Obernewtyn / Isobelle Carmody

Obernewtyn
(Obernewtyn Chronicles #1)
by Isobelle Carmody

science fiction, young adult

copyright 1987
read in January 2016

rated 7/10: well worth reading

The background is very much Chrysalids: nuclear holocaust, farming community attitudes, fear of the mutant, extra fear of mental mutations... Then Obernewtyn develops a story of its own. A simple story but interesting enough.

The writing style is very simple, with small, jerky sentences. Is this the author's first book ?

The story is also quite simple. It's the developing picture of the world which builds the interest. Thinking, talking animals -- as animals rather than as pseudo-humans -- are unusual though there is not much else out of the ordinary. It's a standard grab bag of post-apocalyptic nuclear... stuff. Enjoyable stuff.

I looked for this book because I read a review of the latest in the series. Number seven or eight, if I remember correctly. Better to start at book one, I thought. With that thought -- six or seven books to go -- I'm happy with a not too hectic start...

Not that it's boring ! More, it's a steady development of threat and discovery.

Makes me think... This is a "young adult" book. Have the expectations changed ? Is a more recent young adult book expected to have more thrills and excitement ? It's possible. This book is slow -- but steady. With enough excitement -- and world discovery -- to keep me entertained.

By itself, seven out of ten would be a point too high... With the prospect of further adventures of the same characters, it's a seven.

I enjoyed Obernewtyn enough to want to read more in the series. Which means that this book, is well worth reading.

Futuristic Violence and Fancy Suits / David Wong

Futuristic Violence and Fancy Suits
by David Wong

near future, science fiction

copyright 2015
read in January 2016

rated 6/10: read to pass the time

A good sense of humour, plenty of action and adventure. Young peasant girl turns out to be a princess. The plot builds nicely, to a satisfying conclusion.

The level of mindless violence is upsetting. Cartoonish, mostly, so it's not particularly disturbing. Until the climactic chapters, where it gets to be a bit unpleasant. However, no cats are harmed :-)

The view of the near future is enjoyable... Scary, perhaps, but enjoyable. I can't wait for Blink to be implemented !

The characters are... well... somewhat likeable. Perhaps sympathetic. I just don't like them enough, not enough to really care about them. Except, perhaps, the heroine... Though her suffering could just be unpleasant rather than unpleasant because I like her :-?

There are some laugh-out-loud passages. I enjoyed the story. The ending was quite satisfactory and the future was a lot of fun.

It just didn't grip me.

Read to pass the time. Perhaps it's a bit better than that. But it just didn't grip me.

The Thousand Names / Django Wexler

The Thousand Names
(Shadow Campaigns #1)
by Django Wexler

military, fantasy

copyright 2013
read in January 2016

rated 6/10: read to pass the time

It's not too bad, really. The trouble is, this book is too much of one and not enough of the other...

What I really like about reading fantasy is, the fantasy. You know... Strange worlds, unique customs, magic...Names has hints of magic. But...

There are hints of magic. References to a sorcerer. Suggestions that magic will happen. But magic does not happen -- not until just past half way. Which leaves more than 300 pages of a fantasy novel with no real fantasy.

Okay, not strictly true. The soldiers are from an imagined country, fighting an imagined enemy in an imagined desert country. Or, it's the French fighting the Arabs in Africa. There's not enough distinction, between the history and this fantasy !

If you enjoy "military" then the first half of this book is for you. It's military in the old style: hundreds of soldiers march, in step, into the enemies' guns, hoping that a few will live to actually fight back. Nasty stuff but probably realistic.

For me, there's a bit too much cannon-fodder fighting. It's well written, though. Lots of death and destruction but a reasonable expectation that the "nice people" will survive. I dislike authors who go out of their way to build a sympathetic character -- just to make it hurt when they are senselessly killed.

So the first half of the book is military fantasy. Quite well written. Realistically horrible.

Then -- finally -- the magic happens !

The second half of the book is true fantasy... A touch of magic, slow increase in the use of magic, final battle of the super-powerful magic users... A fun-filled magical romp for lovers of simple fantasy :-)

So the first half of this book is "military" and the second half is "magical". In the first half, I almost gave up reading.

I'm glad that I kept on reading !

By the time I reach the magical half, I know the characters. And have sympathy for... some of them. Not all.

The characters are well drawn but not particularly sympathetic. A few, I hoped would not be killed. None that I would really miss.

It's a cast of thousands, which could have made it difficult to like any one character. But Wexler has done well: there are clearly "main" characters. With a supporting cast who are not "main" but are clearly unique enough to be key players.

A minor grizzle at the end, when too many characters are preparing for book two. (Can't a good villain ever die ?!) But this book one finishes conclusively. And book two promises the same cast but in a brand new environment -- a great relief ! Enough of the desert, thanks very much !

