Recent reading
Oct. 13th, 2007 01:35 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
gridloreDespite the ongoing meltdown at work, I have managed to read a few things here and there. A couple of capsule reviews.
John Scalzi - Old Man's War. Yeah it took me a while to get to this, mainly because of all the people telling me I needed to read it. (Folks, a PSA: telling me I need to read, listen to, watch, or do something is the best way to get me to avoid said item for years. Let me know some is cool and suggest I might be interested, and I'm more likely to check it out.) This is a fun military romp, in the grand tradition of Starship Troopers and The Forever War. I quote enjoyed it, even though a few things pushed my suspension of disbelief (the inch-tall sentient aliens? Not going to happen.) The writing is crisp and clever, and the military bits are at least feasible. 4 penguins.
Jack McDevitt - Seeker. This book won the Nebula for Best Novel in 2006 and it is clear why. This is a story of research, tracking down clues in a 9,000 year old mystery. There are moments of action and danger, but most of the book follows the lead character as she pursues leads, checks records, and questions people to locate the mother of all lost colonies. The writing is excellent, and the characters were all very real to me. Just enough detail to bring the world to life without bogging down. The resolution of the main plot line and the revelation of the villain are extremely satisfying and gripping. Five penguins.
Currently, I'm reading Jo Walton's Farthing, a murder mystery set in a world where Rudolph Hess' bizarre mission to England in 1941 actually ended the war in Europe. At a summer party held at the ancestral home of one of the "Farthing Set" (the ones who brokered the peace with Hitler) a prominent politician has been murdered, with a Star of David patch pinned to his chest. This book is a Masterpiece Theater series in print. Aristocratic England in 1949 done to perfection. The two voice characters are the daughter of the family hosting the party, a delightfully scatter-brained upper class twit who scandalized England by marrying a Jew, and the Scotland Yard inspector sent down to investigate the killing. They alternate chapters. Everything about this book is wonderful. I can't wait to finish it, and for the sequel, Ha'penny to come out in paperback. Five penguins so far, and![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
baka49er may get it for Christmas.
So, what should I read next?
John Scalzi - Old Man's War. Yeah it took me a while to get to this, mainly because of all the people telling me I needed to read it. (Folks, a PSA: telling me I need to read, listen to, watch, or do something is the best way to get me to avoid said item for years. Let me know some is cool and suggest I might be interested, and I'm more likely to check it out.) This is a fun military romp, in the grand tradition of Starship Troopers and The Forever War. I quote enjoyed it, even though a few things pushed my suspension of disbelief (the inch-tall sentient aliens? Not going to happen.) The writing is crisp and clever, and the military bits are at least feasible. 4 penguins.
Jack McDevitt - Seeker. This book won the Nebula for Best Novel in 2006 and it is clear why. This is a story of research, tracking down clues in a 9,000 year old mystery. There are moments of action and danger, but most of the book follows the lead character as she pursues leads, checks records, and questions people to locate the mother of all lost colonies. The writing is excellent, and the characters were all very real to me. Just enough detail to bring the world to life without bogging down. The resolution of the main plot line and the revelation of the villain are extremely satisfying and gripping. Five penguins.
Currently, I'm reading Jo Walton's Farthing, a murder mystery set in a world where Rudolph Hess' bizarre mission to England in 1941 actually ended the war in Europe. At a summer party held at the ancestral home of one of the "Farthing Set" (the ones who brokered the peace with Hitler) a prominent politician has been murdered, with a Star of David patch pinned to his chest. This book is a Masterpiece Theater series in print. Aristocratic England in 1949 done to perfection. The two voice characters are the daughter of the family hosting the party, a delightfully scatter-brained upper class twit who scandalized England by marrying a Jew, and the Scotland Yard inspector sent down to investigate the killing. They alternate chapters. Everything about this book is wonderful. I can't wait to finish it, and for the sequel, Ha'penny to come out in paperback. Five penguins so far, and
baka49er may get it for Christmas.So, what should I read next?
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no subject
Date: 14 Oct 2007 10:48 (UTC)But be prepared to scream at the *bad* science in a couple of places.
no subject
Date: 15 Oct 2007 16:56 (UTC)The Ghost Brigade
followed by
The Last Colony
and another one in the pipeline about a character who shows up in The Ghost Brigade and The Last Colony.
There's also the Sagan Diaries, which is a novellete about Jane Sagan, sort of a prequel to The Ghost Brigade, but not required reading.
no subject
Date: 14 Oct 2007 22:20 (UTC)He's a regular on the local con scene, and he's going to be the Toastmaster for ConFusion 2008 in January.
no subject
Date: 15 Oct 2007 21:13 (UTC)For more recent stuff, I think you might enjoy Richard K. Morgan's "Thirteen". For that matter, his Takeshi Kovacs books (Altered Carbon, Broken Angels and Woken Furies) are pretty good also, with the first and last being the strongest.
BTW, your comments about "Pushing Ice" prompted me to finally pick it up - thanks, that was a terrific read. I have a few quibbles with it but still well worth the time.