Karlstar Reads in '22.2

February reading
Into the Storm by Taylor Anderson
The Squirrel on the Train by Kevin Hearne (novella)
The Very Best of Tad Williams
A Time of Changes by Robert Silverberg
A History of the Swedish People: Volume Two by Vilhelm Moberg
The Purloined Poodle by Kevin Hearne (novella)
Truman by David McCullough

March reading
Truman by David McCullough
Rogue Protocol by Martha Wells
The Wanderer by Fritz Leiber
Child of Light by Terry Brooks
The Warrior's Apprentice by Lois McMaster Bujold
The Magistrates of Hell by Barbara Hambly
The Messenger by Doug Niles

April reading
The Weapon Makers by A. E. van Vogt
Revolt in 2100 by Robert Heinlein
Serpent's Reach by C. J. Cherryh
Dark State by Charles Stross
The Golden Orb by Doug Niles

May reading plans
The Battle of New Orleans: Andrew Jackson and America's First Military Victory by Robert Remini
Rambunctious Garden: Saving Nature in a Post-Wild World by Emma Maris
Raise the Titanic! by Clive Cussler
The Wolf's Call by Anthony Ryan
Falcon Fire by Erik Otto (early reviewer)
Forty Thousand in Gehenna by C. J. Cherryh

June reading plans
Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky
Gilden-Fire by Stephen R. Donaldson
Master of the Sidhe by Kenneth C. Flint
Mythos by Stephen Fry
Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky
Captain Cook by Alistair MacLean
Children of Earth and Sky by Guy Gavriel Kay

I use a 1 to 10 rating system because I started rating books on the internet long before LT and because I like the additional granularity. Here's my rating scale explained. Checking my LT books, the 8 ratings stop right around book 500, so I'm consistent there, but I only have about 70 books rated 9 stars or higher, so either I'm being too tough or there just aren't that many 9 or 10 star books. I would guess my most common rating is 6, I like most of what I read.

1 - So bad, I couldn't finish it. DO NOT READ!!!
2 - Could have finished, but didn't. Do not read. This one means I made a conscious choice not to finish, usually about halfway through the book. Something is seriously wrong here.
3 - Finished it, but had to force myself. Not recommended, unless it is part of a series you really need to finish.
4 - Finished it, but really didn't like it. Not recommended unless you really need something to read.
5 - Decent book, recommended if you have spare time and need something to read.
6 - Good book, I enjoyed it, and would recommend it.
7 - Good book, recommended for everyone. I may have read it more than once, and would consider buying the hardcover edition.
8 - Great book, I would put it in the Top 500 of all time. Read more than once, I probably have the hardcover.
9 - Great book, top 100 all time. Read more than once, if I don't have the hardcover edition, I want one!
10 - All-time great book, top 50 material. Read more than twice, I probably have more than one copy/edition.

My ratings also include the Slogging Through the Mud (STTM) rating/index. This goes back to one of Elizabeth Moon's Paksenarrion books where she spends WAY too much time actually describing how the army spent days slogging through the mud. If there is a lot of travel in the book and too much time describing the traveling, the STTM rating will be high.

Time for a better review.
Child of Light by Terry Brooks
STTM: 2 - almost no traveling, but some self-learning
Rating: 5 out of 10

This is a Terry Brooks novel that is not set in his Four Lands universe. The main conflict here is between the Fae and Humans. Similar to his Shannara books, humanity is ruled by a tyrannical, evil bureaucracy called 'The Ministry', which captures and enslaves its own people and Fae when they can get their hands on them. Goblins (really ogres) do the dirty work for humans.

The star of the book is a young human, Auris, who with some of her friends escapes from a Goblin run prison at the very beginning of the book. She encounters Fae for the first time in her life and everything takes a completely different turn after that.

I thought this was good, but a bit too YA for my taste. There's a little too much suspension of disbelief required to make this a quality novel, even for fantasy. Well written and with good characters, otherwise. A light and enjoyable read which helped me to recover from The Wanderer.

Hi! Happy new thread!

What >4 Storeetllr: said, Granddad!

>4 Storeetllr: >5 pgmcc: Thanks!

I'm baffled by how many of my books either have no covers or have the wrong cover. How the heck did my Foundation books get the brand new covers that go with the TV show, when I entered them into LT in 2008, with the right covers?

>3 Karlstar: Your 5 out of 10 rating on this book makes me sad. I thought it was awesome. Also, I'll be posting a picture of Faerynn and myself in my thread in a bit.

>7 Karlstar: Your covers follow the database from which they were entered for that ISBN.

So, for example, if you used Amazon as your source, and Amazon is now selling the TC-linked version from that publisher, released under that ISBN, then the image of the version that they are asking is used.

Likewise, if your book is an old one, no longer sold by that source, there may no longer be an image for the cover in their database

>9 -pilgrim-: Actually, book covers are either retrieved from Amazon by ISBN every time their needed (the default) or they come from LT if you uploaded the cover or chose a member-uploaded cover. If your book has an Amazon cover then if Amazon changes the cover it uses for that ISBN then the cover shown on LT will also change.

>9 -pilgrim-: >10 jjwilson61: That's probably what happened, I think I usually chose the Amazon covers.

>8 Silversi: 5 out of 10 isn't bad, it just means it is worth reading but not exceptional.

>11 Karlstar: I have my account set to never choose an Amazon cover. If I have an ebook from Amazon which has not been added here, I go to Amazon, save the cover to my computer, then upload it here.

>12 MrsLee: I try to find the cover in the LT database first, if it's not there then LT has an option where you can use the link to the Amazon cover to add it to the database directly. Keeps you from having to save the cover yourself and then upload it.

>12 MrsLee: >13 clamairy: Thanks for the tips! Also thanks for the kind words about Fae over on Silversi's thread.

>14 Karlstar: You are most welcome. I wish you all much joy.

Edited to add: I love that name - Faerynn.

I've even taken a photo of the cover of a book in my bookshelf and uploaded it to use as the cover on my book page. Because yeah, it's that important. :)

>16 Storeetllr: I think I had to do that once, in the early days.

