Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk / David Sedaris

Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk

(illus. Ian Falconer)

by David Sedaris

humour, fantasy

copyright 2010

read in December 2016

rated 8/10: really quite good

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

Could these stories be using pataphors ?!

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

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

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

Really quite good. And also very weird.

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

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

The Useful Book of Gadgets etc / Martin Bailey

The Useful Book of Gadgets, Gizmos & Apps

by Martin Bailey

self help

copyright 2016

read in December 2016

rated 6/10: read to pass the time

One of the better lists of "essential" apps.

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

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

As with any list of apps (etc), it will be out of date.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

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

All written in a light, easy to read fashion.

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

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

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

Vertigo / Bob Shaw

Vertigo

by Bob Shaw

science fiction

copyright 1978

read (again) in December 2016

rated 7/10: well worth reading

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Madness in Solidar / L.E. Modesitt Jr

Madness in Solidar

(Imager 9)

by L.E. Modesitt Jr

fantasy

copyright 2015

read in December 2016

rated 7/10: well worth reading

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

So why did I rate it as seven?!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Vengeance / Ian Irvine

Vengeance

(Tainted Realm 1)

by Ian Irvine

fantasy

copyright 2011

read in December 2016

rated 6/10: read to pass the time

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

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

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

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

Until the final chapter.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Waking Fire / Anthony Ryan

The Waking Fire

(Draconis Memoria 1)

by Anthony Ryan

fantasy

copyright 2016

read in November 2016

rated 8/10: really quite good

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

===

13sep19:

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

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

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

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

28jul20:

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

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

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

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

"Omne ignotum pro magnifico est" … Tacitus: Agricola
   

Shadows of Self / Brandon Sanderson

Shadows of Self
(Mistborn 2.2)
by Brandon Sanderson

copyright 2015
read in November 2016

rated 7/10: well worth reading

A continuation of the steampunk era of Mistborn. Can be read alone -- though it helps to have read Mistborn 2.1, The Alloy of Law. An enjoyable book but not as good as other Sanderson books.

Shadows drifts into the over-the-top end of young adult fantasy: more heroic action, more moral philosophising, more emotional suffering for the hero. Nothing wrong with that. Just a bit too unsubtle for my tastes.

More unstoppable villains. More close conversations with the gods of this world. More power to the hero... Where can it go next ?! Jim Butcher's Harry Dresden had this problem: each book had to top the previous; each book required more emotional turmoil, more threats to friends, to keep the hero human.

Will our Mistborn hero need the same comic-book histrionics, in order to stay apparently human? Maybe. Maybe not.

It's funny, really. There are inserts -- occasional illustrated pages -- from one of the local broadsheets. This broadsheet includes the continuing saga of Gentleman Jak, the ultimate hero. Jak is incredibly handsome, a dapper dresser and superb fighter. A ridiculously over the top satire of everything heroic. And the hero of Shadows is looking more and more like Jak.

It's still an enjoyable book. No matter what direction Sanderson takes his hero -- I will enjoy reading about it.

It -- Shadows of Self -- is just not as excellent as other Sanderson books. Good, but not excellent. Not for me, anyway.

===

08 May 2019: I reread this book And find...

Issues are raised and, lightly discussed. Issues of possible relevance to a young adult reader, less relevant to an oldie like myself, firmly mired in my own opinions.  Yet I'm glad to be reminded of these social and personal issues, it does make me *think* again :-)

My comparison with Harry Dresden? Totally misplaced. This time I go to Wikipedia -- to find that Shadows is one of a pre-defined set of four books. The characters may -- will -- grow but not just to increase the "excitement" of each book. There is … a cunning plan.

Better yet, I have just read The Hero of Ages -- last book of the prequel series. Suddenly -- all the characters and references to past history, make sense! Yes, now I can see how the story is building... and I like it :-) 

Yes, it could be read alone, but... If I were reading this book for the first time -- and had just read the prequel trilogy -- I would happily rate Shadows as, eight out of ten.

====

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

"Omne ignotum pro magnifico est" … Tacitus: Agricola
   

The Final Empire / Brandon Sanderson

The Final Empire
(Mistborn 1)
by Brandon Sanderson

fantasy

copyright 2006
read in November 2016

rated 8/10: really quite good

What can I say? Another great novel by Sanderson. Another book in a series -- yet the book is complete in itself. Another set of likeable characters doing gung-ho stuff to save their world :-)

The copy that I read is a tenth anniversary republishing. So there is room at the front for an introduction by the author. Why has Mistborn been so successful? he wonders. Because, he suggests, Mistborn upends many of the established fantasy tropes. And because each book is a complete novel on its own.

Yes, each book is a complete novel. A novel worth reading on its own Each book may be read alone, with no prior knowledge of the series. Yay !!

It's more that ten years since I first grew annoyed at continuing fantasy sagas. My annoyance gelled with a standard story of science world, fantasy world at odds. There's a promised saviour. By the end of book one there are hints that the hero will become the saviour. By the end of book two it is clear that the saviour will be the child of the hero. By book three... the promised saviour is so many generations into the future that I swore off reading any more of that series. It's like the fees to an insurance broker: while money flows in there is no intention to ever end.

Sanderson knows how to end a story. At the end of *each* novel the reader is well satisfied -- yet still hoping for more.

More recently, I read a book set in the middle of a fantasy epic. There were three or four threads following three or four different sets of characters, rotating characters with each chapter. Very little actually happened... In the worst case, two characters spent all of their chapters travelling. From one unknown point to another named yet unexplained point. Why? No idea. Interesting? Not at all.

Oh and one more small positive point for Sanderson: Lots of fantasy books begin with a prologue. Perhaps that's one of the fantasy tropes...? Sanderson is able to begin with a prologue -- which actually relates to the story! A. May. Zing. And, Well done.

Time to read more Mistborn :-)

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

"Omne ignotum pro magnifico est" … Tacitus: Agricola
   

The Dragon Round / Stephen S. Power

The Dragon Round
(1 of who knows how many)
by Stephen S. Power

fantasy

copyright 2016
read in November 2016

rated 2/10: unreadably bad

From the last page of this book: "Why would someone write a book for kids without a dragon?" The author's reply, "Why would someone write a book for anyone without a dragon?"

My question is, "Why would anyone write a book with no ending?!"

There is nothing on the book to indicate that this unfinished story is just the start of an unending saga. There is nothing inside. There is nothing at the end of the book to indicate that there is no end.

Absolute and utter rubbish.

Do not buy this book. Do not read this book. Do not support an author and a publisher who believe that they can sell "chapter one" as a book.

This book is an absolute rip-off.

