Reading Log: February 2012

Since I'm way behind on my long form reviews, and the month is already over, here at least are the short form reviews of the books I've read for the month. Short month, so only seven books reviewed, but the enjoyment factor was on the up.


Villains Inc
by Marion G Harmon
(Wearing the Cape #2)
Short Review: Fun and good follow-up to Wearing the Cape. Needs a little more polish, but worth the price. A Recommend for those who like really good Superhero drama and adventure.


[Cost 3.00 / Rated 6.00]

Control Point
Myke Cole
(Shadow Ops #1)
Short Review: Good concept, annoying hero, the cover and blurb is kind of misleading. Recommended only for the more die hard Military Sci-Fi or Fantasy readers, or more accurately, someone who dislikes the military.


[Cost 8.00 / Rated 4.00]

Hammerhead
by Jason Andrew Bond
Short Review: At times good, and at times bad some what Fanfic-like novel of Space:Above and Beyond set fifty years later. Needs more polish, and a completely new, ie better ending, but still a good novel for the Military Sci-Fi Lover.


[Cost 4.00 / Rated 3.00]

Agatha H and the Airship City
by Phil Foglio & Kaja Foglio
[Girl Genius #1]
Short Review: Novelization of an acclaimed Steampunk Web Comic, it certainly does justice to the original, as well as improves on some of the odd behaviors of the original. If you like Steampunk, adventure, comedy, and some down right silliness, this is a must recommend.


[Cost 6.00-8.00 / Rated 7.00]

Scored
by Lauren McLaughlin
Short Review: Young adult novel about a world that is coming to grips with being monitored all the time. Somewhat in the same vein as Cory Doctorow's Little Brother, it's definetly a must read for the young in the hopes they might realize why playing to the Cameras really isn't as cracked up as it seems to be.


[Cost 11.00 / Rated 7.00]

Cusp
Robert A Metzger
Short Review: It's the singularity baby, and the entire earth is invited to come along. So if you like cyberpunk and/or novels of the singularity, along with some hard sci-fi, this is a rather fine novel to indulge in. Admittedly it takes a bit to get into, but then again a lot of meaty novels do.


[Cost 8.00 / Rated 8.00]

Huntress
Nicole Hamlett
[Grace Murphy 01]
Short Review: A rather decent (ie good) alternate mythos, Modern Fantasy novel. Although at times the heroine's actions and emotions leave something to be desired. Possibly one of the better Mary Sue novels? Still good for a mid-list.


[Cost 3.00 / Rated 4.00]

Book Review: Hammerhead by Jason Andrew Bond

Hammerhead
by Jason Andrew Bond

Jeffrey Holt tears apart decommissioned ships that have been crash-landed in the Nevada desert. He’s a shipbreaker, no one of consequence—just as he wants it. However, decades after his role in the world mattered, someone is trying to kill him. Searching for a reason, he tears into the bridge of a derelict Kappa-Class freighter and finds corpses. As he stands on the bridge considering how to stay alive, a hand grips his leg...

When I saw the cover of the book, my first reaction was "Space:Above and Beyond?!". For fans of the TV show from the 90's S:AAB had a fighter plane called a Hammerhead, which the cover of this novel illicit-ed to a degree. However of course the big was nothing about S:AAB. Although now that I think about it, the author could have gotten inspiration from the show, and the novel could almost be called a homage or fanfic of what happened Fifty years later.

But I digress, the novel is about Jeffrey Holt, a man approaching retirement, who helps dismantle spaceships. He does this on the ground, where the ships are crashed, in the equivalent of a desert graveyard. One day though someone tries to kill him just as he's going to work, and he finds bodies and someone not quite dead in the wreckage of the latest decommissioned ship. Realizing his life is still endanger he calls on some old skills from the War as an Ace fighter pilot and lights off around the globe, hunting down this mystery, on the run from the military, and showing why he was a Hammerhead.

Bit of a spoiler, but part of the background plot is that most of the current generation in this novel, think there were never any aliens, or never any actual fighting during the First Solar War. Which leads to people thinking that Holt is delusional, or just a made up cog in a conspiracy. In all honesty I wrote a timeline, with background, and some details for something similar, in which a fracture humanity is attacked in space (just in our own Solar System) by an unknown alien invasion, lasting several years, after which no Alien survived leaving humanity puzzled as to where they came from. However in mine I at least had them leave traces of their technology since it's so hard to vaporize all traces of force capable of multiple D-Day invasions, which is why the whole Conspiracy in Hammerhead drove me a little nutty. Again however I digress.

Overall the novel was pretty good, although I would have preferred more polish, and a better ending. Not quite Deus-Ex but it was rather to neatly tied up. The fun parts were in the hide and go-seek during the Middle parts which had action, adventure, mystery, and some pretty fun fighter combat tucked in. If the author could have made that twice as long, any military sci-fi lover would be drooling. As is, it's still a good recommendation for those who like Military Sci-fi, or even Space:Above and Beyond, all from a more independent novelist.


Cost 4.00
Rated 3.00

Book Review: Control Point by Myke Cole

Control Point
Myke Cole
(Shadow Ops #1)

Lieutenant Oscar Britton of the Supernatural Operations Corps has been trained to hunt down and take out people possessing magical powers. But when he starts manifesting powers of his own, the SOC revokes Oscar's government agent status to declare him public enemy number one.

Ugh, why is it that time after time even after looking at a cover, reading excepts and reviews, that I find myself surprised when the book is nothing like I imagined? To be fair, most times the book is "better" then the descriptions as they are used to lure in the larger common denominator. Yet in this case I once again, find just the opposite. I went in expecting a book about a world similar to ours, where magic is more common place, to follow an Elite combined forces unit made up of Magic Users and Gun operators. Kind of like a Magic wielding Delta force. Heck the cover even said "Black Hawk Down Meets the X-Men". Yet the book is farther from the truth.

What's the book really about then? It's about a near future world, where magic or mutations have manifested in a percentage of the population, where the governments around the world scared to death of this new order turns the entire world into a semi-fascist state. One where any user of magic is either killed or forced to be in the military with no chance of parole. Of course in such a harsh world order there would also be resistors like our titular hero who becomes a leader of some of these. No but first before becoming a leader, he has to be one of the most unsympathetic, most idiotic soldiers in the Army. One who honestly is a more a danger to those who follow him, then those he's supposed to fight against.

So we have an unsympathetic hero, check. We have a story about someone rebellion against the evil oppressors without a real good character growth curve, check. And we have a rather black and white representation of people, the either you are for us, or you are against us approach, check. About the only good thing is some of the battle scenes, and even then when our hero narrates to much, it gets a little to whiny.

Good concept, annoying hero. Recommend only for those die hard military sci-fi junkies.


Cost 8.00
Rated 4.00
** Update: I was reading a post by Cat Valente whose doing some guest posts for Charles Stross on his site, and she had some interesting things to say about people disliking novels, even if they are the best thing since sliced bread. To that end, let me amend that although I didn't particular enjoy this book (mostly because I really didn't like the main character, and the fact that the cover and other reviews were pretty misleading) that it wasn't that bad. It's actual writing, grammar, layout, etc was quite sound and it did flow pretty well. So it wasn't a bad book, just either very sub-genre specific (military pron) or so non-specific as to make it just blah to me. My recommendation from above still stands, but I'm also just one voice, where many others obviously DO like this novel **

Book Review: Villians Inc by Marion G Harmon

Villains Inc
by Marion G Harmon
(Wearing the Cape #2)

Astra has finished her training and is now a full-fledged Sentinel, but things are not going well. She suffers from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, and the public revelation of her relationship with Atlas has caused her popularity to nose-dive.

To complicate things, the Teatime Anarchist's intervention has changed the course of events--leaving her with lots of knowledge about the way the future was before the Big One, a complete future-history that is now out of date.

And just when she thinks she's getting a handle on things, unfolding events (a bank-robbery and a horrific murder) show that one of the nastier pieces of the old future isn't so out of date after all; unless she solves a murder before it happens, Blackstone is going to die.

In the first book, Astra became a Superhero, found love, lost love, fought the bad guys, and won all be it at a cost. So what do you with for an encore? Deal with a public that doesn't quite like anymore, the police who bore admire and find you annoying, a ghost in the shell, and a mystery that's less intricate but probably more deadly then before. Oh and Godzilla trying to trash Chicago. Can't get anymore fun then that.

Villains Inc is as much as the first novel, Wearing the Cape. On the other hand, I think as a sequel it needs a little more polish. Probably because the first novel languished longer on the author's desk, allowing them to tweak it a lot more. Where as Villains Inc was written due to the overwhelming popularity of the first novel. However it is still quite a good read. It did lack some of the finer plot intricacies of the first novel as well, but again not by much.

When I read the first novel back in August of 2011, I gave it a high review then, with a Cost of 3.00 and a rating of 7.00.  With the sequel I still think it's well worth it's price and heavily recommended it for those who enjoy really good Superhero drama and adventure.

On that note however, the author has advised that his next novel although set in the same universe will follow Artemis and not Astra. Although Astra's story may be continued at a later time.



Cost: 3.00
Rated: 6.00

Reading Log, January 2012 (Part 2)

Monster High
by Lisi Harrison
[Monster High #1] 

The monster community has kept a low profile at the local high school, but when two new girls enroll, the town will never be the same. Created just fifteen days ago, Frankie Stein is psyched to trade her father's formaldehyde-smelling basement lab for parties and prom.

But with a student body totally freaked out by rumors of monsters stalking the halls, Frankie learns that high school can be rough for a chic freak like her. She thinks she finds a friend in fellow new student Melody Carver-but can a "normie" be trusted with her big secret?

