Wattle, Odette Brown

Wattle, by

Odette Brown

short story

and that is the end of that

Last year I wrote stories for the daily paper's short story "yarn" competition.

no expectation of winning, perhaps a wild hope of being noticed.

i deliberately wrote stories that *I* would enjoy reading.

Today i read a"yarn" winner. the author complains about the difficulty of a writer gaining recognition, or publication. so far so good, i can agree.

now i can also understand.

here's a comparison:

Another winning yarn is about an old woman, the author's granmother, smoking and dying and complaining in lonely misery.

there's a Jack Reacher book that begins with a teenager's mother dying of terminal something. the mother is a drunken, lonely, alcoholic drug addict.

the jack reacher book then develops as expected. with several "nice" people dying unpleasantly and fifty or more nasty people dying very ... satisfactorily.

but here's the thing:

in that one introductory death of mother, the jack reacher book packs in more ... positive affirmation... mother-child love and loyalty

... more hope... than in the yarn which dedicates itself to just one death.

truth to tell

... the yarn mother may not even have died.

the story was so "meaningful"

... so packed with "significance?"

... that I may have misunderstood.

not to worry. it's in the bin now.

and next year i shall write stories for my own enjoyment.

with no "yarns"

####

Oh, and btw:

This post will go to reviews -- and to rants

I tried to use the Google Blogger app to update the original post.

By the time I had successfully (I hope) updated -- the app had deleted, discarded, drafted, lost... the original post.

Time to uninstall that app.

And this update is done on the PC. Where what you see is, quite often, what you get.

###

Dr Nick Lethbridge / Independent Dexitroboper

you cannot back into the future

===

..: notdotdeaddotyet.blogspot.com

Lord Tedric

(#3 of ?)

by EE Doc Smith

Space opera

From the 1930s?

 Rated 4/10: bad but could be read

I've enjoyed lensmen and skylark series, never heard of Tedric before.

All the signs of Doc Smith's enormous imagination.

Too enormous.. missing the first books, this series misses too much to really enjoy. 

The hero, a very human, very intelligent, very physical barbarian, flits across universes, thanks to his work for the God-like Scientists.

Various other characters, robot and alien, prove their essential niceness by... learning to love.

No, it's not tedious... just space opera silly.

This may be one of the very few books that I can bear to bin.

Maybe... maybe tomorrow :-)

half blind. half deaf. dying of cancer.
so what?

http://notdotdeaddotyet.blogspot.com
dying for you to read it :-)


http://my3rs.blogspot.com/

Dr Nick Lethbridge
Consulting Dexitroboper

   

Patatas Fritas Bonilla

Bonilla a la vista

De la familia Bonilla...

It's a packet of sea salt chips

Cooked in olive oil.

Made in Spain, 

Arteixo? Or coruna?for sale in Spain but imported to Australia.

As far as I can tell :-)

And very hard to review!

The packet is all in Spanish... ingredients are easy but, is that the name of a company? Hmm... yes, third generation of... guessing...

What is even harder is... to stop google auto-correcting back to similar words in English.

Rated 8/10

I'm fairly certain that there is no bouillabaisse in the packet :-)

The chips are fine cut, light salt. No trace at all of the too strong flavour that overrides all else on smith's chips.

I suspect that any olive oil flavour is pure imagination.

Delicious, crisp, light, light flavour potato chips.

half blind. half deaf. dying of cancer.
so what?
notdotdeaddotyet.blogspot.com :-)

Dr Nick Lethbridge
Consulting Dexitroboper

   

The Selkie Scandal, Rosalie Oaks

The Selkie Scandal

Lady jewel diviner

Prequel one

by, Rosalie Oaks

Fantasy,

Copyright 2021,

Read in November 2024

Rated 6/10: read to pass the time

I'm worried, it seems to be a bit... silly.

In the series, one book is about various people being naked and or shocked by it.

Another is about people having sex and or being shocked by it.

This book seems to be about various people wanting or offering nudity and or sex, other people being shocked.

Then it reaches the essential plot and settles down.

The story is complex enough, well plotted.

, enjoyable.

With conflict settled in a pleasant, simplistic way.

This prequel explains a key point from book one.

It also provides a much wider explanation of the various sea-based characters. The "facts" behind the myths.

There's a lot to cover, it's done well. Not as a history lesson but through likeable, and less likeable characters.

Oh... and more myth-building around the plum jam:-)

Yep:-)

A silly... enjoyable... unique? Idea

half blind. half deaf. dying of cancer.
so what?
notdotdeaddotyet.blogspot.com :-)

Dr Nick Lethbridge
Consulting Dexitroboper

   

The Skeleton House, Katherine Allum

The Skeleton House

by Katherine Allum

horror

Copyright 2024

Part-read in October 2024

Rated 7/10: well worth reading

but for me: 4/10: bad but could be read. Except that I choose... to not read it.

An excellent choice for, book club discussion :-)

It's funny. I've barely started reading and... I don't like it.

Not the book itself, but ... the story. It is such an unpleasant story. I may stop reading.

This says a lot about me. About my mood. About, why do I read?

I'm reading the book in chunks, stopping and starting (I have other things to do)

This also means that I am building my appreciation of, my understanding of the book in chunks.

As I read more... I may change my mind.

But now...

Okay. I really would like to read it all. But... 

The plot, the theme, depress me.

Time to bite the bullet. I read for enjoyment. For escapism. This book offers neither.

So, from one third read: my review.

The book is nicely written. Is this literary fiction? Lots of references to Good Lit, some used to build an understanding, by comparison, to this book.

Well drawn characters. I am quickly drawn to sympathise with the main character. Though I disagree with her ... too sweet and caring... approach to child-rearing.

Except, of course, that her approach offers a contrast to the brutality, largely mental, of others.

There are characters who offer, just by their presence, support. All very well-written, well presented.  Nicely written. Cleverly written...