If I look at this book as being an introduction to a series -- it is quite good. I'm looking forward to reading about the same cast of characters battling on in a different part of the world.

I like the main characters just enough to want to follow their adventures. (More accurately, perhaps, there are none that I dislike.)

I just wish that the "fantasy" -- magic -- had been introduced a little earlier. To avoid the feeling that this book is really two separate books: A quite good military fantasy. Followed by a wilder but almost separate, magical fantasy.

4WD Weekends out of Perth / Ian Elliot

4WD Weekends out of Perth
(4th edition)
by Ian Elliot

travel, fansonly

copyright 2015
read (skimmed) January 2016

rated 5/10: readable, but only if there's nothing else

If you are an experienced four-wheel-driver, this is a book for you. It's definitely for "fansonly". For me -- it's next to useless.

Every so often we get suckered into buying one of these books. We have the 4wd, we want to use the 4wd, let's get a book which gets us going... And this particular series is just not for us. Are you a beginner 4wd-er ? Forget it !

Still, one thing seems to have improved... The author has caught up with modern navigation. The "GPS Waypoints" are provided in a format which is compatible with a GPS. Eastings and northings are fine for those who are stuck with paper maps. My more modern GPS seems to have left them in the dark ages, with paper.

(And yes, I've read the warnings about depending on a GPS device with batteries which may go flat. So we also have various suitable paper maps. Which could be burnt or soaked or just lost. I'm more likely to have a spare battery than a spare paper map.)

And why not load the waypoints to a website, for easy downloading ?!

The drives themselves look good, an interesting collection. There is an overall map of the state showing the approximate location of each drive. A good start.

Each drive (there are 18) comes with a map of the drive area. But the drive itself is not shown on the map !! What use is that ?! Other than an advertisement for the company which provides the maps...

So. Which drives are suited to a beginner ? Which are better for experienced drivers ? Perhaps some should only be tackled as a convoy...

What ?! There's no rating !  No indication of easy, medium, challenging.

There is a quick section of "Terrain". I start to read those. Where the terrain is described, for example, as, "sand tracks and a beach which can be treacherous in places", I know to avoid that drive. Reading through the Trip Notes I find, "The beach here is very treacherous. Do not drive on it." Does that mean that the "treacherous in places" beach can, in fact, be bypassed ?!? If so -- say so ! It completely changes the feasibility of following this trip !

So "Terrain" allows me to eliminate some trips. Correctly or not. Unfortunately, not every trip has a Terrain section.

This is a book for experienced 4WDrivers. For people who are used to following a track and dealing with whatever conditions they find. Suitable -- judging by several photos -- only for drivers with shovels, winches and several other vehicles to provide assistance.

I'm a beginner 4WDriver. What this book does, is scare me back onto the highway.

Ancillary Sword / Ann Leckie

Ancillary Sword
(Ancillary #2)
by Ann Leckie

science fiction

copyright 2014
read in January 2015

rated 9/10: really, really good

The mighty human empire stretches across space. Hundreds of planets are ruled by an immortal ruler with absolute power. Huge spaceships are run by super-intelligent AIs; AIs which control zombified humans. The alien threat is ever present.

This is, clearly, a book about freedom and loss and loneliness.

What a great story !

This is science fiction though, perhaps, there is not much of the "what if". "What if" a distributed AI is reduced to just one physical component ? That's a "what if" which is well beyond the expected "what if" just one thing changed...

I'm drawn in by the amazing science... Rather, by the amazing use of science. There's no claim to explaining how it works, it just does. The story is about a civilisation where this science is an accepted part of everyday life. A bit like Star Wars, really.

I'm drawn in by the science -- and kept in by the humanity. The humanity of all the races of humans. The humanity of the AIs which control... or, rather, manage... the human environment.

Book one introduced me to this universe. And ended with a small war on one planet. How will the author top that ?! By exploring just one more star system -- and ending with a human-scale shoot-up and a suicidal act of heroism.

In book one the author claimed "space opera". This implies bigger and better science, more and more action. In the reality of book two we have an exploration of humanity.

Sword is excellent science fiction: Science to attract the reader, humanity to capture the mind.

Okay, some of the human issues are pushed a bit too hard. A bit too much pointing out "the right way". I would rather that, than a "balance" where evil is a strong contender for success.

The hero (heroine?) is an honest, moral, goodie. And I like that ! The hero has power but uses correct process to bring justice. (While carefully watching for betrayal.) A high-minded, very human hero... Which is somewhat surprising.

The book is, however, heavy going. Not so much hard to read. Just that there is so much happening -- so much that requires understanding -- that I read it quite slowly. And I will read it again. Next time, with a better eye on who is who !

For a science fiction book, this book is surprisingly human. For a very human book, it is incredibly dependent on the science. I could skim read for the eye-popping adventure. I would rather read more carefully, to add the depth of emotional interest.

