What MrKlingon is reading and thinking about these days.
Thursday, July 02, 2009
Hamish Macbeth and Death...
I'm on a roll - thanks to a positive note I saw from Orson Scott Card regarding MC Beaton's Hamish Macbeth series, I've been tearing through this likeable series of "cozy" murder mysteries:
Hamish Macbeth has a reputation for laziness; because he loves his native town of Lochdubh (meaning 'black lake' (loch) in Gaelic and pronounced Loch-doo), he avoids promotion, occasionally even deliberately destroying attempts to give him recognition for his accomplishments. Because of his position as "local bobby," he must often work outside official channels, as the detectives from neighbouring Strathbane CID do not appreciate his help.
Welcome to Moundville, where it’s been raining for longer than Roy McGuire has been alive. Most people say the town is cursed—right in the middle of their big baseball game against rival town Sinister Bend, black clouds crept across the sky and it started to rain. That was 22 years ago . . . and it’s still pouring.
A great YA baseball book - terrific!
Forger's Spell: A True Story of Vermeer, Nazis, and the Greatest Art Hoax of the Twentieth Centuryby Edward Dolnick
Wow - fascinating story of forgery. The author, an Edgar award winner, does a terrific job relating the history of some amazing swindles, as well as giving lots of background and details of art forgery.
A nice adaption by Foster, the king of movie (and more) adaptions. A little rough in the editing (the word manual in one sentence is spelled manuel in the next). Adds backstory to explain things (especially the young Jimmy Kirk joyride in the beginning) and is a nice replay of a fun movie.
I've been aware of this for years - read some of it, seen the musical and listened to the music. Now I feel I have a better (if abridged) understanding of the story - a nice adaption I picked up on audiocassette at my local library.
I had to re-read this after seeing the new movie (which IS great!). This holds up well - actually paralleling the movie, in the bad start to Spock and Kirk's friendship.
As World War II approached its end, thousands of American and British soldiers languished in German POW camps. With the Russian Red Army closing in from the east and Allied troops advancing from the west, Hitler forced the POWs deeper into the heart of Germany. Over the next several months these prisoners were forced to walk more than 500 miles through the severest of winter conditions, and hundreds died from exhaustion, disease, and starvation. Here-for the first time-interviews with the POWs who survived as well as their diaries and letters bring this astonishing tale of endurance and courage to life.
This was an excellent account of the fortunes of the Allied prisoners in Europe during WWII - I wish I'd read it 20 years ago because my late father was one of those prisoners - I'd have loved to been able to ask him about these things. At least I know more than I did before....
This striking book filled in quite a few details on what Dad and his fellow prisoners endured - I marvel at what they lived through. Highly recommended.
In the Land of Invented Languages: Esperanto Rock Stars, Klingon Poets, Loglan Lovers, and the Mad Dreamers Who Tried to Build A Perfect Languageby Arika Okrent
Just about everyone has heard of Esperanto, which was nothing less than one man’s attempt to bring about world peace by means of linguistic solidarity. And every Star Trek fan knows about Klingon, which was nothing more than a television show’s attempt to create a tough-sounding language befitting a warrior race with ridged foreheads. But few people have heard of Babm, Blissymbolics, and the nearly nine hundred other invented languages that represent the hard work, high hopes, and full-blown delusions of so many misguided souls over the centuries.
This book is dangerous! I wasn't even done and I was wandering across Esperanto websites and looking for library books on Esperanto. Okrent does a wonderful job of leading the reader through the perplexing world of language-dreamers (visionaries AND cranks) who have, through the centuries, invented all manner of fascinating languages.She does a wonderful job of teaching about linguistic theory, the mechanics of real AND imaginary languages and plenty of detail (but never too much detail). With grace and a good dash of humor (as a Klingonist I had my long suffering family laughing when I read some of her depictions of the Klingon crowd) she covers it all.
Jordan McKell has a problem with authority. Unfortunately for him, the iron-fisted authority of the powerful Patthaaunutth controls virtually every aspect of galactic shipping. In order to survive, Jordan ekes out a living dabbling in interstellar smuggling for outlaw concerns that represent the last vestiges of free trade in the galaxy. So when Jordan and his partner, Ixil—an alien with two ferret-like "outhunters" linked to his neural system—are hired by a mysterious gentleman to fly a ship and its special cargo to Earth, they jump at the job. ...
A nice bit of Space Opera from Zahn, whose work includes award-winning original work AND block buster Star Wars fiction. Lots of interesting world-building here with multiple alien races and cultures. Some complain it's Han Solo and Chewie "by another name," and I can see a bit of that, since Jordan McKell certainly exudes that Solo-vibe. But the story stands on its own as a nice "caper story" in a far flung future.
A breakneck journey into the heart of the Vatican.
In a small, heavily fortified room just north of the Sistine Chapel, a master thief is about to strike. All he needs is an instant–to steal the most important treasure in the Vatican museum: two antique keys–one gold, one silver–that protect the secret of salvation….
But a surprise awaits Michael St. Pierre deep inside the Vatican, an ancient secret so explosive, it sends him running for his life—from the streets of Rome to a small stone church in Israel—with two stolen keys and a terrible realization: the consequences of his desperate, brazen act are far greater than he could ever have imagined.
For the treasure he has uncovered—the gleaming prize buried within the most clandestine structure on earth—is about to bring him face-to-face with an enemy more shocking, frightening, and insidious than anyone can guess....
Okay.... I picked this up on a whim from the library and I enjoyed it although... it was one of the goofiest stories I've read. It has the bizarre premise that, when Jesus told Peter "And I will give unto you the keys of the kingdom of heaven" (Mt 16:19) he actually handed over a pair of real KEYS, (wait, it gets better) and the Devil really wants those keys - but can't touch them. SO... he hires a master thief to do it.
I can't imagine hearing a synopsis like that and expecting the story to be anything worth looking at... but surprisingly Doetsch makes it work (well, once you get past Jesus-the-locksmith) with good pacing and interesting characters.
So, bottom line, fun story - but don't expect to learn anything real about Christianity and its teachings regarding heaven, hell or the devil.
Last time I listened to this - well logged here - was in 2004 when my MuVo was my mp3 player. And I still have one (two, actually). (But this time I listened with my iPod Nano). Good story. Something refreshing about hanging out with Holmes, and these audio versions are really well read.
In the 1950s, a group of young science fiction writers, dreaming of literary immortality and calling themselves the Lanthanides, buried a time capsule with their stories and relics from the time. Now, in the 1990s, when several of them have become famous, the surviving Lanthanides are getting together at a special convention to dig up the capsule and open it. But the convention is startled by the appearance of a writer who was supposed to have died thirty years ago. Then murder materializes to throw the agenda further into chaos. Now, Jay Omega, author of Bimbos of the Death Sun, and his significant other, Dr. Marion Farley, must separate science fact from fiction -- and unearth a killer with a story of his own to tell.
Well, okay - another go round with these characters. Interesting enough - again with the very dated depiction of the SF scene, but a better mystery than the first book. I find her love/hate relationship with fandom kind of conflicted - it makes this not as likeable a story as it could be.
And another re-read of this. As noted before, this is a nice, succinct book of theology. Like Mere Christianity it serves as a good devotional work to re-read from time-to-time to think about the basics.
For one fateful weekend, the annual science fiction and fantasy convention, Rubicon, has all but taken over a usually ordinary hotel. Now the halls are alive with Trekkies, tech nerds, and fantasy gamers in their Viking finery *all of them eager to hail their hero, bestselling fantasy author Appin Dungannon: a diminutive despot whose towering ego more than compensates for his 5' 1" height . . . and whose gleeful disdain for his fawning fans is legendary.
Hurling insults and furniture with equal abandon, the terrible, tiny author proceeds to alienate ersatz aliens and make-believe warriors at warp speed. But somewhere between the costume contest and the exhibition Dungeons & Dragons game, Dungannon gets done in. While die-hard fans of Dungannon's seemingly endless sword-and-sorcery series wonder how they'll go on and hucksters wonder how much they can get for the dead man's autograph, a hapless cop wonders, Who would want to kill Appin Dungannon? But the real question, as the harried convention organizers know, is Who wouldn't ?
