The Usurper's Crown / Sarah Zettel

The Usurper's Crown
[ Isavalta (2) ]
by Sarah Zettel

fantasy
copyright 2002
read in July 2013

rated 8: really quite good

An interesting approach to a trilogy: book two is a flashback from book one... And it works. Very well. Though with some strange side-effects...

First -- and this is, I suspect, just me --there's a constant sense of deja vu.

It's a while since I read book one. I've read several books in between. I keep thinking, But wasn't that in book one ?!

No, in sure that I'm reading a different book ! In this flashback... or extended back-story... Zettel uses repetition. That is, people and places from book one are re-visited in book two. They now show why certain things were happening in book one... Same people, same places, different actions. And from the point of view of a different heroine.

All of this makes me wonder, Which book am I really reading ?! But it's all good: I *know* which book I am reading. And I am enjoying book two... even more than I enjoyed book one.

Which leads to the other side-effect...

I prefer to read books with a happy -- or at least satisfying -- ending. From book one I know that certain people will survive... or possibly not. And this gives me a certain sense of peace.

As I read book two I have the comfort of knowing that... not everything will be destroyed. Okay, it's a very limited comfort :-)  But I find it is comfort enough. And it adds to my enjoyment of this book.

On the other hand... I'm going to have to read book one again -- to remind myself what really happened... And to find out why book two really is so very familiar !

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Problems ? Solved

Tonto Basin / Zane Grey

Tonto Basin (aka To the Last Man)

by Zane Grey

western

copyright 1921

read in April 2013

rated 8 / 10: really quite good

I've seen Western movies. I was a fan of John Wayne. I thought that I knew what to expect from a Zane Grey novel.

But...

Everyone wears a big black hat. Everyone is tall blond and tough. The good guys are not all that good. The bad guys are, well, bad. But not one-sided bad. The only certainty that remains is that the hero and the heroine get together at the end.

Then there is the forest of Arizona -- the beautiful country in which men kill each other. Grey describes the country with beauty and emotion. In a foreword he writes, "My inspiration to write has always come from nature." Yet his characters clear land and shoot wildlife with not a hint of compunction.

Grey sees nature in all its grandeur and beauty. He portrays nature as something to be used and abused in order to support humans. There is no hint that this is contradictory. A sign of the times in which he wrote, perhaps... A reflection of the belief that nature's abundance is and always will be, unlimited.

The hero and heroine are a bit too good... Every other character is a mixture of good and bad, of loyalty and violence. I was surprised by the shades of grey in "a Western".

This is an enjoyable book -- and a bit of an eye-opener to the real world of Arizona in the 1880s to 1890s. If you don't want to read the book, read the Wikipedia entry, at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pleasant_Valley_War. Which leads to authorial sources...

Grey writes, in his foreword, that he spend many months, over several years, getting the basic facts from native Arizonians. Wikipedia cites a book written at the time. I wonder how much else was available from the bookshop rather than from original sources? And how much of the foreword is poetic licence?!

All that is quibbling. Tonto Basin is a good book: enjoyable, tough, believable and with a satisfying (somewhat contrived) happy ending. All set in a beautiful part of the world... as it then existed.

The rest is just a curious line of thought...

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I read Tonto Basin in a book published in 2004. It included a recent foreword which included the lines, "Tonto Basin now at last is published as Zane Grey wanted his story to appear."

So what has been changed?

I went to Gutenberg Press (www.gutenberg.net) and downloaded an older copy of the novel. What are the differences?

Well, the author's foreword has been replaced by a researcher's foreword. Which is a pity because the author's notes are fascinating.

The name has been changed, from To the Last Man, to Tonto Basin. Not sure why.

The new foreword says that the original publication had a key sexual relationship removed, that reference to an illegitimate birth was censored. Okay, I'm an innocent... I didn't see the illegitimate birth in the new novel, either...

Then I looked for word-by-word changes.

First, the older characters say a lot of "y'u" and "y'ur" and "y'u're". In the newer book they say "you" and "your" and "you're". Has an authentic Arizonian accent been censored in the *modern* book?

Then, in the older book, there are three or four times when a character says, "----, ---- ---- !" In the uncensored version, these characters say, "God damn!" or similar. Okay, that's more modern acceptance of blasphemy; older censorship of the same.

Right at the end, the older book ends with the hero hugging the heroine; all is right with the world. The newer book carries on for perhaps two hundred more words... There's an actual marriage proposal; some words about how happy the couple are now that they understand how good they each are; a hint of the woman's subservient position in a marriage; and a brief reference to God. Not much God really, after the spirituality of various rides through the forest.

Apart from the obviously implied marriage proposal, the cut did not make much change to the story.

So the changes are not that great. Perhaps there were earlier versions -- original publications -- which were more heavily cut. There is a reference to the difficulty of getting a book published, with the large number of deaths that are an essential part of this story.

Which leaves just one more change that I have identified:

"Isbel's house had been constructed with the idea of repelling an attack from a band of Apaches." So, okay, the house was built to withstand Indian attacks. Which means that it is solid enough to withstand the rustlers who are about to attack.

