I've had this book sitting on my shelf just waiting for a time when I had nothing in the library. I'm not sure I've read a Michael Crichton book before. I haven't seen the movie version of Timeline either. So, I was very pleased to find that it is a fantastic read! It doesn't hurt that I love the whole "visiting the past" thing, especially when the past is a period that I find as interesting as the Middle Ages. It's kind of like a historical fiction in the present day ;-).
So yeah, great book. It's not so much a character driven book, but the main players are likeable, and the plot was fast paced, adventurous, and fun, with just the right amount of suspense and action thrown in. It's not a difficult book to read either - you don't need to re-read many paragraphs to figure out what's going on.
I'm giving this one 8.3 out of 10.
Friday, June 15, 2007
Monday, June 11, 2007
Antagonist, by Gordon R. Dickson, David W. Wixon
Antagonist is the concluding book in Dickson's Childe Cycle series. Dickson died while writing the novel, and his assistant, Wixon finished it using Dickson's notes (funny how their names sound similar).
I enjoyed most of the previous books in the cycle. In the future humanity has spread out and colonized a number of planets. On a number of these planets three "Splinter Cultures" have evolved, each focusing on different aspects of the human experience - Faith, Courage/Skill and Mind/Psychology. The series takes place over a number generations and attempts to paint a sweeping vision of humanity's evolution.
Unfortunately, Antagonist falls short of resolving this vision. It feels like it has lost it's coherence, both with the series and as an individual book. The point of view shifts jarringly at times. There are a number of shorter chapters (mostly from different points of view), that do not seem to serve any purpose. And the last chapter is just horrible, especially if this book is meant to conclude the series. I wouldn't mind the central conflict of the last couple books being left unresolved, but the final chapter just closes up a pointless minor conflict with no bearing on the series at all!
Overall, a disappointing book. Stick with the earlier Childe Cycle books, or try Wolf and Iron - a sort of fun, post-apocalyptic book, if you want to give Dickson a read.
6/10
I enjoyed most of the previous books in the cycle. In the future humanity has spread out and colonized a number of planets. On a number of these planets three "Splinter Cultures" have evolved, each focusing on different aspects of the human experience - Faith, Courage/Skill and Mind/Psychology. The series takes place over a number generations and attempts to paint a sweeping vision of humanity's evolution.
Unfortunately, Antagonist falls short of resolving this vision. It feels like it has lost it's coherence, both with the series and as an individual book. The point of view shifts jarringly at times. There are a number of shorter chapters (mostly from different points of view), that do not seem to serve any purpose. And the last chapter is just horrible, especially if this book is meant to conclude the series. I wouldn't mind the central conflict of the last couple books being left unresolved, but the final chapter just closes up a pointless minor conflict with no bearing on the series at all!
Overall, a disappointing book. Stick with the earlier Childe Cycle books, or try Wolf and Iron - a sort of fun, post-apocalyptic book, if you want to give Dickson a read.
6/10
Wednesday, June 6, 2007
Favorite, Noteable, Fun
I was talking with a friend yesterday about books - I could talk about books for a LONG time, (and with great intensity) :-). Anyway, we were trading authors, books, series, etc. So, rather than just give her a list, I thought I'd post one so everyone can see the books that make me tick!
Just a forewarning, almost all of these will be Sci-fi, Fantasy, since these have been the genres that I have gravitated to in the past. I know my diet is a little unbalanced, but, I read most what I enjoy most ;-).
I plan on roughly organizing them with my mostest favoritest at the top, but we'll see how it turns out. I'll also link-ify the title/series using www.scifan.com which is my favorite Sci-fi/Fantasy resource for keeping books, series and authors straight. The pages mostly have short blurbs, or at least links to the books on Amazon, where you can get reader reviews, etc.
Guy Gavriel Kay
The top four are my favorite Guy Kay books. Honorable mention also goes to The Fionavar Tapestry series, which though it is not (quite) my favorite of his, is still really good. I also quite enjoyed his essay (Home and Away) with some of his ideas about fantasy as a genre.
Lois McMaster Bujold
This is a fantastic sci-fi series - space opera at it's finest! I would advise reading the series in chronological rather than published order. There are also omnibus volumes which contain the earlier novels. Here's the order I would read the books:
David Gemmell
David Gemmell is one of my favorite writers of "heroic fantasy". The two series mentioned above are what I consider his strongest works (I've read most, though not all of his stuff). He writes quick paced exciting books, with vivid fights and engaging characters. Most of his heroes are conflicted or anti-heroes (with the exception of Druss from the Drenai series - who is a strong contender for my favorite fantasy hero, and is the archetypal hero - straight as an arrow). A few of his books might be considered pulpy, most have fairly violent parts and a number have demonic forces that some readers might find disturbing.
The Rigante series is a good place to start, being shorter and slightly more sophisticated than the early Drenai books. I'd recommend reading the through both series in published order, though with the exception of the last 2 Rigante books each plot wraps up fairly nicely in one book.