Not a book easy to find (I downloaded it as a library e-audiobook) - this was McCrumb's first book - and it got an Edgar for it's depiction of an SF Con. Interesting now as a period piece as it is extremely dated in its rendition of the F/SF landscape. Enjoyable enough, but... there is an antipathy for the milieu despite the female protagonist's being an English prof who teaches an SF course. Partway through the (only) sequel, Zombies of the Gene Pool, and it is again an interesting enough story - but her attitude toward fandom seems more pitying than sympathetic, which I think works against the story.
Full of whodunit twists and explosive action, Scalzi's third SF novel lacks the galactic intensity of its two related predecessors, but makes up for it with entertaining storytelling on a very human scale. Several years after the events of The Ghost Brigades(2006), John Perry, the hero of Old Man's War(2005), and Jane Sagan are leading a normal life as administrator and constable on the colonial planet Huckleberry with their adopted daughter, Zoë, when they get conscripted to run a new colony, ominously named Roanoke. When the colonists are dropped onto a different planet than the one they expected, they find themselves caught in a confrontation between the human Colonial Union and the alien confederation called the Conclave.
Again, excellent - I'm glad that his pledge to "end" this series - at least as far as penning "Zoe's Tale" to complement this book (waiting for it now at the library).
Scalzi is someone who I'd put down as a "new Heinlein" - except I think I like his morality better than Heinlein's.
THE NEXT CHAPTER IN THE EXTRAORDINARY HISTORY OF THE STAR WARS GALAXY BEGINS HERE. . . .
After a violent civil war and the devastation wrought by the now-fallen Darth Caedus, the Galactic Alliance is in crisis–and in need. From all corners, politicians, power brokers, and military leaders converge on Coruscant for a crucial summit to restore order, negotiate differences, and determine the future of their unified worlds. But even more critical, and far more uncertain, is the future of the Jedi.
Okay, my admittedly low tastes for "franchise fiction" like this make it not surprise I'd read yet-another-StarWars book (okay, HAVE it read). What was a surprise was how much I liked this one. Mainly because they've done a very nice job of taking an unabridged book and enhancing it with *just enough* sound effects and John Williams music. That, plus Marc Thompson's voice work (he does a nice Han Solo voice, not to mention Lando), make this an "audio movie." I hope he continues through this series.
This book picks up loose threads from the previous "Legacy" series and kind of followsthe notion of Jedi as public menace - sort of like superheroes in "The Incredibles" (or Watchmen?). Their is action on multiple fronts and some of the humor of the original movies. I'm glad I gave it a listen.
It's handy being 1) a seminary alumnus, and 2) living walking distance from said seminary. It means I can get books that the "regular libaries" don't carry - such as this one relating Mennonite Pastor/seminary professor Boers's experience with pilgrimage, specifically "The Way of St. James."
I came across this in a Christianity Today excerpt - very good, both as relating the journey, but also in the author's reflections on his own faith and the meaning of the pilgrimage.
The Lost Fleet continues its perilous journey home.
Badly damaged and low on supplies, the Alliance Fleet is raiding Syndic mines for raw materials-and Captain "Black Jack" Geary hopes they can continue to remain one step ahead of their enemies. But the Syndics are the least of Geary's worries when he learns of the existence of aliens with the power to annihilate the human race.
Campbell (aka John Hemry) continues without disappointment in the saga of the Lost Fleet. Like Lois McMaster Bujold before him, he continues to find ways to on one hand demonstrate the nobility, and general superiority of the hero, while on the other hand piling on more and more problems. Each book develops this better and better - and he finds interesting ways to explore the problems a fleet like this would face. I've got the fourth book in hand and am exercising great discipline to save it for my upcoming vacation.
Infused with common sense and seasoned with candor, the latest work from McKnight (The Jesus Creed), religious studies professor at North Park College, takes a stand in controversial territory by bravely asking the question: how is it that even Christians who claim to be led by an authoritative Bible read it so differently? In response, the author asserts that believers need to take a fresh look at how they adopt and adapt Scripture before they can read the Bible in a way that renews a living relationship with the God behind the sacred text. Using the analogy of a water slide, McKnight argues that the Gospel is the slide, the Bible and church tradition the walls that both protect and liberate the believer as he or she discerns how to apply Scripture as a living document. In the last section, McKnight tackles the controversial issue of women's role in church ministry in a way that is both scholarly and confessional, documenting his own journey alongside that of the apostle Paul and other biblical characters. Enriched by folksy anecdotes, this volume could be very useful for evangelical readers and any others wanting a safe place to ask the same bold questions.
Very good - thoughtful reflection on the power, and purpose of Scripture. Opening ways to understand and interpret, without undermining the authority of the Bible - I look forward to reading more from McKnight.
The Barnes & Noble Review A centuries-old interstellar conflict. Millions dead. Entire star systems obliterated. A tough-as-nails leader trying to lead a lost fleet back home from deep in enemy territory. Military science fiction fans who are searching for a fast-paced, no-holds-barred, deep-space military-powered adventure should check out the Lost Fleet saga by Jack Campbell (pseudonym for veteran genre writer John G. Hemry), a surprisingly multi-layered series that incorporates elements of space opera, apocalyptic thriller, and, at times, subtly allegorical social commentary.
In Fearless, the sequel to 2006's Dauntless, legendary war hero Captain John "Black Jack" Geary is once again faced with a seemingly hopeless situation. Recently rescued from an escape pod found floating in space after nearly a century in suspended animation, Geary is desperately trying to find a way to bring what's left of the Alliance fleet back home. In his possession is a device acquired from an enemy starship that could end the war forever. But with the entire military force of the Syndicate Worlds hot on his trail, Geary is up against impossible odds -- especially when he frees a labor camp of Alliance POWs and rescues an egomaniacal captain whose irrational machismo could doom the entire fleet… ....
Yes. No disappointment in this series - the second installment is great, and develops the complex situation of John Geary and his leading of "The Lost Fleet" against impossible odds.
I do think this compares (favorably) to the Miles Vorkosigan series. The hero is likewise a gifted leader, whose tactical skill is balanced by an interior skepticism and honor that keep him from being a "mere hero." I've got book number three ("Courageous" - all ship names in his fleet, by the way) in hand from the library, and bought number four ("Valiant") for an upcoming trip. It will be tempting (but I'll resist) to read it as soon as I finish number three.
The Alliance has been fighting the Syndic for a century-and losing badly. Now its fleet is crippled and stranded in enemy territory. Their only hope is Captain John "Black Jack" Geary-a man who's emerged from a century-long hibernation to find he has been heroically idealized beyond belief. Now, he must live up to his own legend.
Well, thank you, librarything.com! I came across this in the "auto-suggest" that looked at my books and pointed it out. Very good. A little bit Star Trek Voyager, a little bit Battlestar Galactica, with some "King Arthur returned" thrown in for good measure, Campbell (John Hemry, really) gives a good yarn here, the beginning of the Lost Fleet adventures. I've got books 2 and 3 queued up already.
It's good hard SF - his depiction of the battles across a solar system, with relativistic effects and time-lag well done. I found it much more comprehensible (and interesting) than Weber's battle scenes in the Harrington series (which I like, but I usually skip quickly through the fight scences).
And it's a good people story - with the hero Jack Geary coming to terms with his revival after a century of sleep to take command of a fleet immersed in a hundred year war that has taken a toll on the people and policies of the Alliance. He needs to fend off the near-deification his heroic "Black Jack" persona is remembered as, AND use it to drive his fleet into the discipline and structure they will need to fight their way back to Alliance space.
I'm actually reminded of Bujold's The Warrior's Apprentice, for, like Miles, Jack Geary finds himself in charge and improvising his way as he tries to steer, and win the loyalty of, a fleet he never expected to be running.
Recently I discovered iTune U. There I discovered all sorts of interesting content from Universities literally all over the world. For me, it was a particular treat to listen to / watch lectures on theology and biblical studies - it was refreshing to take part in a dialog that was sane - not attention grabbing extremists.
In a similar vein, I came across this while browsing the shelves at my local library - and was similarly pleased to enjoy this study and exploration of Jesus's teachings.
Now I'm waiting to pick up Dr McKnight's next book (on "difficult" Biblical teachings), "The Blue Parakeet."
Something (well finding "The Sandworms of Dune" audio book at the library) got me in a Dune kinda mood.
This is fun, in that it is Frank Herbert himself reading selections of the books he wrote. But now... I've got the complete Dune audio, and the latter-day Paul of Dune (a latter-day book, but direct chronological sequel to Dune) audio books waiting at the library.... I suspect those are going to take quite a while to get through......
picked this up - 3 CDs - at the library. Interesting "modern" version - though I was confused because I didn't realize how modern it was at first... I thought it was victorian, but then realized they had helicopters, jets, etc.....
