by J.R.R. Tolkien (79 pgs)
Rating: 4
Farmer Giles is a practical sort living in a picturesque little village with a dog and his wife, Agatha. When he chases off a giant, everything begins to change and he soon finds himself chasing after a somewhat crafty dragon named Chrysophylax.
Farmer Giles of Ham is actually meant as a children's book. It's something of a fable about the difference between ordering things done and doing them yourself. I wouldn't be surprised if it weren't also a pot shot at the local nobility. Anyway, it's well written, amusing, and very very short. There really isn't an excuse not to read this.
Friday, February 24, 2006
15. The Courts of Chaos
by Roger Zelazny (142 pgs)
Rating: 4
Corwin struggles with his newly found sense of duty and his father both as the repairs to the pattern are finally undertaken. The cost is high and success is less than certain but with any luck Amber may be restored and Corwin, with the help of the Jewel of Judgement, will be able to preserve the family.
Perhaps the shortest book of them all, The Court of Chaos is a transition book. Interesting though it is in it's own right, the book basically serves the function of tying up the story with Corwin and his generation and introducing Merlin more fully as his son.
If you plan to continue with the series you have to read this book.
Rating: 4
Corwin struggles with his newly found sense of duty and his father both as the repairs to the pattern are finally undertaken. The cost is high and success is less than certain but with any luck Amber may be restored and Corwin, with the help of the Jewel of Judgement, will be able to preserve the family.
Perhaps the shortest book of them all, The Court of Chaos is a transition book. Interesting though it is in it's own right, the book basically serves the function of tying up the story with Corwin and his generation and introducing Merlin more fully as his son.
If you plan to continue with the series you have to read this book.
Wednesday, February 22, 2006
14. Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West
by Gregory Maguire (406 pgs)
Rating: 3
Elphaba is a cursed child born with green skin and scary teeth. Someday she grows up to be the Wicked Witch of the West and troubles the life of Dorothy, a young hapless girl from Kansas. But this story only briefly meets up with Baum's classic. Instead, the book tracks the childhood and young adulthood of Elphaba and traces, ostensibly, how she came to be so very wicked.
I have mixed feelings about Wicked. On the one hand it's fairly well written, engaging, and develops the world of Oz splendidly. On the other hand, Maguire indulges on a fair bit of philosophizing and religious satire. Both of these things are acceptable given that Baum's original work is in many ways a satire of the contemporary political climate. Yet, some how it seemed ponderous.
I recommend this to Oz fans and people who like their armchair philosophy.
Rating: 3
Elphaba is a cursed child born with green skin and scary teeth. Someday she grows up to be the Wicked Witch of the West and troubles the life of Dorothy, a young hapless girl from Kansas. But this story only briefly meets up with Baum's classic. Instead, the book tracks the childhood and young adulthood of Elphaba and traces, ostensibly, how she came to be so very wicked.
I have mixed feelings about Wicked. On the one hand it's fairly well written, engaging, and develops the world of Oz splendidly. On the other hand, Maguire indulges on a fair bit of philosophizing and religious satire. Both of these things are acceptable given that Baum's original work is in many ways a satire of the contemporary political climate. Yet, some how it seemed ponderous.
I recommend this to Oz fans and people who like their armchair philosophy.
13. The Hand of Oberon
Roger Zelazny (188 pgs)
Rating: 4
Corwin opens the book standing near the source of it all and quickly proceeds through revelation to revelation. A sibling is found out as traitor and other siblings feel differently then they did. Much is broken and much is repaired including the appearance of a grandchild mentioned in the first book. The end is a surprise of identity.
The Hand of Oberon is the fourth book and the original completion of the series. I feel that it's just a touch too fast paced and that many of the revelations seem to come out of nowhere. The exposition on family politics is also a touch dry. Even so, it is an enjoyable book.
Rating: 4
Corwin opens the book standing near the source of it all and quickly proceeds through revelation to revelation. A sibling is found out as traitor and other siblings feel differently then they did. Much is broken and much is repaired including the appearance of a grandchild mentioned in the first book. The end is a surprise of identity.
The Hand of Oberon is the fourth book and the original completion of the series. I feel that it's just a touch too fast paced and that many of the revelations seem to come out of nowhere. The exposition on family politics is also a touch dry. Even so, it is an enjoyable book.
Tuesday, February 21, 2006
12. The Sign of the Unicorn
by Roger Zelazny (192 pgs)
Rating: 4
Corwin, having succeeded in deposing Eric in the last novel, is now in the position of Amber's protector. As such he has much to be concerned about: the black road, a missing brother, and not least of all his own foggy recent history that he only knows pieces of. Many revelations and yet another cliff hanger.
Closer to the caliber of the first book, The Sign of the Unicorn is a much more introspective piece than either of the preceding novels. While not lacking in action, Zelazny almost seems to pause to tie together unresolved aspects of the first two novels and indulge in some necessary exposition about the setting/background. This is all skillfully done, however, and does not slow down the read much. In fact, it would almost be possible to read this book first and enjoy it alone.
I rather generally recommend this book even if the second left one a little cold.
Rating: 4
Corwin, having succeeded in deposing Eric in the last novel, is now in the position of Amber's protector. As such he has much to be concerned about: the black road, a missing brother, and not least of all his own foggy recent history that he only knows pieces of. Many revelations and yet another cliff hanger.