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

"Omne ignotum pro magnifico est" … Tacitus: Agricola
   

Luna New Moon / Ian McDonald

Luna New Moon
by Ian McDonald

science fiction

copyright 2015
started reading in November 2016

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

I've read about 40 pages. Just over ten percent of the book. Less than ten percent if you consider that I have been skimming the last ten of those pages.

This book is awful.

There are thousands of characters. Thrown at the reader pell mell, catch the names if you care. After a very short while while I gave up caring.

Out of those thousands of characters -- not one is likeable. Most are dislikeable. Some are extremely dislikeable -- and they seem to be the main characters. Even the I'm-so-cute-in-my-frilly-dress little girl -- is not cute. Just sickeningly sweet.

A small number of characters are just miserable. Still not likeable. Just so miserable that I don't want to know how much more miserable they will get to be. The vast majority of the characters are under constant threat of destruction -- physical, emotional or economic -- because just a few -- nasty -- people have the power of life and death over the less powerful.

It's the vicious Moon Mafia.

Oh, sure, it's all family and honour and respect -- until a knife is pulled and a throat is slit. The reality is war and murder and literally cut-throat business. Anything less than instant obedience is disrespect, which leads to punishment. Family or not.

Forty pages in and this book is confusing and nasty.

Enough.

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

"Omne ignotum pro magnifico est" … Tacitus: Agricola
   

Shift / Hugh Howey

Shift
(Shift, Wool 1)
by Hugh Howey

science fiction

copyright 2013
read in November 2016

rated 6/10: read to pass the time
... or, possibly 8...

What's that ?! I can't even provide a rating for this book ? That's because it suffers from a common problem:

This book is not a complete novel.

This book is a prequel to a series of novellas. The novellas were published as "Wool". (Don't ask me why.) Shift now sets the scene for those novellas. Also in the pipeline is a book which wraps up the series. How do I know all this ? I read it in Wikipedia...

The book itself gives no indication that it is an INCOMPLETE story. Nothing on the cover. Nothing inside. A possible hint on the inside back cover, where two other books are advertised. I wouldn't mind so much if this story were complete in itself. It is not.

Okay, I'm thinking, this is a standard book of a closed society. Then its scope expands and I begin to think, okay, this is quite clever. Then it expands in a different direction ! What happened to that rather interesting side-story ?! How does this new story relate ?!

Nearing the end... It looks as though all will be revealed, all will be wrapped up... But no ! The several side-stories are incomplete. The main story is incomplete. What has happened ?!

Oh, I think, having read Wikipedia. This is a prequel.

So all those side-stories are just introductions to the several later novellas. Worse yet, there is an entire third book in which the end is finally revealed... Perhaps.

This -- Shift -- is quite a good book. I suspect that the complete series, three books, would be quite good. Perhaps even worth rating as an eight. Yet the book has been published as a stand-alone book. As a story with no end.

As it is published, Shift is rated six. Read to pass the time. No better.

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

"Omne ignotum pro magnifico est" … Tacitus: Agricola
   

Mostly Void, Partially Stars / Joseph Fink, Jeffrey Cranor

Mostly Void, Partially Stars
(Welcome to Night Vale vol 1)
by Joseph Fink, Jeffrey Cranor

copyright 2012-13
read (a bit) in November 2016

rated 6/10: read to pass the time

That is not a definitive rating. I read just a few episodes. I may read more. If I do -- and if I change my opinion -- I will update this review. What I read was, okay. Entertaining. Quirkily humorous.

A bit like Hitchhikers Guide to the Universe. But with less plot. Or no plot at all. Or, perhaps, a plot which starts slowly ?

My first -- and, so far, only -- impression is that this is like the radio "serials" of twenty, thirty years ago. Like Chicken Man. And that space hero series. And the Guide... except that Guide did develop into a story.

Of the very few episodes that I have read, Night Vale appears to be a series of surreal comic sketches. Linked by common characters and common locations. With no sign of any developing -- continuous -- story.

I may be wrong! To find out, I may read more. Right now, I feel that I have read all that I want to read. And, after all, I read only for my own enjoyment.

I have enjoyed the episodes that I have read so far. They are funny, in a weird way. Funny because they are surreal. Funny because, for example, you do not expect the PTA to be interrupted by a ravaging dinosaur. Did you laugh out loud at the unexpectedness of that last sentence? Then read the book :-)

It's the sort of humour that works best in small doses. As an occasional podcast, for example... As a book to be read from cover to cover? No.

I'll dip in a bit further. If there is a developing story -- something that makes me want to read more -- then I will update this post. Otherwise, I'll just read a bit more. To pass the time. Harmlessly. And perhaps with an occasional chuckle.

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

"Omne ignotum pro magnifico est" … Tacitus: Agricola
   

The Alloy of Law / Brandon Sanderson

The Alloy of Law
(Mistborn, 1 of a new cycle)
by Brandon Sanderson

fantasy, young adult

copyright 2011
read in November 2016

rated 7/10: well worth reading

This is a by-the-numbers action fantasy for young adults. And yet... Sanderson makes those numbers really sing and dance!

The magic is great fun. Not new, I guess, since there are already three Mistborn novels. But new to me.

The characters are likeable stereotypes with strong moral values. And strong right fists, for fighting evil :-)  The love interest is... well... This is book one of a series, so the hero has two women and he is stuck with the one that he doesn't love.

There are a bunch of villains -- and a major plot thread -- left intact for future books. Yet this book wraps up very nicely. We are introduced to a reasonably small number of major characters. We meet and defeat a major villain. We are introduced to the villain for book two. Better yet, this villain is not just an extra, to catch our interest. Meeting the villain is a logical part of the wrap-up of book one.

This book can be read as a complete novel on its own. It stands alone -- yet leaves me wanting to read more. It makes me want to read the original trilogy, perhaps even before I read more of this second series.

The Mistborn world is imaginative and developing. Alloy is enjoyable but not a great book.

It won't open your eyes to any deep mysteries of science or humanity. It's just well worth reading. For an enjoyable and imaginative romp in an interesting world.

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

"Omne ignotum pro magnifico est" … Tacitus: Agricola
   

Seveneves / Neal Stephenson

Seveneves
by Neal Stephenson

science fiction

copyright 2015
read in November 2016

rated 6/10: read to pass the time

This is hard science fiction: lovingly detailed descriptions of the applied science, cardboard characters, paper-thin plot. If you read Arthur C. Clarke purely for his science predictions then this book is for you. Read it to pass *a lot* of time.

I like a bit of story. Well, okay, there is a bit of story... Just a bit. Enough that I read to the end. Little enough that I am unimpressed.

