Martian Time-Slip / Philip K. Dick

Martian Time-Slip
by Philip K. Dick
science fiction

copyright 1964
read in May 2013

rated 6/10: read to pass the time

This is the second "great novel" in a massive volume of PKD stories. (PKD stories ?! Well, it doesn't sound quite right to say, Dick stories...)

Stigmata was confusing but fun... I think. Time-Slip is not quite as confusing, not quite as much fun.

Life on Mars has, it seems, improved slightly. Stigmata offered a hopeless life of scrabbling to survive, of using drugs to escape the reality of a harsh, dry, dusty environment. Time-Slip offers a harsh world where all the minor evils of Earth have been transferred to the new planet.

Still, the hero gets on with his life.

It's all a bit... everyday. Helicopters rather than cars. Water via canals rather than by pipe. An indigenous population forced to the lowest rung of society as they gradually die out. And mental illness as the norm. Just minor changes from life as we know it.

The science in most SF is "hard" science. In the days when psychiatry was a new but developing science, Dick used it as the central theme for his story. A "soft"science but good science fiction !

And in those days before science pooh-poohed the idea, Dick allows the mind to control reality.

Okay, it takes a while to get there, but I think that's what happened...

After spending most of the book getting there, we finally discover that the autistic boy is able -- through the power of his mind -- to control reality. And to control time. The discovery was a bit abrupt, perhaps I just missed some of the clues along the way.

The bad guy tries to change time and gains nothing. The hero gets a mystic token which he never uses, he learns some valuable personal lessons and survives, otherwise unscathed. The autistic boy pops up inexplicably so that we know that he, at least, has achieved what he wanted from his mental abilities.

A confusing ending, but happy.

A readable book, but not great.

I enjoyed it, but will probably not read the remaining three "great novels" in this PKD omnibus.

====
Problems ? Solved

Blue Remembered Earth / Alastair Reynolds

Blue Remembered Earth
by Alastair Reynolds

science fiction

copyright 2012
read in May 2013

rated 6 out of 10: read to pass the time

I've read that science fiction answers the question, "What if?" This book raises the question, "So what?"

Can you remember the first Star Trek movie? It probably had the clever name, Start Trek The Movie... It had a good 50 minute plot -- stretched out to an hour and a half of movie. Stretched using lots of SF special effects. Blue is like that, except without the good plot.

Several people chase clues across the solar system. They spend a lot of time admiring amazing scientific developments -- or possibilities, for today's reader. What a pity that so few of these developments have any bearing on the story.

Then we discover that some old lady -- believed to be dead -- had discovered the secret to travel beyond the solar system. How did she make this amazing discovery? Pure deus ex machina... Some passing aliens decided to spend some time leaving explanatory graffiti.

Not that we are given any hint of this amazing discovery. At least, not until the final pages, where the author decides that it's about time to stop writing. Eternal life? Cold fusion power? (Well, almost.) Cure for the common cold? New and improved snake oil? I know, let's make it space travel!

Then there are the holes in the plot. The elephants in the room, for example. Seriously.

Two midget elephants on the moon. Bred to size, we are told, by phyletic evolution. (I hope those words are right. I can't be bothered checking again.) Phyletic evolution is the natural process of animals -- such as elephants -- breeding smaller in an environment with limited resources. Smaller animals are better at surviving the regular food shortages, so natural selection results in a herd of smaller elephants.

So how do you do that in just one generation? We're looking at elephants the size of large dogs... More than a minor shrinkage.

And if it happened over the more reasonable several hundred generations -- where were these elephants while they were being bred for small size?!

Then there's the shell and pea trick with the buried treasure. We're expected to believe that a man can dig up a box, open it, swap the contents, close it -- then bury it again... All while being watched by three good guys, a bad guy, three intelligent drones and by whatever automated surveillance system it was that initially detected this prestidigitating digger.

Then there's that crazy old lady, believed dead. She trips over the secret of space travel. Decides to hold it for a while. Goes off on her own deep space voyage -- as far as I can tell. And suddenly -- for no reason that we are given -- decides that now is the time to release her discovery. Puts everything into a one-shot treasure trail. Makes the trail so difficult to follow that only one intended finder makes it to the end...

And if he had failed -- too bad. The trail is destroyed. No-one will every be able to follow it again. If the hero had blinked -- the discovery would have been lost for all time.