Closer to the caliber of the first book, The Sign of the Unicorn is a much more introspective piece than either of the preceding novels. While not lacking in action, Zelazny almost seems to pause to tie together unresolved aspects of the first two novels and indulge in some necessary exposition about the setting/background. This is all skillfully done, however, and does not slow down the read much. In fact, it would almost be possible to read this book first and enjoy it alone.
I rather generally recommend this book even if the second left one a little cold.
11. The Guns of Avalon
by Roger Zelazny (223 pgs)
Rating: 4
With his newly restored eyesight and freedom, Corwin sets out across shadow to find Avalon. His ultimate goal, as always, is the throne at Amber and through chance he's found the only chemical compound in shadow that will allow guns to function. Of course, capturing the throne means dealing with Eric and his other siblings but having guns may give him a bit of an edge. Above and beyond the sibling rivalry something sinister is growing that threatens shadow itself.
Sequel to Nine Princes in Amber, The Guns of Avalon is the continuation of the power struggle and grand mystery. While highly enjoyable, Guns of Avalon is not as well written as the first book although it does end on a near cliff hanger.
I recommend this to anyone who enjoyed the first book.
Rating: 4
With his newly restored eyesight and freedom, Corwin sets out across shadow to find Avalon. His ultimate goal, as always, is the throne at Amber and through chance he's found the only chemical compound in shadow that will allow guns to function. Of course, capturing the throne means dealing with Eric and his other siblings but having guns may give him a bit of an edge. Above and beyond the sibling rivalry something sinister is growing that threatens shadow itself.
Sequel to Nine Princes in Amber, The Guns of Avalon is the continuation of the power struggle and grand mystery. While highly enjoyable, Guns of Avalon is not as well written as the first book although it does end on a near cliff hanger.
I recommend this to anyone who enjoyed the first book.
Monday, February 20, 2006
List 2: Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror
Book Lust pg 213
Pearl views Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror as more of a continuum than three separate genres. I tend to agree, although there are some things that are most definitely one or the other. In any case, this list is massive. Something over 200 books so I'm splitting it into three. There's one trilogy that Pearl points out as exemplifying the continuum which will stay here instead of breaking them up. Otherwise, everything will be under it's sublist.
Incidently, I think there's tons missing. If you have suggestions feel free to comment them under the most appropriate list.
Also, I plan to tackle smaller lists while I'm working on this one since I literally could spend the rest of the year at this one.
1. Out of the Silent Planet by C.S. Lewis
2. Perelandra by C.S. Lewis
3. That Hideous Strength by C.S. Lewis
For ease of navigation:
List 2a: Science Fiction
List 2b: Fantasy
List 2c: Horror
Pearl views Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror as more of a continuum than three separate genres. I tend to agree, although there are some things that are most definitely one or the other. In any case, this list is massive. Something over 200 books so I'm splitting it into three. There's one trilogy that Pearl points out as exemplifying the continuum which will stay here instead of breaking them up. Otherwise, everything will be under it's sublist.
Incidently, I think there's tons missing. If you have suggestions feel free to comment them under the most appropriate list.
Also, I plan to tackle smaller lists while I'm working on this one since I literally could spend the rest of the year at this one.
1. Out of the Silent Planet by C.S. Lewis
2. Perelandra by C.S. Lewis
3. That Hideous Strength by C.S. Lewis
For ease of navigation:
List 2a: Science Fiction
List 2b: Fantasy
List 2c: Horror
List 2a: Science Fiction
Book Lust pg 213
Perhaps the largest problem with this list is that there is something about Science Fiction and Fantasy that lends itself to serialization. So in order to read one book of an author you find yourself obliged to read the sequel and the sequel's sequel which starts making for very large lists particularly when it's necessary to read 3 or 4 books in order to truly appreciate the story arc.
That being said...I don't much mind. In concept anyway. There's much on this list that I've read long ago and have been meaning to re-read and also that I've been meaning to read for quite some time. One of my favorite authors also appears on this list (Ursula K. LeGuin) although I'm not sure I would pick those particular books as her best science fiction...they are the most popular however.
Mary Doria Russell:
1. The Sparrow*
2. Children of God*
Orson Scott Card:
3. Ender's Game*
4. Speaker for the Dead*
5. Xenocide*
6. Children of the Mind*
7. Ender's Shadow*
8. Shadow of the Hegemon*
9. Shadow Puppets*
Isaac Asimov:
10. Foundation*
11. Foundation and Empire*
12. Second Foundation*
13. Prelude to Foundation*
14. Forward the Foundation*
15. Foundation's Edge*
16. Foundation and Earth*
Frederik Pohl:
17. Gateway*
18. Beyond the Blue Event Horizon*
19. Heechee Rendezvous*
20. The Annals of the Heechee*
Clifford Simak:
21. Shakespeare's Planet*
22. City*
23. Way Station*
24. Destiny Doll*
Roger Zelazny:
25. Nine Princes in Amber*
26. The Guns of Avalon
27. Sign of the Unicorn
28. The Hand of Oberon
29. The Courts of Chaos
30. Trumps of Doom
31. Blood of Amber
32. Sign of Chaos
33. Knight of Shadows
34. Prince of Chaos
Frank Herbert:
35. Dune*
36. Dune Messiah
37. Children of Dune
38. God Emperor of Dune
39. Heretics of Dune
40. Chapter House Dune
Ursula K. LeGuin:
41. The Left Hand of Darkness*
42. The Dispossessed*
43. Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke*
44. The Forever War by Joe Haldeman*
Perhaps the largest problem with this list is that there is something about Science Fiction and Fantasy that lends itself to serialization. So in order to read one book of an author you find yourself obliged to read the sequel and the sequel's sequel which starts making for very large lists particularly when it's necessary to read 3 or 4 books in order to truly appreciate the story arc.
