Saucer / Stephen Coonts

Saucer

category: science fiction, author:

Stephen Coonts

book 1 of Saucer
original copyright 2002

read in March 2012

Agamedes' opinion: 7 out of 10: well worth reading

If you want an enjoyable book, a book to fill a few pleasant hours, then Saucer is well worth reading. It's an enjoyable romp, with not too much deep meaning.

Modest but exceptionally talented hero finds super-powered toy, finds girl, fights to keep toy, then to keep toy from baddies. Fights to get girl. Gets help from talented relatives and a good scientist.

There are the evil baddies and the heroic goodies. A few neutral characters in the middle, for variety. Several of the neutrals are simple stereotypes, not quite caricatures, introduced in two dimensions as required by the lightweight plot.

Two ideas do stand out:

The author does seem to have a cynical view of politicians. Sure, I've developed a hearty cynicism regarding the motives of politicians, but it took me many years to develop. Are young adults already ready for that view?

And then there's the theory of planetary settlement; the difficulty of maintaining a high level of technological civilisation on a newly-settled planet. I'd never heard this particular view before. And when I read the idea in Saucer I thought, Yes, that seems such a reasonable concept... Thank you, Coonts, for a new idea!

Saucer is a wish-fulfilment fantasy for late teen boys and young adult men. The sort where only you can save the world and, yes, you may even get the older woman... An experienced older woman! Almost thirty!

Yep, it's a young man's wish-fulfilment fantasy adventure. Also suitable for older men who want to read a book just to enjoy it.

Possibly not a good choice of book for a girl or a woman. The heroine is beautiful and clever. She can kick butt in a crisis. But she still requires saving by the young hero.

So we have fun, adventure, a small level of teenage humour. Plus -- and I hope I'm not spoiling the plot -- a flying saucer...

A book to be read and enjoyed, then put back on the shelf with hardly a second thought.

Good, harmless, fun.

..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

Only Child / Andrew Vachss

Only Child

category: crime, author:

Andrew Vachss

book 14 of Burke
original copyright 2002

read in February 2012

Agamedes' opinion: 7 out of 10: well worth reading

According to my local library, this book is "fantasy"... Hmmm... Though I must admit, it took a while for me to decide.

Is this book over the top? Or is it so far over that it has slipped into fantasy...

No, this is "crime". Gritty, underbelly, modern-day, crime.

I don't have a label for "crime" so I have labelled this review as action and other. Neither is correct. It's just easier than starting a new label :-)

"Burke", the hero, is a tough-as-nails rough diamond. Earns his money through crime -- except when distracted by his need to save children from the clutches of evil. Which is lightly phrased but the topic is treated very seriously.

Burke has many loyal friends. All extremes, almost caricatures. This had me confused, for several chapters. (Not that Vachss restricts the narrative flow by the use of chapters...)

I have never before read a "Burke" book. The characters are unfamiliar. The style is... choppy. Incomplete, jargonistic, abrupt. I was rather confused.

Is this book worth the effort? I wondered...

Last night I watched five minutes of a tv show called Luther. Tough-guy cop, plays outside the rulebook, talks in jargon. Standard bbc tv cop fare, in fact. The fact that he mumbled made the plot -- as far as I watched it -- incomprehensible. Sort of similar to Only Child...

Except that Only Child has no mumblers. One of the advantages of the written word! Still, I was confused.

Until, suddenly: the plot was revealed!

After some introductory settling-in of the characters, Vachss provides the key element of the plot. I do not know the characters, so I am confused rather than settled in. But suddenly...

The key conflict is revealed. I find myself sympathising with the victim. I begin to support the hero in his drive to solve the crime.

I am hooked!

This is a tough book. The good guys are willing to be violent, the bad guys are extremely violent. Yet the main villain turns out to be just a fool who set up a stupid situation which lead to a violent crime.

On the other hand, the violence is not overplayed. I dislike tv's gore-porn, where the point of the show is to describe -- in intimate detail -- the violence of the crime-of-the-week.

Yes, Only Child describes violence. In enough detail to shock but not enough detail to thrill the gore-porn addicts.

And real enough to make you think.

..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

Elminster's Daughter / Ed Greenwood

Elminster's Daughter

category: fantasy, author:

Ed Greenwood

book ?? of Forgotten Realms
original copyright 2004

read in February 2012 (and before, in December 2005)

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

My book memory is quite good although I have difficulty remembering authors and titles. As I read this book, there was nothing familiar. So I was fairly certain that I had never before read Elminster's Daughter.

And then -- half way through the book -- I met the wizard reading a "chapbook"...

A "chapbook"?! I remember that!

In fact, I also remember the situation: The wizard should be on watch but he is reading a "chapbook". I also remember thinking, "A chapbook, haha, that's quite clever. Or funny. Or something." Which is exactly what I thought this time...

A clever word which sticks in the mind. Yes, I definitely have already read Elminster's Daughter. In 2005, in fact.