Blue Remembered Earth has entertaining science. The characters are slightly interesting. The plot is weak as water.

Easy enough to read. Hardly worth the effort.

====
Problems ? Solved

Methuselah's Children / Robert A. Heinlein

Methuselah's Children
by Robert A. Heinlein

science fiction

copyright 1958
read in April 2013

rated 6 out of 10: read to pass the time

Sure, this is Heinlein. And"Heinlein defined modern science fiction." Frederick Pohl said so. It says so on the cover.

Yes, this book is good, solid science fiction: the characters are cardboard, the plot is thin and the scientific what-if is the best part. It's an interesting take on mankind's reaction to people who are believed to be holding a valuable secret.

Easy to read but not much more than a scientific what-if. Somewhere in between exciting and boring.

The book is dedicated, "To Edward E. Smith, Ph.D". And yes, it is clear that this is Heinlein inspired by Doc Smith. Except that Doc Smith is a lot more fun.

Take, for example, the limiting factor of the speed of light...

The captain of Doc Smith's Skylark mentions Einstein's theoretical limit. But, says the captain, that is only a theory... So he simply puts his foot flat to the floor -- and exceeds the speed of light. Heinlein's captain takes three pages of scientific gobbledegook -- then decides to not even try.

Doc Smith also offers a more positive view of humanity's place in the universe... No matter where they go, no matter what aliens they meet, the heroic humans are superior. Not necessarily in all ways. But, somehow, humans are at the head of the species pecking order.

Heinlein skips the challenge of plot and introduces us to several alien races. In each case, humans are overawed and overwhelmed. Okay, the heroes agree that, we'll improve and we'll be back... More realistic, perhaps. Just not as much fun.

Then the heroes arrive home and... all their problems have been solved. Ho hum.

A book worth writing. Just not a great book for reading.

====
Problems ? Solved

Warsworn / Elizabeth Vaughn

Warsworn
by Elizabeth Vaughn
(Warprize 2)

romance, fantasy

copyright 2006
read in April 2013

rated 6: read to pass the time

The central romance of this book is based on a master-slave relationship. The girl is supposed to be feisty, clever, independent. It's borderline.

She is feisty... until she melts under the strict gaze of her man. She is clever... but kicks herself for not being perfect. She is... not at all independent.

Her role is as a captured queen who is to provide -- when asked -- new ideas for the tribe. She hesitates, hides important facts, threatens to stamp her foot until someone listens to her.

The tribe, meanwhile, do not ask and do not listen to her. Despite the supposed "new ideas" role, her master only wants her for sex. Which, of course, is also the most important matter in the mind of the queen.

Then there's the big "battle" which occupies the bulk of the book.

Actually... it's quite a clever idea for a battle... unusual, a new way of seeing an old problem. I was just surprised at how long it continued.

There is also a series of what I take to be hints, that there is a so-far-unknown cure for a new and deadly plague. Does anyone spot the hints? Nope... Ah well, perhaps in book three...

This is a light and easy to read story, set in a not too unusual fantasy world. An easy book to read if you have nothing better.

I just do not like books which portray a man and woman in a master-slave relationship as though it were such a positive situation.

====
Problems ? Solved

We Few / David Weber and John Ringo

We Few
by David Weber and John Ringo

copyright 2005
military science fiction

rated 6: read to pass the time

For Christmas I was given a collection of a dozen or so books by PG Wodehouse. Brilliant books... Funny books... Nice books... I needed a change! So I read We Few.

Okay. We Few is definitely not Wodehouse!

Blood and thunder. Cunning plans and heroic hand-to-hand fighting. Loyalty, honour and service before all else. Spoilt just a little by the stupidity of the villains.

It is also interesting that the hero's choices are not always simple.

Sure, we fight for the throne... But, having won the fight, should we now sit on the throne? The good guys fight for right, but right is not always obvious. Which makes for thought, for the reader, and a more interesting book.

Military SF has its own standards. By those standards I suspect that We Few is good. I find it to be just a bit over the top -- more so than I remember from previous books in the series.

As a book for the moment -- it is just what I want. I read the last two-thirds in one (very late) sitting. Sit up, blink, think, Wow! that was fun!

I don't go out of my way to read military SF. But when I see more books by Weber and Ringo -- I will be happy to read them.