That being said...I don't much mind. In concept anyway. There's much on this list that I've read long ago and have been meaning to re-read and also that I've been meaning to read for quite some time. One of my favorite authors also appears on this list (Ursula K. LeGuin) although I'm not sure I would pick those particular books as her best science fiction...they are the most popular however.
Mary Doria Russell:
1. The Sparrow*
2. Children of God*
Orson Scott Card:
3. Ender's Game*
4. Speaker for the Dead*
5. Xenocide*
6. Children of the Mind*
7. Ender's Shadow*
8. Shadow of the Hegemon*
9. Shadow Puppets*
Isaac Asimov:
10. Foundation*
11. Foundation and Empire*
12. Second Foundation*
13. Prelude to Foundation*
14. Forward the Foundation*
15. Foundation's Edge*
16. Foundation and Earth*
Frederik Pohl:
17. Gateway*
18. Beyond the Blue Event Horizon*
19. Heechee Rendezvous*
20. The Annals of the Heechee*
Clifford Simak:
21. Shakespeare's Planet*
22. City*
23. Way Station*
24. Destiny Doll*
Roger Zelazny:
25. Nine Princes in Amber*
26. The Guns of Avalon
27. Sign of the Unicorn
28. The Hand of Oberon
29. The Courts of Chaos
30. Trumps of Doom
31. Blood of Amber
32. Sign of Chaos
33. Knight of Shadows
34. Prince of Chaos
Frank Herbert:
35. Dune*
36. Dune Messiah
37. Children of Dune
38. God Emperor of Dune
39. Heretics of Dune
40. Chapter House Dune
Ursula K. LeGuin:
41. The Left Hand of Darkness*
42. The Dispossessed*
43. Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke*
44. The Forever War by Joe Haldeman*
List 2b. Fantasy
As I mentioned in the 2a, the habit of serialization has made this list massive. I think It would be prudent at this point to state that in the case of these large series (over 10)that may or may not be of a continuous plot line that I only commit to reading 2/3s of the books and only then if I am enjoying the author. Robert Jordan's on this list and I've never successfully gotten into his books. I'm going to give it another try but I make no promises or apologies.
J.R.R. Tolkien:
1. Farmer Giles of Ham*
2. The Hobbit*
3. The Fellowship of the Ring*
4. Two Towers*
5. The Return of the King*
Mervyn Peake:
6. Titus Groan*
7. Gormenghast*
8. Titus Alone*
Guy Gavriel Kay:
9. The Summer Tree*
10. The Wandering Fire*
11. The Darkest Road*
Robert Jordan:
12. They Eye of the World*
13. The Great Hunt*
14. The Dragon Reborn*
15. The Shadow Rising*
16. The Fires of Heaven*
17. Lord of Chaos*
18. A Crown of Swords*
19. The Path of Daggers*
20. Winter's Heart*
21. Crossroads of Twilight*
22. Knife of Dreams
Piers Anthony:
23. A Spell for Chameleon*
24. The Source of Magic
25. Castle Roogna
26. Centaur Isle
27. Ogre, Ogre
28. Night Mare
29. Dragon on a Pedestal
30. Crewel Lye: A Caustic Yarn*
31. Golem in the Gears
32. Vale of the Vole
33. Heaven Cent
34. Man From Mundania
35. Isle of View
36. Question Quest
37. The Color of Her Panties
38. Demons Don't Dream
39. Harpy Thyme
40. Geis of the Gargoyle
41. Roc and a Hard Place
42. Yon Ill Wind
43. Faun and Games
44. Zombie Lover
45. Xone of Contention
46. The Dastard
47. Swell Foop
48. Up in a Heavel*
49. Cube Route
50. Currant Events
51. Pet Peeve
Alan Dean Foster:
52. Spellsinger *
53. The Hour of the Gate
54. The Day of the Dissonance*
55. Moment of the Magician
56. The Path of the Peramublator
57. The Time of the Transference
58. Son of Spellsinger
59. Chorus Skating
Andre Norton
60. Witch World*
61. Web of the Witch World
62. Three Against the Witch World
63. Warlock of the Witch World
64. Sorceress of the Witch World
65. Trey of Swords
66. Ware Hawk
67. The Gate of the Cat
68. Ciara's Song
69. Year of the Unicorn
70. The Crystal Gryphon
71. Spell of the Witch World
72. The Jargoon Pard*
73. Zarsthor's Bane
74. Gryphon in Glory
75. Horn Crown
76. Gryphone's Eyrie
77. Were-Wrath
78. Songsmith
79. Lore of the Witch
80. Port of Dead Ships
81. Seakeep
82. Storms of Victory
83. Exile
84. Falcon Hope
85. Flight of Vengeance
86. On Wings of Magic
87. Falcon Magic
88. We, the Women
89. The Key of the Keplian
90. The Magestone
91. The Warding of Witch World*
92. Silver May Tarnish
Katherine Kurtz
93. Deryni Rising *
94. Deryni Checkmate
95. High Deryni
96. Camber of Culdi
97. Saint Camber
98. Camber the Heretic*
99. The Worm Ouroboros by E.R. Eddison*
100. Lud-in-the-Mist by Hope Mirrlees*
101. Little, Big by John Crowley*
J.R.R. Tolkien:
1. Farmer Giles of Ham*
2. The Hobbit*
3. The Fellowship of the Ring*
4. Two Towers*
5. The Return of the King*
Mervyn Peake:
6. Titus Groan*
7. Gormenghast*
8. Titus Alone*
Guy Gavriel Kay:
9. The Summer Tree*
10. The Wandering Fire*
11. The Darkest Road*
Robert Jordan:
12. They Eye of the World*
13. The Great Hunt*
14. The Dragon Reborn*
15. The Shadow Rising*
16. The Fires of Heaven*
17. Lord of Chaos*
18. A Crown of Swords*
19. The Path of Daggers*
20. Winter's Heart*
21. Crossroads of Twilight*
22. Knife of Dreams
Piers Anthony:
23. A Spell for Chameleon*
24. The Source of Magic
25. Castle Roogna
26. Centaur Isle
