, using the various abilities to solve various problems. Except...

The team was destroyed. All killed, in the final chapter... (Though with clear indications that one -- the Swarmthief of the title -- did, in fact, survive.) So much for my expectation of a standard trilogy! Or is this just another original idea from the author...?!

I'm worried that the author has too little empathy for her own characters. Should the reader also avoid forming close attachments? Will any characters survive to the end of the trilogy?

Read this book just to pass the time. With an extra point -- to become "well worth reading" -- if you enjoy some new and original ideas.

..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