Really? Nowhere else in the book is there a mention of Apache attacks! The only Indian is the "half-breed" hero (who actually has a quarter or less Indian blood -- but not Apache blood). So why was the house built to repel Apache attacks?

That quote is from the more recent publication. In the older version -- with my own emphasis added -- the sentence is, "Isbel's house had *not* been constructed with the idea of repelling an attack from a band of Apaches." Which makes more sense. Especially since the bad guys hang out in their own building which is noticeably more solid, with stone walls.

But the sentence which does include "not"... seems to me to imply that the rustlers are being referred to as "Apaches". The house is not built to withstand an attack by the gang of rustlers... referred to by Grey as "Apaches"... Just as we would refer to a gang of "thugs" -- which is a word which comes from the original Thuggees... professional assassins now used as a byword for people who are tough and violent.

Has the more *recent* book been censored?!? Has a "modern" editor said, We can't call these rustlers Apaches... That would offend our Native American brothers!

Have we moved from one form of censorship to another?

Or am I reading too much into one small word that was lost in a proof-reading oversight...

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

"The time to relax is -- when you don't have time for it." --Sidney J. Harris

Blade Dancer / S.L.Viehl

Blade Dancer
by S.L.Viehl

science fiction, action, a touch of chick-lit romance

copyright 2003
read in March 2013

rated 8 out of 10: really quite good

Take a girl with street smarts and attitude. She's a seven foot tall half alien with retractable claws... What's not to like?!

Blade Dancer is action and attitude from page one. From being kicked off Earth, through fights on spaceships, snarling at the status quo on her alternative "home" planet, to fighting for her life in a school for assassins... This woman is tough.

Yet she is also supportive and loyal to her few friends. She refuses to take sides in a meaningless war. And she never gives in.

And I just re-rated Blade Dancer, from seven to eight :-)

This book is solid science fiction, with an emphasis on alien humanity rather than technology. Okay, the technology is there -- and almost indistinguishable from magic. But the story is about people. And action. And romance :-)

As the heroine begins to get to know her friends, I see a pattern emerging: a group of close friends, each with a special ability. In this book they will learn to work -- and fight -- as a team. Next book, they will battle evil across the known universe.

Well, maybe they will. But that is not how the book ends.

The ending is, perhaps, a little contrived. Just a bit too "nice" to be believed. A nice ending to match the chick-lit romance which is also a theme of this book.

The ending surprised me. It was unexpectedly happy, upbeat... nice.

I like it.

I like a happy ending.

I like this book.

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Problems ? Solved

Money for Nothing / P.G.Wodehouse

Money for Nothing
by P.G.Wodehouse

humour

copyright 1928
read in February 2013
rated 8 out of 10: really quite good

English country folk from upstairs and down, described with humour and affection. American con artists shown as cunning but not evil. Confusion, coincidences and -- surprisingly -- some almost cave-man action.

Yes, this is vintage Wodehouse. (Is there any other form of Wodehouse?!)

It struck me as I read the eminently satisfactory conclusion, that the world of Wodehouse is a little more fixed than I would expect in a more modern novel.

Sure, the various problems are all resolved. Yet there is no shifting of the relative positions of the characters. If one is a Lord at the start then one is a Lord at the end. There is no chance that a pauper will turn out to be a Prince who was exchanged as a baby. Case in point...

The hero begins the story as the obvious person who should inherit the estate. The actual heir has no interest in managing the history and the economics of a rich country estate. And at the end of the book -- there is no change.

The hero will continue to manage the estate. The heir will eventually inherit and continue his disinterest. There is not even the hint of the possibility of a change.

And there is not even the slightest hint of any jealousy on the part of the hero. He will continue to manage and protect the estate, on behalf of its owner.

A glowing, rosy world.

A Wodehouse world to be enjoyed.

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Problems ? Solved

Reamde / Neal Stephenson

Reamde
by Neal Stephenson
action
copyright 2011

read in January 2012
rated 8 out of 10: really quite good

Really quite good and really quite thick. Not quite gripping but never boring. Paints the bad guys as fools but is willing to poke fun at the good guys...

Reamde is as wordy as Stephenson's earlier Anathem. In Reamde, however -- something happens. It just takes a lot of words to describe it. Take the bear, for example...

The girl wakes up to hear a grizzly bear sniffing and scratching nearby. She thinks, Uh oh, the bear is attracted to attractive girls. She moves to a ten page flashback, to tell the story of an uncle who told her about bears and women. The flashback includes commentary on conversations, lifestyle, her own upbringing, the uncle's family and beliefs. Back to the present and the girl changes her mind... The bear is only after food scraps lying nearby... So what was the point of the lengthy flashback? No point at all!

Then there's the planning...

Characters don't just do something, they discuss it first. No need for the reader to wonder, Why didn't they choose another action... Every possible action had been considered, analysed and logically selected or rejected...

Which is not as boring as it sounds. It's just a very wordy approach to writing. Wordy... and thorough.