I'd like to find the 1950 BBC version, too. It WAS Victorian... and written by the same scriptwriter.
The forced alliance between the interplanetary Empire of Rome and the United States-led Earth is shattered as Ceasar Romulus declares war, striking at the U.S. Deep Space base and then following up with a direct attack against Earth. Merrimack has no choice but to retaliate with an assault on the Roman capital world of Palatine. In the midst of this chaos, the Hive renews its invasion. And even if John Farragut and his crew can survive all of this, the rogue Roman palterner Augustus - who was long beenassigned to his own mission aboard Merrimack - flees the ship when war is declared, and no one knows whether he is only biding his time, waiting to meet Farragut in a final deadly showdown. ...
You want space battles? Check. You want sword fights and gladitorial combat? Check and check. You want action, romance, philosophy? Check, check, check.
This, the fourth entrant in Meluch's Merrimack series (and I pray not the last!) delivers all the above and more. It's like a crazy cross mix of Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica, Roman history and WWII - and for my money she pulls it off. Here's to many more.
Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vader are dead. The Empire has been toppled by the triumphant Rebel Alliance, and the New Republic is ascendant. But the struggle against the dark side and the Sith Order is not over. Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, Han Solo, Lando Calrissian, and their faithful comrades have had little time to savor victory before being called on to defend the newly liberated galaxy.
Powerful remnants of the vanquished Empire, hungry for retaliation, are still at large, committing acts of piracy, terrorism, and wholesale slaughter against the worlds of the fledgling New Republic. The most deadly of these, a ruthless legion of black-armored Stormtroopers, do the brutal bidding of the newly risen warlord Shadowspawn. Striking from a strategically advantageous base on the planet Mindor, they are waging a campaign of plunder and destruction, demolishing order and security across the galaxy–and breeding fears of an Imperial resurgence. Another reign of darkness beneath the boot-heel of Sith despotism is something General Luke Skywalker cannot, and will not, risk....
Okay, yes, another Star Wars book. This one was fun - not part of some massive multi-book chain, it pretty much told one story, but one that felt like another Star Wars movie, say a fourth episode of the original trilogy. Lots of action, back and forth between multiple scenes. And I felt the dialog (especially between Han and Leia) harked back to the best of the original movies.
Rabbi Aharon Handalman's expertise with Torah code - rearranging words and letters in the Bible - has uncovered a man's name. Who is Yosef Kobinski, and why did God hide his name in His sacred text? To find the answers, Aharon begins an investigation, and discovers that Kobinski, a Polish rabbi, was not only a mystic but also a brilliant physicist who authored what may be the most important lost work in human history.
In Seattle, Jill Talcott's work with energy wave equations is being linked to Yosef Kobinski, now deceased, who claimed nearly fifty years ago that he discovered an actual physical law of good and evil. But when Jill's lab explodes, she is forced to flee for her life, realizing that her cutting-edge research is far more dangerous than she ever has imagined. And that powerful people have a stake in what she may have uncovered.
Now Jill, her research partner, and a writer fascinated by Kobinski are about to meet Handalman in Poland - all four desperate to solve the astonishing riddle. Searching through the past, they trace Kobinski to a clearing in the woods near Auschwitz. And in that clearing they come face-to-face with the inexplicable: that Kobinski, drawing on his own alchemy of science and the Kabbalah, made himself vanish from the death camp in a blaze of fire. Now, with intelligence agents hot on their trail, the investigators have no choice. They must follow Kobinski - to wherever he may have gone.
This was a lot of fun - and at times quite harrowing.
An inspired and hilarious look at how humans can defeat the inevitable robot rebellion—as revealed by a robotics expert.
How do you spot a robot mimicking a human? How do you recognize and then deactivate a rebel servant robot? How do you escape a murderous “smart” house, or evade a swarm of marauding robotic flies? In this dryly hilarious survival guide, roboticist Daniel H. Wilson teaches worried humans the keys to quashing a robot mutiny.
This is another clever "science book in disguise" - joining the ranks with titles like "The Physics of Star Trek." If you pay attention you'll actually learn a lot about robotics and the potentials (as well as weaknesses) of our robot "enemies."
I'm sure I had this out of the library, but never logged it as read. I just came across it in audio book form and was able to listen - really fun AND informative.
The Precipice: Book One of the Asteroid Warsby Ben Bova
Synopsis
The first novel of the Asteroid Wars about earth’s near future from the “leading light of hard Science Fiction and space advocacy”* Once, Dan Randolph was one of the richest men on Earth. Now the planet is spiralling into environmental disaster, with floods and earthquakes destroying the lives of millions. Martin Humphries, fabulously wealthy heir of the Humphries Trust, also knows that space-based industry is the way of the future. But unlike Randolph he does not care if Earth perishes in the process. As Randolph—accompanied by two brilliant women astronauts—flies out to the Asteroid Belt aboard a fusion-propelled spacecraft, Humphries makes his move. The future of mankind lies in Randolph’s hands.
FINALLY.... I finished listening to the audio book of this - partly because I started reading Mars Life, another of the Grand Tour books by Bova. Very good - full of lots of interesting speculation for future space flight and exploration. His "New Morality" angle is one that fall a little flat with me - I certainly understand his issues, and it works well enough in his stories... but as an active Christion, it falls a little flat - it has the monolithic feel of someone outside a faith who thinks that all believers work in lockstep...
Newsweek called renowned minister Timothy Keller "a C. S. Lewis for the twenty-first century" in a feature on his first book, The Reason for God. In that book, he offered a rational explanation of why we should believe in God. Now, in The Prodigal God, he uses one of the best-known Christian parables to reveal an unexpected message of hope and salvation.
Taking his trademark intellectual approach to understanding Christianity, Keller uncovers the essential message of Jesus, locked inside his most familiar parable. Within that parable Jesus reveals God's prodigal grace toward both the irreligious and the moralistic. This book will challenge both the devout and skeptics to see Christianity in a whole new way.
A very nice treatment of the Prodigal Son - with insights for elder brothers and prodigals alike. Realizing that the real prodigal in the story is God is a valuable lesson.
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(also noted: finished re-listening to "The Silver Chair.")
Bestselling author Steven Johnson recounts- in dazzling, multidisciplinary fashion-the story of the brilliant man who embodied the relationship between science, religion, and politics for America's Founding Fathers.
This was a striking history - one that illuminated the life of someone who is almost forgotten (though I admit I scored Trivial Pursuit points off of him recently - even before reading the books).
This book covers a convergence of issues in an interesting narrative about the history of science, the history of the American Revolution, and the boundary between faith and science. On top of that, Johnson does a great job drawing the story into our world - the creative synthesis that the internet brings to our world mirrored by Priestley's time with collaborators like Benjamin Franklin and Priestley hanging out in the London coffee house swapping ideas and inspiration.
Recent listening - wandering in fantasy worlds. As Alan Jacobs notes in The Narnian, Lewis and Tolkien wrote books that were "long walks," appropriate to writers in Great Britain who thought going for long walks in the country great fun.
For my own memory's sake* - they're all re-listening to radio version of books I've read:
The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe (all Focus on the Family)
Prince Caspian
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
always rich in devotional content and meaning - wonderful.
The Lord of the Rings (BBC version)
ditto - the BBC did a wonderful job.
* I found recently that this list/blog is useful, as using this list I determined that I had indeed read DeCandido's third book in his Klingon Empire series. I still might re-read it....
They have been the Federation's staunchest allies, and its fiercest adversaries. Cunning, ruthless, driven by an instinct for violence and defined by a complex code of honor, they must push ever outward in order to survive, defying the icy ravages of space with the fire of their hearts. They are the Klingons, and if you think you already know all there is to learn about them...think again. From its highest echelons of power to the shocking depths of its lowest castes, from its savagely aggressive military to its humble farmers, from political machinations of galactic import to personal demons and family strife, the Klingon Empire is revealed as never before when the captain and crew of the I.K.S. Gorkon finally return to their homeworld of Qo'noS in a sweeping tale of intrigue, love, betrayal, and honor.
