7.08.01
I've decided not to comment on each individual series book unless, well, it seems worthy of doing so. There are too many of them, particularly in mystery series, to keep my attention, and since I'd kind of like to keep doing these reviews, I think I'd best pare it down to a sizing I like. So I'll review the first book in a series, and you can more or less assume that if I keep reading them, they're basically worthwhile. :)

The review system:
* dash out and read this immediately
+ a good, readable book
~ okay, but I probably wouldn't re-read it
- don't bother, unless you're that type

Reviews: July 2001

Die Upon A Kiss, Barbara Hambly *

These, the January books are set in the early 1830s in New Orleans. The main character is a black man named Benjamin January, a free man of color, who is a surgeon and a musician who's lived in Paris for many years. Having recently returned to New Orleans, now owned, as the rest of Louisiana is, by the Americans, January is struggling to come to terms with the changes in his old home and within himself -- and he keeps getting involved in murders while he's trying to do it.

Die Upon A Kiss is the fifth January book. A European theatre company, utterly failing to understand the racial divisions in the young United States, has brought the opera Othello to be played in New Orleans. Hired as one of the local musicians to make up the orchestra, January finds himself mired in the politics of theatre and slave-trading, and trying to solve a murder.

These books have a tremendous sense of time and place; many of my friends have not liked them as well as I do, but I think they're incredibly well-written, deeply detailed and unflinching in dealing with the day to day facts of racism and prejudice in the nineteenth century. I recommend *all* of them very, very highly.

Silent Dances, Silent Songs, A.C. Crispin & Kathleen O'Malley (re-read) *

Silent Dances and its sequel, Silent Songs are probably my favorite two of the StarBridge books. StarBridge student Tesa Wakanfagi is abruptly assigned as ambassador to Trinity, a world with a race of giant, crane-like aliens who are threatened by profiteers unwilling to believe that the Grus are sentient. Tesa, who is deaf, is the perfect ambassador -- the Grus speak through sign language, and their terrifyingly loud voices -- powerful enough to kill -- cannot affect her. She becomes a part of the avians' world, and discovers a second sentient species native to Trinity -- the Hunters, giant thunderbirds, the Grus' eternal enemy.

The second book picks up a year after the first one ends. Trinity is under attack a second time, this time by an entirely new race of aliens whom no one has ever had contact with before. As Tesa, the Grus, and the Hunters struggle to save their world, an unprecedented _third_ sentient species is found beneath Trinity's seas. First contact is made successfully, but not without a price: Tesa's school friend Jib is changed irretrievably by contact with the Singers under the ocean.

I just really love these books.

Starbridge, A.C. Crispin (re-read) *

The Starbridge books are one of my all-time favorite science fiction series. The first book, Starbridge, revolves around Mahree and Rob, a young woman and a young doctor, who are part of the crew on a freighter ship that makes humanity's First Contact with an alien species. As the encounter moves towards disaster, Mahree risks everything to prevent first contact from turning into genocide.

Reviews: June 2001

Spike & Dru: Pretty Maids All in a Row, Christopher Golden +

A Buffy: the Vampire Slayer novel, this is actually pretty good. Set against the backdrop of WWII, Spike and Dru have decided to go kill all the potential Slayers. Mayhem ensues.

Golden writes Dru particularly well, I think, insane little creature that she is. He's a little too much into the whole graphic horror thing for my tastes, but then, apparently he's known for his horror writing, so go figure. And, well, it's a vampire book. What can you expect? Pretty readable, anyway; worth it, if you like these characters.

Unsolicited, Julie Kaewert +

Mild-mannered publishing press owner Alex Plumtree's best-selling, anonymous author has written one novel, and has promised the sequel -- but the books turn out to be based on horrifying fact, and 'Arthur' -- the author -- has disappeared with five chapters left to deliver. Things go downhill from there for Alex as he tries to find both his missing author and the truth behind the novels.

