Harry Potter 1 & 2 / J.K. Rowling

Harry Potter...
(1) ... and the Philosopher's Stone
(2) ... and the Chamber of Secrets

by J.K. Rowling

fantasy, young adult

published in 1997, 1998
read -- not for the first time -- in July 2013

rated 9 / 10: really, really good

We were on holiday. Sure, I had brought books to read. But they were in our hotel room and we were drinking tea in the hotel lounge.

There were magazines. And a few books. Including... the first Harry Potter... May as well start reading it, I thought. Won't matter that I won't finish it before we leave, I know what happens...

Well...

What a great book ! All of a sudden I am caught up -- again ! -- in Harry Potter delight ! As soon as we returned home I found my own copy of The Philosopher's Stone and finished my re-reading. Then found Chamber of Secrets and re-read that one. And I may re-read more...

This is an excellent series. Enjoyable, exciting, entertaining. I read the books -- this time -- with a clearer image of the heroes as young children. It adds just a little bit more to my appreciation of the book. And to my anticipation of the characters developing as they grow older.

If you are one of the very few people who do not know the basic concept of the series -- start reading now ! For the rest of the world... What can I say that has not already been said ?

The movies are, I am sure, fun Hollywood movies. The books -- are terrific.

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Problems ? Solved 

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02oct15: 

And again !

Yes, I have just re-re-read the first Harry Potter book... and enjoyed it. Yet again.

Even better, it was pleasant break from some really... rubbish... books :-( Which I may fail to finish.

The Phoenix Guards / Steven Brust

The Phoenix Guards
by Steven Brust

copyright 1991
read in May 2013

rated 9/10: really, really good

28mar24: I have finally read The Three Musketeers.

Brust copies, as he says, that style. He also steals characters and plot. Reading Dumas, I could better understand the main characters because I almost knew them -- from Phoenix Guards.

Brust refers to the style of Dickens and Dumas and prefers Dumas. Brust himself... adds fun and humour. And makes his characters far more likeable.

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Brust tells the reader that this book -- and its sequel -- are written as an homage to Dumas' Three Musketeers. With that in mind I rushed off and began to read the musketeers sequel, Twenty Years After.

What a mistake.

Brust has characters who are loyal, intelligent (or, at least, skilled) and very, very likeable. D'Artagnan is a cunning schemer. He uses trickery to get his "friends" to join him. But enough of Dumas !

Phoenix Guards is a lot of fun !

It is also long-winded, rambling, totally over-the-top... Exactly as Brust intended.

So yes, it can be a little difficult to read. Until you get into the flow of the style. Yet the effort is most worthwhile.

There are complex plots and clever plans and deadly duels. Action and adventure, wrongs righted and justice summarily dispensed. This is the world of Vlad Taltos in a less serious era.

Take a deep breath, clear your mind -- and enjoy the read :-)

early 2023: read it again, enjoyed it again, want to re-read the sequel

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Problems ? Solved

Emergence / David R. Palmer

Emergence
by David R. Palmer

science fiction

copyright 1984
read in April 2013 (and before)

rated 9 out of 10: really, really good

In an afterword the author admits to being a great fan of Heinlein. I hadn't thought of it before -- despite having read this book before, several times -- but yes, I can see the Heinlein influence... Intelligent and capable good guys will fight the good fight, and win, simply because it's the right thing to do...

In my opinion, Palmer does it better than Heinlein.

Emergence is fun, it is exciting, it is science-based. The heroine is intelligent, she is feisty, she is extremely likeable. She is also a young girl, only just old enough to consider that she is approaching womanhood. So the "romance" is pre-teen. But the bonds are strong.

When the boy drops everything in order to save the girl -- terrific!

Meanwhile, the girl is risking everything in order to save her friends and family. Brilliant!

I have read this book several times, over many years. My taste in books may have changed. Emergence is a book which I still enjoy. Immensely.

As an aside, back to that author's afterword...

