phoenix falling, laura bickle

phoenix falling

(wildlands 5 of 5)

by Laura Bickle

fantasy

rated 6/10:

For key characters, magic is an accepted part of their everyday life. For others, magic is a symptom of their insanity. And magic is everywhere. With a few people staunchly refusing to see it.

The magic is varied, there is no central method of magic, it varies with the individual. Which is a lot of fun.

Most characters are neither good nor bad but a realistic mix. One character in particular seemed to me to be good but everyone else thought he was bad. I would have understood him better if I had read the earlier books. That said, I read this book as a standalone -- and it was enjoyable and complete. Although... As I finished, I did wonder if it was a rather weak to be continued. But no, I now believe that loose ends are tied up, that supposedly dead characters will not reappear in a next book. Which makes this a very satisfying book, with a solid conclusion both for the book and for the series.

An enjoyable book. If I find other earlier books, I will be glad. But if I don't, well I won't be terribly upset... which is, in fact, a sign that the characters are well introduced in this final book.

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--

Dr Nick Lethbridge / Consulting Dexitroboper
...

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If everyone is thinking the same way, then someone is not thinking.

requiem for anthi, Jay D Blakeney

requiem for anthi

by Jay D Blakeney aka Deborah Chester etc

(Anthi#2)

science fiction

copyright 1990

read in March 2023

rated 7/10: ####

The aliens are definitely alien, with enough human characteristics to be sympathetic characters.

The evil aliens are, well, nasty. The humans are... not very nice at all. It's a good mix of galactic characters.

at the start, the hero is cold, driven, unpleasant. Then he exhibits a core of niceness. finally, the book is a pleasure to read.

This is book two. I would have liked to start reading with some knowledge of the planet backstory and various characters. however... only one point is annoying:

when the hero is saved by the timely arrival of the cavalry... was this foreshadowed in book one? As far as I can tell... it is pure Deus ex machina. Not that it really matters :-)

this is not a book of clever but subtle plotting. it is heroic adventures in an interesting alien universe.

27sep23: I read it again. With a better idea of what was happening, it made more sense (which seems obvious, now I think of it :-)

I spent less time wondering what was happening, who was who -- and more time just enjoying the adventure. And appreciating -- understanding -- the backstory. An enjoyable romp in a well-imagined universe, with a solid (for book 2) plot. And still very little warning for the deus ex machina ending.

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Dr Nick Lethbridge / Consulting Dexitroboper
...

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

The word "boobs" is so scary until you get to the second "b". (Alfred E. Neumann

False Value, Ben Aaronovitch

False Value
(Rivers of London #8)
by Ben Aaronovitch
fantasy
copyright 2020
read in March 2023

rated 6/10: read to pass the time

a couple of chapters in and I'm wondering if those chapters have been printed out of order.
Then I notice that chapter titles include a month. okay, so that indicates relative time.
except that the months are January and December. two months apart? Or the start and end of one year? It doesn't really matter but... I realise that by now I am not interested enough to care.

The cover blurb days charming, witty, exciting.
referring to his heavily pregnant girlfriend as the bulge is not charming. somewhat demeaning, perhaps. at best it's twee.
there are plenty of likeable characters who are not developed enough to be charming.

witty? not very. Snide comments on history, architecture, people go straight past witty into not very pleasant sarcasm.
The Hitchhiker's-themed business brings a smile or two but quickly palls. Sarcasm rather than humour, there is no sense of fun.

Finally, however, there is excitement. and that works.
a complex plot, well laid out and developed. plenty of danger and magic enough for enjoyable action. leftover characters from previous books are well used.
the denouement fits. the climax is ridiculous, believable and satisfying.
except that the book ends with more loose ends than... well, the end is satisfying but really... absolutely nothing is finished.

it's an enjoyable book. could probably be enjoyed by itself. but for full enjoyment... read it as one chapter in an as yet nowhere near complete soap opera.



Nick Lethbridge
consulting Dexitroboper

iPad for Seniors

iPad for Seniors

published 2016

rated 2/10: unreadably bad

The book starts with what reads like excerpts from an Apple glossy brochure. Oh gosh how terrific is this device.

The book brags about the simplicity of "instantly on". Really? Once the device times out you need to (1) tap to wake up(*) (2)rotate to get the white bar at the bottom (3)swipe up (4)fingerprint ID (5) and sometimes type a PIN.

Whatever happened to an on/off switch?

(*) Okay, I may have switched off the way that the device wants to turn on when you look at it. I don't want the bloody thing turning on just because I looked at it. I do not want to be trained like one of Pavlov's dogs.

Then the book describes functions of the Home button and the App Switcher window. It seems that the Home button has been removed since 2016.

That useful window? Open it with a double-tap of the now-missing Home button, no other explanation.

