I listened to "The Book of Lies" by Brad Meltzer.
Disclaimer: The below is merely my opinion. I just read/listened to the book.
Categories: mystery, supernatural, superman,
Comments:
Suppose that Cain's mark, back in Bible times, wasn't intended to show God's punishment for murdering his brother, Abel. Suppose it was God's mark of forgiveness for a man who had learned from his failures. Suppose it was to forestall the natural consequences from other people for his crime.
Then, further, suppose that Cain had written down the secret and it had passed down through the ages, coming to rest where there was conflict between a son and his father.
Throw in the mystery of Superman's origin as a comic book hero. (Well, maybe its more of a mystery in the book.) It seems that Jerry Spiegel was one of the creators of Superman as a comic book hero. Jerry's father died of a heart attack as a result of a robbery and young Jerry figured the world needed a hero who was invulnerable to bullets.
Weave those things together with a loner who lost his father as a young boy. In Cal's case, his father was convicted of killing his mother in a family argument that he saw and still inhabits his nightmares.
And the search is on for the book of lies. Everyone has a different reason for wanting it. Everyone really, really needs it. But is it a book at all.
It has: secret societies, biblical quotes, Superman trivia, fanatics, paranoia, the FBI (and not in a good way)
What did I like: The concept is so twisted that it's fun, there is one mystery after another, one story corkscrew after another
What didn't I like: the book felt really dark,
Rating: 3 of 5, I liked it
05 May 2010
Walter Mosley, The Right Mistake
I listened to "The Right Mistake" by Walter Mosley. Subtitle is "The Further Philosophical Investigations of Socrates Fortlow"
Disclaimer: The below is merely my opinion. I just listened to the book.
Categories: This book defies categorization
Comments:
This is a story of love and redemption. It is told almost in a way that could be a series of somewhat related short stories. Maybe "vignette" is the right word. Maybe not.
I like many of Walter Mosley's books. A few I don't. My typical preference is to have some action of some sort in the book. For example, when I read Alexander McCall Smith's book about the typing school, I finished and told my wife, "It's interesting but its just a series of events only vaguely related and without any action at all."
This book is the same, except, it held my interest and keep me wanting to hear what happened next.
Socrates just kept finding ways he was messed up and kept making himself better. He accidentally made the world better in so doing but mostly he just made his life better.
This book is full of "black" stuff. I don't know of another way to say it. If that bothers you, read something else.
For example, when Socrates and Billy get arrested while driving toward northern California, the police tell them that they matched the description of some wanted drug offenders. When asked what the report said, with no humor at all, they said, "They were black" as if that was description enough to bring the boys in. But that is a too real aspect of real life.
It has: racist cops, angry ex-spouses, homeless folk, reformed killers, lawyers and other felons. Poor people changing their lives for the better. Posers and losers. Winners and free dinners.
What did I like: Socrates didn't blame, excuse or back down. Billy, Luna, Ron and Maxi all transformed their lives. In the end it was good but it was hard too. Most characters were real, live and human.
What didn't I like: Some parts were a little long, some characters were a little too cardboard.
Rating: 4 of 5, I liked it a lot.
Disclaimer: The below is merely my opinion. I just listened to the book.
Categories: This book defies categorization
Comments:
This is a story of love and redemption. It is told almost in a way that could be a series of somewhat related short stories. Maybe "vignette" is the right word. Maybe not.
I like many of Walter Mosley's books. A few I don't. My typical preference is to have some action of some sort in the book. For example, when I read Alexander McCall Smith's book about the typing school, I finished and told my wife, "It's interesting but its just a series of events only vaguely related and without any action at all."
This book is the same, except, it held my interest and keep me wanting to hear what happened next.
Socrates just kept finding ways he was messed up and kept making himself better. He accidentally made the world better in so doing but mostly he just made his life better.
This book is full of "black" stuff. I don't know of another way to say it. If that bothers you, read something else.
For example, when Socrates and Billy get arrested while driving toward northern California, the police tell them that they matched the description of some wanted drug offenders. When asked what the report said, with no humor at all, they said, "They were black" as if that was description enough to bring the boys in. But that is a too real aspect of real life.
It has: racist cops, angry ex-spouses, homeless folk, reformed killers, lawyers and other felons. Poor people changing their lives for the better. Posers and losers. Winners and free dinners.
What did I like: Socrates didn't blame, excuse or back down. Billy, Luna, Ron and Maxi all transformed their lives. In the end it was good but it was hard too. Most characters were real, live and human.
What didn't I like: Some parts were a little long, some characters were a little too cardboard.
Rating: 4 of 5, I liked it a lot.
J. V Jones, A Fortress of Grey Ice
I read "A Fortress of Grey Ice" by J.V. Jones.
Disclaimer: The below is merely my opinion. I just read the book.
Categories: fantasy
Comments:
I read "A Cavern of Black Ice" a long time ago. Though I vaguely remembered the story, I found I could pick up the story pretty easily. I also remember being mostly disgusted with myself for reading the first book of a trilogy when the other two weren't out. Well, the trilogy has turned into a set of four books, maybe. But can you trust it when they already didn't do what you expected. The next book is called "A Sword of Red Ice." The 4th book isn't out yet but the 3rd one doesn't end things.
There really is a fortress and the grey ice is really there but it doesn't have much to do with the story until the last 3% of the book. Oh ... and the picture on the front of the book is its own fantasy. There doesn't seem to be any such scene in the book.
What makes this book worth reading is the host of main characters. Well, I guess when we get to the end of the last book we will find out how "main" they are. I started to say that there could be 10 short books except that the stories touch on each other just enough that it wouldn't work unless each story is told in bits interspersed with the other stories.
For example, Vaylo Bludd claimed control of all Dhoone holdings 39 years back. Robbie Dhoone is determined to be the Dhoone king risen from the mists of legend. There has got to be a conflict and, though the story is told from both vantage points, that conflict interweaves itself though the sections of the book dealing with one or the other of the men.
Stories in the book
What did I like: The characters, the places and the histories are fully formed. You cheer, you jeer, you are on the edge of your seat (metaphorically speaking). The place names and people's names make you wonder about the imagination that created them
What didn't I like: There were too many storylines. Of 100 storylines, maybe, one came to a climax and got finished in the whole giant book. There is a little of a comic book nature when I look back. (I'm not sure what that means.)
Rating: 3 of 5, I didn't dislike it
Disclaimer: The below is merely my opinion. I just read the book.
Categories: fantasy
Comments:
I read "A Cavern of Black Ice" a long time ago. Though I vaguely remembered the story, I found I could pick up the story pretty easily. I also remember being mostly disgusted with myself for reading the first book of a trilogy when the other two weren't out. Well, the trilogy has turned into a set of four books, maybe. But can you trust it when they already didn't do what you expected. The next book is called "A Sword of Red Ice." The 4th book isn't out yet but the 3rd one doesn't end things.