27. Ogre, Ogre
28. Night Mare
29. Dragon on a Pedestal
30. Crewel Lye: A Caustic Yarn*
31. Golem in the Gears
32. Vale of the Vole
33. Heaven Cent
34. Man From Mundania
35. Isle of View
36. Question Quest
37. The Color of Her Panties
38. Demons Don't Dream
39. Harpy Thyme
40. Geis of the Gargoyle
41. Roc and a Hard Place
42. Yon Ill Wind
43. Faun and Games
44. Zombie Lover
45. Xone of Contention
46. The Dastard
47. Swell Foop
48. Up in a Heavel*
49. Cube Route
50. Currant Events
51. Pet Peeve
Alan Dean Foster:
52. Spellsinger *
53. The Hour of the Gate
54. The Day of the Dissonance*
55. Moment of the Magician
56. The Path of the Peramublator
57. The Time of the Transference
58. Son of Spellsinger
59. Chorus Skating
Andre Norton
60. Witch World*
61. Web of the Witch World
62. Three Against the Witch World
63. Warlock of the Witch World
64. Sorceress of the Witch World
65. Trey of Swords
66. Ware Hawk
67. The Gate of the Cat
68. Ciara's Song
69. Year of the Unicorn
70. The Crystal Gryphon
71. Spell of the Witch World
72. The Jargoon Pard*
73. Zarsthor's Bane
74. Gryphon in Glory
75. Horn Crown
76. Gryphone's Eyrie
77. Were-Wrath
78. Songsmith
79. Lore of the Witch
80. Port of Dead Ships
81. Seakeep
82. Storms of Victory
83. Exile
84. Falcon Hope
85. Flight of Vengeance
86. On Wings of Magic
87. Falcon Magic
88. We, the Women
89. The Key of the Keplian
90. The Magestone
91. The Warding of Witch World*
92. Silver May Tarnish
Katherine Kurtz
93. Deryni Rising *
94. Deryni Checkmate
95. High Deryni
96. Camber of Culdi
97. Saint Camber
98. Camber the Heretic*
99. The Worm Ouroboros by E.R. Eddison*
100. Lud-in-the-Mist by Hope Mirrlees*
101. Little, Big by John Crowley*
List 2c: Horror
Book Lust pg 216
While not nearly so prone to serialization (Anne Rice being the most notable exception on this list), Pearl's Horror list is rather vague. She admits freely that she doesn't much like Horror and I imagine that it's a function of that hesitance to read the genre that creates this problem. What she's done is to sort of implicate everything Crichton, Rice, and King have ever written as being worthy of reading which I doubt was the intention. The completest in me is tempted to list everything but say that I'm only committing to the one's she specifically mentions but even so one must limit or this list will be even longer than fantasy. So for Rice - only the vampire chronicles and for King and Crichton only the novels - otherwise I'll never get out of horror. Look for the * after the ones she specifically mentions.
Michael Crichton:
1. Drug of Choice
2. A Case of Need
3. Binary
4. Zero Cool
5. The Androeda Strain
6. The Terminal Man
7. Eaters of the Dead
8. Congo
9. Sphere
10. Jurassic Park*
11. Westworld
12. Rising Sun
13. Disclosure
14. Twister
15. Airframe
16. Timeline
17. Prey
18. State of Fear
Anne Rice:
19. Interview with the Vampire*
20. The Vampire Lestat*
21. The Queen of the Damned
22. The Tale of the Body Thief
23. Memnoch the Devil
24. The Vampire Armand
25. Merrick
26. Blood and Gold
27. Blackwood Farm
28. Blood Canticle
Stephen King:
29. Carrie*
30. Salem's Lot
31. The Shining
32. The Stand*
33. The Dead Zone
34. Firestarter
35. Cujo
36. The Mist
37. Pet Cemetary
38. Christine
39. Cycle of the Werewolves
40. It
41. The Eyes of the Dragon
42. Misery
43. Tommyknockers
44. The Dark Half
45. Needful Things
46. Gerald's Game
47. Dolores Claiborne
48. Insomnia
49. Rose Madder
50. Desperation
51. The Green Mile
52. Bag of Bones
53. Storm of the Century
54. The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon
55. Dreamcatcher
56. From a Buick 8
57. The Colorado Kid
58. Cell
59. Lisey's Story
60. The Gunslinger
61. The Drawing of the Three
62. The Waste Lands
63. Wizard and Glass
64. Wolves of the Calla
65. Song of Susannah
66. The Dark Tower
Shirley Jackson:
67. We Have Always Lived in the Castle
68. The Haunting of Hill House
69. Turn of the Screw by Henry James*
70. In a Glass Darkly by Sheridan LeFanu*
71. The White Devil by John Webster*
72. Falling Angel by William Hjortsbergs*
73. Those Who Hunt the Night by Barbara Hambly*
74. I am Legend by Richard Matheson*
75. Johnny Got His Gun by Dalton Trumbo*
While not nearly so prone to serialization (Anne Rice being the most notable exception on this list), Pearl's Horror list is rather vague. She admits freely that she doesn't much like Horror and I imagine that it's a function of that hesitance to read the genre that creates this problem. What she's done is to sort of implicate everything Crichton, Rice, and King have ever written as being worthy of reading which I doubt was the intention. The completest in me is tempted to list everything but say that I'm only committing to the one's she specifically mentions but even so one must limit or this list will be even longer than fantasy. So for Rice - only the vampire chronicles and for King and Crichton only the novels - otherwise I'll never get out of horror. Look for the * after the ones she specifically mentions.