Hey, that sounded like a real summary, didn't it? The review part: this was a pretty fun book. Alex is a likeable character who is in over his head, in a believable way. Well. As believable as any random-mook-pulled-into-a-mystery-series is. He, at least, isn't a ravingly competent one; he's the kind of guy you expect to drop a tire iron on his foot when trying to change the tire. I've got the rest of the series upstairs, so that must say something positive. :)

Until Proven Guilty, J.A. Jance +

I picked up the most recent J.P. Beaumont book at a bookstore before going on some sort of vehicle ride, and enjoyed it enormously. Then I got the second-to-most-recent one, and read that, and then the third-to-most-recent, and then I had clearly established a pattern, and was reading them backwards, from newest to oldest. I even got to tell Ms. Jance this -- and then got a copy of Until Proven Guilty signed, with a note that says, "Start here." :)

These are good books. Set in Seattle, the hero is J.P. Beaumont, a detective for the SPD. They're investigative novels and deal a lot with the people behind the crimes, rather than focusing on the grisley details, which I appreciate. J.P. is eminently likeable, in a McGruff sort of way, and the fact that I've read the most recent 3 books doesn't detract in any way from the enjoyment of reading about his life and the lives around him -- in fact, in some ways, it makes it all the more agonizing, knowing some of the things that happen a few years down the line in book time. Worthy reads. If you like mysteries, highly recommended.

Queen City Jazz, Kathleen Ann Goonan ~

An interesting idea, this book. Unfortuantely, it took about two hundred and fifty page for it to start making any sense. I read the whole thing anyway, and by the end it was really quite good and interesting, but it took way too long to start making sense. It's about When Nanotech Goes Wrong, kind of, and ... well. Too bad it didn't make more sense earlier on. It made me impatient.

A Phule and His Money, Robert L. Asprin & Peter J. Heck +

Hooray! Robert Asprin is writing again! Granted, with co-authors, but better than nothing! This is another book in the very silly Phule series, and although it's been many years since I read the first two, this third in the series was pretty much as I remember the others: silly, entertaining, a quick read, generally fun. I'm pleased there are more books being published.

A Morbid Taste for Bones, Ellis Peters +

The first in the Brother Cadfael books, this is a series by Ellis Peters, AKA Elizabeth Peters, who writes the Amanda Peabody books. This is quite a different series, set in the late twelfth century, about a monk who's lived the high life and is now settled down in a monastary to garden. Except, of course, nothing ever goes that smoothly, and he gets hauled out to investigate murders. A very quick read, but entertaining.

Spindle's End, Robin McKinley +

Nobody TOLD me there was a new Robin McKinley book out! It's been out a YEAR and I didn't KNOW! This is a retelling of (you guessed it) Sleeping Beauty, and I thought it was pretty wonderful. Not as wonderful as the Beauty and the Beast retellings, but then, Beauty and the Beast has always been my favorite fairy tale. Spindle's End is really extremely satisfactory. If you like twice-told tales, get this one.

Hot Six, Janet Evanovich +

Grandma Mazer moves in with Stephanie. What else do I need to say? Another funny, silly Stephanie Plum book. Really, if you like mysteries, go get them. I'm sending a copy of this one to Geni, in the Netherlands. :)

Reviews: May 2001

Resurrection Row, Bluegate Fields, Rutland Place, Death in the Devil's Acre, Cardington Crescent, Anne Perry +

These are more of the indomintable Thomas and Charlotte Pitt novels. I simply persist in enjoying them, and want you to, too. :)

Summer Knight, Jim Butcher +

Bwahaha. Summer Knight won't be published for more than a year, but I got to read it, and it *rocked*! *laugh* Now my head is full of spoilers and I want to talk to people about this book, but I can't! Hah! Isn't that great? *grin* Yaaaaay! I think this may be the best Dresden book to date. And I'm not just saying that. :)

Emily Climbs, L. M. Montgomery *

Again, I just love these books, at least the first two. I've got the third languishing upstairs waiting to be re-read, but really, you must read this one, too.

Witches & Wizards, Anton & Mina Adams ~

This was something I picked up for research, and because the back of it has a bunch of useful pagan holiday listings. Not the sort of thing Joe on the street is inclined to read, but it's fine if that's what you're looking for.

The Dark Remains, Mark Anthony *

When Ted got the first of the Last Rune series, Beyond the Pale, I thought it had a great title and that the author's name was a great one, but I really didn't expect much from it. Another epic fantasy with people from earth being brought to a mysterious magical land. Ho hum. Been there, done that.

I read it anyway, and it was really, *really* good. So in a fit of great weakness, we got the second book, The Keep of Fire in trade paperback, because we couldn't stand to wait for it in massmarket paperback. And it, too, was really, *really* good. The third book, The Dark Remains, just came out and we got it and I just finished reading it. My only complaint is that I thought this was going to be a trilogy, but it clearly isn't. Argh. However, the quality has kept up, so it's not much of a complaint.

And now I have to go email Mark Anthony and tell him that if characters X and Y don't get together SOON in the next book, I'm going to go absolutely insane. I cannot *stand* the tension any longer . . . !

