Murder in LaMut / Raymond E. Feist & Joel Rosenberg

Murder in LaMut / Raymond E. Feist & Joel Rosenberg
Legends of the Riftwar (2?)
fantasy

copyright 2002
read in May 2014

rated 6/10: read to pass the time

The heroes are tough mercenaries to whom fighting and killing are simply what they do for a living. Simple killers with depths of intelligence and sympathy. Quite likeable, in fact.

There's a solid background of war and politics and intrigue. Simplified, perhaps, but realistic -- as far as I know !

A story of simple killers in a situation which is beyond their experience. Where they adapt their skills and knowledge in order to survive. And prevail.

On the down side, there are more nobles than I could follow. More captains than I could remember, let alone remember their allegiances. Still, it was clear enough to allow me to follow most of what was happening :-)

The confusion of characters is, I guess, a penalty of reading one book in a series. Despite this confusion, I have no trouble enjoying this book without having read its predecessor.

The actual Murder caught me by surprise. Then I followed half a step ahead, behind -- or to one side -- as justice was pursued.

Pursued to an interesting conclusion...

Not so much satisfactory, as acceptable.

I enjoyed this book. It's not great but it is good. It seems that the characters from book one have been placed in a different situation for this book two...

I wonder if I would also enjoy book one ? I think that I would like to find out.

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The Labyrinth Key / Howard V. Hendrix

The Labyrinth Key
by Howard V. Hendrix

science fiction, thriller

copyright 2004
read in May 2014

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

First, the good points: I like the virtual reality of Labyrinth. Back in April I read Otherland, and was not impressed by the author's virtual reality. I commented on the lack of a simple off switch. Worse yet, the Otherland VR was boring. A virtual copy of a boring reality.

Nothing boring about the Labyrinth VR !

Pity about the rest of the book.

It's science fiction in the style of Charity of the Gods: take a minor fact or wild theory and build it into a wild reality. With a touch of Doc Smith: this may be possible so the hero will create it in his spare time.

The book is also a thriller: more super powerful secret societies than you can poke a stick at. And so many spies and double agents that every evil wrongdoer knows more about what you're doing than you do.

I read the clearly significant prelude and wondered what on earth it was all about. I was prepared to abandon the rest of the book -- but something seemed familiar... Sure enough, I'd read it before. If I could read all the way to the end in 2008, surely I can struggle through in 2014.

And so I read to the end. Why ? Well, at least I can write a review...

I certainly did not read this book for enjoyment.

People popping up all over the place. Science gone past mad into stupid. Mind merged with the internet to become... not god, but some human become a godlike angel... Who knows. Mystic mumbo jumbo that would make Dan Brown proud.

And so I reached the end of the book. Where the hero (hero? well, central character) becomes all-powerful. Where he rights all wrongs. Sort of.

One of his super-powers is the ability to skip between parallel universes. So, having accepted parallel universes -- the sort where every choice splits off a new universe -- all he is doing is selecting the universe where all choices lead to the happy ending.

Back in his initial universe, nothing had changed.

Sure, we can all believe in Happy Land. It exists, just over there. Unfortunately the existence of Happy Land does not affect the existence of Sad World. Which is still here. As miserable as always. In its own little parallel stream of universes.

Lots of modern science and maths. Wrapped up in an unbelievable story. With a rather pointless ending.

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Toilet Tours / Donnybrook to Mundijong

We begin our drive home with a visit to King Jarrah, an old and large jarrah tree. Yes, it's a large tree. Yet there are nearby stumps which show how large trees grew -- before they were chopped down for building material, furniture, railway sleepers and firewood. Sigh. Worse yet -- no toilet ! I decided to not take a photo of a convenient tree.

Close by, however, is Wellington Mills. Once home to 800, now it's just a couple of buildings. And two toilets... First:

... A modern steel structure incorporating the latest in long-drop dunny technology. Quietly and efficiently composting the toilet waste provided by visitors who are just passing through. Just visitors ? Well, there hardly seem to be enough Wellington Mills residents to justify a three-door dunny.

It's possible that the relatively large facility is necessitated by -- note the sign to the left -- the residents of nearby Gnomesville. Gnomesville ? A nearby roundabout which is surrounded by a population of many hundreds of feral garden gnomes. Gnome ? No, we've never been introduced.

Across the road from the gnome facility is an older building. Now, perhaps fortunately, not in use.

