PissWeakly Reviews: February 2017

Tuesday, February 28, 2017

Our Lady of the Ice / Cassandra Rose Clarke

Our Lady of the Ice

by Cassandra Rose Clarke

steam punk SF

copyright 2015

read in February 2017

rated 7/10: well worth reading

A domed city in Antarctica.

Isolated

due to

ice and snow for six months of each year. Cut off from

the rest of the world for the rest of each year by restrictive and expensive "visa"

restrictions

A closed society with "the good life" available to those who can afford it.

Within the dome is a reasonable life. A mix of good and bad. Politicians are corrupt and crime is rife but i

ndividuals can live a peaceful

life. If they steer clear of the criminals.

Then there is the science. The steam punk science... Steam-driven robots. Cogs and gears and mechanical coding. With mysterious wires that, once cut, completely destroy the robotic "life". Better yet, many robots have been upgraded directly from steam to atomic power. Brilliant :-) The science is scientific. Not realistic. I like it.

Then there is the central theme of this book... an interesting theme. A standard science fiction theme but with interesting twists. Mostly, there is no clear "good or bad" outcome. Oh, and I'm not writing a description of that theme... It took me many chapters to understand it. Why should I spoil the fun for you.

There is the one central theme. There are also several other matters of concern. The characters have depth. There are several issues to be resolved. But...

The book is all rather low key. The problems are real. The solutions are not easy. Yet the difficulties are not dragged out. There is a somewhat flat feeling to the book, especially the ending. That is both good and bad... The ending is satisfactory but incomplete. Not because there are deliberate cliff-hangers. More that certain issues cannot be resolved within one book. Yet there are no indications that this is book one of many...

Some issues are resolved. Others are simply left as, Here's a problem, be aware of it, it's not an important part of this book. It's... interesting.

I enjoyed this book. I particularly like the steam punk. The main characters are a good mix, I like them. I would like a stronger -- more wide-ranging -- ending. Yet I am happy with how it did end.

Read it. Enjoy it. See what you think.

====

btw: The best extra that I ever bought for my tablet is a keyboard. Much easier to use than the touch screen. Especially for my touch-in-sensitive fingers. And now my keyboard is breaking down... I have abandoned the tablet keyboard and returned to the standard PC-with-keyboard.

Technology is great. Cheap technology is only great till it breaks. It seems that my tablet keyboard is even cheaper than indicated by its the price. Oh well :-(

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

"Before your dreams can come true, you have to have those dreams" … Dr Joyce Brothers

Sunday, February 19, 2017

Kinslayer / Jay Kristoff

Kinslayer

(Lotus War 2)

by Jay Kristoff

fantasy, steam punk, young adult? not really

read in February 2017

rated 8/10: really quite good ... no... 7/10: well worth reading

Absolute over the top steam punk fantasy... Japanese steam punk fantasy. Wow.

The main characters are in their late teens. Is this a young adult book? Probably. But that is a category, not a limitation. Anyone would enjoy this book. As long as you like escapist steam punk fantasy with dragons... Or, as long as you like hectic adventure in a complex and fantastic world.

In this fantastic version of Japan, the steam punk machinery is terrific. Terrific and very traditional Japanese :-)

Prosthetic limbs which whirr and clank and hiss fumes. Giant mechanical vehicles on steam powered legs. Computer input via abacus. And just wait till they start to use those steam punk swords...

Amongst all this, the teenage characters struggle on. They are tough. They are bitter, they are sweet. They are willing to put their lives on the line to fight evil.

The empire is evil. And -- to add to the challenge -- there are evil demons. Evil humans may be destroying the world. Evil demons would like to destroy the humans. And, possibly, the world. Yet the demons are just a sub-plot.

At the start of this book is a quote, "Your anger is a gift." The heroic revolutionary tells this to the heroic girl. And yet... she realises that anger is not the only, not the best, answer. Good for her.

So. Question. Can this book be read by itself?

Yes.

This is book two. There are quite a few carry-over characters. Who the hells are all these people? Those are the author's words, as he gives a brief pen picture of the key continuing characters. It was at the start of the book, so I knew it was there. And regularly referred to that section. Thank you :-)

The story itself began, twisted, split, rejoined, then ended. Satisfactorily.

