3.3â� A Hero's Journey-with wings! Moon is an orphaned prince of the Raksura ( flying/shape shifting/human-reptiles), who, after his family was killed, 3.3â� A Hero's Journey-with wings! Moon is an orphaned prince of the Raksura ( flying/shape shifting/human-reptiles), who, after his family was killed, is forced to live among the groundlings ( more or less humans but multi- hued, including blue). He's rescued by his mentor/father figure - Stone, meets his princess - Jade, more or less accepts his destiny and confronts his arch enemy- the evil Fell queen.
In the hands of a lesser writer this classic formula would likely be merely pedestrian. Martha Wells, however, brings her usual skill with characters and settings, infused with her trademark irony and sarcasm, to create an above average fantasy world.
While they're not on the top of the TBR pile, I suspect I'll be getting around to the other books in the series, eventually. -30-...more
3.2â� Another decent mystery/thriller from Jonathan Moore. San Francisco Police detective Inspector Gavin Cain is at the exhumation of a body, as part 3.2â� Another decent mystery/thriller from Jonathan Moore. San Francisco Police detective Inspector Gavin Cain is at the exhumation of a body, as part of a case he's working, when he's called away by his boss. The mayor is being blackmailed and Cain has to figure out who's doing it and why. As usual Moore has a nice touch with settings and characters and he makes the soggy, foggy streets of San Francisco come alive for us. He also ties together the apparent coincidences of his plot well, but subtley; the reader is credited with enough intelligence to have been paying attention throughout the story. The ending felt just a bit rushed to me but the whole book is very fast paced so Moore was just keeping up, I suppose. One of the things I like about this author is that he still writes stand-alone stories, that don't require you to be invested in a brand. That seems to be a vanishing art these days and I like the way it has allowed Moore's expansive imagination free reign to explore a range of locations and genres ( I've got nothing against interconnected series , I'm addicted to a number of them, but my hat's off to authors who create new worlds in each book). -30-...more
This is a story about the making of a yellow pottery bowl, and goes to show there's no limit to imagination. This is Vance at his best when it comes tThis is a story about the making of a yellow pottery bowl, and goes to show there's no limit to imagination. This is Vance at his best when it comes to the creation of strange cultures. -30-...more
3.7â� I have no idea how long ago I read this short novel, but it sticks with me, as do many of Biggle's stories. A space traveler is marooned on a lost3.7â� I have no idea how long ago I read this short novel, but it sticks with me, as do many of Biggle's stories. A space traveler is marooned on a lost colony world where the humans have forgotten where they came from. The world is a paradise and the people are unsophisticated but at peace with themselves and their planet. Knowing that unscrupulous developers would exploit the colonists, he devises a plan to save them. A nice little story....more
3.8â� I can't remember how long ago I read this but I can remember thinking it was a pretty good collection of stories. In particular I recall 'Placet i3.8â� I can't remember how long ago I read this but I can remember thinking it was a pretty good collection of stories. In particular I recall 'Placet is a Crazy Place' and 'The Waveries '....more
Read this science fiction classic in college, as part of a course. The basis for TOS StarTrek episode of the same name. I liked if fine but it hasn't Read this science fiction classic in college, as part of a course. The basis for TOS StarTrek episode of the same name. I liked if fine but it hasn't stuck with me the way some stories of that era have, like Cordwainer Smith's " Game of Rat and Dragon" or Clarke's " The Sentinel " to name but two....more
3.0â� This is one of the better Bosch/ Lincoln lawyer books in a while. True, we're going over familiar territory with a lot of Connelly's plot points a3.0â� This is one of the better Bosch/ Lincoln lawyer books in a while. True, we're going over familiar territory with a lot of Connelly's plot points and situations being repeated (after 30+ books in the series that's inevitable). And the story's a bit padded, imho. But Connelly's gone back to basics in terms of sticking to a straight ahead mystery/ court drama and not bogging it down with weird subplots as he had in some of his other recent tales. His slick writing carries the book from there. The ending is a bit pat and we've seen it before ( as per above) but it's good enough.