Still three doors but a far older style of architecture. Interesting... it looks as though this older toilet used flush toilets and a septic system. Very fancy ! Though it may have been built for use by locals rather than for visiting gnomes.

We drive west, towards Bunbury. A sign points north, "Kiosk now open". So we turn north. It's a road from south to north, running to the west of Wellington Dam. Passing several geocaches in very pleasant spots -- and an amazing toilet:

Stone ! Is this local stone ? Perhaps extracted while building the dam ? Beautiful !

There is another toilet in the same area, near the dam kiosk. A more modern toilet. Interesting architecture yet not as amazing as the local (?), using all sizes, natural stone:

Stone blocks. Interesting structure. The modern equivalent of the complex and uncompromising stonework which has been used in construction of the nearby, older building.

Also by Wellington Dam -- near a camping / picnic area rather than at the main visitors' carpark -- is a larger toilet building. This toilet, change-room, possibly showers, is for use by picnickers and campers. A large building with Ladies at one end, Gents at the other.

This toilet block is between lake and forest. Set amongst trees. Twenty metres from the lake. I can see that it would be very popular, in tourist season.

We finally find our way through to the next main road, Coalfields Highway. Then back to South West Highway. Where we stop at Brunswick  Bakery for lunch... Salad sandwich and “continental” sandwich just to see what it is. Salami and olives and salad and stuff. Nice :-) Brunswick is also a prime spot for toilet spotters.

Across the road from the Bakery is a modern -- and imaginative -- steel and brick toilet.

Brunswick is in the heart of dairy country, hence the sign on the side. Does the tank shape represent water storage in the area ? Or is it simply an imaginative and unique design, showing that Brunswick is more than a "simple" country town... Or perhaps this toilet is sponsored by a local tank manufacturer.

Brunswick is (or perhaps "was" ? ) also a centre for sport. There are at least two toilets in the sports area on the edge of town.

The brick building is locked and barred. Open, I guess, only when sports are being played. Or when the show is on, in the large area of ovals and grass parks. The second toilet -- nearer the entrance -- is clean, stocked and open for business. We tested both Ladies and Gents; both worked as required.

Further north we stop for afternoon tea at the Heritage Tearooms in Pinjarra -- one of our favourite spots. It's in an old house with nice gardens and fresh scones. We also pick up a brochure pushing the towns on the “old” highway. They will have lost a lot of trade to (the very boring) Forrest Highway. I already have a photo of the nearby toilets. One more is not too many:

In fact (as a note in passing) one more photo is part of the grand plan. Yes, I take photos of toilets. Each toilet is unique, the range of architecture is amazing. And toilets change over time. Toilets come and toilets go and toilets age. My photos are a record of the variety of toilet buildings -- and a record of changes over time.

And now we are almost home...

North of Pinjarra I count as being "almost home". Nothing more to see -- I used to think. Just a busy drive home -- I was thinking. Only to be met with a very pleasant surprise ! We turn off the highway at Mundijong Road. A straight drive to the Freeway. Then north to Perth. Except... this time... for the first time ever... we turn off into Mundijong !

We drive through Mundijong in search of geocaches. Find one, fail to find another. And find two town toilets !

The first toilet is between the library and the shire offices. It's also close to the oval, which is out of sight just on the other side of the building. Best of all -- the toilet has recently been painted ! Colourful, tag-style printing... A cheerful and vibrant decoration on a standard brick town toilet.

On the other side of the main street is a more modern structure. This second toilet is for tourists, placed near the tourist destination of the old railway station.

Mundijong is a small town with more than expected interest. Geocaches, tourist information in the old railway station -- and two toilets, one with an interestingly painted wall.

Mundijong: a new point of interest on our drive home...

..o0o..

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Toilet Tours / Pemberton to Donnybrook

We drive from Forest Lodge in Pemberton to Quince Cottage near Donnybrook. Nearish to Donnybrook, anyway. On a farm, about twenty minutes drive from Donnybrook. Bracing for the drive, we start the day with a hearty breakfast. Fruit salad, honey and yoghurt on pancakes. Bacon, eggs and mushrooms on pancakes, with marmalade and maple-flavoured syrup. It's okay, it was healthy, the eggs were poached.

We start driving just after ten am. Driving north. Via various towns. Our first stop is not a town, it's the Diamond Tree, with a cache and a toilet.

A standard, well-maintained timber-on-concrete-pad bush toilet. The Parks people do great work maintaining their toilets.