In book one, Leckie began brilliantly.

In this second book, she has improved.

Dreamer's Pool / Juliet Marillier

Dreamer's Pool
(Blackthorn & Grim #1)
by Juliet Marillier

fantasy

copyright 2014
read in January 2015

rated 9/10: really, really good

Chick lit. Fantasy. Romance. Grown up.

I know of two books in this series and I read the second one first. In that review I suspected that the terrible suffering -- a defining fact for the main characters -- was only hinted at, even in book one. Sure enough, this book one begins at the end of the physical torment.

The book is about the mental torment which follows long suffering. Withdrawal, self doubt, desire for revenge.

It is also a happy, romantic fantasy. With -- I admit it -- strong support for the efficacy of rule by fairness and niceness and willingness to listen. A bit unrealistic -- to a cynical reviewer. Unrealistic, yet so much more enjoyable than starkly realistic politicking and misrule.

There is a message in the way that the prince rules: If only we use our powers for niceness rather than for evil, the results will be so much better. Yes, it's laid on a bit thick. Still, I'd rather end a book with a smile than with a feeling of despair.

This is a very adult chick lit romantic fantasy.

Adult, because the themes are serious and well presented. Chick lit romantic fantasy because, well, it is ! Romance, love, magic. Sex, suffering, deceit. With the darker material presented in sufficient detail. Without forcing the reader to wallow in the violence and despair.

Although, again, the messages of power misused and the need for gender equality are laid on a bit thick. I enjoy a book with a message. These messages could -- I believe -- have been spread more subtly. Or maybe not... Perhaps I am already sensitised :-)

I enjoyed the second book, enough to actively seek out this first. Did it spoil the enjoyment, to read the two books out of order ? No, no really.

There was some loss of surprise at the central, magical problem. Book two had suggested what had happened. I still enjoyed watching the characters work it out for themselves.

An author's postscript to book two told me that the main characters were suffering from post traumatic stress disorder. So this was no surprise in book one. Probably just as well... I can miss the obvious and was glad to be reading book one with foreknowledge that this was PTSD. Some people may object to labels. In real life they may form a halo which hides other factors. In a book, a clear label allows me to better understand -- and appreciate -- what is happening.

I've rated this book as being better (even better) than the follow-up book. I'm not sure how true that is. The main difference -- in my rating of my own enjoyment -- is that the first book could stand alone. Why are the characters as they are ? This is explained in book one. Book two includes some healing. Yet it is largely, another adventure of the likeable duo of ...

Both are excellent books. If you can read only one -- read Dreamer's Pool.

Trent's Last Case: The Woman in Black / E.C. Bentley

Trent's Last Case
aka The Woman in Black
(Trent #1)
by E.C. Bentley

murder mystery

copyright 1913
read in January 2016

rated 7/10: well worth reading

I enjoyed this book :-)  Nice characters, solid plot -- with twists. Set in the rather pleasant Wodehouse world. Not a deliberate Wodehouse world, just something about the era: some authors seemed to think that people were honest, life was good, there may be a villain but that was a rare occurrence.

All very nice.

The private investigator is quite a pleasant chap. Artistic, poetic, clever. He works, occasionally, as a reporter. So he solves crimes in order to write newspaper articles.

The investigator also works well with the police detective. They compete, but both want to solve the crime. They have somewhat complementary skills and are willing to admit this. Not that the policeman stays for long... The crime is formally wrapped up long before the private investigator gets to the bottom of the mystery !

A quick glance at Wikipedia and I read that Trent's Last Case is a spoof... And there I was, thinking it was just a murder mystery with several twists at the end ! Oh well...

The main twist -- I guess -- is that Trent solves the crime. Finds he is wrong. Solves it again... And so on. Which is really quite enjoyable...

I dislike murder mysteries. They throw up clues and red herrings. Then right at the end -- identify the murderer, tell you (often with very little justification) which clues were false, then end. If I pick a different set of false clues -- I get a different murderer !

Trent almost did this: laid out the clues (though with no false clues) then named the murderer. But wait, I thought, there's still a lot of book to go... So I had time to think. (Not that it helped. I had a few ideas. Some right, some wrong, no strength of conviction.)

Then Trent discovers more answers, filling in more of the mystery. It seems complete -- until the next chapter.

These are not *false* clues. It is a story of incomplete evidence. With clear pointers to that fact, that this cannot be the complete story. Pointers which are stronger than the number of remaining pages in the book !

The author is not playing with the reader. He is laying out a gradual revelation of the facts of the case.

I still did not beat the author to the true story. (Though an early guess proved correct -- long after I had rejected it :-)

It may be a spoof. It may not be a classic murder mystery. It is a very enjoyable book.

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"Never argue with an idiot. They drag you down to their level then beat you with experience."