Speaking of resurrection, interesting that he's got Bosch in remission from his supposedly terminal cancer. Arthur Conan Doyle complained the public just wouldn't let him kill off Sherlock Holmes and I wonder if the same thing isn't happening here. Of course Harry's not only hard to kill, he's also very profitable. -30-...more
3.8â� "I counted what was left of Juliette's money, then counted the bullets in Jim's gun. Altogether my situation wasn't bad. I could buy thirty cups o3.8â� "I counted what was left of Juliette's money, then counted the bullets in Jim's gun. Altogether my situation wasn't bad. I could buy thirty cups of coffee and kill nine people." Lee Crowe in "Blood Relations."
Jonathan Moore is a very able writer, with a nice hand for gritty, eerie settings. This is the third book by Moore that I've read and I'm looking forward to the rest of them. His hero here is disbarred lawyer turned private eye, Lee Crowe, a character in the finest traditions of the dark thriller.
At first, Crowe appears to be a completely amoral slimeball, employing his skills on behalf of a shady lawyer. Later he's working for a grieving mother, investigating her daughter's death and we find out he's not as shallow and unscrupulous as he first appears.
As in Moore's "The Night Market", he uses high tech elements in his mystery and does so convincingly (at least to my unscientific eyes).
Sure, there are some miraculous escapes and unlikely coincidences but no more than most thrillers. Suspension of disbelief required is moderate.
I thought the pacing of the novel was excellent; it kept my interest all the way through.If you like well written, suspenseful thrillers, you could do a lot worse than this. -30-...more
3.0â� The subtitle is more accurate-"controversial books" rather than "banned books," as some of the works included were never banned at all, merely ch3.0â� The subtitle is more accurate-"controversial books" rather than "banned books," as some of the works included were never banned at all, merely challenged- usually by American school authorities. Or if they were banned, they didn't stay that way for long.
This is popular history, not serious scholarship-many of the incidents described appear anecdotal; no citations, references or footnotes are included ( not even an index). Having said that, it's a quick, entertaining read that does present an historical overview of censorship and many interesting factoids about some good books.
In the early days of publishing some of the first books to be banned ran afoul of religious doctrine, a famous example being Galileo's 'Dialogue on the Two Chief World Systems' which argued in favour of the heliocentric ( Copernican) solar system. He figured he could pull it off because a friend of his had just been elected Pope. Alas, not. Galileo was forced to recant and his book was placed on the Vatican's infamous "Index" of prohibited titles for the next 300 years.
As the years went along the reasons for banning books grew to include sex- either graphic descriptions of, or the wrong kind of (according to the powers that be); profanity - words somebody didn't like; politics- unflattering or honest depictions of life under various regimes.
I was also introduced to the unfortunate career of one Anthony Comstock, a sanctimonious U.S postal inspector and Christian "morality" crusader, whose definition of obscenity included 'The Decameron', 'The Canterbury Tales,' and anything published by Suffragettes. He boasted that he was responsible for the destruction of 15 tons of books, 4000 arrests and 15 suicides ( this from Wikipedia).
By the mid Twentieth century though, times had changed and most democratic governments had gotten out of the book banning business ( even the Vatican stopped updating the 'Index' in 1966, because there were just too many damn books).
Currently the most active proponents of censorship are authoritarian nations and U.S. school boards ( a strange juxtaposition). The book also describes the rise of soft censorship, through content warnings or regulations requiring parental permission before students can read some titles. What's encouraging however is how often book bans are being overturned by grassroots protests.
Each " banned" book has a short section, illustrated with related line drawings, cover art and/or the author's picture. It's the perfect book for picking up and putting down at your leisure. Two hours read, tops, though.
For a harder read along some of the same lines you might try Fernando Baez's 'A Universal History of the Destruction of Books'. It's not only about censorship ( though that's a major theme) but the physical elimination of literature through war, disaster, insects and yes, book burning....more
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