>16 Storeetllr: I’ve done it once or twice recently, usually because there was too much stuff stacked on top of the scanner. Only problem is that the LibraryThing system doesn’t recognise the iPhone standard output format. But you know that the LT app has a camera function?

I finished The Messenger, which was fun. Now for another book that is in the house that I haven't read, Twilight.

>19 Karlstar: :D

>18 haydninvienna: No, I did not know that. Learn something new every day.

I'm very unhappy with the fact I can't save a photo taken with my iPhone on my Windows laptop. In fact, it infuriates me that Apple felt the need to make the photos I take with my phone (for which I paid a fortune) unavailable under their proprietary program on anything but another Apple product. If I'd known that, I'd probably have gone with another Android. I use workarounds, but it shouldn't be necessary. (I only went with the iPhone because there was a 2-for-one deal, and both my daughter and I needed new phones, and she only wanted an iPhone, so...)

>21 Storeetllr: I've never had trouble saving photos from my iphone to my Windows pc using a USB cord. Does yours not let you open the iphone folder and drag and drop where you want?

>22 Narilka: I wish. The iPhone 12 uses a completely different type of cord that doesn't fit the USB port in my Windows laptop. It's very annoying. I guess I could find an adaptor but it just doesn't seem worth it. (It's also annoying that the very expensive iPhone 12 did not come with a charger to work with the new cord, so I had that expense on top of the phone and cord it came with. Not a big fan of Apple.)

>23 Storeetllr: Looks like you can't use Airdrop but there are third-party apps out there that will allow wireless transfer of files (photos, etc), from an iPhone to a Windows PC. Try a search for "airdrop transfer photos to windows" and you should find apps like Snapdrop, for instance.

Another suggestion is to use your iCloud account. Upload the photos to Apple's cloud, then login to your account from a Windows PC to download them. There are reasons not to use cloud storage but if you don't have that personal objection, it seems like a fairly simple method.

I have an iPhone 12, and it came with a Lightning to USB cable which fits the USB ports on any computer, Windows or Mac. There ought to have been one in the box your phone came in.

>19 Karlstar: I'm totally getting that book out for you right now

>20 clamairy: >26 Silversi: That was totally an April Fool's joke. I'm actually reading The Weapon Makers by A. E. van Vogt.

>27 Karlstar:
I was wondering about >19 Karlstar:. I was so shocked I did not know what to say, so I said nought.

>28 pgmcc: I thought it might fool a few people, briefly.

>25 haydninvienna: I don't know what to say. The cord that came with mine has a different connection than USB. It is smaller, and I had to buy a special charger to fit it.

According to one e-zine, "The iPhone 12 series of iPhones instead comes with a USB-C to Lightning cable. These cables feature the same Lightning port that goes into the iPhone but the other end is a rounded ‘capsule’-like shape; this is a USB-C connector." I don't have a USB-C port on my PC. Since I'm thinking of getting a new laptop, I'll be sure to get one with a USB-C port.

>24 ScoLgo: Thanks. I'll see if I can get them to download to my PC from my iCloud.

>29 Karlstar: You did, and I thought about mentioning the sparkling aspect. But then, like PGMCC in >28 pgmcc:, I decided not to say anything.

>27 Karlstar: I was not fooled, hence the laughing face... But I didn't want to give it away in case anyone took the bait.

>30 Storeetllr: USB-C is the new USB. If you got a new android phone it would likely have a USB-C connector too

>31 clamairy: Glad to see I fooled none of you, though there was some doubt by some. :)

>33 Karlstar: You scared Peter into silence. I'm not sure that's ever happened before.

>34 clamairy:
I’m speechless.

>34 clamairy: I consider that a successful April Fool's!

Done with The Weapon Makers, on to Heinlein's Revolt in 2100. I really did mean to pick up Dark State, but I needed to grab a book, quickly and I thought I'd read another short one that was on my TBR pile. Another classic speculative fiction read, it may be the theme of the month.

On to Serpent's Reach; my list of TBR Cherryh books was too long.

I'm way behind on reviews again!

The Warrior's Apprentice by Lois McMaster Bujold
STTM: 4 - some space travel, more personal growth
Rating: 7 out of 10

I think this is the first of the Miles books in the Vorkosigan saga. I've read these before, most likely from the library, but I didn't own this one and thought it was time to add it to my collection.

If you aren't familiar with these books, these are military scifi, but not heavy on the military part. The planet Barrayar is a bit on the unpleasant side and is very militaristic, having engaged in wars with neighboring systems for years. There is also a lot of in-planet contention too. Miles has dwarfism and other physical issues, but he is also the only heir to the house of Vorkosigian. On Barrayar, they still use a very feudal system, so being a lord and heir is very important.

Miles ends up taking his first off-planet trip with his bodyguard and the bodyguard's young daughter, Elena. One thing leads to another and soon Miles and his companions are caught in another planet's military conflict as mercenaries.

This is not overly long, complex or detailed, but the characters are great and the action is good, though not excessive. Bujold prefers ground troop combat to fleet vs. fleet. A very enjoyable read. After Rogue Protocol and The Wanderer, it was really nice to get back to Bujold's universe, this was such a relief.

The Magistrates of Hell by Barbara Hambly
STTM: 2 - a little local travel that gets a little repetitive
Rating: 5 out of 10

This is another of Hambly's James Asher vampire novels. I know, after all my complaining about vampires, I realized I was stuck with the two vampire books I picked up from the library, so I dove in.

Luckily, this is a more traditional vampire style novel. Set in 1912 in Beijing, (Peking in the book and she explains why) James Asher, the spy/vampire hunter has come come to China to attempt to find a nest of 'The Others'; along with his wife, child and Prof. Karlebach. Why bring your family along??? Also along for the trip is his vampire friend, Don Simon Ysidro.

The Others, as Hambly calls them, are basically ghouls, somewhat distantly related to vampires. James and his companions want to stamp out this infestation of ghouls before someone gets the idea of turning them into a weapon of war. In 1912, with WWI looming, this is a concern.

