Sharp Words

Daemons are Forever, Simon Green. Library book, first read.
An intriguing premise, with a family of supernatural secret agents trying to protect the world, with some good dollops of humour, but it was trying to bit too hard and was a bit too much in love with itself.

The Skies of Pern, Anne McCaffrey. Own copy.
One of the later Pern books, and definitely not one of the best although it has some nice touches. Mostly I just read it because it was on the shelf in front of my exercise bike, and I’d only read it a couple of times before.

The Golden Key, Melanie Rawn, Kate Elliott and Jennifer Roberson. Own copy.
Two of my favourite authors contributed to this big fat collaborative fantasy novel, and for the first time, I thought I could hear their separate voices in the different sections: more like subtle flavours than anything shriekingly obvious, thankfully.

Pushing Ice, Alistair Reynolds. Library book, first read.
Another SF author recommended to me by a few people (who had also recommended Banks). The story starts off with one of Saturn’s moon deciding to head off by itself into outer space, chased by an ice-mining ship, and never ever lets up from that point on. Its umpteen twists of character and encounters kept me enthralled (and I ended up getting very wrinkly in the bath).

The Ghost, Robert Harris. Library book, first read.
I’d missed this somewhere along the line, though I’ve read most of Harris’s work, and only heard about it because it’s now a film (The Ghost Writer with Pierce Brosnan and Ewan McGregor). It’s a good thriller, about a ghost writer putting together the memoirs of an ex-British Prime Minister (based on Tony Blair).

The Doomsday Key, James Rollins. Library book, first read.
Oh dear. I’ve noticed over the past few Sigma Force novels that Rollins has been headed into Dan Brown territory both in plot and writing style, and with this novel, he’s sadly nearly there. A lot of the characterisation that I liked in previous novels has disappeared entirely; he doesn’t even bother to make much use of his characters’ back stories even though there’s more than ample scope to do so. I enjoyed it, of course, but it was the literary equivalent of squirty cream from a can.

The Eyre Affair, Lost in a Good Book, The Well of Lost Plots and Something Rotten, Jasper Fforde. Own copies.
My annual re-read, and I can’t be bothered to say anything about this series of novels, except that if you like classic literature and have a bent for the whimsical, then you should read them.

Total for February 2010: 10 + 0 re-reads
Ongoing total for 2010: 26 + 0 re-reads

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Diamond Mask and Magnificat, Julian May. Own copies.
The rest of the excellent Galactic Milieu trilogy. I really should look up some of her more recent work.

The Redbreast, Jo Nesbø. Library book, first read.
I read this Norwegian crime novel on recommendation; it was excellent (and much credit goes to the translator too); the story was gripping, and I was made to care about the characters.

The State of the Art, Iain M Banks. Christmas present, first read.
A selection of Banks’ short stories, some of which (mostly the Culture-related ones) I liked a lot more than others.

Living with the Truth and Stranger than Fiction, Jim Murdoch. Own copies.
My review of Living with the Truth from August 2008… and yes, I still need to write the review of Stranger than Fiction – coming soon, I promise.

Wintersmith, Terry Pratchett. Own copy.
A light read, picked because of the snow still lying on the ground outside.

Spirit Gate, Shadow Gate, and Traitors’ Gate, Kate Elliott. 1 & 2 – own copies; 3 – library book.
Since I finally had all of this Crossroads trilogy to hand, I read the books one after the other, and not too quickly.  Simply? Kate Elliott writes damn good fantasy fiction. I know her Crown of Stars series can put people off – 7 books! with so many characters and plot strands!- but this trilogy is definitely worthy of its shelf-space.

Odalisque, Emissary, and Goddess, Fiona McIntosh. Library books, first reads.
Decent light fantasy, with an interesting Istanbul-inspired setting, but after reading the excellence of Elliott’s Crossroads trilogy, this just felt fluffy.

Smoke and Mirrors and Fragile Things, Neil Gaiman. Own copies.
I wanted something short to read in the bath, so took Smoke and Mirrors with me, and just read my favourites from this short story collection (including Murder Mysteries and Snow, Glass, Apples). Of course, greedy as I am, that wasn’t enough for me, and I ended up reading both collections over a few days, missing out only a handful of stories and poems.