Short review, it's a Young Adult novel, about young teenage monsters living with their secret monster community, but attending a normal high school. High on angst and idiotic behavior, about trying to be true to yourself, and low on trying to really understand one's self. Good for the Young Adult crowd, and decently well written with polish. Annoying that that that the story arc is broken up into rather short books. Probably a good recommend for the Twilight type crowd, but not for me.

[Cost 9.00 / Rated 5.00]

Blaze of Glory
by Sheryl Nantus

Saving the world is easy for a superhero—unless you’re a fraud.

Jo Tanis fights evil—and it’s all just a show. The Agency captures her and others like her, pitting them against each other in staged fights.

When Earth comes under attack, suddenly it becomes deadly real. Millions are going to die unless Jo can cobble together a team from the surviving supers. Including Hunter, who seems to know more than he should.

Forcing former enemies to work together is the least of Jo’s problems. She must decide if Hunter is friend or foe—and become a real superhero.

The concept/plot reminded me of bit of Playing for Keeps, although it's more accurate to say the concept is identical to Other People's Heroes and In Hero Years... I'm Dead. Superhero fights are fake, designed to keep real violence down to a minimum. The only problem is, when someone turns up who doesn't know it's fake, the whole world goes down the drains. While not unique in concept, the plot is different enough from the other novels I listed to be enjoyable on it's own. Also like all the other novels, the status quo is dumped by the end, to reveal a much more random world later, one that should lead to some rip-roaring super adventures. Another decently well written novel by a newcomer, one worth the price. Recommended for the Superhero enthusiasts.

[Cost 4.50 / Rated 5.00]

Nobody Gets The Girl
by James Maxey

Richard Rogers wakes one morning to find himself transformed into an invisible man. Suddenly thrust into a new life as a superhero called Nobody, he fights alongside two stunningly sexy superheroines – Rail Blade and the Thrill – in an effort to thwart the evil schemes of global terrorist Rex Monday. Sparks fly, adrenaline pulses, whole cities fall, but in the end, Nobody gets the girl!

Short review: A fun highly stylized look at if Dr Manhattan of Watchmen hadn't come back blue, but as a normally looking human, whose still a god. Okay, not quite what the novel is really about, the main villain and his origins really remind me of Dr Manhattan from Watchmen. While the hero, is the Invisible man, only really just the man whose not real. Fun to read, although a little complex at some points. But a good short novel from the author of Bitterwood.

[Cost 5.00 / Rated 4.00]

The Noise Within
by Ian Whates
[Noise #1]

On the brink of perfecting the long sought-after human/AI interface, Philip Kaufman finds his world thrown into turmoil as a scandal from the past returns to haunt him and dangerous information falls into his hands. Pursued by assassins and attacked in his own home, he flees. 

Leyton, a government black-ops specialist, is diverted from his usual duties to hunt down the elusive pirate vessel The Noise Within, wondering all the while why this particular freebooter is considered so important. Two lives collide in this stunning space-opera from debut novelist Ian Whates!

Reminded the most of Peter F Hamilton's books, for it's complexity and the interweaving of high technology into a rip-roaring space opera. Unfortunately, of the two books in the duology, I liked the first book much more then the second. The first book felt like a much more conventional mystery in a sci-fi universe with a lot of characters intermixing, but still all on their own paths and plots. While  the overall picture remained a tantalizing mystery. While also not non-stop action, what there was of it, was also much more straight forward and believable. I'd give it an A for effort and writing style, and recommend it to those who like a more complex plot, with some good space opera style action scenes. But really, skip the second novel, and let your imagination fill in what you think was going to happen.

[Cost 6.00 / Rated 6.00]

The Noise Revealed
Ian Whates
[Noise #2]

While mankind is adjusting to its first ever encounter with an alien civilisation – the Byrzaens – black ops specialist Jim Leyton reluctantly allies himself with the mysterious habitat in order to rescue the woman he loves. This brings him into direct conflict with his former employers: the United League of Allied Worlds government.

Scientist and businessman Philip Kaufman is fast discovering there is more to the virtual world than he ever realised. Yet it soon becomes clear that all is not well within the realm of Virtuality. Truth is hidden beneath lies and there are games being played, deadly games with far reaching consequences.

Both men begin to suspect that the much heralded ‘First Contact’ is anything but first contact, and that a sinister con is being perpetrated with the whole of humankind as the victim. Now all they have to do is prove it.

Because in this the second novel, what was complex, just becomes kind of shallow and one track, with the plot although still following several characters, barely veered off the now much more narrow plot track. Without reading the ending, I could fore see where the plot was going, and how annoying the whole two book set seemed.

So if you've got to read the end of the duology, then I'd recommend the novel. But like I stated above, save the money, let your imagination write a better plot for you.

[Cost 6.00 / Rated 4.00]

Reading Log, January 2012 (Part 1)

Is it that time again? Is this thing even on? Testing, one, two...Of course it is! January has run it's course and it's time for the monthly recap. Which in hindsight should have been broken down into a mid-month review again as I certainly read enough to fill them both. And after having tweaked the post format with my look ahead for the year, I'm adopting the newer format for this reviews. Although in further retrospection as I'm now including the publisher's descriptions, this is taking up more room.

Well if I get industrious this next month, maybe I should play with each book review getting it's own post, then adding a short review at the end of the month.

Och well, time for this month's review!

Fuzzy Nation - John Scalzi

A reboot of the 1962 classic science fiction novel Little Fuzzy by H. Beam Piper.

Jack Holloway works alone, for reasons he doesn’t care to talk about. Alone in the wilderness of an untamed, barely taped planet, he is content to be an independent contractor, a prospecter surveying at his own pace.

Then, in the wake of an accidental cliff collapse, Jack discovers a seam of unimaginably valuable jewels, to which he manages to lay legal claim just as ZaraCorp is cancelling their contract with him for his part in causing the collapse. Briefly in the catbird seat, legally speaking, Jack pressures ZaraCorp into recognizing his claim, and cuts them in as partners to help extract the wealth.

But there’s another wrinkle to ZaraCorp’s relationship with the planet Zarathustra. Their entire legal right to exploit the verdant Earth-like planet, the basis of the wealth they derive from extracting its resources, is based on being able to certify to the authorities on Earth that Zarathustra is home to no sentient species.

Then a small furry biped — trusting, appealing, and ridiculously cute — shows up at Jack’s outback home. Followed by its family. As it dawns on Jack that despite their stature, these are people, he begins to suspect that ZaraCorp’s claim to a planet’s worth of wealth is very flimsy indeed… and that ZaraCorp may stop at nothing to eliminate the “fuzzys” before their existence becomes more widely known.

If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound? If a brilliant writer, publishes a new novel that's more homage to a particular classic then a re-write of that classic, is it still that classic? Fuzzy Nation, in short, is a brilliant treatment of a classic novel from Sci-Fi's "golden age". Having read the original, and this generation's version I was struck by how much it both made me nostalgic for those earlier novels, while also thoroughly enjoying the novels of today. I won't say that Scalzi somehow dug up Piper, channeled his spirit and wrote the novel for this generation. No, Fuzzy Nation is most definitely Scalzi all through, while at the same time you can see the influence of Piper.

Or in length, it really rocks.

So if you like some of the pulps, like a good adventure, subtle but pervasive humor, and well a better story about corporate greed and alien exploitation then Avatar, then I strongly recommend this book. And no science degree needed to understand this science fiction.

(cost: 12.00 / rated: 9.00)

Diving into the Wreck - Kristine Kathryn Rusch
(Diving Universe Book 1)

Boss loves to dive historical ships, derelict spacecraft found adrift in the blackness between the stars. Sometimes she salvages for money, but mostly she's an active historian. She wants to know about the past — to experience it firsthand. Once she's dived the ship, she'll either leave it for others to find or file a claim so that she can bring tourists to dive it as well. It's a good life for a tough loner, with more interest in artifacts than people.
 
Then one day, Boss finds the claim of a lifetime: an enormous spacecraft, incredibly old, and apparently Earth-made. It's impossible for something so old, built in the days before Faster Than Light travel, to have journeyed this far from Earth. It shouldn't be here. It can't be here. And yet, it is. Boss's curiosity is up, and she's determined to investigate. She hires a group of divers to explore the wreck with her, the best team she can assemble. But some secrets are best kept hidden, and the past won't give up its treasures without exacting a price in blood.
 
What Boss finds could rewrite history, cost lives, and start an intergalactic war.

When I got done with this novel, the first thing that popped into my head, was that it reminded me a lot of Jack McDevitt's Alex Benedict series and even the Engine of Gods series. The narrative, pacing, and even some of the subject make a kind of slow burn Indiana Jones Sci-Fi Archeology mystery. ie, something also like a slower, less intense and more spacey version of some of Dan Brown's novels.

That being said, like all those novels, some of the personal interactions feel a little stilted. Probably due to the nature of the novels though so I'm not faulting it that much. I do like Alex Benedict's interactions more then the Boss, but likely further books in the series will improve on those. Also as the entire book is in a first person narrative, we can also ascribe some of that to the narrator themselves and not the writer.

All in all, it's still a good book. As mentioned above, if you like mystery, a bit of slight horror, and a bit of adventure, you should like this novel.