Michael Crichton:
1. Drug of Choice
2. A Case of Need
3. Binary
4. Zero Cool
5. The Androeda Strain
6. The Terminal Man
7. Eaters of the Dead
8. Congo
9. Sphere
10. Jurassic Park*
11. Westworld
12. Rising Sun
13. Disclosure
14. Twister
15. Airframe
16. Timeline
17. Prey
18. State of Fear
Anne Rice:
19. Interview with the Vampire*
20. The Vampire Lestat*
21. The Queen of the Damned
22. The Tale of the Body Thief
23. Memnoch the Devil
24. The Vampire Armand
25. Merrick
26. Blood and Gold
27. Blackwood Farm
28. Blood Canticle
Stephen King:
29. Carrie*
30. Salem's Lot
31. The Shining
32. The Stand*
33. The Dead Zone
34. Firestarter
35. Cujo
36. The Mist
37. Pet Cemetary
38. Christine
39. Cycle of the Werewolves
40. It
41. The Eyes of the Dragon
42. Misery
43. Tommyknockers
44. The Dark Half
45. Needful Things
46. Gerald's Game
47. Dolores Claiborne
48. Insomnia
49. Rose Madder
50. Desperation
51. The Green Mile
52. Bag of Bones
53. Storm of the Century
54. The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon
55. Dreamcatcher
56. From a Buick 8
57. The Colorado Kid
58. Cell
59. Lisey's Story
60. The Gunslinger
61. The Drawing of the Three
62. The Waste Lands
63. Wizard and Glass
64. Wolves of the Calla
65. Song of Susannah
66. The Dark Tower
Shirley Jackson:
67. We Have Always Lived in the Castle
68. The Haunting of Hill House
69. Turn of the Screw by Henry James*
70. In a Glass Darkly by Sheridan LeFanu*
71. The White Devil by John Webster*
72. Falling Angel by William Hjortsbergs*
73. Those Who Hunt the Night by Barbara Hambly*
74. I am Legend by Richard Matheson*
75. Johnny Got His Gun by Dalton Trumbo*
Saturday, February 11, 2006
10. Impossible Things
by Connie Willis (461 pgs)
Rating: 4
For some reason it took me an excessive amount of time to get through Impossible Things. Most of the stories were highly entertaining, some of them were a little long, and all of them required thoughtful reading. I think perhaps my problem is that I've read a lot of Connie Willis books over a relatively short span of time.
"The Last of the Winnebagos"
Driving has become even more hazardous to one's health and PETA has finally won the war on sanity.
"Even the Queen"
I think this might be my favorite. Feminism gone terribly wrong and tricky issues with the monthly visitor.
"Schwarzschild Radius"
WWII and the Russian front. A doomed soldier corresponds with Einstein and a radioman gets lost in his memories.
"Ado"
blatant attack on PC and groups who insist on Political Correctness and about damn time too.
"Spice Pogrom"
One of the longer stories about interspecies communication. How does an alien think, really, and will we be able to understand them even if they can learn English? And somehow a love story.
"Winter's Tale"
Also very good. It's about the theory that Shakespeare didn't actually write his plays. This is a story that posits one way, if it were true, that it could have come about.
"Chance"
A bittersweet story about second chances. If we could go back and change one thing in our lives would we do it knowing that who we are now would cease to be?
"In the Late Cretaceous"
Kind of an amusing comment on academia. What happens when the worst of the business world, academic worlds, and teaching come together.
"Time Out"
Rather sweet, really weird. It's about time travel. Anything more would give something away.
"Jack"
WWII again. Britain this time. Apparently the brits had wardens that were semi-volunteer citizens who put out fires and searched for bodies in London after bombs were dropped. Some people were particularly good at finding bodies in the rubble. This gives it all a sinister twist.
"At the Rialto"
Something about quantum physics. yeeeeeeeeah...I didn't get it. Or I kinda did but I feel like I missed the punch-line.
Rating: 4
For some reason it took me an excessive amount of time to get through Impossible Things. Most of the stories were highly entertaining, some of them were a little long, and all of them required thoughtful reading. I think perhaps my problem is that I've read a lot of Connie Willis books over a relatively short span of time.
"The Last of the Winnebagos"
Driving has become even more hazardous to one's health and PETA has finally won the war on sanity.
"Even the Queen"
I think this might be my favorite. Feminism gone terribly wrong and tricky issues with the monthly visitor.
"Schwarzschild Radius"
WWII and the Russian front. A doomed soldier corresponds with Einstein and a radioman gets lost in his memories.
"Ado"
blatant attack on PC and groups who insist on Political Correctness and about damn time too.