Palmer tells us that he is a fan of Heinlein. He also gives us a potted history of the writing of Emergence, and of his other books and his other work. I may be imagining it, but...

I feel that Palmer sees life as a Heinlein universe: ability and hard work will lead inevitably to success. Palmer tells us of other stories being planned and written. Yet as far as I can tell, Palmer has published only two books... Hard work and ability have not been able to overcome the need to earn a living. Being an author requires more than the ability to write a good story.

I hope that I am wrong. I hope that Palmer has published many successful books, I just failed in my quick search of the internet. Or perhaps Palmer enjoys his day job and is happy to do that, rather than to publish more books.

It's not easy to make as living as an author!

In any case... I'm glad that Emergence was written and published. It is a thoroughly enjoyable book. I have read it -- and enjoyed it -- several times.

To the author: Thank you.

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Problems ? Solved

Piccadilly Jim / PG Wodehouse

Piccadilly Jim
by PG Wodehouse

humour

copyright 1918
read in April 2013

rated 9 / 10: really, really good

This is the all-American Wodehouse!

There's a brief visit to England. A few characters are English. The majority of this book is American... which is good...

There is no rough-tough American set against very proper English. There is a wide range of character types -- all American -- allowing Wodehouse to be more flexible with his stereotypes. Yes, stereotypes... that is a lot of the pleasure of Wodehouse books! But, dare I say it: less stereotypical stereotypes!

There is, however, the typical confusion... A character impersonating a character who is impersonating himself... With various others hiding behind the flimsiest of false identities. Plus girl meets boy and it looks as though they are doomed to a parting of the ways. You'll have to read the book yourself to see if that romantic conflict is ever resolved... :-)

Yes, it's Wodehouse at his best.

And that is a very enjoyable, laugh out loud, likeable best.

Brilliant!

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Problems ? Solved

Startide Rising / David Brin

Startide Rising
(Uplift #2)
by David Brin

science fiction
copyright 1983, revised 1993

rated 9 out of 10: really, really good

Humanity thumbing its nose at all the power-mad aliens of the Five Galaxies! Humanity working with intelligent dolphins and a chimpanzee scientist.

What's not to like?!

Okay, the various alien races are a bit too easy to fool. They spend too much time fighting and killing each other. While underestimating the capabilities of the combined races of Earth.

Ah! Who cares!

Startide is action, adventure, cunning schemes and heroic characters, from start to finish. With a huge range of creepy, cruel and cowardly aliens to maintain (most of) the conflict.

A broad sweep of imagination backed by believable -- very futuristic -- science. Set in a universe where the plenitude principle is in full force: everything that can happen will happen eventually. And, in Brin's universe, it probably already has...

Read, enjoy, and look for more books in the Uplift series...

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25oct21:

I read this book again... and enjoyed it again

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Problems ? Solved

A Damsel in Distress / P.G. Wodehouse

A Damsel in Distress
by P.G. Wodehouse

humour
first published 1919
read in February 2013

rated as 9 out of 10: really, really good

Wodehouse at his very best :-)  Yes, at his very best, smiley-face :-)  I have just reread the last couple of chapters -- and am smiling again :-)

What an enjoyable romp! What a likeable lot of characters! Well, there is one cad -- an absolute bounder -- but he only appears for long enough to guarantee the happy ending :-)

One aspect of Damsel that is also in other books -- but that is very clear in this book -- is that Wodehouse is writing for an American audience.

The setting is England. The characters are English, upper crust and basic filling. A few Americans are thrown into the mix, with the requirement that they fit well into Society.

Yet there are regular comparisons to America. Comparisons to help the American reader appreciate the English-ness of the setting and the characters.

Oh... and there's a Limerick... About a man from Chicago named Young... Read it and laugh :-)  And note that he's from Chicago.

This book is the best Wodehouse that I have read for a while.

The others were fun. Damsel in Distress is absolutely joyous.