Yes, there are villains still alive, seeking to destroy the good guys. There is a twist at the end which seems to me, to be ready to twist a few more times in future books. There is an entire anti-empire resistance group noted but yet to be introduced. One battle is over, the war continues...

Yet this book ends with a solid and satisfactory conclusion. It can be read alone.

I want to read more of this saga. I am happy with the one book that I have read.

====

nov22:

I read it again... with some new opinions.

First: Book one may have been teen escapist fantasy. This book two adds a lot more adult nastiness.

There is sex, betrayal, apparent betrayal, torture and general suffering.

It's a violent book. Gone is the happy I-ride-a-griffin teen fantasy.

and Second: Yes, books one and two are very clearly the start of a series.

The end is satisfactory -- but wide open, even for the key characters.

There are also major threads which are entirely unexplored. The possibly-Russian group, for example.

The world is wide and complex. Even two books have barely explored a corner. With glimpses of lots more.

Because it is so incomplete -- I have reduced my rating from 8 to seven.

Also... my current tastes are for books with less violence and nastiness.

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

"Before your dreams can come true, you have to have those dreams" … Dr Joyce Brothers

Off Armageddon Reef / David Weber

Off Armageddon Reef

(Safehold 1)

by David Weber

military SF

read in February 2017

rated 7/10: well worth reading

This book starts off with battles in space. Lots of people, not much military action. Not much, that is, except... We're all gonna diiiiie !!

Eight hundred years later and we're into the real story. Swords, sailing ships, a world religion. Confused yet?

Really, it all makes sense. The battle in space sets the scene. The religion frames the conflict. The story is naval, military... science fiction. Or fantasy, escept for the immortal android.

Forget all that :-) This is a story of naval technology, naval tactics, naval battles. Set in a world where sail technology is still developing, engines do not exist. This is pure military science fiction / fantasy, set at sea.

There are characters that I like. Or, at least, admire. Not much depth, ridiculously heroic... Though the villains are quite shallow in their villainy. Perhaps they just seem shallow because they are so easily defeated by the good guys.

Now I come to think about it: The villains are not all bad, yet the good guys tend to be all good. I think it's just that the author sees potential good in everyone. And I like that.

What about the plot? What plot?!

There are some complex machinations going on. But that's not important. It's all about the naval battles...

The naval battles are described in detail. The naval technology is described in detail. The naval tactics -- and the naval tactics which are rejected -- are described in detail.

This is *military* SF. It is the military *history* of a planet.

And I quite enjoy it.

I care enough about the good guys that I hope they win. The technology and tactics are interesting. There's action aplenty, mostly with accompanying bloodshed. Some significant characters die but they are not meaningless deaths. The deaths are part of the history -- which is more important (in this book) than the characters.

But the characters... There are hundreds of them ! And dozens of placenames ! Can I remember them all? Not really.

When we moved from space to sea I thought, good, no need to remember all those space men and women. Wrong! Many of them become significant historical characters, with influence on the present day. Oh well.

I lost track of people and places. I could remember a few of the major places and players. And still... I enjoyed this book. And, perhaps, I learnt a lot about naval technology. Big boys and their toys, eh?!

There's enough detail -- interesting detail -- that I may reread this book.

I will certainly keep my eyes open for a copy of the next in this Armageddon series.
===

21apr19: Read it again. Enjoyed it again :-)

This time I check Wikipedia... Oh, there are ten books in the series... riiiight… must start to look for them. Before there are more than I can read :-)

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

"Before your dreams can come true, you have to have those dreams" … Dr Joyce Brothers

Tuesday, February 14, 2017

Reckoning / Kerry Wilkinson

Reckoning
(Silver Blackthorn #1 of 3)
by Kerry Wilkinson

young adult, fantasy

read in February 2017

rated 6/10: read to pass the time

It's enjoyable but not great. The plot moves along nicely, with the occasional pause for romance. The heroine is likable though just a tad small-village cute. The villains are evil.

This book is one of three. It still manages to be complete in itself. The end is satisfactory (if a bit unbelievable). There are bigger problems yet to solve but they are for anticipation rather than left as cliffhangers. In other words, this book can be read by itself.

In terms of unbelievable... The heroine grows up near an electronics dump. She pries the back off old smart phones. And is able to learn how to program them. My goodness! that's clever :-) This is not a book for a computer nerds who take their nerding seriously!