(cost 9.60 / rated: 7.00)

Model Spy - Shannon Greenland
(The Specialists Book 1)

Teen genius Kelly James is in a lot of hot water. A whiz with computers, she agreed to help her college RA, David, uncover some top-secret information. After all, she doesn’t have many friends and David has always been nice to her. it doesn’t hurt that he’s supercute and irresistible, too. All she has to do is hack into the government’s main computer system. but a few hours later, her whole life changes. she is caught and taken in for questioning, only this isn’t your run-of-the-mill arrest. rather than serve a juvenile detention sentence, she accepts the option to change her name and enlist in a secret government spy agency that trains teen agents to go undercover. As if that wasn’t overwhelming enough, she discovers that David works for this agency as well! And before she even begins to understand what is going on, she’s sent on her first mission as an undercover model. And who better to partner with than David himself!

Urk. Now I enjoy the occasional Young adult novel. Even a YA novel that isn't Sci-Fi. I spent a couple of years confined by librarians to the children and young adult section, so I had to learn to enjoy what I read. It's just that when I read this my brain just went splat. It wasn't that the book as a fantasy, it's more the whole plot and character interaction is a little to unbelievable. I know the point was to make a Charlie's Angels style series for teenagers, about globetrotting spys, in settings that obviously are different then what the are used to. But per this series it usually meant taking them from their personal and comfortable settings and glamming them up. Really it felt like the whole point wasn't about exploring how great they really are, but how great the world of the rich, famous, or popular is for them to be in.

So that being the case, I didn't enjoy this novel very much. To teens who read Vogue and Us, it'd probably be a good fit. Just not for me.

(cost 7.00 / rated 3.00)

The Outback Stars - Sandra McDonald
(Outback Stars Book 1)

Lieutenant Jodenny Scott is a hero. She has the medals and the scars to prove it. She's cooling her heels on Kookaburra, recovering from injuries sustained during the fiery loss of her last ship, the Yangtze, and she's bored – so bored, in fact, that she takes a berth on the next ship out. That's a mistake. The Aral Sea isn't anyone's idea of a get-well tour.

Jodenny's handed a division full of misfits, incompetents, and criminals. She's a squared-away officer. She thinks she can handle it all. She's wrong. Aral Sea isn't a happy ship. And it's about to get a lot unhappier.

As Aral Sea enters the Alcheringa – the alien-constructed space warp that allows giant settler-ships to travel between worlds, away from all help or hope – Jodenny comes face to face with something powerful enough to dwarf even the unknown force that destroyed her last ship and left her with missing memories and bloody nightmares. Lieutenant Jodenny Scott is about to be introduced to love.

It felt like a cross between Honor Harrington and Quartershare and not quite in a good way. The universe, setting and plot were rather novel, but the character interaction just seemed to lack depth. The half military half trader feel just also didn't quite gel with me. Thus all the intrigue and danger in the second half the book also felt a little out of place. It was still a fairly good novel, and likely the rest of the series is better, but the first book is enough for me to pause and feel wary about venturing down this particular rabbit hole. However if you like Quartershare there is a good chance you'll like this novel well enough also.

(cost NA ebook, 8.00 paperback / rated 5.00)

Star Fraction - Ken MacLeod
(Fall Revolution Book 1)

In a turbulent twenty-first-century Britain ruled by an absentee Hanoverian royal family and controlled by US/UN technology cops, security mercenary Mohn Kohn; Janis Taine, a scientist on the run from the US/UN; and Jordan Brown, a teenage refugee from a religious fundamentalist cult, become caught up in a series of events, controlled by a rogue computer program, that could change the world.

Oh goodie, a Pre and post Singularity novel infused with essences of Cyberpunk, this has Ken MacLeod written all over it. Oh he wrote the novel? That explains why it felt so good. Having read Newton's Wake another of the author's novels prior to this, I can say with certainty that Ken MacLeod really understands the Singularity. From the possibilities inherent in Nano, to how Alien and yet not AI can be, he can really craft a wonderful story in a universe on and over the edge of technology.

Modern fans of Richard Morgan's Altered Carbon, take note, you'll like this book as well. Heck if you also liked Charles Stross' Eschaton Series, you'll also feel particularly at home. And the best part? There are three other stand alone novels in the same universe. Different characters, different stories, but all with the same essence and narrative styling. Also all in two omnibus double novels, which definitely make them a bargain. Highly recommended for those who like a good action orientated novel set in a singularity.

(cost 10.00 with the second novel combined / rated 7.00)

To be continued...

2012, What to Look Forward To (Part 2)

It's a bit late, but after scouring some of the other blogs, and new resources for seeing what could be coming, here is my list of books I'm most looking forward to. Now whether I read them right when they come out is still undetermined, but all of these books rank high on my list of "That looks interesting!"

** Novel description provided by the publishing houses **

Redshirts - John Scalzi (June)

Ensign Andrew Dahl has just been assigned to the Universal Union Capital Ship Intrepid, flagship of the Universal Union since the year 2456. It’s a prestige posting, and Andrew is thrilled all the more to be assigned to the ship’s Xenobiology laboratory.
 
Life couldn’t be better... until Andrew begins to pick up on the fact that (1) every Away Mission involves some kind of lethal confrontation with alien forces, (2) the ship’s captain, its chief science officer, and the handsome Lieutenant Kerensky always survive these confrontations, and (3) at least one low-ranked crew member is, sadly, always killed.
 
Not surprisingly, a great deal of energy belowdecks is expended on avoiding, at all costs, being assigned to an Away Mission. Then Andrew stumbles on information that completely transforms his and his colleagues’ understanding of what the starship Intrepid really is... and offers them a crazy, high-risk chance to save their own lives.


The Apocalypse Codex - Charles Stross (Laundry #4) (July)

When Ray Schiller — an American televangelist with the uncanny ability to miraculously heal — becomes uncomfortably close to the Prime Minister, The Laundry dispatches the brilliant, beautiful, and entirely unpredictable Persephone Hazard to infiltrate the Golden Promise Ministry and uncover the preacher’s agenda. And it’s Bob Howard’s job to make sure Persephone doesn’t cause an international incident.
 
But it’s a supernatural incident that Bob needs to worry about — a global threat even The Laundry may be unable to clean up.


2312 - Kim Stanley Robinson (May)

The year is 2312. Scientific and technological advances have opened gateways to an extraordinary future. Earth is no longer humanity's only home; new habitats have been created throughout the solar system on moons, planets, and in between. But in this year, 2312, a sequence of events will force humanity to confront its past, its present, and its future.

Arctic Rising - Tobias S Buckell (Feb)

Global warming has transformed the Earth, and it's about to get even hotter. The Arctic Ice Cap has all but melted, and the international community is racing desperately to claim the massive amounts of oil beneath the newly accessible ocean.

Enter the Gaia Corporation. Its two founders have come up with a plan to roll back global warming. Thousands of tiny mirrors floating in the air can create a giant sunshade, capable of redirecting heat and cooling the earth's surface. They plan to terraform Earth to save it from itself—but in doing so, they have created a superweapon the likes of which the world has never seen.

Anika Duncan is an airship pilot for the underfunded United Nations Polar Guard. She’s intent on capturing a smuggled nuclear weapon that has made it into the Polar Circle and bringing the smugglers to justice.

Anika finds herself caught up in a plot by a cabal of military agencies and corporations who want Gaia Corporation stopped. But when Gaia Corp loses control of their superweapon, it will be Anika who has to decide the future of the world. The nuclear weapon she has risked her life to find is the only thing that can stop the floating sunshade after it falls into the wrong hands.

Caliban’s War - James S. A. Corey (The Expanse 2) (June)

We are not alone.
 
The alien protomolecule is clear evidence of an intelligence beyond human reckoning. No one knows what exactly is being built on Venus, but whatever it is, it is vast, powerful, and terrifying.
 
When a creature of unknown origin and seemingly impossible physiology attacks soldiers on Ganymede, the fragile balance of power in the Solar System shatters. Now, the race is on to discover if the protomolecule has escaped Venus, or if someone is building an army of super-soldiers.
 
Jim Holden is the center of it all. In spite of everything, he’s still the best man for the job to find out what happened on Ganymede. Either way, the protomolecule is loose and Holden must find a way to stop it before war engulfs the entire system.

Control Point - Myke Cole [Shadow Ops 01] (Jan)

For a millennium, magic has been Latent in the world. Now, with the Great Reawakening, people are “coming up Latent,” manifesting dangerous magical abilities they often cannot control. In response, the military establishes the Supernatural Operations Corps (SOC), a deadly band of sorcerers dedicated to hunting down “Selfers” who use magic outside government control.
 
When army officer Oscar Britton comes up Latent with a rare and prohibited power, his life turns upside down. Transformed overnight from government agent to public enemy number one, his attempt to stay alive and evade his former friends drives him into a shadow world he never knew lurked just below the surface of the one he’s always lived in. He’s about to learn that magic has changed all the rules he’s ever known, and that his life isn’t the only thing he’s fighting for.

Energized - Edward M. Lerner (July)

No one expected the oil to last forever. How right they were…
 
A geopolitical miscalculation tainted the world’s major oil fields with radioactivity and plunged the Middle East into chaos. Any oil that remains usable is more prized than ever. No one can build solar farms, wind farms, and electric cars quickly enough to cope. The few countries still able to export oil and natural gas — Russia chief among them — have a stranglehold on the world economy.
 
And then, from the darkness of space, came Phoebe. Rather than divert the onrushing asteroid, America captured it in Earth orbit.
 
Solar power satellites — cheaply mass-produced in orbit with resources mined from the new moon to beam vast amounts of power to the ground — offer America its last, best hope of avoiding servitude and economic ruin.
 
As though building miles-across structures in space isn’t challenging enough, special interests, from technophobes to eco-extremists to radio astronomers, want to stop the project. And the remaining petro powers will do anything to protect their newfound dominance of world affairs.
 