There really is a fortress and the grey ice is really there but it doesn't have much to do with the story until the last 3% of the book. Oh ... and the picture on the front of the book is its own fantasy. There doesn't seem to be any such scene in the book.
What makes this book worth reading is the host of main characters. Well, I guess when we get to the end of the last book we will find out how "main" they are. I started to say that there could be 10 short books except that the stories touch on each other just enough that it wouldn't work unless each story is told in bits interspersed with the other stories.
For example, Vaylo Bludd claimed control of all Dhoone holdings 39 years back. Robbie Dhoone is determined to be the Dhoone king risen from the mists of legend. There has got to be a conflict and, though the story is told from both vantage points, that conflict interweaves itself though the sections of the book dealing with one or the other of the men.
Stories in the book
- Ash - full of power, destiny and a little bit spoiled
- Raif - talented, prophesied about, and driven towards his goal
- Iss - blundering, stealing, scheming and coming out ok so far
- Vaylo Bludd - honest but doomed
- Raina - leader and patriot, married to her own rapist but keeping the peace
- Crope - too strong, too big and loved by only one person
- Robbie Dhoone - charismatic and bound for glory
- Bram - smart and quick but missed in his brother's shadow
- Angus - well-liked, slippery with hidden agendas, but good to the core
- Effie - naive, blessed with magic but bound to conflict everywhere she goes
What did I like: The characters, the places and the histories are fully formed. You cheer, you jeer, you are on the edge of your seat (metaphorically speaking). The place names and people's names make you wonder about the imagination that created them
What didn't I like: There were too many storylines. Of 100 storylines, maybe, one came to a climax and got finished in the whole giant book. There is a little of a comic book nature when I look back. (I'm not sure what that means.)
Rating: 3 of 5, I didn't dislike it
29 April 2010
Tananarive Due, Scott Joplin's Ghost
I listened to "Scott Joplin's Ghost" by Tananarive Due. Checked it out of the library on 19 CDs.
Disclaimer: The below is merely my opinion. I just listened to the book.
Categories: supernatural, mystery, historical fiction, music, african-american
Comments:
I really like the way the author interweaves the historical fiction about Scott Joplin's life and times with a current day story of a young musician tempted by stardom and drawn to create the music within her.
From looking at some other reviews I just realized how well the story of Scott Joplin was done. People believe its true. It may well be. I'm no historian and sure wasn't around as the 1800's turned to the 1900's. But my point is that it's so well done that it comes out believable.
There is something about being black in this book that rings with truth. A cultural connection between the last days of American slavery, the end of reconstruction and today's uneasy truce between respect and racism in the U.S.
I also love the way you can't tell what the phrase "Scott Joplin's Ghost" means by the time you finish the book. I can see at least three distinct meanings in this book.
(On a side note, I read the author's "Blood Colony" within the last year, before I started this blog. I have to smile at the similarities in the heroines of the two stories. Both are young women. Both are very talented but naive. Neither has a driver's license. Both quote lyrics "gotta fly now, don't wanna die now" Also both books have a grandmother appearing as a ghost at the time of her death. Strange, huh?)
Finally, the book does an excellent job paying homage to the musical greats, black and white, that contributed to today's American music. Hip-hop, R&B, soul, gospel, blues, rock and roll, jazz, waltz, opera, classical and ragtime ... its all in there.
I was sad when the reader said, "The End."
It has: homicidal pianos, ragtime music, hip-hop gangsters, drive-by shootings, lynchings, timeless love, faithful friends
What did I like: it's a long book that doesn't seem long, you laugh and cry for both Phoenix and Scotty, family is important in both stories, the story sections-back and forth-build together and give you the information you need at just the right moment.
What didn't I like: the white characters tend to be thin and toneless.
Rating: 4 of 5, I liked it a lot.
Disclaimer: The below is merely my opinion. I just listened to the book.
Categories: supernatural, mystery, historical fiction, music, african-american
Comments:
I really like the way the author interweaves the historical fiction about Scott Joplin's life and times with a current day story of a young musician tempted by stardom and drawn to create the music within her.
From looking at some other reviews I just realized how well the story of Scott Joplin was done. People believe its true. It may well be. I'm no historian and sure wasn't around as the 1800's turned to the 1900's. But my point is that it's so well done that it comes out believable.
There is something about being black in this book that rings with truth. A cultural connection between the last days of American slavery, the end of reconstruction and today's uneasy truce between respect and racism in the U.S.
I also love the way you can't tell what the phrase "Scott Joplin's Ghost" means by the time you finish the book. I can see at least three distinct meanings in this book.
(On a side note, I read the author's "Blood Colony" within the last year, before I started this blog. I have to smile at the similarities in the heroines of the two stories. Both are young women. Both are very talented but naive. Neither has a driver's license. Both quote lyrics "gotta fly now, don't wanna die now" Also both books have a grandmother appearing as a ghost at the time of her death. Strange, huh?)
Finally, the book does an excellent job paying homage to the musical greats, black and white, that contributed to today's American music. Hip-hop, R&B, soul, gospel, blues, rock and roll, jazz, waltz, opera, classical and ragtime ... its all in there.
I was sad when the reader said, "The End."
It has: homicidal pianos, ragtime music, hip-hop gangsters, drive-by shootings, lynchings, timeless love, faithful friends
What did I like: it's a long book that doesn't seem long, you laugh and cry for both Phoenix and Scotty, family is important in both stories, the story sections-back and forth-build together and give you the information you need at just the right moment.
What didn't I like: the white characters tend to be thin and toneless.
Rating: 4 of 5, I liked it a lot.
David Baldacci, The Whole Truth
I listened to "The Whole Truth" by David Baldacci.
Disclaimer: The below is merely my opinion. I just listened to the book.
Categories: spies, action
Comments:
I usually like David Baldacci. This is no different.
How can you not like a story with a hero named Shaw because he grew up in a sequence of orphanages and never had any more name than that.
How can you not like a story with another hero with two Pulitzers, a drunken past and a present writing obituaries for the rich and formerly famous.
How can you not like a story with a villain so cold he discards his wives on a whim, has folks killed for any reason at all and builds Italian orphanages to boot.
Shaw is a twisted 007. He's good at everything a spy needs. He's tall and good looking. He doesn't care if he lives or dies. (Oh, and that's the 007 from the books. The one that hurts so bad he doesn't really care.)
And then he falls in love. Ill fated love it is when his fiance almost stumbles across a plan to almost start WW III for big profits. And the big man is out for revenge.
It has: lone operatives, blackmail, doomed love, drunks with a tortured past, journalists, arms dealers, trophy wives, the evil rich
What did I like: the low key hint of romance between Katie James and A. Shaw, the mindless entertainment, the suspense of how the good guys will win (not if)
What didn't I like: the bad guy was a little too omniscient, the parents should have trusted, the idea of perception management seems too close for comfort
Rating: 3 of 5, I liked it
Disclaimer: The below is merely my opinion. I just listened to the book.