"Spice Pogrom"
One of the longer stories about interspecies communication. How does an alien think, really, and will we be able to understand them even if they can learn English? And somehow a love story.
"Winter's Tale"
Also very good. It's about the theory that Shakespeare didn't actually write his plays. This is a story that posits one way, if it were true, that it could have come about.
"Chance"
A bittersweet story about second chances. If we could go back and change one thing in our lives would we do it knowing that who we are now would cease to be?
"In the Late Cretaceous"
Kind of an amusing comment on academia. What happens when the worst of the business world, academic worlds, and teaching come together.
"Time Out"
Rather sweet, really weird. It's about time travel. Anything more would give something away.
"Jack"
WWII again. Britain this time. Apparently the brits had wardens that were semi-volunteer citizens who put out fires and searched for bodies in London after bombs were dropped. Some people were particularly good at finding bodies in the rubble. This gives it all a sinister twist.
"At the Rialto"
Something about quantum physics. yeeeeeeeeah...I didn't get it. Or I kinda did but I feel like I missed the punch-line.
Thursday, January 12, 2006
9. Heat Stroke
by Rachel Caine (335 pgs)
rating: 3
Joanne is coming to terms with her new existence as a djinn but little does she know that her survival could have far reaching implications. Not everyone is happy to see her, for one thing. In any case, it turns out that the fate of the planet could rest on her shoulders.
Heat Stroke is not as good as the first book in the series but I enjoyed it. The plot was really interesting but the characters fell flat somehow. Sort of...two dimensional.
I recommend this to anyone who enjoyed the first book
rating: 3
Joanne is coming to terms with her new existence as a djinn but little does she know that her survival could have far reaching implications. Not everyone is happy to see her, for one thing. In any case, it turns out that the fate of the planet could rest on her shoulders.
Heat Stroke is not as good as the first book in the series but I enjoyed it. The plot was really interesting but the characters fell flat somehow. Sort of...two dimensional.
I recommend this to anyone who enjoyed the first book
8. Nine Princes in Amber
by Roger Zelanzny (175 pgs)
Rating: 5
Corey aka Corwin wakes up in a private hospital where he's been drugged apparently with the intention of keeping him insensible indefinitely. He has no memory of himself or how he got there. Now a normal person might run to the police but the inherently cagey Corwin starts a race to figure out who he is and what he's involved in. The answers to these questions open up whole new realms of existence.
Nine Princes in Amber is the first of a 10 or 11 book series and one of the hidden gems of the science fiction / fantasy genre. I read these when I was in high school and loved them. So far they're living up to my memories of them. The characters are fantastically drawn and the political intrigue is fascinating.
Everyone should give this series a shot.
Rating: 5
Corey aka Corwin wakes up in a private hospital where he's been drugged apparently with the intention of keeping him insensible indefinitely. He has no memory of himself or how he got there. Now a normal person might run to the police but the inherently cagey Corwin starts a race to figure out who he is and what he's involved in. The answers to these questions open up whole new realms of existence.
Nine Princes in Amber is the first of a 10 or 11 book series and one of the hidden gems of the science fiction / fantasy genre. I read these when I was in high school and loved them. So far they're living up to my memories of them. The characters are fantastically drawn and the political intrigue is fascinating.
Everyone should give this series a shot.
7. Three Men In a Boat
by Jerome K. Jerome (239 pgs)
rating: 3
Three friends, while discussing their imaginary ailments in a doctor's waiting room, decide that they should go on a boat trip up the Thames. They pack up and grab their fox terrier Montmorency and start boating up the river. This book is about the series of misadventures and musings that happened during the trip.
Three Men In a Boat defies reading quickly. Despite being only a little over 200 pages long it took me about week reading it on and off to get through it. The reason, I suspect, is that the writing style is more dense than I'm used to. For all that, however, I did enjoy reading it. There are parts that are very amusing. The anecdotes that the narrator recalls are often much funnier than the events of the plot. In any case, I'd recommend this to people who enjoy slow leisurely reads or vacation fiction.
rating: 3
Three friends, while discussing their imaginary ailments in a doctor's waiting room, decide that they should go on a boat trip up the Thames. They pack up and grab their fox terrier Montmorency and start boating up the river. This book is about the series of misadventures and musings that happened during the trip.
Three Men In a Boat defies reading quickly. Despite being only a little over 200 pages long it took me about week reading it on and off to get through it. The reason, I suspect, is that the writing style is more dense than I'm used to. For all that, however, I did enjoy reading it. There are parts that are very amusing. The anecdotes that the narrator recalls are often much funnier than the events of the plot. In any case, I'd recommend this to people who enjoy slow leisurely reads or vacation fiction.
Thursday, January 05, 2006
6. Uncharted Territory
by Connie Willis (149 pgs)
Rating: 4
Findriddy and Carson are a couple pioneer type surveyors on planet Boohte. Their job is to chart the surface of the new planet without corrupting the native sentients and doing the least damage to the environment. What this means is that their native guide spends a good part of his time fining them for imagined transgressions and using the profits to buy dictionaries and umbrellas.
Uncharted Territory was an amusing read although a tad predictable. The characters were a blast. Aside from the fact that I missed that Findriddy was meant to be female until a good ways in, the characters were distinct and believable. This book had me chortling.
Structurally, it's set up like a log where chapters are given names by expedition date. While there's nothing wrong with this, it didn't really do anything for the book either.
