# 9-12
#9 Helen Bryan: The Sisterhood
An orphan girl is saved in the middle of a storm with an ancient medal round her neck. She is called Menina and her life turns out to be intertwined with an ancient Andalusian nunnery, which sheltered and protected a number of amazing women over the years. As Menina finds out about their lives from an old book, she finds her own happiness as well.
The book was a surprise for me, because I kept thinking it would be something like Dan Brown's thrillers, but in the end it wasn't. Which actually was a bit disappointing, because a number of threads seem to never have been followed up satisfactorily. But it was a pleasure to read.
#10 S. J. Parris: Heresy
The first in the series of mystery stories with Giordano Bruno playing the part of the detective in Elizabethan England. A good whoddunit.
#11 M. E. Mayer
Another historical mystery; this time in Byzantium. I've enjoyed this one particularly, because I found the main protagonist - John, Lord Chamberlain to Emperor Justinian - to be interesting and pleasant. I am looking forward to other books about him.
#12 Timothy Zahn: Warhorse
I am a big fan of admiral Thrawn and, I guess, I was just looking for anything at all similar. And "Warhorse" is. Remotely. it is a sci-fi about the relationship of two species - humans and Tampies. Tampies believe themselves to be natures guardians and believe humans to be destroyers. Whereas humans, of course, consider adapting nature to their needs absolutely... well... natural. If the war was to break down, however, humans stand to lose because Tampies have got 'space horses': animals, that power their ships and allow them immediate interstellar jumps far beyond human technological capabilities. The book is about conflicting philosophies and relationships. I love Zahn for the way he manages to portray aliens as alien. Something I loved about the Chiss from the beginning - no interminable internal monologues explaining why each person thinks the way they do. In fact, no explanation even as to what they actually think. The relationship between Commander Roman and Ferrol - something of a pirate - were reminiscent of the relationship between Thrawn and Jorj Cardas. But yes, let's face it... I just really miss those two :)
An orphan girl is saved in the middle of a storm with an ancient medal round her neck. She is called Menina and her life turns out to be intertwined with an ancient Andalusian nunnery, which sheltered and protected a number of amazing women over the years. As Menina finds out about their lives from an old book, she finds her own happiness as well.
The book was a surprise for me, because I kept thinking it would be something like Dan Brown's thrillers, but in the end it wasn't. Which actually was a bit disappointing, because a number of threads seem to never have been followed up satisfactorily. But it was a pleasure to read.
#10 S. J. Parris: Heresy
The first in the series of mystery stories with Giordano Bruno playing the part of the detective in Elizabethan England. A good whoddunit.
#11 M. E. Mayer
Another historical mystery; this time in Byzantium. I've enjoyed this one particularly, because I found the main protagonist - John, Lord Chamberlain to Emperor Justinian - to be interesting and pleasant. I am looking forward to other books about him.
#12 Timothy Zahn: Warhorse
I am a big fan of admiral Thrawn and, I guess, I was just looking for anything at all similar. And "Warhorse" is. Remotely. it is a sci-fi about the relationship of two species - humans and Tampies. Tampies believe themselves to be natures guardians and believe humans to be destroyers. Whereas humans, of course, consider adapting nature to their needs absolutely... well... natural. If the war was to break down, however, humans stand to lose because Tampies have got 'space horses': animals, that power their ships and allow them immediate interstellar jumps far beyond human technological capabilities. The book is about conflicting philosophies and relationships. I love Zahn for the way he manages to portray aliens as alien. Something I loved about the Chiss from the beginning - no interminable internal monologues explaining why each person thinks the way they do. In fact, no explanation even as to what they actually think. The relationship between Commander Roman and Ferrol - something of a pirate - were reminiscent of the relationship between Thrawn and Jorj Cardas. But yes, let's face it... I just really miss those two :)