Steve's Bookshelf 2014

[Karsa Orlong]

There are twenty completed novels and one unfinished tale.  I need to buy some more of them, soon!

 

ETA: I'm starting to wonder if there's anything Jo Walton hasn't read: http://www.tor.com/blogs/2010/10/not-a-moment-to-be-lost-patrick-obrians-aubrey-maturin-series 

Edited September 8, 2014 by Karsa Orlong

[Karsa Orlong]

I may just have ordered Subterranean Press editions of four Alastair Reynolds novellas  

[Signor Finzione]

I may just have ordered Subterranean Press editions of four Alastair Reynolds novellas  

 

Whoops . . .

[Athena]

Great review, Steve ! I hope you enjoy your new books .

[Karsa Orlong]

# 56

 

Hannibal (Carthage Trilogy Book 1) by Ross Leckie

 

 

 

1996 - Abacus paperback - 245 pages

 

 

From Goodreads:

 

"A battle is like lust. The frenzy passes. Consequence remains." Such are the observations made and ill-gotten lessons learned in this fictional autobiographical narrative of breathtaking range and power. Ross Leckie not only presents a vivid re-creation of the great struggle of the Punic wars and the profoundly bloody battle for Rome, but also succeeds in bringing the almost mythical figure of Hannibal to life. Introspective, educated on the Greeks, Hannibal has never been presented quite like this. Written from Hannibal's perspective, this riveting, unique historical novel charts the rise and fall of the great Carthaginian general who came so close to bringing down Rome. A tragic chronicle of love and hate, heroism and cruelty, Hannibal is a dramatic and ultimately nourishing exploration of the inner life and epic consequences of one of humanity's greatest adventurers and most bloodthirsty leaders.

 

 

Thoughts:

 

I've been wanting to read a novel about Hannibal for a while and a friend kindly loaned this one to me.  It's primarily for this reason that I didn't throw the book across the room in disgust - it's not mine to damage.  If it had been mine, I wouldn't even have inflicted it on the hospice shop.  It's a crime - there is, buried somewhere in here, a good, thought-provoking story of what might drive a man to such lengths but it's buried and devolves into an over-simplified tale of revenge.

 

What's it buried in?  Violence.  Easily the most extreme, graphic violence that I have read, and it's couched in such an off-hand style - which, I assume, is designed to make it appear commonplace - that it somehow seems that the author was getting off on it.  I'm not usually one to bat an eyelid at violence in certain books because the historical and fantasy fiction I read often involves war, and the authors don't shy away from its darkness.  But, even though these sorts of things may well have happened, this is the first author I've encountered who seems to want to describe it in the minutest detail.  There were some instances that I found so sickening that I couldn't believe what I was reading.  He doesn't want to leave anything to your imagination, so he describes it all.  I won't go into detail.

 

Apart from that, the writing style is often awkward.  Sentences don't seem to work the way I thought they should, meaning I had to frequently re-read them to make sense of them.  It's devoid of character.  It's impossible to empathise with a character driven by such hatred.  His wife, it turns out, is a beautiful dancer who he never speaks to before marrying her, and then she turns out to be an ace at logistics, medicine, and is also great at cooking and between the sheets.  Bonus!

 

Aaaaagh!  It's so frustrating, because the autobiographical style could have really worked, but Leckie is insistent on concentrating on the 'graphic' rather than the 'biog'.  There was so much potential here.  It comes to something when I say that the previous book I read about Hannibal (by Ben Kane) was better than this - cos I didn't like that one much, either.

 

If it hadn't been such a short book I wouldn't have finished it.  In fact, I've given up on books that I would have given a higher score.  I can't even be bothered to wonder how accurate the actual historical aspect of it is. 

 

I can't think of anything more to say about it, except that I won't be reading the sequels.

 

 

2/10

 

 

 

[Signor Finzione]

 

the autobiographical style could have really worked, but Leckie is insistent on concentrating on the 'graphic' rather than the 'biog'.

 

I see what you did there.

 

Was Hannibal the one with all the elephants? And were they his wife's idea?

[Karsa Orlong]

I see what you did there.

 

Was Hannibal the one with all the elephants? And were they his wife's idea?

 

  It might've been, for all the good it did

 

And yeah, he was the one with the elephants.  How sad, for such an historical figure to be reduced to that sentence  

[Signor Finzione]

  It might've been, for all the good it did

 

And yeah, he was the one with the elephants.  How sad, for such an historical figure to be reduced to that sentence  

 

I'd rather be part of the group who thinks of him that way, rather than those who think "oh, the guy that ate all those people?"

[Karsa Orlong]

I'd rather be part of the group who thinks of him that way, rather than those who think "oh, the guy that ate all those people?"

