Karsa Orlong Posted September 11, 2012 Author Share Posted September 11, 2012 (edited) Book #63: The Engines of God by Jack McDevitt Blurb: Two hundred years ago, humans made a stunning discovery… In the far reaches of the solar system: a huge statue of an alien creature, with an inscription that defied all efforts of translation. Now, faster-than-light drive opens the stars to exploration, humans are finding other relics of the race they call the Monument-Makers – each different, and each heartbreakingly beautiful. But except for a set of footprints on Jupiter's moon Lapetus, there is no trace of the enigmatic race that has left them behind. Then a team of scientists working on a dead world discover an ominous new image of the Monument-Makers. Somehow it all fits with other lost civilzations, and possibly with Earth's own future. And distant past. But Earth itself is on the brink of ecological disaster – there is no time to search for answers. Even to a question that may hold the key to survival for the entire human race… Thoughts: Joy, another book with quotes from authors comparing the author of the book to other authors This time it's Stephen King, saying McDevitt is the 'logical heir' to Arthur C. Clarke and Isaac Asimov. Hmm . . . Anyhoo, this book is one I picked up on a whim when I saw it. The archaeology aspect intrigued me. The story centres around the discovery of alien artifacts, the first of which is discovered on one of Saturn's moons, and then more of which are found as man spreads beyond the solar system. The creators of these artifacts are known as the Monument-Makers, and it is the quest to find out who they were and where they came from that drives the story. Much of the book takes place around the excavation of a temple, on an alien world, that has been submerged and left in ruins at the bottom of the sea after some earth-shattering event far in the past. McDevitt uses this setting, plus the goings-on up in orbit and on the world's moon, to create some very tense situations. How a story about a bunch of archaeologists manages this is a little convoluted, and it's perhaps one of the weaknesses of the novel, but the sequences themselves work very well. The characters are a mixed bunch, from the archaeologists themselves, to corporate terraformers who want them out of the way, to the pilot, Priscilla Hutchinson, who is the main protagonist. Typically, in a time when the Earth is on the brink of ecological meltdown, the humans out there trying to find new worlds to inhabit don't seem to get along very well! The book has largely average reviews, but I enjoyed it a great deal. It gets a little bogged down in the latter stages, and the characters make perhaps a couple too many rash decisions which manage to put everyone in danger, but there was enough to keep me interested, and McDevitt is pretty good at creating and ratcheting up tension. 7/10 ETA: Oh, and it's got one of the worst covers I've ever seen Edited September 11, 2012 by Karsa Orlong Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vodkafan Posted September 11, 2012 Share Posted September 11, 2012 That cover art is certainly very old school. I had loads of SF paperbacks with covers just like that when I was a kid. (Wish I still had them now ) This is actually quite an old well used plot. I read at least two other old 50's stories that were variations on this theme. And of course lets not forget Arthur's monoliths in 2001. It is just the sort of thing I like though. I am a sucker for alien artifacts. Thanks for the heads up and the review. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pickle Posted September 11, 2012 Share Posted September 11, 2012 Can totally recommend the next two Ben Aaronovitch's books were excellent, I loved Molly but i also loved the rivers, they were brilliantly portrayed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted September 12, 2012 Author Share Posted September 12, 2012 This is actually quite an old well used plot. I read at least two other old 50's stories that were variations on this theme. And of course lets not forget Arthur's monoliths in 2001. It is just the sort of thing I like though. I am a sucker for alien artifacts. Yeah, there's nothing particularly original about it, but it is different to the kind of sf I usually read, so it was kind of refreshing on that level. I may pick up the next book in the series if I can find it in Chicago, as they don't seem to be readily available over here, apart from at FP, and they didn't have it last time I was there. Can totally recommend the next two Ben Aaronovitch's books were excellent, I loved Molly but i also loved the rivers, they were brilliantly portrayed Looking forward to them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted September 12, 2012 Author Share Posted September 12, 2012 I have stoked the fire on the big steel wheels Steered the airship right across the stars I learned to fight, I learned to love, I learned to feel Oh I wish that I could live it all again :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vodkafan Posted September 13, 2012 Share Posted September 13, 2012 You having a nostalgic moment Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted September 18, 2012 Share Posted September 18, 2012 He's getting in the mood .. I wonder if he'll listen to 'A Foggy day In London Town' before he comes back Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted September 19, 2012 Author Share Posted September 19, 2012 I wonder if he'll listen to 'A Foggy day In London Town' before he comes back Nope. DId have a blast of Waterloo Sunset as the plane landed, but it was mostly this . . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted September 19, 2012 Share Posted September 19, 2012 All Rush and Chicago makes London a dull... boy? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted September 19, 2012 Author Share Posted September 19, 2012 Tell you what, everyone in Chicago was so polite and helpful. Soon as I got back to London I could feel my blood pressure shooting up again Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vodkafan Posted September 19, 2012 Share Posted September 19, 2012 Tell you what, everyone in Chicago was so polite and helpful. Soon as I got back to London I could feel my blood pressure shooting up again You back already? I just assumed you were going for a couple of weeks. Mind you it fits because the group is called "Rush" after all...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted September 19, 2012 Author Share Posted September 19, 2012 Nah, we had six days there, which is enough in a town, I think. We did everything we wanted to do, and more. Saw a brilliant band at House of Blues on Sunday, too, called Hound's Tooth. The guitarist came and sat at our table while he was playing - it was awesome to watch him play close up Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted September 20, 2012 Share Posted September 20, 2012 Nah, we had six days there, which is enough in a town, I think. We did everything we wanted to do, and more. Saw a brilliant band at House of Blues on Sunday, too, called Hound's Tooth. The guitarist came and sat at our table while he was playing - it was awesome to watch him play close up Sounds like you had a bloody brilliant trip! Did you visit any ... Chicagonian () bookshops? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted September 20, 2012 Author Share Posted September 20, 2012 Did you visit any ... Chicagonian ( ) bookshops? I did - I went in four, and they were all useless (for my tastes)! I went in two Barnes & Noble stores, one up to the north near Lincoln Park (why do I keep wanting to type Linkin Park??) and one at the south end of The Loop. They were pretty big. The one on The Loop was joined on to the university there. Then there was a second-hand bookshop called Afterword, which the concierge at the hotel directed me to, and a place called BAM (Books-a-Million), which we just happened upon as we were having a last walk around before heading off to the airport. Nothing really tempted me in any of them. I was really only looking for stuff that I hadn't seen before or couldn't get at all over here, though. I nearly bought the novel of Clockwork Angels on the last morning but, again, I can get that over here, so it wasn't a big deal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted September 20, 2012 Share Posted September 20, 2012 Too bad your experience with the local bookstores wasn't all that great. But hey, it's always nice to visit new bookstores, do a bit of comparing and contrasting Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted September 22, 2012 Author Share Posted September 22, 2012 Just cos there's nowhere better to post these, I had to wake up to this every morning in Chicago: It's enough to give you nightmares And, no, I don't mean my reflection - at least I've got one, I suppose Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted September 23, 2012 Author Share Posted September 23, 2012 Book #64: Hard Landing by Stephen Leather Blurb: The first book in the bestselling Dan 'Spider' Shepherd series. Dan 'Spider' Shepherd is used to putting his life on the line. Working for an elite undercover squad he has lied, cheated and conned in order to bring Britain's most wanted criminals to justice. But when a powerful drugs baron starts to kill off witnesses to his crimes, Shepherd is given his most dangerous assignment yet. He has to go undercover in a top security prison, a world where one wrong move will mean certain death. Thoughts: This is the first of Stephen Leather's novels that I have read, having picked it up for 49p for Kindle. Due to Chicago, I've read it in a disjointed fashion, but I don't think it's suffered too much as a result. It's a fairly simple, straightforward, by-the-numbers thriller that starts with a nice piece of misdirection and then settles into a familiar story of a lone protagonist placed in a dangerous situation and getting sucked deeper and deeper in. In this case, Spider Shepherd is undercover in the remand wing of a prison, tasked with obtaining evidence that will help to put drug dealer Gerry Carpenter away for good. Carpenter is in the process of scaring, and even killing, off the witnesses queueing up to give evidence to get him, and it quickly becomes a race against time for Shepherd to get the evidence and put an end to the killings. As these sorts of stories go, this was fairly decent without being particularly exciting. For me, a thriller should actually contain some, well, thrills, but very few seem to achieve that page-turning, edge-of-seat feeling. Hard Landing doesn't manage it, either, but I thought it was pretty well written and, with some serious editing, could have been better. Its twists are wholly predictable, some of Spider's actions are a little OTT and how