True to its science fiction genre, Stephenson takes a what-if and explores it. What if the Moon were to explode? Well, people try to survive. Humanity separates into distinct groups. The groups meet each other and... That's it.

This is hard science fiction. No reader will care what happens *after* the various survivors meet...

Well, unfortunately, I care. Yes, they survived. That was obvious, right from the start. So what?! Will humanity survive? Or will the various groups wipe each other out? No idea... Though it does look as though there will be  a few centuries of war...

In fact, there's a whole lot of war, in the one group which is followed. Depressing, really. The Moon explodes, humanity is almost exterminated, the few survivors attempt to kill each other. Oh well. Realistic, probably.

Then there's that annoying title: Seveneves. Written, on the cover, as SeveNeves. My best guess is that it is SeveNeves in an attempt to hide what would be obvious -- a major point of the plot, two thirds of the way through -- without that deliberate mis-typing.

Look, if the title gives too much away -- look for another title. The Day the Moon Blew Up, for example, would only spoil the surprise of page two. (Sorry for that spolier.)

So there's a gradual build-up, with lots of scientific detail. If that's what you like then this is a great book. The use of Lagrange Points is explained so clearly that I finally understand why they are so often used. On the other hand, one character travels -- slowly -- through several rooms on the space station, just so that we can have each room and its purpose explained. In detail.

Then the action builds up. Battles, heroics, strong use of science. I'm thinking, This is better! Next chapter... an entire chapter which could be summarised as, She flew from the Earth to orbit. Sigh.

The book is easy enough to read. Just skim over the bits that don't interest you: the scientific detail or the actual story. Don't expect character development. Don't hope for shared danger to bring humanity together. Be pleasantly surprised by the rather interesting ideas on societal development.

It's not a "bad" book ! Just too much science and not enough fiction.

Although...

When it's obvious that humanity will need to rebuild from a very small number of survivors. When it's obvious and clearly stated that rebuilding of humanity will depend on having as many working wombs as possible and just a few jars of mixed sperm. Why is the space habitat loaded with more men than women ?!

Okay, there are more men than women in the astronaut and science fields. (True or false, I can live with that assumption.) Then every racial group is allowed to provide... wait for it... one male and one female! Come on! What about two females and one test-tube?! The actual selection is secretly rigged... Yet still, no-one thought to send up more women than men! Sheesh.

We only meet one of these couples. They are expected to spend a year in training, several years just surviving as unskilled passengers. (They will spend a few years in sardine tins, while the science and space crew save their bacon.) Then these passengers will spend the rest of their lives breeding like rabbits.

So (a) Why are the selected couple on their mid-twenties?! For weight and adaptability and time available for breeding -- teenagers would be better. Or even pre-teens, with just a few supporting adults. And (b) Do you believe that not one baby was born in those first few years ?! Wow!

Stephenson has written a good science primer. With just enough action and plot development to class it as a novel.

To me, a lot of it is interesting. But then, I subsequently read Wikipedia on Lagrange Points and epigenetics. Unfortunately there is too much science primer. And not enough science fiction novel.

Read it to pass a *lot* of time. If that's what you want.

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

"Omne ignotum pro magnifico est" … Tacitus: Agricola
   

The Tiger and the Wolf / Adrian Tchaikovsky

The Tiger and the Wolf
(Echoes of the Fall: book 1)
by Adrian Tchaikovsky

fantasy

copyright 2016
read in November 2016

rated 8/10: really quite good

The first book that I read by Tchaikovsky was set in a world of insects. Well, of people who had evolved from insects. At the time I thought, This is brilliant! He has merged the characteristics of insects, with "human" characteristics -- in an entirely believeable fashion.

This time Tchaikovsky has merged animals with humans. The characters are "were", with the ability to change between human and animal. Once more, he has done it so very, very well. A vast improvement on the usual werewolf stereotypes.

There are many characters, based on a range of animals. For a while I believed that there were several "heroes", until one emerged as the definite, central character. Okay, the true hero (heroine) was obvious right from the start. But I have grown accustomed to -- and annoyed by -- fantasy books which offer a tangled soap opera rather than a clear story.

The Tiger and Wolf story is clear. It is a clear story of one person's attempts to decide just who she is. There are plenty of strong support characters. Many of those characters have their own depth, motivation and internal conflicts. The book has just one main character.

For a while, though, the story is too convoluted. The heroine feels that she has spent too long just running from her enemies... and she is right. As the reader, I also begin to tire of the constant running, from one place to another. From one group of people to another. Is this all, I wonder, just a way to introduce all the characters for the next few books?

Finally, though, it comes together.

In the final, this will save me, scene, there are two parts. The supreme monster spirit appears and I think, yeah, well, nothing unexpected there. But the heroine has already tamed her internal demons -- in a much smarter, a very human, fashion.

This book is really quite good. It has a beginning, a middle and an end -- a complete story. It is clearly just the first of a series -- with just enough hints to raise interest in book two. Yet it can be read on its own. And thoroughly enjoyed.

A good start to a series. A good book on its own.

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

"If all the world's a stage, the director deserves a pay cut." … per Ginger Meggs

   

Resistance is Futile / Jenny T. Colgan

Resistance is Futile
by Jenny T. Colgan

science fiction, chick lit

copyright 2015
read in October 2016

rated 6/10: read to pass the time

An enjoyable book, not as light as it first appears to be. Not quite :-)

The central characters are pure mathematicians. Likeable stereotypes. With backgrounds that add some depth and interest to the stock characters.

Lots of humour, based round the character stereotypes. Enjoyable.

Then the plot heats up. A bit more action, a bit less humour.

Until the romance kicks into high gear. And by romance I mean, love and sex. The chick lit also kicks into high gear... with a hero who is so absolutely -- unbelievably -- perfect.

And finally: an ending which is both somewhat unexpected yet logically obvious.

It's fun and funny, lightweight, cheerful and just a bit sad.

Easy reading. Good fun.

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

"If all the world's a stage, the director deserves a pay cut." … per Ginger Meggs

   

Ready Player One / Ernest Cline

Ready Player One
by Ernest Cline

science fiction, young adult

copyright 2011
read in October 2016

rated 8/10: really quite good

On the cover of this book it says, "Enchanting. Willy Wonka meets The Matrix." Well said :-)

"Enchanting" is not a word I would use. But really, it suits. The book is imaginative, exciting -- and pleasant. Sure, there's violence. Murder. Evil deeds. Enough to prove that the bad guys are bad. Not so much that it overwhelms. All of this is balanced by good guys who are... well... rather sweet.