We pause briefly in Manjimup to find a geocache and to admire the spectacular autumn colours on the european trees. (Our own WA trees are evergreens.) Autumn is more noticeable on the colder southwest ! And, of course, there is a toilet:

It's an interesting structure but not, I admit, all toilet. The steel structure to the right is a small performance space, attached to but not really a part of the more traditional brick toilet.

Manjimup also provides a magnificent, very traditional brick toilet, in the centre of a rather run-down park. Note that this toilet is complete with graffiti -- poorly painted over -- and an old chair tossed onto the roof:

Brilliant !

We drive further north, towards Greenbushes, and a geocache draws us to the oval just south of town. There is an oval, tennis courts, kiosk and toilets. After some discussion we decide that the small caravan park -- on the far side of the oval -- does not fit into the category of "public" toilet. So we photograph only the sports toilet.

The even smaller town of Kirup offers a geocache, in a small, pleasant park by the main road. The cache is hidden somewhere on the town gun; we barely glance at the gun, we are not fond of small magnetic caches on large metallic objects. The toilet, however, is excellent:

Small, rectangular, red brick, classic.

We eat lunch at the Bridgetown Hotel, a very nice pizza. Then afternoon tea at Donnybrook, after some shopping for the evening meal. A few more caches as we drive, including a cache on a Donnybrook footbridge -- a cache that we had failed to find a few years earlier. Then we speak with another caching couple at the railway station in DB. And take a photo of the central town toilet.

There is also a toilet in a park, just out of the town centre.

This toilet is in a good-sized park. There is also a cache on another town gun. We ignore the cache but photograph the toilet.

And drive on to our accommodation, Quince Cottage.

..o0o..

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Toilet Tours / Pemberton

A full day in and around Pemberton. Time to check out the town toilets.

By the time we've eaten bacon and eggs -- and push-button, machine made pancakes ! -- and drunk two cups of coffee -- it's just after nine o'clock. Oh dear, too late to walk to the first toilet...

We drive to the Gloucester Tree. We're impressed by the tree. (No need to climb it, I did that several years ago. Thank goodness.) The forest is beautiful. Karri forest: tall, straight trees, thick, damp undergrowth. We fail to find the nearby cache but the toilet is there for all to see and admire.

Full flush facility, dark brick construction. Deeply shaded verandahs at the front for the occasional hot -- or regular wet -- day. Just a few kilometres from the town of Pemberton. For the average tourist the Tree is worth seeing. For the more discerning, this simple yet effective toilet adds extra value to the visit.

We walk a bit of the Rainbow Track, to find some well-placed geocaches. We drive to Big Brook Dam -- at the other end of the Track -- in a plan to find more Rainbow Track caches. Instead, we meet Trevor.

Trevor is a sad man who needs someone to talk to. His wife died six years ago, he's still stressing about it. He has had a stroke, shingles, and various injuries. He talks a lot, needs to talk a lot. Nice bloke, glad we met him, even though it takes a while to get away. Trevor shows us some steel cow sculptures. We show Trevor a geocache hidden near the cows.

We have lunch at nearby Hidden River Estate, a winery with a cafe. A fancy eatery with excellent farm views. We eat cauliflower and cheese soup and pate. Very nice :-) Then we drive a little further south of Pemberton. There is a geocache at The Cascades. Is there also a toilet ? Of course there is !

A fine example of a modern, timber, long drop dunny. Weather is threatening drizzle but it doesn't actually rain. We have a pleasant walk to the actual Cascades -- not much water cascading today -- an easy cache find -- then back to the toilets by the carpark.

Almost 2pm. We drive back to Pemberton for our 4wd tour. But first, the town toilet:

A quite fancy structure in the centre of town. The building seems to be larger that required for the number of toilets. Perhaps there are other facilities that I don't notice ? The toilets themselves are clean and modern, several cubicles, with some spare space. I stand in the spare space to change into some warmer clothes, for our afternoon tour.

Our 4wd tour is interesting, good fun, through the sand dunes of Yeagearup... Unfortunately the camera batteries are flat. So, no photos of the one toilet on the way. Fortunately...

Fortunately, our son picked this same week to also visit Pemberton. Not the same days; we don't meet in town. But he provides a photo:

... A traditional long-drop dunny at Maiden Bush on the Heartbreak Trail. This toilet is conveniently placed along the pleasant walking track which runs through Warren National Park, along the Warren River, past Warren Campsite and Warren Lookout.

I have added this toilet to my must-see list, for a future visit to Pemberton.

..o0o..

