The Scarlet Pimpernel / Baroness Orczy

The Scarlet Pimpernel

(#1 of many)

by Baroness Orczy

copyright 1913

read in June 2019

rated 7/10: well worth reading

I love the descriptions of the era: the fashions, manners, social stratifications. All good fun, especially for those (like Sir Percy) who are exceedingly rich, fashion leaders and who own an excellent set of horses.

I wonder how real it is? The book is old but the story is even older, set more than a hundred years before the author was born. Is it based, however loosely, on society of the day -- or is it all a pure fantasy. I have no idea. I just enjoy it.

The first half of this book is a lot of good fun. The plot is driven by surprisingly believable blackmail. The second half is... well... melodramatic. Believable enough but overdrawn.

Part of the believable nature of this book depends on the era. For example:

Hero, heroine and villain are racing from London to Calais. Why do they wait in Dover? They need to hire a local fisherman to get across the Channel. Then they wait for better weather, then for the tide to be right.

The climactic final scenes are set by the coast. It's so quiet that hidden soldiers must whisper, or be discovered. It's so dark that the heroine is unseen as she tiptoes close to the villains.

It's a different world -- and fascinating.

Unfortunately -- for this modern reader -- the second half of the book has too much of the heroine being overwrought. Yes, she toughs it out, and tries to save the day. But, I am sure, she is very close to... spraining her ankle. The final drama is dragged out, to become melodrama.

Not to worry (not too much). Cunning plans are revealed, the plot twists, then is nicely wrapped up. The happy ending is no surprise. How it is reached is clever, if not entirely a surprise. The truly villainous villain is routed, the hero and heroine sail off to happiness.

It is all good fun. Not so much action and adventure, as cunning and derring-do.

An old style adventure. Still very readable.

====    Dr Nick Lethbridge  /  Consulting Dexitroboper
Agamedes Consulting / Problems? Solved.
===

"Be excellent to each other" … Bill & Ted
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dying for you to read my blog: notdotdeaddotyet.blogspot.com.au :-)
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Medusa's Children / Bob Shaw

Medusa's Children

by Bob Shaw

science fiction

copyright 1977

read in May 2019

(and previously, years ago)

rated 7/10: well worth reading

Increase the rating to seven-and-a-bit if you enjoy older style science fiction; this is a good book, straightforward plot, several interesting ideas. With well-defined but quite shallow characters.

The underlying scientific concept seems ridiculous... but... Set the story on an alien planet, with humans discovering alien technology -- and it is as good as any modern blockbuster sf movie. Though with a lot less violent action.

If you enjoy comparing old novels to new -- up the rating again, to eight.

I think it was Stephen King, in a book about how to write a novel, who wrote that every word must add to the story... If a word, a sentence, a paragraph, does not advance the story -- then remove it. In 157 pages, every one of Shaw's words is essential to the plot.

In fact, several essential action scenes are unwritten, obvious, left to the reader to imagine. This is a book of what-if, an exploration of an idea (or three). It is not an adventure story. The interest is in the ideas rather than in the supporting actions.

I could say that this is "true" science fiction. I could believe that 1970s science fiction was short cheap printing for a small niche market. I could also believe that it is a sign of an author using a typewriter... rather than the faster and more flexible word processor. Want to add more action? Insert, here.

I'm currently struggling to read a more modern, more complex, far longer book, by Neal Asher. I may give up. A major problem -- for me -- is the lengthy description of each new technological marvel. An active imagination linked to a powerful word processor and unlimited storage.

Both Asher and Shaw may as well write that the character waved a magic wand and it was so. Asher's tech is the centrepiece of an action adventure. Shaw's tech is barely there, just enough to support exploration of the what-if ideas.

I normally enjoy a book by Asher. In this case it is a relief to read the simpler -- more understandable -- book by Shaw. Medusa may be simpler, the exploration of ideas is more thought-provoking. And easier to understand.

====    Dr Nick Lethbridge  /  Consulting Dexitroboper
Agamedes Consulting / Problems? Solved.
===

"Be excellent to each other" … Bill & Ted
===

dying for you to read my blog: notdotdeaddotyet.blogspot.com.au :-)
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A Wrong Turn etc / Jane Rawson

A Wrong Turn at the Office of Unmade Lists

by Jane Rawson

fantasy

copyright 2013

part read in May 2019

rated 6/10: read to pass the time

As a dystopian story of post-environmental disaster, this is quite a pleasant book. It's also an unusual mix of nasty and nice... For example:

There's a dead body in the gutter, the heroine steps on it before she notices that it is there. But she is not shocked, this is just part of the dystopia. Then she asks a stranger to help drag the body off the road; he does help. They share the money found in the corpse's pocket. The heroine then attempts to find the dead man's family so that she can return the money. Meanwhile, she is near starving due to having no money of her own... A mix of nasty and nice.

The dystopia is due to environmental collapse. Standard climate disaster warning. There are rich people, very rich people and the desperately struggling poor. All interacting, mixing in their everyday lives. Yet the people are still very nice, very kind, helpful as far as they are able.

Then the fantasy hits -- and it is also rather pleasant. Very weird fantasy but -- as far as I read -- illogical and leading nowhere. I'm sure it's going to lead to a very nice ending, for the heroine at least, possibly for others. I stop reading...