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Problems ? Solved

The Crime Wave at Blandings / P.G. Wodehouse

The Crime Wave at Blandings
by P.G. Wodehouse

humour... of course!

copyright 1937
read in January 2013
rated 9 out of 10: really, really good

A lighthearted romp through the world of Wodehouse. A delightful short story...

Short story?!

Yes, this "book" is just one short story. One of fifty "mini modern classics", according to the publisher. A publishing rip-off, according to this reviewer.

Still, it was a gift, so I didn't pay. It's by Wodehouse, so it's great fun. But you may prefer to look for the earlier editions -- as an omnibus of short stories -- where you get a lot more stories for your money.

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Problems ? Solved

Bone Song / John Meaney

Bone Song

category: fantasy, author:

John Meaney

book 1 of Dark Suspense
original copyright 2008,

read in November 2011

Agamedes' opinion: 9 out of 10

This... is a very weird world! Yet -- within its weirdness -- absolutely logical. If corpses did provide a power source... then this could well be the world that they power.

Better yet... not all the world is the same...

The action is centred on Tristopolis. The central power plant is an awful place... which is no surprise... it is haunted by the dead people who are being tormented to provide the city with power. The power station in the country of Illuria is equally awful... yet in a different way. The energy of the dead is extracted in a different way.

One fantasy world with a variety of self-consistent countries. The countries are inspired -- loosely -- by our own. With a passing reference to a fantasy book series where power is extracted from fossil fuels...

A dark world. Gothic. Yet very human... including the non-humans.

There is a touch of humour in Bone Song. Sometimes black humour, often cynical. The occasional quotable chuckle in a dark detective novel.

The cops are tough, determined and dedicated. Okay, they are very tough. They also work closely with each other, support each other, care for each other. It's easy to like them.

I liked the characters enough to be upset by the sudden death near the end of the book.

Still, that's just me: I like all the good-guy characters to survive...

This is a great book. I hope that there are 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.

The Uplift War / David Brin

The Uplift War

category: science fiction, author:

David Brin

book 3 of Uplift
original copyright 1987,
read in July 2011 (and before, several years ago)

Agamedes' opinion: 9 out of 10

We were heading off on holiday. I needed a book to read... (Never be caught with an hour to spare and no book to read!) Picked up The Uplift War...

What a great book! Just as much fun as the first time I read it. And that was long enough ago that the book was still able to surprise me. (Mind you, even when I immediately re-read a book -- I am surprised by how much I missed the first time!)

Unfortunately... I then read another book on that holiday. Came home to re-start yet another... And failed to review Uplift.

So memory has faded.

There was action and adventure. Suspense and humour. Excellent Earthlings -- of several species -- and believable aliens. All tied into a universe so exciting -- so full of possibility -- that you just wish it were true...

Though there is one... over-riding... problem:

Taltos the Assassin / Steven Brust

Taltos the Assassin

category: fantasy, author:

Steven Brust

a three novel omnibus of the Dragaera series:
book 5: Jhereg, original copyright 1983
book 3: Yendi, original copyright 1984
book 6: Teckla, original copyright 1987
read in March 2011 (and before, several times, from about 1999)

Agamedes' opinion: 9 out of 10

Nine out of ten -- "really, really good" -- for all three books? Let me explain.

I read Jhereg and thought, Wow! that was a lot of fun! With occasional touches of humour, likable characters, complex plot in a well-rounded world... Sure, the hero kills for gold. But he's a nice guy. Nine out of ten...

Then there's Yendi. All of the above, plus a plot which -- by its depth -- expands on the "reality" of the fantasy world of Dragaera. Yet there's something not quite right... Is it the casual way in which the hero kills one of his henchmen for doing something just a bit stupid? Sure, the henchman will be brought back to life. But still... the hero is just a bit less "fun"... Perhaps this is worth just eight out of ten, purely on the grounds of loss of gloss for the hero.

