The Desert and the Blade / S.M. Stirling

The Desert and the Blade

(The Change #14)

by S.M. Stirling

fantasy, fansonly

copyright 2015

not read in November 2020

rated 4/10: bad but could be read

Okay, I only read perhaps ten pages. The prologue had some mad savage waiting in ambush, sounds like fun. Chapter one had a woman bemoaning the death of her father, fair enough. Except that it reminded her -- through a long and boring flashback -- of the long-ago death of her dog.

I have not met her father. I have not met her dog. Bo-o-oring.

As soon as I started chapter one I realised that I had read another book in the series. My review was harsh. This book -- from my very brief glimpses into the two books -- is not as bad as number ten in the series.

If you have read all thirteen books before this one then (a) you're tougher than I am and (b) you will, no doubt, enjoy this book. It is definitely for fans only.

Dr Nick Lethbridge / Consulting Dexitroboper

...        Agamedes Consulting / Problems ? Solved

===

The best part of [Triple J's Hottest 100] is watching everyone realise they've aged out of the demographic for [Triple J's Hottest 100] ... John Birmingham"

===

Dying for you to read my blog, at https: // notdotdeaddotyet .blogspot. com. au/ :-)

The Slynx / Tatyana Tolstaya

The Slynx

by Tatyana Tolstaya

translated from Russian by Jamey Gambrell

fantasy

copyright 2003

started reading Nov 2020

rated 6/10: read to pass the time

Clever satire, I thought, as I started reading. Clever, humorous, imaginative. I wonder what will happen next?

Well. Nothing happened next.

Okay, I only read 50 pages (of 300) but nothing had happened. A lot is what I would call, scene setting. Great stuff but, so what.

I skipped to the end. Why did you not die in the fire, a character asks. We decided not to, is the reply, as the not-dead people float away... Okay, fantasy.

I believe that this book is satire. Poking fun at -- I guess -- Russian society. There's a limit to how much satire I can handle -- making points about a society that I know little about. Maybe something happens in the 250 pages I skipped? Who cares.

The main character is narrow-minded and ignorant. Not "a product of his times" rather, born thick in a society which discourages thinking. He has no interest in improving his life, I have no interest in the rest of his life. I stop reading.

Note on the translation: Brilliant! Just like Asterix: the language of the original must be very clever, the English version is both clever and... it's hard to believe that it is translated from a different language.

The style is distinct. The word-plays are cleverly used. The story is -- at least to page 50 -- boring.

Dr Nick Lethbridge / Consulting Dexitroboper

...        Agamedes Consulting / Problems ? Solved

===

The best part of [Triple J's Hottest 100] is watching everyone realise they've aged out of the demographic for [Triple J's Hottest 100] ... John Birmingham"

===

Dying for you to read my blog, at https: // notdotdeaddotyet .blogspot. com. au/ :-)

Stormdancer / Jay Kristoff

Stormdancer

(Lotus War #1)

by Jay Kristoff

fantasy, dystopia, steampunk

copyright 2012

read in November 2020

rated 9/10: really really good

I have already read book two of this series -- and enjoyed it. I enjoyed this book even more. Possibly because it was book one and everyone was introduced to the reader.

I do feel that I should deduct a few points from my rating, for the author's self-description. He grew up in the city where I live, and "fled at his earliest convenience." Bah, humbug! Best city in the world! mumble mumble...

Despite that, it is a good book. Great characters, a fascinating world, a mixture of old Japan and more modern steampunk.

There is a lot of violence. Most of it is a natural part of the story. Some is... sad. Some characters that I liked... die.

The adventure is exciting. A lot of action, all part of the story. Good and bad characters -- nice and nasty, that is -- battle it out. Some are just good or evil, others are more complex, with good reasons for their actions.

And, of course, there is the griffin. Who needs a dragon when you have a griffin! The griffin -- strangely enough -- is also a very likeable character.

This is book one, the start of a saga. Yet the ending is entirely satisfactory, there is no feeling of incompleteness. A book that stands alone -- yet leaves me wanting to read more. 

I enjoyed the book. I may now look for book two, to read it again.

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09nov22: Read it again. Same opinion, with some extra observations:

Human rides powerful mythic beast, nothing new there. But... It's not just girl riding beast. It's girl and beast working together.

The griffin is more than a steed. It's a friend. A partner. An equal.

The environmental message is strong. Heavy. Still -- an essential part of the story.

Good steampunk. Fascinating Japanese. A good, enjoyable story.

====

Dr Nick Lethbridge / Consulting Dexitroboper

...        Agamedes Consulting / Problems ? Solved

===

The best part of [Triple J's Hottest 100] is watching everyone realise they've aged out of the demographic for [Triple J's Hottest 100] ... John Birmingham"

===

Dying for you to read my blog, at https: // notdotdeaddotyet .blogspot. com. au/ :-)

Avalanche / Mercedes Lackey and others

Avalanche

(Secret World Chronicle)

by Mercedes Lackey and others:

Cody Martin, Dennis Lee, Veronica Ciguere

fantasy, space opera

copyright 2018

read (half) November 2020

rated 6/10: read to pass the time

or, 7/10: well worth reading, if you have read the previous books

It may even be worth eight, really quite good, if massively complex soap opera is your thing. For me, it's a six.

This is the fifth book in a continuing saga. I have not read any of the others. Yet I enjoy reading.

There are really nice people, with super-powers. They fight against super-baddies with high tech weapons. Fighting against the baddies has minimal emotional impact: super heroes destroy machinery which happens to have humans inside.

There is more emotional interaction between goodies and their supposed allies. Goodies are beaten up, arrested, murdered. They also spend a lot of time holding hands, whispering sweet nothings and staring into each others eyes. Often at the risk of having their mind read.