The style is clever. far too clever for a mainstream novel. Perhaps that is deliberate. A "literary" novel? Anyway...

It's almost stream of consciousness. Following the consciousness, the memories, of how the main character reached... wherever is the here and now.

It's easy to read but difficult to follow. Especially when new characters and situations appear in the heroine's memory.

Okay, I'll call her the heroine.

Main character? Protagonist, victim... heroine? we'll see (or not)

Whatever she is -- the book drives me to feel an awful lot of sympathy for her.

Because, yes, she suffers. She needs -- and she deserves -- sympathy. That, is an enormous power of the book.

And why I'm going to stop reading :-)

But:

One key character is, Neeley.

Absolutely central... to the heroine, if not to the plot.

Yet he feels tacked on.

Reading the author's own story, Neeley may well have been tacked on to the half-written work. Neeley needs to be firmly -- much earlier -- given a clear place in the community of the novel.

And speaking of the community:

What a load of absolute creeps. Narrow-minded, dogmatic, ignorant, controlling, creeps.

And that, I think, is the theme of this novel:

Coercive control. A very current theme.

Coercive control: control of the individual...

By the partner. The family. by the community, by the cult.

The book may be an attack on Mormons. Or an attack on the way in which an individual is coerced by individuals, by family, by friends, by community... by their own beliefs that they are trapped.

I'm not sure.

But... at whatever level... the coercion ... and control... is awful.

But horror?

Yes.

For a short time I hoped that the control would involve supernatural monsters. I have given up hope: The evil is entirely human.

Early on, a death is forecast.

Reading on, I have no idea who could die (or, more likely, be killed.

Thinking of the cast of characters... there are half-a-dozen that I would gladly see die. Any... or all of them. Unfortunately it does not seem likely.

And a string of deaths will still leave the heroine needing at least a chapter...

to escape the clutches of the evil community in which she is trapped.

A very well-written, very involving... book.

An excellent book for those who like to understand... to wallow in... the suffering of others.

I do not.

Early notes:

It's showing some good potential. Depending on where it goes.

It's the characters, their attitudes. I feel that I could very easily dislike the lot of them. Which will make for very difficult enjoyment of whatever does happen.

Really I only mention it because -- the dislike is so very strong. And personal.

The mother is so cutesy, so nice to the children. Like Hi-5 which talks down to the kids vs PlaySchool which talks and plays ... *with* the children.

Then we meet more of the family and social group.

I get the feeling of paternal control and... Stepford Wives.

All of this goes against my natural preferences for behaviour. Which makes me very uncomfortable.

But which also makes me hope for a nasty, enjoyable, horror story, with one sympathetic character and all sorts of awful threats against the far-too-cute children.

Which must make this a good start to the book: I am already viscerally involved :-)

=== now to read on:

at various reading times:

the OZ link just does not work

it feels tacked on.

if it is essential -- attach it firmly -- very early -- to allow it to be explained

Hours later...

I'm reading this book in chunks. So may as well document my opinions as they. develop. and, probably, re-develop.

Yes... "horror"? I suspect a slow build-up to horror. Whether physical or psychological... not yet known. But to me... already very horrid.

The author is MA.

This allows them to reference literary "giants" as a quick way to define some character traits, possibly even situations.

Unfortunately it is of little help to us non-MA readers.

Given time, practice and an already good (if negative) understanding of humanity, I suspect that this author will be writing good books which will appeal even more to mass readers... without forcing us to Wikipedia to understand, what on earth the author is on about :-)

half blind. half deaf. dying of cancer.
so what?
notdotdeaddotyet.blogspot.com :-)

Dr Nick Lethbridge
Consulting Dexitroboper 

   

Kairos, Jenny Erpenbeck

Kairos

by Jenny Erpenbeck

Fiction, romance... historical allegory !?

Copyright 2023

Started and still reading, October 2024

Rated so far,  6/10: read to pass the time.

Then re-rated to 4/10: bad but could be read.

Could be read because the writing style is simple. Though for various reasons, difficult to understand. Perhaps like, Dick and Jane analyse Shakespeare.

20oct24:

Here is a very quick opinion:

The cover says that this is a book of love and betrayal.

So far I've read maybe a third. The love is fun though weird.

And yet... *if* the betrayal is disappointing... or as bleeding obvious as my current guess: then the book is a waste of time, which I will never finish.

For now, I read and review. I hope add a footnote when I know more.

So.

The book reads like a poem, or a dream. This suits my mood, I am reading while half asleep. So far, I'm enjoying the book.

Yet it is confusing. He did, she did, sometimes hard to follow... yet interesting and enjoyable.

Then there are the assumptions of knowledge.

I suspect that characters may be involved in dangerous, revolutionary organisations... but I'm not sure. I just do not have the background knowledge which is assumed by the author.

Then I realise a bigger problem:

This book is written for, or at least about, intelligentsia living in Germany between WW2 and the fall of the Berlin Wall. Very difficult for an Aussie to *identify* with the people, the places --or the political situation which is very important to the book.

My understanding of the situation is based on living through the era but well outside Europe.  Of disinterested reading of Aus papers of the time.

My knowledge of the intelligentsia is from a few chapters of a horror/fantasy book with a similar setting :-)

It is very difficult for me -- still not interested in learning about an important era of German history, difficult for me to identify with this book.

In fact... it was a huge relief when the heroine walked across the Chain Bridge in Budapest! I too have walked across (and been impressed by) that bridge :-)

Still, it's an easy-to-read book. Especially when I'm  falling sleep. I'm quite enjoying the silly romance.

And I really really want to reach, the betrayal.

The nature of that betrayal will... I suspect... fix my entire opinion of this book.

====

25 oct 24:

I take a break from reading. I mean, it's easy to read, though difficult to understand. It's a book for drifting, not at all gripping.

But I really do want to reach the end. Or at least reach the betrayal. So today, I start again.