Finally, Teckla. Each book is based around one of the seventeen "classes" of Dragaeran society. (Well, eighteen. If you count the lowest class of "Easterner", or "human".) Teckla are the peasants. The ignorant, the uneducated. The downtrodden masses who -- in this book -- are yearning to be free.

Playing God / Sarah Zettel

Playing God

category: science fiction, author:

Sarah Zettel

original copyright 1998,
read in March 2011

Agamedes' opinion: 9 out of 10

Right near the beginning of this book I thought, Surely these people can't be that altruistic!? Then it seems that they were. Then it was shown that they were not... An ideal plot twist that is a complete surprise -- but no surprise at all !

This is great science fiction...

First, there are the humans. They have the technology, they have the good intentions, they want to help the aliens. The aliens need help... or do they? Perhaps one character has it right, that the aliens should be left alone to solve their own problems. The alternative is to create a depressed, degraded, cargo cult culture.

Should the humans help, by protecting the aliens from themselves? The alternative is, to let the alien culture risk taking a path to its own self-destruction. Remember Knut the polar bear? It's that sort of dilemma...

The Fellowship of the Ring / J.R.R. Tolkien

The Fellowship of the Ring

category: fantasy, author:

J.R.R. Tolkien

book 1 of The Lord of the Rings
original copyright 1954,
read in January 2011 (and before, at least 15 times, since March 1970)

Agamedes' opinion: 9 out of 10

There are two types of people in the English-reading world: those who have read The Lord of the Rings... and those who should have.

In 1970 I was in Europe. Travelling around. With a paperback copy of The Lord of the Rings. I have read that paperback copy many times... many, many times. Now I am (re-)reading a glossy 1970 three-volume hardback, with illustrations by Alan Lee. Yes, illustrations by Alan Lee -- the artist who inspired much of the look of the movie...

So, why am I re-reading the book? It's because I have just re-watched a bit of the movie...

Tarzan of the Apes / Edgar Rice Burroughs

Tarzan of the Apes

category: fantasy, author:

Edgar Rice Burroughs

introduction by John Seelye
book 1 of Tarzan
original copyright 1914,
read in November 2010
(and only once before, a couple of years ago)

Agamedes' opinion: 9 out of 10

Agamedes' opinion is 9 out of 10, "really, really good". Is that really, really true?

Well, I enjoyed it. Very, very much. And, as it says, it's "opinion". Enjoyment has a strong effect on my opinion. Still...

It is so very unbelievable! But then, it's fantasy.

There are errors of fact! Plants and animals in Tarzan's jungle which normally live in a different environment -- or on a different continent. But it's fantasy!

This time through, I noticed something new (to me). "The Apes" are not apes of any common genus... Without really thinking about it, I had in my mind that Tarzan was raised by gorillas: the largest of the primates. Yet Tarzan's Apes swing through the treetops. And they battle with their traditional enemies -- the gorillas!

One more layer added to this fantasy: In the depths of the unexplored jungle is a tribe of giant apes. Apes which have never been seen before... or since.

Okay, now it seems obvious. But it was new to me, the realisation that Tarzan was reared by Apes which only exist in the fantasy world of the Tarzan stories.

Ridiculous characters. Over-the-top characterisations. Racial and badly dated stereotypes. Unbelievable action... Yes! It's absolutely great!

Tarzan is fantasy, action, adventure, romance... Pure escapist fun. Read Tarzan of the Apes, perhaps be embarrassed by it... enjoy it.

Oh, and there's a bonus!

I read the Penguin Classic edition of Tarzan. There are explanatory notes -- and they actually help the reader!

Earlier, I read Wells' The Sleeper Awakes, in Penguin Classic edition. The notes were printed -- intrusively -- in the text. And the notes were worthless: self evident at best and with no notes for the truly confusing parts of that book.