 

 

I think that indicates you thought the latter in the first place  

[Athena]

Great review, it's a shame the book was not at all enjoyable. I hope your next read will be better!

[Timstar]

ouch! felt the burn from here Not sure I've ever seen you give such a low score. I'm impressed you finished it, I don't think I would have done.

[Karsa Orlong]

I think the only other book I've scored that low was Richard Laymon's Endless Night, which was similarly nasty.

[Karsa Orlong]

# 57

 

Ethan of Athos (Vorkosigan Saga #7) by Lois McMaster Bujold 

 

 

 

1986 - Baen paperback - 200 pages

 

 

From Amazon:

 

Our hero is a quiet, upstanding citizen of Athos, an obstetrician in a world in which reproduction is carried out entirely via uterine replicator, without the aid of living women. Problem: the 200-year-old cultures are not providing eggs the way they used to, and attempts to order replacements by mail have failed catastrophically. But when Ethan is sent to find out what happened and acquire more eggs, he finds himself in a morass of Cetagandan covert ops and Jackson Whole politics--and the only person who's around to rescue him is the inimitable--and, disturbingly, female--Elli Quinn, Dendarii rent-a-spy.

 

Thoughts:

 

I feel sorry for Lois McMaster Bujold, I really do.  Her books have some of the worst covers I have ever seen   If the one above isn't bad enough, here are some of the others that this book has been lumbered graced with:

 

     

 

Seriously?  I mean, seriously???   The poor woman!  All that work she puts into these hugely enjoyable stories and this is what people see on the shelves?  Hardly a recommendation!  

 

Anyhoo, following the usual 'Vorkosigan Saga' madness, this is the seventh book following the series' internal chronological order, but was the fourth story written - in 1986, which means it was written a whole decade before the sixth book, Cetaganda, and her third published novel.  Quite how she managed to do this and keep everything in order is a mystery  

 

There are a few notable aspects to Ethan of Athos.  Firstly, Miles Vorkosigan, the series' main protagonist, doesn't appear at all in this story, apart from the occasional mention by other characters.  Secondly, Elli Quinn - a relatively minor character who hasn't been heard from since she was seriously injured during a battle in The Warrior's Apprentice (that's book 3 using the internal chronology - keep up at the back!!   ) - returns here and becomes a rather brilliant major character.  And thirdly, and perhaps most importantly, this is a story about a homosexual society. 

 

Athos is a planet inhabited entirely by men.  As far as I can remember, this is the first time I have encountered this - there've been plenty of planets of women, but men?  Ethan hasn't ever spoken to a woman, he's never even seen a woman.  All media arriving on Athos is vetted, any mention of women stripped out.  The general consensus on Athos is that women are evil and cast some sort of spell over men and force them to do their bidding (that bit's actually true, isn't it?  ).  The population of Athos is perpetuated by artificial means, using uterine replicators (a much used device in this series, given Miles's medical history) and ovarian cultures.

 

So when those cultures start to deplete, Athos orders some more from Amazon (not strictly true) and, when they arrive, they have been tampered with.  Cue much consternation, envisaging of the end of life on Athos, and the sending of Ethan on a desperate mission to find out what happened and to procure more.

 

Naturally, the first thing that happens to Ethan when he reaches his destination is that he meets a woman    And suddenly finds himself in the middle of espionage and plots and in mortal danger.  And it's a huge amount of fun, full of sparky, witty dialogue, amusing culture clashes, mystery and action. 

 

If this had been hard SF I'd imagine that the author would have taken the issues of sexuality to more extreme places, particularly with regard to the bigotry that Ethan faces once he leaves Athos.  As it is, Bujold makes her points in quite a quiet, gentle fashion and, by and large, it works. 

 

I thought this was one of the most enjoyable entries in the series so far.  It's fast-paced, thought-provoking, exciting and very, very funny.

 

 

8/10

 

 

ETA: typos!

 

 

Edited September 15, 2014 by Karsa Orlong

[Karsa Orlong]

# 58

 

Labyrinth (Vorkosigan Saga #8) by Lois McMaster Bujold 

 

 

 

1989 - Baen paperback - 95 pages

 

 

From Amazon:

 

Miles and his Dendarii mercenaries are on a mission in Jackson's Whole to retrieve a geneticist, who unexpectedly says he won't leave until a certain "monster" is neutralized and a tissue sample is taken from it. What Miles finds is something vastly different from what he was led to expect…

 

 

Thoughts:

 

Two novellas are up next in the series' internal chronological order: Borders of Infinity and this one, Labyrinth.  Miles is back in this one and, although it is a standalone story, it ties in quite neatly with Ethan of Athos. 