I'd recommend this to sci fi fans and anyone who likes the movie 'Support Your Local Sheriff'
Rating: 4
Findriddy and Carson are a couple pioneer type surveyors on planet Boohte. Their job is to chart the surface of the new planet without corrupting the native sentients and doing the least damage to the environment. What this means is that their native guide spends a good part of his time fining them for imagined transgressions and using the profits to buy dictionaries and umbrellas.
Uncharted Territory was an amusing read although a tad predictable. The characters were a blast. Aside from the fact that I missed that Findriddy was meant to be female until a good ways in, the characters were distinct and believable. This book had me chortling.
Structurally, it's set up like a log where chapters are given names by expedition date. While there's nothing wrong with this, it didn't really do anything for the book either.
I'd recommend this to sci fi fans and anyone who likes the movie 'Support Your Local Sheriff'
5. Have Space Suit - Will Travel
by Robert A. Heinlein (276 pgs)
rating: 4
Kit is a bright young man who decides that he wants more than anything to go to the moon. His somewhat eccentric but highly intelligent parents give him their blessings and wish him good luck. When a soap company offers a contest with a free trip to the moon as the grand prize, Kit goes to work sending in entry form after entry form. Unfortunately, he doesn't win the grand prize...but he does get his very own space suit.
Have Space Suit-Will Travel is an example of Heinlein's young adult fiction and a good example at that. It's a quick read and a delightful specimen of the 1950's style of science fiction. Missing are all the things I sometimes dislike about Heinlein. There's no blatant political grandstanding and the sometimes objectionable attitudes toward women are missing it this one.
Recommend to everyone as a fun quick read. I need to find a copy of this for my library.
rating: 4
Kit is a bright young man who decides that he wants more than anything to go to the moon. His somewhat eccentric but highly intelligent parents give him their blessings and wish him good luck. When a soap company offers a contest with a free trip to the moon as the grand prize, Kit goes to work sending in entry form after entry form. Unfortunately, he doesn't win the grand prize...but he does get his very own space suit.
Have Space Suit-Will Travel is an example of Heinlein's young adult fiction and a good example at that. It's a quick read and a delightful specimen of the 1950's style of science fiction. Missing are all the things I sometimes dislike about Heinlein. There's no blatant political grandstanding and the sometimes objectionable attitudes toward women are missing it this one.
Recommend to everyone as a fun quick read. I need to find a copy of this for my library.
Wednesday, January 04, 2006
4. Remake
by Connie Willis (176 pgs)
Rating: 3
It's some time in the future and the movie industry revolves completely around rehashing old films. Tom is right there in the middle of it editing old films to conform with modern codes of conduct. He is, at least, until he meets Alis who wants more than anything to dance in the movies...except no one is filming new movies and even if they were, they wouldn't be filming musicals.
Remake is a bizarre book. It takes at least 20 pages to get a handle on the story and structure and it took me another 20 to be comfortable with it. It comes across as highly experimental. The structure was hard to get used to but not terribly distracting once I did. Despite giving this a rating of only 3, I will probably try reading this again sometime and see if I pick up more.
Recommended for old movie buffs and people who like working for their entertainment value.
Rating: 3
It's some time in the future and the movie industry revolves completely around rehashing old films. Tom is right there in the middle of it editing old films to conform with modern codes of conduct. He is, at least, until he meets Alis who wants more than anything to dance in the movies...except no one is filming new movies and even if they were, they wouldn't be filming musicals.
Remake is a bizarre book. It takes at least 20 pages to get a handle on the story and structure and it took me another 20 to be comfortable with it. It comes across as highly experimental. The structure was hard to get used to but not terribly distracting once I did. Despite giving this a rating of only 3, I will probably try reading this again sometime and see if I pick up more.
Recommended for old movie buffs and people who like working for their entertainment value.
3. Water Witch
by Connie Willis and Cynthia Felice (216 pgs)
Rating: 4
Deza is the orphaned child of a con artist. Radi is a true prince of the water witch blood although he doesn't have the power to sense water. Radi soon finds himself out of favor with his fiancee Sheria and Deza quickly becomes embroiled in the high stakes game to survive.
As far as literature goes, Water Witch is pretty low brow. It's well written, however, and the characters are intriguing. The main characters are very believable but the support characters are two dimensional and resemble mere plot devices. The story is wonderful. I couldn't put this down once I started reading it.
I recommend this book to just about anyone for a quick enjoyable read.
Rating: 4
Deza is the orphaned child of a con artist. Radi is a true prince of the water witch blood although he doesn't have the power to sense water. Radi soon finds himself out of favor with his fiancee Sheria and Deza quickly becomes embroiled in the high stakes game to survive.
As far as literature goes, Water Witch is pretty low brow. It's well written, however, and the characters are intriguing. The main characters are very believable but the support characters are two dimensional and resemble mere plot devices. The story is wonderful. I couldn't put this down once I started reading it.
I recommend this book to just about anyone for a quick enjoyable read.
Monday, January 02, 2006
2. Miracle and Other Christmas Stories
by Connie Willis (328 pgs)
Rating: 3
Ok I admit it. I'm a total Scrooge. Generally I really don't like Christmas and wander around the whole season in a funk. Amazingly, it wasn't like that this year. I still hate the stores and the commercial crap. I still have major issues with Santa. However, there's a lot to be said for the holiday as well. So Merry (belated) Christmas and Happy New Year y'all. So returning from major tangent-ville, this is a book of short stories about Christmas. If they weren't all themed around Christmas I might have given the book a 4 but I can't help my biases.