NASA engineer Marcus Judson is determined to make the powersat demonstration project a success. And he will — even though nothing in his job description mentions combating an international cabal, or going into space to do it.

Existence - David Brin (June)

Telepresence. The neural link world wide web, where a flash crowd can gather in an instant if something interesting is happening. We see it today - one man in Pakistan live-tweets the assault on Osama bin Laden, and the whole world turns to watch. A revolution in Egypt is coordinated online.
 
Into the maelstrom of world-wide shared experience drops a game-changer. An alien artifact is plucked from Earth's orbit; an artifact that wants to communicate. News leaks out fast, and the world reacts as it always does: with fear and hope and selfishness and love and violence.

The Devil’s Nebula - Eric Brown (Weird Space 1) (May)

Best-selling author Eric Brown has created a brand new shared world for Abaddon Books: Weird Space. This thrilling space-opera series will begin with the release of The Devil's Nebula. Brown will introduce readers to the human smugglers, veterans and ne’erdowells who are part of the Expansion – and their uneasy neighbours, the Vetch Empire.
 
When an evil race threatens not only the Expansion, but the Vetch too - an evil from another dimension which infests humans and Vetch alike and bends individuals to do their hideous bidding, only cooperation between them means the difference between a chance of survival and no chance at all.

Triggers - Robert J. Sawyer (April)

On the eve of a secret military operation, an assassin’s bullet strikes U.S. President Seth Jerrison. He is rushed to hospital, where surgeons struggle to save his life. At the same hospital, Canadian researcher Dr. Ranjip Singh is experimenting with a device that can erase traumatic memories. Then a terrorist bomb detonates. In the operating room, the president suffers cardiac arrest. He has a near-death experience — but the memories that flash through Jerrison’s mind are not his memories.
 
It quickly becomes clear that the electromagnetic pulse generated by the bomb amplified and scrambled Dr. Singh’s equipment, allowing a random group of people to access one another’s minds. And now one of those people has access to the president’s memories — including classified information regarding an upcoming military mission, which, if revealed, could cost countless lives. But the task of determining who has switched memories with whom is a daunting one, particularly when some of the people involved have reasons to lie…

2012, What to Look Forward To (Part 1)

Several friends recently have been pressing that I should be more timely about my book reviews, as well as add more depth to them. I haven't quite slipped back into the writer's mind set just yet, so I'm not sure about how much depth I can add at this point. The longer these get, the more it feels like I'm back in school attempting to justify a book, and less like I'm trying to advise people why and whom should read such and such novel.However this is of course an internal type discussion of less substance to this post.

What I really wanted to post about, was what Novels I'm most looking forward to in the year ahead. I'm still combing through all the possible suggestions and deciding what I'd really read as soon as it comes out, versus what I'll probably add to the pile of when I'm in the mood. Yet till I finalize my list, here are the current canidates:

2312 - Kim Stanley Robinson (May)
Angelmaker - Nick Harkaway (March)
Arctic Rising - Tobias S Buckell (Feb)
A Song Called Youth - John Shirley (April)
Article 5 by Kristen Simmons [Ember 1] (Jan)
Blue Remembered Earth by Alastair Reynolds [Poseidon’s Children Book 1] (June)
Body Inc - Alan Dean Foster (March)
Broken Universe - Paul Melko (June)
Caliban’s War - James S. A. Corey (The Expanse 2) (June)
Cinder - Marissa Meyer
Energized - Edward M. Lerner
Existence - David Brin
Faith - John Love
Giant Thief - David Tallerman
Glamour In Glass - Mary Robinette Kowal
Guardian of Night - Tony Daniel
Intruder - C J Cherryh
Intrusion - Ken MacLeod
Lost Everything - Brian Francis Slattery
RailSea - China Mieville
Range of Ghosts - Elizabeth Bear (The Eternal Sky 1)
Redshirts - John Scalzi
Shadow Blizzard - Alexey Pehov
The Apocalypse Codex - Charles Stross (Laundry #4)
The Devil’s Nebula - Eric Brown (Weird Space 1)
The Games - Ted Kosmatka
The Killing Moon - N K Jemisin
The Night Sessions - Ken Macleod
Tooth and Nail - Jennifer Safrey
Toxicity - Andy Remic
Triggers - Robert J. Sawyer
Wake of the Bloody Angel - Alex Bledsoe
Year Zero by Rob Reid

Of these, the only two so far I can say Yes sir, please!!!! would be those novels by Charles Stross and John Scalzi. As to the rest, I'll let you know as soon as I do.

Reading Log, December 2011

Hold all your comments till the end please! As predicted, December ended up being a rather fiddley month when it came to reading. Normally I would have posted a mid-month review, but when I had barely finished two books it wasn't worth it. In the future, I'll at least post an note to say, yes yes I'm still here.

On the positive side the last two weeks of month showed an up tick in that I was able to successfully read seven more novels to bring this month's total back up to Nine. They were also all over the map genre wise with Cluthu, Steampunk, Superhero, Crime-Mystery, Romance, and some old fashioned sci-fi.

Jonathan Wood - No Hero - Oxford police detective Arthur Wallace is a no nonsense officer who investigates sometimes gruesome murders. Action is rare, and that suites Arthur just fine, for he isn't a hero, he's just a good cop who loves Kurt Russell. However when he discovers the serial killing he's been tracking, surrounds a secret government agency and horrors from another dimension, he is roped into a struggle to save the planet and hopefully his mind in the process.

Delightfully good read, it reminded the most of Seamus Cooper's The Mall of Cthulhu and Charles Stross's Laundry files. Point, as the novel takes place in England the accents and mannerisms help fill the time between Charles Stross novels. So no complaints, and a strong recommendation for a paperback novel. [cost 4.00 / rated 5.00]

Lev AC Rosen - All Men of Genius - Violet Adams, genius, inventor, and young lady of Victorian England, wants to attend Illyria College, the most prestigous school for the most brilliant scientific minds. The only problem is, this is Victorian England, and women just don't go to College, especially to Illyria. However Violet has a plan. With the aid of her Fraternal twin she disguises herself and enrolls at Illyria, where the gear is king, and the walls flow with them. But when she meets the young Duke of Illyria, she is drawn into one madcamp adventure after the next, testing her resolve to be who she is, while living a most Dickinson life.

Excellent novel, reminding me most of Gail Carriger's Parasol Protectorate series. Both novels feature strong Women, inventors or scientists, in a victorian England in the Golden Age of Steampunk. And in both the writing proves that flash isn't king, instead it's the personality and interplay that is Queen. Highly recommend. [cost 12.00 / rated 9.00]

Janette Rallison - Just One Wish - Seventeen year old Annika has a problem, her very young brother Jeremy is terminally ill with cancer. About to under go major surgery she makes him believe she has a genie that will grant him two wishes, and she wants him to wish for a remission in cancer. Yet Jeremy skews it all when he wishes for his favorite TV character, Teen Robin Hood to meet him. Now before the surgery Annika must make it to Hollywood, find TV-star Steve Raleigh, somehow persuade him to meet her brother, and do it before her parents find out where she went.

Good young adult chick lit novel, it was at times screwball comedy and at times heartfelt drama. More serious then the last book I read by Janette Rallison the ending was kind of bitter sweet. However, the start to finish was still satisfying. Good paperback read for the young adult crowd. [8.00 / 5.00]

Drew Blank - Memoirs of an Antihero - There are no superheroes or super villains, but what if a single father, who is fearless and desperate to keep his cancer stricken daughter alive at any cost, decides he can do so by ripping off the real criminals? What comes out is a violent, emotional & darkly comedic tale of man who doesn't want to be hero, and his friends who make him one just by being what he is, a bad-ass Antihero and defender of the city, just one in it also for the money.

Decent penny novel, it's also fairly obvious a Mary Sue type character that the author is putting himself into. The Novel also promises more installments which might be interesting, although the actual climax of this first book was a little anti-climatic. Some more to it would have made it that much sweeter. Still, a decent recommend for the price. [1.00 / 2.50]

Janet Evanovich - One For The Money - Stephanie Plum #1 - Stephanie Plum is a smart unemployed discount lingerie buyer and New Jersey girl, who is just one beer can away from being broke. So when she is reluctantly forced to go see her cousin Vinnine for a job as a secretary only to find the job not there, she jumps at the only other work available, bounty hunter for his bail-bond business. Her first job being to capture an ex-cop accused of murder, who also happens to be someone from her past that charmed her pants off her behind a pastry case in Trenton. So now she's hitting the town she knows best, learning to be tougher then she's ever had to be before, and sticking a tongue in the cheek of this murder mystery.

For her debut mystery of a 18x book series, Janet Evanovich pulls off are rather good romp. From a rather authentic Trenton, to a character that would make Nancy drew blush, and then fall down laughing with her hilarious first person narrative, this is one book that has it. A strong recommend for anyone who can like mystery, real characters and definitely likes a wise-cracking New Jersey girl. [9.00 / 7.00]

Blake M Petit - Other People's Heroes (The Heroes of Siegel City) - In Siegel City there have always been Superheroes, none greater then Lionheart. But Lionheart has been long gone when ace reporter Josh Corwood, discovers that he two is a Superhero, and that all Superheroes now have been long gone. For now all the heroes are but Super powered actors, fighting for a public that doesn't know any better. Yet beneath even this, Josh begins to suspect something sinister, something that may need real heroes to wake up and defend the city one more.