Despite the wordiness, I have categorised this book as "action". It takes a chapter or two to really get started -- then it is non-stop action. Violent, deadly action.

It takes quite a few pages to get to understand the title of the book. It takes three times that many pages to get to the main story. Did you ever watch Some Mothers Do Have Them? A simple start leads... inevitably... to a complex and disastrous conclusion. That's the Reamde style.

The book is also very right wing, in the Heinlein -- or even Hubbard -- style. The villains are cunning but fools. The heroes use good old American (and English) know-how to win the day. Even the Canadian cougars eat villain in preference to hero.

Despite this bias, there is still time to point out some of the bad points of the American and English ways of living and working. Stephenson clearly delineates good from evil. Yet he is happy to point out that "good" is still not perfect.

This is an entertaining romp through action, violence and wrong-doing. Massive coincidences ensure that the plot keeps on twisting. And in the final chapters, right triumphs over might... Especially since right is supported by right-might, with enough weapons to fight a small war...

Oh, and there's an online game at the center of the plot. A game which is said to be a step beyond today's World of Warcraft. And the game includes many features which I had already decided should be incorporated in the next generation online game... (Though my own ideas predated WoW.)

Great action, over the top characters. And a massive computer game.

What's not to like?!

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Triplanetary / E.E. Doc Smith

Triplanetary
by E.E. Doc Smith

Science fiction... Space opera

Published 1948
Read in January 2013... and many times before

rating 8 out of 10: really quite good

Really quite good... or really quite bad: your choice! This is space opera: over the top, boys own adventures in space. Love it, or...

Well, no. Just love it :-)

I don't like to bias my opinions by reading other views of books. (At least, not till my own review is posted.) But it seems to me that this first book of the series was written after most of the others. Whatever.

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, there was this race of super intelligent aliens. Then there were two races. One was good, the other was evil... Unlike Smith's Skylark series, there is no doubt: the lines are clearly drawn between good and evil.

Unfortunately the good aliens are not powerful enough to defeat the evil aliens. So they spend this -- and six more books -- developing a race which will be able to wipe evil from the galaxy.

And that race... is humanity.

Surprise!

Atlantis falls. Rome declines. World wars come and go. And then the serious space-based action begins.

Fishy aliens destroy human space fleets. And a major city or two. Humans respond with destruction of a major city, plus the killing of all the inhabitants of another city.

Then they each realise that it was all based on a misunderstanding... Hands, flippers and tentacles are shaken all round. A treaty of trade and cooperation is signed.

If only our real wars could end on such a reasonable note.

This is a universe of weird aliens, fierce battles, great science and sensible outcomes. Space opera at its best.

No need to believe it.

Just enjoy it :-)

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Problems ? Solved

Big Money / P.G. Wodehouse

Big Money
by P.G. Wodehouse

humour
copyright 1931
read in January 2013

rating 8 /10: really quite good

Wodehouse at his best :-)

I was surprised when the girl became engaged early in the story... Of course she was engaged to the "wrong" man. So there was plenty more confusion as the couples sorted themselves out.

There is also the need for money... Even at a double wedding the bally vicar will want to be paid twice...

Love is most definitely in the air but Big Money is the central theme. And all is resolved by the end.

Big Money is set in London -- and in London's outer suburbs. Outer?! Seven miles from the centre, very much on the outer as far as Society is concerned!

The English characters are distinguished by their Class. The Americans are a mixed bunch, with money not able to disguise their lack of class. Except, of course, for the girls. Who are sweet and beautiful and openly honest.

A pleasantly gilded romp in a golden, gilded and base metal cross-section of an eccentric and thoroughly enjoyable world.

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Legend / David Gemmell

Legend
by David Gemmell

fantasy, action
first (or last!) of the Druss / Drenai saga

copyright 1986
read in December 2012

rated 8 /10: really quite good

Started off just a bit clichéd... until I realised that Gemmell may have begun this particular boy-meets-girl, fight-side-by-side, fight-each-other, fall-in-love cliche...

Then there's the cold-looks, scares-baddie, sword-wielding-inspires-heroism-and-loyalty super-hero... Gemmell may have invented this one, too. He has certainly taken the cliches and run with them!

Anyway...

This is a rip-roaring yarn of sword and sorcery. A steady build-up of action. Heroic deeds against insuperable odds. With gentlemanly violence on either side.

You can almost imagine Bertie Wooster telling Jeeves to lay out the best silver: Tonight we dine with the enemy, tomorrow we slaughter them. Pip, pip, old chap!

It's a war of brutality, violence and Queensberry Rules. Fight for life and freedom, give no quarter, respect the enemy. And allow some time for true love to bloom.

Right from the start there is an expectation that the good guys are on a hiding to nothing. There is no way that they can win. Very little chance that they can even survive. And by the end -- nearly everyone is, indeed, dead.

Despite this, the book is positive.

The fighters know why they fight. The dead, gave their lives for a cause in which they believed. The survivors know that they did not fight in vain.