Categories: spies, action
Comments:
I usually like David Baldacci. This is no different.
How can you not like a story with a hero named Shaw because he grew up in a sequence of orphanages and never had any more name than that.
How can you not like a story with another hero with two Pulitzers, a drunken past and a present writing obituaries for the rich and formerly famous.
How can you not like a story with a villain so cold he discards his wives on a whim, has folks killed for any reason at all and builds Italian orphanages to boot.
Shaw is a twisted 007. He's good at everything a spy needs. He's tall and good looking. He doesn't care if he lives or dies. (Oh, and that's the 007 from the books. The one that hurts so bad he doesn't really care.)
And then he falls in love. Ill fated love it is when his fiance almost stumbles across a plan to almost start WW III for big profits. And the big man is out for revenge.
It has: lone operatives, blackmail, doomed love, drunks with a tortured past, journalists, arms dealers, trophy wives, the evil rich
What did I like: the low key hint of romance between Katie James and A. Shaw, the mindless entertainment, the suspense of how the good guys will win (not if)
What didn't I like: the bad guy was a little too omniscient, the parents should have trusted, the idea of perception management seems too close for comfort
Rating: 3 of 5, I liked it
Peter Speigelmann, Death's Little Helpers
I read "Death's Little Helpers" by Peter Speigelmann
Disclaimer: The below is merely my opinion. I just read the book.
Categories: mystery, detective, New York
Comments:
I wasn't terribly impressed with the book though it did keep my interest to the end. It just leaves so many questions.
- Why does the girlfriend stick with him?
- Why is the rich family so petty?
- Why is the Russian mob so honorable?
- Why does a detective need to hire a detective friend to answer his questions?
- How long will the family money last if he keeps spending it for no apparent reason?
- What does the missing guy's old girlfriend really have to do with anything?
- Given who the killer was, why did the author include most of the book?
The redeeming factor was the characters. It's easy to care about them.
The long suffering girlfriend of the ex-wife seems real with deep feelings, a rich background and true love for the teenage son.
The teenage son is just the right blend of too smart, too angry, too talented and hurting.
You even feel for the missing man's coworker. She loved him but he was too shallow to love her back. Living with that weight, suddenly he's missing and it only means more hard choices are on the menu. When she does right or when she does wrong, you can identify.
Even with the uneven portrayal of John March, the detective hooks you with the way he consistently flees emotional involvement while being drawn back to the way of goodness and right.
It has: organized crime, wall street greed and corruption, rich kid detective obsessed with solving the crime, rotten parents, eccentric artists, workaholics
What did I like: the action starts up quickly and keeps you going, the romance ebbs and flows, even the good guys have faults
What didn't I like: March was too self destructive, the killer pops out of nowhere at the end, a few too many loose ends (perhaps signaling an intended sequel), the title doesn't fit the book
Rating: 2 of 5, I liked it but not a lot
Disclaimer: The below is merely my opinion. I just read the book.
Categories: mystery, detective, New York
Comments:
I wasn't terribly impressed with the book though it did keep my interest to the end. It just leaves so many questions.
- Why does the girlfriend stick with him?
- Why is the rich family so petty?
- Why is the Russian mob so honorable?
- Why does a detective need to hire a detective friend to answer his questions?
- How long will the family money last if he keeps spending it for no apparent reason?
- What does the missing guy's old girlfriend really have to do with anything?
- Given who the killer was, why did the author include most of the book?
The redeeming factor was the characters. It's easy to care about them.
The long suffering girlfriend of the ex-wife seems real with deep feelings, a rich background and true love for the teenage son.
The teenage son is just the right blend of too smart, too angry, too talented and hurting.
You even feel for the missing man's coworker. She loved him but he was too shallow to love her back. Living with that weight, suddenly he's missing and it only means more hard choices are on the menu. When she does right or when she does wrong, you can identify.
Even with the uneven portrayal of John March, the detective hooks you with the way he consistently flees emotional involvement while being drawn back to the way of goodness and right.
It has: organized crime, wall street greed and corruption, rich kid detective obsessed with solving the crime, rotten parents, eccentric artists, workaholics
What did I like: the action starts up quickly and keeps you going, the romance ebbs and flows, even the good guys have faults
What didn't I like: March was too self destructive, the killer pops out of nowhere at the end, a few too many loose ends (perhaps signaling an intended sequel), the title doesn't fit the book
Rating: 2 of 5, I liked it but not a lot
25 March 2010
Sara Paretsky, Total Recall
I'm reading "Total Recall" by Sara Paretsky. Subtitled, "A V.I. Warshawski Novel"
Disclaimer: The below is merely my opinion. I just listened to the book.
Also this has nothing to do with the 1990 science fiction movie of the same name, the Phillip K Dick short story the movie was based on, Arnold Schwartzenegger or Sharon Stone.
Categories: detective, mystery
There was a 1991 VI Warshawski movie where Kathleen Turner played the title role. If you account for the 1980's fashions with the padded shoulders and the frizzy hair, I can see it if you add in some Lara Croft, Tomb Raider DNA.
This story is really a parable of the aftermath of man's inhumanity to man. The mystery is there but he real story is the aftermath of the Holocaust and American Slavery. Even 60 years or 150 year later, people's lives and the way we trust and are trusted are changed by the cruelty of the past.
But the mystery is good too. I never read a VI Warshawski novel before this. I like the way the story moves and, not so much twists as, swerves gently. I like the characters but find them irritating, silly, childish, giving or kind by turns.
It's two stories woven together. The one is the mystery of who the fellow is who shows up on TV claiming to have repressed memories from his childhood years as a Jewish refugee from Austria. The other is an insurance claim by an black woman that is refused saying the policy was already paid some years back. Vic investigates under the shadow of picketers demanding a law saying that the state of Illinois refuses to do business with companies that are complicit with Nazi government officials and slave owners. Of course, the two groups of picketers don't agree with each other either.
I loved the scene where she is following a suspect. He sees her and ducks into a shop. When he comes out, he takes off and she follows. But she breaks a heel, falls, tears her good clothes and loses him.
It has: holocaust survivors, psychiatrists, crooked politicians, greedy nazi lovers, a little girl with a stuffed dog, traffic jams, road rage, an unstable stalker, corporate arrogance, dogs
What did I like: characters cared about each other, the respectful attitude toward hard topics, the way the mystery revealed itself in a likable way, Vic seemed to know when to lie without being cruel
What didn't I like: Everybody she deals with can't reasonably get mad at her, the boyfriend is a little too nice.
Rating: 3 of 5, I liked it
Disclaimer: The below is merely my opinion. I just listened to the book.
Also this has nothing to do with the 1990 science fiction movie of the same name, the Phillip K Dick short story the movie was based on, Arnold Schwartzenegger or Sharon Stone.