Eleanor of Aquitaine: A Life, Alison Weir +

Eleanor of Aquitaine is a tremendously famous woman, and I had *no idea* how *little* we know about her. This is a history about the men around Eleanor, mostly; *very* little has survived about the woman herself. Weir is often pretty liberal with her histories, but I thought Eleanor was actually quite conservative. So little is known about the woman that not much more than conclusions and theories can be drawn, and Weir has based her conclusions on the writings of Eleanor's contemporaries. It was *really* *very* interesting. If you like histories, I recommend this one highly.

Dinosaur Summer, Greg Bear & Tony DiTerlizzi (Illustrator) +

This book is what the Jurassic Park movies and books should have been. Well, no, that's not fair, they're totally different. I'd just love to see *this* brought to life. I really enjoyed it. This is a different world from our own, where, on a plateau in Venezuela, dinosaurs never died out. Read it. It's neat.

The Egypt Game, Zilpha Keatley Snyder (re-read) *

The Egypt Game is every bit as wonderful now as it was when I first read it twenty or so years ago. A handful of imaginative children discover Egypt's fascinating past and make it their own, amid a murder mystery and despite the alarming Professor who owns the plot of land they play in. Everybody ought to read this book; if you're a young teen or younger, you should read it *right now*.

White House Autumn, Ellen Emerson White (re-read) +

I probably first read White House Autumn very near the time it was published, in about 1984. Maybe a little later, but it's stood up to the test of time very well. It's a YA novel about Meg, whose mother was elected President, and the trials and tribulations thereof. It has two sequels, The President's Daughter, which comes before it and which is equally wonderful, and Long Live the Queen, which comes after it and which I haven't read, but I imagine is very good. Meg is a very real character and her family is great. And it's out of print, of course, so good luck finding it, but it's worth it if you do.

Way of the Pilgrim, Gordon R. Dickson +

Way of the Pilgrim is . . . it's a great book, because it leaves you questioning what really happened. The end disturbed me, and that's a wonderful trick. I didn't actually find the characters to be terribly compelling, but the /idea/ of the book was just fascinating: aliens have taken over Earth, and view humans as beasts to be tamed. The book deals, in essence, with the culture clash between the two species, and of course with the inevitable human resistance movement. It was . . . really good. Read it.

Dead Body Language, Penny Warner ~

I don't think I'd necessarily recommend this book, but at the same time, if I needed a book for an airplane flight, I certainly wouldn't object to picking up the next one in the series. Connor Westphal, Our Hero, is deaf, which is a new twist, and she's reasonably likeable. Her pseudo-boyfriend is really quite likeable, so that's a good thing. It's a first novel, also, and for a first novel I'd say it's not half bad. There are worse ways to spend a couple hours.

Reviews: April 2001

News of a Kidnapping, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Edith Grossman (Translator) *

This was a very, *very* good book. It's non-fiction and details the 1990 kidnappings of eight journalists by a Columbian drug cartel. I've read a couple of Marquez's fiction pieces and I really don't enjoy them, but this is a just phenomenal book, compassionate and detailed and heartbreaking. You should read it.

Quench the Moon, Walter Macken ~

God, but the Irish write depressing books. Quench the Moon is a very good book, full of the time and flavor of 1940s Connamarra, but sweet *Christ* it's a downer. It is, in the fashion of much Irish fiction, clearly doomed to turn out just the way it does, without any real chance of the protagonists escaping their fate, but God, you'd better be feeling up to dealing with "the men the gods made mad: for all their wars are merry, and all their songs are sad" if you want to read this book.

Bridget Jones's Diary, Helen Fielding +

I read Bridget Jones's Diary because I'd gone to see the movie and it was delightful and charming.

The book was also delightful and charming. :) It was, unsurprisingly, *better* than the movie, with a more complex plot and a somewhat less rosy-glow ending, but honestly, the film and the book were different enough that it was a bit more like the film was inspired by rather than based on. At any rate, they're both worth the effort, and one of the funniest things to me is that both Hugh Grant and Collin Firth, who are the male leads in the film, are mentioned by name in the book. I approved. *laugh* Anyway, I don't know if it's a *must* read, but I really recommend it quite highly.

Moonwar, Ben Bova +

I thought Moonwar was better than Moonrise; less juvenile and more cleverly plotted. It's a good thing when the books of a series improve instead of degenerate. I expect at some point there'll be another Moon book, because the story is hardly finished.

Three to Get Deadly, Four to Score, High Five, Janet Evanovich +

Look, I skipped reading Ben Bova's Moonwar and went back to Borders to get the fourth and fifth Stephanie Plum books after finishing the third one yesterday and then I went up to Fisherman's Wharf and between the hours of 3:30 and 7:30 read the last two books, so what more recommendation do you want?