Apparently Lord of the Rings was an inspiration. LotR is an epic battle of good versus evil. Legend is also an epic battle... of good versus good-from-another-perspective. Interesting...

Legend is the tale of a single battle. Made epic by the scale, the people and the overall understanding of what makes a great story.

Legendary.

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The Way of Shadows / Brent Weeks

The Way of Shadows
by Brent Weeks

Night Angel (1)
fantasy

copyright 2008
read in December 2012
rated 8 / 10: really quite good

At the end of this book the author writes that the truly evil part of this story is near the start, in the abuse of children in street gangs. The rest, he writes, is tough and gritty but infused with hope.

Tough and gritty... indeed!

This book -- first of a trilogy -- tells of the hero's rise from child crim and victim, to professional assassin. Sounds bad, I know. Yet this trainee assassin has feelings and principles. The quintessential killer with a heart of gold...

Okay, the concept is a cliche. Implemented well.

The characters are troubled and sympathetic. I think that "conflicted" is the correct word... Sometimes that means that you don't know what they will do next -- nor why. With Weeks' characters you can understand their motivations. And even if you dislike some of their actions, you can see why they acted that way.

The death count rises rapidly in the last third of the book... Some likeable characters are killed. We are, after all, in book one of three. There is death and tragedy -- but not despair. The good guys suffer -- but they are fighting... and winning minor victories.

The characters move from personal suffering, to personal success, to global suffering, to personal survival. Just as they drag themselves clear of personal issues, the global problems take precedence...

As the heroes overcome their personal challenges, I grow to like them. As the challenges grow, I am cheering for the heroes. And the heroes come through...

The book ends with global catastrophe and personal success. A very satisfactory cliff-hanger of an ending...

I look forward to reading book two of this trilogy.

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Dream Stone / Glenna McReynolds

Dream Stone
by Glenna McReynolds

fantasy
follows The Chalice and the Blade

copyright 1998
read in December 2012
rating 8: really quite good

This book is "really quite good" if you like romantic fantasy! I just like adventure, nice characters and a satisfactory ending. This book has all of that.

Dream Stone is a dream of summer, with the richness of life glowing in the glorious sunshine. It's a dream of spring, with love bursting forth in all its heartfelt splendour. It is a dream of autumn, with everyday work to be done in preparation for winter.

And it's a dream of winter, with danger and the threat of death for the unwary.

Does that sound rather poetic? I hope so... because Dream Stone is an epic myth set in blank verse...

Well, not really. What I'm trying to say is, this is a book which reads like an epic poem. Flows and rhythms and images and imagination... Yet so very readable.

McReynolds has written -- it seems to me! -- from the heart. The result, is a story which glows.

Okay, it's not a genre-shattering classic. Yet it is a very enjoyable book.

Tolkien's hobbits are amazed to realise that Elves have lived through three Ages of the world. McReynolds' fairies have lived just as long, yet they are the everyday heroes of the story. It's a different -- and enjoyable -- point of view.

Their everyday lives are included in the story. Not in the sense of, look, I've created a complete world... It's just, life continues on, around the adventure.

The love scenes are over the top... Sex, in the forget-to-breathe style of Twilight. Yet with the reality of not-always-perfect first attempts.

Battle scenes are... vague. Raise the magic sword, charge ahead... then skip forward to counting the dead bodies. This is a fantasy romance, the battles are simply parts of the plot... Devices to provide threat -- and to add stress to the romantic relationships.

This is a simple story which is set in the middle of an enormously complex world history.

This story, is a lot of fun.

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Learning the World / Ken Macleod

Learning the World
by Ken Macleod

science fiction
published 2005
read in November 2012

rating 8: really quite good

An author from Scotland. Writing science fiction. Surely there can't be two of them. Surely I've read another of his books... So I searched through the list of books I've read. And sure enough: The Night Sessions by Ken Macleod...

Is this really the same author? The books are so different! And both are really quite good.

At the start, though, I have a problem... The (first) main character is a bit of a pain. So I think. A whingey boy with silly opinions of other people... Then this character is referred to as "she"... And the character is suddenly much more reasonable.

Interesting, really. Am I so full of stereotype bias?! Is a girl allowed to hate a man -- yet the same hate makes a boy whingey? Oh dear. Oh well...

So I start with a vague dislike of one character. Make a sudden switch to acceptance and liking. Then enjoy the rest of the book.

Not that the book is perfect!

I have a lot of trouble distinguishing the various characters -- especially the humans. The character's names are unusual... interesting... but so unusual that I have trouble remembering them... As I meet a character I think, which one is this? So I may be missing some of plot!

Apart from that... I'm not too fond of the ending...

I always have problems with the multiple universe theories. (Except in Anathem, where out all seems to make sense.)

Okay, the creation of multiple universes is thrown up early on in the book. Then it is used to emphasise the less than perfect role of humans... Okay, point made. Just made -- in my opinion :-)  -- a bit too bluntly.

On the other hand... the humans are, indeed, less than perfect. And the aliens are better, in a very straightforward way.

