Bozimus

Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it...

Just finished "Captain's Fury" by Jim Butcher...

This may be the fourth book of a very solid fantasy series (Codex Alera) but it is the first book of the series to earn a five star rating from me. The previous three books came close to 5 star ratings...but minor quibbles kept them from getting a full five stars. This book has everything I like to see in a book (lots of fighting, pathos, unique magic system, logical/interesting character progression, etc). Author, Jim Butcher, is a very good storyteller who knows his craft. I eagerly await the next book, "Princep's Fury".

Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it...

I just finished "Revelation Space" by Alastair Reynolds...

I have wanted to read this for a long time, but other books got in the way. It took a little while to get REALLY interesting. I read a little, put it down, read a little more, put it back down....lather, rinse, repeat. Then the pace began to pick up a third of the way in.

At roughly 66%, the two groups of major characters began to interact in earnest. I like books whose protagonists have hard edges and this one had plenty of gritty types (murderers, mercenaries, and prima donnas to name but a few). Reynolds did a good job of fleshing out the major characters. But I don't read science fiction for good characterization...that is usually considered a bonus.

I read science fiction for the "WOW Factor". I want to be enthralled by cool tech, powerful spaceships, and world-shattering events. This book delivered all three. I give this book 4.5 out of 5 stars. I will be reading the next book...."Redemption Ark". Reynolds is a writer to watch, IMO.

Re: What Fiction Book (other than Science Fiction or Fantasy) have you recently finis

I just finished Unholy Night by Seth Grahame-Smith

What did you think of it? Good, Bad, or just plain Fugly?

Re: What Fiction Book (other than Science Fiction or Fantasy) have you recently finis

I just finished "The Sun Over Breda", book 3 of "The Adventures of Captain Alatriste" by Arturo Perez-Reverte.

I started this book with slight reservations. The previous book in this series, "Purity of Blood", did not exactly "knock my socks off". But I decided to give this third book in the series a chance based upon the high regard I hold for the author, Arturo Perez-Reverte.

I keep hoping for another "El Club Dumas" and I keep getting disappointed. Don't get me wrong...this book was a pleasant read. However, it did not quite deliver what was promised on the inner flap of the hard back cover..."a gloriously dramatic novel of war and honor...". I am an action junky! I WANT to read the blow-by-blow of a sword/pistol fight... But Perez-Reverte (too often) abstracted the action. He would get to a juicy fight scene and poof...he would sum up the outcome instead of letting me see/experience it. ARRRGHHH!!! Arturo, You lost at least 1 full star for that, me bucko. If your intended audience were the women buying "50 Shades of Grey" I could understand abstracting the violence. But how many women are going to buy into this series?

To sum it up, there are better examples of historical fiction out there (Bernard Cornwell's excellent "Saxon Tales" to name one). I doubt that I will read book 4 of this series "The King's Gold".

Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it...

I just finished reading "Under Heaven" by Guy Gavriel Kay.

G.G. Kay is one of my favorite authors. I had high hopes for this book because of my interest in ancient China and I was not disappointed. This book is like a pot of red beans & rice...it took awhile to really start to simmering. Then it became hard to put down...a good sign that you are reading a good book. Lots of politics and world building with fully developed characters. A little light on the action side, but for once, I didn't mind.

Some of Kay's books are hard to put in a specific category. Even though there was a smidgen of magic, this does not feel like a fantasy to me. The most appropriate category seems to be "historical fiction" even though this book takes place in an alternate version of ancient China. This book successfully transported me to ancient China without constraining the setting by using actual historical events. I believe that this was the intent of the author and he carried it off rather well. I eagerly look forward to the next Kay book on my "To Read" shelf..."The Lions of al-Rassan".

Re: What Non-Fiction Book have you just finished?

Michael,

You make some interesting points. Especially about the pyrrhic nature of victories that often results from putting down a rebellion.

Re: What Non-Fiction Book have you just finished?

Another section details the policies of the British government that led to the American Revolution and the inevitable defeat of the efforts to suppress it (Tuchman contends that it would have been virtually impossible for the British to win the war' date=' and that there was no possible outcome of the conflict that would have been in their favor regardless of what happened on the actual battlefield).[/quote']

 

I am not a historian, nor am I well-versed in the history surrounding the Revolutionary War, but this view strikes me as a little hard to believe. Can you elaborate further on why the most powerful nation on Earth (at that time) could not have been victorious in this particular revolution when they had proven quite adept at squashing Irish, Scot, Welsh, etc. insurrections throughout their history? I learned (maybe incorrectly) that the Revolutionary War was a "near run" thing... Sounds like an interesting premise, however.

Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it...

Thanks for the recommend. Sounds like it sis right up my alley.