The rest of the book is equally simplistic. You can assume that the villains have grown fat and complacent while in power. Perhaps the book is aimed at teens rather than young adults?

Still, it's fun. Yes, there is sudden and brutal violence. But it's an interesting world, pleasant characters and a simple story.

Enjoyable but not great.

====

28oct23:

I read it again and the only thing familiar was the way that the heroine could take apart a smartphone and find out how it works. Willing suspension of disbelief? More like, Take the disbelief, tar and feather it and run it out of town.

My overall attitude to the book has changed. It is not "enjoyable".

It is thoroughly unpleasant. Violent and depressing.

The book is aimed at mid-teens. When I was that age I would read Alfred Hitchcock stories of horror and suspense. They would scare me so that I could not sleep, I would read a comic to settle my emotions. This book is like that. Read by itself, it could give nightmares.

I would not recommend it to a teenager. If a teenager read it I would ask, What do you think... and allow them to talk through the nastiness.

The saving grace is that the nice people win. And the moral -- that we can be strong if we work together -- is well presented without detracting from the story.

But Aesop presented the same moral, just as strongly, with a bundle of sticks. And no vicious violence at all.

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

"Before your dreams can come true, you have to have those dreams" … Dr Joyce Brothers

The Rook / Daniel O'Malley

The Rook

by Daniel O'Malley

fantasy, horror

read in February 2017

rated 9/10: really, really good

It seems to me that there is a new style of superhero story, where each superhero has a unique superpower. The Rook is one of those. And it's a good one.

The powers are wild and wildly varied. Some are funny, some are, Yuk. As far as possible, all these powers are being harnessed for niceness rather than evil.

btw: I call it "horror" just because there are a lot of supernatural *style* monsters. Many of whom are on the side of right.

Of course, there are also bad guys. Not every superperson is nice. Though -- now I come to think of it -- the average likability of the good guy team is high. None of this antihero stuff, they are all loyal and quite nice. Of course, most have been indoctrinated by the good team.

The best of them all is the heroine.

The heroine kicks butt :-) She starts with everything against her, then quickly makes her mark... There's a suggestion as to what actually happened there. The suggestion (or explanation) is late in the book. I must re-read the start, to try to understand that explanation...

There's a lot of action, a lot of fun. Plenty of superhero stuff -- and lots of ordinary hero stuff... supported by superpowers. And by big weapons.

Plus humour.

All in all, an excellent book.

Okay, I was wondering if nine is too high a rating... Have I been influenced by the author being Australian? Yes, just a bit. It's also (I think) a first book -- and an excellent effort... even if it were not the first. I was also ready to *enjoy* a book...

I enjoyed this book. It's worth at least an eight. And... yes... I'm happy with that rating of nine.

I hope I can get hold of a sequel.

Oh, okay, yes. The Rook just screams out for a sequel. But not because the book is incomplete. (I was worried about one loose end but it was cleared up very nicely, right at the end.) I hope for a sequel because I like the heroine. I like the assorted other characters -- and there is a lot more to develop. And the entire setting is a lot of fun.

Bring on the sequel !

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

"Before your dreams can come true, you have to have those dreams" … Dr Joyce Brothers

The Oldest Trick / Auston Habershaw

The Oldest Trick

(Saga of the Redeemed #1)

by Auston Habershaw

fantasy

read in February 2017

rated 6/10: read to pass the time

This is an enjoyable book. Worth a rating of seven... except for a few caveats.

It's clearly a book "to be continued". Not to worry, it also has a clear beginning, middle and end. It would be *nice* to read another book in this series. It is not *necessary*.

And yet... My copy of this book contains two parts: The Iron Ring, and Iron and Blood. These are "published together for the first time" !? Come on ! How could you publish just The Iron Ring?! It is clearly just *half* a story... with no wrap-up whatsoever. By good luck I missed the initial publishing rip-off. Yet it still annoys me.

What really knocks a point off the book's rating is the violence.

The villain is evil and I have read many books with an evil villain. Yet this book presents the evil -- the violence of the villain -- in such a way as to make me uncomfortable. Other books have presented equal violence without leaving such a bad taste in my mouth... or, rather, in my mind. I can't explain what exactly causes the difference.

I'm just a bit squeamish. Whatever it is about the writing style, the descriptive style, in this book, the violence worries me. For you, it may not have the same effect. Add a point to your own rating.