This is a geek teen boys' wish fulfilment fantasy. The hero is overweight and unfit -- except in his online virtual reality. Then he spends a lot of time and effort losing weight and getting fitter -- to show that it is possible -- but he does not depend on his new strength to become a real-life superhero.

There is a strong message: Just as it says in a WoW hint, you can enjoy virtual reality but you should also enjoy the real world. And the book adds, that you can work hard to improve both.

It helps that the hero is an intelligent, computer hacking super geek. He also has high moral standards and a respect for his fellow humans. Plus the willingness to put his neck on the line in order to save his friends (and the virtual world). All in a slightly nerdy, uncertain-teen-boy, very realistic human package.

A while back, I read several books on a similar theme: teen geek hero uses brains to save world from evil corporate organisation. Ready Player One does it so much better.

Some of those earlier books drew all the heroes as intelligent, moral, teens. More: *every* teen was an intellligent, moral hero. And *every* adult was stupid and evil. There was no end to the stupidity and evilness of corporations, government and adults. There was no limit to the cleverness and integrity of every "young adult" character.

In at least one book I was left wondering, Why should I trust the teen "hero" when he is so willing to use lies and deceit to win the day ?!

Ready Player One has heroes who are intelligent, moral teens. There are also some stupid teens. The chief villains are mostly adult -- as far as we can tell. Evil employees of an evil corporation. With a hint of corrupt support from government. There are also nice adults. And plenty of hench-people who are simply doing the job they are paid to do.

This is not the "them versus us," of heroic teens versus evil adults, of that earlier book. This book is a handful of heroes with support of the generally okay masses, versus the evil mega-corporation, which includes many employees who have no choice other than employment or starvation.

It's a positive call to support the good guys. Rather than a negative attempt to portray anyone not "us" as a stupid and evil "them".

Great fun, great book, great enjoyment. I could almost say... enchanting :-)

Oh, and if you're a fan of the 1980s... it's a great journey through nostalgia.

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

"If all the world's a stage, the director deserves a pay cut." … per Ginger Meggs

   

Steelheart / Brandon Sanderson

Steelheart
(The Reckoners 1)
by Brandon Sanderson

young adult, fantasy

copyright 2013
read in October 2016

rated 6/10: read to pass the time

Here's an interesting coincidence: I was reading this book while, in the background, Bowling for Columbine was on TV. To me, guns and shooting deaths and shooting massacres are all part of the American ethos. Make guns illegal and the deaths will still be a part of American life. It's part of what makes America what it is.

Are we -- non-Americans -- glad that America joined WW2 ? Mostly, yes. Are we glad that Americans on a French train attacked and subdued terrorists? Yes. Americans may want peace but they are very definitely willing to *fight* for peace. Removing guns will not change that.

All the sanctimonious hand-wringing will not change the essential nature of Americans. Gun control is pointless. Attitudinal control may work: accept the tendency to violence, make it socially *un*acceptable to be *pointlessly* violent.

So that's my opinion :-) And where is the coincidence?

Steelheart is a fine example of the American attitude to violence. As are many, many other American books and TV shows and movies.

In Steelheart: The world has gone to wrack and ruin. The response of the all-American teen hero is -- to kill the villains. To kill their hench-people. To arm himself with super-weapons... while not harming any innocent bystanders. He would, I am sure, have loved Mom and apple pie, if he had not been an orphan living hand-to-mouth on the mean streets of the steel city...

See a problem? Kill it. The all-American answer.

Which is not to say that I disagree ! Americans are fighters, fighters for rights and justice, other people may have less violent attitudes. That's part of what makes America great. (If that's what you believe. This is just my own opinion.)

And while we wring our hands and say, how can an American teenager take a gun and kill so many people? ... we enjoy reading books which support that same violent approach to problem resolution.

So yes, I enjoy reading this book. It just -- by coincidence -- makes me think about the violence underlying American society. Which I support -- in part -- though I am glad that I don't live in America. I can understand it; I don't want to be part of it. Because I'm not an American. For better or for worse.

If you too enjoy this book -- don't then knock the American tendency to violent methods for solving problems.

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

"If all the world's a stage, the director deserves a pay cut." … per Ginger Meggs

   

If Then / Matthew de Abaitua

If Then
by Matthew de Abaitua

science fiction

copyright 2015
read in October 2016

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

I'm reading this book. I reach page 115. Out of more than 400. I stop reading. This book is boring me out of my mind.

It may be a moral fable of our time. Telling us that our monetaristic society is doomed. Telling us that putting our faith in a rural idyll based on radical brain surgery driven by a computer program provided by an international company... is doomed.

So what.

It's unbelieveable -- even for science fiction.

I think I'll read Russian for Dummies. It will be more interesting than If Then.

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

"I think that I've stumbled into the periphery of wisdom." … per Ginger Meggs

   

The Book of Taltos / Steven Brust

The Book of Taltos
(Vlad Taltos 1 and 6)
by Steven Brust

fantasy

copyright 1988, 1990
read in October 2016

rated 8/10: really quite good

===

17nov21: Yep, re-read both books. Enjoyed them both. Other than that, I won't comment on my original reviews (below).

This one volume containes two books in the Vlad Taltos saga: Taltos and Phoenix. In an Author's Note, Brust comments on the recommended order of reading the series. Should they be read in publication order, or by the chronological sequence of events?

For the keen reader, reading in publication order makes sense. Otherwise you need to wait till the author has finished writing all of the books, before it is safe to begin the first... I would like to read them in chronological sequence. In reality, I read the books as I find them.

This one volume contains the first and the sixth books in chronological sequence. They cover the beginning of the hero's career in the Organization, and his career's (apparent) ending. A good combination to read together -- despite the missing four books!

book one: Taltos
copyright 1988
rated 8/10: really quite good

Vlad Taltos begins his career as an assassin. The main story is interspersed with minor flashbacks, explanation as to how he became what he is. Each chapter begins with an italicised section which has no apparent role -- except to prove itself to be essential for the grand finale. Does that sound rather complicated?

I have read three of the "missing" four books. I read them well before I read these two. As I read those missing books I often thought, Have I missed something? Is there a missing first book? It seems that there was... Unfortunately, the missing "first" book was written a decade after the others.

Did Brust know -- ten years before he wrote it -- what was in the as-yet-unwritten first book? Or did he take vague thoughts and -- ten years later -- complete the story? Either way, I'm impressed :-)

This is a good book. It can be read alone. (That's the author's intention. I believe it works. Having already read others in the series, I can't be absolutely sure.) For me, this book fills in gaps in the saga.