And guess what? A German book with a kid stacking dead bodies in a WW2 Concentration Camp.

There's a word which means: when someone compares the situation to Nazi Germany -- further discussion is pointless. And must be ended.

I stop reading. 

Skim quickly, to discover the betrayal. As far as I can tell, it's all in the Epilogue. But before that...

The love seems to be suffering. In a deeply meaningful, to the characters, way.

Germany is rebuilding from East and West into one nation. Massive unemployment, massive changes, massive impact on history... possibly of interest if you are at all interested in raking over relatively recent German history. I'm not.

And so to the Epilogue. And the "betrayal". 

Which, blow me... is almost identical to what I have expected from page one.

Only two surprises:

(1) The betrayer has a life-long history of betrayal.

(2) Love and betrayal revolves round two lovers. Yet the betrayal is "aimed" -- at a third, not in the affair, person. I guess that's an interesting twist: a couple caught up in a situation that is none of their own personal concern.

I re-rate the book from six /10 down to four.

 

half blind. half deaf. dying of cancer.
so what?
notdotdeaddotyet.blogspot.com :-)

Dr Nick Lethbridge
Consulting Dexitroboper

   

Silo, Hugh Howey

Silo,  aka Wool

(#1of 4?)

by Hugh Howey

science fiction

copyright 2013

not read in 2024

rated 4/10: bad but could be read

You know how it is. you start reading a book. get involved with the characters. wonder about the world. wonder how the main character will advance our understanding of the world. we read in hope and wonder and expectation.

except with this book. there is a woman who is beginning to understand then she dies.

her husband is thick but begins to wonder. then he dies.

all of a sudden i have no engagement with this book. no interest in reading more.

forget it.

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


Happiness is wanting what you already have
   

The Moria Pearls, Rosalie Oaks

The Moria Pearls

(Lady Diviner #2)

by Rosalie Oaks

copyright 2021

read in September 2024

fantasy, romance, mystery

rated 7/10: well worth reading

A pleasant book, sort of Pride & Prejudice for modern sensibilities. Meaning...

Book one impressed me by the number of naked and near-naked people on the final pages.

This book ends with many couples having, having had, or considering having sex. But all quite politely.

My rating would be six, read to pass the time -- plus one because the mystery is well done. Twists and turns, red herrings. Accusations and suspicions. Plus threats of violence. All well presented with hints and clues which, as usual, I failed to interpret :-)

My only complaint is the growing number of as-yet-unconsummated pairings. Argh, it's a series.

Dr Nick Lethbridge / Consulting Dexitroboper

===

We know that the nature of genius is to provide idiots with ideas twenty years later... Louis Aragon

..Dying for you to Read my blog: notdotdeaddotyet.blogspot.com

bains wholefood chickpea chips

bains wholefood chickpea chips

rated 7/10

The flavour is standard salt and cheese, quite nice.

the chip itself is chickpea, yellow pea, rice plus flavouring. all, i guess, ground to a paste then fried, smaller than potato chips.

I suspect that potato chips are also ground to a paste then reshaped for cooking but... I hope i may be wrong.

the texture is more solid than potato chips (crisps). The flavour is different but pleasant.

After eating them my fingers (and mouth) do *not* have the greasy feel nor the indelible stink of smiths chips.

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


Happiness is wanting what you already have
   

A Choice of Gods, Clifford D Simak

A Choice of Gods

by Clifford D Simak

commentary

copyright 1977

read in August 2024

rated 4/10: bad but could be read

I have this special category of "commentary": author's opinion, perhaps mixed in with fiction.

This book seems to be the author's opinion: how sweet it would be if 99% of the world's people disappeared. Oh yes, and if the remaining 1% gained eternal life, perfect health, teleportation and  telepathy.

Having set the scene he then bores the reader to tears with a combination of religious and spiritual nonsense and lack of clarity.

Just one example of stupidity: A survivor decides that the remaining 1% should have a record of what happens. One day he writes, nothing has happened. Except that his wife is exchanging news with friends. Not worth adding the wife's news to the journal, it's just "woman's talk".

So... probably not worth mentioning the births, deaths and marriages of the remaining population of Earth. Even the patriarchal Bible recognises the importance of begatting to the human race.

The book is rubbish.

Dr Nick Lethbridge / Consulting Dexitroboper

===

We know that the nature of genius is to provide idiots with ideas twenty years later... Louis Aragon

..Dying for you to Read my blog: notdotdeaddotyet.blogspot.com

The Lady Jewel Diviner, Rosalie Oaks

The Lady Jewel Diviner, 

(Lady Jewel Diviner #1)

by Rosalie Oaks

fantasy

copyright 2021

read in July 2024

rated 7/10: well worth reading

This is a delightful book -- a challenging mystery with some excitement. The excitement is mild but enjoyable. As I read I was thinking... this is all very straightforward... but far more clever than anything that I could write. 

With charming characters, some of whom are likeable stereotypes: almost Pride & Prejudice but with humour and some modern sensibilities.

Every character is so politely embarrassed by nudity -- until it becomes essential to the plot.

There are some questions. Does a vampiri have predatory powers such as hypnotism. Why was strength not mentioned before it was needed. Oh, I don't know... I enjoyed the book and so wanted more explanation.

A lot of fun, well worth reading.

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


Happiness is wanting what you already have
   

Chronux, Sagar Kamath

Chronux

by Sagar Kamath

fantasy

copyright 2017

part read in August 2024

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

Back in the days when the Beatles were going mystic there was a rich and powerful swami. He lived in luxury, travelled the world, was driven in multiple Rolls Royces. His followers supported him with all of their money, their services, their devotion.

The swami spent his days talking to his disciples. His words were pearls of wisdom. Laced with wonder and hilarious gems. That's according to the brain-washed members of his cult.

To anyone else the swami's words were the incoherent ramblings of a spaced-out idiot.