Apart from that, it's an enjoyable book. Interesting characters, not always likeable. Good -- complex -- plot. A smart-alec hero who is not too smug. Well, he is, but not annoyingly so. Other interesting characters interact in various ways. Somewhat stereotypical but still fun.

Well worth reading. Except for the nastiness of some of the violence.

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

"Before your dreams can come true, you have to have those dreams" … Dr Joyce Brothers

The White Gryphon / Mercedes Lackey, Larry Dixon

The White Gryphon

(Mage Wars #2)

by Mercedes Lackey & Larry Dixon

fantasy

started reading in February 2017

un-rated

I read The Black Gryphon. This was continuation of a war, and quite a few characters had been introduced in earlier books.

[later: Though, according to Wikipedia, this is wrong. Black is chronologically first. With a detailed backstory...]

It was still a "complete" book. The White Gryphon takes many of the same characters. They seem to be in a brand new situation. So no trouble with the *story* continuation.

Despite being set at the front line of a major war, Black was mainly about people. Specifically, their psychology and psychological problems. Okay, interesting.

White starts off with the people. Human and non-human. And then we meet a villain... whose villainy is to manipulate people. To use "psychology" to control people. This is nasty.

This is where I stop reading.

There is one thing that I can't stand and that is abject slavery. The sort where the slave's actions and *thoughts* are so tightly controlled that they have not even a thought of freedom. Or slavery where they may think but no action -- no action at all -- is possible except as allowed by the slave owner.

I don't like that.

I don't like to read about it.

I can see that this villain will return. (And here I agree with the villain: banishment is a cop-out punishment by the good guys.) I can see that the villain will return and take control of more people. I don't want to read about it. Even though it will -- ultimately -- end with victory for the good guys.

This may be a great book.

I've stopped reading.

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

"Before your dreams can come true, you have to have those dreams" … Dr Joyce Brothers

A Fistful of Clones / Seaton Kay-Smith

A Fistful of Clones

by Seaton Kay-Smith

psychological fantasy

skimmed in January 2017

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

I've had this book for quite a long time. Waiting for the right time to read it. Finally read it -- and was disappointed.

Positive: The writing style is clever, interesting. Negative: The writing style is a distraction from the story.

The story creeps slowly forward. Straight forward, perhaps. The wordy prose makes it seem to drag.

The "hero", too, drags. He's a real drip. I can give him sympathy, I can't like him. I don't enjoy a book where I have no liking for the main character.

I suspect, however, that that is the main point of the story. I've called it a "psychological fantasy"... I think it's about this young man's journey from drip to person.

There are clones... but I don't call it science fiction. Not enough science. The clones may as well have been produced by magic.

At a wild guess -- from a solid reading of the first few chapters, a skim of a few more, then jumping to the last page -- I suspect that the clones represent different aspects of the man's character. ("The man". I won't call him, "the hero".) He defeats each clone -- each negative aspect of his character -- to become a stronger, more integrated personality.

But that's just my guess. If it's a good guess -- then it's quite a good book. But not for me. Too wordy. Too drippy. Too hard to just, enjoy. And I rate on my own, enjoyment.

As a clever use of language, it's clever. As a psychological fantasy, it may be good. As a fantasy -- or as a science fiction story about cloning -- it fails.

Readable. But I do have other books to read. So I will.

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

"Before your dreams can come true, you have to have those dreams" … Dr Joyce Brothers

The Well at the World's End / William Morris

The Well at the World's End

by William Morris

fantasy

read (in part) in February 2017

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

I'm on a long sea voyage. Plenty of time for reading. Nowhere near enough time to read this monstrous tome.

It's slow moving. Verbose. Full of trivial detail.

You know how you watch a clock and it never seems to move? Well, I'm watching the percent read for this book -- and it never seems to move. Less than one percent. Will it never end?!

I manage to reach the end of "book one" of four. 2.4%. Why did the "books" break there? No idea, there's no logical break in the story.

Sure, there does seem to have been some minor progress towards a story. If this really is the story -- it's obvious, pointless and... boring. Could any hero be so oblivious to the obvious trap? Not in an interesting book.

I skip to the end of the book. Find that the hero has married a woman that I have not yet met. That he's about to save the day. Again, apparently.

Ho hum.

