UnderMajordomoMinor, Patrick de Witt

UnderMajordomoMinor

by Patrick de Witt

fantasy

copyright 2015

part-read in July 2023

rated 4/10: bad but could be read

Years ago I read that a book should draw in its readers in from the very first sentence. I had barely read the first page of this book when I was driven away. Nasty characters doing uninteresting things.

"read to pass the time"? I thought. I read a few more pages. skipped to a few random pages. Read the final few pages and gave up.

Really, I need a different category... perhaps 4.1/10: so tedious, nasty, and/or stupid that it refuses to be read.

Because this is not a "bad" book. There are well-written evocative passages. Evocative of pointless stupidity and despair.

Even the most ignorant character speaks with a university education. "but "could be read" is wrong, I could not bear to read it.

Yet there is one very good idea in this book: Want to get rid of a character? No need to invent an interesting yet realistic death. They simply jump, or are pushed, into "the very large hole". Which may be a metaphor for some deeply significant state of mind. Or it may be... a very large hole. A clever idea for a comic. Here, just as stupid as the rest of the book.

Dr Nick Lethbridge / Consulting Dexitroboper

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In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king. Also, there's lots of competition for handicapped parking. (Alfred E. Neuman)

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Warlord of Mars, Edgar Rice Burroughs

Warlord of Mars, 

(Barsoom #3

by Edgar Rice Burroughs

fantasy

copyright  1914

rated 7/10: well worth reading

Look. That's *my* rating. 

As a recommendation to others it could be 6/10, read to pass the time. But*I* enjoyed this book.

Not least because I've been waiting *decades* to find out what happened after A Princess of Mars.

At the end of Princess the incomparable Dejah Thoris is trapped behind a door which opens only once each year -and -- oh no! she may be dead!

Finally... I find out. Though it takes half the book to catch a glimpse of her. Phew!

Meanwhile, John Carter has been busy. Is there really only one book between Princess and Warlord?! I may need to re-read Princess to see how much happened in that book.

By the start of Warlord, Carter has defeated and/or made allies of tribes of the Green Men and two nations of Red Men. He has defeated the ruler of the Black Men and been offered the Black throne. He has destroyed the Mars-wide religion of the White Men. His son has hatched. Various jeddaks including his son have raised armies, set off to do good -- and disappeared. Now Carter meets the Yellow Men: defeats some and allies with others.

Yes, the various races of Mars are colour-coded for convenience. Though with not much basis on Earth colours, as far as I can tell. Each race it unique, a mix of good and bad -- and very Barsoomian.

The plot is ... weak. Straightforward. Muscles rather than brain. With an awful lot of lucky overhearing of vital information

It's ridiculous... and it is very enjoyable :-)

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Dr Nick Lethbridge / Consulting Dexitroboper

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In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king. Also, there's lots of competition for handicapped parking. (Alfred E. Neuman)

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How Clarence saved England, PG Wodehouse

How Clarence saved England

aka The Swoop!

by PG Wodehouse

humour

copyright 1909

read in May 2023

rated 6/10: read to pass the time

This book is a gung-ho warning of the dangers of foreign invasion. Written, judging by the preface, as a wake-up call. Well guess what: five years later, WWI began. There was no direct attack on England but England was certainly -- and brutally -- involved.

There is a message. Plus social commentary and very dated stereotypes. I suspect that Wodehouse knew a few Germans but had never met any of the other satirised foreigners.

It's a book of its time, not to be read by today's impressionable or woke youth.

Yet much of the social commentary is still relevant. Celebrities parlaying notoriety into music hall profits: now they rant on social media. Papers in the eternal search of a scoop. And a good chuckle: London streets are damaged by artillery fire but the damage is unnoticed amongst the never-ending roadworks.

An interesting book with more message and less humour than the better-known Wodehouse. Yet still with no-one really hurt.

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William Tell Told Again, PG Wodehouse

William Tell Told Again

by PG Wodehouse, 

verse by John W Houghton

illustrated by Philip Dadd

humour, comic

copyright 1904

read in May 2023

rated 7/10: well worth reading

This is not Wodehouse as we know him. This is a story with some bite. Some social satire. Yet still light and enjoyable.

There is a poem. The same story is told in text (by Wodehouse) and there are rather pretty illustrations. It all adds up to a very enjoyable book. With some interesting extras:

• I now know more about the William Tell legend.
• It was created as a present. Back when people read books this would have been a delightful present.
• and in these more modern times of online books, you can buy the book for twenty or thirty dollars. *Or* you can download it for *free* -- verse, text and illustrations -- from Gutenberg.

Which makes me wonder: what is the source material for the online book-sellers?

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Old Man's War 1&2, John Scalzi

(Old Man's War)

#1 old man's war (c) 2005

#2 Ghost Brigades (c) 2006

by John Scalzi

space opera 

rated 7/10

Okay, I read #1 perhaps a year ago.

Now I have read / re-read them both, in the correct order. Which does help to understand what's happening...

These two can each be read out of order, or alone

... They make more sense when read in order.

Without really thinking, I just started reading. I thought I was reading an old book from, perhaps, the 1960s. Till it mentioned Terminators. I did a double-take. But really -- the style is very much Heinlein. The author admits to the influence.

It's a space war with super-tough heroes, super-powerful weapons, weird aliens.

Perhaps I should have noticed... there are also super-tough heroines.

So it's good fun space opera for a modern audience.

A central piece of science is the ability to transfer consciousness into a cloned body There is also a reasonable amount of examination of the psychological (and social) problems this may cause.

Although. Good grief. The characters are unreal. Or, possibly, very old stereotypes. There is a sweet little girl who is just too cute to be believed. Almost sickening.

Then there is the first-person hero who likes to make jokes. His "jokes" are more... macho, I'm-so-clever, stupidities. Which I would not have noticed if the hero had not pointed out that he was being "funny".

These are not great books. They are enjoyable and exciting. Set in a world that is entertaining and thought provoking.

Good, traditional, science fiction.

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Dr Nick Lethbridge / Consulting Dexitroboper

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The stupid person says, "It's impossible". The smart person says, "It's possible, if we can get enough stupid people to do it." (Alfred E. Neuman)

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Lord of the Changing Winds, Rachel Neumeier

Lord of the Changing Winds

(The Griffin Mage #1

by Rachel Neumeier

fantasy

rated 7/10: ####

So far, I've read about two thirds of this book. I've enjoyed it so far. I'm not sure if I will finish it.

First, a heroine who is (if my understanding is vaguely correct) mildly autistic. This makes her a sympathetic, rather likeable, character. There are signs that she will develop, develop her strengths and her ability to decide, to do. So far... she is rather boring.

Now the stronger characters, kings and such, have discovered where she has gone, what has happened to her. And no-one thinks to tell her family, the sister who is left at home, grieving. This is unforgiveable.

Now the major character (who may be a hero) is faced with  a moral dilemma. He has chosen the easy but immoral path. Yes, with great regret but...he has lost my support.

I was enjoying the book. In particular I appreciate the griffins: the author makes them understandable -- yet still completely non-human.

The book is easy reading. Lyrical, almost poetic in style. The characters are likeable, sympathetic. Unfortunately, the "hero" seems set on a nasty, not evil just nasty, path. Which I do not enjoy. It's purely my personal preference: if he goes from bad to worse, I will stop reading.

I read for enjoyment.

Dr Nick Lethbridge / Consulting Dexitroboper

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The stupid person says, "It's impossible". The smart person says, "It's possible, if we can get enough stupid people to do it." (Alfred E. Neuman)

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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.