Seelye has done a good job of producing interesting notes which actually add to the reader's understanding of -- or interest in -- the book. Then there's his Introduction... which is a fascinating examination of the evolution of the "wild man" in literature. An examination which is almost incomprehensible to the reader who has not studied the topic! Yet it still provides enough interest to be worthwhile.

Thinking about it... Perhaps "9 out of ten" is too much. It's not a great book.

Not a great book in the sense that it is well written and it stands alone as a shining example of the skill of the superior author.

Yet, as a very enjoyable book... Taking fantasy out to new horizons and back home for enjoyment by hordes of readers... As the precursor to a score of popular books and uncountable other media releases... As a book which is widely known and well remembered (if only indirectly) a century after its publication...

Tarzan of the Apes is very, very good. Well worth that 9 out of 10.

..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.

The Braided Path / Chris Wooding

The Braided Path

including:

1. The Weavers of Saramyr
   
2. The Skein of Lament
   
3. The Ascendancy Veil
   

category: fantasy, author:

Chris Wooding

book 1, 2 and 3 of The Braided Path original copyright 2003, 04 & 05, read in October/November 2010

Agamedes' opinion: 9 out of 10

Interesting... As I considered my "opinion" I realised that each book was different -- but the three together added up to an excellent read! For the record:

• Eight out of ten for The Weavers of Saramyr
  
• Seven for The Skein of Lament
  
• Eight for The Ascendancy Veil
  

What?! Eight, seven, eight ... to give an overall score of nine?! Absolutely!

Weavers was a good fantasy yarn: Action, characters, climax, resolution. All set in an interesting world. Skein continued the story -- and expanded the world. Uh oh! Is the author simply trying to add more "excitement" by introducing new monsters? For example, when going from point A to point B, why do the heroes have to cross a demon infested swamp?!

But there was a point to the swamp -- an action which helped the heroine to grow, to develop her powers. Still, this second book has a touch of the monsters being included just to pad out an otherwise boring chapter...

Then you read the third book and it all falls into place.

Major plot threads are brought to satisfying conclusions. Major and minor confusions are explained. The significance of apparently minor actions is fitted into the whole.

Yes, the battles are violent, death count is huge, action is non-stop. On the other hand, there is a feeling that battles, deaths and actions are all essential to the plot.

I would have read and enjoyed any one of these books by itself. The second, not as much as the others. Taken as a whole, the three books make for a tightly crafted, easy to read and hard to put down, thoroughly enjoyable story. The whole is, indeed, greater than the sum of the parts!

The world is changing in Saramyr. What was commonly accepted at the start has been turned upside down -- or thrown out -- by the end. Yet the people and the civilisation will survive. There is a consistency in the world, strong enough to make me believe that the civilisation of Saramyr will be rebuilt. The same, yet different, due to the events described in these books.

And that is one of the strengths of The Braided Path: the world is so believable that I am happy to accept that Saramyr will be rebuilt. Still not perfect but with some major problems removed.

The characters, too, have depth and consistency.

There are fighters and magic users and leaders and negotiators. All play their parts, without having to play other, less logical parts. The "diplomat", for example, is not a fighter. She plays an essential -- and non-violent -- role. The magic user can fight, but not particularly well. The characters are human, with a variety of skills, but they are not super-human. (Well, yes, some are. But they are each limited in their super-human skills.)

There are goodies and baddies. Some of the goodies have their own agendas, hidden or otherwise. They support each other and betray each other. And it all seems to be so perfectly reasonable... They act in a very human fashion. Consistently inconsistent. With no"unexpected plot twists" where the author has lost the plot...

Better yet, there is obvious room for more books. One threat removed, another -- a logical follow-on from these three books -- will soon need to be countered. If Wooding has written another Saramyr trilogy -- I look forward to reading 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.

Eclipse / Stephenie Meyer

Eclipse

category: romance, fantasy, author:

Stephenie Meyer

book 3 of Twilight
original copyright 2007,
read in October 2010

Agamedes' opinion: 9 out of 10

Okay, I'm just a sucker for a great romance! And by "great" I mean, where the girl is kissing the guy -- so she forgets to breathe... Aaaaaahhhhh shucks :-)

I had delayed reading Eclipse for a couple of months. I had the book, just didn't pick it up. The feeling was, How much sap could I handle in one year?

