The New Jack McDevitt...Isn't New

Cauldron by Jack McDevitt is the latest installment (and it looks like he is truly trying to make it the last) in the on-going saga of Priscilla Hutchins and exploring inter-galactic space; finding new or ancient cultures and how we, as humans, handle (or mishandle) them.

While the story is entertaining, it is the same story told again but without the intrigue. The mysteries are not quite so mysterious and the characters we have all met before, only with diffrent names. I'm thinking this novel was one the publisher pretty much said had to be written if any more checks were going to be coming from them.

That being said, McDevitt is still the master of cultural collision. What do cultures do when they share no experiences, no language and no history? Easy, they hurt each other, intentionally or not. Cauldron is no exception to McDevitt's exploration of alien encounters. Its fascinating to see the possibilities and embarassing to realize our shortcomings.

This one is a good read, fairly short, and entertaining enough that I finished it. Is is also formulaic and been done before. Or maybe I've just read too many of McDevitt's books. Its not worth a five star rating, so I'm giving it 3.

Greg Bear Does It Again!

If you've never read Greg Bear, you owe it to yourself to do so. I recommend that you give a bye to the sequels (i.e.; Darwin's Children), but his original stories are unbeatable for pure speculation that has the ring of truth to it. Quantico is no exception. It was chilling in its realism and its topic: Bio terrorism.

Quantico involves the FBI, and other federal agencies run amok in purely political power plays as partisan politics have stolen America's ability to protect itself. The agent primarily in charge of finding the source and offender(s) of 2001's "Amerithrax" incident is still looking for them 20 years later. But the circumstances surrounding this incident have become more complex than anyone can conceive and it almost impossible to tell the good guys from the bad guys. Bigots, agencies, presidents, militaries and terrorists around the world are played and playing in a game that can ultimately destroy humanity - but who wants it to happen and who wants to stop it?

The last 100 pages were not "put-downable" as the possibilities and probabilities reach their crescendo, the pace becomes break-neck and thrilling. I was too scared to put this down. It was THAT real. I haven't experienced this kind of heart-racing engagement in a novel since I read The Sum of All Fears 20 years ago. It should scare the haughtiness out of us and cause us to questions ourselves, our government and our goals as a society. This isn't an anti-war book - far from it. It IS an anti-hate book. Read this and do what I did...think about it.

Dresden - Wizard At Large

Ok, so Jim Butcher's books are being released as hardbacks (well, they were in November). So what if I was given a $25 gift card from Ebay? Should I have ordered Dresden File books? Probably not. There's so much to read out there, so little time....

However, keeping with the surge of graphic media becoming vastly popular (has anybody not seen The Dark Knight?) I thought I would see of these books were any good. I got copies of the first three in this still on-going series. So far, I've read the first.

And....ok, I liked it. I'll read the rest of them just to see how Harry does what it is he does. Its a one evening read, its definitelt comic book, and its overly black and white. The thing is that Harry lives in shades of gray. He knows that evil is evil and that anything that isn't evil is NOT necessarily good. But he lives in a world with people who expect black and white results. What's a wizard to do?

That's why I keep reading. I relate to Harry. You probably will, too. I'm not gonna rant and rave about the cultural impact of Harry Dresden, but I am gonna read some more of them. They're quick, they're fun and they piqued my interest. And they're a good reset between one VLN and the next. Read it if you're into that, don't if you're not. I am...and you might be surprised at how much your boss resembles some members of the White Council....or NeverNetherLand.

Wow, I haven't posted in awhile....

...but I've been reading.

Time has become the second most precious commodity in my life. There is just never enough to accomplish everything that simply must be done, much less those things that simply need to be done. I am afraid that this blog is way down my list of things that I can spend time on. And its going to get worse. I work retail, so an econmoc downturn means that staff is cut, but expectations are raised. In January, I will become a step-grandfather to a grandson that will live in my house with his mother. I am still married to my most understanding wife and I have two other step-children who must get to school. sporting events, private trumpet and dance lessons, work, etc.

All that just to say my posts may become even more sporadic. I will try to make up for like of quantity with quality. And the next two posts are actually about books! Enjoy and I'll post when I can.

Finished at Last!

Ok, it took me the better part of a year, off and on, to read this. Its not particularly easy to read unless you have an interest in etymology. I have a newly expanded vocabulary and now know what words like clinquant mean.. (Look it up! I had to...) But after adding dictionary.com to my favorites (my collegiate dictionary didn't have the words I was looking for), I have fished the book.

