Steve's Bookshelf 2014

[bobblybear]

Ooh, Runner sounds brilliant. Have added it to my wishlist.

[Karsa Orlong]

# 47

 

Cetaganda (Vorkosigan Saga #6) by Lois McMaster Bujold 

 

 

 

1996 - Baen paperback - 262 pages

 

 

From Amazon:

 

When the Cetagandan empress dies, Miles Vorkosigan and his cousin Ivan are sent to Cetaganda for her funeral as diplomatic representatives of Barrayar. Upon arrival, the two men are inexplicably attacked by a servant of the late empress. When the same servant turns up dead the next day, Miles and Ivan find themselves in the middle of a mystery.

 

 

Thoughts:

 

Thought I'd post that lovely cover again just for the hell of it . . . 

 

This is the sixth story in the series (including novellas and ignoring Falling Free . . .) using its internal chronological order, although I think it was something like the ninth book that was written in the series.  That usual confusion aside, it's getting difficult to know what to say about these books that I haven't already said about the previous entries

 

Miles and Ivan arrive at Cetaganda for a state funeral, get attacked before they've even disembarked from their ship, end up in possession of some important Cetagandan regalia (which Miles, naturally, refuses to confess to until he finds out exactly why they were attacked . . . ), and then find their attacker - who has apparently committed suicide right beside the Empress's body, which just happens to be lying in state.  Needless to say, the plot thickens.

 

It's easy to see how Bujold's writing had developed at this stage.  Her storytelling appears effortless (although I'm sure it wasn't!) and the characters, particularly Miles and Ivan, are full of wit and intelligence yet still flawed and vulnerable.  She throws in an able supporting cast and some intriguing insight into Cetagandan society.  Barrayar and Cetaganda hold an uneasy peace after a war some years before, and events in the previous novel, The Vor Game, also come into play.  I wouldn't say it was necessary to have read any of the previous books, but it certainly adds to the depth if one has that foreknowledge. 

 

The plot plays out pleasingly and doesn't outstay its welcome, and the ending is satisfying.  There's a lot of social mores and cultural differences involved, and Bujold has great fun with these aspects.  There's a lot of humour, some tension, and a bit of action.  In a lot of ways it reminded me of an episode of Star Trek (maybe Next Gen rather than the original series) - perhaps an above average episode but just short of being a classic, and never less than entertaining.

 

Cetaganda is the first of two novels and a novella contained in the Miles, Mystery & Mayhem omnibus edition, and is also available separately in paperback and Kindle editions.

 

 

7/10

Edited August 4, 2014 by Karsa Orlong

[Signor Finzione]

Great review as always. That cover makes me laugh.

[Athena]

 

Same here .

[Timstar]

This series is sounding more and more appealing. Great review

[Karsa Orlong]

If you're in the mood for hard sf you're probably best looking elsewhere, but if you're in the mood for something light and entertaining then it's a very good series

 

 

I just saw that Patrick Rothfuss has a new 'Kingkiller' book coming out in October and had vague thoughts of finally reading the first two books, then realised it's only a novella set in the same world  

 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Slow-Regard-Silent-Things-Kingkiller/dp/1473209323/ref=la_B001DAHXZQ_1_2_bnp_1_har?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1407227247&sr=1-2

[Signor Finzione]

I just saw that Patrick Rothfuss has a new 'Kingkiller' book coming out in October and had vague thoughts of finally reading the first two books, then realised it's only a novella set in the same world  

 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Slow-Regard-Silent-Things-Kingkiller/dp/1473209323/ref=la_B001DAHXZQ_1_2_bnp_1_har?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1407227247&sr=1-2

 

This has been sitting on my wishlist for a few months, but I think I'm going to wait for the paperback. Awesome as his books are, I'm not paying £12.99 for a 179-word novella when I only paid about £8.99 for his 900+ word paperbacks.

 

I'd still give his first book a go, though. It's awesome.

Edited August 5, 2014 by Signor Finzione

[Timstar]

I just saw that Patrick Rothfuss has a new 'Kingkiller' book coming out in October and had vague thoughts of finally reading the first two books, then realised it's only a novella set in the same world  

 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Slow-Regard-Silent-Things-Kingkiller/dp/1473209323/ref=la_B001DAHXZQ_1_2_bnp_1_har?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1407227247&sr=1-2

 

Have you not read them yet?

 

How is your TBR pile looking at the moment?

[Karsa Orlong]

Have you not read them yet?

Nah, I haven't been able to summon the enthusiasm, and I really don't want to start another unfinished series . . .

 

 

 

How is your TBR pile looking at the moment?

