Tony Nance
2024-02-02 01:24:29 UTC
Highlights and Lowlights - January 2024
Sorry this one is so long - next time I’ll post one of these after I’ve
read 7-8 books.
Books are listed in reverse chronological order from how I read them,
using a very primitive rating system:
“+” are good, and more “+” are better
“-“ are not good, and more “-“ are worse
I’m happy to answer questions about anything on the list.
Highlight - Nopalgarth - Vance [aka The Brains of Earth; listed as
Nopalgarth #3, and now I can see why]
Lowlight - Mathenauts: Tales of Mathematical Wonder - ed. by Rucker
Here’s a quick summary of what’s more in-depth below:
(+) Tales from the Folly - Aaronovitch [Rivers of London collection]
(+++ 1/2) The Harbors of the Sun - Wells [Raksura #5]
(+++) The Edge of Worlds - Wells [Raksura #4]
(++) Plague of Demons - Laumer (re-read)
(+++) Clean Sweep - Andrews [Innkeeper Chronicles #1]
(++) An Inheritance of Magic - Jacka
(+ -) Mathenauts: Tales of Mathematical Wonder - ed. by Rucker
(++ -) The Gathering Edge - Lee & Miller [Liaden #20]
(+++) Cast in Sorrow - Sagara [Elantra #9]
(++ 1/2) Cast in Peril - Sagara [Elantra #8]
(+++) Inhibitor Phase - Reynolds [Revelation Space #5]
(++++) Nopalgarth - Vance [aka The Brains of Earth; listed as Nopalgarth
#3, and now I can see why]
Now Reading:
Long work - Not sure yet…probably Slow Bullets - Reynolds (novella)
Collection - Not sure yet…probably Chateau d’If and Other Stories - Vance
===========================================
(+) Tales from the Folly - Aaronovitch [Rivers of London collection]
My wife made a trip the library, and I tagged along (throw me in the
briar patch). I walked out with three books I’d been interested in but
had not purchased. Good thing in this case, because the stories in this
collection from the Rivers of London universe are very slight, rather
unremarkable, and sometimes boring. About half of the stories feature
Peter Grant, and these are okay. The rest feature various side
characters, and for the most part are very forgettable. I did appreciate
the short introductions to each story, and I’m looking forward to
reading the most recent novel in the series when I get a chance. But
this collection is for completists only in my opinion.
(+++ 1/2) The Harbors of the Sun - Wells [Raksura #5]
(+++) The Edge of Worlds - Wells [Raksura #4]
Think of these two as one big book, and it’s very very good. #4 ends in
a transitory place with almost nothing resolved, so I immediately moved
on to the next one. #5 is the series-ender (so far?), and it definitely
ends in a satisfying place with very few loose ends. Similar to #3, Moon
& Co journey to an isolated, sealed place, possibly holding powerfull
ancient artifacts. Near the end of #4, a betrayer steals an artifact
that could be used to destroy entire races. While we do see Moon develop
and become more and more accepted by his society, these two books are
less focused on that and a lot more focused on the urgency of finding
the artifact and disabling it before it gets used.
(++) Plague of Demons - Laumer (re-read)
One of James’ posts, or perhaps one of the responses that followed,
mentioned this one. I had read it years ago, but I couldn’t remember
anything tangible about it. A human discovers that aliens have
infiltrated Earth, and he decides to allow himself to become
(experimentally) bio-engineered to help fight back. It’s a short,
action-packed story, which would undoubtedly be a bloated trilogy
nowadays. Is this the best book you’ll ever read? No, but it is
fast-paced, entertaining, never ponderous, and reminds me of the best
Van Vogt works, where things move faster and faster to a conclusion.