Wow - even if I hadn't just come off an all tlhIngan Hol production of "A Christmas Carol," I'd have really liked this book. As it is, with DeCandido's liberal use of tlhIngan Hol (Klingon language), not to mention his always-included glossary, this book was a terrific continuation of the (now named) Klingon Empire series. He weaves multiple stories -both with his own new characters as well as established Trek people (Martok, Worf, Toq and Bashir, to name a few) and really draws you forward in an enjoyable and thoughtful story (make that stories). I'm looking forward to his next entry... and digging back into one I missed.. I may even re-read his earlier ones - they're really fun. Without being slavish to canon, he is very attentive to it, and yet free enough to move forward with a good narrative. He does a nice mix of things - referring to Klingonaase as well as tlhIngan Hol, and mixes in J M Ford's "Final Reflection" ideas and concepts too.
An alien scientist invents the Intergalactic Inversion Drive, an engine system that transcends warp drive, and the U.S.S. EnterpriseTM will be the first to test it! The Klingons attempt to thwart the test, but a greater danger looms when strange symptoms surface among the crew, and time becomes meaningless.
Captain Kirk and his friends must repair the fabric of the Universe before time is lost forever.
Well - how many times have I read this one? Diane Duane does Trek RIGHT - a good story, a great take on Trek, with interesting details about life on the Enterprise, and wonderful characters like Harb Tanzer.... I'm sure I'll come back to it again....
Two years have passed since Jacen Solo, seduced by the dark side and reanointed as the brutal Sith Lord Darth Caedus, died at the hands of his twin sister, Jaina, Sword of the Jedi. For a grieving Han and Leia, the shadow of their son’s tragic downfall still looms large. But Jacen’s own bright and loving daughter, Allana, offers a ray of hope for the future as she thrives in her grandparents’ care. And when the eager, inquisitive girl, in whom the Force grows ever stronger, makes a curious discovery aboard her grandfather’s beloved spacecraft–the much-overhauled but ever-dependable Millennium Falcon–the Solo family finds itself at a new turning point, about to set out on an odyssey into uncertain territory, untold adventure, and unexpected rewards. To Han, who knows every bolt, weld, and sensor of the Falcon as if they were parts of himself, the strange device Allana shows him is utterly alien. But its confounding presence–and Allana’s infectious desire to unravel its mystery–are impossible to dismiss. The only answer lies in backtracking into the past on a fact-finding expedition to retrace the people, places, and events in the checkered history of the vessel that’s done everything from making the Kessel Run “in less than twelve parsecs” to helping topple an evil empire.
Not bad - a relief not to be in a huge sweep of multi-novel stories, nor in some huge dark family story like the last series. But now... I'm in a Trek mood after being in A Klingon Christmas Carol....
After the finest battleship-class spaceship in Earth's fleet, the U.S.S. Merrimack, rescues a near-space Roman world besieged by a destructive alien life-form known as the Hive, the Romans' leader, Caesar Magnus, insists on honoring the ship's captain, John Farragut. But when Caesar is assassinated, Farragut must lead a mission into the heart of Hive territory in search of a Roman who has been presumed "dead" for decades.
Cool - I can't say enough about how fun these books are. It's a crazy idea (the whole Roman colonies versus USA dominated Earth) but I really like how she executes this.
Set between Card's Hugo and Nebula-winning Ender's Game(1985) and Speaker for the Dead(1986), this philosophical novel covers familiar events, but puts new emphasis on their ethical ramifications. In the wake of his victory over the alien Formics, 12-year-old military genius Ender Wiggins is hailed as a hero, but governments opposed to the International Fleet, which trained him, intend to portray him as a monster. Ender winds up as titular governor of one of the new human colonies, where he struggles to adapt to civilian life and ponders his role in the deaths of thousands of humans and an entire alien species.
Just when you thought Card had mined everything out of the Ender saga - he comes back to prove you wrong - and I'm glad he did. This was very good at "filling in the details" at the aftermath of the Bugger War, and "what happened" to lead up to Speaker for the Dead. Looks like there's more to come - hallelujah! (There are also interesting notes about the retconning necessary to correct differences between this book and the end of Ender's Game.
From Booklist The second adventure of the Merrimack and her right good crew focuses on the war between Earth and the Palatine Empire. The empire is a group of seceded colonies that based its culture on the Roman Empire. Although doughty fighters, the Palatines have been at a disadvantage in interstellar flight technology. Now they may be developing Earth-equivalent technology and the potential to expand their sphere of influence. When the Merrimack is sent to investigate, she falls into a trap that only Captain Farragut's ingenuity keeps from becoming fatal. Add to this the advent of the Hive--space-dwelling group beings who are the deadly enemies of all other sentient life--and the ingredients of a fast-paced, space-action novel are assembled.
Very fun! It' s interesting - the first book (The Myriad) sets up all the relationships and histories - like a pilot episode of a series - and then (using a device I can't/won't explain) "resets" everything to continue the story into the second book. Good series - and getting better!
The Last Battle, by CS Lewis (as dramatized by Focus on the Family).
Just keeping track - I've finished listening (again) through the whole cycle of The Chronicles of Narnia via the (excellent!) FotF dramatizations. This fits in well with current listening "the Theology of CS Lewis" (via iTunes U) and "The Narnian".
The U.S.S. Merrimack was the finest battleship class spaceship in Earth's fleet, able to stand up against the best the Palatine Empire could throw at them, even able to attack and kill swarms of the seemingly unstoppable Hive. But nothing could have prepared the captain and crew of the Merrimack to face the Myriad-three colonized worlds in the midst of a globular cluster that the Hive had somehow overlooked.
Well, cool. I'd never heard of this author or series. I only came across it because there was an offhand reference in the paper (an article about guarding the Coleman/Franken ballots, one of the judges was reading an SF book "Sagittarius Command"), and I'm glad I did.
A great, fast moving milSF story - full of lots of interesting details and not a few plot twists. Parts Battlestar Galactica, parts Star Trek (the series is referred to as a PG-13 Star Trek) - it's really a lot of fun. Happily I grabbed the second book at the library, and I can request the third when I'm ready. It's a real "popcorn" kind of can't-put-it-down series.
...Even as the Clone Wars are about to reach an explosive climax, no one knows if victory will favor the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) or the Separatists. But no matter who wins, the stakes are highest for elite Special Ops clones like the Republic Commandos in Omega and Delta squads–and the notorious renegade Advance Recon Commando troopers known as Null ARCs....
Now... I *really* doubt you're going to read this book unless you've read Traviss's previous three books - for your sake, you'd better, because it won't make sense otherwise. If you do, it's worth it. Traviss hangs a great story on Lucas's hodgepodge of tragedy - and makes the "order 66" make sense within the clone's story. She also continues with her excellent themes of humanizing the clones, and building an interesting background to Mandalorian culture (not to mention happily sprinkling the Mando'a language throughout.)
A tragic story, but well told. I'm sure to buy the paperback to complete my set when it comes out.
Finally finished this ebook. Been carrying it for more than a few months on my PDA, reading it on and off.
I don't believe I'd ever read it, only in abridged forms (eg. Classic Illustrated Comics, Disney and Wishbone versions) - I'm glad I read it finally. A nice story, quite an archetype of a "boy's story" but liberally salted with Twain's clever and acerbic comments.
Just finished re-listening to the excellent audio found here: http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/9554 I always keep a Holmes book on my iPod, slowly working my way through the canon - great stories, and really, really an excellent reading. I wish I knew more about the history of these version.
But here's something about the book:
His Last Bow is a collection of seven Sherlock Holmes stories (eight in American editions) by Arthur Conan Doyle, as well as the title of one of the stories in that collection. Originally published in 1917, it contains the various Holmes stories published between 1908 and 1913, as well as the one-off title story from 1917.
The collection was originally called Reminiscences of Sherlock Holmes and did not contain the actual story His Last Bow, which appeared later, after the full-length The Valley of Fear was published. However later editions added it and changed the title. Some recent complete editions have restored the earlier title.
When the Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes were published in the USA for the first time, the publishers believed "The Adventure of the Cardboard Box" was too scandalous for the American public, since it dealt with the theme of adultery. As a result, this story was not published in the USA until many years later, when it was added to His Last Bow. Even today, most American editions of the canon include it with His Last Bow, while most British editions keep the story in its original place in The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes.
The Adventure of Wisteria Lodge was not originally published under that name; it is a lengthy two-part story, consisting of The Singular Experience of Mr John Scott Eccles and The Tiger of San Pedro, and on original publication it bore no collective title other than "A Reminiscence of Mr Sherlock Holmes".