he isn't rumbled early on is probably the biggest mystery in the book, there is a degree of repetition that could easily have been snipped, and the end stretches believability a little thin. Perhaps the biggest problem for the novel is that Spider is undercover, meaning he is very rarely himself, and this makes it kind of hard to get a handle on the character. You get the feeling he could be very likeable, but he never really gets the chance to be anything other than a hard man. So, basically, he could've been Harry Hole, flawed and vulnerable, but he ends up trying to be Jack Reacher, hard, uncompromising, indestructible and omniscient - and there's only one Jack Reacher (and it's not Spider Shepherd - or Tom Cruise!). But it did hold my attention, and it was enjoyable enough that I will probably look up the second book in the series at some point. 6/10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted September 23, 2012 Share Posted September 23, 2012 Just cos there's nowhere better to post these, I had to wake up to this every morning in Chicago: Goodness what were they thinking? Audrey Hepburn you could understand .. Frank Sinatra possibly or Steve McQueen .. but surely they've got the wrong Marilyn? It's enough to give you nightmares And, no, I don't mean my reflection - at least I've got one, I suppose Yes, that surprised me as well Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted September 23, 2012 Author Share Posted September 23, 2012 Goodness what were they thinking? Audrey Hepburn you could understand .. Frank Sinatra possibly or Steve McQueen .. but surely they've got the wrong Marilyn? Well, it was the Hard Rock Hotel, see. But the floor I was on was supposed to be dedicated to The Who. They had some of John Entwhistle's guitars in a display case by the lifts. I ended up throwing a towel over Manson - I couldn't deal with it And I haven't even mentioned the picture of Tina Turner than was hanging over the toilet Yes, that surprised me as well I'll set 'em up, you knock 'em in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted September 25, 2012 Author Share Posted September 25, 2012 Seeing as I've finally got my TBR pile down to 70 I decided it was time to add some books to my wishlist. Here's what's cropped up so far . . . The Star Fraction by Ken McLeod The Fallen Blade by Jon Courtenay Grimwood The Dispossessed by Ursula Le Guin Stand on Zanzibar by John Brunner Where Late the Sweet Birds Sing by Kate Wilhelm Unquenchable Fire by Rachel Pollack The First Men in the Moon by H. G. Wells Slow River by Nicola Griffith Wasp by Eric Frank Russell The Continuous Katherine Mortenhoe by D. G. Compton Ammonite by Nicola Griffith Doomsday Book by Connie Willis Synners by Pat Cadigan Sarah Canary by Karen Joy Fowler I'll probably read a few more from my TBR pile before buying anything new, and I should probably buy something that was already on my wishlist before getting any of these, and this was a fairly scattergun approach based on browsing Amazon at lunchtime, but it was exciting to be looking at new books/authors again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted September 25, 2012 Share Posted September 25, 2012 So no Virginia Woolf AGAIN Steve .. Karen Joy Fowler though .. didn't she write something about Jane Austen? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dex Posted September 25, 2012 Share Posted September 25, 2012 karsa, Glad to see you've given this a try, rather than your Sci-fi, Yes it is predictable, but it is a fun read and has got some action in it. Come on it's an ex- Sas man who's joined the police. Clearly a man of intelligence. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted September 25, 2012 Author Share Posted September 25, 2012 (edited) So no Virginia Woolf AGAIN Steve .. *splutter* There's about as much chance of that happening as there is of you reading Steven Erikson again Karen Joy Fowler though .. didn't she write something about Jane Austen? Did she?? Bugger. <<crosses KJF off wishlist>> Actually, Sarah Canary does sound really intriguing. And yes, she wrote The Jane Austen Book Club. Apparently. Cos I haven't read it. Nope. karsa, Glad to see you've given this a try, rather than your Sci-fi, Yes it is predictable, but it is a fun read and has got some action in it. Come on it's an ex- Sas man who's joined the police. Clearly a man of intelligence. Yeah, it was okay. I didn't find anything really thrilling in it, though - unlike, say, Jo Nesbo's books Edited September 25, 2012 by Karsa Orlong Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted September 26, 2012 Author Share Posted September 26, 2012 After the lovely SF Masterworks hardback editions of The Time Machine and The Island of Doctor Moreau, I'm quite disappointed with the cover art for the recently released hardback edition of The War of the Worlds and the upcoming The Invisible Man and The First Men in the Moon: The First Men in the Moon is okay, I suppose, but I think I'll go back to my original plan of getting the 'Classic Collection' hardback: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timstar Posted September 26, 2012 Share Posted September 26, 2012 but I think I'll go back to my original plan of getting the 'Classic Collection' hardback: That's the one i've got, I do recommend it, it's very nice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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