Chronux is a bit like that swami: to believers it may make sense, there may be a world-shattering message of truth.

Not to me.

The logic of the story makes sense: two best friends become bitter enemies and destroy the world (I think) On their way they visit a series of nasty wars. Some are seen from an anti-American perspective, others are just violent. As far as I can tell, Chronux is a time-controlling monster who wants to trick someone else into taking over his role. There also seems to be some sort of peace-loving swami-style message.

To me, the book is nonsense. Perhaps to the convert  it is the wisdom of the ages.

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


Happiness is wanting what you already have
   

Real Naturals Mushroom Chips

I'm an impulse buyer

On impulse, in Coles,I picked up a small, 32g packet of...

Real Naturals Mushroom Chips

rated 7/10: pleasant with NO unpleasant aftereffects

Eating standard (eg Smiths) potato chips / crisps provides several things:

... a lot of salt

... a yearning for more (largely due to the salt)

... A strong and unpleasant smell on the fingers and lips, that's from the flavour powder that coats the chips. It must include fat because the smell is very hard to wash off

... a slightly greasy feel on the fingers, from picking up the chips.

The main ingredient of the mushroom chips is tapioca starch (standing in for the potato).

flavour comes from shiitake mushrooms, plus the usual sugar, salt, onion etc. No chemicals with complex names.

The chips provide several things:

... not too much salt, no yearning for more. A slight leftover flavour in the mouth

...Not much leftover smell, none at all after washing hands. The packet does say, No palm oil, perhaps that allows the flavours to be water soluble.

... interesting flavour.

If you like the mushroom flavour, these are much better than Smiths potato chips

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


Happiness is wanting what you already have
   

Five Broken Blades, Mai Corland

Five Broken Blades, Mai Corland

(aka Meredith Ireland, author of subadult books)

fantasy

copyright 2024

read July 2024

rated 2/10: unreadably bad

Do not read this book.

I've had another look at the book. As far as I can see -- there is no hint that this story is "to be continued".

Half a page of trigger warnings -- but no warning that this is not a complete book.

In the final few pages: the assassination fails. It was all a trick set up by King Joon.Aeri is the King's daughter. The Five are forced, by Joon, to go and steal the golden ring from Euyn's evil sister. It seems to be an impossible mission, They are given just five weeks -- or, one more book.

And that book is due to be published in January 2025. I doubt that it will conclude anything.

What a crock.

Oh, yes, I seem to have provided some unannounced spoilers. So what. It's a rip-off by the publishers, readers are already cheated, what's a few more spoilers.

So... Ty and Sora grow to love each other and successfully have sex, despite her poisons. Ty ends the book in the dungeons. Aeri and Royo are in love, Joon disapproves. Mikhail and Euyn have always been in loveEuyn is illegitimate so not a real member of the royal dynasty. Mikhail's beloved foster father  is held hostage by Joon. Oh, and no-one else seems to know that Aeri is a successful thief because she has a magic trinket which allows her to stop time for everyone else.

Do not read this book. Which is a pity -- with an honest publisher I would have rated it nine. As it is, this book is *&%$# annoying.

Unreadable.

Dr Nick Lethbridge / Consulting Dexitroboper

===

We know that the nature of genius is to provide idiots with ideas twenty years later... Louis Aragon

..Dying for you to Read my blog: notdotdeaddotyet.blogspot.com

Yellowface, Rebecca A F Kuang

ellowface

by Rebecca A F Kuang

horror

copyright 2023

part read July 2024

rated 4/10: bad but could be read

First, that rating: The book is well-written. Just so unpleasant that I could not, or would not, read it.

It starts with a death. Not a problem, the death is advertised on the cover and that death then drives the entire plot.

I was expecting a quick death off screen. Instead, it's a particularly nasty and slow death. Perhaps that's necessary for the plot. What I know is, I read on but was not enjoying it.

Then the plot thickens and the main character does something nasty. To someone who does not deserve it. Absolutely unforgiveable. My feelings shifted from, not enjoying to actively disliking. I skimmed over  most of the book. Even skimming, it was unpleasant. highlighting the nastiness of the world.

I read enough of the final chapters to find out who dun it. Not that it helped, I had skipped over any prior mention of the "villain". Not that I cared.

I did discover that the framing story was quite clever.

I'm fairly certain that the theme of this book is racial prejudice. white v yellow, yellow v white.

Then in the Acknowledgements the author writes that the book is, in part, a horror story and I thought, she's right.

Forget the "dark humour" in the blurb. This is a book with a message -- a message which is unreadable because it is wrapped in rather unpleasant everyday largely psychological horror.

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


Happiness is wanting what you already have
   

Dream Park, Larry Niven & Steven Barnes

Dream Park

by Larry Niven & Steven Barnes

science fiction

copyright 1983

read in July 2024

rated 6/10: read to pass the time

This book is fantasy -- based on scientific marvels. You know, it all seems like magic.

As I read it I thought, What a load of rubbish.

Yet there is a thread of logic to the plot, there is a crime to be solved.

The book's action is two authors having a lot of fun. Imagining "what if" -- and drifting well off into fantasy.

The characters are stock-standard fictional Americans. Fighting monsters and pausing for picnic, pizza, beer, sex and skinny-dipping. With some interpersonal upsets along the way.

Having fought off the monsters, the final pages get back to solving the crime. Though by now, with more than thirty major characters, I'm so confused that I don't really care who dun it.

The final denouement comes with a message about consequences and responsibility. Which is where I accepted that the central plot did have some logic and relevance.

Finally, after reading the authors' afterword, my impression shifted from only readable to, a good author's attempt to write for a more modern, 1980s. audience

Dr Nick Lethbridge / Consulting Dexitroboper

===

We know that the nature of genius is to provide idiots with ideas twenty years later... Louis Aragon

..Dying for you to Read my blog: notdotdeaddotyet.blogspot.com

Tales of the Celestial Kingdom / Sue Lynn Tan

Tales of the Celestial Kingdom

by Sue Lynn Tan, 

fantasy

copyright 2024

barely read in July 2024

unrated

The back cover clearly states that this is a collection of stories to go with a duology.

