Nollaig Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 They actually put a stop on my card cos there were so many of the 99p transactions going through within a few minutes - I had to phone them to get them to release it so I could keep buying books Something similar happened to me in December, unrelated to books. Every year, this internet duo called the Vlogbrothers (Youtube stars, the founders of Nerdfighters (like freedom fighters, but for nerds!) and in the case of one half, a bestselling author) have a charity event that is 48 hours long, called the Project For Awesome, in which people advocate charities in YouTube videos, people donate to the foundation, named The Foundation To Decrease Worldsuck, and a select bunch of charities get the money. I made three donations, and I got a phone call from my visa debit card people. They wanted to query some of the transactions on my card. "You recently made a donation for $75 to the... Foundation to... Decrease... World..." "Worldsuck. Yes. Yes I did." I think he thought I was a bit mad Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 (edited) I've bought Kindle books before and because my Student creditcard was only allowed 15 transactions per day (I didn't know this)the bank blocked me from buying any more books (most of them were really cheap). I felt quite bad since I couldn't pay now for the ones I had already ordered. The bank has also once blocked a transation of me paying via Paypal a couple of dollars to a charity or Ebay or something (I can't remember what), I had to phone and then they unblocked it once they knew it was me. Edited January 27, 2014 by Athena Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted January 27, 2014 Author Share Posted January 27, 2014 Something similar happened to me in December, unrelated to books. Every year, this internet duo called the Vlogbrothers (Youtube stars, the founders of Nerdfighters (like freedom fighters, but for nerds!) and in the case of one half, a bestselling author) have a charity event that is 48 hours long, called the Project For Awesome, in which people advocate charities in YouTube videos, people donate to the foundation, named The Foundation To Decrease Worldsuck, and a select bunch of charities get the money. I made three donations, and I got a phone call from my visa debit card people. They wanted to query some of the transactions on my card. "You recently made a donation for $75 to the... Foundation to... Decrease... World..." "Worldsuck. Yes. Yes I did." I think he thought I was a bit mad Well at least he didn't ask you to spell it - 's' and 'f' get confused so easily on the phone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nollaig Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 HAHAHA oh lord! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signor Finzione Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 Well at least he didn't ask you to spell it - 's' and 'f' get confused so easily on the phone Great review of Morningstar, Steve. I can always tell when a book is worth reading by the amount of thought that goes into your review of it, and it seems a lot of thought went into this one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted January 27, 2014 Author Share Posted January 27, 2014 That's very kind of you to say, thanks Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kidsmum Posted January 28, 2014 Share Posted January 28, 2014 Have you read the first two books in the series? Did you like them? I'm guessing you did if you've got Lords of the North as well You would have thought so wouldn't you But no, i've got LOTH & The Burning Land, i picked them up in the charity shop but i haven' t got the first ones yet. I can't resist a Bernard Cornwell book when i see it Wait, there's going to be an adaptation of JS&M.N?!?! Eeeeeeeeeeee! Exciting isn't it I'm going to have to reread the book before i see it as well Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted January 28, 2014 Author Share Posted January 28, 2014 You would have thought so wouldn't you But no, i've got LOTH & The Burning Land, i picked them up in the charity shop but i haven' t got the first ones yet. I can't resist a Bernard Cornwell book when i see it Yep, I know that feeling The Arthurian trilogy is still my favourite, but the Saxon series is brilliant, too. Once I'm up to date with that I'm going to move on to the Sharpe books Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted January 30, 2014 Author Share Posted January 30, 2014 # 7 The House of the Vestals by Steven Saylor 1997 - Robinson ebook - 340 pages From Amazon: Wonderfully entertaining mystery stories set in the world of the acclaimed ROMA SUB ROSA series. It is the Rome of the Late Republic, and Gordianus the Finder has a knack for finding trouble - and dead bodies. Known to many as the one man in the ancient world who can both keep a secret and uncover one, Gordianus lays bare some of his most intriguing adventures in this new volume in Steven Saylor's highly acclaimed mystery series. The result is an engrossing collection of finely wrought mystery tales with all the suspense and craft that are the trademark of Saylor's work. Thoughts: So far I've read three of Steven Saylor's novels about Gordianus the Finder and I've enjoyed all of them. Each of them uses as its background a major event in the last years of the Roman Republic: Roman Blood, the first novel, had Sulla's dictatorship and the emergence of Cicero as its backdrop; Arms of Nemesis had Spartacus and the slave revolt; and Catilina's Riddle had the Catilinian conspiracy. Using these meant that the stories were set years apart, so Gordianus and his adopted son, Eco, aged considerably in the telling. This collection of nine short stories, set between the end of Sulla's dictatorship and the Spartacus slave revolt, goes some way to filling in the gap between the first two novels. The stories included here are: Death Wears A Mask The Tale of the Treasure House A Will is a Way The Lemures Little Caesar and the Pirates The Disappearance of the Saturnalia Silver King Bee and the Honey The Alexandrian Cat The House of the Vestals Over the course of the nine tales Saylor tells of how Gordianus first became friends with his patrician benefactor, Lucius Claudius, and how he met his bodyguard, Belbo. Eco, the mute child adopted by Gordianus, plays an important role, and he's a very engaging character, as is the