An enjoyable story with a lot of good characters. And a message for humanity, whether or not I agree with it :-)

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Woken Furies / Richard Morgan

Woken Furies

category: science fiction, author:

Richard Morgan

book 3 of Takeshi Kovacs
original copyright 2005

read in September 2012

Agamedes' opinion: 8 out of 10, really quite good

Another take-no-prisoners action thriller! So I categorise it as "science fiction"... Sorry, it is science fiction and that's enough for me :-)

Third in a series. The plot is more complex than number two, Broken Angels. More sex scenes, too. There is some development from book two to three but Morgan has kept it all under control... That is:

If there is an overall plot across the entire series -- perhaps the slow battle of the oppressed underclass against those who have and who fight to keep power -- then it does not overwhelm this book. The characters do not grow new super-powers. They do not have to save an even larger area from an even more evil threat. Morgan has taken the same threats to freedom from a different perspective and written an equally gripping story.

There is strong violence. Is it truly violence, when death is followed by resurrection of the personality in a new body? Well, yes. There are strong sex scenes. Is it truly sex when half of it occurs within a virtual environment? Well, yes. This is not a book for the squeamish, not for the easily embarrassed.

And, once again, I am amazed at my own acceptance of a powerful political message... when it is wrapped up in a well written science fiction story. Message presented as fact: I have to believe everything said by the author. Message as fiction: I can apply part or all of the message to whatever situation I choose. My apologies to John Pilger and his fellow factual writers... I prefer the message as fiction.

And my apologies also to Morgan, but... The hero has chameleon hands and feet, they grow spines to help him climb vertical walls. So why oh why does he wear rubber boots when he climbs a vertical cliff?!

The rest of the (science fiction) story was, of course, totally believable:-)

..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

A Hat Full of Sky / Terry Pratchett

A Hat Full of Sky

Terry Pratchett

category: fantasy, humour, subadult

published 2004

read in August 2012

rated 8 out of 10, really quite good

note: Review written on a tablet PC, with limited knowledge of how to edit!

... then updated on a "real" PC !

A "young adult" book... Which means that anyone can enjoy it. And I did.

There is a very strong message running through this book: Be good, be nice. And, perhaps, Be yourself.

Can a book be "good" when the author hammers the reader with such a strong message?

Well, yes.

In Broken Angels, Richard Morgan provides a message to the reader. A warning, as much as a message. The message made me think. Which is not such a bad thing.

Pratchett's message is less subtle but more positive. Delivered with humour rather than violence. Both messages are -- in my opinion -- worth delivering. Both messages add depth to the story... something beyond the basic characters and plot. Each message targets its book's intended audience.

Okay, Pratchett does go a little over the top, occasionally. Not (necessarily) with the message. With the fairytale mysticism behind the story. All part of the fairytale story :-)

Abandon cynicism. Enjoy the book. Pratchett at his breakneck and humorous best.

..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

Broken Angels / Richard Morgan

Broken Angels

category: science fiction, author:

Richard Morgan

book 2 of Takeshi Kovacs
original copyright 2003

read in July 2012

Agamedes' opinion: 8 out of 10, really quite good(*)

A few years ago I was given a book, as a present, written by John Pilger. Boring, I thought. Biassed. What a load of negativity, of unmitigated doom and gloom.

This month I read Broken Angels. One man against corporate greed. Against corrupt government. One man who deals out nasty death before it can be dealt out to him. A thoroughly enjoyable book and... the greed, corruption and violence is so believable.

In his acknowledgments, author Richard Morgan names John Pilger as an author who provided strong influence for Broken Angels. "These writers [Pilger and others] did not invent their subject matter as I did, because they did not need to. They have seen and experienced it for themselves at first hand, and we should be listening to them."

I ignored Pilger, who writes the truth as he sees it. I enjoyed -- and accepted the message of -- Morgan, who writes of the same truths but in a futuristic setting.

A friend asked me, Why do you read so much fiction?

The messages are so much more acceptable when they are dressed up as fiction. Pilger writes of the truth and I ignore it. Morgan wraps the same truth in a "fiction" -- and I accept it as being, the truth.

A book of "the truth" is too much to accept. Why should I believe what Pilger writes? And it must be an all-or-nothing acceptance: if I reject one assertion, why should I accept the rest? A book of fiction allows me to accept whatever underlying "truth" I am willing to accept. I can recognise exaggeration. I can selectively accept only parts of the story. The rest, I can dismiss without prejudice.

So a work of "fact" leaves my ignorance untouched. A work of "fiction" has had a far larger impact on my view of the world.

Or... perhaps it's just the accumulated cynicism of the years between books.

Either way, Broken Angels is far easier to read that Pilger. Action, excitement, violence, brutality and enough heroics and ethical behaviour to let me know that the hero is the good guy. No matter how many people he kills. And it all happens in a good science fiction universe.

Some words at the end, though, do remind me of another book, where a character mentioned various types of idealists. The worst, he said (if my memory serves me correctly!), the worst kind of idealist is the one who believes that his own life -- and your life -- are less important than his ideals. That is the most dangerous type of idealist. And, it seems, Morgan's hero is just that most dangerous kind of idealist.