"Taltos" completes the beginning of the Taltos saga. It is also a great read.

book two: Phoenix
copyright 1990
rated 7/10: well worth reading

And so we skip over several adventures -- including gaining a wife. The assassin and established crime-lord now faces major threats -- and separation from his wife.

This book is every bit as enjoyable as book one, yet I have rated it slightly lower. Why?! Because Taltos fills in gaps. Phoenix opens more gaps... Taltos is highly satisfying. Phoenix makes me want more. If I ever read the entire series in one sitting -- I will probably rate Phoenix as an eight :-)

Taltos now works well with his friends and with his employees. His book one self-assured wiseguy dealings with "authority" covered nervousness. He talked back yet understood that he could, at any moment, be utterly destroyed. Now he talks back because he means what he says. (Mostly.) He could still be destroyed but he has more confidence that he will survive.

These two books were written one after the other. The in-between character-building books were written years before. Brust easily deals with the "sudden" growth in his hero's character... Again, I am impressed :-)

Phoenix is clearly a continuation of the saga of Vlad Taltos, Jhereg and assassin. It is also, clearly, a new beginning.

in August 2023: I have just re-read Phoenix.

In this (and other books) Taltos and his wife have moved apart. It actually makes the relevant books less enjoyable. Somewhat uncomfortable.

This time, I have read about Brust in Wikipedia. Interesting... Brust himself had a marriage breakdown. The Taltos marriage breakdown can be read as a reflection of the author's own problems. And, perhaps... as an explanation of his own side of the real-life breakdown.

====

Yes, I have already read one of the "future" books. That one (if I remember correctly) was still not a clear direction to an end of the saga.

Where to next? I don't know. But I do look forward to finding out.

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

"I'm leaving my body to science fiction" … per Ginger Meggs

   

The Oversight / Charlie Fletcher

The Oversight
(clearly intended as Oversight 1)
by Charlie Fletcher

fantasy

copyright 2014
read in September 2016

rated 7/10: well worth reading

Steam fantasy punk? Victorian England, with magic. There are three sides to the story: good magic users, bad magic users, non-magic users. Oh, and the good but unaligned magic users. And the non-magic users include those who know and those who don't... It's a complicated world :-)

It's a complicated world. And it's clear almost from the start, that this will be book one of a series. Sure enough, the end sets up for a continuing series... a series with several barely related threads. Not to worry, the end is still a solid conclusion to most of the story.

What a pity that "book one" is not mentioned on the cover.

It's fun, though. Characters that I can care about. Too many of them for a single book, that's the downside of being "book one". Some very minor threads which are there only for use in further books.

The writing style is interesting. Somehow simple yet with occasional, entertaining twists in the way in which words are used.

The story is not quite dark. There are threats, there is suffering. Not too much dwelling on the violence, more on the threat and effects of the violence.

And then the heroes stand up, fight back, win the day -- and leave plenty of villains for the next day.

Well worth reading as a standalone book. Could be an entertaining series.

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

"I'm leaving my body to science fiction" … per Ginger Meggs

   

The Way of Kings / Brandon Sanderson

The Way of Kings
(Stormlight Archive 1)
by Brandon Sanderson

fantasy

copyright 2010
read in September 2016

rated 8/10: really quite good

I'm thinking, This book is familiar...?! Then I remember, I've read book two of this series. At last I'll find out what went before! I also seem to remember that I enjoyed book two. Even without having read book one.

So I start with positive expectations...

(btw: I have not re-read my review of book two. I prefer to review each book on my immediate impressions. On my own, just this book, immediate impressions.)

And this is, indeed, a good book.

Some fantasy is a standard work of fiction set in a world which is almost our own. The fantasy allows the writer to add swords and, perhaps, sorcery to a story set in a not-the-present timeline. Easy enough. Just needs an excellent story to make it zing.

Sanderson has created an entirely new world. There's one small area which is almost Earth-like, a pastoral oddity in a very odd world. The rest of this world is really, really odd !

The world -- land, plants, animals and people -- is absolutely unique. (Okay. Unique within my own limited range of reading. Unique enough for me.)

On top of that, both characters and plot are good. I like the characters. They have enough depth for me to wonder what they will do next... If only I could remember more from book two !

And the plot... Well... There are several threads and I can follow each one. Because I like the characters, the plot engages me. Because the world is unique, many of the plot developments are unexpected... Yet, once developed, they are almost expected because of the logical consistency of this world.

It's really quite good. Good enough that I now want to re-read book two. While my memory of this book is fresh enough that I remember what happened :-)

(And now, time to re-read my review of book two...)

===

04oct16:

Oh, and one other point that I forgot when writing the review:

On the cover of the book it clearly states, "Book One" and "Part One". No confusion. If you like this book, you know there are more. That the story will not really end on the last page of this book.

More importantly: The author and publisher are convinced that you will like this book. That you will like it enough to buy it -- even though you already know that it is only "part one". They are convinced that you will not be disappointed, that you will willingly buy "part one", that you will be willing to then buy part two.

Yes, they are correct.

Honesty in publishing.

And a very good book.

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

"I'm leaving my body to science fiction" … per Ginger Meggs

   

The Snow Queen / Joan D. Vinge

The Snow Queen
by Joan D. Vinge

science fiction

copyright 1980
read in September 2016

rated 9/10: really, really good

This book has been republished, thirty years after it was first published. Has it dated? Not at all.

Okay, the heroine is called Moon and her boyfriend is Sparky. (Shades of American Vacation.) Yet the ideas are fresh, new, well presented. And very old.

Apparently, the plot is based on The Snow Queen fairytale by Hans Christian Andersen. So I checked the fairytale in Wikipedia. And yes, I can see the similarity: relatively modern science fiction based on a very old fairytale. And it is an excellent update.

As I start reading I wonder, Is this science fiction -- or fantasy? The style is fantasy. Or, perhaps, hippie mysticism. The writing is almost poetic in style. The story which it describes is science fiction. Good science fiction. The sort which offers a story which is relevant to today but set in a believeable future.

The theme is... no, the themes are, very much of the 1980s: scientific complexity versus self-sufficient simplicity; equality of male and female, and of alien. (It is, after all, science fiction.)  There are messages but they are not strident. The messages are not all one-sided.

The characters are likeable, with enough depth to be realistic. There are challenges, though there is nothing really heart-stopping. Some sad stories but no emphasis on the nastiness. Though that may be a modern perception. Perhaps I see the nastiness as simply less-than-the-standard suffering.