So far so good.

If you read and enjoyed the other two books then this book may be for you.

I have not read the others, so I don't know the characters. Nor the background. Nor anything else that would make me want to read more.

I started reading -- and very quickly found that I was not interested.

If you read the book, let me know what you think of it.

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


Nothing in life is to be feared. It is only to be understood
   

Never / Hastings, Jessa

Never,

by Jessa (aka Jessica Rachel) Hastings)

copyright 2023

barely started July 2024

fantasy, romance

not rated

I read a few pages and thought, I'm not ready for this. So stopped.

But I did skip towards the end, where I read a scene where, apparently, the heroine has just been forcibly abducted.

So are you? she asks.

The abductor replies, I'm The Collector but my friends call me Jim.

Well hello Jim... 

What! The heroine is already friends with her abductor?

Perhaps I misread it, or misremember it, but that is when I had had enough.

I suspect that this is a book of complex emotions and conflicted loves. All based on a rip-off of a famous book. You may enjoy it... let me know.

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


Nothing in life is to be feared. It is only to be understood
   

Binti:home / Nnedi Okorafor

Binti:home

(Binti #2)

by Nnedi Okorafor

subadult, fantasy

copyright 2017

read in July 2024

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

This is fantasy set in a seemingly science fiction universe

planets, aliens, space travel but the "science" is fantasy. Nothing wrong with that, it is imaginative and very entertaining. Not to be understood. But what it does is clear enough.

Actually, I really like the spaceship  that is going to Earth in order to... give birth :-)

There are multi generational hatreds, superstitions, narrow minds. Well presented and, unfortunately, believable.

Then we discover (spoiler alert) that the primitive tribe at the foot of the totem pole is... keeper and user of ancient secrets and amazing alien technology.

Then the heroine gets access to the high tech and... end of book.

This is one chapter of a continuing saga. It should never have been published without a, to be continued, warning.

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


Nothing in life is to be feared. It is only to be understood
   

Frogkisser / Garth Nix

Frogkisser

by Garth Nix

copyright 2017

part read July 2024

subadult, fantasy

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

I often enjoy "young adult" novels. Even some children's books. But not this one.

The author uses every fairytale trope, nice idea. Except that his characters are constantly referencing and expecting the standard stuff to occur.

The central character is a princess. She seems destined to learn all about becoming a good ruler... after a lot of heavy moralising to the reader.

So far she at least means well. She is loyal and supportive to her rather boring fellow-questers.

Then the princess meets a stupid princess-eating giant, tricks him, trips him. All according to fairytale rules.

As he trips, the giant breaks his hip. And the learning to be good princess just leaves him... leaves him screaming in agony.

Neither the princess nor the author see anything wrong with this.

I give it a few more rather tedious chapters, still no help for the giant, then I stop reading.

Would children know the referenced tropes? An adult would not care.

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


Nothing in life is to be feared. It is only to be understood
   

when the Moon Hatched, Sarah A. Parker

when the Moon Hatched, 

(Moonfall #1)

by Sarah A. Parker

copyright 2024

read in June 2024

fantasy, chicklit

rated 7/10: well worth reading

Well worth reading but yes, there are "trigger warnings". The book is violent. Nasty things happen, even to nice people. Yet the writing is not nasty, not restrained, either. Brutal things just happen. Described but not in salacious detail.

So, the story:

There are two points where I almost gave up reading. A few chapters in, I feared that this book would be a series of cruel disasters, wIth the heroine dragged ever further into pain and misery. Then she escaped, to a more normal level of fantasy suffering.

Then, several chapters from the end, I was expecting a grand reveal but... no. No new information, just page after page of very explicit sex.

Speaking of which, the sex is (I think), written for the female reader.

Oh, and the men are all built like mountains with muscles like boulders. They dress in leather and metal -- and the hero can cook. The heroine is well-rounded, with large breasts... but takes a long time to confirm the chicklit genre by dressing in a beautiful but revealing dress. Which is, incidentally, provided by the hero.

Much of the plot is driven by the heroine's dark secret, or fear, which she refuses to reveal to anyone who could (a) help or (b) be killed by it. Idiot woman but, understandable.

The best part of this book is the world. A complex world, well described with some detail and much just mentioned, with enough detail for the reader to complete the image. Fascinating, fantastic, unEarthly but never to be doubted.

The book ends with one major thread well and truly wrapped up. There is a discovery which leads into the next book. And a character who is left almost but not quite hanging on a cliff. I would have liked a more conclusive ending but... it is definitely an end. An end which encourages a return for book two.

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


Nothing in life is to be feared. It is only to be understood
   

premier mill hotel, katanning

premier mill hotel, katanning

rated 5/10

Saturday: we walk into our room and the first thought is, wow!

it's a huge room, with a huge bed and... well, that's about it.

Fancy, over sophisticated and a real pain.