====
Problems ? Solved

Shadow's Edge / Brent Weeks

Shadow's Edge
(Night Angel 2 /3)
by Brent Weeks

fantasy

copyright 2008
read in March 2013

rated 6 / 10: read to pass the time

Stephen King advises authors to, make their characters suffer. When I first read that, I had just finished writing a simple little short story set in a small country town. I liked my characters. I did not want to make them suffer!

Which is, perhaps, why I'm a reviewer rather than a writer.

Brent Weeks, on the other hand... makes his characters suffer. To a person of gentle sensibilities -- such as myself -- it is depressing.

This is book two of a trilogy. There is an adequate conclusion: a villain is disposed of, though the even-worse villain is just off-screen, waiting eagerly for book three. All quite satisfactory.

But the suffering!

I don't mean physical suffering, though there is plenty of that. I mean mental suffering...

Hero and heroine are dragged apart, families are separated, characters are introduced, then slaughtered... No-one is happy with the way that they are performing. It's all so... glooooomy... :-(

Two hundred pages in and I am thinking, will this story ever end?! I have to double-check the cover, to make sure that it clearly says, trilogy.

"Trilogy" tells me that there will definitely be an end to the story, at the end of the third book. If this turns out to be one of those interminable fantasy epics where the author had no idea how to finish a story -- I shall be most annoyed.

Shadow's Edge is exciting, imaginative, action-packed. It is also depressing. I rate it six, read to pass the time.

But read it only if you can handle a large load of suffering and despair.

And hope that book three will bring some modicum of a happy ending.

====
Problems ? Solved

TopGear Drivers' Handbook / Richard Porter

TopGear Drivers' Handbook
by Richard Porter

humour

published 2011
read in March 2013

rated 6 out of 10: read to pass the time

Lots of fun, lots of chuckles, suitable for any fan of TopGear. Any fan who can read, anyway:-)

The Handbook is not a story, it's a collection of jokes. Some possibly new jokes, some old jokes, plenty of funny jokes.

What is missing is an overall theme.

Okay, it's a spoof of motoring handbooks. Yet it's not satirical -- just jokey. No clever digs at motoring associations, just a lot of absurdities. Many of which could as easily fit into, for example, a sporting club's handbook. Or a tourist guide. Or... any spoof on almost any topic.

There are plenty of car references. Really, though, it's just a collection of absurd humour. With no growth of the theme across the various sections.

Read a few sections, get a few chuckles, put the book down -- you will not have missed much. The Handbook offers a series of moderately funny sections. Cut to fit the motoring theme, otherwise unrelated.

Read, chuckle, move on.

====
Problems ? Solved

Slow Train to Arcturus / Eric Flint and Dave Freer

Slow Train to Arcturus
by Eric Flint and Dave Freer

science fiction
copyright 2008
read in February 2013

rated 6 out of 10: read to pass the time

This book begins well, with the story told from an alien perspective. So we get an outsider's view of humanity, plus an insight into an alien society.

So far, so good.

Then the point of view shifts. And shifts again. And again... Does this help us to understand the actions and attitudes of the various characters? Or is it simply a lazy way to allow two authors to write one book?

The multiple points of view are not confusing. I just wonder why it's done. And wonder if it also adds to the flatness of the story: We understand all points of view, so there is less stress, less doubt, less tension.

The "slow train" concept is good, solid science fiction. Pity the authors gave it so little attention. As they admit in a brief introduction, they had to write within their knowledge.

So Slow Train is a story of the strengths and weaknesses of closed societies. With a final message which is, essentially, the benefits of cross-fertilisation.

The authors have used a multi-generation space ship as a means to isolate a number of social experiments.

At first I thought, cheap trick. Use a good science fiction idea to allow the authors to pick holes in a whole lot of different social ideas. On the plus side, they did pull together the best of each society in order to save the nice aliens' bacon.

Having read about a third of the book, my thoughts turned to stereotypes... I was beginning to tire of the stock-standard characters and their attitudes. Other than the space ship, Slow Train was offering nothing new.

A few pages further on and I thought, these are not stereotypes -- these are caricatures.

Wait a minute, I thought, is this book intended to be *funny* ?!

I'm still not sure.

Is Slow Train to Arcturus intended to be funny? Should I have been reading -- and laughing? I hope not...