Then there's the heroine... She is soooo sweet! Which is a direct take from the original fairytale. I still like her :-)

This could be a tale of revenge. Yet it is not. Yes, the evil villain is destroyed -- after we are shown enough to allow us sympathy for her actions. The villain is about to meet her fully justified end -- and the heroine lets the villain know that all is not lost...

All the villain's plans are not lost, that is. Sure, the heroine has firmly quashed the villain. Yet the villain began with good intentions. Now her evil has been ended. Yet the heroine allows the villain to know -- before the fatal end -- that the original good intentions are still on track. And that, is very nice.

Perhaps I should write a bit about the two main themes...

Science versus simple self-sufficiency. The simple world is very pleasant. The science world is full of evil but it is not, in itself, evil. I'm wondering is the sequel will build a world of science without the evil?

A second theme is, gender equality. Some older books take "gender equality" to mean, "women are better than men". More modern movies take gender equality to mean, women kicking butt even harder that the men. Snow Queen has a heroine who is feminine within the standards of her (1980s) time. And who is strong enough to drive the story.

The heroine is as good as any man. In her own way.

Oh, and the villain is also a woman. She uses sex as one means to power. She is also very intelligent. A strong role model who has chosen evil means by which to follow her good intentions.

I guess that the heroine will continue those good intentions -- without the evil means !

All will be revealed. If I can find a republication of the sequel.

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

"Listen to the sermon before eating the missionary" … per Ginger Meggs

   

Saturn's Children / Charles Stross

Saturn's Children
by Charles Stross

science fiction

copyright 2008
read in September 2016

rated 6/10: read to pass the time

Hang on. Am I missing something? Saturn's Children?! But they never go anywhere near Saturn! Hmmm, well, must be because, "His reign was depicted as a Golden Age of plenty and peace." (from Wikipedia). No, surely not. The universe of this book has neither plenty nor peace. Perhaps it's that reference to Saturn eating his son??

The whole book is like that: confusing.

It's a clever setting. Robots are created to serve Humanity. Then Humanity goes extinct. The robots are forced to follow Humanity's rules while creating their own civilisation. That's clever. There are clever ideas. There are humorous adaptations.

The heroine is likeable. A female sex robot -- what's not to like?! -- who is built to love, obey and "service" human males. Who no longer exist. Oops.

Then it gets confusing.

The heroine has flashbacks. Well explained but hard to follow. Is this a flashback? How are we getting a flashback now, when the flashback "memory" was created before these events? At least, that's the best that I can understand...

At the start the "other person's memories" are unexplained, that mystery is a part of the plot. By the time the author has explained the source of the flashbacks, they are so complicated that I am lost.

The ultimate evil plot (or group of interrelated plots) is revealed, nearly at the end of the book. At that stage I don't really care. Though it is nice to finally know who the villains... probably... are.

One plot is foiled. Various villains are despatched. Most villains just disappear. The heroine rides off into the sunset...

I'm glad she won. I just wish that it was a stronger ending.

Will the villains reappear in book two? Will the heroine ride back out of the sunset?

It's fun. It's clever. It's too complex. The ending is pleasant, just lacks a feeling of completeness.

In my opinion :-)

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

"New experiences lead to new questions and new solutions ! Change forces us to experiment and adapt ! That's how we learn and grow !" … Calvin, to Hobbes

   

The End of All Things / John Scalzi

The End of All Things
by John Scalzi

science fiction, short story series

copyright 2015
read in September 2016

rated 6/10: read to pass the time

First, that "short story series": The book contains several short stories (or novellas) which follow a single plot. Follow loosely, that is. The stories add up to a "complete" novel. And I put complete in quotes because, well, as a novel it is lacking.

The stories are a sequence of events, snapshots of a future history. At a higher level -- two star-faring civilisations in conflict -- there is continuity. Individuals, however, come and go. Well, okay, many individuals are in each story. None are key characters throughout. This makes it difficult to see the book as a novel.

Each story is fun, sort of. Cunning humans, likeable aliens, conflict, a cunning plan, conflict resolution. I find it very hard to sympathise with the humans.

The humans are cunning, dishonest and cruel. Their "civilisation" is a cruel regime with absolute centralised power and no allowance for dissent. In the third story the author seems to recognise this:

The ruling group exercises its absolute power, there is a series of violent repressions. Some characters provide light relief, with suggestions that maybe this is not a good way to rule. Finally, one character makes a minor statement of disagreement. I guess that this represents a gradual shift of public opinion, away from the status quo.

Finally, a form of democracy is forced onto humanity. Not chosen, forced. Either democracy, or "the end of all things". Which is a rather melodramatic title.

It's either this, or "the end of all things". Where "the end" is, it seems, space war which is likely to destroy both human and alien civilisations. That's back to a barbaric square one. It's not the end of all things. Just the end of a nascent United (Alien) Nations group and the end of the human space empire.

The human space empire exercises absolute central power to crush independence movements. It uses guile, deception and brutality to defeat aliens. What's worth saving?!

And then there's the final, "alternate" version of the first story. It's the author padding this book with a story which he earlier rejected. I started to read it and gave up... Perhaps it would have been more interesting nearer the front of the book. Before I had developed such a strong dislike of the human characters.

Oh well.

Wham, bam. Humanity uber alles aliens.

It's entertaining.

It also leaves an unpleasant taste in the mind.

21mar18: Re-read it -- it's easy enough to read.

Agreed with my earlier review.

24jun20: I read it again. A similar opinion: still entertaining but still a somewhat unpleasant view of humanity, still leaves me with a somewhat unpleasant feeling in my mind..

This time, however, I read the full "alternate beginning". The published beginning is much better.

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

"New experiences lead to new questions and new solutions ! Change forces us to experiment and adapt ! That's how we learn and grow !" … Calvin, to Hobbes

   

Hollow World / Michael J. Sullivan

Hollow World
by Michael J. Sullivan

science fiction

copyright 2014
read in August 2016

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

Sullivan follows H.G. Wells into the future on a home-built time machine. Yes, I can see the comparison. I didn't need the Author's Note at the start to point it out.

Sullivan finds the Eloi. The Morlocks have to be introduced. Makes me think that this is more social commentary than science fiction. Social commentary that strikes me as... weak.

The future humans are GM, genetically modified. Weak, childish and uninteresting.

The future world is sort of interesting. The hero spends a lot of time having things explained to him. Not very exciting. I skimmed through the last quarter of the book.

I skimmed. The book is readable, just not exciting.

Ho. Hum.

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

"The world's most affectionate creature is a muddy dog." … per Ginger Meggs
   

The Mime Order / Samantha Shannon

The Mime Order
(Bone Season 2)
by Samantha Shannon

fantasy, steam punk?

copyright 2015
read in August 2016

rated 9/10: really, really good

Shannon's first book was very good. Somewhat clunky plot but a new and interesting world. With a likeable heroine.