The Civil War was the first "modern war." Because of the rapid changes in American society, Abraham Lincoln became president of a divided United States during a period of technological and social revolution. Among the many modern marvels that gave the North an advantage was the telegraph, which Lincoln used to stay connected to the forces in the field in almost real time....
This was definitely up my alley. History. Technology. OLD OBsolete technology-that-parallels modern issues... and it was worth reading. Not as riveting as The Victorian Internet, but still a good book to point out interesting parallels with current events and issues vis a vis technology, policy and war.
A really nice retrospective on both Star Wars and MAD magazine. I was almost nostalgic enough to pick up a current issue... until I saw the most recent material. Sadly Mort Drucker did NOT do all the parodies of the movies - all but the most recent, and it was a shame.
A classic novel from the mind of the storyteller who captures the imagination of readers from around the world, and across two generations
First prize in the Skyway Soap slogan contest was an all-expenses-paid trip to the Moon. The consolation prize was an authentic space suit, and when scientifically minded high school senior Kip Russell won it, he knew for certain he would use it one day to make a sojourn of his own to the stars. But "one day" comes sooner than he thinks when he tries on the suit in his backyard -- and finds himself worlds away, a prisoner aboard a space pirate's ship, and heading straight for what could be his final destination....
Yet-another-audio-book.... Having recently listened to Farmer in the Sky, I turned to my Audible collection to have another listen to this Heinlein classic. Really a good story - and a lot of fun, starting with his parody of the soap slogan contest. The "father" figure's wisdom and approach to parenting is interesting. Heinlein's dour assessment of education is interesting as well. Doesn't really reflect our time, since this dates from the 50's - not to say we don't have any overlap with problems...
Here's a Heinlein I hadn't re-read ... glad I came across it in my "quest for audio cassette books" - well worth it.
Synopsis
The Earth is crowded and food is rationed, but a colony on Ganymede, one of the moons of Jupiter, offers an escape for teenager Bill Lermer and his family. Back on Earth, the move sounded like a grand adventure, but Bill soon realizes that life on the frontier is dangerous, and in an alien world with no safety nets, nature is cruelly unforgiving of even small mistakes. Bill's new home is a world of unearthly wonders -- and heartbreaking tragedy. He will face hardships, survive dangers, and grow up fast, meeting the challenge of opening up a new world for humanity and finding strengths within himself that he had never suspected existed.
Originally written in 1950(!) and serialized in Boy's Life, this book had a lot of meat. An earth with huge overpopulation problems. Fairly liberal family depiction (Bill and his widowed dad call each other by first names. Bill essentially threatens to "do as he pleases" if his father emigrates without him. Lots of serious data and details about colonizing, malthusian pressures and ecology. Sure, there are lots of dated aspects - but more surprising is how relevant and challenging the book is. It's also a love song to Boy Scouting, as the hero is an Eagle scout, and a lot of action involves keeping scouting going out in the reaches of the solar system. I'll have to dig up a paperback of this to add to my Heinlein library.....
So... I have minimal (like, NO) exposure to the vaunted Neil Gaiman, and I spied a 2-cassette audio abridgement of this book. Not bad - though a bit of a blur... looking into it, I discovered it was actually a TV Series in the UK that Gaiman worked on, and adapted into a book... so this is a BIT distilled.....
Still, it was an interesting spin through a shadow under-London where things are disturbing and quite magical - and not a little scary.
Here's yet another book knocked off in my mad quest to find and enjoy books on audio cassette while they're still available.
Sedaris is definitely a good audio performer - and seeing how he got known for his work on radio, listening to his books (parts of which are from live performances) is more than appropriate.
Lots of good material here - some of it quite poignant (or scatological or just funny). A nice listen. Considering some of the material though... I'd think twice about playing this out loud. Headphones might be safer.
King's latest novel is a fantastically eerie tale in line with his best psychological thrillers. John Slattery offers a triumphal performance-his firm, gripping tone perfectly suits this story of the darker side of human memory and creativity. The characters are each so different and complicated, creating a challenge for even the most seasoned narrator. But Slattery does the near-impossible and physically becomes Edgar Freemantle. In fact, the two become so inseparable the listener almost feels guilty listening to his heartfelt confessions. King's vision of Freemantle's fictional personal memoir demands a narrator so believable and solid in his delivery that it seems almost impossible. But Slattery creates a truly moving experience, commanding and truthful.
Oof. Very good. I've not read much Stephen King - only one or two really. This was also one of the (if not THE longest) longest audio TAPE books I've listened to - 18 (!) tapes. As noted in the review above, the reader (John Slattery) did a terrific job of creating the protagonist AND all the different supporting voices. It certainly passed my test, that of REMEMBERING the reader as a being full cast.
I think I might READ King next. I certainly enjoyed listening to this, and would again - but the problems with LISTENING to a "page turner" that pulls you in are: 1) it takes longer than reading, and 2) you can't always LISTEN - there are lots of times when you could be reading but can't plug in the earbuds.....
And the story was excellent - quite John MacDonald-ish in his appreciation of Florida (there are actually a few offhand references TO MacDonald.). I understand that this is a new setting King intends to explore. Interesting too, was the fact that the story began and ended in St. Paul, Minnesota - a place I know well.
In his first book for young adults, bestselling author Sherman Alexie tells the story of Junior, a budding cartoonist growing up on the Spokane Indian Reservation. Determined to take his future into his own hands, Junior leaves his troubled school on the rez to attend an all-white farm town high school where the only other Indian is the school mascot. Heartbreaking, funny, and beautifully written, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, which is based on the author's own experiences, coupled with poignant drawings by acclaimed artist Ellen Forney, that reflect the character's art, chronicles the contemporary adolescence of one Native American boy as he attempts to break away from the life he was destined to live.
Whoa - after all my recent audio books, I'm two-for-two on PRINT books.
This was an excellent coming-of-age story - I can't top the synopsis above without giving things away - highly recommended!
Across the galaxy, the Clone Wars are raging. The Separatists, led by Count Dooku, the onetime Jedi and now secret Sith Lord, continue to press forward, and more and more worlds are either falling, or seceding and joining the cause. Under the leadership of Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, the Republic heroically battles on, championed by its huge army of cloned soldiers and their Jedi generals. ...
Okay, on one hand, it's a cartoon. From a uber-franchise belonging to George Lucas. On the other hand it's by Karen Traviss, the undisputed master and definer of the Clones - and that redeems it. Traviss again and again - with her start with the Republic Commando game-turned-books - has shown she knows how to take the Star Wars canon and turn out good fiction - very nicely done hard sf, really - assuming you accept the constrants of the science fantasy that is Star Wars.
So, if you enjoy the way Traviss handles the GFFA - it's a great book. Heck, it even has me wanting to see the movie.
I discovered this audio book because I'd enjoyed Ms. Toussaint's reading of Fortunate Son. Searching bn.com for other things she'd read I found this (I was expecting/hoping for more Mosley books), and I'm glad I did. It's a nice way to benefit from the excellent programming PBS provides - find a book that encapsulates the series! Better yet, an AUDIO book (and on tape!)
Synopsis
America's struggle, rise and triumph from slavery to equal rights for all, is a living testament to the power of deep, personal faith for Americans of all colors. The black experience in America is defined by a religious faith and the power it offered to people viewed as powerless, even less than human, until the flame of faith showed them that they were equal members in God's family. That everlasting faith in God and trust in God's justice remains central to all of America's concept of democracy and one nation under God to this day.
A fascinating history - often damning of the Christian "majority." I'll take it as prophetic, and hope it leads to repentance.
....sigh. I'm reminded of how I feel listening to "The Muppet Movie" soundtrack. Jim Henson also died far, far too young, and this collection (hodge-podge, really) of bits and pieces rescued from the late (too soon) Douglas Adams's Macintosh likewise reminds me of the loss of a very gifted man.
I found a cassette version of this book at the Minneapolis library, read by Simon Jones, and it was a delight to hear Mr. Adams's words. Entertaining, thought-provoking and even perplexing. As loosely organized as it was, it was still great fun and worth a read (or listen) to any hoopy frood who comes across it.