Moreta: Dragonlady of Pern and Nerilka’s Story, Anne McCaffrey. Own copies.
A nostalgia fest. I feel a bit weird about reading McCaffrey these days for several reasons:
1) she’s really gone off the boil in the past decade
2) her books can be seen as pretty damn clichéd, and frankly in some parts, they’re not that good
3) I’ve suffered total Pern-overload over the years, what with playing on multiple text-based online roleplaying games.
But the novels are familiar friends; Moreta was always a favourite; and they’re on the shelf right in front of my exercise bike so were perfectly positioned for when I needed something to read while cycling.

Total for January 2010: 16 + 0 re-reads

Ongoing total for 2010: 16 + 0 re-reads

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The Number of the Beast, Red Planet, Time Enough for Love, To Sail Beyond the Sunset, and Space Family Stone, Robert Heinlein. Own copies.
I’ve been feeling the need for some time to re-evaluate my opinions of Heinlein; hence the massive re-read of my collection of his novels. A blog post is fermenting and will soon be brewed enough to serve up.

The Gold Falcon and The Spirit Stone (own copies); The Shadow Isle (own copy, a re-read for 2009); and The Silver Mage (library book, first read + re-read) – Katharine Kerr.
Finally, the Deverry cycle has come to an end – and fairly serendipitously for me, since I finally bought the penultimate 2 books in the cycle to re-read, and then managed to get the very last book from the library. Kerr’s Deverry novels are surely one of the best fantasy series written, although the story drifted off a bit in the last couple. I found the story’s ‘conclusion’ a satisfactory one though, and I know I’ll re-read these books again, and again, and again.

Coraline, Neil Gaiman. Own copy, first read.
About time I got this really, and I decided to pick up the original version rather than the movie tie-in. A most excellent tale, and I need to see the film too.

The Whispering Mountain, Joan Aiken. Own copy.
This was a favourite of mine as a child (well, around the age of 11 or so), and my paperback fell apart many years ago. So when I spotted it on the library’s sale table, I pounced. (Weirdly, the librarian wanted to charge it as non-fiction until I explained it’s a children’s story…)  Joan Aiken was a fabulous writer of children’s fantasy with a humorous streak (best known for The Wolves of Willoughby Chase) , and since this one is set in Wales, I loved it even more.

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Unseen Academicals, Terry Pratchett. Own copy, re-read for 2009.
See my October reading list for my opinion of this.

Revelation, C J Sansom. Library book, first read.
I don’t think I liked this much as the previous books in the series. It seemed to be straying too much into modern crime territory, with its tale of a serial killer. Well-written, of course, and I’d still read another Shardlake tale if there is another one.

Alexandria, Lindsey Davis. Dad’s library book, first read.
Dad reckons this had a lot of padding, and I’m inclined to agree – there was a lot of exposition. I enjoyed it nonetheless, but it did feel pretty thin compared to most of her other novels.

Consider Phlebas, Iain M Banks. Borrowed from Dad, first read.
With Look to Windward, the best of Banks’ novels that I’ve read so far. Having read some of the later ones first, I found it fascinating to go back to this one and see the Culture from the outside.

The Penelopiad, Margaret Atwood. Library book, first read.
Hmm. I know this was produced as part of a series rewriting classical tales and myths, but it just felt very light and self-indulgent, and repetitive in parts. An interesting idea, and well-written, but it felt lacking in something.

Between Planets and Podkayne of Mars, Robert Heinlein. Own copies.
I have a troubled relationship with Heinlein, as I may have previously mentioned. A re-read of Between Planets wasn’t too bad, although it was a very lightweight bit of pulp with too much reliance on a McGuffin. But I’d forgotten the ending of Podkayne of Mars – suffice it to say that I was left fuming at the way this sparky little girl was dismissed in the final sections.

For a Few Demons More, Kim Harrison. Library book, first read.
Finally, finally, I’m caught up with all the books in this series that I’d previously missed (and got to find out how some major events, mentioned in later books, happened).

The Dark Volume, G W Dahlquist. Library book, first read.
The sequel to The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters, a steampunk fantasy, which I enjoyed a lot. I wasn’t so keen on this novel; it felt too much like the middle of a trilogy; it was very fast-paced and concentrated mainly on action rather than on character.