Book two gets it all right.

It's funny. The Mime Order makes me think, dystopia. Yet it is not. It is an underworld with both good and bad, in a world with both good and bad. A bit like real life... except that it's fantasy.

The world itself has moved from interesting, to fascinating. I think that's in part because the action has moved from the restricted set of Oxford to the major centre of London. We have moved from, effectively, a prison camp to a capital city. With a much wider range of activity.

The first book hinted at chick lit. I like chick lit... but this second book is in the broader category of fantasy. (Or possibly science fiction. The science is just a little futuristic. With a feeling of steam punk. Is that right? Science fiction set in Victorian times?) I enjoy chick lit -- but some chick lit essentials can limit readership.

Sure, there's romance. And, in Mime, quite a bit of costume change and description. It's neither a genre requirement nor a distraction, it's another dimension of the story.

The heroine is still a caring person. In a rough, tough world she wants to save everyone. Good on her :-) She suffers but not enough to give me nightmares. It's a brutal world, minor characters may suddenly be killed, this is conflict, not pointless violence. The balance is about right.

The cliff-hanger ending is overdone. In book one the heroine is told, I'm sure you'll be able to get out of this... A good reassuarance for the reader. At the end of Mime, the cliff-hanger is less plot driven, more intentional extra. Sure, the heroine will sort it out -- but there is a feeling of, let's tack on a cliff-hanger.

There are still more characters that I can follow. With the added difficulty that the central group have dual names. I have trouble remembering which character has which gang name... but that's just me.

As I was reading I thought, it's a great book though not great enough to requiire re-reading. Then I finished -- and a great finish it was, too -- and thought, I think I'll read that again. And, perhaps, remember who is who!

At the end of Mime there is a major fight. You know the style: heroine has powers, uses powers, finally meets boss villain and is losing -- then suddenly discovers new powers to win the day. Well...

Mime uses a similar approach. Except that the new super-powers are anticipated. Not, Oh dear what shall I do oh my I suddenly have this extra power... The heroine actually tries to develop her powers. And trains before the event! Very, very good.

So my only niggle is with the tacked-on cliff-hanger.

Overall: a really, really good book.

....

Footnote: Almost forgot...

The author strikes me as... intelligent. She knows her stuff. I'm perfectly happy with fantasy, and with fantasy science fiction. (Doc Smith, for example.) Yet I do like a bit of actual knowledge. When I read up on some passing comment -- and find that it's correct -- it's a bonus. And interesting.

Doc Smith mentioned "cosmogeny". I read up on cosmogeny. Found out that it's different to cosmology. I enjoy that minor but thought-provoking reference. Shannon provides a number of similar concepts that I have enjoyed researching. (By "researching" I mean, reading Wikipedia.")

An intelligent author. Leading me to interesting concepts. An added bonus :-)

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

"The world's most affectionate creature is a muddy dog." … per Ginger Meggs
   

Medalon / Jennifer Fallon

Medalon
(Hythrun Chronicles 1)
by Jennifer Fallon

fantasy, chick lit

copyright 2000
read in August 2016

rated 7/10: well worth reading

For us Australians, add a bonus to the rating: "Jennifer Fallon was born in Melbourne, Australia... [and now] lives in Alice Springs, Australia." Excellent! Though that quote is from the 2000 edition book. It may or may not still be true. The living in Alice Springs bit, that is... Anyway.

A very enjoyable book. A brand new fantasy world with a limited number of races but some interesting variations on the standards. Dragons and demons, for example... Interesting ideas :-)

There are also the gods. I wonder, was it Terry Pratchett who first decided that gods are created by their worshippers? Medalon adds an extra dimension to that concept.

All of the characters are very human. Even the gods are -- in their own ways -- very human. Many of the characters are likeable. Most are quite believeable.

There are various villains. In this book -- the start of the Chronicles -- the focus is on the Sisterhood... Another interesting concept: The heroine is, of course, persecuted by those in power. Those in power are women, with men in a powerful but secondary role. Not all is rosy in this matriarchial society.

The action rattles along at a fine pace. We meet a lot of interesting people -- some of whom are suddenly written out. By which I mean, killed. Others need to be tracked... A second reading provided plenty of clues as to "revelations" and relationships.

The plot is relatively straightforward. The heroine and hero jump in and out of danger. Often the same danger. Of course, they suffer. And learn... Though the hero has to have two opportunities to learn to avoid the obvious trap.

And finally... they fall in love and are dragged apart. I wonder how many books there are before the romantic entanglements are sorted out?!

An enjoyable book. Good characters. An interesting world. The chick lit aspects are there but muted. This is a solid fantasy adventure.

I look forward to reading more of these Chronicles.

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

"The world's most affectionate creature is a muddy dog." … per Ginger Meggs
   

Toilet Duck(*) / Johnson

Toilet Duck(*)
by Johnson

toilet cleaner
(*) Many of the comments below refer to toilet cleaners in general, not just this product. This is the one that I have used. This is the one with the dodgy container.

used in August 2016

rated 3/10: so bad it's embarrassing

I've taken over cleaning the household toilets. Toilet Duck has always been in the house. My views on toilet cleaner are not new. It is only recently that I have used the product for myself. Hence this review.

First: the product.

I checked the various toilet cleaners where I go shopping. They fall into two categories: (1) those which contain "Benzalkonium chloride" (2) those which contain bleach. If you make skin contact, or swallow, the first, the recommended first aid is fresh water. Rinse or swallow. For the bleach cleaners, first aid involves a doctor.

As a nervous consumer, I chose the less dangerous chemical. For my next purchase, however, I will be looking for a completely non-toxic soap or detergent.

Then: the package. And this is why Toilet Duck gets such a low rating.

Toilet Duck has a "Unique Neck. Better reach = better cleaning". According to the label. The bulk of this review (below) explains why -- in my opinion -- "better reach" is pure marketing rubbish. In short: the place which it can better reach does not need better cleaning.

Worse than that, the "unique neck" causes waste of product.

I get near the end of the container. There is still a centimetre or so of liquid at the bottom, I can hear it sloshing. When I tip the bottle and squirt -- nothing comes out.

The "unique neck" means that the last 10% of liquid is trapped in the bottle. It takes some effort -- tilt, hold, tilt differently -- to get that last 10% to squirt out.

The "unique neck" design causes consumers to waste the last cleaner in the bottle. The design is pointless for the consumer. And profitable for the producer.

Finally: the purpose. Which applies across the board, to all special purpose toilet cleaners. Well, those used for general household purposes, anyway.