The intrepid team of mentally uplifted rats and bats, and their vat-born human leader had not only pulled off the only victory the beleagured colony's feeble military forces had won against the invading aliens, but had also uncovered the secret that the invaders were really a feint, being under the control of the other aliens which the naive humans had thought were their allies. Unfortunately, that was the easy part, because now they had to convince their boneheaded military bureaucracy (burdened with incompetents and riddled with quisling humans) of their discovery, and keep from being court-martialed, drugged into submission, or executed by the human traitors. And they had to do this quickly, before the aliens launched their surprise attack. Fortunately, they had found a way around the alien's mental programming. What's more, the daring and resourceful Fluff, apparently the ineffectual pet of one of the colony's ruling class, was on their side. Only Fluff can save us now. . . .
Whew! A whacked out story that equals or surpasses Rats, Bats and Vats! Throw in Shakespeare, Elvis, Irish revolutionary Bats and comic opera military... this is a great follow up to the Freer and Flint's first book. I can only hope a sequel is somewhere in the offing.....
So... after the Minneapolis system finally merged with the Hennepin County Library system, the Southeast branch reopened, at least for a few days a week. That's handy, because I can run over to that one when I'm at work... AND... they still have a few books on TAPE, including this one. So I've been making my way over there on a regular basis - and this was one of my finds, and it was well worth the trip.
From relating stories of his childhood and family, to observations on America while living in France, Sedaris does a great job keeping my interest and giving you something to laugh AND THINK about. It's great to hear in his voice, too - he's got great delivery and timing.
Okay - ANOTHER audio cassette "book" - hard to describe... a fun bunch of (I think) mostly New Yorker pieces. .... on to the cassettes of "Me Talk Pretty Some Day" by David Sedaris.
Mosley has written a memorable fable about two "brothers": African American Thomas (a.k.a. "Lucky") Beerman, born with a hole in his lung, who goes as an infant with his mother to live with prominent white doctor Minas Nolan, and Eric, Minas's own baby, a beautiful and talented golden child. After the death of his mother, Thomas is wrenched from Minas's household to that of his estranged biological father. Thomas subsequently spends time in jail and years on the street but remains optimistic and warm hearted. Eric leads a charmed life, but can't seem to connect with those around him. Thomas and Eric are reunited after ten years, to come to a new understanding of fate and fortune. Lorraine Toussaint's reading is soft and understated, hitting just the right notes without too much drama. The program has been awarded an AudioFile Earphones award. Highly recommended.
Just listened to this (yes, again audiocassettes). Charming - quite a rollercoaster as it follows the lives of Eric and Tommy ... reminds me for some reason of the Vorkosigan books - watching the life of poor Tommy, I kept thinking of Miles Vorkosigan and the ways he keeps getting knocked down...
In his final hours in the Oval Office, the outgoing President grants a controversial last-minute pardon to Joel Backman, a notorious Washington power broker who has spent the last six years hidden away in a federal prison. What no one knows is that the President issues the pardon only after receiving enormous pressure from the CIA. It seems Backman, in his power broker heyday, may have obtained secrets that compromise the world's most sophisticated satellite surveillance system. Backman is quietly smuggled out of the country in a military cargo plane, given a new name, a new identity, and a new home in Italy. Eventually, after he has settled into his new life, the CIA will leak his whereabouts to the Israelis, the Russians, the Chinese, and the Saudis. Then the CIA will do what it does best: sit back and watch. The question is not whether Backman will survive—there is no chance of that. The question the CIA needs answered is, who will kill him?
A nice, fast paced legal thriller from Grisham - yes again on audiotape. I could quibble with a few technical details, but for a non-techie, Grisham did pretty well.
The Hobbit (BBC Radio Collections) (Audio Cassette)
"A futuristic fairy tale retelling the Reformation" - not sure if that's a good name for Weber's Safehold series, but it's a start. This continues the story of Off Armaggedon Reef. Parts Patrick O'Brien (I think - I've yet to read any), parts Honor Harrington, and parts parts Merlin-and-Arthur, I'll admit I skip through a lot of stuff (the complex battles and seafaring terms and technology, not to mention the complicated names that Weber mangles for the point of the story), but it's a lot of fun. Publisher's Weekly:
In this eagerly anticipated sequel to 2007's Off Armageddon Reef, the sheer scale of the Kingdom of Charis's naval victory against corrupt forces of the Church of God Awaiting has the Church newly wary of Charis's technological innovations. These were introduced by Merlin Athrawes, bodyguard to King Cayleb II and actually an android imprinted with a human's memories and personality who seeks to throw off the false religion that bars mankind from the stars. As Charis's neighbors scramble to rebuild their shattered fleets and prepare for the inevitable reprisals, the Church lurches toward placing the entire nation under proscription and declaring holy war. The numerous characters are never reduced to stereotypes, and Weber's portrayal of the social changes brought about by Charis's bootstrap industrial and military revolutions ring true. If not as action oriented as the first volume, the descriptions of the rebirth of knowledge and the human spirit are at least as enthralling.
Books on Tape! (well, technically RecordedBooks.com - but a reall cassette based book, not an mp3 in site.). Another book on good-old-fashioned tape... I find it interesting how nice it is to listen to using the old-fashioned style audio book.
Nicely read by Karen Ziemba, it passed my test "do you feel like there were multiple voices/characters?" She did that well and the pace moved along well - lots of action, though maybe a few too many heroine-in-peril moments. The use of a blog ( The protagonist blogs about her being dumped by a husband who we only see long enough to witness his murder. It's an interesting device - I hope it doesn't persist into the next books - I've already downloaded the next from my library system. I'm not a Luddite - I DO use digital recordings too!)
A couple things converged to make me pick this up....
First - one of the tech people backstage at Bye Bye Birdie was reading it.
Then, NYTimes ran this article: Say So Long to an Old Companion: Cassette Tapes - that filled me with nostalgia. Despite having (too) many mp3 players, I have quite a few audiobooks on tape, and have read many more from the library.
So - when in the library last night, what should I see but an audiotape of Common Sense! It was too good to pass up. And I'm glad I didn't. A very trenchant and apropos work. The link up top will get you to the Gutenberg copy, this will help you find the Ramsey library audio: click
See last post - I REALLY like Baen books - as much as I rely on libraries, I go out of my way to buy them, just to support the terrific stuff they put out - so... the other day I bought "The Rats, the Bats and the Ugly," forgetting it was a SEQUEL... to a book I hadn't read. So I quickly requested it... and the library delivered - the sequel (I assume a cataloging error). Anyway, I tracked down a copy and read it at a breakneck pace - and wasn't disappointed.
From Publishers Weekly
Freer (The Forlorn) and Flint (Mother of Demons) join forces in this lighthearted SF offering set on the colony world of Harmony and Reason, which is being invaded by the dreaded, insectoid alien Magh'. Chip, a former sous-chef and "vat"Aa human bred for hard laborAfinds himself trapped behind enemy lines with the rats and bats of the title, genetically engineered animals designed for close-quarters combat, stealth and plenty of off-color wisecrackery. But when Virginia Shaw, a daughter of the yuppie Shareholder class, gets caught behind enemy lines with her alien tutor, and Chip and Co. rescue her, the sexual sparks start to fly. Chip and Ginny recognize that their class hatred is an obstacle to defeating the Magh'; when the two learn to cooperate, everyone soon lends a hand or paw or wing, refurbishing a rusty old farm tractor, on which animal and human careen through Magh' defenses. Although the military SF plot is peppered with its share of Dirty Dozen-esque cliffhangers, the sharpest moments in this giddy entertainment are those where the rodents blithely skewer human mores.
It's pretty silly stuff - but lots of fun. And NOW I can read the sequel... except the library just delivered the latest Weber book "By Schism Rent Asunder" which retells the Reformation in a far future setting.... so that has to take precedence...
(How many times do I need to say - I REALLY love Baen books!?! They dependably deliver good "golden age" SF, and this is no exception.)
From School Library Journal:
As this engaging and mostly lighthearted tale of the first expedition to Mars begins, three friends and colleagues are sharing what they expect to be their last dig in Montana with paleontologist Dr. Helen Sutter. Joe Buckley and Jackie Secord are graduate students about to embark on engineering careers–Joe with the Ares Project, and Jackie as an astronaut. After a strange fossil is found, anomalies pile up, and A.J. Baker, a genius with new imaging technologies, comes to help document the site. Then a robot explorer he is working with on the Ares Project finds a suspiciously similar fossil on Phobos, the Mars moon, and before long the four are on their way there, along with an equally likable pilot, security officer, and international crew of scientists.
Lots of excellent ideas and speculation here - really a fun story. I'd be happy to see - but don't really expect - a sequel.