This is partly a period/location novel, but I thought the information presented on 1912 China, while historically accurate, was a little lacking, I could have used a bit more atmosphere. As usual, she does a great job showing us what that time period looked and felt like, but it is from the English perspective, I could have used a bit more of the Chinese perspective. It is also a bit of a horror/mystery novel, though again, maybe a little lacking in the horror aspect. That might just be me though, I don't care too much when Don Simon gets in trouble. Oh no, the vampire is in trouble! What shall we do?

Well written, enjoyable, but as others have pointed out, not the best of the James Asher novels and not as good as Bride of the Rat God.

Got this in an email from the publisher today, if anyone has recommendations (or warnings) from this list, let me know! I was really surprised to see Thrawn on the list, I've read Zahn's previous Thrawn trilogy, I never expected to see a Thrawn origin story.

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/the-read-down/fandom-favorites-sci-fi-fantasy...

>41 Karlstar: The only one I've read (and highly recommend) is Sparrow Hill Road. Seanan McGuire is hit-and-miss for me, but luckily this isn't a "miss" for me, perhaps because it isn't YA. (Not a huge fan of YA.) It is, however, the first of a series (or trilogy, not sure yet), and some reviewers have said it's a bit disjointed - more like a bunch of short stories strung together, but I didn't find it to be so. It can be read as a standalone.

>41 Karlstar: I just read Iron Widow last month. YA with a love triangle, which is such a cliche in the genre. The 'twist' ending was also foreshadowed fairly heavily and so was not much of a surprise, at least for this SF reading veteran. That said, I enjoyed the voice of the main character and the action sequences were fun. Fans of Ready Player One will probably love this one. Personally, I thought Ready Player One was rather poorly written. Iron Widow features better dialog and character portrayals, IMHO. I liked it well enough to rate at 3 stars, but won't be reading any sequels.

I am become a fan of Silvia Moreno-Garcia. Gods of Jade and Shadow was a good read. I'm not big on Magical Realism but her writing made the story work for me. I enjoyed both Mexican Gothic and Signal to Noise more, but GoJaS is worth a look, especially if you like Magical Realism or myth-based fiction, (Mayan Mythology in this instance).

Haven't read any of the others listed there. I have tried Mira Grant/Seanan McGuire three or four times and find that I do not get along with her writing. Others really seem to like her though so it must be me... ;)

>42 Storeetllr: >43 ScoLgo: Thank you both!

>41 Karlstar: Another fan of Silvia Moreno Garcia here! I've loved everything I've read by her so far.

I mostly like Seanan McGuire/Mira Grant but haven't yet read Sparrow Hill Road. I do own a copy, but with the original cover which I like MUCH more than the new one! I would never have bought it with the current cover.

>43 ScoLgo: The vast majority of love triangles turn me right off a book. The only one I enjoyed was in Ilona Andrewes Sweep with me and sequels where it is played for laughs rather than a cause of angst.

>45 Sakerfalcon: The cover with the girl sitting on the hood of the car? I like that cover, but I don't mind the new one either.

>46 Storeetllr: Yes, that one. The new one just looks ugly to me. But everyone's taste is different and that makes life interesting!

>38 Karlstar: Serpent's reach is odd. certainly not the best introduction to Alliance/Union space, but at times still very much classic CJC.

>47 Sakerfalcon: So true! I follow a thread on "the most beautiful book covers" (or something like that) and am often astonished by some of the covers others consider "beautiful" but which, to me, are offputting (to put it mildly). All a person can do is shrug and allow everyone to enjoy their own poison preferences.

>48 reading_fox: It is, very different from her usual.

Where did I leave off with reviews? I think it was this one.

The Messenger by Doug Niles
STTM: 7 - lots of walking and sailing
Rating: 7 out of 10

This one gets a bit higher rating than it likely deserves, just because I enjoy the setting and the author.

This book is set in the world of Krynn, better known as the 'Dragonlance' setting. This comes far after most of the Weis and Hickman books in that world, it was written as part of the relaunch of the 3rd edition ruleset back in 2000. Somehow I completely missed these back at the time.

In the far south of Krynn is the land of Icereach, where 3 different groups struggle to live in the cold. The Arktos, the Highlanders (think vikings) and the ogres. Peace has reigned for generations between the three groups, but it is all thrown into chaos when that ends, because of the predicted coming of one elf.

The book mainly follows three characters; Moreen, the young daughter of an Arktos chief, Grimwar Bane, the ogre prince, and Kerrick, an elf. This is a common theme for Niles, as the plot follows the three groups as they clash and struggle to survive in the harsh environment. The elf plot line is unusual for Dragonlance books.

I admit I'm a fan of Doug Niles' other series, both those related to D&D and those not. This was just fun fantasy, not complex or surprising.

>41 Karlstar: On my first readskim-through of that list, I missed that there is another Silvia Moreno-Garcia title included. Onto the list goes Velvet Was the Night.

>45 Sakerfalcon: The love triangle in Iron Widow is very much tongue-in-cheek; I could almost hear Zhao giggling while writing those scenes. It also helps that it's not a huge part of the story. I got the feeling it was included because it's a known cliche and is therefore very self-aware.

>48 reading_fox: >50 Karlstar: Serpent's Reach is one of my favorite stand-alone Alliance-Union novels.

Happy Easter!

Finally starting Dark State, it is time for a break from the old scifi novels. I also just received my replacement copy of Raise the Titanic, which I lost many years ago, glad to have one of the old Bantam paperbacks back in the collection, as it matches Iceberg and Mediterranean Caper.

More catch-up reviews.
The Weapon Makers by A. E. Van Vogt
STTM: 1 - instantaneous travel
Rating: 6 out of 10

Another old novel, from back in the 1940's. This definitely falls into the category of speculative fiction. Despite the title, it really isn't about the weapon makers themselves, but the concept they support - if every person can have their own, high tech weapon that can be used ONLY for defensive purposes, they can't be compelled by the government. This book is mainly about the conflict between the Empress, one particular member of the weapon makers, Captain Hedrock and a new FTL technology, which would let the Empire escape the tyranny of the weapon makers. At least that's how the Empire viewed it.

I thought this was interesting. Sure, the technology is more like magic and the basic premise is far fetched, but it was a good read. There were even ray guns and spaceships!

