Sunday, February 27, 2011

The Life of the World to Come / Kage Baker

The Life of the World to Come

category: space opera, author:

Kage Baker

book 4 of the Company novels
original copyright 2004,
read in February 2011

Agamedes' opinion: 7 out of 10

This is a Boys Own adventure. A space opera set largely on Earth, though at many different eras. Time travel as a replacement for sailing off to adventure on the Spanish Main...

It would be nice, though, if the book reached a conclusion.

The Girl who Kicked the Hornet's Nest / Stieg Larsson

The Girl who Kicked the Hornet's Nest

category: thriller, author:

Stieg Larsson

book 3 of Millennium
original copyright 2009,
read in February 2011

Agamedes' opinion: 8 out of 10

"The most original heroine to emerge in crime fiction for many years". That's what it says on the cover. Okay, probably true. Except for that bit about "heroine".

Lisbeth Salander is a protagonist.

In a novel the hero or heroine is a larger-than-life character who takes action and moves the plot along. A protagonist is the central person about whom the plot revolves. In Hornet's Nest, Salander is the central character about whom the entire plot revolves.

That said,

Friday, February 18, 2011

Forrest Highway rest stop

Toilet adds interest to
boring road

category: toilet review, author:

Agamedes

Visited in February 2011

Agamedes' opinion: 7 out of 10

I don't really like the new Forrest Highway.

Sure, it save 30 minutes on a 200+ km journey from Perth to Bunbury. So what? It's boring!

It's a highway. Easy driving, good for sleeping. Right through the heart of very boring country.

I wonder, Is the country on either side really so boring? It's hard to tell... It's a wide highway, high speed limit... Mostly road as far as the driver cares to look, when travelling at speed.

Perhaps Forrest Highway is not really a boring highway. Driving along it is certainly boring. I prefer to join the highway later rather than sooner, to enjoy the older and more scenic alternative.

Still, there's over 100km that I travel along Forrest. So I stop for a break at the one rest stop with a toilet.

And what a toilet!

Sunday, February 6, 2011

Straken / Terry Brooks

Straken

category: fantasy, author:

Terry Brooks

book 3 of High Druid of Shannara
original copyright 2005,
read in February 2011

Agamedes' opinion: 8 out of 10

I do have some doubts about Brooks' books. With Straken, however, he gets it right!

This is book three of a series. The series is a part of the continuing saga of Wish Song, Elf Stones, druids, demons and... well... an entire world of magic. The full series, in fact, starts from present-day Earth and links into a future, post-apocalyptic world of fantasy. (See The Gypsy Morph for a bit more detail.)

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

The Golf Omnibus / P.G. Wodehouse

The Golf Omnibus

category: humour, collection, author:

P.G. Wodehouse

original copyright 1916 on,
read in January 2011

Agamedes' opinion: 7 out of 10

A most enjoyable book: Light, funny, guaranteed happy endings...

Who would have thought there could be so many angles on the game of golf? Who would have thought there is any humour at all, in the game of golf!

Monday, January 31, 2011

My Name is Denise Forrester

My Name is Denise Forrester

category: fantasy, author:

Nick Brooks

original copyright 2005,
read in January 2010

Agamedes' opinion: 6 out of 10

I didn't get very far with this book.

I think that some people would enjoy it. I didn't.

The blurb refers to Denise Forrester as "a changeling child". To me, that means, swapped at birth with a fairy child. So, fairies... fantasy...

As far as I can tell -- from as far as I read -- Denise is a weird kid. Really weird. With a sister who is just as weird and -- possibly -- imaginary. This is a story of one child -- or possibly two children -- who live a fantasy life.

But not -- again, as far as I can tell -- not a fantasy life with fairies. A fantasy life of their own imaginations.

I categorise the book as "fantasy". I don't really think that it is. But I just can't bear to categorise it as "humour"...

After a few weird chapters -- chapters which seemed to jump backwards and forwards in time, as well as from place to place -- I read the comments on the back. "Made me laugh out loud..."

Oh.

It's fuuunny...

Okay, it may be funny.

But, as my mother used to say, "subtle". Meaning... I just don't get it.

On the other hand... This is a readable book. If you know what is going on -- if you understand how funny it is to be a weird outsider, taunted and bullied by all the other children, forced to retreat into a fantasy world of your own -- then you may enjoy this book.

It's not a bad book. It may be worth the one cent that Amazon claim is its current price. Feel free to give it a go.


..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.

The Return of the King / J.R.R. Tolkien

The Return of the King

category: fantasy, author:

J.R.R. Tolkien

book 3 of The Lord of the Rings
original copyright 1954,
read in January 2011 (and before, at least 15 times, since March 1970)

Agamedes' opinion: 10 out of 10

The edition that I'm reading has illustrations by Alan Lee. Brilliant! This illustrated edition was a treat to myself, after many years of reading a one volume paperback. A paperback which was gradually falling apart from heavy use.

So I bought the three volume illustrated hardback. Every so often I take it out and read it. Or read just a section... There is a great pleasure in reading a great book. There is a great -- but separate -- pleasure reading a book which also looks and feels good.

Other than that, what can I say?

Eowyn on the Pelennor Fields still brings a tear to my eyes. I smile, as Strider tells Merry to ask the herb-master for some pipe-weed. I worry, as the hobbits move so slowly back to the inevitable trouble back home in the Shire.