(+++) Clean Sweep - Andrews [Innkeeper Chronicles #1]
This was an enjoyable series starter. I’m glad Lynn reviewed these here,
because — even though the Kate Daniels series is one of my favorites — I
was on the fence about trying these. As a series starter, there are more
than a few “As you know Bob” discussions, but it’s a neat set-up. Dina
is an Innkeeper, and we learn more and more about what that actually
means throughout the book. She’s a strong, interesting character. Sean
is an a-hole - a handsome alpha werewolf a-hole, so of course Dina is
attracted to him. When a string of unusual predatory events hit Dina’s
neighborhood, she and Sean try to figure out what’s going on and how to
stop it. This entry is self-contained and complete, and there are
clearly a lot of directions this can go from here.
(++) An Inheritance of Magic - Jacka
This was also a good series starter, laying a lot of groundwork for how
this new setting works. Fyi: In the intro/forward, Jacka specifically
mentions that this has nothing to do with his Alex Verus series. Stephen
Oakwood is 20 years old and a novice drucrafter (drucraft is a novel
magic system invented by Jacka for this work). His mother abandoned him
at age 1, and his father disappeared - was possibly kidnapped - under
mysterious circumstances 3 years ago. Stephen becomes entangled with a
rather stereotypical ruthless power-hungry rich family of drucrafters,
and it’s pretty clear this entanglement will be very important in the
next book(s). I will read the second one (not yet released) and decide
if I go on from there.
(+ -) Mathenauts: Tales of Mathematical Wonder - ed. by Rucker
Not very good - it took months to get through this, with not many
memorable (or good) stories at all. Full disclosure: I’m a
mathematician, and I find fiction that (supposedly) focuses on math to
almost aways fall flat. I believe this phenomena falls under one of my
“reading rules”: “The more you know about a subject, the less likely
you’ll enjoy fiction about it.”
(++ -) The Gathering Edge - Lee & Miller [Liaden #20]
For a Liaden book, this was just okay. I’m not a big fan of Theo, and
this is pretty much Theo & Co all the time. The plot includes an
interesting plot direction that leads back to Surebleak and the
characters I enjoy most, so hopefully the next one is a lot less focused
on Theo & Co. Clarence is great as a second-in-command character on
Theo’s ship, and we learn a lot about the other crew members, as well as
the ship itself.
(+++) Cast in Sorrow - Sagara [Elantra #9]
(++ 1/2) Cast in Peril - Sagara [Elantra #8]
Similar to the Raksura pair above, think of this as one very big book,
and it’s very very good. As with all of the entries in this series so
far (so this is not a spoiler) Kaylin ultimately saves the universe, and
in the process several folks become indebted to her, which is not as
great as it sounds. The story is very much a
journey-somewhere-and-accomplish-something-important-when-you-get-there
story, but the problem is that #8 just kinda stops in the middle with
“ok, we’re here”. I imagine this would have been aggravating in real
time, since #9 came out almost a year after #8 did.
(+++ 1/2) Inhibitor Phase - Reynolds [Revelation Space #5]
Very good - almost excellent. The first three-fourths (roughly) actually
was excellent; but once they got to Ararat, it was a little unsatisfying
and a bit of a letdown (reasons would be spoiler-y). There were a lot of
references and tie-ins to the previous Revelation Space books, and I’m
sure I missed some, too. The resolution was fine, and also hints at a
lot of strong issues ahead. Overall a very good read.
(++++) Nopalgarth - Vance [aka The Brains of Earth; listed as Nopalgarth
#3, and now I can see why]
This was excellent. Very much an urgent scientific puzzle, trying to
solve the problem of the “Nopal”, as seen by planet Ixax and then by
planet Earth as well. The Nopal — and eventually we also see the Gher —
control the “para-cosmos”, similar to our psychic/psionic “plane”, and
as such, they vie for control of the beings in the material plane, like
the inhabitants of Ixax and Earth. At least one Earthling wants to put a
stop to it.