And it was superb!!

This guy Donaldson, he can spin a grand and sweeping epic of a story. The Land is still wonderful with larger than life vistas and characters. Every emotion in the world is evoked in the reader. Revelstone, Andelain, The Staff of Law....they are still able to provoke visions of splendor and majesty. And the characters we love to hate and hate to love. This is a study in conflict and it involves the reader deeply.

The First and Second Chronicles were great, but the conflicts, while evident, were mostly expressed externally to Thomas Covenant. In the Last Chronicle, Linden's conflicts are expressed internally and evidenced externally. We see what she's feeling and how her decisions or lack thereof effect the other characters instead of how the characters decisions effect her. It is masterful story-telling by a master. It is, basically, a re-telling of the best anti-hero story ever told from an internal perspective, from the mind and priorities of the anti-hero.

At the end of the last book, Thomas Covenant had returned with Linden's adopted son and needed her help. In this book, we learn the true condition of her son, we find out who her friends are and who is not. There are the same old antagonists and some new ones. We meet the maker of the first Staff of Law, Beren One-Hand, in person. We are shown the limits of Law and why there is a need for wild magic.

Read This! Start now so you can finish by next Christmas!

Twilight - Ok, I Admit It...Its Good

*sigh* Once again my kids have dragged me into reading a book, and once again, its not bad. Make no mistake, Stephanie Meyer is not going to be compared with Hermann Melville or Issaac Asimov, but then again, she's probably made more money than both of them combined. This is perfect for its target market: teenage girls.

The hero is a major, major hottie, he's the most dangerous thing on the planet, and he's willing to change for the girl he loves. O-M-G! He's perfect! He drives a great car, even! And he rescues her from the bad guys...it just keeps getting better and better for our heroine.

I can see how this caught on. And, on top of that, its a truly original story told pretty dad-gummed well. Will I sit on the edge of my seat for the next one? No. But I'm over 40 and male. I wouldn't have done it for Elvis, either. Will I read the next books? Probably. Its, to me, (pardon the phrase) bubble-gum. Its entertaining, it doesn't take a lot of talent or effort to consume, and it tastes pretty good. I like a good easy read now and then.

Do I recommend it? Tough call. Are you a die-hard SF fan? This is NOT for you. Are you 13-20 and female? You will sigh a lot. Are you open to a good story with original characters that aren't too deep and have very uncomplicated emotional histories? You could read this. Do you like comic books? This is for you. I liked it. I did not love it, but then I wasn't supposed to.

OK, Maybe I'm Not My Kids...

As fate would have it, I got the books I ordered on Ebay. And they were so damaged and beat-up that I asked the seller if I could return them. She was nice enough and said yes - at my expense. *Sigh*

This, of course, means my kids think that now I should go back to Barnes and Noble and buy new books. I simply refuse to do that. I have a long and rewarding history on Ebay. I have bought and sold there for almost 10 years and this is my first negative experience. I will not pay retail, dammit!

And , of course, that earns me the coveted "Eye Roll" award from each of my three kids. Who could ask for more?

Living Vicariously

Its happened. I have become my kids. Let me explain....

My stepson needed a Spanish dictionary for school, so off I trot to Barnes and Nobles to procure one (this, of course was after the stop at Best Buy to upgrade his computer's memory and get a wireless card). My stepdaughter has ridden along and we have no more than stepped in the door than the laws of physics shift. Gravity is now emanating from the Stephenie Meyer Twighlight series and they, being smaller (NOT!) and weaker (definitely NOT!) than me, are sucked into the black hole produced exclusively by these novels of all the novels in the store.

I, on the other hand, have been living in la-la land, because, while I had heard of them I had no idea what they were about other than they contained vampire stories. I was also stupid enough to say so in front of these gravity-riddled masters of Facebook. I was quickly and efficiently imbued with all the information my synapses could handle - and in stereo no less. Then came the "no's". "No. I am not buying four novels at Barnes and Nobles at $23 a pop." "No. I will not advance your allowance." "No. You can't ask your mom and if you do, she will say no, too (I hope)."

So, of course, I run straight home, find them on E-bay, put in a bid on a set ending in two hours, win the bid and in 2-9 days, I will be the proud owner of four Stephenie Meyer novels, which I have staked out to read first. I may rent them to the step children to re-coup the expense, but I'd just have to give it back as allowance.

Sigh!