Slow Train is a mix of stereotypes and caricatures. Fighting to help some likeable -- and interesting -- aliens. Fighting against people who, interestingly enough, don't care whether or not the aliens are saved.

In other words...

The action is driven by aliens. The conflict is driven by human social choices, with no interest in aliens. The setting is a space ship which could as easily have been a large city with high internal walls...

Several good ideas, lots more weak ideas, all thrown in the pot. A bit of stirring and hope that the flavours add up to a meal worth eating.

Easy to read. You feel satisfied at the end. I just wish that the authors had put more effort into matching the ingredients.

========
Dr Nick Lethbridge
Problems ? Solved
(+61) 0419197772
========

"Common sense is what tells you that the world is flat"--per Ginger Meggs

Pompeii / Robert Harris

Pompeii
by Robert Harris

action

copyright 2003
read in February 2013
rated 6 out of 10: read to pass the time

Perhaps Harris is trying to tell us that corruption is timeless. What I see is Dallas in togas. With a list of Roman names which made me think of Asterix.

Harris has read -- and acknowledged -- plenty of reference books. And he has used the material...

A Roman feast with incredible food... presented with so little feeling that it's almost as though we are not really there. Names, places, graffiti, quoted but with no extra life. Some of it supports the story. Some is simply there to show that the author had done his background reading.

Though the colour of the burning sulphur had me searching Wikipedia. And finding a different colour to that described in the book. And Pliny's personification of Nature as a "she" seems odd... Didn't the Romans have gods and goddesses rather than a direct personification of nature?

Still, I've never read Pliny...

It's just one of the ways in which Pompeii reads as a modern book where the characters happen to wear togas. And perhaps that's exactly the way it was in ancient Rome.

The story is centred round the aqueduct engineer. That is possibly the most interesting aspect of the book. The engineers actions are unbelievable but at least they show signs of being based on the author's own imagination.

There is just one sentence which has stuck in my mind: "The Aqua Augusta continued to flow, as she would for centuries to come." Now that -- to me -- is amazing. Well worth a book about it. What a pity that it is just one throwaway sentence, near the end of a fairly average story.

====
Problems ? Solved

Astrotruckers / Mikael Niemi

Astrotruckers
by Mikael Niemi
translated from Swedish by Laurie Thompson

written in 2004
translated in 2007
read in December 2012

science fiction, collection
rated as 6 / 10: read to pass the time

A lot of interesting science fiction type ideas. Some social satire presented with a dash of sometimes rough humour. A Scandinavian view of the world. What's not to like?

Well, it's not a novel. It's not even a collection of short stories. It's a collection of ideas.

Some of the ideas are presented as stories. Those stories add very little to the core idea. The occasional comment by the author that this is not a story... well... honest but adds very little to the enjoyment of reading.

Niemi -- the author -- has a heap of interesting ideas. He has taken a lazy approach to these ideas: here they are, I'm not going to wrap them up in the fancy framework of a story...

All very nice. An idea for its own sake.

Unfortunately it leaves me not asking for more.

The ideas are mixed, so there is no theme which makes me think, I'd like to read more. There are no regular characters, so I am not left wondering, what will they do next.

So okay, read this book to pass the time. And to open your mind to some interesting and possibly new ideas.

I'm hoping to find the interesting ideas in a book with a plot and characters. With a beginning a middle and an end. That is, in a story.

====
Problems ? Solved

Wet world / Mark Michalowski

Wet World
by Mark Michalowski
a Doctor Who book

science fiction
copyright 2007
read in December 2012

rating 6: read to pass the time

I was a fan of the old Doctors Who. You can see this coming... I don't like the new Doctors Who. The new Doctors are childish, over-confident and under-performing. Relationships with the companions are also a bit embarrassing.

Some of the "new" stories are okay. I admit that I have not watched many -- I turn off when the melodrama becomes too bad. Still, perhaps the stories may, in fact, be science fiction -- under the surface coating of rom com children's adventure.

This book overcomes most of the weaknesses of the tv show.

The weaknesses are still there: over confident grins, romantic looks, too clever solutions, contrived plot... Yet it is quite easy to read.

I turn off the TV show. How can I bear to read the book?!

A book may be read at any speed... Well, a book may be read, or read slowly and carefully -- or a book may be skimmed... And that's what I did with Wetworld.