In all honesty, most of the stories in Miracle and Other Christmas Stories are a lot of fun and only a couple are more than tangentially associated with the holiday season. I only skimmed the introduction and the lists at the back of the book but other's who are more Christmas compatible might find them interesting. I've blurbed the stories individually below but before I move on I want to say that I think there's a story here for everyone...even us scrooges.
"Miracle"
What if the spirit of Christmas present came to you as an earth hippie bent on giving you exactly what you wanted for Christmas...would you believe him? Note: Watch "Miracle on 34th Street" and "It's a Wonderful Life" before reading this.
"Inn"
Perhaps my least favorite of the group. Two vagrants show up at a church in strange clothing and speaking some unusual language. Lessons about charity.
"In Coppelius's Toyshop"
Delightfully sinister tale of a toy shop and a jerk. Gotta love it.
"The Pony"
Every kid wishes for things without telling anyone what it is but every kid gets disappointed on Christmas morning when Santa fails to bring it. Maybe it's time for a change.
"Adaptation"
When the Spirit of Christmas Yet to Come hires on as a part-time clerk at a book shop, his boss isn't quite sure what to do. Fortunately other problems keep him from dwelling on it too much as he gets embroiled in a effort to un-scrooge a scrooge.
"Cat's Paw"
Futuristic whodunit with talking primates. That's all I'm going to say.
"Newsletter"
Invasion of the Holiday Spirit aliens....of doom! hehe. A sort of improbable Sci Fi, but fun, very fun.
"Epiphany"
A crisis of faith and the prophecy of the second coming. A rather intriguing romp through a snowy landscape that left me with an oddly warm feeling.
Rating: 3
Ok I admit it. I'm a total Scrooge. Generally I really don't like Christmas and wander around the whole season in a funk. Amazingly, it wasn't like that this year. I still hate the stores and the commercial crap. I still have major issues with Santa. However, there's a lot to be said for the holiday as well. So Merry (belated) Christmas and Happy New Year y'all. So returning from major tangent-ville, this is a book of short stories about Christmas. If they weren't all themed around Christmas I might have given the book a 4 but I can't help my biases.
In all honesty, most of the stories in Miracle and Other Christmas Stories are a lot of fun and only a couple are more than tangentially associated with the holiday season. I only skimmed the introduction and the lists at the back of the book but other's who are more Christmas compatible might find them interesting. I've blurbed the stories individually below but before I move on I want to say that I think there's a story here for everyone...even us scrooges.
"Miracle"
What if the spirit of Christmas present came to you as an earth hippie bent on giving you exactly what you wanted for Christmas...would you believe him? Note: Watch "Miracle on 34th Street" and "It's a Wonderful Life" before reading this.
"Inn"
Perhaps my least favorite of the group. Two vagrants show up at a church in strange clothing and speaking some unusual language. Lessons about charity.
"In Coppelius's Toyshop"
Delightfully sinister tale of a toy shop and a jerk. Gotta love it.
"The Pony"
Every kid wishes for things without telling anyone what it is but every kid gets disappointed on Christmas morning when Santa fails to bring it. Maybe it's time for a change.
"Adaptation"
When the Spirit of Christmas Yet to Come hires on as a part-time clerk at a book shop, his boss isn't quite sure what to do. Fortunately other problems keep him from dwelling on it too much as he gets embroiled in a effort to un-scrooge a scrooge.
"Cat's Paw"
Futuristic whodunit with talking primates. That's all I'm going to say.
"Newsletter"
Invasion of the Holiday Spirit aliens....of doom! hehe. A sort of improbable Sci Fi, but fun, very fun.
"Epiphany"
A crisis of faith and the prophecy of the second coming. A rather intriguing romp through a snowy landscape that left me with an oddly warm feeling.
Sunday, January 01, 2006
1. Promised Land
by Connie Willis and Cynthia Felice (362 pgs)
Rating: 4
Delanna is the daughter of a planetary pioneer who was sent off world to get an education. However, when her mother dies she is forced to come back and settle her parent's estate. It should be simple, but it's not. Soon Delanna finds that she's trapped on a world that her mother taught her to hate with her childhood friend Sonny and a secret.
Promised Land is sort of a cross between Heinlein and Home on the prairie. I started off thinking I wasn't going to like this book. Delanna starts off a real pain and the characters came off as two dimensional. However, by the time I was 50 pages in, things started to get much more interesting and by the time I was 100 pages in I was finally riveted. I think my resistance had more to do with the pioneer element. I've never been a fan of pioneer fiction or westerns and there were elements of both in this book.
I recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of pioneer fiction, westerns, or Science Fiction. Be warned though, it can take a bit to get into.
Rating: 4
Delanna is the daughter of a planetary pioneer who was sent off world to get an education. However, when her mother dies she is forced to come back and settle her parent's estate. It should be simple, but it's not. Soon Delanna finds that she's trapped on a world that her mother taught her to hate with her childhood friend Sonny and a secret.
Promised Land is sort of a cross between Heinlein and Home on the prairie. I started off thinking I wasn't going to like this book. Delanna starts off a real pain and the characters came off as two dimensional. However, by the time I was 50 pages in, things started to get much more interesting and by the time I was 100 pages in I was finally riveted. I think my resistance had more to do with the pioneer element. I've never been a fan of pioneer fiction or westerns and there were elements of both in this book.
I recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of pioneer fiction, westerns, or Science Fiction. Be warned though, it can take a bit to get into.
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