 

Far too big for my liking   

[Karsa Orlong]

http://www.quoteswave.com/picture-quotes/370350

 

Love the quote but have to laugh at the 'fact' that H. G. Wells was apparently born 20 years after he died.  Maybe he really did have a time machine

[Signor Finzione]

http://www.quoteswave.com/picture-quotes/370350

 

Love the quote but have to laugh at the 'fact' that H. G. Wells was apparently born 20 years after he died.  Maybe he really did have a time machine

 

Brilliant

[Athena]

http://www.quoteswave.com/picture-quotes/370350

 

Love the quote but have to laugh at the 'fact' that H. G. Wells was apparently born 20 years after he died.  Maybe he really did have a time machine

Amazing .

[Little Pixie]

http://www.quoteswave.com/picture-quotes/370350

 

Love the quote but have to laugh at the 'fact' that H. G. Wells was apparently born 20 years after he died.  Maybe he really did have a time machine

 

 

 

You know, I don`t think I`ve ever read any of his books   - I`ve taken a freebie of The Time Machine.

[Karsa Orlong]

 

You know, I don`t think I`ve ever read any of his books   - I`ve taken a freebie of The Time Machine.

 

Might as well get The Island of Doctor Moreau and The War of the Worlds while you're at it - all three are brilliant

[Little Pixie]

Might as well get The Island of Doctor Moreau and The War of the Worlds while you're at it - all three are brilliant

 

Hmm, The Time Machine seems to be the only free one at present. I`ll look upstairs at the bookshelves to see if there`s any HG Wells there ( things have a habit of suddenly turning up in dark corners ).

 

And I can`t possibly spend a whole 72p on a Kindle book !

[Karsa Orlong]

And I can`t possibly spend a whole 72p on a Kindle book !

 

 

 

 

What you need is this   

[Little Pixie]

 

I`ll see if there`s a cheapie version, if I like The Time Machine.   

[Athena]

I quite liked The Time Machine, I hope you do too .

[Karsa Orlong]

 

I`ll see if there`s a cheapie version, if I like The Time Machine.   

 

If?  If???  Of course you'll like it, silly

[Little Pixie]

If?  If???  Of course you'll like it, silly

 

Stop it, stop it, my TBR`s 700+.

[Little Pixie]

I quite liked The Time Machine, I hope you do too .

 

Thanks ; no telling when I`ll get to it, though.

[Athena]

Thanks ; no telling when I`ll get to it, though.

I know that feeling .

[Karsa Orlong]

# 48

 

Galactic North by Alastair Reynolds

 

 

 

2006 - Gollancz paperback - 352 pages

 

 

From Amazon:

 

Centuries from now, the basic right to expand human intelligence beyond its natural limits has become a war-worthy cause for the Demarchists and Conjoiners. Only vast lighthugger starships bind these squabbling colonies together, manned by the panicky and paranoid Ultras. And the hyperpigs just try to keep their heads down. The rich get richer. And everyone tries not to think about the worrying number of extinct alien civilizations turning up on the outer reaches of settled space...because who's to say that humanity won't be next?

 

Set in the Revelation Space universe, this is the first short story collection by the author who has been called "one of SF's best and most ambitious novelists."

 

 

Thoughts:

 

Earlier this year I re-read Renolds' Revelation Space and then went on to read the other two books in the original trilogy, Redemption Ark and Absolution Gap.  I thought all three books were brilliant but the ending of the trilogy seemed rather rushed and stank of deus ex machina.  It didn't ruin the trilogy - which I found frequently thrilling, mind-boggling, and jaw-dropping - but it left some fairly huge questions unanswered.  But now, here, in this collection of short stories, Reynolds provides those answers, almost as if he planned it all along. 

 

And you know what?  He did have it planned all along, because the final story in this collection, the one which provides most of the resolution, was originally published before Revelation Space itself.  Quite why a trilogy should need a bunch of short stories to provide closure is another matter entirely, and I would imagine that a lot of people finished Absolution Gap and never went back.  Their loss.

 

I think, in my review of the trilogy, I said something to the extent of 'a good editor would elevate Reynolds from merely brilliant to magnificent'.  The two-novella collection, Diamond Dogs, Turquoise Days, went a long way towards proving that (to me, at least), and this collection finishes the job.  The stories here are lean, mean, and focused.  The eight brought together here are:

 

Great Wall of Mars - an excellent way to kick-off the book as we meet Nevil Clavain again and learn what happened to him at the hands of Galiana and the Conjoiners.  An exciting, action-packed story.  9/10

 

Glacial - This one's a terrific mystery, as Clavain and Galiana explore a remote ice planet where all the colonists appear to have lost their minds and killed themselves (kind of reminded me of the Star Trek episode 'The Naked Time' to start off with, although it quickly veered off in another direction).  9/10

 

A Spy in Europa - Does what it says on the tin.  Two factions are vying for supremacy on Jupiter's moons.  When a contact reports that they have valuable information, spy Marius Vargovic is sent to Europa to retrieve it.  This one's a very short tale with a nice sting in the, erm, tail.  It is linked, sort of, to 'Grafenwalder's Bestiary'.  7/10

 