Succubus Blues, Richelle Mead. Own copy, re-read for 2009.
I needed something easy and fun to read while I was languishing with a bad cold. This fitted the bill nicely. (My original review)

Saturnalia, Lindsey Davis, Own copy.
After reading Alexandria earlier in the month, I found myself back-tracking to this. And apart from a few silly moments (the turnip costume amongst others), it’s a far superior novel.

Magic Strikes, Ilona Andrews. Borrowed from Marion, first read + re-read.
More urban fantasy, and a really good addition to this series. Hence me reading it twice in quick succession.

Total for November 2009: 10 + 3 re-reads

Ongoing total for 2009: 170 + 10 re-reads

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Thud!, Terry Pratchett. Own copy.
Comfort reading while I was feeling lousy with a heavy cold.

Feersum Endjin, Iain M Banks. Borrowed(?) copy, first read.
Another delivery from my Dad. Not sure I liked this one – it exposed to me how much I skim when I read, because of all the passages written phonetically. Plus I was ill, so found it hard to concentrate on. I actually found a post-it on the last page which read “Blah Blah Blah. The butler did it. The End.” – so clearly whoever had the copy before me wasn’t too fussed on it either!

The Blue Sword, Robin McKinley. Own copy.
More comfort reading. I had no idea how many times I’ve read this novel since I first got it out of the library when I was about 12, but I’d imagine that the answer is ‘quite a lot’.

Brasyl, Ian McDonald. Library book, first read.
Really excellent sci-fi, very imaginative and beautifully set in (of course) Brazil. And I’m meeting the author during November.

Excession, Iain M Banks. Borrowed(?) copy, first read.
Another of the deliveries from Dad. I liked this one a lot more than Feersum Endjin, mostly because it’s one of the Culture novels, and I find those fascinating.

Living with the Dead, Kelley Armstrong. Library book, first read and re-read.
A good addition to the Women of the Otherworld series – her first written in the third person and from multiple points of view. I found that an interesting change, and the story wouldn’t have worked in the usual first-person.

Sovereign, C J Sansom. Library book, first read.
The third in the Shardlake series; excellent historical mystery.

To Say Nothing of the Dog, Connie Willis. Own copy.
My favourite of the novels of hers that I’ve read, for its sense of humour and ridiculous.

Nation, Terry Pratchett. Own copy, first read and re-read.
I can’t believe it I’ve left it this long to buy this novel – not like me at all; I usually pounce on Pratchett novels as soon as they come out in paperback. (Too stingy for hardback.) Finally though… this is a fantastic book. Just the right touch of seriousness and comedy, with intriguing parallels and morals that aren’t shoved down the reader’s throat.

Unseen Academicals, Terry Pratchett. Own copy, first read.
Hopefully this won’t be his last novel… It’s more mature and thoughtful than the earlier Discworld novels, with less reliance on puns and silly situations (much like the last couple have been). And it’s excellent. (Plus it has plenty of the Librarian.)

Total for October 2009: 10 + 2 re-reads

Ongoing total for 2009: 160 + 7 re-reads

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The Good, The Bad and The Undead, Kim Harrison. Own copy, first read.
A Fistful of Charms, Kim Harrison. Library book.
At last, #2 in the series (and then I read #4 again from the library). I’ve now read 1-5 although not in order… and I think this is maybe one of my favourite urban fantasy series, for its blend of magic, thrills and relationships.

Gods Behaving Badly, Marie Phillips. Library book, first read.
Comic fantasy, with the Greek gods alive (if not well) and causing trouble in London.

Stranger than Fiction, Jim Murdoch. Review copy, first read.
Liked it, I really did, and I owe Jim a review – coming some time in October, promise. I think I want to re-read Living with the Truth first too.

Bellwether, Connie Willis. BookMooched copy, first read and a re-read.
Brilliant and intelligent; it’s technically SF although it’s all pretty contemporary and rather plausible. I love Willis’s stuff and I wish I had more of it. In this fairly short novel (I read it in the bath), scientific studies into fads and chaos theory produce an interesting outcome.

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