When the Doctor was too smug, I skimmed. When Martha was a bit silly, I skimmed. When the story was readable -- I read.

The book is quite readable. And at points where I would have grimaced and reached for the off button of the TV remote control -- I simply read a bit faster. And enjoyed the book.

As science fiction, Wetworld is acceptable. For fans of the old Doctors Who, the book is readable. For fans of the new Doctors: read and enjoy... It's the new Doctor Who, in the great new medium of, "print".

====
Problems ? Solved

Gardens of the Moon / Steven Erikson

Gardens of the Moon
by Steven Erikson
fantasy / action
book 1 of Malazan Book of the Fallen

published 1999
read in November 2012

my rating: 6, read to pass the time

The book begins with an Introduction by the author. If the introduction does not put you off, okay. The author is smarter than us. He knows what makes a great fantasy book. Everyone else is wrong. So he says.

As one of those wrong people, I believe that an author should provide a story for the readers. A story. You know, one of those things with a beginning, a middle and an end. With plot to link them all. And characters to add interest.

Okay... in this story, Erikson has done that. So why am I complaining? It's not just the patronising introduction...

As I began to read, I began to think, these people are familiar. And yes, I have read another Erikson book. I read it in 2007, before I began this blog. The memory has stayed with me.

Erikson writes that his work is a history. So he can't help out if it's not a neat and self-contained story. What a cop-out! An author too lazy to pick out a coherent storyline, so he claims that it's part of a grander epic.

Just to interrupt this rant... Gardens is a coherent story. Feel free to read and, probably, enjoy.

Do not read later books on the series. Not unless you are prepared to read every book in the series.

My memories of that later book are awfully clear... One group of people battle across a continent, following another, smaller group. The smaller group do nothing much other than the minimum required to keep ahead of the first group. Meanwhile, two other people (?) also set off across the continent. Half way across, one of them is killed. Another person takes his place. The new two carry on.

The two groups do not interact. They never meet each other. The entire book is dedicated to journeys which would be one or two connecting chapters in any more reasonable book. As a single book -- a load of rubbish.

But, as I said, Gardens is more like a real novel. Beginning, middle and end. I have no trouble accepting a to-be-continued end to the book. At least the current adventure reaches some sort of conclusion.

Yet there are still problems with the author's view of his book as one chapter of a history.

Other authors use coincidences to link the plot. You know, the young man with the magic sword just happens to be the lost prince... It can be embarrassing. Done well, the links and coincidences can build to a gripping novel.

Erikson takes a simpler approach... Need to introduce some essential linking action? Just add a new character. Need more tension? Just add a new character. Need a reason for the characters to conquer a city? Introduce a new character who is mentioned in passing but never appears...

Gardens of the Moon is a mass of characters doing a loosely related set of exciting actions. In this book, it all adds up, eventually. In the one later book that I have read, the various actions fail to add up to a story. They remain as chapters of unrelated books. Total fail.

Read this book. Ignore the rest.

====
Problems ? Solved

Shadow of the Scorpion / Neal Asher

Shadow of the Scorpion
by Neal Asher

science fiction
published 2008, read in November 2012

rating 6 / 10: read to pass the time

Six out of ten? Or possibly 7 -- if you're a fan of Agent Cormac of the Polity.

I enjoy Asher's books (the few that I've read, and I want to read more). The Polity is rough, tough and enjoyable. But this is my first meeting with Agent Cormac. So as far as I can tell:

Cormac has spent several books righting wrongs. Scorpion appears to be providing an insight into his childhood. Into the early days of his violent life. Which I would appreciate more -- if I had previously read of his adult adventures!

As a standalone book...

Scorpion is a modern equivalent of For Mars! Young man goes through basic training and comes out as a man.

Aside: My reviews are now being posted as an email from a tablet PC. This approach limits my flexibility. Specifically, I cannot proved you with a hot link to other reviews... Sorry! It also explains why the format of recent posts is so boring :-)  Anyway...

I have only just read For Mars! (Yes, the ! is part of the title.) As I read Scorpion I began to see similarities. In more than the basic boy-becomes-man plot.

I began to suspect that Scorpion was written for the "young adult" SF fan: young hero and simplistic style. Short sentences, simple plot logic. Group of young "cadets" thrown together, forced to build an effective team...