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

"Before your dreams can come true, you have to have those dreams" … Dr Joyce Brothers

Rogue / Julie Kagawa

Rogue

(Talon Saga #2)

by Julie Kagawa

fantasy, young adult, romance

read in January 2017

rated 6/10: read to pass the time

A light-weight, easy-to-read romantic fantasy, with dragons. It follows Talon but there is no real need to read Talon first. Rogue is a complete story with its own beginning, middle and end.

It has its own end -- despite the cliffhanger ending. The actual adventure is all wrapped up. There are larger issues to be tackled but this adventure is complete. The "cliffhanger" deals with the uncertainty of the three-way romance... It's that sort of book :-)

This is a book for teenage... girls. That's the target audience. I enjoyed the book and I'm neither teenage nor girl.

There's violence, threats, sudden death. Still, it's rather sweet. Centred round a sweet teenage girl that you just have to like. And her two boyfriends, the human and the dragon. Plus the loyal, surly, super-smart side-kick, for when being super-cool is just not enough.

It's written to a rather satisfactory formula. Occasionally unbelievable, even within the modern-day fantasy genre. One scene sticks in my mind, as a different type of unbelievable:

The heroine and a boyfriend are in a crowded casino. Security spots them. They avoid the guard... he walks past them, searching... they avoid eye contact, look casual... the guard does not spot them.

This girl has a wild mass of fiery red hair... Is the security guard blind?!

But, hey, it's all a lot of fun. It's fantasy with dragons. Modern young characters who make me wonder if the author gets out much. The scene in the drug den is definitely anti-drug. And there's a young adult cliche which was not obvious to me for quite a while...

The cliche is, deliberate adult suppression of young innocence. Where the world would be a better place -- if only the evil older adults did not force the teens and younger adults into a cruel attitude to "the enemy".

In other books, I've had this trope smashed in my face. Kagawa does it a little better, with a bit more subtlety. Or, at least, with a little less of the attitude that adults are cruel and evil *and* stupid.

It's fun. It's easy to read. I enjoyed it.

June 2018:

Read this again... Didn't mean to, just picked up a book, started reading... recognised it but was quite happy to read to the end. It's that sort of book: pleasant, exciting, light... enjoyable.

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

"Before your dreams can come true, you have to have those dreams" … Dr Joyce Brothers

The First Bird / Greig Beck

The First Bird

by Greig Beck

thriller

read in January 2017

rated 6/10: read to pass the time

This book is wall to wall cliche.

The hero's big-breasted girlfriend starts in a bikini. She wears shorts into the jungle. She rips her shirt off... several times.

The hero is cool. Clever. Long tousled hair. No, it's not designer stubble, he's just too unselfconscious to remember to shave. Though this forty year old academic does get into a teenage-boy snit when another man muscles in on his girl. Who, incidentally, is also his student. A big no-no in any academic circle.

The monster is about to eat the beautiful women -- until it is attacked by another monster. Oooo... that was close.

The plot is driven by stupidity.

We're almost to safety! But I need a pee! Quick, get out of our armoured vehicle and drop our pants behind the only bit of cover for miles! Is it a spoiler to tell you that the vicious villains are hiding in that very same bit of cover? Have the heroes never heard of peeing just on the other side of the vehicle?

We're almost home! Just keep driving, in this armoured vehicle... But wait! there's a cute little girl ! We must stop -- risk the safety of the entire world -- to pick up that cute little girl ! Surely she's far too cute to infect us with that nasty disease... (Oops.)

On the bright side, the cliches are varied.

There's the jungle cliche set. There's the lost world cliche set. There's the drive through the US with civilisation failing cliche set. It almost makes sense that this book was originally published as three separate volumes.

Yes, this book is solid cliche. Yes, the characters are almost brainless in their wild leaps into obvious danger. Yes, the final, post-climactic ending is ridiculous. Mostly pointless, scientifically unsupported, absolutely unbelievable.

But it's fun. Slightly better than barely readable. The characters may be embarrassing, the book is not. Not really :-)

Once I accepted that it is a pure-cliche-thriller, I settled down to read. And it was a pleasant enough way to pass the time.