 

Miles, in his Dendarii Mercenary guise as Admiral Naismith, heads to Jackson's Whole with the Betan hermaphrodite, Bel Thorne.  They are there to make various business deals with one of the factions led by Baron Fell, who is particularly interested in the rumoured Betan life extension procedures.  But this is just a cover, because they are really there to pick up a scientist who wants to defect.

 

Attending a social event laid on by Baron Fell, Miles and Bel encounter Nicol, a Quaddie - a race of people genetically manipulated for zero-G environments, whose legs have been replaced with a second pair of arms (and who get their own entry into the series - the Nebula Award-winning novel, Falling Free).  Nicol becomes the focus of attention when the leader of another faction, Ryoval (whose faction takes genetic samples and reproduces to order), makes an offer for her, his intention to turn her into some kind of race of sex slaves.  Bel wants to save her and Miles is inclined to agree, but matters are complicated (of course!) when the scientist defector declares that he will not board their ship until Miles helps retrieve something very important.

 

This is a terrific story.  Bujold packs as much into this novella as a lot of full-length novels manage to achieve, still managing to cram in a lot of character and wit.  Apart from introducing the Quaddies, I think that this story may also have implications further into the series (although I've been trying to stay spoiler-free, almost successfully, so I may be completely wrong - but the blurb for Mirror Dance does seem to indicate the way things are going).

 

A very enjoyable read.

 

 

8/10

 

 

 

[Athena]

I always like your reviews Steve, they're enjoyable to read even when I haven't read the book. Ethan of Athos in particular sounds quite interesting. But yes.. those covers.. it's such a shame that they hide such a good story behind terrible covers, the saying "Don't judge a book by its cover" certainly applies here.

[Signor Finzione]

I always like your reviews Steve, they're enjoyable to read even when I haven't read the book. Ethan of Athos in particular sounds quite interesting. But yes.. those covers.. it's such a shame that they hide such a good story behind terrible covers, the saying "Don't judge a book by its cover" certainly applies here.

 

My thoughts exactly. Those covers!!

 

Nice reviews Steve - you've been busy! It's surprising how much stuff seems to happen in these stories within so few pages.

[Karsa Orlong]

It's surprising how much stuff seems to happen in these stories within so few pages.

 

Yeah!  There're a few fantasy authors could learn a lesson or two from her about pacing and editing.  Err, actually, it's probably all fantasy authors       

[Karsa Orlong]

# 59

 

The Myriad (Tour of the Merrimack Book 1) by R. M. Meluch

 

 

2005 - DAW paperback - 330 pages

 

 

From Amazon:

 

A thrilling new military science fiction series begins.

The U.S. Merrimack was the finest battleship class spaceship in Earth's fleet, able to stand up against the best the Palatine Empire could throw at them, even able to survive attack by swarms of the seemingly unstoppable Hive. But nothing could have prepared the captain and crew of the Merrimack for what they were about to face: Three colonized worlds - the Myriad - in the midst of a globular cluster that the Hive somehow overlooked...

 

 

Thoughts:

 

I bought this book a few months back based on a recommendation from someone whose opinions I've come to trust over on Malazan Empire.  This is the same guy who steered me towards Ian Tregillis's 'Milkweed Tryptich', Patrick Lee's 'Breach Trilogy', Matthew Woodring Stover's 'Caine' series (which I must get back to), and Jim Butcher's 'Dresden Files', among others.  Strange, then, that I put this one on the backburner for so long.  This was mainly due to polarised opinions on the series, including some particularly scathing reviews.

 

So.  This series posits an alternate history/future where the Roman Empire never fell but had in fact continued to exist through secret societies until, finally, it broke away from Earth, set up shop on a planet they named Palatine, and sounded the bugles to call its people to their new home.  Then, naturally, it set about expanding its borders and finally laid its sights on Earth.  Cue big war.

 

Then along came the deadly insectoid Hive and John Farragut, the only man to successfully lead a ship out intact from a Hive attack, and the Romans surrendered, seeking U.S. help in dealing with the new menace.

 

That is all background.  As the novel begins the U.S. Merrimack is out on its own in deepest space tracking the Hive, which is cutting a swathe of death and devastation across the galaxy towards Earth and Palatine. when the trail suddenly goes cold at a globular cluster called The Myriad.  It's a place where there should be no life, yet within its bounds the Merrimack discovers three inhabited planets.  They soon discover that the inhabitants have no faster-than-light travel or communications.  So how did they get there?  And why weren't they annihilated by the Hive when they were right in the swarm's path?

 

Before I bought this book, and after the recommendation from ME, I tested the Meluch water with another of her books (yes, she's a she - Rebecca Meluch), a standalone called War Birds (review here), which I thought was decent without being earth-shattering.  I guess that was another reason I put off reading this one for a while.  I picked it up now cos I'm planning a raid on visit to Forbidden Planet soon and figured that if I enjoyed it I could get the Volume Two whilst I'm there.