Weather - An Ultra by the name of Inigo (Montoya?  "You killed my father, prepare to die!"  ) rescues a young Conjoiner woman from the clutches of pirates (Arrrr!).  The captain of his ship hates Conjoiners, but she - known as Weather - is possibly the only one who can save them.   Possibly my favourite story in the set, with great characters and some revelations about the Conjoiner engines which have played such a big part in the series.  9/10

 

Dilation Sleep - I thought this was the only weak story in the set.  Effectively a haunted house story as a man, brought out of reefer sleep on a vast ramliner fleeing the Melding Plague, is stalked by someone or something.  6/10

 

Grafenwalder's Bestiary - Set on Chasm City some time after the Melding Plague, Grafenwalder is a collector of monsters whose temper and ego land him in hot water when he vies with another collector to find the rarest of exhibits.  Almost a 'tale of the unexpected' where nothing is quite as it seems.  8/10

 

Nightingale - A tale of revenge, where a group of mercenaries is brought together to track down and capture a war criminal from Sky's Edge.  The longest story in the collection, quite tense and full of twists and some very effective and disturbing 'body horror'.  8/10

 

Galactic North - The story of Irravel Veda, captain of a lighthugger transporting thousands of reefersleepers when it is damaged and forced to stop and make repairs.  Lured by a signal from a comet, Irravel leads the ship into a trap that has consequences thousands of year into the future.  The story that effectively binds together and brings closure to the Revelation Space universe.  Brilliant.  9/10

 

 

Not a lot more to say, really.  I'm not a big reader of short stories, but this collection is easily the best I have read.  Reynolds's imagination is quite mind-blowing to me and from House of Suns, through the Revelation Space trilogy via Chasm City and on to Galactic North, I think he is now officially my favourite modern-day science fiction author.  I was going to say 'the man's a genius', but I won't.  Okay, I will

 

 

9/10

[Athena]

Great review, very detailed ! I'm glad you enjoyed this collection.

[Karsa Orlong]

# 49

 

The Swords of Night and Day by David Gemmell

 

 

 

2005 - Corgi paperback - 640 pages

 

 

From Goodreads:

 

A thousand years after they fell in battle, two heroes--Druss and Skilgannon--are revered throughout the war-torn lands of the Drenai. Yet men and women live in abject fear of the Joinings, abominable meldings of man and beast, and of their mistress, the dark sorceress known as the Eternal. None can stave off these ruthless foes.

But what if the soul of one such hero could be called back from the void, his bones housed again in flesh? An ancient prophecy foretold that Skilgannon would return in his people's darkest hour. To most, this is a foolish hope. But not so to Landis Kan. For years, as the power of the Eternal grew, Kan searched for the tomb of Skilgannon the Damned. And at last, he found it, gathering up the bones and performing the mystic ritual.

But the reborn hero is an enigma: a young man whose warrior skills are blunted and whose memories are fragmented. This Skilgannon is a man out of time, marooned in a world as strange to him as a dream, remote from all he knew and loved.

 

 

Thoughts:

 

Although this is a direct sequel to White Wolf, chronologically it is the final book in Gemmell's 'Drenai Saga', set some 1,000+ years after the events of Legend.  As such, I don't really want to say a lot about it beyond what the blurb above already says.  It is a bookend.  In it, Gemmell effectively brings together all the themes that have woven their way through the series and then proceeds to replay them.  By setting the book so far in his world's future, he shows the reader how previous characters and events have shaped the lands for better or worse, reintroduces his moral dilemmas, and then sets about one final battle.

 

It should be great.  That it isn't is not so much disappointing as it is inevitable.  The Swords of Night and Day has the feeling of a 'Greatest Hits Volume 2', where all the best known songs were in volume 1 and this is just mopping up the also-rans.  That's a little harsh, in all honesty, but it does feel a little like he was going through the motions in order to wrap things up.  It happily draws on the lore that Gemmell created and has a lot of fun with it.  The main problem I found was that the characters weren't up to DG's usual standard.  Without Druss to play against, Skilgannon is left somewhat wanting.  He's troubled, but not as troubled as the blurb implies.  In fact, he adapts way too quickly - to my mind - to his newfound life, and then it's business as usual.  I never really felt like he was in peril at any given moment.  The Eternal isn't given enough page time to truly take shape as the book's Big Bad, and probably lacks much impact unless you've read White Wolf.  It is only really the secondary characters that come alive, particularly Stavut, Harad, and Shakul.  Gemmell had a lot of fun with Stavut and Shakul particularly, and it is in their relationship that a lot of the his trademark humour and heart resides.

 

The biggest problem facing The Swords of Night and Day, I think, is the quality of what preceded it.  It's a solid, entertaining, fast-moving heroic fantasy novel, and it does occasionally pack an emotional punch, but it just can't hope to compete with the likes of Legend, the two Druss prequels, Knights of Dark Renown, etc etc.  My score is therefore a comparison to those I have given the other books, and that maybe makes it seem worse than it is, which is a little unfair.  It's good, but it falls a little short of great.

 

 

6/10