The air con is controlled by a simple electronic switch. We set it to 22 degrees. next morning, ten hours later, it shows room temp as 19. what happened to the set temperature?

we know the air con is on, all night we have a cool breeze blowing directly onto the bed. i sleep with a towel over my head to protect from the cool drying air.

light switches are a set of six electronic buttons. i need my glasses to read which is which. whatever happened to a switch near its light?

there's an ensuite. deb has a shower but can't work out the controls, two showers, two taps? i don't even try. 

the toilet is dual flush. two black buttons on black background. only with my glasses i can see that the buttons are large and small.

the room has no tea making. there's a separate "valet" room -- outside our room, along two corridors. oh, and our room has one of those doors which will close and lock by itself. source for many a crude hotel joke.

parts of the original mill are built into the hotel, there are large metal things here and there. the corridors are very dim, i'd rather see clearly.

this is a personal preference: i prefer a thin pillow. the hotel has several pillows, all very thick, i end up sleeping with no pillow (and a towel over my head).

it's an expensive hotel. and i pay a bit extra for a room with a "city view" There's no "city" in katanning :-) but it is a pleasant view over the town. sort of interesting, too. worth the small extra cost anyway. and better than the roof and wall that we saw on our last visit.

and next morning... the hotel internet does not work.

luckily I'm typing on my ancient tablet, I'm 99%certain that when i press send it will save this message till it finally gets a working connection.

overall: this hotel feels fancy but is unusable. good for a one-night "experience", not worth it for any longer.

time to press send. i hope that the tablet does work...

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


Nothing in life is to be feared. It is only to be understood
   

Binti, Nnedi Okorafor

Binti, Nnedi Okorafor

(Binti #1 of ?)

science fiction, subadult

copyright 2015

read in June 2024

rated 7/10: well worth reading

I had to read Wikipedia to find what an astrolabe is. And I like the book's development of the concept.

The science is soft: a mix of very very futuristic -- and magical.

The book is quite simple and simplistic -- in that problems are solved by intelligent beings approaching the problems with goodwill and positive intentions. I like it. The two main characters -- human and alien -- are interesting and likeable enough that we wish them well.

The book has a message (one or more) -- well presented. Clear but quiet.

I enjoyed the book (novella). Not enough to buy every book by this author but enough that I am glad I have Binti#2 ready to be read.

Dr Nick Lethbridge / Consulting Dexitroboper

===

Bandaid solutions hurt when they are removed.

...Dying for you to Read my blog: notdotdeaddotyet.blogspot.com

priest-kings of Gor, John Norman

priest-kings of Gor

(Gor #3?)

by John Norman (John Lange)

science fiction / fantasy

copyright 1968

read in June 2024

rated 6/10: read to pass the time

I was expecting a John Carter type of world. And it is... but...

There is a lot of depth to this world. With more complex people, too.

The priest kings themselves have depth and are almost more human than the humans.

John Carter of Mars is a gentleman of Virginia. Tarl Cabot of Gor is more like a thug of Manhattan. And yet... he does have responses other than fighting.

In another comparison... Heinlein women are beautiful, with big breasts and their role is to make sandwiches while the men do the serious thinking.

The women of Gor are sex slaves. Chained, naked, to the bed or screwed on the floor. A "free" woman may, at the whim of any man, be made a sex slave. Then if you hit her hard enough the woman will soon love you.

Yes, it's a turn-on for the reader but outdated. Except that the same gender roles are apparently espoused by misogynists on the Web.

The book is enjoyable, quite clever and needs a warning for jerk-off porn content.

NB: Several pages are given to description of -- and justification for -- the male-dom, fem-sub roles. And from Wikipedia: the author supported the roles. Was a well-qualified academic and wrote Imaginative Sex to get you started.... And yes, I think that I would enjoy the book. (Though one review says that it quickly gets boring :-)

.

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


Nothing in life is to be feared. It is only to be understood
   

The Disasters, M.K.England

The Disasters

by Megan M.K.England

(has to be #1 of several...)

subadult, science fiction

The cover made me expect humour. No, it's adventure.

copyright 2018

read in May 2024

rated 7/10: well worth reading

That rating is for *my* enjoyment.

The publisher is "Harper Teen", this is definitely a book for teens. There is teen angst. Directly related to the plot is, Yes we are saving millions of lives but does that entitle us to steal things? That is a surprising -- but valid -- question. Similar plots seldom directly question the ethics of law-breaking for the greater good. But these are nice, clever, honest kids, they have never before deliberately broken the law.

The plot itself is not great but entertaining. Remember when Star Wars was criticised for being "just" a Western set in space? Well this book could be a bunch of teens driving a hotted-up jalopy from town to town... except it's a hotted-up spaceship flying from planet to planet.

Hey! It works for me :-)

But the characters: At first I was thinking, I don't like these people. A bunch of losers, as predicted by the title -- but they, mostly the main hero, spend too much time thinking, Oh no I can't do this I'll crash and kill everyone. And they all tend to cry under pressure, good grief.

As I read further I thought, hang on, this is not your traditional gang of teens. This is a far more modern... gender-diverse, racially-diverse group, with a lot of, well, quite traditional teen hang-ups.

The gender-diverse threw me. Then I got to know the individuals, especially the hero. Yes, they lack self-confidence -- because they have made mistakes. Yes, they cry easily -- because that's how they are.

Eventually, the group tackles the well-crafted challenge and use their amazingly unbelievable computer skills -- plus some very unlikely sneaking round without being spotted -- and they set themselves up for further books.

Good fun with an extra good fun ending.

Oh. If the author happens to read this: As the hero develops their leadership skills -- they spend too much time telling us that that is what they are doing. Perhaps just show, with less tell.

I ended up enjoying this book. But there is a clear reason for rating it seven (rather than six, read to pass the time).

As I read, and learnt more about the characters, I realised, there is no character to whom I can particularly relate. Which made me realise: Okay... Now I understand why people say that they want a book (or movie) starring people who are more like themselves.

I am not gender-diverse. Nor racially-diverse. Nor even a teen. I kept looking for a character -- more like me.

And that is why it took me quite a while to enjoy the reading.

So -- lesson learned, in an enjoyable way. Thank you.

 

Dr Nick Lethbridge / Consulting Dexitroboper

===

Bandaid solutions hurt when they are removed.

...Dying for you to Read my blog: notdotdeaddotyet.blogspot.com

the Nightmare Painter, Sanderson

Yumi and the Nightmare Painter, Brandon Sanderson

fantasy, subadult

copyright 2023

read in June 2024

rated 6/10: read to pass the time

The author took out his list of, Essential elements for a Young Adult potboiler --and ticked off the points one by one.