Why does a toilet need cleaning? Okay, we know what goes into a toilet: poo, pee, paper -- and lots of fresh water.

Poo is variable. If you are sick, your poo is very likely to contain pathogens. Is that the right word? Your poo will contain the germs that are making you sick.

Poo also stains. With a modern low flush toilet, the stains are highly unlikely to be washed away by flushing. With our own low flush toilets -- models recommended by our own Water Corporation of WA -- the amount of flushing water is not enough to remove solids, let alone the stains created by solids sliding across porcelain.

It can take up to six full flushes to remove the visible lumps of poo. So poo in the toilet will leave stains. And, possibly, invisible germs.

The next toilet input is pee. Pee smells. One or two full flushes will remove all visible signs of pee in the toilet bowl. (In an old-fashioned toilet, a single flush could be enough.) But what about all those invisible germs?!

Pee is notoriously sterile. Sure, it smells. But it is so sterile that bush lore recommends flushing wounds with pee. True? I don't know. Certainly, pee will have no more germs than poo.

Then we add paper -- toilet paper -- to the toilet. Toilet paper does not leave a stain. Toilet paper does not carry any human pathogens -- not until it is used. And then it is quickly flushed away.

Finally: fresh water. I don't know about your house but ours is supplied with very clean water. Chlorinated. No germs. But is does contain some iron salts(?) which can -- over time -- leave a stain.

So the toilet bowl has poo, pee, paper and water. Poo may contain germs. Poo and water may leave stains.

What are we trying to clean from the toilet bowl?

Why are we cleaning the toilet bowl?

I'm not too worried about germs in the toilet bowl. It's not as though I eat or drink out of that particular bowl. Even the cat has a separate supply of clean drinking water.

I clean the toilet bowl to (a) remove stains and (b) remove the smell of pee.

The smell of pee?? Not such a problem since the children grew up. Yes, blokes are not always accurate with their pee. It's worth the occasional wipe-down of the toilet bowl, inside and out. Less of a problem with no small boys in the house... Even then  I found that a weekly rinse with fresh water was enough to clear the air.

Yes, there was the smell of stale pee. I would pour fresh water -- straight from the tap -- on and around the bowl. Problem solved.

So why does Toilet Duck want us to clean under the rim of the toilet bowl? All that comes from there is fresh water! The same fresh water that -- in other parts of the house -- we are happy to drink!

Is the water creating a stain? So find out what is staining... find a cleaner which removes that stain... use that. There is no need to use a dangerous generic chemical. Identify the staining agent in your water. Remove that stain.

If you're worried that your dog is drinking the "germ filled" water in your toilet bowl -- leave the lid closed. If it's your children... I'm sorry, that's a problem with your children, not with the sterility of your toilet bowl.

A special -- and dangerous -- toilet cleaner is a waste of time. And a waste of money. Find a cleaner which just removes stains. One that is useful in a range of areas. One that does not require first aid instructions on the packet.

Hmmm... even my dishwashing liquid comes with a warning about too much contact with skin. On the other hand -- dishwashing liquid leaves dishes clean enough to eat off. I wonder if it cleans toilet bowls?!

Don't be sucked in by marketing. Don't be fooled by packaging which causes you to waste the final few percent of expensive product.

Consider why you want to clean the toilet bowl. Then use a product to suit that purpose.

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

"The world's most affectionate creature is a muddy dog." … per Ginger Meggs
   

The Bone Season / Samantha Shannon

The Bone Season
(Bone Season 1)
by Samantha Shannon

fantasy, chick lit

copyright 2013
read in August 2016

rated 8/10: really quite good ?

... Or maybe seven, Well worth reading ? Nooo... For my own enjoyment rating... eight. I needed good escapism, this book is good escapism.

... Yeeesss... Make that:

rated 7/10: Well worth reading.

Great escapism. Great logic of magic. Still a bit clunky in the storyline.

I've been reading some non-F/SF books. Books which have been submitted for the Premier's Book Award. Books which are in the top ten for that award. "Reading" ? Well, trying to read. Failed to finish any, so far.

In fact, I will probably not even start reading the remaining two that I have. I admit it: I'm not impressed by literary style, nor by deeply significant meaning. I want to enjoy a book... And I want to escape into my enjoyment of reading.

I enjoyed Bone Season.

The heroine is tough, she is beautiful. Best of all -- she will never give up.

The book is set in a parallel universe. Just a few decades ahead of our own time, so there is some advanced science. Okay, it could be science fiction... I call it fantasy. It is also chick lit...

So there is a love triangle. There is no surprise that one male of the triangle is strong, tall, handsome -- absolutely dependable, for when the heroine swoons, or twists her ankle. And yet: this heroine barely swoons. When she twists her ankle she continues to run and fight. She is more than feisty. She is tough !

The heroine is also caring. Will she leave her friends to die? No way!  Will she leave a casual acquaintance to die? Hardly! This woman is good. Very good. I like her :-)

The universe is also good. A new take on ghosts and the spirit world. The parallel universe thing is also very well done. Language and style suit the time at which it appears to have split from our own universe. Enough difference to be interesting, similar enough to be understood.

The story is not great. Enjoyable, but no great surprises. Except for the basic premise, which provides enough surprise to make for very enjoyable reading.

The book is also rather complex: there are too many characters to track. This is a problem (for me!) -- but I prefer it to the alternative.

This is the first book of a series. Characters are introduced. They will -- I expect -- reappear in later books. The alternative is, to pare down the cast -- and introduce new characters in subsequent books. I find that that approach often feels artificial. Like a film franchise which introduces new characters -- simply to sell more character-based merchandise.

I'm happy with Bone Season's approach. It's complex, I lost track of who's who. So I read it again :-) There is enough enjoyment and enough complexity to reward a second reading. Though, I'll admit, there is enough predictability that I would not have worried if my second reading had been interrupted.

And now, my favourite snippet...

Remember that love triangle? By the end of the book, one of the three is no longer part of the triangle. What happened?! That, I like... Very clever, very nice, I still smile when I think of it :-)

With no love triangle, will the next book be less chick lit? Not to worry. This girl will attract more lovers. She just can't help it, she is so nice. And there are plenty of other characters who are almost good enough for her.

A solid ending. With a major cliff-hanger... with the clear statement, that this woman will be able to sort out the problems of the cliff-hanger. She may suffer but she will come through, somehow.

Very enjoyable. I hope there are more.

Footnote: A quick check of the web... Yes, there are two more books, so far. Excellent :-)

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

"Talk low, talk slow and don't say too much." … John Wayne