Revolt in 2100 by Robert Heinlein
STTM: 2 - a little bit of travel, a couple of significant journeys
Rating: 7 out of 10

To me, this was surprisingly good. It is really one short novel, "If this goes on...", a novella "Coventry" and a very short story "Misfit", all tied together by a common time period in Heinlein's works. There is also a postscript by Heinlein.

In the first novel, it is 2100 and the United States is a theocracy. Learning about history is suppressed and the government is supported by mind control and trickery so the general populace believes in it strongly. To this situation throw in a new, zealously upright recruit and a young lady. When the young man discovers that the ruling prophet isn't all he's been told, he joins the rebels. The rest goes about the way you'd expect, though not quite.

This book isn't about the plot or the action, it is about the people. It was surprisingly good and unfortunately, Heinlein has come uncomfortably close to some very accurate predictions, which he writes about in the postscript. I was happy I read the introduction too, it really set the stage well for the stories.

The second story "Coventry" is more of a quick tale about the aftermath. The theocrats have retreated to a small part of the U.S., along with some others who won't go along with modern, free society. One man discovers that neither theocracy nor anarchy are all that great.

The last short story really doesn't fit with the others, as it is about a young man who goes off to space to find a job and turns out to be a genius at math. Very short, not nearly as relevant as the first two.

Serpent's Reach by C. J. Cherryh
STTM: 4 - a long space voyage
Rating: 6 out of 10

I don't know where I picked up this book, I suspect it was from a 'buy a box of books' sale at a used bookstore. It is my latest attempt to read some of those older scifi books that I hadn't gotten to yet.

This is about a small group of systems on the edge of human space. Trade is allowed as they produce valuable products, but otherwise 'The Reach' is quarantined. The reason is that the humans have formed a strange alliance with the intelligent insects that inhabit the planets in these systems.

The humans in these systems have created a sort of sub-human cloned servant race, the 'azi', which serve both the humans and insects for their 40 year lives of servitude. The non-azi humans are further divided into the 'betas', also cloned but more normal humans, and the Kontrin, the ruling class.

One family of Kontrin has a special relationship with the majat, the insectoid aliens. A young daughter of the family, Raen, is caught up in a plot involving her family and the other families of the Kontrin. It is Raen that we mostly follow through the rest of the book as she slowly, slowly uncovers the plot.

I thought some of the basic concepts of this book, such as the azi, were explained too late. The 'plot' that was the background of the book was also a bit too fuzzily defined for me. Otherwise, this is another great example of older speculative fiction. Like Revolt in 2100, this was definitely a 'let's not do these things' kind of speculation.

>57 Karlstar: Six for 10 is a pretty good rating. I'm glad you liked Serpent's Reach!

I'll just mention that it can really help to read Forty Thousand in Gehenna, Cyteen, and Regenesis as you will get a deep dive into the azi with those books, (especially in Cyteen & Regenesis). 40K in Gehenna is not really part of the 'series', so it's not necessary to read it first, but events in that novel are referenced in the Cyteen/Regenesis duology so having that one under your belt adds a little something when reading the later books.

I read 40K, Cyteen, and Regenesis in 2017 and Serpent's Reach in 2018, which elevated my enjoyment of SR since all that background was already in place.

>57 Karlstar: I own this. I should read it!

>58 ScoLgo: Thanks for the tip, I planned to read Forty Thousand in Gehenna too, but I can't find it at the moment, I know it is here somewhere. I read Cyteen a long time ago, that one needs a re-read too.

>59 Sakerfalcon: You should, have you read the others?

Done with Dark State, and that series, not sure what is up next.

>60 Karlstar: No, most of my non-Chanur and Foreigner Cherryh's are whatever I happen to find in used bookshops - a random selection.

>62 Sakerfalcon: That's how I got most of mine too.

>62 Sakerfalcon: >63 Karlstar:

Cherry is an author I have never gotten round to reading. I have a few of their books, but have just not read them yet. Those books are obviously a treat for future-me on the basis of all the praise for Cherry's work that I see here.

>64 pgmcc: Which Cherryh titles do you have, Peter?

>65 ScoLgo:
Cyteen appears to be the only one I have catalogued. I thought I had more than one.

>66 pgmcc: I've always enjoyed the Kesrith, Chanur and Foreigner books, though I admit I haven't read past book 6 in that series, yet.

>67 Karlstar: Thank you for the pointers. I will not promise anything will happen soon. :-)

>66 pgmcc: That's a good place to start. Cyteen can be read without any prior knowledge of Cherryh's Alliance-Union universe. As I mentioned above, it's kinda cool to read Forty Thousand in Gehenna first because there are a small number of references to it in Cyteen, but they are not at all crucial to the story in the book you have.

>67 Karlstar: I agree! The Faded Sun (Kesrith, etc), is excellent. I have not yet read Chanur but have read all 21 Foreigner books. She and Jane Fancher are currently working on #22 in that series.

Done with The Golden Orb, on to a book I picked up at last week's library sale: The Battle of New Orleans: Andrew Jackson and America's First Military Victory, despite the inaccurate title.

Done with the Jackson book, now I'm going plant based. Rambunctious Garden: Saving Nature in a Post-Wild World.

>71 Karlstar: Oooo, I like the sound of that one. I look forward to hearing what you have to say about it.

>71 Karlstar: Ditto what >72 MrsLee: said!

>72 MrsLee: >73 clamairy: Quite good and interesting so far.

So last night while looking for something to watch after finishing Picard, we stumbled across The Stand. I remember people talking about a new TV adaptation years ago, then coronavirus happened and I didn't hear a thing about it. In absolutely terrible timing, apparently they released it in 2020. We watched the first two episodes last night, it wasn't bad. Tough to watch at times though.

Received this in an email today from the publisher. 'Books to shake up your book club'.

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/the-read-down/books-to-shake-up-your-book-clu...

>76 Karlstar: Oooh! Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel looks interesting. It's got a very high rating in here so far! I will probably wait for it to go on sale before I snag it.

>77 clamairy: Sea of Tranquility is one of our Lockdown Book Club books for this month. I will have it read by May 28th.