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This out-of-date information is followed by more excerpts from Apple glossies: models, memory and so on.

The book can't help that the devices have changed.

But it gets worse.

The book is full of jargon. "for Seniors" ?!

Lightning connector (is that a USB or charging cable?) SIM-card tray? widgets? Retina display screens?

Okay, there are lots of simple explanations. Unfortunately I own an iPad and I find it to be annoyingly unusable and steeped in apple-jargon. Do it the Apple way or... forget it. Apple does it *this* way -- with no explanation.

So I don't like the device. Telling me how simple it is... is not going to work. Repeating text from glossies... helps even less.

Dr Nick Lethbridge / Consulting Dexitroboper

...        Agamedes Consulting / Problems ? Solved

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"Yesterday I knew nothing. Today I know that." ... per Ginger Meggs

use pwMapApp to explore for pwLoons

pwMap # Quick Start (pwmapapp.blogspot.com)

Fools Quest, Robin Hobb

Fools Quest

(Fitz and the Fool #2 of many)

by Robin Hobb

fantasy

rated 2/10: unreadably bad

I picked up this book, did not realise it is book two.

With a good author, book two can encourage the reader to look for book one...

I read a few pages -- it is awful. Slaughtered animals. Tortured humans. No explanation No incentive to read on. It is unreadably bad.

Worse yet... This "Fool" trilogy is the end of a series of 17 books.

Good grief. There's 17 books and one author to be avoided.

Dr Nick Lethbridge / Consulting Dexitroboper

...        Agamedes Consulting / Problems ? Solved

===

"Yesterday I knew nothing. Today I know that." ... per Ginger Meggs

use pwMapApp to explore for pwLoons

pwMap # Quick Start (pwmapapp.blogspot.com)

Skyward Flight, Brandon Sanderson

Skyward Flight

by Brandon Sanderson, Janci Patterson

(Skyward #3)

young adult, science fiction, fansonly

rated 6/10: read to pass the time

When an author publishes a novel I expect that the novel will include a start, a middle and an end.

This is a book of middles.

Sanderson has written two quite good novels. Both of which failed to finish. This book is three novellas which fit somewhere in the middle. Each story has a standard plot: a threat appears, young heroes go off to form an alliance with aliens, they fight the enemy, wait to the last chapter, save the alien world, return home, lovers are separated... and a new threat appears.

Okay it's all good fun... but it will never end. The planned trilogy of novels is now four. With readers asking if a fifth is planned (probably yes). A never-ending soap opera.

These novellas introduce a new author The first books did question the need for war. This author has characters wondering if they are right to fight. It becomes somewhat preachy, definitely tedious.

This book could be read alone and still enjoyed. For fans it fills in some gaps -- gaps that did not need explicit filling.

It's easy reading. It's enjoyable. It's definitely young adult:

Main characters are young adult. Couples are separated -- to avoid the difficulties of sex. The science is simplified -- embarrassingly so, the travel is almost fantasy. The aliens are either decent or evil. The characters are "nice". I miss M-Bot, the only character with real depth and complexity.

Read to pass the time. Or not.

Dr Nick Lethbridge / Consulting Dexitroboper

...        Agamedes Consulting / Problems ? Solved

===

"Yesterday I knew nothing. Today I know that." ... per Ginger Meggs

use pwMapApp to explore for pwLoons

pwMap # Quick Start (pwmapapp.blogspot.com)

Count of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas

First published 1844

read in February 2023

fiction (classic)

rated 8/10: really quite good

I like to review before I get other people's opinions. but this time... 

while i was reading this book... and muttering about how very long it is... my wife went to a popular book review site.

The longest book I've ever read, says one review. honest but pointless.

describes the joy of revenge, says another.

joy?! that's what you get when a reviewer had not bothered to read the book.

The Count discovers that revenge, in a modern idiom, is like a shotgun. aim at one person and you are likely to injure many others.

there is revenge. there is also reward. then there is some restitution for unintended damage. it's a complex book.

is an enjoyable book but hard to follow. so many characters. identified sometimes by name, sometimes by title. plus a dependence on facts and ideas that were well known when the book was written.

First, i read up on popes and French Kings... not exactly the good, old days.

half way through the book i checked Wikipedia. it has an excellent plot summary, i was able to get a clearer idea of who was who, the rest of my reading was a lot easier.

the actions and knowledge of the Count verge on fantasy, barely believable. though the underlying idea is still valid. Someone with infinite money can do and control whatever they want.

then the ending... no surprises, the final reward is clearly signalled.

but it seems to be a bit rushed. as though the author just wanted to be done with it.

and then... are the last words a hint that he plans to write, Count 2?

give yourself time. take early notes of characters. settle down for a good, long, enjoyable read.