Egyptian concubine, Bethesda. Cicero and Catilina crop up at various points, and corpses seem to lurk around every corner. The stories generally flow very nicely. Told in the first person, Saylor's style is as easy to read as ever. However, as mystery stories go, these are pretty basic. Whilst I'd say they are never less than entertaining - mostly down to the characters - and I was certainly never bored, the solutions to all nine of the tales are so glaringly obvious that even I could spot them early on (which shows how simple the solutions are, before anyone else says it ). In his historical note at the end of the book, Saylor details the real events that he used as inspiration for these stories and, indeed, most of them are based on actual historical events. The ones that don't have that basis are more inspired by his desire to illustrate Roman life in those times, something which he always does very well. I must admit, I'm not a big reader of short stories, but I would have liked some genuine surprises in here. Unfortunately, because there is a limited cast in each tale, and because Saylor seems to have been very heavy-handed in the way he presents the clues, I felt it lost much of what I have found so enjoyable about the series. It's not a bad read, by any stretch of the imagination, but the novels are so much better. 6/10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pontalba Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 I have several of Saylor's books on the shelf, and have read at least one of them. As you say, they are not complicated. But I love that period of history, so find them an interesting look at life then. Good review. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted January 31, 2014 Share Posted January 31, 2014 Great review! I haven't read this one, though I have read some others in the series ages ago and enjoyed them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted January 31, 2014 Author Share Posted January 31, 2014 Thanks to you both I just noticed that the cover image says 'The House of Vestals', which is wrong - it's definitely 'The House of the Vestals', as per Saylor's own site Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signor Finzione Posted January 31, 2014 Share Posted January 31, 2014 I just noticed that the cover image says 'The House of Vestals', which is wrong - it's definitely 'The House of the Vestals', as per Saylor's own site It's not hidden inside an 'O', is it, like in my Abercrombie? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted February 2, 2014 Author Share Posted February 2, 2014 It's not hidden inside an 'O', is it, like in my Abercrombie? No. I checked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted February 2, 2014 Author Share Posted February 2, 2014 # 8 The Peace War by Vernor Vinge 1984 - Tor Paperback - 304 pages From Amazon: The Peace Authority conquered the world with a weapon that never should have been a weapon--the "bobble," a spherical force-field impenetrable by any force known to mankind. Encasing governmental installations and military bases in bobbles, the Authority becomes virtually omnipotent. But they've never caught Paul Hoehler, the maverick who invented the technology, and who has been working quietly for decades to develop a way to defeat the Authority. With the help of an underground network of determined, independent scientists and a teenager who may be the apprentice genius he's needed for so long, he will shake the world, in the fast-paced hard-science thriller that garnered Vinge the first of his four Hugo nominations for best novel. Thoughts: Starting in the late 20th century with the crew of a space plane returning after a spying mission during which they recorded some suspicious goings-on at a California military base, the story then leaps forward 50 years and introduces a post-war America where plague and the strict control of technology - by a shady agency called the Peace Authority - has returned civilisation to a feudal state. Among fear of the bioscientists who unleashed the plague - which has caused widespread infertility in the survivors, leading to the few children being even more cherished than before - and anger at the Authority for denying them access to the tech that could change their lives, a rebellion is brewing. Into this situation blunders Wili, a 15 year-old thief from the New Mexican Republic whose growth has been stunted by the plague. He is playing a game called Celest, which requires remarkable reflexes and mathematical prowess. Witnessing his performance, the 80 year-old leader of the rebellion realises he may have found the genius he needs to take his fight to the next level. It's easy to see that this novel was written in the early 80s - barely a year after Ronald Reagan announced the Strategic Defence Initiative, or 'Star Wars' project. This novel posits that the world was on the brink of nuclear war, and that one enterprising scientist created the so-called 'bobbles', spherical, mirror-like force fields that trap anything caught within in stasis. The Peace Authority gets hold of this device and puts a stop to the impending war by placing force fields around the most dangerous weapons and installations, taking them out of the game altogether. The only problem is that, fifty years later when the story begins, the bobbles are starting to burst. As is usual with Vinge, the beginning of the story is deliberately confusing. Half the fun with his books, I find, is figuring out exactly what's happening as he gradually reveals the whole picture. That is true here, but to a lesser degree than usual, I found. This is a reasonably short book by his standards, but he still takes a long time to set up the situation. This is mitigated somewhat by Wili's arrival and his first days in the hands of the rebellion, but somehow none of the characters quite develop into Vinge's usual warm, fully-rounded individuals. It's surprising, especially since it is a relatively small cast, but the whole story seems somewhat disjointed and lacks the narrative flow of his later books, and the heart that his characters usually bring to it. Overall, I think this was written at the stage where he was just getting going. There are some great ideas here that just needed a better story to work. It has a good beginning, tends to sag a bit in the middle, and then reaches an exciting conclusion. It is followed by a novella called The Ungoverned and a sequel called Marooned in Realtime. I'll be reading them fairly soon, I think. 