Categories: detective, mystery
There was a 1991 VI Warshawski movie where Kathleen Turner played the title role. If you account for the 1980's fashions with the padded shoulders and the frizzy hair, I can see it if you add in some Lara Croft, Tomb Raider DNA.
This story is really a parable of the aftermath of man's inhumanity to man. The mystery is there but he real story is the aftermath of the Holocaust and American Slavery. Even 60 years or 150 year later, people's lives and the way we trust and are trusted are changed by the cruelty of the past.
But the mystery is good too. I never read a VI Warshawski novel before this. I like the way the story moves and, not so much twists as, swerves gently. I like the characters but find them irritating, silly, childish, giving or kind by turns.
It's two stories woven together. The one is the mystery of who the fellow is who shows up on TV claiming to have repressed memories from his childhood years as a Jewish refugee from Austria. The other is an insurance claim by an black woman that is refused saying the policy was already paid some years back. Vic investigates under the shadow of picketers demanding a law saying that the state of Illinois refuses to do business with companies that are complicit with Nazi government officials and slave owners. Of course, the two groups of picketers don't agree with each other either.
I loved the scene where she is following a suspect. He sees her and ducks into a shop. When he comes out, he takes off and she follows. But she breaks a heel, falls, tears her good clothes and loses him.
It has: holocaust survivors, psychiatrists, crooked politicians, greedy nazi lovers, a little girl with a stuffed dog, traffic jams, road rage, an unstable stalker, corporate arrogance, dogs
What did I like: characters cared about each other, the respectful attitude toward hard topics, the way the mystery revealed itself in a likable way, Vic seemed to know when to lie without being cruel
What didn't I like: Everybody she deals with can't reasonably get mad at her, the boyfriend is a little too nice.
Rating: 3 of 5, I liked it
22 March 2010
Greg Bear, City at the End of Time
I finished listening to "City at the End of Time" by Greg Bear on CD. I enjoyed listening to 16 CDs (and one CD, not so much).
Disclaimer: The below is merely my opinion. I just listened to the book.
Categories: SciFi
You have to love any book that begins an early chapter with "For the first 100 Billion years ..."
The outline of the plot is one we have seen again and again. Something is threating to destroy everything. A group of heros, separately and together, begin a long journey. They travel, through great hardships, to the place where they can save or lose it all. (I don't think I'm telling to much to tell you that they end up winning.) In this book, each hero spends most of their time alone and confused.
Interestingly, one motivating factor of the whole story is that some of the characters can see the lines and branchings in space and time created by human decisions. In essence, this is a view into a dimension beyond. (It's sort of the way "Paul" could see these permutations in "Dune" but described less like there were drugs involved.) So, these characters can move sideways between these lines to pick an outcome they prefer. Or you can say they choose even very unlikely options to get what they want. These lines are called fates as well.
Then there is the uncharacter, called the Typhon. It appears somewhere and sometime an begins attacking the universe/multiverse. But, really, it doesn't really make sense to say that because it "eats" time and space and even the fates so they disappear and become no time and nowhere. Its a tricky concept to write about but Greg Bear makes it work.
How the 'humans' win is the mystery here and you may be surprised at how it works out. I may be wrong but I can't see a sequel coming out ever.
And that points to another wonderful feature of this book. You start out knowing nothing. The author does explain it to you but lets you see what the characters are doing so you figure out each little mystery bit by bit. It's excruciating and amazing. I really like the way it is done. (Well, there is that one CDs worth where the revelations come way too slow and the descriptions of the chaos are way too long.)
I was just looking at some other reviews for this book. Google books has about 30% giving it ONE star and only 11% give it the top 4 or 5 stars. I'm in the minority. Maybe its the math and physics stuff that bothers most people ... its not real math or physics but its just believable enough to pass (and this is Science Fiction). Maybe its the length or the lack of fast moving action or the slow way the mysteries are revealed.
It has: dead gods, true love, five dimensions (at least), several forms of matter, bible quotes and continuous creation, a half-million year experiment, libraries and cats against the chaos, reality changes when observed
What did I like: a different view of the universe, the occasional great word phrase, people now and 100 trillion years from now dreaming of each other, an "evil" opponent that neither cares nor really exists, description of being in the chaos, a hill that became a valley when you got to the top, a 1200 year old man
What didn't I like: As they approached the climax, very near the end of the book, the story slowed way down and described and redescribed things over and over. You can only stand the word "bloated" so many times.
Rating: 5 of 5, One of the best
Disclaimer: The below is merely my opinion. I just listened to the book.
Categories: SciFi
You have to love any book that begins an early chapter with "For the first 100 Billion years ..."
The outline of the plot is one we have seen again and again. Something is threating to destroy everything. A group of heros, separately and together, begin a long journey. They travel, through great hardships, to the place where they can save or lose it all. (I don't think I'm telling to much to tell you that they end up winning.) In this book, each hero spends most of their time alone and confused.
Interestingly, one motivating factor of the whole story is that some of the characters can see the lines and branchings in space and time created by human decisions. In essence, this is a view into a dimension beyond. (It's sort of the way "Paul" could see these permutations in "Dune" but described less like there were drugs involved.) So, these characters can move sideways between these lines to pick an outcome they prefer. Or you can say they choose even very unlikely options to get what they want. These lines are called fates as well.
Then there is the uncharacter, called the Typhon. It appears somewhere and sometime an begins attacking the universe/multiverse. But, really, it doesn't really make sense to say that because it "eats" time and space and even the fates so they disappear and become no time and nowhere. Its a tricky concept to write about but Greg Bear makes it work.
How the 'humans' win is the mystery here and you may be surprised at how it works out. I may be wrong but I can't see a sequel coming out ever.
And that points to another wonderful feature of this book. You start out knowing nothing. The author does explain it to you but lets you see what the characters are doing so you figure out each little mystery bit by bit. It's excruciating and amazing. I really like the way it is done. (Well, there is that one CDs worth where the revelations come way too slow and the descriptions of the chaos are way too long.)
I was just looking at some other reviews for this book. Google books has about 30% giving it ONE star and only 11% give it the top 4 or 5 stars. I'm in the minority. Maybe its the math and physics stuff that bothers most people ... its not real math or physics but its just believable enough to pass (and this is Science Fiction). Maybe its the length or the lack of fast moving action or the slow way the mysteries are revealed.
It has: dead gods, true love, five dimensions (at least), several forms of matter, bible quotes and continuous creation, a half-million year experiment, libraries and cats against the chaos, reality changes when observed
What did I like: a different view of the universe, the occasional great word phrase, people now and 100 trillion years from now dreaming of each other, an "evil" opponent that neither cares nor really exists, description of being in the chaos, a hill that became a valley when you got to the top, a 1200 year old man
What didn't I like: As they approached the climax, very near the end of the book, the story slowed way down and described and redescribed things over and over. You can only stand the word "bloated" so many times.
