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:

Nimisha's Ship / Anne McCaffrey

Nimisha's Ship

category: science fiction, romance, author:

Anne McCaffrey

original copyright 1998, read in September 2011

Agamedes' opinion: 6 out of 10

McCaffrey at her sweetest...

It's an easy book to read... as long as you can stand saccharine! Well, no, not that bad. But really:

A wormhole in space is swallowing spaceships. The ships get damaged in transit and -- at best -- land heavily. On unknown and highly dangerous planets. Crew and passengers die horribly as they learn the dangers of their new home...

Until Nimisha arrives.

Nimisha has a brand new spaceship which she designed and (almost) built by herself. So Nimisha and Nimisha's ship arrived undamaged and introduce themselves to the earlier castaways... And no-one else dies. Well, they can't die, because everyone is so nice.

Pawn of Prophecy / David Eddings

Pawn of Prophecy

category: fantasy, young adult, author:

David Eddings

book 1 of The Belgariad
original copyright 1982,
read in August 2011

Agamedes' opinion: 6 out of 10

Perhaps this book is worth more than six out of ten. Perhaps I was influenced by having just read a much better book. I had just read Jim Butcher's Furies of Calderon -- and found Pawn to be very weak in comparison.

Pawn of Prophecy is a much older book. It targets a younger audience. The lucky coincidences and holes in the plot are even larger than in Furies... But does all this matter?

The two worst parts of Pawn are at the beginning...

Right there on the cover is printed, "A classic coming-of-age epic". A quote attributed to Christopher Paolini. Paolini?! What would Paolini know about a good book?!

Furies of Calderon / Jim Butcher

Furies of Calderon

category: fantasy, young adult, author:

Jim Butcher

book 1 of The Codex Alera
original copyright 2004,
read in August 2011

Agamedes' opinion: 8 out of 10

This book is, "A classic coming-of-age epic". Actually, this quote is pinched from the cover of another book, Pawn of Prophecy, which will be the next to be reviewed. Both Pawn and Furies are coming-of-age fantasies. One book is much better than the other.

Furies of Calderon says, in its Prologue, that the course of history is determined by the actions of the individual. The book then documents the actions of several individuals... and documents them well.

The characters are strong and well-meaning. Even the baddies have good intentions. The book even provides a nice piece of philosophy to explain the motivations of the bad guys:

The Badgy Book / Diane West et al

The Badgy Book

category: collection, travel, author:

Diane West et al

original copyright 1998

Agamedes' opinion: valuable!

Not much that I can really say about this book... since I didn't read it.

We were driving north from Perth and stopped for a break at Badgingarra. Nothing much there but all we wanted was a break from driving. All I knew about Badgingarra was, that my brother lived and worked on a farm in the area, many years ago.

We stopped in the shop. Only one shop in town, as far as we could see. So we stopped there. Ordered coffees and cake...

... And saw, The Badgy Book.

That, I said, looks interesting... Well, interesting to my brother, anyway. The book is a collection of stories and anecdotes. Stories of the development and growth and people of the Badgingarra area. It's been perhaps thirty years since my brother lived here, he does keep in touch with friends from the area, he may know some of the people writing and being written about.

Diane West... the first of several authors... Surely my brother knows Diane West?! I'm sure I've heard the name.

Diane West? I say to the woman in the shop. I think that my brother knows her...

Diane died, a few years ago, replies the woman.

Oh.

We bought the book, we drank, snacked and relaxed. Walked through the nearby Vern Westbrook Walk -- very interesting -- and carried on driving.

This is the sort of book that every town, village, association, interest group... should write.

Surface Detail / Iain M. Banks

Surface Detail

category: science fiction / fantasy, author:

Iain M. Banks

book 12(?) of Culture
original copyright 2010,
read in Aug 2010

Agamedes' opinion: 5 out of 10

If I wanted to pick just one word to summarise Surface Detail, it would be "tedious". The author seems to have forgotten to add "action" to his check-list. For the first 400 or so pages... nothing much happens.

Rather, things are happening -- but those happenings are swamped by... well... the surface detail of descriptions of the Culture. Oh, look! here's something wonderful! How does it advance the story? Not at all... But look, it's wonderful!

Go back and watch the very first Star Wars movie. The first one that was made, I mean. Look at the background, the detail, the little robots running round polishing and cleaning. Does anyone say, Look at that little robot! Isn't it wonderful!

No...

Rider at the Gate / C.J. Cherryh

Rider at the Gate

category: science fiction / fantasy, author:

C.J. Cherryh

book 1 of Nighthorse
original copyright 1995,
read in August 2011

Agamedes' opinion: 8 out of 10

Is there a clear distinction between "fantasy" and "science fiction"? No...

Rider at the Gate is science fiction. I say so, Wikipedia says so, our state library says so. The library has also categorised this book as fantasy -- and I agree.

The author has created a brand new world. A world in which animals -- all of the indigenous animals -- use telepathy. So far -- this is pure fantasy.

The world has been settled by... not a local tribe of dwarfs, not an invading group of orcs... but by non-telepathic humans. Humans from another planet. From another planet? Oh, okay... this book must be "science fiction"... But it's not.