Of course this idealised world was soon shattered by the typical Polity violence. Still... it did make me think, how SF has changed since 1952 (the year of For Mars!). Similar themes -- such a different treatment!

Comparisons aside, Scorpion is not a great book. Gung ho action in a tough universe. An enjoyable adventure. A weak plot.

If you have already read previous Cormac adventures then this book will -- I believe -- fill in some gaps, build the back story. As a standalone novel... some of the points seem to be a little pointless.

And the gaining of a nifty personal weapon -- right at the end of the book -- is totally contrived. Except, I guess, as a necessary explanation for earlier books with a more experienced Cormac.

Enjoyable by itself. Perhaps a must-read for Cormac fans.

====
Problems ? Solved

For Mars! / Carey Rockwell

For Mars!
by Carey Rockwell

science fiction

published 1952, read in October 2012

rating 6 / 10: read to pass the time

Clean-cut heroic leader, strong but not so smart sidekick, super smart but troubled 2ic... Stereotyped (space) adventure.

Early pulp fiction. To be read with a touch of embarrassment. To be read and enjoyed. Critical faculties switched off.

Wikipedia does say that -- for its time -- the science is good. But the story logic! Unbelievable... yet enjoyable :-)

The heroes rescue passengers from a stricken spaceship. They then risk their lives to save the ship itself. Why? Because it's a valuable asset worth many millions of space dollars.

Two chapters later and they have destroyed the ship by crashing onto Mars. Does anyone now mention the value of the ship? Nope...

Aside from the dodgy plot, this is very clearly a "science fiction" adventure. How can you tell? Check the equipment:

The Space cadets wear their Space uniform, including Space boots. They fly a Space ship to the Space ship yards. Their Space watches tell them the Space time as they wish each other, Spaceman's luck... You get the idea! Why is a Space boot different from any other boot? We are not told.

This story is fun but not great. As a modern book I would score it as 4, bad but could be read. Set in context -- as "old" SF, available free from Gutenberg Press -- it is well worth reading.

If only to see how science fiction has changed.

And for more on that -- how science fiction has changed -- see my review of Shadow of the Scorpion...

====
Problems ? Solved

Demon Mistress / Yasmine Galenhorn

Demon Mistress

by Yasmine Galenhorn

Otherworld (6)

published: 2009

Fantasy, Romance, Horror?

read in September 2012

rated 6 out of 10... read to pass the time

In the library catalogue this book is classified as both fantasy and horror. Horror?! Well, okay, there's supernatural stuff. And violence. But nothing that would lead to feelings of horror...

The story is based on three sisters, half human and half fairy. (Let's be clear about this. Each sister is half and half.) The sisters are based on Earth, battling against the Otherworld demons who (which?) would like to invade Earth.

To get the flavour of the book:

One sister has magic fire powers which tend to backfire. She also has three husbands and they all like sex at the same time. Sister two can turn into a vicious puma, to fight the demons with tooth and claw... and intelligent sword. She also, when over-excited, can't prevent herself turning into a cute and cuddly kitten. This sister has two lovers. She keeps them separate and worries over which one she will finally choose.

Sister three is a vampire. She is faithful to her lover, that is, she has promised to not sleep with any other woman. Both lovers are pleased that vampire sister is sleeping with a male demon, while lining up another male demon as a future lover. Will she, wonders vampire sister, Ever get true love?

The sex is of the style where his male organ is thrust into the warmth of her golden centre of pleasure, followed by waves of delirious rapture and, She awoke with memories of unforgettable pleasure... The violence may involve disembowelment but, it just happens. It may upset but will not offend.

When the sisters are called to help the police deal with ghouls in the park, they pause only to pick up car keys and purses... If they had also paused by the mirror to touch up their makeup -- I would not have been surprised... It's that sort of book: fun, light, romantic, girly. Very hard not to like it.

Sure, the sisters -- and their friends, and their lovers -- are fighting to save the world from unspeakable evil. Yet their concerns are much more everyday. The war is a major issue, good versus evil. The battles are at the human level and interpersonal concerns are still important.

It's a bunch of very human... supernatural... young women. Being very girly. While risking their lives to save the world.

Not a "great" book. But very easy to enjoy.

Evening's Empire / David Herter

Evening's Empire

category: fantasy, author:

David Herter

original copyright 2002

read in August 2012

Agamedes' opinion: 6 out of 10, read to pass the time

I quite enjoyed this book. I'm just not sure what to make of it...