Read and enjoy and gain insights into the corruption of humanity.

Or just read and enjoy.

----

(*) I have rated this book as 8, really quite good. Perhaps it is really 7, well worth reading? Perhaps I'm rating high because, after a couple of really boring books... Broken Angels did seem to be really quite good.

..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

Marathon: from start to finish / Sam Murphy

Marathon: from start to finish

category: self help, author:

Sam Murphy

original copyright 2004

read in April 2012

Agamedes' opinion: 8 out of 10: really quite good

Have you ever considered running a marathon?

A marathon is about 42 km, 26 miles. For most of us, it's an enormously long way. A long way to run, anyway.

Could I even make the distance? Or would I just collapse along the way...

This book is rather reassuring.

No, Marathon does not go all gung-ho. There is no exhortation to run through the pain... No demand to win at all costs... No claim that positive thinking will overcome the agony of the body...

In Marathon, Murphy simply treats the run as something that can be done.

Sure, you need to train. And perhaps you need a doctor's check-up before you even start. But -- in this book -- a marathon is just a longish race to be run. Not a challenge to be won. Just a race to be run.

For the runner who is considering running a marathon, this book is quite reassuring. Without being demanding.

Do you feel foolish if you can't run all the way? Walk if you must. You're just not going to make the distance? Withdrawing from the race is an acceptable option.

Yes, you want to complete a marathon. But it does not have to be "this" marathon.

Yes, it would be nice to win a marathon. This book is all about taking part... And doing what you can. Perhaps to the best of your own ability.

A good positive approach to a major physical challenge. Follow this book for your first few marathons. Then employ a sadistic personal trainer if winning is your ultimate goal.

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As an aside: It's a good book which is already showing the effect of rapidly advancing culture and technology.

The names of races have changed... Sponsors with naming rights have changed. But it's still easy to track down the renamed races.

The biggest changes are in technology.

Sports watches with GPS tracking are now common. And the internet has developed.

Murphy mentions web sites which help you to track sponsorship. Now each race will (probably) come with its own sponsorship pages.

Various other mentions of the web are also rapidly being outdated.

Not that this detracts at all from the book!

This is an excellent book for the wannabe marathon runner. Set at a realistic level, with good advice. Just minor details of technology already behind the times.

Read and learn.

And good luck with your run!

..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

The Two Pearls of Wisdom / Alison Goodman

The Two Pearls of Wisdom

category: fantasy, author:

Alison Goodman

book 1 of Pearls ?
original copyright 2008

read in April 2012

Agamedes' opinion: 8 out of 10: really quite good

This is an enjoyable book though quite cliched.

Girl-dressed-as-boy gets accepted for training that is usually restricted to boys. Gains sudden and unexpected elevation in power. Loses friends, gains new friends.

Plus various standards of the more enjoyable fantasy chick lit. Heroine is loyal and always does her best. Friends may have doubts but are ultimately supportive. Certain villains are... well... evil. Until their inner demons are exposed and exorcised.

There's nothing wrong with cliches -- or tropes, to use a word that I have just learnt. Good tropes can add up to a good book. And the Pearls tropes add up to 7 out of 10, well worth reading.

So why is my opinion (at the top of this post) eight?!

Pearls is set in China. Well, in a older China. A China where magic works. And it is very well done.

Not that I know much about imperial China! But Pearls reads true: I can believe in it. Plus, there is an overlay of magic, to make this a fantasy.

Better yet, the magic fits with the culture. If imperial China did have magic -- then this is the magic that it would have.

The final chapter or two was a little strained, as the author rushed to conclude the book while leaving clear pointers to volume two. Still, it was all wrapped up for volume one. Not so much loose ends, as an introduction to the conflict for book two.

This book is an enjoyable adventure, well worth reading. With the additional and interesting cultural environment.

Really quite good.

..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

Snow Crash / Neal Stephenson

Snow Crash

category: science fiction, author:

Neal Stephenson

original copyright 1992

read in March 2010

Agamedes' opinion: 8 out of 10: really quite good

I don't like near-future science fiction. It tends to be predictive, message-heavy and wrong. That said...

Snow Crash is near-future science fiction. And I thoroughly enjoyed it!

So what's right with Snow Crash?

Okay, it's set in the near future. Although... possibly... in 1992 the author thought that the "near future" of this book would be 2012. Okay, it's predictive. Snow Crash takes some scientific ideas -- including ideas from social science -- and... sort of... predicts the future. Really, though, it is more exaggeration than prediction...

Take these current day situations. Extend them ad absurdum, to their ridiculous limits. This is not prediction -- it is comic absurdity. And a lot of fun.

Okay, there's also a lot of violence. Cartoonish violence. There are no laws and might is the accepted way of establishing right. Yet there is a pleasant innocence about the whole book.

The hero chops -- kills -- people with his sword, though he doesn't enjoy it. He only chops evil people, only in self defense, it is an accepted response to severe physical threats. No worse than Road Runner, really... Which is an unfortunate comparison. Because I really dislike Road Runner.