And I'll probably love them and just have to have the 5th book (which has been delayed because a draft was leaked - where else? - on Facebook). Senility has set in. I regress to 19 years old. Think my hair will grow back?

Tune in again soon for reviews....

Wholly Good Book -Unholy Domain by Dan Ronco

For the action adventure fan out there, this one's for you. Religious terrorists, power hungry and ruthless technocrats, post-apocolyptic culture and society - its all in there. This is Silence of the Lambs versus Jim Jones and everybody stands to lose if our mild-mannered hero doesn't save the day.
SPOILER!SPOILER!SPOILER!SPOILER!SPOILER!
DO NOT READ IF YOU DON'T WANT TO KNOW!
YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!


My only problem with this book that at the height of the clash, it ended. No resolution, no idea of the fate of the characters, no justice meted out. Can you say "Sequel"? I have stated before that I generally loathe series work, and this is a classic example of why. This isn't a series of building climaxes and accompanying denouments, its one long story broken up into seperate books. Its a dad-gummed soap opera. I HATE that. Why would you do that to your readers? Its like selling somebody junk bonds and skipping out when the market goes bad. I shall have to write to the author and ask him when to expect the rest of the story.

Otherwise, it is a well-written, captivating story with shoot 'em ups, showdowns, intrigue, full-out combat, and a little romance thrown in to spice things up. The bad guys (and there's a bunch of 'em) hate each other more than they want to rule the world (rather one is in the way of the other) and the interplay there is fascinating. It reads almost like a Robert Ludlum novel, accept the hero is a true innocent but fully cognizant of his past and the players affecting his future. Its good reading - not great - but darned good.

I probably would have given this 4 stars, but that ending just ruined the 4 stars for me. Its still worth reading just for the authors take on future technology, but if you want the whole story, you're probably going to have to buy (borrow, steal) another book.

Gone Away World Isn't Gone - Its Soon To Be On Your Shelves!

I received an Advanced Reader's Copy of this book at the author's behest. I warned him that I had a list of titles I was valiantly trying to read through and that it might be awhile before I got to it. He assured me that he was personally familiar with that phenomenon and that he was untroubled by my slow approach to his writings, he just would like for me to read it. That's it, just read it. No opinions, no posts, no obligation whatsoever were necessary. So, of course, I read it immediately.

Every once in a while, one reads a book that encompasses a vast emotional palette in the reader. It elicits stark laughter, desperate sadness, pathos you could spread like peanut butter, satisfaction and triumph that absolutely require that one pump one's fist repeated from the shoulder height in a rapidly downward motion while mouthing an incomprehensible "YES!". This book is one of those. It is a treatise on humanity from the weird ( not "weird " as in geas or testament, just "weird" as in strange, offbeat).

It is a tale as only the British author can tell it, since they alone of the authors in the world seem to have the ability to say upfront to the reader, "OK, so it rubbish and completely unbelievable. Its still right good!". And just to provoke discussion, they write a damn good story. The Lord of the Rings is the most improbable collection of creatures ever assembled, yet its story is enduring and, ultimately, uplifting. The Hitchhikers Guide was asinine, yet enduring and funny and read and enjoyed by millions. Gone Away World is not anything remotely like these, but its still a tale of perilous decisions made by ineffective people, resulting in the small and disparate powers for "good" facing the organized, overwhelming, and clear-sighted powers of "evil". In other words, its "Mom & Pop vs. Erich Von Walmart to determine the fate of the world". (And no, there is no mention of Walmart in the book).

There is no point at which one can take this book for granted. The surprises are boundless and wonderful. The last line at the end of the climatic battle scene will soon be sported on T-shirts. It is perfect and just off-beat enough that one must be "on the inside" to truly appreciate it. It is the next "grok". And getting to the point where the line is uttered by our hero is what makes the line so satisfying to the reader. The build up is as long as the whole book, its delivery brief, it effect - perfect. It is both simple in its scope, and so encompassing of the whole story that it simply feels good to read the words.

I guess I should point out that I loved this book. Its not quite out in America yet, but it will be soon. Don't wait. Pre-order yours now and get all the goodies that come with that pre-order, because you are going to be hearing about this book and it will end up on your shelves one way or another. It is a classic, or at least, it will be. I am dusting off my 5-star rating for this one. Get this book! Read it! Or else remain ever ignorant. Ignorance, in this instance, isn't bliss. It is a loss. Read it, read it, read it, then pass it on so that the Voiceless Dragon lives! (Cryptic enough for ya?)