The local library has classified it as "horror". Okay, I can see why: mysterious small town, mysterious villagers, mysterious deaths and disappearances. But that's about it. There is no actual horror.

The book's blurb calls this a "fantasy". I could live with that. Though mysterious cities built by alien creatures usually imply science fiction. Except that there's no real science. Unless you count the central theme of cheese-making.

And it's that cheese theme that really has me confused! I kept expecting it to mean something! Or perhaps it does... The aliens are mistaken for rats.

Does this sound just a bit confusing? Well... it is. Especially when you throw in a Jules Verne opera, a river under the ocean, Captain Nemo, very peculiar villagers, the Anti-Cheese League...

Perhaps there are just too many ideas?

Full marks for building the mood. Full marks for a faithful following of traditional scary novels. Then the scary ending... just fades away.

Okay, it's fun. I enjoyed it. I liked the characters: the good ones, not the weird ones! The good characters acted for the general good; I like that. Just not sure what to make of the whole book! Perhaps it's too far out of my usual genre.

..o0o..

These reviews are provided by Agamedes Consulting. For an independent and thoughtful review of your processes, problems or documents, email nickleth at gmail dot com.

PissWeakly: the Index

Scottish Highlands & Islands / Rob Humphreys & Donald Reid

The Rough Guide to Scottish Highlands & Islands

category: travel, commentary, authors:

Rob Humphreys, Donald Reid

of the Rough Guide series
original copyright 2006

read in August 2012

Agamedes' opinion: 6 out of 10, read to pass the time

A thorough and worthy travel guide... but... outdated by the Internet.

It's nice to have some ideas about a place before you visit. To know what to look for... to know what other people found interesting. Whether or not you follow the suggestions depends on your own approach to travel. It's still nice to have the ideas.

Rough Guides give you ideas of history, sights... and food, drink and accommodation. Just like a lot of other travel guide series. Limited by the knowledge, expertise and bias of the authors. With luck the "bias" is consistent, so you can select a guide to suit your own bias. Details may get out-of-date very quickly, especially prices. Still, a good guide book is better than nothing. This Rough Guide is quite good.

Except that the Internet has all this and more... and is constantly being updated. And mobile communication is constantly improving.

I'm browsing a library copy of the Rough Guide. A worthwhile exercise. While we are away, we will use the Internet. And the latest tourist publications from wherever we visit. And our own observations, to spot places that interest us. The relatively heavy and possibly dated guide books will stay at home.

Mind you, one of the Internet sites that we may use -- while travelling -- is www.roughguides.com. The book is okay. The website may be a more current version of the book...

..o0o..

These reviews are provided by Agamedes Consulting. For an independent and thoughtful review of your processes, problems or documents, email nickleth at gmail dot com.

PissWeakly: the Index

Empire & Ecolitan / L.E.Modesitt Jr

Empire & Ecolitan

category: Science fiction, author:

L.E.Modesitt Jr

books  2 & 3 of Galactic Empire original copyright 1989, 1990

read in July 2012

Agamedes' opinion: 6 out of 10, read to pass the time

Two books in one volume. Value for money :-)  Both novels are... okay.

 First up is The Ecolitan Operation. Old style space opera. Unbelievable but fun. With some environmental overtones: could an ecologically sound culture really be that good?!

 Large scale death and destruction, cardboard characters, problems solved with fist or ray gun. All that is asked of the reader is, a willing suspension of disbelief.

 Immediately following that action-packed adventure is The Ecologic Secession.

 The second book aims for less flash and more depth. It does not work very well.

 The romance is... well, what can I say...? Stilted? Just short of embarrassing? A worthy attempt but not great.

 The political dithering is realistic, on both sides of the secession. The flow of the book is more complex ( than Operation) and it works. I would say, an author improving his technical skills. And attempting to improve the quality of his story.

I enjoyed both of these books. But would not go out of my way to read more.

..o0o..

These reviews are provided by Agamedes Consulting. For an independent and thoughtful review of your processes, problems or documents, email nickleth at gmail dot com.

PissWeakly: the Index

Imager / L.E. Modesitt Jr

Imager

category: fantasy, author:

L.E. Modesitt Jr

book 1 of the Imager Portfolio
original copyright 2009

read in July 2012 

Agamedes' opinion: 6 out of 10, read to pass the time

Tedious.