... in progress - more to come!
Just a forewarning, almost all of these will be Sci-fi, Fantasy, since these have been the genres that I have gravitated to in the past. I know my diet is a little unbalanced, but, I read most what I enjoy most ;-).
I plan on roughly organizing them with my mostest favoritest at the top, but we'll see how it turns out. I'll also link-ify the title/series using www.scifan.com which is my favorite Sci-fi/Fantasy resource for keeping books, series and authors straight. The pages mostly have short blurbs, or at least links to the books on Amazon, where you can get reader reviews, etc.
Guy Gavriel Kay
The top four are my favorite Guy Kay books. Honorable mention also goes to The Fionavar Tapestry series, which though it is not (quite) my favorite of his, is still really good. I also quite enjoyed his essay (Home and Away) with some of his ideas about fantasy as a genre.
Lois McMaster Bujold
This is a fantastic sci-fi series - space opera at it's finest! I would advise reading the series in chronological rather than published order. There are also omnibus volumes which contain the earlier novels. Here's the order I would read the books:
- Cordelia's Honour (Shards of Honor, Barrayar)
- Young Miles (The Warrior's Apprentice, The Vor Game + 1 short story)
- Miles, Mystery and Mayhem (Cetaganda, Ethan of Athos + 1 short story)
- Miles Errant (Brothers in Arms, Mirror Dance + 1 short story)
- Memory
- Komarr
- A Civil Campaign
- Miles, Mutants and Microbes (Falling Free, Diplomatic Immunity + 1 short story)
David Gemmell
David Gemmell is one of my favorite writers of "heroic fantasy". The two series mentioned above are what I consider his strongest works (I've read most, though not all of his stuff). He writes quick paced exciting books, with vivid fights and engaging characters. Most of his heroes are conflicted or anti-heroes (with the exception of Druss from the Drenai series - who is a strong contender for my favorite fantasy hero, and is the archetypal hero - straight as an arrow). A few of his books might be considered pulpy, most have fairly violent parts and a number have demonic forces that some readers might find disturbing.
The Rigante series is a good place to start, being shorter and slightly more sophisticated than the early Drenai books. I'd recommend reading the through both series in published order, though with the exception of the last 2 Rigante books each plot wraps up fairly nicely in one book.
... in progress - more to come!
Tuesday, June 5, 2007
Century Rain, by Alastair Reynolds
I had never read or heard of Alastair Reynolds before this book. Heidi just picked it out of the paperback section in the library to have something to read. I'm glad she did! Though Century Rain gets off to a slow start, it is both fun and interesting.
The story takes place in two different "locations" - Paris in 1959 and in various places in the solar system/space some time in the 2200s.
In this future a Nanocaust has occurred, leaving earth desolate and overrun by the sentient machines and micro-machines humanity designed to fix the problems (eg. climate change) it created (imagine sentient weather!). Humanity has split into two factions - one which embraces nanotechnology (Slashers - a name derived from slashdot) and another which walks the fine line between what is considered too much technology and the technology needed to survive in the sometimes hostile environments it is relegated too (Threshers). Naturally there is conflict between these two factions, which gives a backdrop for the events in this story.
One of the main characters is a private detective from the Paris side of the story, and the story has definite elements of mystery. The protagonists try to figure out their case at the same time as we try to figure out how the two disparate locations fit together. I really enjoyed the interplay between the genres (historical, mystery and sci-fi). I also found Reynolds to be a thoughtful author, putting forward some interesting and original (at least to me) ideas.
I'll give the book 7.9/10, due to its slightly slow start. Give it a shot though!
The story takes place in two different "locations" - Paris in 1959 and in various places in the solar system/space some time in the 2200s.
In this future a Nanocaust has occurred, leaving earth desolate and overrun by the sentient machines and micro-machines humanity designed to fix the problems (eg. climate change) it created (imagine sentient weather!). Humanity has split into two factions - one which embraces nanotechnology (Slashers - a name derived from slashdot) and another which walks the fine line between what is considered too much technology and the technology needed to survive in the sometimes hostile environments it is relegated too (Threshers). Naturally there is conflict between these two factions, which gives a backdrop for the events in this story.
One of the main characters is a private detective from the Paris side of the story, and the story has definite elements of mystery. The protagonists try to figure out their case at the same time as we try to figure out how the two disparate locations fit together. I really enjoyed the interplay between the genres (historical, mystery and sci-fi). I also found Reynolds to be a thoughtful author, putting forward some interesting and original (at least to me) ideas.
I'll give the book 7.9/10, due to its slightly slow start. Give it a shot though!
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Song of the Beast, by Carol Berg
I have been lagging a little in getting these posts up when I am done each book I read. However, this is one gets me up to date! Yay!