The book is easy to read. Pleasant. The environmental message is heavy but not overwhelming. I simply fail to get involved; it is very easy to stop reading. I stop reading. I am not interested in reading to the end. So I don't.

Perhaps a suitable word for this book is, worthy. A nice message, a weak story.

====    Dr Nick Lethbridge  /  Consulting Dexitroboper
Agamedes Consulting / Problems? Solved.
===

"Like all men of power, when he talked of prices worth paying, you could be sure of one thing. Someone else was paying." … Takeshi Kovacs in Altered Carbon
===

dying for you to read my blog: notdotdeaddotyet.blogspot.com.au :-)
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The Bands of Mourning / Brandon Sanderson

The Bands of Mourning

(Mistborn #6)

by Brandon Sanderson

fantasy, subadult

copyright 2016

read in May 2019

rated 6/10: read to pass the time

It's a good continuation of the series.  As a standalone story -- I don't think that it would make sense. It would still be fun... confusing fun.

Super-powered characters, unbelievable adventures, unreal escapes. Okay, it's fantasy :-) As sixth of (I believe) a seven book series -- quite acceptable fantasy.

As ever -- with this author -- there are messages for the young adult. Not shouted messages, just quiet asides -- and good examples -- which smoothly fit the plot.

Yes, read to pass the time. Or, read the entire series and it's more: the series itself is, well worth reading. So this book is definitely well worth reading for its place in the Mistborn series.

Dr Nick Lethbridge / Consulting Dexitroboper

...        Agamedes Consulting / Problems ? Solved

===

"Why be difficult? Be impossible." … Ginger Meggs

===

Dying for you to read my blog, at https://notdotdeaddotyet.blogspot.com.au/ :-)

The Wounded Guardian / Duncan Lay

The Wounded Guardian

(Dragon Sword Histories #1)

by Duncan Lay

fantasy

copyright 2009

read in May 2019

rated 6/10: read to pass the time

Hero with troubled past, little girl with mysterious powers, magic sword. Lots of stereotypes yet lots of fun. It's an enjoyable story as the hero learns to put his violent past behind him. Unfortunately, his learning is largely driven by the threat of death if he does not reform.

There's a similar problem with the entire book: the hero "must" be non-violent yet every chapter forces him to violence. And no, I don't accept that it's okay -- acceptably non-violent -- to stand back while telling others to go out and slaughter.

The theme is the search for non-violence. Non-violence is achieved -- for the hero -- by raising large armies to do the killing. Under his command. This is not good.

Other than that, it's an enjoyable book. Sword & sorcery, confused goodie, really nasty baddie. Sneaky ambushes and blood-soaked battles. One villain still to be defeated, plenty more villains already on the horizon.

Not a great book but good reading. And I hope to read more in the series.

====    Dr Nick Lethbridge  /  Consulting Dexitroboper
Agamedes Consulting / Problems? Solved.
===

"Like all men of power, when he talked of prices worth paying, you could be sure of one thing. Someone else was paying." … Takeshi Kovacs in Altered Carbon
===

dying for you to read my blog: notdotdeaddotyet.blogspot.com.au :-)
====
   

Cafe: Momo / Subiaco

Cafe: Momo / Subiaco

A pleasantly ordinary café...

A few signs of tending-to-trendy but really, it's a café. Nice, nothing special -- except for "the back room".

Walk in from Rokeby Road. Place your order, keep on walking... to the very pleasant open area at the back. Where you order is narrow, possibly crowded, limited by the counter. The back room is relatively spacious and -- for our taste -- much more pleasant. Open and less crowded.

Coffee is coffee. Banana bread is nice -- butter provided as a blob on top, interesting. The bread itself is... too smooth. No texture. No possibility of lumps of banana, could be any sweet loaf. Enjoyable but uninteresting.

Rated 2 out of 3: we enjoy our visit. Okay, we will be happy to go back again -- but only if we are already in Subiaco.

Dr Nick Lethbridge / Consulting Dexitroboper

...        Agamedes Consulting / Problems ? Solved

===

"Why be difficult? Be impossible." … Ginger Meggs

===

Dying for you to read my blog, at https://notdotdeaddotyet.blogspot.com.au/ :-)

The Forever Watch / David Ramirez

The Forever Watch

by David Ramirez

science fiction

copyright 2014

read in May 2019

rated 9/10: really really good

Wow! There's a serial killer loose on a generation starship... Well, even I can guess that this is a red herring.

The truth is revealed -- step by step, a logical chain of discovery. And what a truth it is. Start with a what-if which stretches the bounds of belief -- and all that follows is logical, reasonable, absolutely believable. 

Sympathetic characters... The author (as I read it) likes the characters, I like the characters. Yes there is suffering but not just for impact, it's essential to the story.

The science... is, well, amazing :-)  A bit magical -- but explained by the book's underlying what-if.

Ah, good... a quick web search -- Ramirez has written another book. I must look for it!

Dr Nick Lethbridge / Consulting Dexitroboper

...        Agamedes Consulting / Problems ? Solved

===

"Why be difficult? Be impossible." … Ginger Meggs

===

Dying for you to read my blog, at https://notdotdeaddotyet.blogspot.com.au/ :-)