Exceedingly tedious.

Imager is an introduction to a series. It may be a fascinating series. As a book, this one is boring.

Young man becomes an apprentice artist. Passes ten years between chapters. Spends the rest of the book learning to be an imager, a magician.

We are given full details of every lesson. Every conversation. Every... single... boring... meal.

Half way through this book I thought, Why are we told what is eaten at every single meal? Why are we told what clothes the hero wears? What clothes his girlfriend wears? I see several possibilities.

Perhaps Modesitt is being paid by the word. Perhaps he has a well-imagined world but no plot, so he describes the world. Perhaps -- and I give this possibility the highest probability -- perhaps Modesitt has been told that lots of women are reading fantasy series. So, he thinks, Keep the women happy by detailing every meal and every costume...

Does it work? Do food and clothes attract the female reader? I don't know. Perhaps a female reader could tell me.

In between lessons and meals and descriptions of clothes, the hero is the target of assassins. As far as I can tell, there are three groups of assassins out to kill him.

One group seems to be linked to some people that the hero killed. As far as I can tell, it's not the killing which upset them. No worries, someone else has already killed that lot. Or at least scared them away.

They were scared away by the second lot. The second lot are believed to have a long-term grudge against the hero. Sometime in the future... in a far distant book, perhaps... the hero expects that this group will punish him severely. His evidence? Well, they killed the people who wanted him dead, didn't they?!

Then there's the third lot of killers... Who seem to be part of international attempts to destabilise the hero's country. This group randomly kill beginner imagers, those who don't know enough to defend themselves. When the hero proves hard to kill -- they just keep on trying!

Meanwhile, the hero is learning his magical tricks. Naturally enough, he is the best imager for hundreds of years. On top of this, he has the unexplained and unrelated Guesswork Superpower: when he guesses that the baddies are hidden behind the garden wall -- he is always right...

Okay, so it's an interesting world. The many dozens of characters are mostly cardboard. The hero is food- and clothing-fixated but otherwise acceptable. It makes for an interesting chapter one.

But a whole book? With so much scene-setting, so much explanatory conversation... so little actually happening!?  No way.

Light.  Wordy. Tedious.

..o0o..

These reviews are provided by Agamedes Consulting. For an independent and thoughtful review of your processes, problems or documents, email nickleth at gmail dot com.

PissWeakly: the Index

Dead Men's Boots / Mike Carey

Dead Men's Boots

category: fantasy, author:

Mike Carey

book 3 of Felix Castor
original copyright 2007

read in June 2012

Agamedes' opinion: 6 out of 10, read to pass the time

This book is definitely noir. So deep in noir that it almost comes out the other side. Deep dark, with humour. Darkness laid on just a bit too thick.

World-weary, tough, cynical. A hero who's seen it all and found it all, wanting. And says so, with some excellent one-liners.

The effect is, dark humour that is somewhat depressing.

Nothing that makes you outright miserable. Just nothing really cheerful, either. The hero has no real friends, just acquaintances who work with him because they don't have a better choice. The hero feels some guilt for manipulating nice people into supporting him. He's right to feel guilty.

Then the humour fades away and is replaced by escalating violence. Personal violence and mass violence.

Don't get me wrong: this book will not make you feel miserable. But when the villains are roundly trounced the hero -- and the reader -- are left feeling... low. It feels as though this is not a victory... just a temporary staving off of the inevitable defeat.

Felix Castor -- the hero of this book -- can be compared to Harry Dresden of the Dresden Files. Both are magic workers battling supernatural enemies in an almost here-and-now big city. Read my review of Grave Peril, where Dresden's life appears to be on a downward spiral. Yet Dresden still has friends -- loyal friends. And Dresden favours the truth rather than manipulation.

Dead Men's Boots has no positive inter-personal interactions. When the hero says that he is reluctant to help, you believe him. When he seems to continue on because evil acts must be punished, you wonder if he is just protecting himself from future retribution.

Read this book, you may enjoy it. Do not expect to be cheered up when the hero finally wipes out the baddies. To the very last ghoul and ghost. With no feeling at all of a job well done.

..o0o..

These reviews are provided by Agamedes Consulting. For an independent and thoughtful review of your processes, problems or documents, email nickleth at gmail dot com.

PissWeakly: the Index