7/10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signor Finzione Posted February 2, 2014 Share Posted February 2, 2014 Nice review Steve! Though I wish you people would stop piquing my interest in SF . . . He is playing a game called Celest, which requires remarkable reflexes and mathematical prowess. Futuristic Countdown? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kidsmum Posted February 3, 2014 Share Posted February 3, 2014 Nice review Steve! Though I wish you people would stop piquing my interest in SF . . . Whatever you do don't call it SF Steve gets really angry.........it can be quite scary Steve - What kind of a name is Vernor Vinge ? It sounds like something you'd catch off a toilet seat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted February 3, 2014 Author Share Posted February 3, 2014 Whatever you do don't call it SF Steve gets really angry.........it can be quite scary Noooo, sf is right - sci-fi is wrong Steve - What kind of a name is Vernor Vinge ? It sounds like something you'd catch off a toilet seat It's the sort of name only an author could have Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted February 3, 2014 Author Share Posted February 3, 2014 Nice review Steve! Though I wish you people would stop piquing my interest in SF . . . Don't get this one, get A Fire Upon the Deep! Futuristic Countdown? It would have got an extra mark if Rachel Riley had been in it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted February 3, 2014 Share Posted February 3, 2014 Great review, Steve! Shame it wasn't as good as some of his later works, but it sounds intruiging though . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted February 3, 2014 Author Share Posted February 3, 2014 I remembered one particular bit in The Peace War that made me chuckle, when the events were likened to something "from Lucas' Lord of the Rings". God forbid George Lucas should ever have got his handses on LotR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signor Finzione Posted February 3, 2014 Share Posted February 3, 2014 Whatever you do don't call it SF Steve gets really angry.........it can be quite scary Ha, yes, he had stern words with me once when I referred to it as 'Sy-Fy' (like the channel). Don't get this one, get A Fire Upon the Deep! Nooooooo, I still fancy the Dan Simmons one more. It would have got an extra mark if Rachel Riley had been in it Everyone loves Rachel Riley! I think Jimmy Carr said something along the lines of 'I'd crawl through 10 miles of broken glass just to lick her shoe'. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devi Posted February 4, 2014 Share Posted February 4, 2014 So then what is it if its not sy-fy or sf? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted February 4, 2014 Author Share Posted February 4, 2014 Ha, yes, he had stern words with me once when I referred to it as 'Sy-Fy' (like the channel). And don't you forget it! Nooooooo, I still fancy the Dan Simmons one more. Hyperion is most definitely allowed Everyone loves Rachel Riley! I think Jimmy Carr said something along the lines of 'I'd crawl through 10 miles of broken glass just to lick her shoe'. So would I - providing she was wearing it at the time So then what is it if its not sy-fy or sf? I don't know, I'm confused. Let's ask Kidsmum Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 # 4 Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke ... This book does so much that I don't like. It has no plot as such, but instead meanders along from episode to episode at its own leisurely pace; it insists on telling rather than showing, meaning I felt like I was at a distance from the events, rather than immersed in them; it never really gets inside the characters's heads, so I'm not sure that they actually develop at all from beginning to end; it addresses the reader directly at various stages (which always kicks me out of the experience); it uses exclamation marks like there's no tomorrow, giving me the impression that everyone is constantly shouting(!); and it has footnotes coming out of its backside. Footnotes! (<-- yes, I shouted that ). Clarke was obviously trying to write an homage to 19th century authors (there's a distinct whiff of Austen about certain aspects of the book) and yet she fuses it with a quaint fantasy and re-writing history at the same time. I should hate this book. Well. Trust me to find a book that features so many of the qualities you hate in books, present you with it, and have you enjoy it nonetheless. Of course this is going to come back and bite me in the behind the next time ... So please be kind. Clarke also has a wonderfully dry sense of humour. I've seen this called 'smug' in some reviews, but I don't agree with that. Smug? Really? I'm happy I haven't come across those reviews. Humour is a difficult sport - not everyone's good at it, I suppose! And the footnotes . . . Well, colour me stunned if the footnotes don't provide some of the best parts of the book. Generally, there will be a reference to someone or something magical from history, or maybe even just a throwaway comment, which the footnote then elaborates on with clarity and wit. Sometimes these footnotes become short stories in themselves, and spread over pages and pages. And the thing that really surprised me was that I'd finish reading these footnotes, jump back into the main text, and I don't think I lost the thread of what was going on, even once. I don't know how long she worked on this book, but Clarke's inventiveness leaps from almost every page, and this is possibly the most entertaining and exciting aspect of the book for me. Of course, maybe she pushes it a bit far when she starts referencing her own work ("See Chapter 21, footnote 3" etc ) but, by and large, this aspect was a revelation. I agree! I thought I would have a lot of trouble with the footnotes, but like you, I didn't in the end, and I could just jump right back into the story and not start wondering where I was. And they were really interesting footnotes at that! Anyhow. I'm really, really happy you enjoyed the book. And also really relieved I was really on the fence with the book, not knowing if you would hate it or love it. And it's a pain to hate a book of such length! Oh, and last but not least. Great review Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.