>77 clamairy: >78 pgmcc: I thought that one looked interesting as well and I thought of Peter's book club adventures when the email came in. I'll look for your review!

Way behind on reviews again!

Dark State by Charles Stross
STTM: 1 - lots of world hopping, not a lot of traveling
Rating: 5 out of 10

Dark State is the 8th book in Stross' Merchant Princes series and the 2nd in the Empire Games sub-series. I enjoyed the concept when this series started, but as it got farther on, I enjoyed them less and less, to the point where I mostly found this book irritating.

The entire series revolves around 4 parallel Earths, 3 of them with somewhat similar civilizations. In earlier books conflicts have happened between timeline one, timeline two (ours) and timeline three, with some occasional trips to a couple of others, including one with no humans at all. Some people have the ability to travel to the equivalent physical location in the other Earths, but it is a very small number of people.

While the previous books told the story of the 3 timelines and how they interacted and differed, with the excitement of discovery of the three timelines, this one is almost entirely about a short span of time in 2020. Rita, the newest world-hopper from 'our' Earth, is again the focus of this book as she visits timeline three at the request of the US Government. There are plots afoot on all sides, a princess to be rescued, nuclear war to be averted, alien devices, but mostly there is politics.

At the end of the book, Stross includes a lengthy appendix on the history of timeline three and how and when it diverged from timeline two. In addition to the divergence centuries ago, there are the events of 2016 that resulted from the divergence, which is why Stross' Earth (timeline two) is different from our own timeline. The problem for me is that Stross clearly prefers his invented timeline three to our own and the 'mine is better' attitude becomes really clear in this book. This book isn't about future speculation any more, it is about Stross cheerleading for the timeline and people he has created at the expense of ours.

He writes well, but I won't be reading any more of this series. I do think I'll pick up the Laundry books eventually.

The Golden Orb by Douglas Niles
STTM: 2 - a little ocean voyaging
Rating: 6 out of 10

This book immediately follows The Messenger and picks up the action a couple of years later. The humans and ogres have been a peace for a few years, but not for long. When the ogres discover a new super-weapon, they decide it is time to start up the war again. Moreen, Kerrick and Strongwind have to lead their people to victory, while still engaging in their on again, off again romantic triangle.

I enjoyed this, but one aspect of it seemed really unnecessary, the ogre super-weapon. The ogres discover the magical equivalent of a tactical nuclear weapon. This is way off of the power curve for D&D, so why did people planning content for the world of Krynn think it was a good idea?

Fun D&D fantasy, but not quite as good as the first. Apparently the third book is really hard to find.

>79 Karlstar: Sea of Tranquility is on my Overdrive wish list, (there's a fairly long wait at the moment). The other one from the linked list that is on my radar is Velvet Was the Night. I have yet to read a bad book by Silvia-Moreno Garcia.

Besides Station Eleven, the other Mandel book I thought very good is The Lola Quartet. The Glass Hotel was also good but not as memorable. Last Night in Montreal is written well but rather depressing, and I did not care for The Singer's Gun very much. Hmmm... with the exception of this new one, I guess I have read all of her novels.

>78 pgmcc: Is your book club reading St. John Mandel, or Mark Haddon?

>82 ScoLgo:
St. John Mandel.

Rambunctious Garden: Saving Nature in a Post-Wild World
STTM: 0
Rating: 8 out of 10

I really enjoyed this book. I'll try to summarize here, without repeating the whole book.

First, this book really isn't about gardening at all. It is about conservation efforts and how the author thinks they should be directed. She does make the point at the end that even our local gardening efforts need to be taken into account when considering what is 'nature' when plans are made for conservation efforts.

It starts with a brief discussion of nature and wilderness and how these concepts are different to many people. Her point is that for conservationists and ecologists, these terms are often defined as meaning without humans. Baselines for what a specific area or ecosystem should contain are often calculated back to a point before humans intervention of any type, which is effectively impossible.

She then takes us on a tour, which she went on personally, of several different conservation projects, one in Hawaii, one in Poland, one in the Netherlands and one in Canada, while mentioning many others. Each one very different and fascinating. New land in the Netherlands, trying to reproduce pre-human Europe; old growth forest in Poland; plots in Hawaii dedicated to 'native' plants only, and so on.

In each case she talks to the people running the project and quotes various papers (and authors) that influenced their work. She describes what has influenced conservation and ecology from the 90's to the early 2000's (this was written in 2011) and her thoughts on the subject.

Essentially, her point in our 'post-wild' world, where humans have affected everything, in most cases for centuries, is that conservation efforts should focus on working with what is and not what was.

She's not totally against fighting invasive plants, but thinks our strategies need to be re-thought and in some cases, not fighting them is the right strategy. In some cases! I think we're all familiar with invasive plants that definitely need action. Maybe. She also makes the point that the plant that today may be taking over a particular niche may be gone in 20 or 30 years, the timeline where Nature is involved is very long.

I thought this was very good and fascinating reading.

Edited to fix some terrible sentence construction.

>84 Karlstar: That does sound fascinating! I'm putting it on my wishlist.

>83 pgmcc: I think that was a hint your touchstone in >78 pgmcc: needs touching up!

>85 Storeetllr: I should mention that I did a brief internet search later today and discovered that the experiment in the Netherlands was a horrible failure.

>86 Karlstar: Thank you. I will blame using the phone on that.

>86 Karlstar: Well, that's disappointing. Talk about forests reminds of two books I read recently: The Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wohlleben and The Future Library, a novella by Peng Shepherd. Have you heard of either?

>88 Storeetllr: Only from your thread! The Maris book was recommended to me by my nephew after he finished it.

>84 Karlstar: Thank you for such a good description of what the book is. It does sound very interesting, although I was rather hoping it was more along the lines of working our gardens into more natural habitats for the area we live in. Something that is nibbling around in the back of my head.

My three-level garden was beautifully made by my grandmother, and in her time hosted garden tours and was featured in at least two magazines. However, it was featured so because it was an "impossible" garden for the area we live in. Lovely, but high water consumption and many plants which without a lot of human intervention would not survive. I want to go more along the lines of adaptable plants which can be guided, but do not need to be force-fed, watered daily and trimmed frequently, etc. I think a garden like that which requires minimum guidance could still be beautiful. That said, I don't want it to go to weeds and scrub.