My pleasure! Hope you enjoy it!

Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it...

I just finished "Hounded".

This is the first book of the "Iron Druid" urban fantasy series by Kevin Hearne. I finished this book in a little over two weeks, which is pretty fast for me since I read three to four books simultaneously. Hearne has impressed me with his ability to write such a compulsively readable book. Why did I like it so much? The main reasons are listed below...

I am a big fan of Jim Butcher's "Harry Dresden Files" series. That series has a wise-cracking wizard for a protagonist and tons of interesting supporting characters. When an author takes those characters and presents them in a fast-paced setting that liberally mixes action and humor, readers cannot turn the pages fast enough.

With "Hounded", Hearne has perfectly channeled his inner "Butcher". While this book resembles the Dresden series, it does not feel derivative. I never felt as if Hearne had ripped Butcher off. Instead, I received the same "comfort food" feeling I normally enjoy when reading a "Harry Dresden File" book. In short, many of the same characteristics that lead me to enjoy Butcher's books are found in "Hounded".

First books in a series tend to spend a lot of time introducing the cast. Hearne managed this necessity without making me feel impatient. To my delight, there was liberal amounts of action interspersed between cast introductions. In other words, the pacing was "spot on".

To sum it all up, I am glad that I bought "Hounded". The second book "Hexed", is already on my "To Buy" list.

Re: What Non-Fiction Book have you just finished?

Just finished "Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors" by James D. Hornfisch.

 

Taffy 3, equipped with 6 converted cargo ship aircraft carriers (CVEs), escorted by 3 destroyers (DD) and 4 'escort destroyers' (DE) were preparing for thier morning ground support for the troops ashore on Leyte and anti-submarine patrol when over the horizon comes 4 battleships (including Yamato, world's largest), 6 heavy cruisers, 2 light cruisers, and 11 destroyers.

The American carriers immediatly launch whatever aircraft they have ready for combat, however they were armed (Mostly fragmentation bombs, napalm, and depth charges) while the destroyers ("Tin Cans" in navy slang) first laid smoke then closed into torpedo range. Last stand time indeed, as destroyers first launched torpedoes then turned around and *pretended* to launch more torpedoes. Aircraft dropped bombs etc. then turned around on fake bomb runs.

 

Drama on the high seas, told almost entirely from the point of view of Americans who were there. As history, it's shaky, since it relies almost exclusively on American sources, but as action/adventure, well, they should make a movie of it.

(Clint Eastwood as Admiral Clifton Sprague. "Admiral, look! They're getting away!"

This one is on my "to read" list!!!

Re: What Fiction Book (other than Science Fiction or Fantasy) have you recently finis

In the first case the killer murdered Hammer's buddy and went on to kill the spouse as well before Mike caught on. In the second case the guy is the head of the vice racket in New York and had his own grand daughter murdered. Hammer had met her briefly and gave her some cash to get her life back on track. So he decides to avenge her.

That explains things! Thanks!

Re: What Fiction Book (other than Science Fiction or Fantasy) have you recently finis

They were the villains

CES

I assumed as much.

Re: What Fiction Book (other than Science Fiction or Fantasy) have you recently finis

My Gun is Quick by Mickey Spillane. In the previous book' date=' Mike Hammer kills a naked woman. This time he kills an old man who is trapped by falling beams by shooting him in the head before the firemen can get to them. This would not pass muster today. It is brutal. Good but brutal.[/quote']

 

You must be leaving out some important tidbits about the victims. Unless Mike Hammer has become a psychopath?

Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it...

Thank you! I liked "Roadmarks"...so I will probably like "A Night in the Lonesome October". Putting it on my "To Read" list now...

Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it...

Susano,

How was "A Night in the Lonesome October" by Roger Zelazny? Zelazny is one of my favorite authors. From the blurb on Amazon.com, it sounds like a lot of fun.

Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it...

Thanks for the recommendations! Those tired of conservative-themed SF might look at Modesitt's "The Parafaith War".

Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it...

I've read a lot of military themed SF lately' date=' a lot of it by Douglas and while it's well written the repetition of the same themes over and over again, and the constant drumbeat on the same social issues, gets tedious and eventual hard to keep reading after enough books.[/quote']

 

Could you share the titles/authors of the military themed SF you enjoyed? I am on a space opera kick at the moment, but rousing military SF sounds quite enjoyable!

Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it...

I recently finished "A Key For Nonesuch" by Geary Gravel, Book 1 of the War of the Fading Worlds. The review I posted at Goodreads is below...

I like books that have a modern person open a mundane doorway that leads to a fantastic realm. I remember starting this book on a flight from Seattle to Shreveport, La. back in the early 90's. Somehow it got lost in the shuffle. I never gave it a fair shake. When I recently saw it in a used book store, I was given the opportunity to redress that error.

