Empire of the Vampire

Empire of the Vampire (#1)

horror

copyright 2021

not read in November 2022

rated 2/10: unreadably bad

... though I really do need a rating for, "Not going to waste my time"

The book begins with a character, presumably the hero, in a cell, due to be killed by vampires.

instead of immediate death he begins to tell his life story.

I skip to the end of the book.

Sure enough, the same character is about to continue, telling his life story.

in between are 700 pages of, I guess, nastiness which goes nowhere.

Detailing the inevitable destruction of a person who is of no interest.

Not interested.

I don't bother.

Age of Ash, Daniel Abraham

Age of Ash, 

(Kithamar #1)

by Daniel Abraham (aka James SA Corey)

fantasy

copyright 2022

read in November 2022

rated 4/10: bad but could be read

Solid world-building and not much else.

An immense number of words spent describing a city-state, its citizens and their day-by-day lives.

Hordes of characters. None of them worth knowing.

Okay, one sympathetic character. Surrounded by creeps, nasties and low-lifes. Yes, an overall hint of community support but it doesn't help, everyone is so grindingly poor that good will is pointless.

Finally, the evil centre of the city is explained -- I almost missed it, I was so sick and tired of the tedious prose that I was skimming. Clearly, the author was paid by the word.

Then... finally... the book ends. The story, unfortunately, does not end. Some characters have moved on, others just disappeared. Overall, the city is unchanged.

And the evil villain is waiting round the corner, waiting for the author to bore us with two more volumes. Supposedly a trilogy but I doubt it. I suspect that the author will not be content with a mere three books of incredible tedium. I won't hold my breath. But I will remember the author's name -- and his pseudonym -- and hope to avoid his future boring nonsense.

Dr Nick Lethbridge / Consulting Dexitroboper

...        Agamedes Consulting / Problems ? Solved

===

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

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

The Desert Prince / Peter V Brett

The Desert Prince / Peter V Brett

(Nightfall Saga -- restarted)

fantasy

copyright 2021

read in October 2022

rated 7/10: well worth reading

Plenty of fantasy (and science fiction) books follow social trends and provide a strong heroine. Sometimes more than strong, heroines may be as violent and as bloodthirsty as Conan. Equal opportunity regardless of gender.

This book goes a step further.

Princess Olive is a pampered flower, dressed in frills, powdered perfumed and painted. Oh, and learning to fight.

Then she becomes Prince Olive and learns even more about fighting -- and killing. Yet the killing is, mostly, of demons, so not as nasty.

One character. Hero and heroine... extreme equal opportunity.

And it works. Olive -- in both aspects -- is a likeable and sympathetic character.

The action takes place in two main arenas: a benevolent democracy and a macho city of strong men and veiled subservient women. With Olive introducing a small amount of benevolence. Of course :-)

At the start of the book I thought, the world and characters are well introduced. With a few words, new setting and characters are quickly familiar.

As I read on I began to think... Have I missed a book one? There is a lot of back-story. A host of historic characters. Well introduced but... did they have a book of their own?

=== later: okay, this book is a continuation... fifteen years later. Thought so:-)

And then the book ended... with characters lost, needing to be rescued. Villains defeated but ready to return. There is a lot of to be continued... But it doesn't matter. The ending is satisfactory. The main characters are mostly safe (or dead).

An enjoyable book. With a unique main character.

Dr Nick Lethbridge / Consulting Dexitroboper

...        Agamedes Consulting / Problems ? Solved

===

Politicians are like nappies -- just because you've changed the old one doesn't mean the new one's not going to end up being full of crap, too. (adapted from Alfred E. Neuman)

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

Hitch-Hikers Guide to the Galaxy/Douglas Adams

Hitch-Hikers Guide to the Galaxy/Douglas Adams

humour, science fiction

copyright 1979 read (again) October 2022

rated 7/10: well worth reading

My wife was watching the TV version, I was inspired to re-read the book. A good decision :-)

An absolute highlight on TV is the voice of Marvin. As I read, I read in that voice, it made the book even better.

And yet...

Rated seven. Surely it's worth more?

No. Because the humour is cruel.

There is a nasty, cutting... insulting... edge to it. Irony has turned to sarcasm.

And Arthur always loses.

This is a constant theme of almost all the books in the series: Arthur loses.

This takes the edge off my enjoyment.

Yes, this book is a classic of humour.

Yes, I enjoyed reading it.

But no, it is *not* "really good. Because it is rather unpleasant.

Dr Nick Lethbridge / Consulting Dexitroboper

...        Agamedes Consulting / Problems ? Solved

===

If you always see your glass as half empty, try getting a smaller glass. (Alfred E. Neuman)

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

The Andromeda Evolution / Daniel H Wilson

The Andromeda Evolution

by Daniel H Wilson

thriller

copyright 2019

part read in October 2022

rated 4/10: bad but could be read

The front cover clearly indicates that this book is rubbish. In big bold letters the cover says, Michael Crichton.

yet Crichton had absolutely nothing to do with this book. he's dead.

what we have is a follow-up, trying to be a techno thriller. Managing to be a weak farce.