 

The Myriad is a stripped-down, action-packed thrill-ride of a novel, inhabited by what you might say were stereotypical, movie-style American military types and yet who Meluch miraculously manages to make come alive through their relationships and often hilarious (in a good way) dialogue.  And this is a story where the characters take precedence over the military aspects.  The story is told from several viewpoints: John Farragut is the kind of captain who'd stand shoulder to shoulder with Jim Kirk; Kerry Blue is a marine who's on the front line and just happens to be the company bike (she's easy, not an aldulteress - remember that ); her commander, T R Steele, is built from granite.  And then there's Augustus, the Roman Intelligence Officer and an augmented human, a Patterner who can interface directly with computers and such via connections on the back of his neck.  He's a gem of a character, snarky in the extreme, and his relationship with Farragut was one of my favourite parts of the book.  You're thinking Kirk and Spock, right?  Almost.  I liked these people right from the off.

 

Then there's Meluch's style.  It's choppy, terse, got a rhythm all of its own.  She says in her intro that if it's disorienting it's because it's meant to be - if the character's confused then the reader is right there with them.  And don't get used to those pronouns    It clicked with me straight away -  I loved it.  It just fit the feel of the story perfectly, to my mind.  She managed to make me believe in a future Roman Empire, even made me believe there's a reason for swords on a spaceship.  There were a couple of indelicate sentences here and there, which I think can be put down to the characters thoughts and not the author's opinions - at least I hope so! - but nothing to ruin it for me.  There's science in the book, too, and it's explained so clearly that it never becomes an issue.  One of the characters gives the best explanation of a paradox I've yet read.

 

So then, it's decent, undemanding, a huge amount of fun.  And then, in the final quarter of the novel, just when I thought I knew where it was heading, she pulled the rug from under my feet, banged my head on the floor and left me with my jaw hanging open.  Once I realised where it was going it did pretty much everything I could've asked it to do in one of the best finales I've read in a while and sets up the following book(s?) in such an awesome way that it went instantly from being a good 7 or 8 out of 10 into the realms of the 9s and 10s. 

 

I'm writing this and still haven't made up my mind which of those to give it.  My head says 9, my heart says 10.  This book undoubtedly divides opinions and it certainly won't win any awards.  But it won me over, did it within the first few pages, sets up a breathtaking pace, and kept it there right to the end.  It takes elements from several of my favourite things and throws them together in if not wholly original then completely fun ways.  That's FUN, capitalised, underlined, bold.  I think the biggest mistake would be to try and take this book seriously.  Go into this book with the right frame of mind and it leaves you with the biggest grin on your face.  It's like someone's taken the best bits of Battlestar Galactica, Star Trek (one episode of The Next Generation in particular), and Aliens, tossed in Ancient Rome, mixed it with a healthy dose of humour, and then put it out there to see who bites. 

 

Actually, that's exactly what she's done.  As far as Military science fiction goes it's the likes of David Weber and Jack Campbell who get all the attention, and this series has sneaked under the radar and then sunk almost without trace.  It's a damn shame because, on the basis of this first book, it's fracking marvellous.  Right book, right time, right mood.  It hit the spot dead on. 

 

Only one thing left to say, really.

 

"Shut up, Dak!"

 

 

9/10

 

[Athena]

Great review, I'm glad you enjoyed the book. It sounds like an interesting premise.

 

As a side note, I see you've read 59 books this year so far, that's pretty nice .

[Karsa Orlong]

Thanks    Considering how many doorstoppers I've read this year I think 59 books is pretty bloody amazing

[Karsa Orlong]

Spent the morning wandering around Forbidden Planet, Foyles (really don't like the new flagship store!), Waterstone's and Hatchards.  I had a shopping list with me    Bought some birthday presents for people, and somehow managed to come back with these for myself

 

 

 

FP didn't have one of the C J Cherryh books I wanted, so I may have to order it.  Apart from that it was a very successful trip - got everything on my list and managed to stop myself buying a bunch of Alastair Reynolds paperbacks . . . for now

Edited September 19, 2014 by Karsa Orlong

[Athena]

Congrats on the new books, I hope you enjoy them ! They look pretty, at least .

[Signor Finzione]

Ooh, shiny! Glad you remembered your list this time.

[Karsa Orlong]

Yeah, it took me ages to write it out

[Anna Begins]

 

Anyhoo, following the usual 'Vorkosigan Saga' madness, this is the seventh book following the series' internal chronological order, but was the fourth story written - in 1986, which means it was written a whole decade before the sixth book, Cetaganda, and her third published novel.  Quite how she managed to do this and keep everything in order is a mystery  

 

I've just been catching up with some of your reviews and wow- that is amazing how she writes!  How can you even follow that?

Also Congrats on being at 59!