Now Reading:
Long work - Not sure yet…probably Slow Bullets - Reynolds (novella)
Collection - Not sure yet…probably Chateau d’If and Other Stories - Vance
Tony
Sorry this one is so long - next time I’ll post one of these after I’ve
read 7-8 books.
Books are listed in reverse chronological order from how I read them,
using a very primitive rating system:
“+” are good, and more “+” are better
“-“ are not good, and more “-“ are worse
I’m happy to answer questions about anything on the list.
Highlight - Nopalgarth - Vance [aka The Brains of Earth; listed as
Nopalgarth #3, and now I can see why]
Lowlight - Mathenauts: Tales of Mathematical Wonder - ed. by Rucker
Here’s a quick summary of what’s more in-depth below:
(+) Tales from the Folly - Aaronovitch [Rivers of London collection]
(+++ 1/2) The Harbors of the Sun - Wells [Raksura #5]
(+++) The Edge of Worlds - Wells [Raksura #4]
(++) Plague of Demons - Laumer (re-read)
(+++) Clean Sweep - Andrews [Innkeeper Chronicles #1]
(++) An Inheritance of Magic - Jacka
(+ -) Mathenauts: Tales of Mathematical Wonder - ed. by Rucker
(++ -) The Gathering Edge - Lee & Miller [Liaden #20]
(+++) Cast in Sorrow - Sagara [Elantra #9]
(++ 1/2) Cast in Peril - Sagara [Elantra #8]
(+++) Inhibitor Phase - Reynolds [Revelation Space #5]
(++++) Nopalgarth - Vance [aka The Brains of Earth; listed as Nopalgarth
#3, and now I can see why]
Now Reading:
Long work - Not sure yet…probably Slow Bullets - Reynolds (novella)
Collection - Not sure yet…probably Chateau d’If and Other Stories - Vance
===========================================
(+) Tales from the Folly - Aaronovitch [Rivers of London collection]
My wife made a trip the library, and I tagged along (throw me in the
briar patch). I walked out with three books I’d been interested in but
had not purchased. Good thing in this case, because the stories in this
collection from the Rivers of London universe are very slight, rather
unremarkable, and sometimes boring. About half of the stories feature
Peter Grant, and these are okay. The rest feature various side
characters, and for the most part are very forgettable. I did appreciate
the short introductions to each story, and I’m looking forward to
reading the most recent novel in the series when I get a chance. But
this collection is for completists only in my opinion.
(+++ 1/2) The Harbors of the Sun - Wells [Raksura #5]
(+++) The Edge of Worlds - Wells [Raksura #4]
Think of these two as one big book, and it’s very very good. #4 ends in
a transitory place with almost nothing resolved, so I immediately moved
on to the next one. #5 is the series-ender (so far?), and it definitely
ends in a satisfying place with very few loose ends. Similar to #3, Moon
& Co journey to an isolated, sealed place, possibly holding powerfull
ancient artifacts. Near the end of #4, a betrayer steals an artifact
that could be used to destroy entire races. While we do see Moon develop
and become more and more accepted by his society, these two books are
less focused on that and a lot more focused on the urgency of finding
the artifact and disabling it before it gets used.
(++) Plague of Demons - Laumer (re-read)
One of James’ posts, or perhaps one of the responses that followed,
mentioned this one. I had read it years ago, but I couldn’t remember
anything tangible about it. A human discovers that aliens have
infiltrated Earth, and he decides to allow himself to become
(experimentally) bio-engineered to help fight back. It’s a short,
action-packed story, which would undoubtedly be a bloated trilogy
nowadays. Is this the best book you’ll ever read? No, but it is
fast-paced, entertaining, never ponderous, and reminds me of the best
Van Vogt works, where things move faster and faster to a conclusion.