I soon get to know a handful of characters, there are dozens of others. I have no idea who they are, nor why they are involved. Not helped by each character having several names. And long -- unknown -- histories from the previous books.

It doesn't matter. I enjoy reading the book. I like the characters. The world is complex, believable, entertaining. There's plenty of action.

Then (about page 250) there is a hint of a further disaster. Who will survive? This is space opera, nothing is certain.

Page 250 and I am only half way through. This is book five, I expect there will be even more books to come(*). This is no novel with beginning, middle and end. It is one part of a continuing saga.

(*) Later, it seems that this book may be the last in the series... Perhaps I should have read on :-)

I'm enjoying the book but I may stop reading. There is no urge to read through to the conclusion -- I doubt that there will be any conclusion in this book.

It's an enjoyable way to pass the time. A series of exciting and related adventures. There is no feeling of overall progress towards a conclusion. There is nothing which makes me want to read to the end.

===

A bit later: Half-way through, and there's a well-signposted disaster about to happen. Some real companies will not allow two executives to travel on the same plane. In this book, every person on the "good" side is about to gather in one area. In a city which was recently heavily bombed. Oh dear...

I was going to stop reading anyway (see above). This impending disaster convinces me: get out before it all falls apart.

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

"When someone does something wrong, don't forget all of the things they did right." ... anonymous

   

Trail of Lightning / Rebecca Roanhorse

Trail of Lightning

(Sixth World #1)

by Rebecca Roanhorse

fantasy

copyright 2018

read in November 2020

rated 8/10: really quite good

My first thought was, seven out of ten, well worth reading. The reason for the extra point is somewhat embarrassing. And I just removed "chicklit" from the category. It's fantasy -- a very broad category.

Both fantasy and science fiction are -- in this blog -- very broad categories. I seldom bother to add a second category... Unrealistic, I know. But if I see either category -- I want to read it. No need for further explanation. (Also, if my wife sees either category, she does not want to read it.) So why analyse further.

Back to the book: there is action, there are good characters, there is a reasonable plot, the setting is very good.

The setting is a post-apocalyptic reservation gone back to native american mythology. Mythological monsters and tribal powers in full operation. Set in -- I hate to say it -- a Wild West form of civilisation.

The powers and monsters are, I guess, fully Navajo. It's a fantasy world in the USA.

The back cover says, "One of the brightest Indigenous futurist visionaries working today." Well, I disagree with futurist visionary: the author has written an excellent, action-packed fantasy. There may be an element of what-if but it is not a vision, not a prediction, of the future.

Then there is, "Indigenous". The book is all (again, I guess) Navajo myths, Navajo country, Navajo people. Yet there is no attempt to sell the benefits of the Noble Savage. No attempt to push the superiority nor the suffering of the Navajo.

It is a story which takes a Navajo environment as the ... theme? ... of a fantasy novel. Indigenous is irrelevant -- though interesting. And I added a point to my rating, for avoiding the easy option of, look at me, I'm Indigenous.

The heroine is tough but beautiful. The hero is soooo good looking. Chicklit? Almost... Yet the obvious attraction is an essential part of the plot. Elements of, but not pure, chicklit.

Very enjoyable.

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

"When someone does something wrong, don't forget all of the things they did right." ... anonymous

   

The Annihilation Score / Charles Stross

The Annihilation Score

(Laundry Files #6)

by Charles Stross

fantasy

copyright 2015

started reading November 2020

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

The front cover says, "brilliantly disturbing and funny". At the start there was some funny. Not for long, perhaps two chuckles in thirty odd pages. Disturbing? More, unpleasant.

I like monster-fighting stories. I do not like this book.

I stop reading after three chapters.

Dr Nick Lethbridge / Consulting Dexitroboper

...        Agamedes Consulting / Problems ? Solved

===

"Well, I'm sorry the apocalypse isn't convenient for you." ... Eugene Covender in Waking Gods by Sylvain Neuvel

===

Dying for you to read my blog, at https: // notdotdeaddotyet .blogspot. com. au/ :-)

Paradox Bound / Peter Clines

Paradox Bound

by Peter Clines

science fiction

copyright 2017

read in November 2020

rated 7/10: well worth reading

A beautiful, gun-toting heroine. A solid hero with brains. Time travel in shiny muscle cars. What's not to like?

Of course it's time travel, so logic fails. The baddies know when they are beaten -- so why not send reinforcements to change the result? No worries, this is a book of adventure, not a science text. The plot logic is fine, the story makes sense.

Is it science fiction? Time travel, so... yes. Though I'm tempted to label it as fantasy, the science is so... fantastic. The car, for example... splits water, fine, burns the hydrogen, fine, then spits the oxygen out the exhaust. What?!

Vintage cars play a large part in the story. The heroine drives one, the hero sits in the rumble seat... what?! As far as I know, a rumble seat is at the back of the car. Separate from the driver and passenger seats. Yet hero and heroine are within touching distance.

Who cares!

Hero and heroine are likeable people. They meet other likeable people. Even the villains are... mmm... understandable.

An enjoyable romp. Action and adventure with sly references to history. Characters that I would like to meet again, a set-up which should provide many more book ideas... Well, that surprises me: it seems that there is not (yet?) a follow-up story.

Despite the overall threat of sudden death, and occasional acts of violence, this is a positive book. Adventure, threat, pain and an ultimately satisfying ending. Worth reading.

Dr Nick Lethbridge / Consulting Dexitroboper

...        Agamedes Consulting / Problems ? Solved

===

"Well, I'm sorry the apocalypse isn't convenient for you." ... Eugene Covender in Waking Gods by Sylvain Neuvel

===

Dying for you to read my blog, at https: // notdotdeaddotyet .blogspot. com. au/ :-)