This is one of those books I've had bubbling on the back burner of my iPod for more than 6 months and I've finally finished re-listening to it. Really excellent (as always). I cannot recommend these audio books of Holmes highly enough. This one is particularly excellent with the Dancing Men. [I have a nagging suspicion here that I've neglected to log a book or two since my last ones... but maybe not. After all, I'm reading multiple books simultaneously and am awfully busy with rehearsals.]
The Miracle at Speedy Motors: The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency Seriesby Alexander McCall Smith
Africa first:
Finally read the latest No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency book. Good as always, and as always not really a detective or mystery story, just a pleasant visit with Mma Ramotswe and company. Always charming.
I REALLY wanted to like this book.. but just couldn't. At least I possessed the liberating knowledge that "you don't HAVE to finish a short story if you don't want to," so I could dispense with this more quickly.
I don't know why this struck me as uninteresting - it didn't seem to capture the can-do fun spirit I see in the many steampunk postings on the MAKE blog and elsewhere.
My favorite story - the only one I really liked - was a pastiche based on From The Earth to the Moon and Around the Moon - one person describes it:
The Selene Gardening Society (Molly Brown) - This one is based on Jules Verne's From the Earth to the Moon, it's a cute story even without the background knowledge. In an attempt to distract her husband from tearing up her garden, a society wife begins planning a garden on the moon.
I like anthologies - but think they're better when NOT purpose-driven. I do think I want to look up this one again though - I had it out once, but never really started reading it: The Mammoth Book of New Jules Verne Adventures
and.. GOOD Punk!
Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed Americaby Erik Larson
Two men, each handsome and unusually adept at his chosen work, embodied an element of the great dynamic that characterized America’s rush toward the twentieth century. The architect was Daniel Hudson Burnham, the fair’s brilliant director of works and the builder of many of the country’s most important structures, including the Flatiron Building in New York and Union Station in Washington, D.C. The murderer was Henry H. Holmes, a young doctor who, in a malign parody of the White City, built his “World’s Fair Hotel” just west of the fairgrounds—a torture palace complete with dissection table, gas chamber, and 3,000-degree crematorium.
Now, I know this wasn't fiction, and it isn't per se "steampunk"... but still, it gave me everything the Steampunk anthology lacked. It is a celebration of the wonders of technology, and a dream of a fair that presented all kinds of fabulous technology to the world. Mixed in with the dark story of a dedicated serial killer who haunted the fair and preyed on those who came to it. It's the sort of story a good steampunk could use in a Verne-esque turn..
*sigh* I've got no complaints. I know there are some who think the 1632 series is running its course - not me. This series is - for my money - a terrific investement in time and very enjoyable. It makes history come to life. YES, I know, I know - it is an altered history, but it's founded ON the real history, and you can't read these without getting an appreciation for the real thing.
Here we've got a jailbreak from the Tower of London, naval battles, intrigue, technological speculation and poor Eddie Cantrell hopelessly in love with a princess. If you can't find something to like in these books... well, you probably don't like fiction much.
And "for my money" isn't a metaphor. As much as I rely on the free ebooks that Baen makes available so liberally, I'm going to go buy the ebook of the next installment!
This is more than kind of amazing - really astounding, but... almost impossible to describe. I read it in a mad almost hallucinatory dash and may still be in a daze. Here's the publisher's blurb:
Jay Lake's first trade novel is an astounding work of creation. Lake has envisioned a clockwork solar system, where the planets move in a vast system of gears around the lamp of the Sun. It is a universe where the hand of the Creator is visible to anyone who simply looks up into the sky, and sees the track of the heavens, the wheels of the Moon, and the great Equatorial gears of the Earth itself.
Mainspring is the story of a young clockmaker's apprentice, who is visited by the Archangel Gabriel. He is told that he must take the Key Perilous and rewind the Mainspring of the Earth. It is running down, and disaster to the planet will ensue if it's not rewound. From innocence and ignorance to power and self-knowledge, the young man will make the long and perilous journey to the South Polar Axis, to fulfill the commandment of his God.
It's a bit (maybe more than a BIT) of fantasy, a lot of SF alternate history, a whole bunch of philosophy and speculation, all wrapped around a boy's coming-of-age story. It has a lot of steampunk appeal ... though it isn't your average steampunk lets-replace-the-microcircuits-with-gears story. On top of that, it has non-stop action as poor Hethor is bopped from one problem and woe to the next. Part of me would like to see this as a movie - but most of me is afraid there is no way to measure up with the vast ideas and images that Lake conjures up in a universe where the equator is a gigantic gear that separates north from south.
Even at its most fanastic and fantasmagoric, there is still a lot of hard SF in this - with plenty of details - for example of the hydrogen airships that ply this world that REALLY runs on gears.
Okay - here's the deal: Britney Spears and Lindsey Lohan are making a picture on Martha's Vineyard. Also in the movie is Patrick Stewart, and to mix things up, Paris Hilton is strirring up trouble.... then there's a murder.....
No - that's not REALLY what the book is about, but the cast of characters and location are a recoding or recasting of differently named characters who are equivalents of the aforementioned people. And Haddam makes clear she's aware of the alter-characters she's created by referring to Hilton and Spears - though NOT Patrick Stewart.
AND... it's a great story. Admittedly, I'm a sucker for every Demarkian book Haddam has written. I like the characters, I like the way they think, I like the way they THINK about thinking. I love Father Tibor, who barely appears at all in this book - but still has a presence as other people think about him and what and how he'd react to things.
Star Wars: Legacy of the Force: Invincibleby Troy Denning
Whew. Done.
Lately nobody wants to write "a single book" in a shared Universe like Star Wars - they all have to be big multi-volume epics, with multiple authors and huge themes. This is no exception, and this book marks the final chapter in the "Legacy of the Force" series (but don't worry - there are hints of the next arc already!) I really would rather see some nice "little" stories that don't have to span the Universe so much - but I suspect this is a commercial decision - you sell books by tieing them together in a series.
No war can last forever. Now, in the long and punishing battle between the defiant champions of the New Jedi Order and the juggernaut that is the Galactic Alliance, the endgame is finally at hand. With so much lost -- and nothing less than the course of the future still at stake -- there can be no turning back. No matter the consequences.
And the consequences are grim - gruesome even. There's no mistaking the echoes of our era, with terrorists real and falsely-so-called. Internment camps and security making enemies of friends. The terrible battles that rip apart the Solo/Skywalker families are not pleasant - at times harrowing. I can't begin to describe it - if you want to know you're already reading the stories - if not.. well it's too hard to even start.
Funny thing - while reading this book my personal Bible reading was taking me through reading about King Saul and David and their battles and disagreements - and I realized "oh, this kind of story isn't all that new, is it?"
High points in this series are the books by Karen Traviss and how she ties here earlier Republic Commando arc in with this later generation story. Now I'm looking forward to Order 66. And some nice one-off stories that don't have so much to prove.
During this savage civil war, all efforts to end Jacen Solo’s tyranny of the Galactic Alliance have failed. Now with Jacen approaching the height of his dark powers, no one–not even the Solos and the Skywalkers–knows if anything can stop the Sith Lord before his plan to save the galaxy ends up destroying it. Jacen Solo’s shadow of influence has threatened many, especially those closest to him. Jaina Solo is determined to bring her brother in, but in order to track him down, she must first learn unfamiliar skills from a man she finds ruthless, repellent, and dangerous. Meanwhile, Ben Skywalker, still haunted by suspicions that Jacen killed his mother, Mara, decides he must know the truth, even if it costs him his life. And as Luke Skywalker contemplates once unthinkable strategies to dethrone his nephew, the hour of reckoning for those on both sides draws near. The galaxy becomes a battlefield where all must face their true nature and darkest secrets, and live–or die–with the consequences.
Very good - but of course, as Traviss never fails to deliver - in Star Wars or not. She does a lot of work here with the very tangled and dark worlds of the Mando'a's and Fett, as well as the Skywalker and Solo clans. Yet again, KT does a "hard SF" story within the Star Wars universe - lots of good work that made me want to dig into cuswe.org to catch all the backstory that was being reeled out. I resisted this since I was under the gun to finish it when the ninth and final installment in the Legacy of the Force came out and was available to me from the library.