Another Superhero novel, another smash hit. Reminiscent of Wearing the cape, Blake M Petit paints a colorful picture of a city with actual heroes and actual personal interplay. Although not as good as Wearing the Cape, it's still a very good novel to add to the Superhero genre. strong recommend. [3.00 / 4.50]

Linnea Sinclair - An Accidental Goddess - Gillaine Davré, Raheiran Special Forces, Captain, has just woken up from a very long nap on her damaged starship. Only to find out over three hundred years have gone and the natives she was helping have for some reason made her a goddess. The only good news? They don't exactly have a good picture of her, and so she's able to make it look like's just a freighter captain. Unfortunately things on the station are starting to heat up, and an old enemy apparently has set their eyes on conquering the station. Now she must walk the fine line between being herself, falling for the seductive Admiral Mack Makarian whose in charge of the station, and Lady Kiasidira, holy icon to countless believers, including Mack.

Romance? sci-fi? It reminded me the most of Star Trek Deep Space Nine. It's like the author watched the series, and took a lot of inspiration from it to create their own novel about gods, space stations, and war. Not that there is anything wrong with it, as all the details are sufficiently different to create a new universe with new characters and a new story. Which is the way most writing is about, finding inspiration from one story for another unique tale. I'll give it a recommend to any Romance reader who likes Sci-Fi. [7.00 / 5.00]

Beth Revis - Across the Universe - Amy is a frozen settler from earth on board the Generation Ship Godspeed, destined to be awoken with her parents after 300 years. Yet 60 years before planetfall she is thawed in possibly a murder attempt. She then meets Elder, Godspeed's lone teen and future leader in a highly regimented society of crew. She's now an individual, the ultimate outsider in a dangerous play, where her every move and action makes waves, and death lies possibly at every corner. How will she survive without her parents, marooned to life among people not her own?

Sometimes even the best of novels just seems to reach you the wrong way. Across the Universe is one such, widely recommended but a lot of good writers and readers. Yet when I read it, I just kept thinking, I've read this before. Having read a lot of novellas and short stories in Analog from the 60's and 70's I can say the theme is very familiar. Generation ship on a voyage to another star. Some of the crew are frozen for when they get there, some live all there lives in the ship, then one day someone is accidentally unfrozen. Throw in the fact that the people of the ship have devolved into a tryanny, with very regimented lives and the novel becomes a little two predictable in it's twists and turns. Admittedly the novel is a good read, decent late Young Adult, and is able to assemble previously used ideas in an nicely updated fashion. [10.00 / 7.00]

Dana Stabenow - Second Star - Star Svensdotter #1 - In an alternate universe an alien message was detected in the late 80's, changing everything. Now that we knew we weren't along any more every nation on Earth began to look seriously outward, pushing space stations into orbit, and putting colonies on the moon and mars. Esther “Star” Svensdotter’s job in this new universe is to oversee the completion of the first O’Neill cylinder — a massive space habitat capable of supporting a million people. But all is not rosy in this new frontier, with Luddite terrorists, squabbling bureaucrats, military takeovers or rogue AIs mucking up things. Yet Star Svensdotter doesn't roll over easily, not for anything.

Obviously the first part of a small series, Second Star introduces us to a new future world where people didn't withdraw from space, but instead are colonizing it. Most of the novel is intriguing in the picture it draws of a full working O'Neill cylinder. The down side is some of the soap opera-ish depiction of the politics surrounding everything. Where what could be an intriguing story of independence, just becomes an un-ordinarily violent ending to a colorful tale. Maybe it if wasn't broken from the second novel it might have been better, but still for a Penny Novel, it's a good buy. [1.00 / 2.50]

I'm already ringing in the New Year with John Scalzi's Fuzzy Nations, so stay tuned for more.

Reading Log, End of November 2011

And the trend in decreasing ability to get through books continues. Holidays and work added up to make it really hard to finish even three books for the second half of November, and is continuing into the December. Weather forecasters believe this trend will continue through the New Year, with a possible increase in reading by January.

Which is also the smart-ass way of partly explaining the tardiness of this update. However, we shall start with:

Retribution Falls - Chris Wooding - [Tale of the Ketty Jay 01] - Darian Frey, rogue, smuggler, captain of the airship Ketty Jay, even sometimes thief, yet never an outright pirate until the day arrives, when he is given a tip on a cargo that will make him a very rich man. Yet when he and his crew attack it all goes horribly wrong. Suddenly the Ketty Jay finds itself wanted by everyone, and stuck in the middle of a complex plot. A plot with only one foreseeable future, their death. However to the Ketty Jay's crew, maybe it's also a time to become something better then they are...

Retribution Falls is a steampunk like novel, set in a world in which great steel airships ply the skies like the Navies of the 18th and 19th century. However the quickest explanation for what the novel and the series is really like I have one word, Firefly. Darian Frey is no Captain Reynolds, and the crew of the Ketty Jay is more bloodthirsty, but in it's own way the novel makes us feel as if we are watching Firefly all over again. Strong recommend. [12.00 / 8.00]

Norse Code - Greg Van Eekhout - It's Ragnarok and everyone is invited to the party of the new age. Initially recommended to a friend because he was researching female protagonists written by men, and based on the blurb the book was supposed to be centered around a new Valkyrie named Mist, sorting men for Valhalla based on their DNA, the novel was much less about Mist and more about one god's (Hermod) quest to advert Ragnarok. So quite a bit deceptive in that although Mist is a protagonist, she is definitely not the lead and doesn't even get but a third of the book. However for fans of Neil Gaiman's American Gods, or DC's Thor, Norse Code isn't half bad as it attempts to weave Viking Mythology, modern life, and the end of times together. [8.00 / 5.00]

iBoy - Kevin Brooks - Tom Harvey, London ghetto teen, now superhero. When an iPod is thrown at him, at terminal velocity from a great height, it shatters his skull and embeds part of itself in his brain. Afterwards he finds he is now able to wirelessly access the web, and even control electricity around him. In short he now hows superpowers. However he is still in the London ghettos, where his best girl friends has just been attacked and the police appear helpless to stop. So he's got to decide, what's the line between justice and revenge?

On my list of possible books since August when I was on a Superhero kick, the book iBoy was worth the wait. Admittedly I still quibbled with the whole iPod gets merged with our hero, finding the explanation a little far fetched. Point if the author had gone more fantastical with the merge, it might have been more believable. Instead by making it seem almost mundane, it just falls into "the doesn't sit right" category. However not withstanding, the book as a whole is quite a good read. It's Young Adult-ish, however touching on some weighty subjects such as rape, and revenge. For fans of grittier superheroes however, it's a strong recommend [10.00 / 7.00]

Up next, we still have Tim Akers' The Horns of Ruin, and Jonthan Wood's No Hero

Reading Log, Mid November 2011

As the year wanes, so has my ability to read as many novels as I did during the summer. Is it something about the way the colder air causes my brain to shut down more, or just the more consistent distraction possibilities such as new tv shows? In this case, I think a large part was work, but then again, I'm biased.

The Princess Curse - Merrie Haskell - In the land of Sylvania, Twelve princesses are part of a puzzling but dangerous curse. For each night their feet become bloody, their shoes become tatters and anyone who is in the tower with them at night, fall into a deep sleep, never to awake. Yet there is also a great reward to be had by anyone who ends the curse. Can Reveka, an apprentice herbalist new to the land break the curse, or will what she finds lose her soul?

Designed for young adults, of decent length and depth, the books' prose and style lack not at all, feeling quite comfortable to adults as well as teens. Really, if you like tales of the old country, of curses and magic, often in the thematic of the Grimm Fairytales, then this is a novel for you. I'd recommend it. [10.00 / 7.00]

Omnitopia Dawn - Diane Duane - In the near future, on the eve of it's next great expansion, an MMO (Massively Multiplayer Online Game) comes under attack by a rival corporation and others hoping to profit on the downfall of the Billion dollar company Omintopia. Written before Neal Stephenson's Reamde, Ernie Cline's Ready Player One, and Cory Doctorow's For the Win, we travel through another realistic portrayal of Computer Games and the Worlds that people build there. To those who've never experienced such a game, a lot of what's described will appear more like fantasy, but to those who have played the likes of World or Warcraft, Omnitopia feels like the game you always wanted. Rich in detail, with a solid grasp of why a game is a game, and fantasy is fantasy, Omnitopia is sure to please the most avid gamer/reader. Per the author there is also a sequel in the works, although problems are causing it's release to be held up indefinitely. [8.00 / 9.00]

As You Wish - Jackson Pearce - Viola is a sixteen year old, in the midst of an existential crisis. Although still her best friend, her now ex-boyfriend turned out to be gay, catapulting him high up in the social circles of school, and her down into the depths of loneliness. Then in the middle of class she somehow makes a true wish, and is given by the unknown a Jinn or Genie, who will grant her three wishes. But when in the middle of an existential crisis, why could you wish for that would be good enough? Although a nice premise, and one I've read a couple of times gladly, the story devolves from a rather simple one about someone learning to be happy with them self, to a more fantasy based tale, of a Jinn and a Human falling in love. The way it was written makes it seem less authentic, and unfortunately less substantial. For a Teenage girl who is well into Romance novels already, it might seem like the perfect combination, yet for others it's not really going to make them think about life any differently. [8.00 / 2.00]

First Flight - Chris Claremont - On her first flight as Commander of a Deep System Explorer, Lieutenant Nicole Shea and her crew are ambushed and outgunned by pirates. Now drifting farther and farther from any hope of rescue they stumble upon what could be humanity's finest or worst moment, first contact with an alien life form.