And the "chapbook" is all that I can remember from that first reading...

Which is really a good indication of the quality of Elminster's Daughter.

This book is a lot of fun. Action, adventure, magic and mystery. A single chase through the streets takes perhaps a quarter of the book -- and is never boring.

The book is also... totally forgettable.

Lightweight fun. Easy to read, easy to enjoy.

Just as easy to put down and forget.

..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

Tek Power / William Shatner

Tek Power

category: science fiction, author:

William Shatner

book 6 of Tekwar
original copyright 1994

read in February 2012

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

A book by William Shatner... A man who has been type-cast as Captain James T. Kirk... An actor who has taken his type-casting -- and run with it!

Tek Power is a book for lovers of Captain Kirk. Fans who enjoy the adventures of a hero who is smart enough to solve puzzles, yet is willing and able to go one-on-one with his fists. Fans who enjoy a bit of heroics in a high-tech but very human science fiction universe.

Star Trek -- the original series -- was good science fiction. Each episode took an SF "what if" idea and expanded on its impact. Then the Enterprise arrived, and an ensign was killed to show that the situation was serious. Captain Kirk and his senior officers would rescue themselves and, perhaps, solve some idea-related problems.

The Star Trek characters were likable stereotypes. The solutions were related to the SF idea but could be simplistic. (How often did "the girl" save the day after falling in love with Kirk? How many evil geniuses were felled by Kirk's fists?) The SF ideas added depth to the plots. This was good science fiction.

Tek Power is a bit like that -- except without the driving force of a unique SF "what if" idea gone wrong.

It's a likable Kirk-type character battling evil. Lucky coincidences, close escapes, instant answers. Jumping from one situation to the next with scant regard for realism: ask the question, get the answer, move on... Set in an interesting universe with a touch of humour.

All good stuff!

Not great, but good.

I read the book and thoroughly enjoyed it. I won't go out of my way to look for more in the Tek Wars series. But if they turn up, I look forward to reading them.

Well done, Captain Kirk!

..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

The Year's Best Science Fiction #20 / Gardner Dozois

The Year's Best Science Fiction: twentieth annual collection

category: science fiction, editor:

Gardner Dozois

book 20 of The Year's Best Science Fiction
original copyright 2002

read in February 2012

Agamedes' opinion: 3 out of 10: so bad it's embarrassing

I grew up on science fiction. For years I read only science fiction. (Okay, and various myths and legends.)

Then I drifted to fantasy. Read less and less science fiction.

A collection of "the year's best science fiction" seemed like a good book to refresh my enjoyment of SF.

Wrong.

The first story was sort of interesting. A girl growing up in a strange -- to us -- culture. All seems to be sweetness and light, except that it's not. But that is not the point of this overlong story. Girl grows up to be a space pilot. No surprise, hardly worth wondering if this is the point of the story. Through the magic of unexplained time travel, girl's friend seems to have killed girl's pilot mentor, who seems to be the girl as an old woman. So what? A pointless story complexity. The story is sort of interesting, but overlong and ultimately pointless.

Another story -- a novella -- begins with the protagonist attending a night-club. The main act is a man who talks to his penis. Or perhaps it's a woman who pretends to talk to her penis; we never see the penis. Whatever, I gave up reading before the end of the act.

One story followed an interesting idea: humans can't reach the universe so they go small... Shrink themselves, adapt in various ways, live in microscopic "universes", all within a very small physical area. It's possible that the three or four sets of characters all live as bodily bacteria on one man... That's just my best guess. It seems a reasonable explanation of the role of the "narrator" who dances naked and jerks off between the mini-chapters of the story.

Then there's the story of the woman who herds sheep. She sees a flying saucer and its dog-like occupant. Most of the story tells us about the techniques of sheep-herding... Boring and pointless. The woman sees the space dog a few times, briefly. When the space dog crashes its saucer -- for no apparent reason -- the woman comforts it as it lies, dying. "Good doggie," she says, as she pats its head. Nice, but so what?!

I know that there is at least one good story in the book... but it is lost amongst the dross. So what has gone wrong? The clue is in the introduction to each story.

Each introduction mentions previous stories by this author. "So-and-so has had a story in The Year's Best numbers 2 through 7, 9, 11 and 13 through 19..." Get the picture? Dozois (the editor) likes certain authors. He has not changed his opinions in the last twenty years. He keeps on selecting stories from the same, select group of his favourite authors...

And if you don't like Dozois' favourite authors, this book is not for you.

I don't like Dozois' favourite authors. I think this book is rubbish.

---

btw: I originally rated this book as "4: bad but could be read". Then I changed my mind.

Nearly every story -- as far into the book as I could bear to read -- is overlong and boring. Some are also stupid. I could not finish this book. I did not want to finish this book.

And some of the stories are embarrassing: So bad -- when categorised as "science fiction" -- so bad that they give science fiction a bad name.

..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