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.

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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
   

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
   

A Guide to Berlin / Gail Jones

A Guide to Berlin
by Gail Jones

other: literary?!

copyright 2015
partly read in August 2016

rated 6/10: read to pass the time

There's an old joke: "Pretentious !? Moi ?!" This book is a surprisingly enjoyable bit of literary pretention.

Nothing happens. There are no great characters, none even sympathetic. It's a series of deeply meaningless observations on life, people and things. Set in a significantly cold and miserable Berlin winter. (Yes, everything is... deeply significant.)

Pretty early on I guess, this is a rip-off of the Nabokov style. You know, Nabokov, the Russian-turned-American who wrote Lolita. I once tried to read Lolita. Boring.

So I turn to Wikipedia to read up on Nabokov. Oh, okay, he wrote a short story called, A Guide to Berlin. So the title of this book is a clarion call to literary pretenders.

It turns out that Nabakov's life was interesting... and difficult. I rate this book at six, the Wikipedia entry on Nabokov as, perhaps, eight. There's a lot more interest in Wikipedia than in this book.

I suspect that this book is written in the style of Nabokov. From what I have now read, Nabokov was big with words, light on plot. Have you noticed that, with people who speak English as their second language? A tendency to source their words from a dictionary rather than from common usage. It can be misinterpreted as clever. It reads as unnatural.

I can't find the text of Nabokov's story, only a plot summary. It's a series of observations on life, people and things in Berlin. So is this book.

So we have a series of observations -- and interpretations, often ridiculous. With nothing much happening. Apparently -- from the back cover blurb and from the very short chapter one -- there will be a death. I don't read that far.

I'm quite enjoying this book. It's ridiculous, it's pointless, it's -- perhaps -- a postgraduate demonstration of the author's ability to copy the style of a best-forgotten author. Yet it's easy to read. And the observations and interpretations are quite interesting.

It just seems to be going nowhere.

This book is another in the top ten for the Premier's Book Award. If it wins, I won't complain. But for me -- it's back to a book with some plot. And some interest.

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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
   

Officeworks Printing Services

Officeworks Printing Services

rated 3/10: go somewhere else

Need some printing done? Just a few pages? Officeworks provides a simple print service.

Correction: Officeworks does not provide a simple print service.

Officeworks used to provide a simple print service.

Walk in, speak to the helpful people at the print services counter. Get the printing done. Pay. Then there was the new self-service option: Print it yourself, then pay. Simple. Convenient. Easy.

Sure, the printers sometimes failed. There was often a queue at the counter.

Not to worry. These minor irritations are nothing. Nothing, that is, compared to the incredible difficulty of Officeworks current print non-services.

There's a sign at the counter: Hand in a print job over the counter and there will be a 24 wait for the printing to be done.

What?! A guaranteed 24 hour wait?!? Forget it!

Officeworks could increase staff numbers to cope with demand. Rather than that, they have acted to reduce demand.

But wait, there's always the self-service printing... Very convenient... When it works.

Also: Officeworks self-service printing is now set up to benefit Officeworks... at an increased cost to the customer.

First, the controlling software is fiddly. Especially when I have 20 small PDFs to print. Each one has to be printed separately. I have to remember where I'm at in the list of PDFs. There's no option to print all files.

Then there's the payment rip-off...

No more, print-then-pay. You have to buy a "payment card". That is -- you need to give money to Officeworks in the expectation that you will, some day, want to print a few pages. Officeworks holds your cash. Tough luck, customer.

So today I bought a cash card. I gave $10 to Officeworks so that I could print about $9 worth of pages. At best, Officeworks have made a clear profit of $1.

The self-service printer works for a few documents. Then stops printing. Claims to have printed -- but has not.

An Officeworks employee looks at the printer. No, can't see anything wrong, he says. Well, I could see that much. Was I charged for the failed printing? I could count all the pages that I did get, multiply by the cost per page, subtract from $10, start the print process to get a view of how much is still on the pre-pay card... Forget it.

I try another printer. (That's the employee's best... only... suggestion.) I print one page. Next print attempt -- nothing comes out. No message. Just, no print.

What the hell ?!?

I walk out. No, it didn't work, I tell the employee. No, I don't give a stuff. No, I won't be back. Yes, I will get my printing done by a company which understands customer service.

Of course, really, I lose all round: No print, no convenience, I need to find a print service company.

And Officeworks has about $8 of my money. Which I will never get to use.

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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