Rating: 5 of 5, One of the best
01 March 2010
Elizabeth Peters, Seeing a Large Cat
I finished listening to "Seeing a Large Cat" by Elizabeth Peters on CD. I neglected to note the number of CDs before I returned it to the library but its around 15.
Disclaimer: The below is merely my opinion. I'm just listening to the book.
Categories: Mystery, Murder, Suspense, Egypt
The story opens in 1903 in Egypt as the Emerson family meets for the winter work as Egyptologists and excavators. Rameses and David return from spending the summer with a sheik in the desert. Rameses is now 16 and David a few years older. Nephret is younger but none of them are children any more. They are all young adults and while they push for more space, parents Amelia and the Professor Emerson are dismayed to see the little ones growing up.
Before long there are dead bodies and attempted murders to solve. That will keep Amelia happy. And a strange warning says, "Don't go near tomb 21A." Which of course is like "sic em" to a dog.
This book introduces us to Katherine Jones and we find there is a "Manuscript H" with more about the story and a new perspective. The title is interesting in that the old cat, Bastet, dies and two new cats vie for center stage while an ancient manuscript about dreams pronounces a dream about a large cat as good fortune indeed. (The Emersons always were cat-people but I don't hold it against them.)
It has: mummys, 1906, tomb robbers, US slave owners, dithering blonde persons, excavations, unfaithful wives, old people in love, rich englishmen, poor egyptians, fake psychics, true love
What did I like: The consistent quality of the 19, so far, Amelia Peobody books. The genuine affection the Emerson family has for each other. The way they talk convinces me that I'm listening to real people of the time. You will never guess the end. Use of the "personal diary" literary device. The reader, Barbara Rosenblatt, does a wonderful job with the accents and shows emotion with flair.
What didn't I like: Sometimes a bit long winded. The Professor is a bit too grouchy.
Rating: 3 of 5, I enjoyed it.
Disclaimer: The below is merely my opinion. I'm just listening to the book.
Categories: Mystery, Murder, Suspense, Egypt
The story opens in 1903 in Egypt as the Emerson family meets for the winter work as Egyptologists and excavators. Rameses and David return from spending the summer with a sheik in the desert. Rameses is now 16 and David a few years older. Nephret is younger but none of them are children any more. They are all young adults and while they push for more space, parents Amelia and the Professor Emerson are dismayed to see the little ones growing up.
Before long there are dead bodies and attempted murders to solve. That will keep Amelia happy. And a strange warning says, "Don't go near tomb 21A." Which of course is like "sic em" to a dog.
This book introduces us to Katherine Jones and we find there is a "Manuscript H" with more about the story and a new perspective. The title is interesting in that the old cat, Bastet, dies and two new cats vie for center stage while an ancient manuscript about dreams pronounces a dream about a large cat as good fortune indeed. (The Emersons always were cat-people but I don't hold it against them.)
It has: mummys, 1906, tomb robbers, US slave owners, dithering blonde persons, excavations, unfaithful wives, old people in love, rich englishmen, poor egyptians, fake psychics, true love
What did I like: The consistent quality of the 19, so far, Amelia Peobody books. The genuine affection the Emerson family has for each other. The way they talk convinces me that I'm listening to real people of the time. You will never guess the end. Use of the "personal diary" literary device. The reader, Barbara Rosenblatt, does a wonderful job with the accents and shows emotion with flair.
What didn't I like: Sometimes a bit long winded. The Professor is a bit too grouchy.
Rating: 3 of 5, I enjoyed it.
Jack Vance ,The Dying Earth
I'm reading ""The Dying Earth" by Jack Vance.
Disclaimer: The below is merely my opinion. I just read the book.
Categories: SciFi, Fantasy
This is a compilation of four original novels. All set in "the dying earth" which is to say, the Earth but in the far distant future when the sun is red and is probably going to snuff out any day now. In this time, people are tired. Magicians and strange creatures inhabit the earth but people don't seem much different inside.
The first "book" is really a bunch of short stories centering around a small group of characters. To me, the fact that it was written in 1950 gives a glance into that era and the way people thought. This book was, I think, ahead of its time. By way of comparison, Asimov wrote "I, Robot" the same year and the "Foundation Trilogy" was published the next year while Tolkien's fantasies were published in 1948 though the writing started 20 years earlier. This first book, reminds me of the early Asimov robot stories in that they contain short, isolated incidents solved by clever thinking.
The other three books seem to be part of a single story about Cugel a con-man who is far too clever for his own good. He has several long journeys and the books chronicle his adventures.
In all the books, the language is just fun. The humor is dry, dry, dry with the tongue firmly planted in the cheek. There are a lot of made up names for things and places but there are also a lot of words that I never saw before.
I'm pretty good with vocabulary but when I found three pages in a row that had words I had to look up I had to pay homage to a word master. (Obloquy, supererogatory and the name of some Australian grass)
It has: Giant man-eating birds, a mechanical library of all the worlds knowledge (1950), magic shoes, a boat that flies, vats to build people, a city where the men hide their faces, mining of dead cities, a demon that hates light, magic eyeballs to make the world look wonderful, too many fantastic ideas to list
What did I like: Great fun with words, a story that keeps you turning the pages (but not the 1st book), always a different culture waiting around the bend for Cugel, a con-man who wins and loses both
What didn't I like: I had to make myself keep reading the 1st book but I don't much care for short stories.
Rating: 4 of 5, I enjoyed it a lot.
Disclaimer: The below is merely my opinion. I just read the book.
Categories: SciFi, Fantasy
This is a compilation of four original novels. All set in "the dying earth" which is to say, the Earth but in the far distant future when the sun is red and is probably going to snuff out any day now. In this time, people are tired. Magicians and strange creatures inhabit the earth but people don't seem much different inside.
The first "book" is really a bunch of short stories centering around a small group of characters. To me, the fact that it was written in 1950 gives a glance into that era and the way people thought. This book was, I think, ahead of its time. By way of comparison, Asimov wrote "I, Robot" the same year and the "Foundation Trilogy" was published the next year while Tolkien's fantasies were published in 1948 though the writing started 20 years earlier. This first book, reminds me of the early Asimov robot stories in that they contain short, isolated incidents solved by clever thinking.
The other three books seem to be part of a single story about Cugel a con-man who is far too clever for his own good. He has several long journeys and the books chronicle his adventures.
In all the books, the language is just fun. The humor is dry, dry, dry with the tongue firmly planted in the cheek. There are a lot of made up names for things and places but there are also a lot of words that I never saw before.