I picked up Eclipse. Started reading... And just could not stop. I finished the book in a day. And enjoyed every minute of it!

About half-way through you realise, there is going to be a big battle, very soon, with vampires, werewolves and one human in the middle...

Another 200 pages of breaking hearts, anguished romantic suffering, despair, guilt and forgiveness -- and the battle is still to come...

More pages of love and (controlled) lust and longing, then one very individual battle... The heroine prepares to sacrifice herself for the cause of good (and the hero is heard to give yet another exasperated sigh at the heroine's silliness -- truly!)... Oh, and the big battle just happened, off-screen...

And all that's left is unresolved heartbreak for the odd member of the romantic triangle. "All"?! The ghastliness of the loser's fate is an entire, heart-wrenching epilogue!

Absolutely brilliant! I am really, really looking forward to reading the final book of Twilight!

Sigh...

The overall Twilight plot has also gained some depth.

Why don't they just stop sighing, get married, get vampired and enjoy life? Now I have a better understanding of why not. Where did all those werewolves come from, just at the right time? Now we know. Is "cuddling" just a euphemism for what is really going on? Well...

This book really hits the deep patches of teenage sexuality. "Don't worry Dad," says our heroine, "I'm still a... [mutter] virgin ... and I [blush] intend to remain that way until ... married." And that's it. Just for those who did not really follow the story...

This is a book for "young adults". I am not "young". (There are those who would say I am not "adult", either, but that's by the bye.) No mixed messages, no forcing adult ideas onto unwilling or too-willing teenagers.

A great book, for all ages. Just be prepared for a lot of heart-wrenching angst and anguish.

..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.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows / J. K. Rowling

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

(category: fantasy)
book 7 of Harry Potter by

J. K. Rowling

published by Bloomsbury, original copyright 2007
Nick read a new book, in April 2010
(and before, in 2007)

Nick's rating: 9 out of 10

Nick's opinion:

Interesting. I read this book when it first came out: at last, I thought, the final instalment of a great series! And I was disappointed... Loose ends, irrelevant new ideas, boring stretches of nothing much happening. That's what I thought when I first finished this book.

Shows how wrong I can be!

That first time, I must have read at high speed. When I finished, quite a lot had just been, effectively, skimmed. It's a problem I have -- and a reason why I like to read books (good books) more than once.

This time, I read more slowly. Took a few days. Deliberately stopped reading every so often, just to allow the story to settle in and sort itself out in my mind.

I also tried to keep track of the various items which formed the two major quests. And it all made a lot of sense...

This is a great book! It is a very satisfying conclusion to a great series. The characters have grown, minor characters are allowed to add depth and strength to the plot, major motivations are -- finally -- revealed. The adventures begin right at the start, there are some pauses to take breath, then the last few chapters are hectic battles on a grand scale... though with occasional pauses for explanation.

On this second reading, I found that the pace was exciting yet controlled. It's possible that some scenes were written with a movie in mind -- and some, well, I bet that some scenes will never be filmed. Which is one good reason to read a book in preference to watching a movie.

It was my own too-fast reading which lead to my initial disappointment. This time -- with a little more effort to follow the plot -- I enjoyed the book far more... It all makes sense, new plots and existing plot threads are wrapped up nicely, an exciting and readable book.

Well worth the second read!

..o0o..

