Read Recently -- June 2008 . . . all at once
Or mostly, anyway.
The Android's Dream by John Scalzi A bureaucrat farts out a deadly insult to a scent-sensitive alien race, leading Earth to the brink of war with a vastly more powerful empire. For even a hope of peace, the aliens want a sheep of a special breed designed especially for them, but all the animals both on the alien homeworld and on Earth are all dying of a mysterious disease. Earth's toughest troubleshooter finds one still alive: a woman running a pet shop who, unknown to her, had a sheep for a mother. Can he keep her alive long enough to win peace for Earth? And what is the Church of the Evolved Lamb, history's most cynical religion up to?
That's a pretty basic description, but I bet you can tell that Scalzi's let his sense of humour out to play. Fortunately, if the humour doesn't work (and it doesn't for me) Scalzi's backed this up with a solid SF adventure. Cautiously recommended.
Kris Longknife: Audacious by Mike Shepherd This far into the series, there's little to say that doesn't spoil one of the earlier books. Kris visits the peaceful planet of New Eden and finds that it is not exactly as advertised. And that she can't go anywhere without someone trying to kill her. This series continues to impress me. Recommended.
Three Bedrooms, One Corpse by Charlaine Harris The further adventures of Aurora "Roe" Teagarden. Now working for her mother as a part-time realtor, Roe shows a house to a pair of out-of-towners only to find a dead person in one of the bedrooms. In addition to solving the mystery, Roe finds herself in a new relationship. Recommended.
Sad Cyrpus by Agatha Christie A young woman is accused of murder. Only one man believes she is innocent. Can Hercule Poirot . . . blah, blah, blah. Of course he can. Recommended.
The Fall of the Kings by Ellen Kushner and Delia Sherman The first sequel to Swordspoint, set decades after The Privilege of the Sword, this maintains the high quality of the other two books. Complex and difficult to describe. Highly recommended.
When Demons Walk by Patricia Briggs Not one of her "Urban Fantasies". The conqueror Lord of the city hires its best thief to help him catch a killer. But is the killer human? And is the attraction they are faking for each other really fake? A fun break from the Mercy Thompson novels, and a good read itself. Recommended.
Hexwood by Diana Wynne Jones Hexwood Farm is a housing development near London; it's also a storage facility for the interstellar empire that secretly runs Earth. A minor clerk has begun using the facility to create his dream football team from all through history. This is very, very dangerous. The Empire will have to take steps, but in Hexwood now, little is as it seems. Highly recommended.
Keys to the Kingdom Book Five: Lady Friday by Garth Nix Arthur's adventures continue into the fifth day. I'm beginning to get some ideas as to where this series is going; it will be interesting to see where I go wrong. Highly recommended.
Fads & Fallacies in the name of Science by Martin Gardner Write-ups on topics like Flat and Hollow Earth "theories", as well as UFOs and L. Ron Hubbard. Sadly, fifty years out of date on most of these topics. Mildly recommended.
C. S. Lewis and the Search for Rational Religion: revised and updated by John Beversluis Beversluis argues that Lewis deserves better than either unconditional opposition or unconditional worship; he also argues that Lewis believed he could prove Christianity rationally and argues with him on that basis. Recommended for those who are interested in such things.
If there's anything here you'd like me to expand on, let me know.
The Android's Dream by John Scalzi A bureaucrat farts out a deadly insult to a scent-sensitive alien race, leading Earth to the brink of war with a vastly more powerful empire. For even a hope of peace, the aliens want a sheep of a special breed designed especially for them, but all the animals both on the alien homeworld and on Earth are all dying of a mysterious disease. Earth's toughest troubleshooter finds one still alive: a woman running a pet shop who, unknown to her, had a sheep for a mother. Can he keep her alive long enough to win peace for Earth? And what is the Church of the Evolved Lamb, history's most cynical religion up to?
That's a pretty basic description, but I bet you can tell that Scalzi's let his sense of humour out to play. Fortunately, if the humour doesn't work (and it doesn't for me) Scalzi's backed this up with a solid SF adventure. Cautiously recommended.
Kris Longknife: Audacious by Mike Shepherd This far into the series, there's little to say that doesn't spoil one of the earlier books. Kris visits the peaceful planet of New Eden and finds that it is not exactly as advertised. And that she can't go anywhere without someone trying to kill her. This series continues to impress me. Recommended.
Three Bedrooms, One Corpse by Charlaine Harris The further adventures of Aurora "Roe" Teagarden. Now working for her mother as a part-time realtor, Roe shows a house to a pair of out-of-towners only to find a dead person in one of the bedrooms. In addition to solving the mystery, Roe finds herself in a new relationship. Recommended.
Sad Cyrpus by Agatha Christie A young woman is accused of murder. Only one man believes she is innocent. Can Hercule Poirot . . . blah, blah, blah. Of course he can. Recommended.
The Fall of the Kings by Ellen Kushner and Delia Sherman The first sequel to Swordspoint, set decades after The Privilege of the Sword, this maintains the high quality of the other two books. Complex and difficult to describe. Highly recommended.
When Demons Walk by Patricia Briggs Not one of her "Urban Fantasies". The conqueror Lord of the city hires its best thief to help him catch a killer. But is the killer human? And is the attraction they are faking for each other really fake? A fun break from the Mercy Thompson novels, and a good read itself. Recommended.
Hexwood by Diana Wynne Jones Hexwood Farm is a housing development near London; it's also a storage facility for the interstellar empire that secretly runs Earth. A minor clerk has begun using the facility to create his dream football team from all through history. This is very, very dangerous. The Empire will have to take steps, but in Hexwood now, little is as it seems. Highly recommended.
Keys to the Kingdom Book Five: Lady Friday by Garth Nix Arthur's adventures continue into the fifth day. I'm beginning to get some ideas as to where this series is going; it will be interesting to see where I go wrong. Highly recommended.
Fads & Fallacies in the name of Science by Martin Gardner Write-ups on topics like Flat and Hollow Earth "theories", as well as UFOs and L. Ron Hubbard. Sadly, fifty years out of date on most of these topics. Mildly recommended.
C. S. Lewis and the Search for Rational Religion: revised and updated by John Beversluis Beversluis argues that Lewis deserves better than either unconditional opposition or unconditional worship; he also argues that Lewis believed he could prove Christianity rationally and argues with him on that basis. Recommended for those who are interested in such things.
If there's anything here you'd like me to expand on, let me know.