This was a fun, if not a spectacular book. I give it 3 stars out of 5. The protagonist is a likable fellow with a sense of humor. The fantastic realm I spoke about earlier...turns out to be kinda "meh". This novel was like a satisfying but bland soup. It needed some more spice to really taste good. Literary tabasco is what this cook suggests. I will probably read the next book, "Return of the Breakneck Boys", but not for a long time.

Re: What Non-Fiction Book have you just finished?

So, Tribby...did you learn how to be a woman?

Lesson 1...Text/apply makeup while driving.

Lesson 2...Kick smarta$$ed Bozimus in gonads.

Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it...

I just finished "Plan B", one of the many "Liaden Universe" space op books by Sharon Lee and Steve Green. This is the fourth book in the series I have read. I give it 3.5 of 5 stars. It started a little slow, but ended with a nice amount of action. I will definitely read the next book in the series, "I Dare", in the future. There is a little too much romance in these stories for my taste, but I like the characters/setting enough to keep coming back.

If interested, look for the omnibus version "Partners in Necessity" as a good place to start. Be advised that the "Liaden Universe" books deal with multiple generations/plotlines. This website (Sharon Lee's) discusses the correct reading order...

http://sharonleewriter.com/bibliography/correct-reading-order/

Edit...According to Wikipedia, this is the "Agent of Change" reading order...

1. Local Custom

2. Scout's Progress

3. Conflict of Honors

4. Agent of Change

5. Carpe Diem

6. Plan B

7. I Dare

I have not read books 1, 2, or 7. Apparently, books 1 and 2 concern the parents of two of the main characters in books 3-7.

Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it...

...Least convincing female protagonist written by a male author (that I've read) in a good long time. Hey' date=' Vern. Would it kill you to read a romance novel or two?[/quote']

 

It just might kill him!

Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it...

Recently finished "The Way of Shadows" by Brent Weeks. Book 1 of the "Night Angel" triology.

This book has great action scenes (a big plus for me). I eagerly flipped the pages to see what would happen next. The magic systems (there were several) were interesting and non-typical. A big plus were the sneaky scenes, when the main character is using stealth tricks to infiltrate/assassinate. Overall, I very much enjoyed this book.

My one quibble was with some of the characters. Several characters were unbelievably evil. I actually expected one of them to twist his mustache and cackle with glee as he devised tortures for the protagonist... Others were sickeningly good. I prefer characters that have shades of gray.

I will definitely purchase/read the second book. I fully expect the "Night Angel" series to be a worthy addition to the fantasy genre if Weeks can keep the pacing consistently high and make the characters slightly less one dimensional.

Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it...

I've read all them and liked them all. However' date=' I recall thinking [i']Consider Phlebas[/i] wandered a bit at times. However, I really liked Player of Games and Look to Windward and do think his writing gets better and better as he progresses.

I am glad to learn that the quality improves over time with this series. The science fiction and fantasy genres are rife with series that continued long past the point where they should have been terminated.

Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it...

What I am about to say may be considered a spoiler by some while others may not consider it a spoiler in any way/shape/form. To be safe I will treat it as a spoiler...

Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it...

I just finished "Consider Phlebas" by Iain M. Banks. I believe that this is the first "Culture" novel in the series (however, others more familiar with the series have stated that the books can be read in any order). The "Culture" novels deal with a space-faring quasi-empire known as ...wait for it!...the Culture. This Star Trek Federation-like association of hedonists disdain money and material wealth. The Culture also grants AI's equal rights to humans. Things aren't always peaceful for these drone-loving space hippies as there is a darker(some would say, more realistic) side that operates covertly in ways seemingly at odds with their space hippy manifesto. I think that this dichotomy is what makes these books (at least the two I've read to date) interesting.

Lately, I have found myself in a mood to read lots of Space Opera...hence my decision to resume reading the "Culture" novels. Back in the late 80's/early 90's I very much enjoyed what I believe to be the 2nd "Culture" novel---"Player of Games". I intend to re-read "Player of Games" in the near future to see if Bozimus of 2011 likes it as much as Bozimus of the late 80's/early 90's.

How did I like "Consider Phlebas"? I found it to be slightly above-average space opera. There are parts that bored me to death (one in particular made me pause my reading of this book for nearly 6 months) and other parts that had me rapidly flipping the pages. The "Culture" has numerous cool gadgets and interesting alien species making for an effective space opera setting. I think "Player of Games" was the stronger novel, but that might be because I am more jaded than I was 20 years ago.

Based on my enjoyment of "Player of Games" I expected more from "Consider Phlebas". However, "Consider Phlebas" is a good book in its own right.