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

"Before your dreams can come true, you have to have those dreams" … Dr Joyce Brothers

The Black Gryphon / Mercedes Lackey, Larry Dixon

The Black Gryphon

(Valdemar / Mage Wars

)

by Mercedes Lackey & Larry Dixon

fantasy, romance

read in January 2017

rated 6/10: read to pass the time

I'm guessing that the three books in one volume -- Black, White & Silver Gryphon -- are a "complete" series. That is, a complete story about gryphons. Yet book one (Black) is clearly the continuation of -- presumably -- the Mage Wars. Which may be set in an even broader Valdemar group of stories.

[later: I've checked Wikipedia. No, this is not a continuation of an earlier series!? Black Gryphon is "the first novel in the chronological timeline of the Valdemar Saga". It just happens to start at the end of a very long war. With a whole lot of characters who apparently need no introduction.]

What this means is, there is a situation -- a mage war -- and lots of characters -- including a gryphon -- who will be well known to readers of the earlier books.

[Or not.] This makes it a challenge for the reader to start with this book.

On the other hand... the authors have done well. Yes, it's clear that this is in the middle of a continuing saga. Yes, it's clear that many of these characters already know each other. But really, there are not too many key characters.

I quickly get to know the key characters. There are some surprises as I discover new aspects of some characters, new aspects that would have been known to readers of earlier books. Yet I seldom feel confused. Sufficient backstory is included, I don't know if it would all be old hat -- or brand new -- to regular readers of the series.

So this book reads very well as a standalone book. Even the end, is satisfactory... The end, with a new development to be explored rather than a loose end to be followed. For me, this is an excellent introduction to the continuing series.

The story itself is fantasy. Set in a major war. Yet it is romance. Almost chick lit. The emphasis is on the characters, their problems, their interactions. There's at least as much psychological analysis as there is action

Don't worry, I enjoyed it. The analysis is interesting. It helps me to care about the characters. The war supplies some action -- and a lot of pressure for the characters to be strong, resilient, supportive... etc, etc, etc. And I mean that in a nice way -- I enjoyed this book.

If I were already a fan of the series I may rate it a seven. If only for the continuing development of the overarching saga and the continuing characters. As a standalone book, it is still... quite enjoyable

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

"Before your dreams can come true, you have to have those dreams" … Dr Joyce Brothers

The Masked City / Genevieve Cogman

The Masked City

(Invisible Library

by Genevieve Cogman

fantasy

read in January 2017

rated 9/10: really, really good

Book one was edging into chick lit. This book still has some chick lit aspects -- handsome heroes, unrequited lust, good clothes and a heroine who doesn't realise how attractive she is

(

Attractive

in a somewhat non-traditional way

, of course.

) City, however, is very much fantasy *adventure*.

And what a great adventure it is :-)

First up, the reasons are all good. Rescue a friend. Prevent a war. With a subplot of freeing a slave. While making potential friends -- and actual enemies -- across the fantasy universe. Wotta gal !

The universe is incredibly complex -- and easy to understand. A scale from chaos to order, with dragons preferring one end and fae the other. Humans are at every point on the scale, adapting to chaos or order. The Library supports stability for humans with (I think) a preference for order.

I particularly like the Sherlock Holmes character. When I met him in book one, I was inspired to (re)read a few Sherlock Holmes stories. So, having recently re-read The Hound of the Baskervilles, I was totally unsurprised by one of this City character's key actions.

Better yet, Holmes is only a support character. Sure, you could rewrite Hound, with Holmes gallivanting across a fantasy world. Cogman has done so much better: used Holmes' skills to ably support the heroics of the heroine.

The heroine is... likeable, admirable, moral, loyal... strong. She is physically strong and, more importantly, mentally strong. She does not give up fighting for what is right. And she has quips and observations which make me smile. I like her :-)

The story starts with a prologue which is -- thankfully -- clearly related to the rest of this book. There is action and adventure from the start. Which ramps up, about half way through. Then continues -- through several "are we there yet?" climaxes -- right to the end. It is very difficult to stop reading.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. Okay, I am still recovering from Wuthering Heights, I wanted a lighter book.

City is lighter -- but not light. The universe is fantasy. The battles involve magic. The challenges and responses are real... The characters involve us in their problems and successes.

A really, really good book. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.

===

08mar21: And I thoroughly enjoyed reading it... again :-)

... and again... 09mar24

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

"Before your dreams can come true, you have to have those dreams" … Dr Joyce Brothers

Wuthering Heights / Emily Bronte

Wuthering Heights

by Emily Bronte

romance

read in January 2017

rated 7/10: well worth reading

... Though, to be honest, a six out of ten would be the rating -- if not for the book's status as "a classic".

