Category: Books
04/30/08
The Fortune Of War
| I got one of my godbrothers hooked on the Patrick O'Brian books a while back and when he got through the loaners I'd given him, he went out and bought the whole series and the next three for me. The Fortune of War picks up pretty much exactly where Desolation Island left off, and it takes a number of turns from there. They're heading back to England but get shipwrecked, involved in the War of 1812, captured by the Americans, and finally escaping to British territory before heading back to England. As has been typical of the series, the endings are rather abrupt, and I'm going to be starting in on the next chapter which is the first chapter of the next book soon. |
04/01/08
The Faded Sun Trilogy
I've been a fan of C. J. Cherryh for a while and picked this one up as my other reading for the trip out to San Jose. I got part of the way through it on the flight back, but didn't finish it until tonight. The work is definitely a little dated, especially in regards to the technology, but the story really doesn't suffer from it. Definitely some elements of Dune in it as well. The story starts at the end of a war between humans and regul, who fought by using proxy mercenaries called the mri. The mri got slaughtered because of how different humanity treated the war. From that beginning we move through intrigue and betrayal as the few remaining mri struggle to find their ancestral home. It was a great book and reading it brought me back to an author I'd neglected. I've got the beginning of some other series which I need to re-read and then finish off now... |
03/17/08
Dread Empire's Fall: The Praxis
| I picked up a couple books to read during the flight and got most of the way through this one on the way out. I finished it off tonight after class... I was intrigued by its premise, that humanity had been dominated, not really conquered, by an alien race who completely rewrote the belief system of any race that it encountered. Usually by bombarding the planet in question for a while. The book starts out with a little introduction to The Praxis and how humanity got to be where it is now, but the real action doesn't start until the last member of that race dies. That one death set in motion what looks like the destruction of the empire that had been built over the last few thousand years. By the end of the book there's a civil war going on and I'm really not sure where it's going to go from here. It was a good read though and the other two volumes of the trilogy are definitely in my future... |
02/22/08
Command Decision
| The fourth book in Elizabeth Moon's Vatta's War series picks up pretty much where Engaging the Enemy left off. Ky's trying to put together a fleet, Rafe is sorting out issues related to his family, and the situation with the pirates and the rebuild of Vatta Transport continue to develop. There's a bit less battle and a lot more character and plot development in this book, and I'm not complaining. It was nice to see some parts of this universe get fleshed out a little more. Apparently the next book is going to be the end of the series and from the way this one ended it's going to be a heck of a ride! |
02/15/08
Captain's Fury
| The fourth book in Jim Butcher's Codex Alera series picks up about two years after the end of the last one. Tavi is still in charge of the First Aleran Legion, which has been holding their own against the Canim invasion force. The civil war started by Kalare is still dragging on as well, with the predictable effects of a two front war on internal and external security. There are a number of revelations about Tavi's past and future throughout the book, and the ending didn't leave me disappointed either. I'm all caught up on the series and now have to wait until Mr. Butcher gets the next one out, but trust me, I'll be picking it up when it comes out. |
01/28/08
Wolf Who Rules
| My stack is shrinking. It's still over a foot tall, but I finished off another book. Wolf Who Rules is the sequel to Wen Spencer's Tinker and picks up right where it left off. Tinker's still coming to terms with her transformation and trying to fix the results of her shutting down the gate between Elfhome and Earth. It was a good, quick read and was as enjoyable as the first book. I'm hoping that we see some more stories set in this universe. There's definitely avenues to explore... |
01/19/08
The Reality Disfunction Part I: Emergence
I've read another of Peter F. Hamilton's series and based on that and a co-worker's recommendation, I picked up the first two books in this series and finished off the first one on the way back from San Francisco. This series is set in a different universe than the previous series, and like that one it is consistent and believable. There are multiple story lines with many characters, and based on my previous experience with his books, it pays to pay attention to what's going on in all of the story lines. They intersect and diverge seemingly at random, but at least so far with a greater purpose. The story is set approximately 600 years from now with humanity having spread out through the stars. Since this book really is a lead-in to a 6 book series, and really should be considered the first half of a larger book, it really is just setting the foundation for what's to come. Among the various subplots are a prospector searching for riches in an orbiting alien graveyard, pirate hunters, colonists struggling to make a home on a new, primitive world, and independent starship pilots trying to make a living. As of now, the colonists have unleashed a seemingly unstoppable power and it's spreading thanks to those starship pilots. |
01/04/08
For A Few Demons More
| I got a Barnes and Noble gift certificate for Christmas and used it to pick up a few books, including Kim Harrison's latest Rachel Morgan book. It picks up not long after the previous one left off and continues the major plot lines of the ongoing demon problems, the werewolf issues, and the vampire clans' dominance battles. The last book and now this one have gotten more episodic. Not saying that they don't stand alone, but you couldn't start in the middle and enjoy the read because there's very little recapping and history discussed. Definitely one of the better books of the series and it's set the stage for the sequel. I'm hoping some of the longer unresolved threads to start at least working towards a resolution... |
01/01/08
Cursor's Fury
| The third book in Jim Butcher's Codex Alera series was my traveling book, for the airports, etc. and I just finished it off. In this installment we learn a lot more about Tavi's past and the problems facing the realm. Tavi has been inserted into a newly formed Legion to keep an eye on the situation and report back. If only things went according to plans... While all hell is breaking loose there, Isana and company are working to free slaves and captives across the realms. The ending was quite surprising, at least for me. The author opened up a whole bunch of worm cans and has got me anxious for the next book to come out. |
12/17/07
Headwind
A friend gave me this one a while ago and, being a little burned out on sci-fi, I decided to change up the genres a little. Legal/political thrillers have been a guilty pleasure for a while now, with John Grisham and Tom Clancy leading the way. Well... John Nance did a good job with this one, that's for sure. The story starts out with an ex-president about to be arrested in Greece for what turns out to be a torture warrant. The rest of the book is a series of legal and aviation moves to keep the President from being arrested and sent to Peru to face trial. The action is pretty much non-stop and, other than a happily ever after ending, no major complaints. I'm probably going to check out a few more of his books. |
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