I had this book on my list for awhile now, but only read it after a friend was asking me for some advice on sci-fi novels with strong Female POV characters, who are written by Male novelists. Loosely a kind of precursor to the likes of Honor Harrington by David Weber or Kris Longknife by Mike Shepherd, Lt. Shea is a hot show pilot in the waning days of slow system travel, before faster then light ships can take over runs to Pluto easily. Shadowed by something in the past between her family and other astronauts, she is inadvertently plunged into adventure most fowl. Unfortunately unlike Honor, her ability to navigate treacherous waters just doesn't feel right. At times Shea is drawn a little to much like a little girl out of her depth, then abruptly we are expected to believe she is the voice of command. Because of this, the book felt a little weak to me. It's a fine look at a deep space in-system world for half the novel, that then because of the plot attempts to jump start the story to a different level, with only so-so results. Not bad, but not great, I'd still give it a passing mark as it appears to be the author's first sci-fi novel, and from his resume he obviously got better. The good news, it's only being sold used so I picked it up for a dollar [1.00 / 2.50]

I'm already in the middle of Chris Wooding's Retribution Falls and I hope to read Greg Van Eekhout's Norse Code and Tim Akers The Horns of Ruin at the very least. Like always, I never know where I'll steer for next.

Reading Log, End of October 2011

As October comes to an end, the number of books read fell to only four, although the number of pages read, rose. If I were to look back at August, where the average page length of books then was just shy of 300, and now, where the average length was around 420 pages, then October was actually a rather banner month, as I appear to have read near the same if not a touch more then August. Most of the that outsize however is due to Reamde, which came in at a whopping 923 pages on my ebook reader. Toe to Toe, I'd think I'd still prefer August's reads as they seemed overall more satisfying.

Reamde - Neal Stephenson - When the worlds of Massively Multiplayer Computer Games, Gold Farming in Computer Games, Russian Mafia, and International Terrorism collide, something has got to give, and don't expect it to be the Gold Farmers. Neal Stephenson's latest novel weaves a Thriller about Money, Crime, and Terrorism, around the hard to grasp concept oh how many people play games, and the impact they actually have on the world economy. Added to it, is that Stephenson's deft use of MMO really brings to life what those who understand the world of MMO all know: That even though it's virtual, it's also quite real. Reamde is quite hefty and in other author's would be considered quite ambitious, although for Stephenson, it's merely expected. The novel's plot and pacing were quite well down, with few places feeling like they were dragging. Even at so large a novel, I felt the pace particularly break-neck enough, that I read through it only three or four days. About the only complaint I have, is that would have liked a bit more of the MMO side of the story in the wrap up, as it just seemed to be dropped once the final climax began. Then again, that says something when the writer's stories about the rise of T'rain, and what was going on in the game, eclipsed the Real World plot engulfing it. Not Stephenson's best novel, but an admirable and well enjoyable novel none the less. Worth the price for a Stephenson fan. [15.00 / 15.00]

Close Encounters - Katherine Allred - It's the future, genetic alteration of humanity is possible, so what does humanity do? It only allows genetic enhancement in created humans, and it treats these humans indentured servants. Our heroine is once such GEP (Genetically Engineered Person), but fear not, it's not all yes master, yes misses, in fact it's really quite rosy in a strange not really complex way. Which is also true about the story in general. What could have been a rather intriguing novel, feels a little to easy. There are very few tense moments, and the actual climax is rather simple. Although the novel is billed as a futuristic Romance novel, it shouldn't have brought it down. And in fact the Romantic entanglements also seem rather two dimensional and easy. As this is also the first in a series, and the second book doesn't even have the same characters, I'm going to say, give it a pass or get the novel cheap. [8.00 / 3.50]

Manhattan in Reverse - Peter F Hamilton - A collection of novellas and short stories by Sci-Fi master writer Peter F Hamilton. Some of the novellas take place in existing Hamilton series/universes while some are in their own bubbles. All are fairly good, and recommended for Hamilton fans. Having read at least one in a Magazine previously, I knew going in I would enjoy most of the collection, which was confirmed by the time I finished it. Currently however the Collection is only being sold in Europe, but can be pre-ordered for the US release for a reasonable sum. Again, a strong recommended for Hamilton fans. [5.00 / 5.00]

Sweet Venom - Tera Lynn Childs - When you see a monster casually strolling through an All-Ages Hot Spot, what's a High School Girl going to do? In the case of Grace it's first to run the other way. But later when she sees another monster, it's to run toward it and in the process find out she has a twin sister, and that she, like you sister is a descendant of Medusa. Oh and mythology was all wrong. Oh and she's really a Triplet. Sweet Venom is the first in a new young adult trilogy by Tera Lynn Childs. Aimed at teen girls, it definitely hits its mark. So the book wasn't really meant for me. Which explains why I wasn't really satisfied with it. On the other hand I did enjoy Oh. My. Gods. another mythology laced teen girl young adult novel, so it could something else I can't quite place. That and books with cliff-hanger endings tend to get my nerve up. If it had been more self-contained, that is stronger on a climax, with a decent resolution, but plot trails that people might want to explore in the next two novels, I'd have liked it a lot better. None the less, good book for the Young Adult Teen Girl market. [10.00 / 5.00]

Book Review, Mid October 2011

October rolled in the fall, cooling temperatures outside down, while also slowing the frequent storms of the late summer. Unfortunately that meant that I was outside more often enjoying friends, family and other activities more so then attempting to read. I also back tracked and re-read two books I've read before, partly due to some of the novels I was attempting, being rather annoying, and partly because sometimes you just need a comfortable easy read.

Even so, I was able to read five new novels this month.

Bitterwood - James Maxey - First book of the Dragon Age series, it's about a fantasy world, where Dragon's are as smart as humans, and thus rule them in a feudal manner. It's also science fiction, in that it takes place over a thousand years in our future. It was a very enjoyable novel, pacing itself well, edited well, with a very unique idea and story at it's core. One thing I also liked, is that unlike other first books in a trilogy it didn't shorten itself, nor force you to pick up the next book. That is, it was written as if it was the first and the last, and could be enjoyed all on it's own. I'm still going to pick up the next two as it was that enjoyable, but I feel like I can read them on my own merit because of how complete this first novel is. [Cost 3.00; Rated 7.00]

Cold Warriors - Clare Dargin - Digging through my archives, I came across this Sci-Fi Romance novel. Taking place an indeterminate and short time in the future, it's able people who were frozen at the time of death, the resurrected. But the word their are resurrected into, treats them as second class citizens, only good for fodder in an interstellar war. To begin with, either my copy was a very rough first draft, or the author needs an editor. I'll give the benefit of the doubt, as currently the book is unavailable for sale, although it was initially available via Amazon in 2008. Secondly, the whole second class citizen thing, doesn't quite make sense, as why would a society who detests people who are frozen, even bother reviving them in the first place? They don't treat them as even worth it, so why bother? The idea was just inconsistent, and it was a rather hard read to get through. [Cost 2.00; Rated 1.00]
A Modern Witch - Debora Geary - A (fictional) take on what real witchcraft is, in history and modern times. The novel is first of a series (and currently a spin-off series as well) about witchcraft as told through a modern lens. The problem is, the novel itself is just one giant infodump. There is a plot, and kind of a climax, but what there is doesn't feel pressing, nor very profound. The novel is really a feel good piece of fluff, designed to tell you what witchcraft really is. Admittedly the writing was smooth, but it's definitely a niche type audience. [Cost 4.00; Rated 2.00]

How to Ditch Your Fairy - Justine Larbalestier - A young adult book, this book could have also been titled "How to Ditch Your Superpower". In this city, almost everyone has a personal fairy, one that can't see, that grants them a power, such as Finding Lost Change, or Always Getting the Best Parking Spot. Yet some of the people, such as our Heroine, intensely dislike their Fairy and really want a different one. But how can you get rid of something you can't see, and if you do get rid of it, what happens when you get a new one, that's even worse? Although I'm not the core audience this book is geared toward, I did find it an enjoyable read none the less. Admittedly, I would mostly recommend this to teen girls, or women who enjoy Young Adult novels, I'd still give it good marks, for it does tell a story about looking beneath other's covers, and that the grass is not always greener on the other side. [Cost 4.80; Rated 5.00]

The Highest Frontier - Joan Slonczewski - It's the future, and the Earth is doomed! Okay, not quite doomed just yet but very close to it, with global warming into overdrive Antarctica is the new farming belt. Nano-technology has made things very modular, but still it requires energy. Humanity isn't quite living in orbit yet, but at least one of the Habitats has a College, and a possibly alien roommate. But when you are the grand-daughter of a very famous president, and essentially their clone, how would you respond to your Freshmen year? A quite hard SF novel, The Highest Frontier is typical in that it's kind of hard to get into. Complex from the start, it's infodumps small and relatively sparse, if really infodumps at all, it does take a bit to get into. In the same vein however, it's complex universe does make for a very interesting place to read about, enough so that when the tipping point of understanding is reached, it becomes a much faster and enjoyable read. I'd tentatively classify it as a Late Young Adult, it's still a rather large and good novel. [Cost 13.00; Rated 10.00]

I also started and stopped a number of novels. Not because they were horrible, horrible books, but often it was because they were complex enough, that they were really slow to read, and I hadn't reached a tipping point of understanding by the time I wanted to really read something. Also often I will go back and read them again at a later point, but if I force myself, it feels like work.

Novels also read in October, but not finished:
The Clockwork Rocket - Greg Egan
No Shoes, No Shirt, No Spells - Rose Pressely
God's War - Kameron Hurley

Coming Up:
Reamde - Neal Stephenson (I promise this time!)

Book Review, End of September 2011

Although the first of half of September both lacked in the amount of books read, as well as the quality, the second half sure was great for reading. I finished five or six depending on how you are counting, and started on a seventh. Although I've been anticipating Neal Stephenson's Reamde, I am saving that for an October read. Instead I became a Superhero, visited a Victorian England bathed in magic, read a comfortable new Urban Fantasy, and saw many different futures.