Young hero and heroine, of course.

Get them naked as soon as possible, make them embarrassed.

Make sure that they think about but never have sex.

Make the hero a well-meaning but misunderstood fringe member of the young group. With talents which will only prove their worth when the world is about to end.

Then provide good advice, or good examples, for the young readers... except that this book slaps you in the face with the advice. Yes, it's good advice but not when it's shouted in your face.

Then there's the science which drives the plot. Yes it's strange but this book is fantasy so that's okay.

What does not work is when the author drops the plot to say,  Oh dear there is no more plot so I'll have to tell you what was all about.

The final advice is central to the "science": Do not trust The Machine, where The Machine is AI.All very good, except that the lack of logic and lack of subtlety make it very hard to do anything other than nod and smile indulgently.

There is also a problem with the author being famous for setting all his books in one consistent universe. In this one standalone story -- it is annoying.

In particular, the third person omnipotent narrator seems to be a statue in a cafe. Really? So he appears in other books, so what? In this book it adds only confusion. Particularly since he sometimes says/writes , oh, I can't really explain what happened there.

For an author to write outside his usual rut -- he needs to move right out of that rut. Anything else is just confusing. Or an annoying cross-promotion.

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


Nothing in life is to be feared. It is only to be understood
   

Stranger in a Strange Land / Robert A Heinlein

Stranger in a Strange Land, 

by Robert A Heinlein

science fiction

first published 1961

read (again) May 2024

rated 7/10: well worth reading

Yes, it's a classic, that's why it's rated seven. Otherwise it would be five: readable but...

Add one point because it's a classic. And essential reading to see how science fiction has changed.

Add another point because the book is packed full of ideas. Unfortunately some of those ideas are strange. Or at least out of step with current attitudes.

I read this book several decades ago, quite close to its publication date. Even then I noticed the author's attitude to women: for example, when important matters are to be discussed -- the women are sent to the kitchen to make sandwiches.

Many political points are still valid, such as the "flapper" -- a subordinate whose job is to prevent people from talking to the important person. (Still valid and attributed to the even older Gulliver's Travels.) And yes, there probably are still leaders who depend, directly or not, on astrologers.

Use of force for political ends is, I hope, less common. In some countries.

There are still religions where "good" really means "good for us".

Political decisions forced by unelected individuals with money and influence is... well, still common.

Okay, come to think of it -- the ideas are still relevant.

So what about the solutions? Probably a bit extreme. Dependent on goodwill and wishful thinking -- maybe worth considering... If only the solutions could be supported by a Man from Mars with super-powers of control. And extreme goodwill.

One good point: the author spends only a few pages preaching to the reader... for Heinlein, that's good.

Final admission:

I started reading because I remember confusion over the discovery of the super-powers. This time it's clear. But I have memories of the Martian Messiah becoming ridiculous. I intended to read only half the book. Which I've done. If I read more -- I'll come back and add to this review.

Dr Nick Lethbridge / Consulting Dexitroboper

===

Bandaid solutions hurt when they are removed.

...Dying for you to Read my blog: notdotdeaddotyet.blogspot.com

The Future / Naomi Alderton

The Future

by Naomi Alderton

science fiction

copyright 2023

read in May 2024

rated 6/10: read to pass the time

I've just deleted my first review of this book.

Not because I disagree with it but because I finally... finally, read past the wishful thinking and found an enjoyable novel.

If you can read to the end -- the book is easy to read but contains a lot of nonsense -- you will find a good science fiction novel.

The cast of characters is compact but the story includes a wide range of groups.

There are the preppers. Stockpiling weapons and supplies in preparation for the end of the world.

There is the influencer who reviews the weapons and supplies, with no practical understanding of their use or value.

There is the religious cult. Already living in post-apocalyptic survival mode.

And the internet discussion group. And clever coders who can crack security codes oved pizza and illegal substances.

And the filthy rich tech sellers who have built their own survival bunkers.

All of these people play important roles. Yet there is the strong feeling that the author has absolutely zero "lived experience". All of her ideas are from the public, or internet, perception of how these people will think and act.

One example: An escapee from the cult is able to impress her urban companions with her ability to dress a rabbit. Her method results in a mess of blood and gore. It's meant to demonstrate her knife skills. Circumstantial evidence would indicate that she had used a chainsaw.

The overall theme is, one, humans are destroying the environment. Two, Nice people could take simple actions to save the world. Of course these actions would be expensive, so they must be done by other, really rich, people.

There is a thread of fundamentalist religion, with the Old Testament interpreted to support the author's message.

We are told that all  the world's ills are due to (1) brother hating brother and (2) city dwellers ignoring (or destroying) the Noble Savage. Cain and Abel are given as the original fighting brothers. Which is interesting. As I read the OT, It was God who *told* one brother to grow crops and the other to raise animals. (Not hunt and gather as this book says). Then it was God who praised one brother and dissed the other.

Not brother hating brother rather, the boss deliberately causing jealousy and hatred. (Feel free to correct my memory of the OT).

Finally... the book is very modern and exclusively "gender inclusive"

The lesbian lovers are "good". The male queer is almost as good. Straight couples are the evil manipulators and destroyers. The Enbee person is both good and clever.

It was when I read the enbee's list of actions which would save the world that I almost gave up in disgust. A list of nonsense items which -- if only someone else would spend a lot of money -- would save the world.

For example: insulation for everyone. Yes, that will save energy for the people who live in first-world structures. For the people of, say, Gaza and very poor countries -- who live in shelters made of plastic sheets and rubble -- it will need more than pink batts to raise their standard of living.

So at 40% read, I was embarrassed.

Still, easy to read, so I read on.

Somewhere past half way and the story began to make sense.