Song of the Beast is a good solid fantasy book. It is not spectacular, it doesn't break any new ground, none of the ideas are particularly earth shattering, but it works really well. I have previously read Berg's Bridge of D'Arnath and Rai-kirah - Derzhi Empire series, and I believe that though it was published more recently, Song of the Beast is one of her earlier works. Indeed, some of the bones of the story (or at least a few ideas) seem very similar to Transformation, her first Rai-kirah book (and one of the favorite fantasy books I have read in the last year or so). I knew this going in, so was pleasantly surprised to find that the book is not just a pre-hashing of Berg's earlier works.
Though not as good as the Rai-kirah series, this is a definitely a recommended read for any fantasy lover, and a good introduction to Carol Berg (being a stand-alone novel).
7.8 out of 10
Song of the Beast is a good solid fantasy book. It is not spectacular, it doesn't break any new ground, none of the ideas are particularly earth shattering, but it works really well. I have previously read Berg's Bridge of D'Arnath and Rai-kirah - Derzhi Empire series, and I believe that though it was published more recently, Song of the Beast is one of her earlier works. Indeed, some of the bones of the story (or at least a few ideas) seem very similar to Transformation, her first Rai-kirah book (and one of the favorite fantasy books I have read in the last year or so). I knew this going in, so was pleasantly surprised to find that the book is not just a pre-hashing of Berg's earlier works.
Though not as good as the Rai-kirah series, this is a definitely a recommended read for any fantasy lover, and a good introduction to Carol Berg (being a stand-alone novel).
7.8 out of 10
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Shop 'till You Drop, by Elaine Viets
I read about this author on one of my book blogs, so I thought I would give her a try. I put the book on hold at the library without looking at it. I can't say it's something I would have picked up just browsing at the library (judging from its cover). I thought I'd give it a try, nonetheless.
As mysteries go it was fairly un-mysterious, and slightly boring. Almost all of the characters had depressing lives too. I mean, if you're going to wright escapist literature (this looks like beach reading for women), it should at least be fun! Maybe some people like reading about depressingly shallow and messed up characters so they can feel better about themselves in comparison.
Oh well, I guess that's what I get for not really being discerning in what I read. At least it was fairly short ;-).
5.2 out of 10
As mysteries go it was fairly un-mysterious, and slightly boring. Almost all of the characters had depressing lives too. I mean, if you're going to wright escapist literature (this looks like beach reading for women), it should at least be fun! Maybe some people like reading about depressingly shallow and messed up characters so they can feel better about themselves in comparison.
Oh well, I guess that's what I get for not really being discerning in what I read. At least it was fairly short ;-).
5.2 out of 10
Monday, May 28, 2007
The Ghost Brigades, by John Scalzi
The Ghost Brigades is the follow novel up to Old Man's War. Though it is not required, I would definitely recommend reading Old Man's War first.
In Old Man's War we are introduced to a future where humanity has spread to the stars and found the universe crawling with intelligent life, all in a mad rush for the rare inhabitable planets. To protect earth and it's colonies the Colonial Defense Forces (CDF) take volunteer senior citizens of Earth (70+), clone/upgrade their bodies and transfer their consciousness into these new bodies. After a 10 year stint in the military, (if they survive), these soldiers can then be transferred into yet another cloned (unmodified) body and start over as a colonist, or continue to serve in the military.
The Ghost Bridages are the CDF's special forces. Rather than having an existing consciousness transferred into a cloned body, they are "born" directly into a radically modified engineered body. As the name of the book implies, our main characters this go around are part of these special forces.
As with Old Man's War, The Ghost Brigades is a fast paced, fun, humorous and, at times, gripping adventure. The whole CDF system is an ethics nightmare, and this is pursued a little in the book. Everything is nicely wrapped up, but we are given some hints where the series is heading. I enjoyed how the Ghost Brigades filled in and expanded on the world introduced in the first book. While there were not as many "wow, this is cool!" moments, it was satisfying to spend more time immersed in Scalzi's world.
I give it a 7.8 out of 10.
In Old Man's War we are introduced to a future where humanity has spread to the stars and found the universe crawling with intelligent life, all in a mad rush for the rare inhabitable planets. To protect earth and it's colonies the Colonial Defense Forces (CDF) take volunteer senior citizens of Earth (70+), clone/upgrade their bodies and transfer their consciousness into these new bodies. After a 10 year stint in the military, (if they survive), these soldiers can then be transferred into yet another cloned (unmodified) body and start over as a colonist, or continue to serve in the military.
The Ghost Bridages are the CDF's special forces. Rather than having an existing consciousness transferred into a cloned body, they are "born" directly into a radically modified engineered body. As the name of the book implies, our main characters this go around are part of these special forces.
As with Old Man's War, The Ghost Brigades is a fast paced, fun, humorous and, at times, gripping adventure. The whole CDF system is an ethics nightmare, and this is pursued a little in the book. Everything is nicely wrapped up, but we are given some hints where the series is heading. I enjoyed how the Ghost Brigades filled in and expanded on the world introduced in the first book. While there were not as many "wow, this is cool!" moments, it was satisfying to spend more time immersed in Scalzi's world.
I give it a 7.8 out of 10.
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