>90 MrsLee: Gardens focusing on native plants can be successful, certainly. I like how that is more of an emphasis for gardeners lately. It may not look as structured as some of the classic gardens of the past, but I think that's part of our changing definition of success.

I'm with you on the weeds and scrub. I want people to look at my garden and not have to wonder if I meant to include a particular plant. It doesn't have to be tremendously neat or pruned or organized, just weed free.

Part of our front walk garden:

>91 Karlstar: *gasp* Breath-taking! Thank you for that spot of beauty today.

>91 Karlstar:
Beautiful.

Jim picked out the most amazing tulips. I gasped when they came up this year too! Very happy with our spring garden!

>91 Karlstar: Love those vibrant colors!

>91 Karlstar: So beautiful!

>92 MrsLee: >93 pgmcc: >95 jillmwo: >96 Sakerfalcon: Thanks everyone!

Done with Raise the Titanic!, it was exactly what you'd expect.

>98 Karlstar: How do you like Cussler's works overall? I've never read anything by him.

>99 BookstoogeLT: I've read the first 5 or 6 books and enjoyed them for light action adventure reading a long time ago. They are really dated and sexist though, so I did not enjoy it nearly as much this time around. There's also some unbelievable element in every book, kind of like a Dan Brown novel (but not religious), usually with some historical context. In this case, the Titanic plus a non-existent element.

>100 Karlstar: Thanks. I just realized this was a Dirk Pitt book and MattRies has been reviewing that series. So I think I won't be tempted. I do wonder if he has other offerings I might like though. Always on the lookout!

>101 BookstoogeLT: Have you tried Harlan Coben? Hope I spelled his name right. I got into his sports-themed mysteries awhile back and enjoyed them. Me. Sports. I figured he had to be a decent writer to accomplish that. I think he has written some other suspense/action books too, but they may have been about topics I don't enjoy like death of children or serial killers.

I tried a couple of Cussler novels, but they weren't for me for several of the reasons Jim mentioned. *whispers* I really enjoyed the modern Sahara movie though, in spite of it being all that. I like corn.

>102 MrsLee: I have not. I'll have to see what my library has and see if any of the synopses sound interesting.
I liked the Sahara movie too. It was just pure fun...

>91 Karlstar: Beautiful flowers! It is that time of year, isn't it?



(165-pound dog for perspective)

>104 ScoLgo: I am glad you added the dog as a means of appropriate gauge of size! Those look amazing, but I'm so poor at identifying flowering bushes and trees. What am I seeing?

>105 jillmwo: They are rhododendrons. We have a number of them around the place but these two are the biggest. They used to be a matching pair until the one on the right was damaged when a tree fell on it ~4 years ago. It's finally beginning to make a decent recovery.

>104 ScoLgo: Wow, fantastic!

>104 ScoLgo: What a beautiful show; dog and all.

>104 ScoLgo: The rhododendrons, and the dog, look great.

I have always loved rhododendrons and was surprised to find them growing wild in County Kerry. On our honeymoon in 19-long-time-ago we went to Kerry and drove round The Ring of Kerry, a circular route that takes in some of the beautiful scenery of the County. From on high we looked down into the valleys and slopes and were amazed to see blooming rhododendrons in amongst the trees. Apparently in Kerry, the rhododendrons are regarded as problem. It is an invasive species and the rhododendrons have been so prolific they are killing off the natural plants and trees. A lot of effort is put into managing the rhododendrons.

On the more positive side, there is a rhododendron garden in Howth Castle in County Dublin, that is a visitor attraction. I have not managed to visit it when the rhododendrons are in bloom. That is a treat to look forward to.

>104 ScoLgo: What a great photo! Thanks for sharing!

>104 ScoLgo: Rhododendron arboreum? There's one very aristocratic garden in Durban (a few km from home) that grows it, but yours is better!

>109 pgmcc: I've seen Rhododendron ponticum invasive in England, making a colourful mess of a large area of hillside. I assume the pest in Kerry is the same species.

>111 hfglen:
Hugh, there is not way I am going to attempt to confirm or contradict your assumption. You are the botanist. I am only the man who says, "Oh! That's a lovely plant."

>111 hfglen: I think the most common here in the USA are hybrids of Rhododendron carolinianum.

>111 hfglen: >113 Karlstar: You folks clearly know a lot more about the subject than I do. I only inherited the plants in my yard when we moved here and have never given their classification a second thought. I simply enjoy this time of year when they are in bloom.

>114 ScoLgo: I have a certificate in Landscape Design. It isn't my career path but I enjoy it. When we toured the New York Botanical Garden for one of the classes, I was the guy asking the instructor 'What's that?' if the plant wasn't clearly labelled.

>115 Karlstar: I bet he loved you.

>116 pgmcc: He was very tolerant.

>104 ScoLgo: Your rhododendrons are spectacular.

Done with The Wolf's Call, which I enjoyed. I picked up my latest ER book, Falcon Fire.

edited to correct the book title.

>119 Karlstar: How much did you enjoy Ryan's initial trilogy? I read the first one but by the time the rest came out I had lost interest. Do you think they're worth pursuing if I had that kind of reaction?

>91 Karlstar: Gorgeous flowers, and >104 ScoLgo: magnificent flowering shrub & pup! I only have one rhodie (rhody?) and it has the same color blooms as yours, but it is much smaller. One of my brothers got a bit overzealous when he trimmed it for me after I moved in. It's still recovering.

>120 BookstoogeLT: I think of those books in the first trilogy, I enjoyed book two the most. Book one kind of felt like a mashup of a bunch of very familiar fantasy tropes. Book two wasn't tremendously inventive, but I still enjoyed it a bit more. I enjoyed all of them though.

After reading this one I started to think of Ryan's writing as very similar to David Gemmell, with just a bit more depth to both the plot and characters. I think they are well worth reading as long as you expect fairly standard adventure fantasy.