I'm pretty good with vocabulary but when I found three pages in a row that had words I had to look up I had to pay homage to a word master. (Obloquy, supererogatory and the name of some Australian grass)
It has: Giant man-eating birds, a mechanical library of all the worlds knowledge (1950), magic shoes, a boat that flies, vats to build people, a city where the men hide their faces, mining of dead cities, a demon that hates light, magic eyeballs to make the world look wonderful, too many fantastic ideas to list
What did I like: Great fun with words, a story that keeps you turning the pages (but not the 1st book), always a different culture waiting around the bend for Cugel, a con-man who wins and loses both
What didn't I like: I had to make myself keep reading the 1st book but I don't much care for short stories.
Rating: 4 of 5, I enjoyed it a lot.
Lisa Scottoline - Look Again
I'm listening to "Look Again" by Lisa Scottoline on CD - 9 CDs.
Disclaimer: The below is merely my opinion. I'm just reading the book.
Categories: Mystery
Checked it out of the library on CD.
Ellen is a reporter, a good reporter, in Philadelphia. There's a layoff coming up and she has a crush on her boss who might reciprocate or might not. Just when her job is on the line a real life mystery takes hold of her. She has to find out the truth about her son.
This is a standard "strong woman" mystery. Alone with her adopted son and gets slammed in the face with a moral dilemma of life altering dimensions. Could he be the child in the picture on the junk mail? Could he have been kidnapped.
Traces her conflict between wanting to know and wanting to not know. Talks about her emotions but doesn't expose them the way some people can.
It has: Coworker conflict, misguided FBI agents, babysitter jokes, coldhearted lawyers, heartwarming family junk, a distant father and a deceased mother, the perfect couple (on the outside) that isn't so perfect at all, accurate portrayal of a 3-year old, obsession and romance. There's an interview with the author at the end.
What did I like: Keeps your attention, the story twists take you for a ride, I guessed the end but actually just got lucky, I think.
What didn't I like: Predicatable, Jerks your emotion's chain, not great at wordplay
Rating: 2 of 5, It was ok but nothing to write home about. I kept listening to the end.
Disclaimer: The below is merely my opinion. I'm just reading the book.
Categories: Mystery
Checked it out of the library on CD.
Ellen is a reporter, a good reporter, in Philadelphia. There's a layoff coming up and she has a crush on her boss who might reciprocate or might not. Just when her job is on the line a real life mystery takes hold of her. She has to find out the truth about her son.
This is a standard "strong woman" mystery. Alone with her adopted son and gets slammed in the face with a moral dilemma of life altering dimensions. Could he be the child in the picture on the junk mail? Could he have been kidnapped.
Traces her conflict between wanting to know and wanting to not know. Talks about her emotions but doesn't expose them the way some people can.
It has: Coworker conflict, misguided FBI agents, babysitter jokes, coldhearted lawyers, heartwarming family junk, a distant father and a deceased mother, the perfect couple (on the outside) that isn't so perfect at all, accurate portrayal of a 3-year old, obsession and romance. There's an interview with the author at the end.
What did I like: Keeps your attention, the story twists take you for a ride, I guessed the end but actually just got lucky, I think.
What didn't I like: Predicatable, Jerks your emotion's chain, not great at wordplay
Rating: 2 of 5, It was ok but nothing to write home about. I kept listening to the end.
11 February 2010
Charles Stross, On Her Majesty's Occult Service
I'm reading "On Her Majesty's Occult Service" by Charles Stross.
Disclaimer: The below is merely my opinion. I'm just reading the book.
Categories: SciFi, Horror
This is a copy I picked up at a used book store. The book is a compilation of several Charles Stross "books." I've just finished "The Atrocity Archives" including "The Concrete Jungle" both of which you seem to be able to read at the link I attached (as well as the usual offer to sell ...) I'll report back later on the rest of the book.
Bob works for the government in London somewhere. He could tell you but then he'd have to lock you up for the rest of your life.He was recruited out of college when he wrote an advanced computer science/math paper that happened to reveal too much about the connection (in that universe) between computation and summoning demons, opening portals to alternate realities and such. He's being moved to field work.
The story takes him though various travails, creepy places and night clubs on a highly restricted expense account.
This book reminds me in an offcenter way of the "Thursday Next" books by Jasper Fforde.
It has: Math and physics jokes, inane red-tape, occult nazis and terrorists, government coverups, some great writing, spy jokes, John LeCarre jokes, alternate universes, creepy crawlies, torture and shooting
What did I like: The words and the way they are put together just grab you, a computer guy is the hero, office politics are not revered
What didn't I like: It takes a few more pages to get into than I would prefer
Rating: 4 of 5, I enjoyed it a lot.
Disclaimer: The below is merely my opinion. I'm just reading the book.
Categories: SciFi, Horror
This is a copy I picked up at a used book store. The book is a compilation of several Charles Stross "books." I've just finished "The Atrocity Archives" including "The Concrete Jungle" both of which you seem to be able to read at the link I attached (as well as the usual offer to sell ...) I'll report back later on the rest of the book.
Bob works for the government in London somewhere. He could tell you but then he'd have to lock you up for the rest of your life.He was recruited out of college when he wrote an advanced computer science/math paper that happened to reveal too much about the connection (in that universe) between computation and summoning demons, opening portals to alternate realities and such. He's being moved to field work.
The story takes him though various travails, creepy places and night clubs on a highly restricted expense account.
This book reminds me in an offcenter way of the "Thursday Next" books by Jasper Fforde.
It has: Math and physics jokes, inane red-tape, occult nazis and terrorists, government coverups, some great writing, spy jokes, John LeCarre jokes, alternate universes, creepy crawlies, torture and shooting
What did I like: The words and the way they are put together just grab you, a computer guy is the hero, office politics are not revered
What didn't I like: It takes a few more pages to get into than I would prefer
Rating: 4 of 5, I enjoyed it a lot.
09 February 2010
Elizabeth Lowell, Blue Smoke and Murder ... final
I'm finished with "Blue Smoke and Murder" by Elizabeth Lowell
Disclaimer: The below is merely my opinion. I'm just reading the book.
Well ... it ended just like I expected. It was fun to find out how the store got there. That's where all the suspense was.
This book doesn't go on my list of all-time greats. Nobody will include it in "Great English Literature" of the ages. But neither does it suck.
I still like it.
Disclaimer: The below is merely my opinion. I'm just reading the book.
Well ... it ended just like I expected. It was fun to find out how the store got there. That's where all the suspense was.
This book doesn't go on my list of all-time greats. Nobody will include it in "Great English Literature" of the ages. But neither does it suck.
I still like it.
Joseph Wambaugh, Hollywood Crows ... final
I'm finished listening to "Hollywood Crows" by Joseph Wambaugh.
Disclaimer: The below is merely my opinion. I'm just reading the book.
Finished reading the book the other day.
The ending is quite satisfying. Lots of loose ends are tied up and put away. Nothing seems contrived. A few bits of ambiguity remain. Good triumphs over evil ... mostly.
I liked it ... no change to the rating.
Disclaimer: The below is merely my opinion. I'm just reading the book.
Finished reading the book the other day.