Paragon Walk, Anne Perry +

The third of the Charlotte & Thomas Pitt novels. I just enjoy them. It hasn't been difficult for me to deduce whodoneit in any of these (unlike the Monk novels, which I often am not certain of until the end), but that doesn't make them any less enjoyable. They've a wonderful sense of time and place, and excellent, interesting characters.

Two for the Dough, Janet Evanovich +

Stephanie Plum, Bounty Hunter from the Burg. These are *silly* books. They're *fun*. They're not great literature, but they're utterly delightful. Plum's mother wants her to get married, her grandmother wants to be a bounty hunter, too, and her old boyfriend Joe Mirolli has grown up to be a cop who's forever interfering with her claims. But things get worse after that, so don't despair. :)

Moonrise, Ben Bova +

This is really sort of between a wibble and a plus, but I'll probably go pick up the next one, Moonwar, so I figure that edges it over to a plus. Not a bad story; one of the main characters is entirely too unsympathetic, and consequently a second of the main characters is a little unbelievable, but the third one is pretty cool, and makes me want to read the next book, so there you have it. Um, the whole book strikes me as a little juvenille sexually, but maybe that's because I'm not a boy.

Callander Square, Anne Perry +

Callendar Square is the second of the Thomas and Charlotte Pitt novels. They're a mystery series set in Victorian London, and they're really pretty charming. Perry's other series, the Monk books, are probably better, but the Pitt books are good for a quick, entertaining read. I suggest reading them in order, but then I always suggest reading series in order. The first book is The Cater Street Hangman.

The Joy Luck Club, Amy Tan +

I probably should have read this more slowly, but my usual reading speed is about mach 4, and I was outside and it was either too warm or too cold and so I was somewhat distracted from the story. It was, none-the-less, very good. Probably if I'd read it more slowly it would have been poignant, even.

On A Pale Horse, Piers Anthony (re-read) -

How strange it can be to re-read once-beloved books. I used to think On A Pale Horse was great. I now believe that it probably shouldn't be read by anybody over the age of eighteen. As a result, a book that I'd have given at least a plus and possibly a star to lo these many years ago, gets a minus these days. It's a pretty decent juvenille book, but I really can't recommend it.

Unless you're a teenager. In that case, have at it!

Thomas the Rhymer, Ellen Kushner +

Not my favorite of the fairy tale series, this book is worth more than a wibble (a ~), but it's a reserved plus. The story is a sad one, though in its way it ends up happily ever after. If you like retold fairy tales, you'll probably like this one.

The Uplift War, David Brin +

It's not perfect, but it's awfully good. I can't /quite/ recommend tearing out and buying it, but it comes with a Strong Recommendation, if you like sf and stories about the human spirit. Well. And a bit more than just the /human/ spirit, in this case . . . .

The Ground Beneath Her Feet, Salman Rushdie *

This was a perfectly phenomenal book. It tells the entire lives of three people who are inextricably twined up in one another; it's a story about music, and passion, improbably chance and impossible choices. The sentences are very long, and it took me a good solid two chapters to really get into the book, but once I was there, there was no leaving. It gets a bit dense, but it's absolutely worth it. You Must Read This Right Now.

Emily of New Moon, L. M. Montgomery *

Anyone who loved the Anne books must read the Emily books. In fact, even if you haven't read the Anne books (which you should, immediately), you must read the Emily books. They have some similarities, but I think Emily is in her way tougher than Anne. She's an orphan, a writer, and a little bit touched by the fair folk, in a world a hundred years ago that forbade anything but the sensible and asture, and Emily of New Moon is one of my favorite books of all times.

The English: A Portrait of a People, Jeremy Paxam ~

I feel quite obliged to explain my wibble choices. In this particular case, if you like historical/sociological commentary sorts of books, I would recommend Portrait of a People as a fine example of that kind of book. It's interesting, well-written, sometimes very clever, and draws some interesting conclusions. I happen to like this sort of book. I can't, however, in good faith tell people in *general* to read this book, because most people aren't as inclined to such reading material. But if you like this sort of thing, The English: A Portrait of a People is really very good.

The Joy of Work, Scott Adams ~

This is another one which, if you like this sort of thing, is perfectly fine. It's a Dilbert book, the kind with words, not comics, and it's amusing, but not overall my cup of tea. If you like Dilbert books, you'll probably like this one.

Last updated at 1412 on 07Dec01.