In Hero Years... I'm Dead - Michael A Stackpole - If Superheros were real, how long could they be heroes? If they had kids and families? If they grew old? In this novel that question is asked, when a lesser known hero, how had been part of the Hero League, disappears only to come back to Gotham after an inexplicable twenty year absence. Can he still be a hero? Should he be a hero? Or is there another reason for his return? The world Stackpole draws is full of heroes and back stories that appear to be based off both DC and Marvel Comics. He never uses an actual character from them, but all his characters can be recognized for their homage. The plot and writing moves at a good pace, with few inconsistencies. The twists can be seen approaching, but are quite fun to read. In short the book is quite excellent. Very much worth the ebook price. Highly recommended for fans of Superhero stories in general. [Cost 5.00; Rating 7.00]

A Matter of Magic - Patricia C Wrede - If magic were more commonplace, but still restricted to those of nobility, how would Victorian England differ from the real period of history? In this Omnibus, consisting of Mairelon the Magician, and Magician's Ward, we follow Kim, a 17 year old girl from the streets of London, whom disguised as a boy is discovered by one of the Noble Magicians and recruited into a world changing adventure. Although not Steampunk in the classic sense, this novel might certainly appeal to that same core audience, as it's depiction of Victorian England, and the method of magic in it, certainly gives this novel the same feel to it. It's also very well written, and quite funny for it's cheeky Victorian humor. Although as an Omnibus, the tone of the second book changes enough that you can see it as two books, and not one. I'd still recommend it to most Steampunk fans, and more specifically those who like Gail Carriger's Parasol Protectorate novels. As a side note, I'd probably rate the individual books in the omnibus a 5.00 or 6.00, however as an Omnibus I will give it the beneft of combining those two ratings. [Cost 10.00; Rating 10.00]

Embedded - Dan Abnett - Even now, in War the military walks a fine line in trying to get the Press to tell the military's side of the story, and with access inadvertently giving the journalist something infinitely more. In Embedded, we see in the future this same dance on another planet, but when an old and tired journalist finds a novel way to hitch a ride with a patrol, he finds there is a lot more to all the stories, and a much tougher story to get out, as he himself becomes stuck behind lines. Let me say, that the book is still pretty good even in reflection. On the other hand there are some rather large plot holes, and a good chunk of the book makes it seem like it's written for a movie deal. Yet all in all, it's still one I'd recommend to Military Sci-Fi readers, as well as those who like journalist reports from war-zones. As shorter description though, I would call this a Sci-Fi version of Black Hawk Down. [Cost 6.00; Rated 6.00]

Embedded - Dan Abnett - Even now, in War the military walks a fine line in trying to get the Press to tell the military's side of the story, and with access inadvertently giving the journalist something infinitely more. In Embedded, we see in the future this same dance on another planet, but when an old and tired journalist finds a novel way to hitch a ride with a patrol, he finds there is a lot more to all the stories, and a much tougher story to get out, as he himself becomes stuck behind lines. Let me say, that the book is still pretty good even in reflection. On the other hand there are some rather large plot holes, and a good chunk of the book makes it seem like it's written for a movie deal. Yet all in all, it's still one I'd recommend to Military Sci-Fi readers, as well as those who like journalist reports from war zones. As shorter description though, I would call this a Sci-Fi version of Black Hawk Down. [Cost 6.00; Rated 6.00]

Hounded - Kevin Hearne - When the last old testament style Irish Druid, 21 centuries old but physically young enough to be just out of college, is visited by the Gods of his faith to finish an ancient vendetta, what does he do? He apparently decides it's time to stop hiding, and makes a stand in the last non-sacred place of the world, Arizona. First book in The Iron Druid Chronicles, Hearne deftly creates a character that most people would admire and like. Filled with small slices of humor, satire, as well as old world history, what can easily have become cliched instead is rather entertaining. About the only problem I have with it, is that someone who lives for 21 centuries running, suddenly making a stand just because the area they are in is pretty, doesn't quite make sense. A little more reason would have helped, yet otherwise again, it's a pretty good popcorn novel. If you like early Jim Butcher's Dresden Novels, and similar series, you will like this one. [Cost 8.00; Rated 7.00)

A Soldier's Duty - Jean Johnson - In the 24th century, the universe is a rather messy place, with two human empires, an alien race under quarantine for four centuries, and pirates by the bucket-full.  But even though it's messy, there is still peace of sorts, worlds with families and life. Enter one girl named Ia, who sees in the far future the destruction of not only her home world, but of the entire galaxy. Yet there is a way to stop it all, a way that requires her to change her entire life, and became a Marine. A Marine with a security and need to never fail, because if she fails, so does the Galaxy. First book in the series "Theirs Not to Reason Why", it's a fun and rather deep first novel. I'd liken it to a cross between Tanya Huff's Valor Novels, Robert A Heinlein's Starship Troopers, and well The Return of the Jedi just for the climatic battle. The only downside was the climatic battle in that it became a little, cheesy. Also from Boot to the climatic could have had more depth to all the side characters. Otherwise, still a good read. If you liked any of those listed above, you'll like this novel. [Cost 8.00; Rating 8.00]

I didn't quite finish James Maxey's Bitterwood in September, so I will drop the official mini-review in the October mid-month update. October is shaping up to be a good read month, as Neal Stephenson's Reamde is among the short stack to read.

Mid-Month Book Review, September 2011

The month of September initially is turning out to be a bad month to read any books. I started with blocking off a good week at the beginning in order to attend Dragon*Con in Atlanta, then followed it up with a lot to make up at work. I was still able to squeeze in around four new to me novels in that time frame, but it seemed at times like I wouldn't be able to finish anything in time.

For the first half of the month, I was able to read three young adult novels, and one older, but recommended adult novel.

Higher Institute of Villainous Education - Mark Walden - (YA) In a riff of Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, and much more, we have a new series about a boy destined for greatness, that is great Evil. However unlike the Evil of Harry Potter, this first book in the Young Adult H.I.V.E. series, paints Evil as just being really good businessmen, with flexible Ethics, but strong Morals. As such, it's a perfectally acceptable book to introduce young readers to, and get them interested. For older fans, not so much. However, as other reviewers have noted, fans of Artemis Fowler, would likely love this book. [Cost 8.00; Rated 5.00]

Emissaries from the Dead - Adam-Troy Castro - First of only two Andrea Cort Novels. In a universe that's been post singularity since the dinosaurs, humanity has carved mash of empires. Yet they are still at the bottom when it comes to all encompassing AIs. Andrea, sentenced to a life of civil service, is good at her job. So good she is sent to investigate a murder in a reverse artificial biosphere. The book itself was a very engaging murder mystery, although fans of mystery will probably figure the plot twists fairly earlier on. The AI issues, and the world built, make it a good novel for the hard sci-fi fan. [Cost 8.00; Rated 7.00]

Priscilla The Great - Sybil Nelson - (YA) Again with the Superhero novels? A coming of age novel, in which our heroine finds herself starting to exhibit unusual abilities, and that her family is a lot more complicated then she though. A quick read, and obviously the first in a series of short YA novels. Good for those starting out reading, not so much for the older fans. [Cost 3.00; Rated 3.00]

Trapped - Douglas E Richards - (YA) Also billed as a Superhero like novel, the book itself was nothing of the sort. First in a trilogy, there were no unusual powers or abilities but a rather straight forward encounter story, with a sci-fi twist. For hard science fans it won't make much sense, but for the young reader it's perfectly acceptable. I found it a little to quick and the story a little too presumptuous. Again, it's definitely not for my age group. [Cost 3.00; Rated 2.00]

In the second half of the month I've already read more then the beginning half, and from the looks of it, hands down better as well. Stay Tuned.

End of August Book Review

I wrapped up August with having officially read thirteen novels. Re-Reading a book I've read before doesn't count, and I have to read at least half the book for it to count. Novels that I only get a few chapter in, then drop or pause, usually get shuffled back lower in to the pile, and rarely get mentioned. There are many reasons for dropping a novel only three chapters in, but most commonly it's due to the book just not grabbing my attention at that exact time. Maybe in a difference month will my interests lean a different direction and the novel grab me, but till then; To the Waiting Bin you Go!.