(+++) Clean Sweep - Andrews [Innkeeper Chronicles #1]
This was an enjoyable series starter. I’m glad Lynn reviewed these here,
because — even though the Kate Daniels series is one of my favorites — I
was on the fence about trying these. As a series starter, there are more
than a few “As you know Bob” discussions, but it’s a neat set-up. Dina
is an Innkeeper, and we learn more and more about what that actually
means throughout the book. She’s a strong, interesting character. Sean
is an a-hole - a handsome alpha werewolf a-hole, so of course Dina is
attracted to him. When a string of unusual predatory events hit Dina’s
neighborhood, she and Sean try to figure out what’s going on and how to
stop it. This entry is self-contained and complete, and there are
clearly a lot of directions this can go from here.
(++) An Inheritance of Magic - Jacka
This was also a good series starter, laying a lot of groundwork for how
this new setting works. Fyi: In the intro/forward, Jacka specifically
mentions that this has nothing to do with his Alex Verus series. Stephen
Oakwood is 20 years old and a novice drucrafter (drucraft is a novel
magic system invented by Jacka for this work). His mother abandoned him
at age 1, and his father disappeared - was possibly kidnapped - under
mysterious circumstances 3 years ago. Stephen becomes entangled with a
rather stereotypical ruthless power-hungry rich family of drucrafters,
and it’s pretty clear this entanglement will be very important in the
next book(s). I will read the second one (not yet released) and decide
if I go on from there.
(+ -) Mathenauts: Tales of Mathematical Wonder - ed. by Rucker
Not very good - it took months to get through this, with not many
memorable (or good) stories at all. Full disclosure: I’m a
mathematician, and I find fiction that (supposedly) focuses on math to
almost aways fall flat. I believe this phenomena falls under one of my
“reading rules”: “The more you know about a subject, the less likely
you’ll enjoy fiction about it.”
(++ -) The Gathering Edge - Lee & Miller [Liaden #20]
For a Liaden book, this was just okay. I’m not a big fan of Theo, and
this is pretty much Theo & Co all the time. The plot includes an
interesting plot direction that leads back to Surebleak and the
characters I enjoy most, so hopefully the next one is a lot less focused
on Theo & Co. Clarence is great as a second-in-command character on
Theo’s ship, and we learn a lot about the other crew members, as well as
the ship itself.
(+++) Cast in Sorrow - Sagara [Elantra #9]
(++ 1/2) Cast in Peril - Sagara [Elantra #8]
Similar to the Raksura pair above, think of this as one very big book,
and it’s very very good. As with all of the entries in this series so
far (so this is not a spoiler) Kaylin ultimately saves the universe, and
in the process several folks become indebted to her, which is not as
great as it sounds. The story is very much a
journey-somewhere-and-accomplish-something-important-when-you-get-there
story, but the problem is that #8 just kinda stops in the middle with
“ok, we’re here”. I imagine this would have been aggravating in real
time, since #9 came out almost a year after #8 did.
(+++ 1/2) Inhibitor Phase - Reynolds [Revelation Space #5]
Very good - almost excellent. The first three-fourths (roughly) actually
was excellent; but once they got to Ararat, it was a little unsatisfying
and a bit of a letdown (reasons would be spoiler-y). There were a lot of
references and tie-ins to the previous Revelation Space books, and I’m
sure I missed some, too. The resolution was fine, and also hints at a
lot of strong issues ahead. Overall a very good read.
(++++) Nopalgarth - Vance [aka The Brains of Earth; listed as Nopalgarth
#3, and now I can see why]
This was excellent. Very much an urgent scientific puzzle, trying to
solve the problem of the “Nopal”, as seen by planet Ixax and then by
planet Earth as well. The Nopal — and eventually we also see the Gher —
control the “para-cosmos”, similar to our psychic/psionic “plane”, and
as such, they vie for control of the beings in the material plane, like
the inhabitants of Ixax and Earth. At least one Earthling wants to put a
stop to it.
Now Reading:
Long work - Not sure yet…probably Slow Bullets - Reynolds (novella)
Collection - Not sure yet…probably Chateau d’If and Other Stories - Vance
Tony