The author shifted from a woke diatribe to an engaging plot. With enough original ideas, futuristic science and human character to make for an interesting novel. Still a bit embarrassing but worth reading.

A good author can provide a readable novel with the spice of ideas which linger on in the reader's mind. This author slathers her ideas on like marmalade, which is fine -- if you already enjoy marmalade.

If you can read the first half, resist the urge to laugh out loud -- this book is worth reading. To pass the time. Or to reinforce your existing views.

a bit later: Oh, I almost forgot. One point where the author is absolutely correct... AI is absolutely *not* intelligence.

Dr Nick Lethbridge / Consulting Dexitroboper

===

Bandaid solutions hurt when they are removed.

...Dying for you to Read my blog: notdotdeaddotyet.blogspot.com

killing floor, Lee Child

killing floor

(Jack Reacher #1)

by Lee Child

copyright 1998

read in May 2024

thriller

rated 8/10: really quite good

I've only read three Reacher books. So far, they seem to all have the same plot.

But what a very enjoyable plot.

From memory, the violence in this first book is just as brutal but nastier.

Every villain gets his (yes, his) comeuppance. Good people may be threatened, maybe hurt but they will survive.

Great fun and very satisfying. Though not suitable for children or the sensitive.
Characters are sympathetic. Even the weeds have their strong points.

The plot becomes more and more complex... unbelievably complex and somewhat ridiculous, really. But great fun.

I can see why this book was followed by many more.

I started with a rating of seven. Just upped it to eight: if you like any Reacher books then this first book is really quite good.

a bit later: The violence is brutal, nasty. I don't generally enjoy violence. Why do I accept it in this book?

The violence is awful but: it occurs off-screen. There are people who clean up after, and are sick in a corner, but there is no description of the actual occurrence. (I think. Let me know if I'm wrong.)

Second: all the worst violence happens to people who "deserve it". At least, to people who would have happily done it to others. So, karmic violence.

Nasty, brutal violence against people for whom we have little sympathy (mostly). The effects are described -- but second-hand. Well after the violence has occurred. This all makes it much more, for those with not too delicate sensibilities, more acceptable.

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


Nothing in life is to be feared. It is only to be understood
   

Star's End, Cassandra Rose Clarke

Star's End

by Cassandra Rose Clarke

dystopia, science fiction

copyright 2023

part read May 2024

rated 7/10: well worth reading

... though that may change.

The idea of worlds ruled by a sales oriented corporation is not new. Though the word corpocracy is new, to me.

This book is science fiction. It is also dystopia -- on several levels.

The corpocracy has complete control of its citizen/employees. The control is not benevolent.

Worse, the corporation is owned and controlled by one man. A man who is -- in the words of his own family -- an arsehole.

This brings the second level of dystopia, the family.

The father is a psychotic control freak. There are constant, unexplained, references to the terrible things he has done to his family and to his worlds. I think, in general terms, I can guess.

The story jumps in and out of three or four time periods. Presumably the book will end in the "now" and all will be explained.

I'd like to get the explanation but... I can't be bothered.

Over the years my reading speed has slowed. At my current speed this book is sooo very tedious.. And repetitive.

After 220 pages -- of 400 -- I stop reading.

I've rated it seven. Since it has proven to be unreadable, I may change that rating to a much lower score. I'll think about it.

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


Nothing in life is to be feared. It is only to be understood
   

Exogenesis / Peco Gaskovski

Exogenesis 

by Peco Gaskovski

dystopia,

copyright 2023

read in May 2024

rated 6/10: read to pass the time

traditional science fiction explores, what-if? What if this advance becomes common, how will it affect society. Exemplified by a small group of affected protagonists.

This book uses that approach.With a double what if leading to a schism: a society based on religion and a society based on science (of the body and of the mind).

the author compares the two. He seems to balance his views. The science society, in particular, is intelligently presented.

I find that both societies are terrible. 

Both societies aim for absolute control of their citizens.

Anyway. the main characters do their thing, with mixed success. The key characters are likeable enough that I hope they survive, if not necessarily succeed.

At the end, all is nicely wrapped up. At the society level the end is satisfying. The end for the individuals, however, is rushed, disjointed and unclear.

what if exogenesis well presented, with good analysis of its effects.

Two, in my view, dystopian societies, with less misery than most.

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


Nothing in life is to be feared. It is only to be understood
   

Crown of Vengeance, Mercedes Lackey, James Mallory

Crown of Vengeance

( Dragon Prophecy #1)

by Mercedes Lackey, James Mallory

fantasy

copyright 2012

started reading in April 2024

rated 6/10: read to pass the time

I've only started reading. I expect that I'll read to the end. But... it seems a good idea to document my strong first impressions:

Is this "high" fantasy? I think that's right.

The story is set in "the favoured lands" or some such. Favoured by one hundred families who are constantly at war against each other. hmmm

Each family has a name that is complex, unpronounceable and instantly forgettable. Ditto the names of individuals.

Fortunately, the heroine seems to be the only person whose name begins with V and the possible hero has a simple, distinct and memorable name. Apart from that, a cast of dozens who are difficult to distinguish.

The plot is driven by a curse on the heroine. At the pace at which secrets are being revealed, I guess that the reader will need to read several books before the curse is revealed.

( Though one major surprise seems to be revealed in the back cover blurb).

The heroine grows up as a well-treated orphan servant. As soon as she discovers her family name, her sense of self-entitlement kicks in; she swears vengeance and a return to personal power. Very much like people in real life.

Then she has a few years being trained as a servant and being told that she can never enter her "rightful" Life as a princess. So, standard fantasy.

I may sound cynical (I am) but the book is still good fun. A complex world, revealed ever so slowly but promising lots of future blood and thunder and magic.

I fully expect to enjoy the rest of the book. Even if I never know who all those people are. Who knows, I may even get to like the power-obsessed heroine.

And now, back to the book....

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


Nothing in life is to be feared. It is only to be understood