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

Toilet Tours / Perth to Pemberton

We have a rogaine this weekend. And we won a 4wd tour in Pemberton. So we drive to Pemberton for the tour. Then we drive towards Collie for the rogaine.

An ideal opportunity to check out toilets in the south west. We pack, pack the truck, say goodbye to the cat. Leave home just after ten... Drive down the freeway... Usual pack of traffic but moving quite well. Still, I don't enjoy the freeway... Especially on the long drive south... It's boring: no towns, no stops, no toilets.

So we turn off onto Mundijong Road. Join South West Highway via Serpentine... having first checked out the Serpentine toilets.

How long have these toilets been in place ? Judging by the trees -- quite a long time. It's many years since I first discovered these toilets, on the edge of Serpentine, by the sports oval. Traditional brickwork, old fittings, well maintained -- for their age ! -- and clean. With the bonus of a small carpark immediately by the toilet block.

We drive on, to South West Highway -- a far more interesting drive than the newer and faster Forrest Highway. We take time for a quick stop at Waroona... Just a quick stop to stretch the legs and to check out one of the Waroona toilets.

Again, public toilets well-placed by a carpark. I wait while another driver uses the single Gents cubicle. Then my wife waits while the other driver's wife uses the single Ladies cubicle. Awkward timing. Simple, clean, tidy toilets.

We stop for lunch at a favourite spot, Stirling Cottage just north of Harvey. A light lunch of tomato bruschetta, mushroom bruschetta, just a bit healthy but nice. A highlight of the Cottage is the "authentic, historic, timber" toilets.

Well-weathered timber, split stable doors, "colts" and "fillies" to identify His and Hers. All very authentic. Except, perhaps, for the modern brick and tile interior.

Next stop, Nannup.

We had stayed near Nannup a year or two ago, on a very peaceful farmstay at Cambray sheep cheese farm. Nannup is still just as peaceful. And there are, of course, toilets. First we have coffee and a caramel slice at "Pickle O". Organic coffee but nice anyway :-)  Then check up on the toilets at the side of the town hall. And there is something very strange about the Nannup toilets:

Why are the Nannup toilets on their side ?!

Is this a strange aberration, a peculiarity of the steep countryside ? Perhaps a result of river flooding, which reached the main street just twenty years earlier ? Or it is just Windows 8 ?! In Windows displays, this photo is -- in most cases -- correctly horizontal. Yet Photoshop and Google place the toilets on their side...

Yet another pass through Photoshop -- a quick rotate -- and the Nannup toilets are now flat on the ground. A very curious phenomenon. I suspect a gravitic anomaly in the centre of the Nannup township.

Nannup also offers a geocache -- on a steam engine. Tiny magnetic cache hidden on a large metal structure ? Don't even look; drive on... To the Nannup cemetery, to look for a "last known address" cache. Almost miss it... I calculate the location from year of death rather than year of birth... Recalculate and easily find the cache.

We continue our drive... Through less farms and more National Parks -- very beautiful, lots of enormous karri trees, a very pleasant drive. To Pemberton, to Forest Lodge Resort, where we will stay for two nights. Frogs croaking in the garden outside. Very peaceful.

We eat dinner at the Pemberton Hotel. An old hotel but the dining room is more modern. Very nice ! We eat barramundi and trout, followed by cheesecake for dessert. All delicious, a good, hearty meal.

Toilets photographed, one cache found, good accommodation, an enjoyable meal. A very successful day !

..o0o..

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The Monsters of Templeton / Lauren Groff

The Monsters of Templeton
by Lauren Groff

fantasy ? fiction

copyright 2008
partially read in May 2014

rated 7: well worth reading

Well worth reading -- though I'm not going to finish reading it...

I believe that this is a good book -- but not for me. There's a bit of fantasy -- I enjoy reading fantasy. Really, this book -- in the first 100 pages -- is very human angst. And a lot of it is angst that torments the heroine but leaves me... uninterested.

According to the author's introduction, Monsters is homage to her own small home town. Interesting. A small *American* town.

This town is a city !

Okay, that's by my standards. So many civic structures. So many people. So many streets. So much bigger than my own image of a small town !

Okay, it's just a small town by american standards. But the scale does make it difficult for me to accept the small town, everyone knows everyone else, mentality.

There are other books that I have stopped reading because they are bad. This book, I have stopped reading simply because it fails to interest me.

If this is your type of book, I believe that you will enjoy it. A good book -- as far as I can tell -- a good book of its kind.

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