I don't often read "a classic". Nothing against classics, just that not many are science fiction or fantasy. I read Wuthering Heights because of interesting references in a book by Jasper Fforde. The Well of Lost Plots made me wonder, Is Wuthering Heights "a masterpiece or turgid rubbish".

Over the top, melodramatic. A small group of protagonists who are either brother and sister or married to each other. And the marriages are not "made in Heaven"! Neither are the characters: they are either weak fools or nasty villains. Though not a single person is all good -- nor all evil.

Perhaps everyone else already knows about Heathcliff and Cathy? Their doomed love affair? Sorry if this review includes spoilers.Yet -- in my opinion -- the pleasure of this book is not in the final results, it's in the process of getting there. If you disagree, please stop reading.

For the most part, the story-line is clear. Despite Joseph's attempts to confuse the reader :-) Are the occasional lapses due to assumptions that a modern reader does not make?

The only lapse that sticks in my mind is the illness and subsequent death of a female character.

The character

dies... soon after giving birth!? What, was she pregnant?! Was there some word, some widely understood -- at the time -- expression that hinted at pregnancy? Or did the author simply forget to mention the pregnancy? No matter. The baby is essential to further plotting.

The strength of the book is (perhaps) the motivations of the key character.

For most of the book I'm thinking, this Heathcliff character is evil. I'm not too worried, his enemies -- at the start -- deserve what they get. Then he extends his revenge further afield

and

I get upset. Innocent people are getting hurt. I'm relieved when one character dies happy... even if his happiness is due to ignorance.

Heathcliff, however, is still my least favourite character (in this book). Until I suddenly realise: Heathcliff could have been good or bad, Cathy drove him to be bad. Heathcliff does evil things -- because Cathy

s a thoughtless fool.

Suddenly, there is more depth to the story.

Perhaps this book really is worth a rating of seven.

It's still over the top and melodramatic. With the sunshine and gloom of the moors providing a suitable -- now cliched -- match to the ups and downs of the characters.

A somewhat long-winded book. Still easy to read. Enjoyable just as a book to read. With the bonus, that I find out what sort of book is still a classic, a

lmost

two hundred years after it was written. And decide that it may be turgid. But it is definitely not rubbish.

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

"Before your dreams can come true, you have to have those dreams" … Dr Joyce Brothers

The Well of Lost Plots / Jasper Fforde

The Well of Lost Plots

(Thursday Next

)

by Jasper Fforde

fantasy, humour

read in January 2017

rated 9/10: really, really good

Really, really good. And I don't say that just because the book was a Christmas present. Nor because I chose it myself. It is just a really, really good book.

There are terrible puns and clever literary references. There are clever literary puns. There

humour, adventure, suspense and a happy ending... sort of.

Central to this book is a problem which was created in an earlier book. It causes more problems in this book, problems which are resolved. The original problem is still there, though with the certainty that it *will* be solved. Eventually. The problems are serious but not pushed too hard. I want the major problem to be resolved but I am willing to wait, for a book or two.

Then there is the central idea of this series: that there is a parallel world where books and their characters are created. Where the

exist, with lives of their own. Constrained largely by the need to be in the correct place when their book is being read.

Is this series an entire, sustained *pataphor* ?! (Or, more correctly, is it an entire, sustained *!pataphor*...) A metaphor uses one object or idea to exemplify aspects of another. A pataphor treats the metaphor as being the real thing. I think...

This is a book which I immediately want to re-read. But I will hold off... for a few weeks. It is a book which needs to be read within easy reach of a reference work on literature. The internet, for example. Did David Copperfield really murder Dora Spenlow? How did Jane Eyre really end? Is Wuthering Heights really full of such bitter and twisted -- and weak and miserable -- characters? I need to know! I need to know -- while I am re-reading The Well of Lost Plots.

I enjoyed this book. I believe that I will enjoy it even more, on a second and more informed reading :-)

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A bit later: I'm reading Wuthering Heights. Boy! has Well of Lost Plots captured that lot nicely :-)

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

"Before your dreams can come true, you have to have those dreams" … Dr Joyce Brothers

Pages

Tuesday, February 28, 2017

Sunday, February 19, 2017

Tuesday, February 14, 2017