At the end of the book, the hero has saved the day and -- more importantly -- he has given up his slacker ways, in order to set up his own business, doing the work at which he excels. (Not the sword fighting; the other work at which he excels.)

The heroine also has a career change just past the end of the book. Well, it seems clear that if there is a book two, she will be promoted to a position from which she is expected to take over the business. Unfortunately, "the business" is the mafia.

Another aspect of this book's acceptance of violence: the mafia is an accepted business group, with a willingness to kill and maim. Cartoonish, again. Yet it seems to me to be too close to the public "family support" image behind which the mafia has long attempted to hide.

Ah well.

I'm almost ashamed to say, I enjoyed the book. The violence, the willingness to do violence, the ever-present threat of violence, are all a part of the fun of this book. In fact, they are all essential parts of the fun.

With that touch of innocence: neither hero nor heroine are ever in danger of being seriously harmed in the making of this book.

In an author's footnote, Stephenson reveals that Snow Crash started life as an illustrated novel. Yes, I can definitely see that: the plot is comic book, through and through. With far more detail, fun, depth of character than could be packed into even the best of illustrated novels.

Snow Crash is also, a book for young adults. Anyone else can enjoy it. It's just that the violence is not really suitable for children. And the computer themes and lack of, well, deep meaning and reference to reality, may be unsuitable for older, more cynical adults who have lost their love of fun.

Don't buy Snow Crash for your children. Nor for your aged parents. But don't worry if they read it. And don't be surprised if they thoroughly enjoy it.

..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

The Name of the Wind / Patrick Rothfuss

The Name of the Wind

category: fantasy, author:

Patrick Rothfuss

book 1 of Kingkiller Chronicle
original copyright 2007

read in February 2012

Agamedes' opinion: 8 out of 10: really quite good

This is a book of contrasts... A pastoral introduction with the hero retired and waiting to die, interspersed with enough violent action to tell us that the story is not really over. A flashback narration with enough here-and-now action to keep us on our toes. A standard getting-an-education and coming-of-age tale with enough mystery, threat and interest to make me want to read more...

It's a story of a young man developing the skills and knowledge needed to survive. Skills that will make him a killer. By the end of this book one, he has only some of the necessary knowledge -- and none of the killer skills. Yet the journey-so-far has been fascinating.

The flashback style lets us know that the hero will be both hated and feared. Yet he saves innocent lives and helps those in need. It is clear that he would send money home to his grey-haired mother, if he had a mother at all.

As I read The Name of the Wind I could not help thinking, this is Tom Brown's Schooldays, with magic. Worse, this book is just the introduction; it's book one of Kingkiller Chronicle and we have not yet even met a king. This book should be boring.

This book is not boring.

This is no non-stop-actioner, yet The Name of the Wind grips the reader.

Okay, on the down side...

A lot of the incidents draw us on, with strong characters and imaginative settings. (Unbelievable but imaginative. That's good; this is a fantasy.) Yet the incidents appear to go nowhere. The story is somewhat episodic.

This may be the fault of being "book one". But it is a weakness.

Read as a standalone book, The Name of the Wind is a series of related anecdotes rather than a complete novel. Yes, there is a satisfactory conclusion. But it is simply a cliff-hanger, even though the hero is at least left standing safely on a ledge.

This is a book of contrasts... A build-up of tension rather than a strong plot with a climactic conclusion. A clear path forward but with an inconclusive ending. A book which should be boring, yet it inspires the reader to want to read more.

I enjoyed this book. I enjoyed the characters and the fantasy universe. I would have liked a better conclusion, even if this is only book one.

I definitely want 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

Alternative 3 / Ken Mitchell

Alternative 3

category: thriller, author:

Ken Mitchell

original copyright 2003

read in December 2011

Agamedes' opinion: 8 out of 10

The book began slowly.

Oh dear, I though, another Nazi-who-survived-the-war thriller. Not that I can remember reading any others... but it does seem that the top Nazis were really tough to kill. Like zombies, really: they seem to be... ended, yet as soon as you turn your back -- they're back.

Anyway, Alternative 3 is not another Nazi-who-survived-the-war thriller.

After a somewhat boring introduction -- the backstory -- we meet the hero of this book. And then the fun begins!

A nerd hero, with extreme hacker skills. Watched by his parole officer. Watching as several friends and acquaintances are destroyed by the group behind a major conspiracy... By that I mean, destroyed by the people who want their existence to be hidden behind a wild conspiracy "theory"...

The hero is not a true nerd. Sure, he can hack into any system... Just give him a safety pin to short-circuit a public phone line and within minutes he'll have cracked into the NORAD site and be using NORAD radar to track the real Santa... Yet despite these skills, he gets the girl. He could have had the other girl. And he can pedal mutant bikes across deserts and security fences.

This is the hero that we all want to be... smart, sneaky and successful with women. (Feel free to replace "women" with "men", as appropriate.)