This was just a great set of essays. It was kind of like spiritual potato chips with an excellent range of topics and depth of thought - you just can't read one. It made me dig out another Yancey book I'd bought years ago and had in the basement unread. [AND *that* was a good thing, since it made me notice a wet spot that was caused by a leaky sump pump pipe!]
This is my second complete "podiobook" that I've read (well, okay, listened too)... now, I suppose, guilt is going to start nagging me to donate, since in both cases, I've been very impressed.
Clio Griffin, an out-of-work academic with an attitude and a tendency toward sarcasm, travels to England to interview for a last-chance job--as the pet historian for an antiquarian group who hope to use her to build the reputation of the local saint--Alban, the first Christian martyr of Britain.
No sooner does she arrive than the saint, dead for seventeen centuries, starts talking to her--out loud. The voice is hard enough for Clio to take; her mother, in her final illness, had lost touch with reality, and Clio fears the same fate. When the saint drags her unwilling into the past, to live the lives of people long dead, Clio fights to hold on to her reason...
This was very interesting and enjoyable - a bit of mystery, a bit of mysticism - not the book I expected, but then, I'm not sure what I was expecting. I'll have to keep watch to see if he does another.
Ouch. I kind of wish this bit of Science Fiction was more, you know, fictional.
...a believable and frightening tale of a near-future San Francisco, victimized first by terrorists and then by an out-of-control Department of Homeland Security determined to turn the city into a virtual police state. Innocent of any wrongdoing beyond cutting school, high school student and techno-geek Marcus is arrested, illegally interrogated and humiliated by overzealous DHS personnel who also "disappear" his best friend, Darryl, along with hundreds of other U.S. citizens. Moved in part by a desire for revenge and in part by a passionate belief in the Bill of Rights, Marcus vows to drive the DHS out of his beloved city. Using the Internet and other technologies, he plays a dangerous game of cat and mouse, disrupting the government's attempts to create virtually universal electronic surveillance while recruiting other young people to his guerilla movement. Filled with sharp dialogue and detailed descriptions of how to counteract gait-recognition cameras, arphids (radio frequency ID tags), wireless Internet tracers and other surveillance devices, this work makes its admittedly didactic point within a tautly crafted fictional framework.
That about sums it up. The "science" is good - the near-future extrapolations of technology are very believable and, sadly, the political projections are too plausible as well. I'm familiar enough with the tech described that I probably zipped over those bits (eg. about tunneling protocols and other ways to subvert things) so I'm not sure how readable that will be. It might be a roadblock to some readers. I'd have liked a bibliography or a few more pointers for the interested reader to follow up - but Doctorow does offer some links.
I do like his handling of the consequences of the radical or subversive actions of the protagonist. He doesn't just give him a free pass to rebel, and he makes him see some of the negative results from his protests.
I just hope it isn't prophetic in the sense of FOREtelling the future. (Prophetic in the sense of "a preachement" is okay.).
"Artificial Intelligence Personality" Turing Hopper has been monitoring the credit cards of notorious criminal-at-large Nestor Garcia, waiting for signs of activity. When suddenly thousands of dollars of purchases begin appearing, Turing traces them to deliveries to a vacant house in northern Virginia. For Garcia to be using his credit card in such a manner is highly suspicious, so Turing and "her" assistants, including human friends Tim and Maude, who work for Washington's Universal Library, start investigating. Tim watches the vacant house, but when a dead body turns up, Tim could well be the police's only real suspect in the murder.
I actually found this book while looking for a more hackerish/civil-liberties oriented book - but this had merit. Odd to pick up in the middle of a series, but I got enough out of it.
Essentially it's "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress" crossed with a mystery yarn - featuring an AI who has "awoken" and is semi-liberated (enough to own her own business - sort of) and works to solve mysteries. I guess I'll be looking up the rest of these over time. Fun, and tolerably accurate about security and computers (obviously a BIT of a stretch with the AI programs).
Really. Varley tells a quick paced story, and has engaging charecterization and all that. In some ways it's a Heinlein juvenile (but with sex). Heck, the main character is even named Podkayne.
On the other hand, having just finished "Half Share" - a far more egalitarian space opera (that is - everyone is NOT rich, or beautiful, or a super-genuis (or all of the above)). I feel like this is kind of a wish-fulfillment story, pretty and with lots of neat things - but not as real as "Half Share." (even if, to be honest, Varley has been at this longer and reels off a nice yarn; he's got skills Lowell is still working on). Both authors are compared to Heinlein - not without reason.
I was a little let down by the end - the romance is a little off for me, and doesn't seem to be integrated into the whole saga. And the story's big problem seems to have just been forgotten/avoided, more than dealt with. Of course, maybe that's just Varley's way of setting up the next sequel. (I swear some series seem more like "retirement plans" than works of literature).
Click the arrow below to listen to the first episode of this free audio book:
The 1st Trader's Tale from the Golden Age of the Solar Clipper...
When Ishmael Wang is orphaned by a flitter crash, he must make some hard decisions about how to survive in a Company-owned universe. With limited time and fewer options, he lands a job as the newest hand on the Solar Clipper Lois McKendrick and learns there's more to life than making coffee. Join Ish, Pip, Big Bad Bev, and the rest of the Lois McKendrick's crew as they sail the galaxy in search of profitable trade.
Wow. This was just a delight. From the start with the hornpipe background music leading into the story, I was hooked. This is a very solid "coming of age" story set in a nicely thought out space opera setting.
No battles. No big space empires, murders or villains. The hero isn't Luke Skywalker or Captain Kirk - he's just a kid. More-or-less an orphan, clueless and unskilled, he signs up as a merchant space crew and learns the ropes - thats pretty much it.
Lowell has thought out a lot of details and it makes the "Golden Age" seem quite real (and he's been listening to his audience in fleshing out more, to judge by his blog/forum I expect to see this make the Universe even better in the future.).
This is the first book I've listened to from Podiobooks.com and I'm very impressed. They've found a ay to package books as podcasts - you just download the files OR set up an RSS feed and get them in installments with your other podcasts. Works very nicely, and they created a good infrastructure to give support back to the authors (75% of donations go to the authors). For the authors, it gives a way to get (and GROW) an audience; successfully enough that some have gone on to build enough of an audience to translate into getting real book contracts.
If you've read "Starman Jones" and wanted more - this will do quite nicely! Terrific!
This wasn't a book ... but it feels like a book - "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy," that is.
This is a fun 10-part serial - originally podcast, and now being broadcast on KFAI (where I heard about it - of course I downloaded it and listened to it all). I don't know if there are plans to follow up with a sequel (I hope!) but this is full of lots of fun.
The bonus is that this full-cast drama includes all kinds of authors and podcasters as participants. That makes it kind of a hook into other interesting audio fiction.
Speaking of which, it lead me to "podiobooks.com," which is an interesting (and FREE) hub of a new kind of publishing. Authors who produce - and read - their books. Some go to print - either on demand printing, or in some cases (Scott Sigler) this has lead to "real" book contracts. I'm currently listening to "The Communion of the Saint," and "Quarter Share" - lots of good stuff. So good that I suspect I'll be making some kind of contribution .....
I can't say enough about how good these FotF dramatizations are - they really do a wonderful job - far better than the movies ever might - of bringing you into Narnia. From Paul Scofield as narrator, to David Suchet as Aslan - not to mention Douglas Gresham as the "host."
I'm slowly listening to these again on my iPod - next up the last book (I refuse to accept the revisionist chronological order - fooey). This time through I was really struck by the passage where - on their journey to fetch a special apple, Diggory complains that Aslan failed to supply their needs along their way:
"I'm sure Aslan would have, if you'd asked him," said Fledge. "Wouldn't he know without being asked?" said Polly. "I've no doubt he would," said the Horse (still with his mouth full). "But I've a sort of idea he likes to be asked."
That is SO much better than 5 hours of sermons on prayer....
Excellent, again. Anne Rice is doing a very good job at taking the Bible and bringing it to life - and particularly in telling the Gospel story from the point of view of Jesus.
The story considers the struggles of Christ to understand his nature and who he is. It brings the story to the beginning of his public ministry, to the wedding at Cana. And that wedding is significant, as Rice invents a backstory - yes, entireley speculative - that underlines the signifigance of the event. I thought it was nicely done.
I'm struck here and in the earlier book by how carefully Rice hews to a very orthodox understanding of the Biblical narrative, yet brings in quite a few details from contemporary knowledge of the first century customs and practices. I look forward to her next installment!
) in Gaelic