>122 Karlstar: Thanks. Mentioning Gemmel is enough. I didn't click with him so since I didn't with Ryan either, I think I'll just pass. At least the tbr isn't growing :-)

The Wolf's Call by Anthony Ryan
STTM: 6 - a lot of long journeys and personal discovery
Rating: 8 out of 10

A rare 8! This is the first book of the Raven's Blade trilogy (book two is out) that follows the Blood Song trilogy.

Vaelin Al Sorna, the hero of the previous series is back. Vaelin still associates with many of the Gifted that he met during the previous trilogy and he keeps getting warnings that all is not done. Soon he's off on a new mission with his niece, his alcoholic friend Nortah and some new companions.

These books to me feel very much in the tradition of Feist and Gemmell. There's a world-threatening problem off in a far away continent that requires Vaelin's presence to avert disaster. He can't do it all by himself, there will be friends and allies and new companions on the way. Magic, called the Gift or the Dark or the Unseen, depending on where the character is from and what they think about magic, is very much present in this one.

This book takes us to a new continent in Ryan's world, but I can't say it is tremendously original, we're off to the steppes this time. I just enjoyed the characters and the writing, I didn't want to put this one down once I started.

Falcon Fire by Erick Otto
STTM: 1 - very little time spent travelling
Rating: 5 out of 10

I obtained this physical book through the Early Reviewers program.

I was a little skeptical about this book at first, as the author throws us right into the action without enough explanation, so it is hard to get into. This takes place on Venus, which immediately causes some skepticism as the amount of effort required to terraform that planet would be enormous. He also uses quite a bit of slang without explanation, which eventually becomes clear.

Sometime in the far future, there are humans on Venus, separated into two castes, reformers and hedonists (heeds). There are also apparently humans on Mars (but not Earth!) but the explanation of why things are this way comes much, much later. There are also giant mobile biospheres that crawl around Venus following the sun in some sort of tunnel?

The two main characters are Neeva, a security inspector who is a reformer on Venus and Hix, a hedonist. Reformer appears to be both a term for someone working on the terraforming and someone privileged enough to be a citizen. The other main character, Hix, is a criminal and famous actor. All hedonists are people labeled as so emotionally unstable and easily persuaded that they can't be trusted to be full citizens or vote. The reformers run everything with the help of 'symbiont' AI's who are somehow merged with a human. Purely machine AI's are BAD and confined to Mars. Apparently there was a conflict in the past and the good guys fled to Venus.

Neeva is sent to do some investigation into shady events at the South Pole of Venus (SoPo) while Hix is in the process of being transported to a penal station around Earth. Here it gets a little confusing - why are criminals sent to Earth to pilot dangerous dirigible missions to sample Earth's crust?

Neeva and Hix have some backstory - Hix got Neeva's sister killed in what he calls an accident. The book follows them as this unstable, untenable society comes to an inevitable crash and Neeva and Hix are caught up in opposite sides of the conflict.

I enjoyed it a bit once it got going, but the slow start is a problem. The other problem is that the author has set out a very ambitious dystopian vision then doesn't really resolve much and does not explain enough of the backstory.

Next up is another of my unread C. J. Cherryh books, Forty Thousand in Gehenna. I'm glad I read Serpent's Reach recently or this would be very confusing right off the bat.

>126 Karlstar: Having just finished Cyteen I realise I now need to read Forty thousand... as it plays a signifciant part in the events of that book.

Done with Forty Thousand in Gehenna. Apparently I read this a long time ago and retained none of it at all, I think that's because I had not read Serpent's Reach or any of the other early books in the Alliance-Union series, at least not at that time. This is definitely not a book you can pick up without having read any of the other books in the series.

So the proposed NASA space station around the Moon, so far, has the name 'Gateway'.

Coincidence, or a sneaky scifi reference?

We finally found a garage sale near us selling books. I found a 1965 Nancy Drew #11, The Clue of the Broken Locket and what looks like a marketing/publicity book, HELP! The Beatles, also from 1965. It is a 13 page hardcover of pictures from the making of the movie with captions.

Had to take a short detour and re-read Gilden-Fire by Donaldson. This is a single chapter from The Illearth War. It is super short, 70 pages, with illustrations. I wish I remember what I paid for it back in 1981, but I suspect it was possibly a $1 book from the SFBC.

>131 Karlstar: I like GF - I've never seen it as a standalone book! He's included it in various of his short story collections all worth reading. Daughter of Regals and other was where I first came across it. Regals is a great short story.

>132 reading_fox: I forgot it was in Daughter of Regals and Other Tales. There are some very good stories in that collection.

About 30 years after I started the series, I finally read Master of the Sidhe, to complete the original trilogy. Thanks to my daughter for picking this up off my wishlist, where it had sat for years and years.

>134 Karlstar: Oooh! The tags are Celtic, Irish & high fantasy. What's not to love about that... Enjoy!

>135 clamairy: It is basically the Irish mythology re-written into a novel. Lugh, Nuada, Dagda, Aine, etc take on Mathgen and the Fomorians. Old fashioned fantasy style - it is not long, we don't spend too much time in the character's heads, the setting is just 'Eire' most of the time without a lot of description.

Light reading but good stuff.

Sounds like great Summer reading.

Just came across this in an online group, referring to Jacqueline Carey's books Banewreaker and Godslayer.

"Just finished this duology.. Carey does for Sauron what "Wicked" did for the Wicked Witch of the East.. Not that these books are actually the LoTR story; the character names are different and it's not a ring but a flask of mystical water that's being carried to the so-called "dark land", but a deliberate deconstruction of LoTR is exactly what this is. (I actually recommend that you've read LoTR first before you read this, it will have more impact that way and you'll see the parallels more clearly). Carey doesn't fall into the trap of making the Frodo analogue the villain of the story or anything like that either; she just tells a story where things that are initially presented as This Group = Good and That Group = Evil isn't actually that simple, that cut and dry. And it's written in a lush, rarefied prose that would probably have done Tolkien proud."

Tolkien fans, your thoughts? At first I was intrigued by the concept, but the more I thought about it, the less it seems like something I would want to read.

Review catch up time. Combining two here because they are short.