Once Alternative hits its stride, it is non-stop fun. About as believable as any over-the-top conspiracy theory. (In an end-of-book author's note, Mitchell writes that he used conspiracies straight from the internet. It's not just "the truth" that's out there...) Although, interestingly enough...

By the end of the book, we still don't know -- for sure -- how much of the conspiracy theory is "true". Sure, there's a cover-up. Sure, there's advanced technology. But is the entire "theory" correct? We never find out...

As with any conspiracy-based thriller, the story is in the battle for survival. So as not to strain the reader's willing suspension of disbelief, thrillers end with a valid reason why the unmasked conspiracy is still not widely known... The usual method is, to destroy all evidence.

Was it Michael Crichton who spent an entire book discovering a tribe of intelligent apes -- only to have every single one of them destroyed in the final chapter? With every trace of their homes also -- conveniently -- destroyed? That's the typical, weak, wrap-up of the major conspiracy uncovered / major discovery made style of book. And it's weak as water.

It's like a standard old style sit-com. It doesn't matter what happens during the episode. As long as the visible situation at the end is exactly the same as the situation at the start.

With Alternative 3, Mitchell avoids that weak ending.

Not that I'm entirely happy with the ending!

The book ends well. Loose ends wrapped up, plot twists satisfactorily explained. It's just that I would have liked the hero to make a more positive statement!

The first few chapters -- backstory to the conspiracy -- are hardly necessary. Then the hero successfully survives all that the baddies can throw at him. But really, his efforts have not changed the conspiracy status quo. At the end of this book -- we have returned to the start of the episode.

For my own satisfaction I like to think that... soon after the final chapter of this book... the hacker hero will get further into Alternative 3. Perhaps he will take it over. And steer it from the path of evil, to the path of niceness and good...

Apart from that... apart from my desire for the hero to do more that survive... it's a good book. (Perhaps I want the hero to do more that just survive, simply because I like him?!) Really quite a good book.

Just a tiny bit unbelievable (btw, that's intended as humourous irony). A few weaknesses... A previous reader of my copy of the book has circled the sentence where petrol is used to refuel a diesel vehicle... A question as to how many people are knowingly involved in the secondary conspiracy... and how was it all funded.

All that is nit-picking.

Read it, enjoy it.

And wonder what all those indestructible Nazis will get up to next...

..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

Unseen Academicals / Terry Pratchett

Unseen Academicals

category: fantasy, humour, author:

Terry Pratchett

book 37 of Discworld
original copyright 2009

read in December 2011

Agamedes' opinion: 8 out of 10: really quite good

Yet another Discworld book... Many of the same old characters... Still a lot of fun!

Actually, there are more new characters than old. At least, more story built around the new characters. Which is good. For a while, Discworld seemed to be in a bit of a slump, with familiar characters -- admittedly in new adventures -- but acting largely as expected.

Going Postal was an earlier return to form... Well, a return to a new start, with many new characters... Anyway... Going Postal has been made into a movie. Perhaps (I think to myself) because Going Postal has a story which can stand alone.

Unseen Academicals can also stand alone.

Yes, there are several well known wizards of Unseen University. Ridcully's character has become somewhat more realistic, Ponder Stibbons has developed his career and the Dean has changed jobs. Rincewind has a cameo role -- in his usual put-upon style -- but he is now accepted as a regular staff member of UU. The wizards have more depth to their characters.

The non-academic staff of UU has also made an appearance. Many of these characters are new. (To me, anyway. Perhaps they did appear in books that I have not yet read?) These newly-revealed people -- plus a few from outside UU -- play the key roles in Academicals.

The writing style has also changed.

I complained about the hopeless loser role of Rincewind in The Colour of Magic. Now the characters are strong... almost super strong. Nutt the dribbler (see below) is -- to not give too much away -- more than he seems. As he develops his self-confidence, he becomes almost unstoppable... Perhaps even unstoppable, forget the "almost".

Other characters also assert themselves. Which adds up to a totally unbelievable story which is all, perfectly... believable. Believable, that is, given the inherent magic of a world which rides on the backs of elephants which stand on a rather large turtle.

So the characters assert themselves. Far more than in earlier books. The magic is more visible. Even if it is restricted in order to avoid full-on magic wars. And the social commentary is more direct.

The social commentary is hard and direct. Which is fine because it does not in any way detract from the entertainment. In Monstrous Regiment (from memory; I read it long before I began these reviews) the satire is slathered on with a trowel. Hammered home with a sledge hammer. This is not a problem with Academicals.

The satire is strong but not intrusive. The message that everyone deserves to be treated fairly is... well... perhaps slathered on a bit thickly. Yet it does not detract from the fun of the story.

And the societal activity which is the target of this book? It's football... Or soccer, to some.

Which brings me back to Nutt the dribbler.

How do you get those wax candles with the spooky shapes of dribbled wax down the side? You hire a candle dribbler, of course! Which links nicely -- perhaps subtly -- I almost missed it :-) -- to the theme of the book. Which is soccer.

An excellent book in an excellent series. With no-one cast as a hopeless loser. Unless he really deserves it...

..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