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

The Dwarves (Die Zwerge) / Markus Heitz

The Dwarves
(Die Zwerge)

(category: fantasy)
by

Markus Heitz (translated by Sally-Ann Spencer)

published by Heyne Verlag in 2003
English translation published by Orbit in 2009
Nick read a library book, in March 2010

Nick's rating: 9 out of 10

Nick's opinion:

From one point of view, this is just a good fantasy novel. What sets it apart is... the point of view. This is the only book that I have read where the dwarves are the central characters. Sure, every fantasy quest has men, elves, hobbit equivalents... and dwarves. And yes, the dwarves are tough, loyal, etc. Then there was the LoTR movie, where Gimli suffered the ignominy of being cast as comic relief. Now -- at last -- a book where dwarves are treated as more than just quest-group fillers.

The dwarves of The Dwarves are real characters: They have history, depth, emotions -- and variety. Good dwarves and bad, honest and sneaky, leaders, tradesmen and fighters. Yet all are distinctly dwarves, as distinct from men and elves. And -- my own preference -- the good guys are good and the baddies are obviously bad. (Though it does take a while for the good guys to recognise, or to prove, the badness of some of the baddies.)

A rip-roaring fantasy adventure, with plenty of close calls and good luck. (Meaning that even I can see that a more miserable author could have made life even more difficult for the heroes.) Enjoyable from start to finish, with happy endings all round, as the final plot twists are revealed.

My only problem was with the language. This book was written in German, as Die Zwerge. The English translation is excellent -- just different to English as I expect it. I can't even put my finger on it, it just causes my reading to stumble, occasionally. Once I realised that I really was reading a German book translated to English, I relaxed and read happily to the end. And hope that it is not really The End: I look forward to finding out what evil is lurking in the west...

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A blog reader asked me if The Dwarves was suitable for children. Specifically, an eight-year-old who enjoys reading long fantasy books. This is my reply:

I would say that book one (The Dwarves) is okay for children. Let your son know that the book is translated from German (unless he is reading in German?!). It may interest him if he notices the occasional not-quite-common-English phrasing. Best point, book one is "complete" -- happy endings all round, just a strong indication that a further story will follow.

The second book (The War of the Dwarves) is *not* a children's book. Too much violent death, too many plot threads, too many characters to follow, not as good a book as the first. I've not read the third.

So... Get hold of The Dwarves, book one, for your son. But don't get either of the follow-up books. In my opinion :-)

..o0o..

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

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix / J.K. Rowling

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

(category: fantasy)
book 5 of Harry Potter by

J.K. Rowling

published by Bloomsbury in 2003,
read in September 2009 (and before, in 2003)

Agamedes' rating: 9 out of 10

Agamedes' opinion:

This is the “whining adolescent” volume. My dislike and boredom (on this, my second or more reading) lasted about three pages... Sure, Harry shouts at his friends, doesn’t listen to good advice, leaps where he should have looked -- but he is growing up! He is an embarrassment but if fits. As just one book in a series of seven, the discomfort of adolescence and the less than perfect support of Dumbledore are significant parts of the plot development. Who wants to read seven books all the same? And the surrounding fun and magic -- the background that makes this a great fantasy -- is as much fun as ever.

..o0o..

This blog is supported by Agamedes Consulting. For an independent and thoughtful review of your own documents, email nick leth at gmail dot com.

The Voyage of the Sable Keech / Neal L. Asher

The Voyage of the Sable Keech

by

Neal L. Asher

published by Pan Macmillan in 2006
read by Agamedes in April 2009
science fiction
book 2 in the Spatterjay / Polity universe

A great book: space opera with depth! The planet (Spatterjay) is full of incredibly violent wildlife. The humans have adapted to be suitably tough. There is a great range of other adapted humans including “zombies” whose original but dead bodies are kept going by machines and nanomachines. The few non-humans are as sympathetic (ie likable and unlikable) as humans. The violence is taken to such a ridiculous extreme that it becomes cartoonish and so acceptable... Anyway, most of the characters are immortal and recover quickly. It doesn’t take too long to catch up with the characters from the first book of the series; this book can be read alone. The good guys fight for niceness and the bad guys get their comeuppance but usually without death or even too much pain.

Agamedes' rating: 9 out of 10