Gilden-Fire. This is an out-take from the 2nd book in the original trilogy, Illearth War. It was removed to shorten the book, plus it is not from Thomas Covenant's POV. This is a 70 page chapter that tells us so much about the Haruchai/Bloodgard and their past and is actually written from a Bloodguard's point of view. I always enjoy it every time I read it, and wish there was a lot more to go with it. This would be very useful to read before reading the 2nd trilogy in the Covenant series, or before the final 4 books.

Master of the Sidhe by Kenneth C. Flint.
I read the first two books of this trilogy most likely soon after they came out back in the 80's then never picked up the 3rd book until just this year. I think it sat on my Amazon wish list for 10 years. This book and the two before it are the story of Lugh and his companions from Celtic (particularly Irish) mythology. They are fighting against the Fomorians for control of Ireland and their freedom. The Fomorians inhabit the Tower of Glass, which seems like a very high tech remnant of perhaps Atlantean technology, they have electricity and electric motors. This is just straight up Celtic themed adventure fantasy, good guys against the bad guys. It was a fun read.

I finished Children of Time and Captain Cook. I'm still poking away at Mythos but I'm to the point where it is less mythology and more historical fiction, so I started Children of Earth and Sky in preparation for reading his latest book.

I'm sorry you're not enjoying Mythos. But put it aside for a little while and perhaps in a different mood, you may be able to enjoy it after all.

>141 jillmwo: I really enjoyed the first two-thirds! I thought it was fun and really enjoyable to read. I'm glad you folks recommended it.

>142 Karlstar: You know, now that you mention it I do recall it wearing itself thin with me towards the end of listening to it.

>143 clamairy: Like Sisyphus with his rock, right?

>144 Karlstar: Exactly.

Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky
STTM: 8 - a lot of evolution, a lot of flying in circles
Rating: 6 out of 10

I've seen a lot of folks on the internet talk about this book and several people here. This is an epic scifi novel about a time far in the future, near the end of human civilization. A literally mad scientist is terra-forming a planet and is also planning on seeding the planet with monkeys that will then be uplifted by a 'nanovirus'. It is all about the monkeys and the planet to the scientist, the human race and the Luddites that don't believe in her goal can go to heck.
Of course, things do not go as planned, the Luddites intervene and everything does go to heck. Centuries later, an arkship of humans arrives and conflict begins.

I really enjoyed the start of this book, I was engaged right away. It bogged down in the middle quite a bit though as the author dragged us through an entire evolutionary sequence. It also got a bit repetitive. There's a lot of handwaving of science in the book too, I would definitely not call this hard science fiction. It was good and I liked it, but there were moments I considered putting it down, but just a few. Avoid if you don't like reading about spiders.

>146 Karlstar: I haven't started this one yet because I love spiders.

Captain Cook by Alistair MacLean
STTM: 10 - doesn't get much more slogging than this, so much travel, so little personal discovery
Rating: 5 out of 10

While I enjoyed the subject matter of this book, this was not a well written history or biography, not by today's standards. The author from the start observes that Cook wrote almost nothing about himself, but that clearly felt like an excuse for the author to omit anything about Cook and focus on the voyages. Wikipedia has more information about Cook's life and family than this book does!

What is in the book is a detailed description of Cook's two great voyages of discovery, where he sailed and what he saw. There are good maps and drawings, prints of the originals made by the artists onboard. It was a very quick read and I enjoyed it, but definitely not a definitive history or biography, the single point of view and lack of in-depth research made it more of a middle-grade history book. If you just want to know what Cook did and want to read about it quickly, this will get the job done.

>146 Karlstar: Don't read the sequel, really.

>149 BookstoogeLT: Thanks, I was on the fence, now I'm sure.

>150 Karlstar: I went into Children of Time planning on not liking it and was pleasantly surprised at how much I didn't dislike it. But when I heard about the sequel, I went into it ready to rip into it. It ended up as confetti :-(

So the moral of the story, don't read the sequel. It is just not worth it. Unless you get someone whose tastes align almost exactly with yours and they loved it. Then go for it. Or if a burning bush tells you to, then you probably should read it then too. But other than THAT, just don't do it.

This message brought to you by the "Friends don't let friends read bad books" Association of America.

>151 BookstoogeLT: Thanks, I appreciate it!

>151 BookstoogeLT: - also thanks. I enjoyed CoT, but wasn't sure there was enough space for a sequel. I may look at other works though.

>147 libraryperilous: How did you sneak that post in there? You'll probably really like it. :)

>153 reading_fox: Tchaikovsky has written some excellent books and some not excellent books. Personally, I consider his high water mark to be the 10 book Shadows of the Apt series.

Forgot to mention I'm reading Children of Earth and Sky by GG Kay, almost done.

Its the 3rd quarter of the year, so it must be time for a pictures post. Peter asked, so here's two of our grandchildren.

Claire:


Faerynn: (almost 3 months!)

Aww thanks for sharing :)

>157 Karlstar: Cuties!!! Enjoy them.

Always nice to share pictures!

I did finish Children of Earth and Sky, debating what comes next off the TBR pile.

Children of Earth and Sky by G.G. Kay
STTM: 7 - a good amount of travel, lots of personal discovery
Rating: 7 out of 10

I'm a fan of Kay's work, so I was really anticipating this one. Unfortunately, about 3/4 of the way through, it really bogged down, but then the ending was awesome. From my LT review:

Set in Kay's alternate Earth, centuries after the Sarantine Mosaic series, this follows 4 people through a time of conflict. Danica Gradek, a pirate/hero; Marin Djivo, a trader; Leonora a spy for Venice; and Pero, an aspiring artist. The action moves from Kay's version of Venice, to city-states in what is our Balkans, to the former Sarantium/Istanbul. There is conflict and action and romance and politics, maybe a bit too much politics, but the characters make up for it. Like all Kay novels, this is very well written and slow moving and there isn't a world-changing plot, but this is about how people can do and be their best and make a difference, while being totally fascinating people. Quite good, just a bit slow in parts.

One of the other reviewers mentioned that this echoed actual events of the 15th century, though I would have said more 13th or 14th, based on the technology, plus I don't know much about events of that time.

>157 Karlstar:
Thank you for the pictures. Grandkid pictures are always magic.