The ending is quite satisfying. Lots of loose ends are tied up and put away. Nothing seems contrived. A few bits of ambiguity remain. Good triumphs over evil ... mostly.
I liked it ... no change to the rating.
01 February 2010
Joseph Wambaugh, Hollywood Crows
I'm listening to "Hollywood Crows" by Joseph Wambaugh.
Disclaimer: The below is merely my opinion. I'm just reading the book.
Categories: Detective, Suspense, Police
I don't know how it ends as I am still listening.
The book seems to be about a bunch of random police incidents covering the Hollywood division of the LA police. There are two groups. The regular officers and the Community Relations Office (or CRO) which everyone calls the "Crows".
The incidents are great entertainment. I don't believe anyone could make up all this stuff. It's too unbelievable to not be real.
For example, there's the guy who steal a purse from a "Walk of Fame" tourist and takes off running. The police officer who sees it radios ahead and eventually the guy goes running into a parking garage, is whacked on the chest by the female officer so hard that his glass eye pops out and rolls under a Toyota. They find it, give it back and he cleans it off in another officers cup of Gatorade before popping it back into place. (Now, who could make that up.)
But, I'm seeing some of the incidents coming together around the Aziz family who are two sociopaths going through a closely contested divorce. I'll let you know if the end is fun in some later entry.
It has: coke addicts, divorced cops, stripper bars, stupid crooks, surfer cops, every imaginable race and country of origin, transvestites, homeless guys, rock drummers, nice people and cock fights.
What did I like: There is something funny happening all the time. And the wording keeps you listening if the inanity doesn't.
What didn't I like: Nothing outstanding so far.
Rating: 4 of 5, I enjoyed it a lot.
Disclaimer: The below is merely my opinion. I'm just reading the book.
Categories: Detective, Suspense, Police
I don't know how it ends as I am still listening.
The book seems to be about a bunch of random police incidents covering the Hollywood division of the LA police. There are two groups. The regular officers and the Community Relations Office (or CRO) which everyone calls the "Crows".
The incidents are great entertainment. I don't believe anyone could make up all this stuff. It's too unbelievable to not be real.
For example, there's the guy who steal a purse from a "Walk of Fame" tourist and takes off running. The police officer who sees it radios ahead and eventually the guy goes running into a parking garage, is whacked on the chest by the female officer so hard that his glass eye pops out and rolls under a Toyota. They find it, give it back and he cleans it off in another officers cup of Gatorade before popping it back into place. (Now, who could make that up.)
But, I'm seeing some of the incidents coming together around the Aziz family who are two sociopaths going through a closely contested divorce. I'll let you know if the end is fun in some later entry.
It has: coke addicts, divorced cops, stripper bars, stupid crooks, surfer cops, every imaginable race and country of origin, transvestites, homeless guys, rock drummers, nice people and cock fights.
What did I like: There is something funny happening all the time. And the wording keeps you listening if the inanity doesn't.
What didn't I like: Nothing outstanding so far.
Rating: 4 of 5, I enjoyed it a lot.
Elizabeth Lowell, Blue Smoke and Murder
I'm in the middle of "Blue Smoke and Murder" by Elizabeth Lowell
Disclaimer: The below is merely my opinion. I'm just reading the book.
Categories: Mystery, Suspense
I don't know how it ends yet but it reads just like all the Elizabeth Lowell books I've read. A beautiful woman is on her own and the trouble is getting worse. There's a desert involved and, often, an old home place. She gets in touch with St. Kilda Consulting and they send in an irritating but handsome agent to help. They travel all around hiding from the bad guys and/or fighting it out. The romantic pull is irresistable ... and it works out in the end. (Except I haven't read the end.)
And it's fun. The characters grab your interest. You wonder if or when they will give in to the attraction. The bad guys make you want them to lose.
The basic plot is a young woman, Jill, called back to the family cabin in the wilds of northern Arizona when her great-aunt dies in a fire. She doesn't know that it was set by her aunt's killers who were looking for the lost paintings of a famous western painter. Once she gets there, she's their next target.
She calls in an old favor and gets Zach assigned to protect her. He sets off all her hormones and irritates her to no end. She's an independent woman after all.
You can see where it goes from there. He keeps her alive. Together the figure out why someone is after the paintings. The tension mounts and so forth.
It has: gun fights, romance, corrupt art dealers, valuable family paintings, male chauvinist pigs, friends in the hospital, drug addled bad guys
What did I like: The story keeps moving and though you know where it will end the fun is in the journey.
What didn't I like: Jill is a bit too impulsive, too independent and too talented. Ditto for Zach.
Rating: 3 of 5, I enjoyed it.
Personal notes: I'll update you when I finish it. Sometimes a book is really good until you get to the end.
Disclaimer: The below is merely my opinion. I'm just reading the book.
Categories: Mystery, Suspense
I don't know how it ends yet but it reads just like all the Elizabeth Lowell books I've read. A beautiful woman is on her own and the trouble is getting worse. There's a desert involved and, often, an old home place. She gets in touch with St. Kilda Consulting and they send in an irritating but handsome agent to help. They travel all around hiding from the bad guys and/or fighting it out. The romantic pull is irresistable ... and it works out in the end. (Except I haven't read the end.)
And it's fun. The characters grab your interest. You wonder if or when they will give in to the attraction. The bad guys make you want them to lose.
The basic plot is a young woman, Jill, called back to the family cabin in the wilds of northern Arizona when her great-aunt dies in a fire. She doesn't know that it was set by her aunt's killers who were looking for the lost paintings of a famous western painter. Once she gets there, she's their next target.
She calls in an old favor and gets Zach assigned to protect her. He sets off all her hormones and irritates her to no end. She's an independent woman after all.
You can see where it goes from there. He keeps her alive. Together the figure out why someone is after the paintings. The tension mounts and so forth.
It has: gun fights, romance, corrupt art dealers, valuable family paintings, male chauvinist pigs, friends in the hospital, drug addled bad guys
What did I like: The story keeps moving and though you know where it will end the fun is in the journey.
What didn't I like: Jill is a bit too impulsive, too independent and too talented. Ditto for Zach.
Rating: 3 of 5, I enjoyed it.
Personal notes: I'll update you when I finish it. Sometimes a book is really good until you get to the end.
26 January 2010
RA Salvatore, The Ancient
I just finished listening to "The Ancient" by RA Salvatore on CD. Its ten CDs.
Disclaimer: The below is merely my opinion. I read the book and know nothing about the author.
Categories: Fantasy, Magic
It has: Magical religions in conflict, A long quest traveling across dangerous lands, A young husband in search of himself, A hero that outfights anyone but has a grave weakness, good vs. evil, true love, castles, forests, kings and queens, dwarves, trolls, giants and barbarians.
What did I like: The story was told from multiple vantage points that came together for the finale. Some of the characters drew interest and concern. The reader does great accents for all the different races and countries.