For the second half of August, I finished these seven novels:

Tempest Rising - Nicole Peeler - Not sure when during August I read this novel, but at the least I can plug it in the second half of this month. Billed as a Supernatural Chick Lit, this is the first book in a series about a twenty something young lady, coming to turns with a traumatic injury and finding out how different the world around her, and she herself really is. The book was quite good, infused with humor, and very little angst keeping with the main character being a little older. It's adaption of a supernatural world was within reason, giving some good vampire like creatures, without there being vampires. All in all, a good start to a series, and one I might check out later. (Cost 8.00) [Rating 5.00]

Soulless  - Gail Carriger - First Book in the Parasol Protectorate. It's a Steampunk, Victorian era, Modern Supernatural novel. Genre Tags indeed. What it really is, is Great! The dry humor, satire, and general nature of the main character just kept me riveted to the page. The atmosphere of the writing is more align with a Pulp style of Victorian England, although a semi-realistic one. Gritty I would not cast this novel as, but fun it most certainly was. I ended up buying the next three novels were available, but decided to hold off reading them till the finale is released in 2012. Also the first three novels are available as an ebook bundle for reduced price, so I would give it a hearty thumbs up. (Cost 8.00/3.00) [Rating 8.00]

Confessions of a D-List Supervillain - Jim Bernheimer - Again with the Superhero novel? This was a late pickup for my pile of Superhero novels, one I only approached after reading another blog's review. The novel takes place in a world with lots of Superheros and Supervillians. However in this novel, the world finally decides to go to hell. An accident by either a Supervillian, or other unleashes an small apocalypse on the world, one were all the Superheroes get taken over, leaving one lone minor level Supervillian, trying to decide whether to save the world, or just toss in the towel. The good news? He decides to save it. In the process he becomes a Superhero and learns that there is a fine line between the two and sometimes being a Villian, means being a better Hero. The only problems I had with the book, was that the writing seemed just a little rough. Otherwise the battles were quite fun, and the characters a little more then 2D. Strong recommend for anyone searching for a good Superhero novel. (Cost 3.00) [Rating 4.50]

After The Golden Age - Carrie Vaughn - Continuing the Superhero novel trend, I tackle a New York Times Bestseller's novel on Superheros and the world around them. And a tackle it was. Unfortunately, although the concept, idea, and execution behind this novel was rather good, I found the writing a little stiff. A discussion with a fellow avid reader calls this the, writer being more critical of other writers. Since I consider myself at best an amateur at writing, I would tentatively call bunk on this notion, except there could be an element of truth in it. None the less, although she may be a well loved writer, I personally have had problems reading any of her novels. Thus I will be assigning a lower review rating, with the codicil: Read a couple of sample chapters and decide for yourself if the prose flows, or does not. (Cost 12.00) [Rating 4.00]

Being Jamie Baker - Kelly Oram - Behold, yet another Superhero novel. Yet it is really not. In Jamie Baker's world, there is no such thing as a Superhero. No people with unusual powers, no arch villians. However a year earlier, an accident with a chemical truck and power line super charged her. So now she is the world's first super human, not that she wouldn't prefer being, well normal. I mean, when she can accidentally short out the power out home, and she may of killed her first boyfriend, it kind of puts a damper on trying to be a normal teenage girl. As the novel goes, it's a quite well written, and engaging young adult, teen centric novel. As a Superhero novel, not so much. None the less, I would recommend this to novel to many people, who might like to read a coming of age Teen Girl dealing with abnormal problems story. (Cost 8.00) [Rating 4.00]

Heaven's Shadow - David S Goyer and Michael Cassutt - One phrase, Rendezvous with Rama. In the same grand tradition as Arthur C Clarke, the authors paint a tale of first contact with an extremely alien world. Mostly realistically written, and well at that, I found the novel mostly engaging. I stress the word mostly. I quibble a little with the ending, as it appears to bend the rules put in place but the authors during the course of the novel, as if they suddenly realized they were at the end and had run out of time in their narrative. Otherwise it was engaging none the less. Rama is still better, but for those who liked Arthur C Clarke, you would probably enjoy this novel well enough. (Cost 13.00) [Rating 7.00]

Ready Player One - Ernest Cline - Dude! I mean DUDE! You got the eighties geek chic. You've got computer games, both first generation, and post-MMO! You've got a treasure hunt! It's endorsed by Wil Wheaton! Wade Watts is a teenager stuck in the outskirts of a world with no oil, and no economy. He lives by going to school, and playing in Oasis, the post Internet Virtual Reality everything. While there he is also one of countless hunting for an Easter Egg, left by the founder and owner of Oasis, as part of a massive treasure hunt to determine who inherits his vast fortune. It's been nearly ten years since the founder died, and no one has found the first key, till one day Wade does, and the world changes. Well written, well paced, very engaging. If you grew up in the eighties, played video games, you'll love this book. If you haven't, you may still love it as it really is a good book. (Cost 12.00) [Rating 12.00]

Mid-August Book Review Update

While I continue to work on my lists and the actual Posts describing why I'm doing this and what everything means, I figured I should at least post what I've read so far this August. Especially as the next week and a half will likely slow me back to a crawl reading wise.

Engines of God - Jack McDevitt - First Book in the Engines of God of series (also know as the Priscilla Hutchins Series). Like a lot of McDevitt's novels it can take awhile to really pick up. I actually was picking it up and putting it back down so often, it took me more then a week to get through Part One. However once past Part One the book really began to gel and I was much more interested in reading it. It wasn't his first book ever, but it is still rather early and it shows in some of the pacing. However the by the end, the roughness is quite forgotten. I would still recommend this book to those who like more cerebral type novels, as like a lot of his books it's less about the Action, and more about the why. [Cost 8.00 / Rating 6.00]

Wishful Thinking - Evangeline Anderson - First book in the Swann Sisters Chronicles Trilogy, this was one of my off beat choices. I think I was trying to pick up a light Fantasy/Supernatural type novel, but what I really picked up was a romance/erotica book. Still, it was rather good. Light in the fantasy elements, they really were just there to trigger plot, and light in overall erotica aspects I would still come away and say this was a good book. [Cost 5.20 / Rating 3.50]

Working Stiff - Rachel Caine - First Book in the new Revivalist Series. This is going to have to be a down check. So the writing was good. I can never fault Rachel Caine for her actual writing as it flows decently well. The problem is, I'm starting to realize that the author seems to be giving her female characters a rather large inferiority complex. That is, her main character is often female, is often special, often has some sort of special power, and is often described as being tough. But then throughout the novels the character essentially gets beaten up, bullied, and has very little real backbone. Oh usually there is an apex point where they do kick some ass, but even then you got to wonder why the bad guys went from being normal to just being idiots during this pivotal scenes as the main character still doesn't seem any different from the beginning of the book. These characters are definitely no Sydney Bristow. [Cost 8.00 / Rating 2.00]

Karma Girl - Jennifer Estep - First Book in the Bigtime Superhero Universe. Here I had the opposite issue from Rachel Caine. Some of the elements in the book irritated me just a smidgen, such as the fact that every town was suddenly Gotham. Yet the main Character's journey was much more enjoyable to see. She also had Backbone! So I will give this one a thumbs up for quick, campy, Superhero/Romance fun. [Cost 3.00 / Rating 4.00]

Marion G Harmon - Wearing the Cape - Apparently I had a strong desire to read some Superhero based novels lately. On the plus side, I found a diamond in the rough. From what I understand this novel was/is self-published, but the editing sure doesn't prove it. By that I mean, it's good. It's got great flow, good info dump, good universe, good pacing, good characters (mostly) and some really good action scenes. Got it off Kindle for only 2.99, I say it's a steal and gladly recommend it to anyone who also likes Mur Lafferty Playing For Keeps. [Cost 3.00 / Rating 7.00]

Book Review: Rule 34 by Charles Stross

There are writers who can world build, and there are writers who build worlds. Stross is one of the latter, a writer who can build a world full of characters, places, and ideas. A writer who can then present said world to the reader without an overload of information, and just a pinch of theater.

His newest book, Rule 34 is no exception. For the short review, I can say that the book itself is very well crafted piece, and a very thoroughly enjoyable read.

Set in the same milieu, for lack of a better term, as a previous book Halting State, it's only about 20 down the road and the world has progressed into a technological wonderland, all be it a wonderland in the middle of a economic depression. No, no nanite or technology as magic, just the technology of today, more refined and omnipresent then before. With UAV patrolling for dog shit, and everyone with their own personal HUD or virtual reality overlay. However, you don't have to had read his previous book to be able to read this one, as only one or two characters from the previous really make any sort of appearance, and they are essentially standalone novels.

For the uninitiated, Rule 34 is an internet meme that states, "If it exists, there is porn of it.". In the world of Charles Stross' this becomes more a fact, and sets the stage for discussion on how Internet meme's could affect a future that's not just wired in, but wired to the bone. Where a German cannibal with the ability to manufacture cloned meat, could spawn dinner parties where the guest of honor is the main course. In such a world, how can you then tell the difference between coincidence and horrifying new trend in murder, and how do you stop it? When a trend is international, how would your local police force even cope? For Rule 34, you have the Innovative Crime Investigation Unit. The misfit in a nip Police force, set to patrol the dregs of the Internet and try to stay sane. So when a new murder, with unique twists comes across your desk, what are you going to do?

The biggest trouble I had with the novel was mostly in trying to wrap my head around some of the thick Scottish accents, and how they come across in print. Being not Scottish myself, naturally, the shortened words and adjacent spellings threw a metaphysical monkey wrench in to my thought processes. As this is heaviest in the beginning of the book, I found myself having to pause a lot, and attempt to translate what the characters were saying. Luckily its appear the accents get less hurtful as the book progresses, probably due to both adapting to the writing, and some additional characters who have less full on Scottish-ness.

Beyond the accents, the jumping viewpoint was also slightly disconcerting. That is until you started to grasp that all the different viewpoints are like the old adage about five blind men and an elephant, who could describe what they touched, but until you added in all their view points you didn't know it was an elephant. One the things Stross is really good at in his novels, is that he can weave multiple big ideas in to one coherent story. By this I mean that where a story could serve as a warning on the overabundance of some technology, there is also an idea about internet memes, the rise of fabrication in the home, and national economics. Normally such big ideas can be the sole focus of a novel just by themselves, but Stross likes to use ALL the ideas to craft a story that complex squared.

Which leads to, What the heck genre is this novel? Is it Science Fiction? A Mystery? A Thriller? The short answer is all three. As I have noticed over the last ten years, most books I can tag with what I call a Primary Genre, and then I have to add two or three sub-genres just to label it for people who only read certain things. In this case, I would dub Rule 34's Primary as Science Fiction (non-Space), with a Sub-genre of Mystery/Police Investigation and a sub-sub-genre of Political Thriller. So if you like one of these genres, and don't absolutely hate the others then I'd say dig in and have fun.