A century ago the city scientists would have crashed into deepest darkest Africa, to be guided and saved by Tarzan.

today they are thrown into deepest darkest South America. to be met by a native boy... I've given up reading but I'm guessing that he will guide them and save them.

meanwhile, the Andromeda Strain has mutated. in a ludicrous fashion.

and at last, one good point from this book. An interesting explanation of Andromeda's possible origins.

that's one point. there are many more points of arrant stupidity. including the inclusion in the top secret US team of a Chinese communist soldier. or spy. Good grief.

The overweight unfit computer expert carries drones. in his backpack he also carries a drone recharging station. what, a tonne of batteries? perhaps a diesel generator? no way.

the original book determined that Andromeda eats energy and creates matter. so a nuclear blast will only feed it. yet we are told that all traces were destroyed by incineration... and a gas fire is not energy?

now the military is once again considering nuclear cleansing. will they ever learn? Will it work? definitely not.

regardless, the military genius goes for advice. to a woman with a degenerative disease so why would she care about a new threat to her life. she is in a space station so there is little chance that she will be affected. I can't remember whether she had any expertise. perhaps she read the first book? 

It doesn't matter. her advice is... oh, just leave it alone.

at this point I can't stand any more.

cliche and stereotype are no substitute for plot.

Dr Nick Lethbridge / Consulting Dexitroboper

...        Agamedes Consulting / Problems ? Solved

===

If you always see your glass as half empty, try getting a smaller glass. (Alfred E. Neuman)

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

Garmin Forerunner 55

Garmin Forerunner 55

Rated 3/10: so bad it's embarrassing

This may be great technology. It's hard to tell. Weeks on, we're still trying to convince it to work.

Just to start: there are five buttons. Each seems to have at least two functions, depending on whether it's pressed or held. Apparently.

The various functions are described in a user manual -- in jargon. Meaningless jargon.

Then there's garmin connect. An hour or two to define a workout. Add it to the "calendar" -- and... nothing.

We may have copied it to the device, no way to tell. The day came -- and no workout. So we went back to old tech: Training Centre -- which works simply and well. The day comes, the workout appears

Though the FR55 can't follow it. It wants to "rest". It refuses to move to the next step -- probably those five buttons with ten secret functions. Who knows.

My wife -- who has far more patience than me -- will be running with her old FR220, we know that it works.

Is there a market for new but crappy FR55s?

Dr Nick Lethbridge / Consulting Dexitroboper

...        Agamedes Consulting / Problems ? Solved

===

If you're not a part of the solution, then you're part of the vast majority. (Alfred E. Neuman)

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

apple air tablet pc

Spple Air tablet PC

rated 3/10: so bad it's embarrassing

I bought a new tablet PC. It's an Apple "Air" or some such. I'm not interested in the make and model. Just believe that, at July 2022, it is the latest model Apple tablet.

And it's a real bugger.

First: every so often it stops and restarts. No reason. It seems that it's a known problem. (Though, a couple of months later the problem does seem to have been fixed.

====

10oct22: Not fixed. Today -- once again -- restart for no reason.

What a load of rubbish.

Second: It can't be used resting on my lap.

Sit comfortably. Rest the tablet conveniently on my lap -- and it stops. Claims a temperature emergency And restarts. My best guess is that there is an air gap, for cooling, at the bottom -- just where it rests on my lap. So no air, no cooling.

Then there are its limitations.

I have a few dozen epub books, gathered for a rainy day. All are readable on my ancient Android tablet. The Apple refuses to read half of them. Which is a pity because the screen is nice and clear, easy-reading. But I'll take my old Android on holiday, it reads all of those epubs.

Plus, I know how to connect the old tablet to holiday wifi services. The Apple is a mystery... which brings me to the final -- major -- problem:

Okay, this probably applies equally to current model Android tablets: This device wants to control me.

I had dreams of sitting comfortably. Tablet on my lap. Doing my work (or pleasure) Perhaps writing the great Australian novel. with the help of a modern tablet PC. Fat chance :-(

I open a doc to edit. Three taps -- and the entire document is wiped! What?! Bugger.

Try again.

Weird. There is no way to tap the screen where I want to type. I have to tap and slide backwards and forwards. Whatever happened to the very useful arrows on a keyboard? And selecting text to change? Awkward. I think I can copy selected text. I have yet to discover the secret to pasting.

Whatever this thing does it must do it its way.

How do I like to work? Forget it :-( Do it the Apple way. Follow the program. Or forget it.

Something simple: I get a new epub to read on holiday. Okay, says the device, added to your library... but it's not.

In fact, it's added to a cloud storage space. So what? Well... the holiday is 100km from home -- with no internet. So no book to read.

Software for New York city. With high-speed always-available internet access. What a load of crap.

Oh, and it's impossible to turn the thing off. Is that a "feature"? Are users so incompetent that they can't turn a device on or off? This bugger is always on... except... it still takes three steps to wake it up. Bloody hell :-(

Here's a good point:

Email notification is a pleasant soft ping, just enough to let me know without interfering with whatever I'm doing.

On the other hand... If I am sitting with the tablet when an email arrives,

if I want to read then type a reply -- it is quicker and easier to walk across the room... to the desktop PC (which has a mouse and keyboard)... switch on, start mail... and reply from the PC. All that -- because tablet typing is such a difficult process.

Great technology. Absolute rubbish software.

Dr Nick Lethbridge / Consulting Dexitroboper

...        Agamedes Consulting / Problems ? Solved

===

If you're not a part of the solution, then you're part of the vast majority. (Alfred E. Neuman)

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