What didn't I like: Most of the characters were one-dimensional. Brandon was too good, too talented and too perfect. It seemed to move slowly at times. The detailed descriptions of how the fighters moved were way too long.
Rating: 3 of 5, I enjoyed it.
Personal notes: It had the feel of a book that is part of a series and I haven't read any of the rest of the series. It kept me wanting the next part of the story but it wasn't addictive.
Disclaimer: The below is merely my opinion. I read the book and know nothing about the author.
Categories: Fantasy, Magic
It has: Magical religions in conflict, A long quest traveling across dangerous lands, A young husband in search of himself, A hero that outfights anyone but has a grave weakness, good vs. evil, true love, castles, forests, kings and queens, dwarves, trolls, giants and barbarians.
What did I like: The story was told from multiple vantage points that came together for the finale. Some of the characters drew interest and concern. The reader does great accents for all the different races and countries.
What didn't I like: Most of the characters were one-dimensional. Brandon was too good, too talented and too perfect. It seemed to move slowly at times. The detailed descriptions of how the fighters moved were way too long.
Rating: 3 of 5, I enjoyed it.
Personal notes: It had the feel of a book that is part of a series and I haven't read any of the rest of the series. It kept me wanting the next part of the story but it wasn't addictive.
Top 10 to Read
I'm starting by listing the best fiction I can think of. I don't usually read books more than once. But if I do, its because I really like it. So, based on reading the book more than once and in no particular order here is the list:
* Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy - John LeCarre - Also include 'Smiley's People' and the other books about George Smiley in this item.
* The (various) Chronicles of Thomas Covenant - Stephen R. Donaldson - And throw in anything by this same author. (But be warned that "The Gap Series" is very, very different. But good.)
* Morgaine Series - CJ Cherryh - Gate_of_Ivrel, Well of Shiuan, Fires of Azeroth
* Cyteen - CJ Cherryh - I originally read this when it was published as three paperbacks named "Cyteen: The Betrayal", "Cyteen: The Rebirth", "Cyteen: The Vindication" but all newer editions have just one book called "Cyteen"
* Foundation Trilogy - Arthur Asimov - This means the first three of this series: Foundation, Foundation and Empire, The Second Foundation. The newer books continuing the series are good too.
* Mysteries - Tony Hillerman - Pretty much any of the Jim Chee or Joe Leaphorn mysteries. You can find a list here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Hillerman
* Ender's Game - Orson Scott Card - The other Ender books are good too, especially "Ender's Shadow" but I haven't feld the pull to read them again.
* The Coldfire Trilogy - CS Freidman - Black Sun Rising, When True Night Falls, Crown of Shadows
* Darkover Series - Marion Zimmer Bradley - There is a list here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marion_Zimmer_Bradley
* Aubrey Knight Series - Steven Barnes - Street Lethal, Gorgon Child, Firedance
* Dune - Frank Herbert - The original six: Dune, Dune Messiah, Children of Dune, God Emperor of Dune, Heritics of Dune, Children of Dune--these are the really good ones. If you can only read one, read "Dune".
* The Snow Queen Cycle - Joan Vinge - The Snow Queen, World's End, The Winter Queen, Tangled Up in Blue
* Legion of Space - Jack Williamson - Simple but fun.
* Shannara - Terry Brooks - The best ones are the first three: The Sword of Shannara, The Elfstones of Shannara, The Wishsong of Shannara. The Heritage series has four more books and they are good too. I haven't read the others in the series twice but enjoyed them the first time.
* Silistra Series - Janet Morris - Four books: High Couch of Silistra, The Golden Sword, Wind From the Abyss, The Carnelian Throne.
* Taormin Series, Network-Consortium - Cheryl J Franklin - Which is pretty much all she has written.
* Hobbit, Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien - not much to add here
Ok ... there are seventeen items in the list. And I've got to admit that most of them comprise more than one book. I never much thought about how much I like there to be more than one book with a continuing story or continuing characters. You learn something every day.
You probably noticed the preponderance of Science Fiction and Fantasy here. I think that is because it hasn't been too many years since I branched out into other areas of fiction. Since I seem to wait a long time before re-reading a book, there hasn't been enough time elapsed.
* Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy - John LeCarre - Also include 'Smiley's People' and the other books about George Smiley in this item.
* The (various) Chronicles of Thomas Covenant - Stephen R. Donaldson - And throw in anything by this same author. (But be warned that "The Gap Series" is very, very different. But good.)
* Morgaine Series - CJ Cherryh - Gate_of_Ivrel, Well of Shiuan, Fires of Azeroth
* Cyteen - CJ Cherryh - I originally read this when it was published as three paperbacks named "Cyteen: The Betrayal", "Cyteen: The Rebirth", "Cyteen: The Vindication" but all newer editions have just one book called "Cyteen"
* Foundation Trilogy - Arthur Asimov - This means the first three of this series: Foundation, Foundation and Empire, The Second Foundation. The newer books continuing the series are good too.
* Mysteries - Tony Hillerman - Pretty much any of the Jim Chee or Joe Leaphorn mysteries. You can find a list here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Hillerman
* Ender's Game - Orson Scott Card - The other Ender books are good too, especially "Ender's Shadow" but I haven't feld the pull to read them again.
* The Coldfire Trilogy - CS Freidman - Black Sun Rising, When True Night Falls, Crown of Shadows
* Darkover Series - Marion Zimmer Bradley - There is a list here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marion_Zimmer_Bradley
* Aubrey Knight Series - Steven Barnes - Street Lethal, Gorgon Child, Firedance
* Dune - Frank Herbert - The original six: Dune, Dune Messiah, Children of Dune, God Emperor of Dune, Heritics of Dune, Children of Dune--these are the really good ones. If you can only read one, read "Dune".
* The Snow Queen Cycle - Joan Vinge - The Snow Queen, World's End, The Winter Queen, Tangled Up in Blue
* Legion of Space - Jack Williamson - Simple but fun.
* Shannara - Terry Brooks - The best ones are the first three: The Sword of Shannara, The Elfstones of Shannara, The Wishsong of Shannara. The Heritage series has four more books and they are good too. I haven't read the others in the series twice but enjoyed them the first time.
* Silistra Series - Janet Morris - Four books: High Couch of Silistra, The Golden Sword, Wind From the Abyss, The Carnelian Throne.
* Taormin Series, Network-Consortium - Cheryl J Franklin - Which is pretty much all she has written.
* Hobbit, Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien - not much to add here
Ok ... there are seventeen items in the list. And I've got to admit that most of them comprise more than one book. I never much thought about how much I like there to be more than one book with a continuing story or continuing characters. You learn something every day.
You probably noticed the preponderance of Science Fiction and Fantasy here. I think that is because it hasn't been too many years since I branched out into other areas of fiction. Since I seem to wait a long time before re-reading a book, there hasn't been enough time elapsed.
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