April's Reads:
It’s that time of month again:
~ Books I read in April ~
Ben Bova’s “Sam Gunn Ominbus: featuring every short story and some never-before-published”
~ What can I say about Sam Gunn that hasn’t been said already? Oh, wait: this particular Lothario (not a womanizer, not a womanizer, not a womanizer), is a grown-up Denise-the-menace (to corporations and government), in the ‘modern-day’ of the Space-Age. An entrepreneur who will work tirelessly for the little guys, the underdog, and those striving to be someone more than a cog in a machine.
Okay, okay. Ben Bova did a fantastic job of creating believable characters in a not-too-far flung future, if we can ever get to colonizing the moon that is, and while the tales (separated in short-story format, with each chapter a complete story in and of itself), are fantastic and wonderful, Sam Gunn (who suffers -“ I don’t suffer: I enjoy every minute of it!” - from wanderlust and a complete inability to settle down in any matter), who’s cheated death so many times, in so many ways (as the story, relayed by those who’s lives were directly impacted by Sam Gunn, for good or bad), that I started to become disbelieving as the chapters progressed.
Still a good read, but make sure you’ve got time to set aside. At plus 700 pages, this is not a book that can be finished in one setting, or one late afternoon.
The Service Of The Sword: edited by David Weber: Stories and tales inside include: Fanatic - Eric Flint (4 stars), The Service of the Sword - David Weber (3.5 stars), With One Stone - Timothy Zahn (4 stars), Promised Land - Jane Lindskold (3.3 stars)
~ overall, a wonderful reread. Most of the stories (listed) are pretty good. Those that rubbed me the wrong way, I don’t care for and didn’t list here (sorry, Ringo)
Year’s Best SF 18 - edited by David G. Haitwol (?) - A compilation by various authors.
~ Overall, good tales. Some of them were rather exceptional, some were rather forgetful. Something for everyone who enjoys reading Science Fiction.
The Rabbi who Found Messiah: the story of Yitzhak Kaduri and his Prophecies of the Endtime: Edited by Carl Gallups, forward by David Reagan
~ Not what I was thinking after reading the summary and back flap. I was anticipating more of a biography of the world-famous/world renown Rabbi Yitzhak Kaduri. Still, the book was rather interesting - and I did enjoy how Carl Gallups ties modern events with old revelations and yet unfulfilled prophecies.
Bolo Strike: Willaim H. Keiths (based on Keith Laumer’s Bolos)
~This one is vastly different than excepted - but the underlying conflict between immorality and preserving memories of self (copies), was good. And some of the questions asked ‘How does one determine individual self’ and ‘what makes humanity unique’ are not fully answered. That’s okay, because this wasn’t a theological book that delves into the deep core of self, but rather, a far-flung intrinsic look at what drives humans and what might drive ‘godlike’ aliens who cannot imagine a world or mindset quite like our individuality.
Torch of Freedom - David Weber and Eric Flint
~ Loved the antics that Victor and the others get into.
Really enjoyed the huge cast - and the fact that even the minor characters were fleshed out and given backgrounds and histories that make them feel real, makes the story personal.
Science Fiction - futuristic technology notwithstanding, humans are humans the world over - still feels real and very believable.
This is an excellent example of Well Done Space Opera at its finest - a nice balance between action, plot, and details that can bog a work down, be so scant they are worthless, or give the universe a life of its own.
Do Bring Your Own tissues - because sections will jerk the heart.
HORSE DIARIES: Elska - Catherine Hapkie (writer), Ruth Sanderson (illustrator).
~Set in Iceland about 1,000 AD, it’s a short, but sweet story of a young filly (growing into a mare), learning the customs of the human clans as time passes by.
To me, it felt too short. Now I want to know more about the Iceland of old - tribal lore, customs of the ancient people and the Horse Breed that developed over the centuries.
Bronze Dragon Codex - R. D. Henham
~ I am beginning to wonder if I miss anything - EVERYTHING - important when I skip around in a series.
Book two is a short story that gave a new look at old tales of dragons. There are interesting differences between the traditional views (enemy of humans) of dragons, and modern tales (helpers, assisting humans) of dragons.
Need to look for the previous book and the sequels - just to find out if this series follows one-unusual friendship or each book is a separate tale of how humans and dragons should get along … in a world where dragons exist and can talk to humans, that is.
AMERICAN GIRL: Felicity Mystery: Peril at King’s Creek by Elizabeth McDavid Jones
~Just when I was beginning to wonder if ANY history books focused on the women of the era, I found the American Girl collection, and discovered that while the front-line battles of wars were fought by men, women played just as an important part behind the scenes.
While Felicity Mystery: Peril At King’s Creek, depicts women and events that might have happened, there is still a large gap of uncertainty. Not that I’m complaining: lots of things happened that will never be rediscovered or known for sure.
Anyway: Felicity is a young girl living during the American-Revolution times - and misses her father. There is talk of neighbors fighting neighbors, one siding with the local governor who is only obeying the British Monarch’s wishes (commands) because this land is still under the Queen’s (or king’s: wish I remember who was reigning at this perilous time in the late eighteenth century) control, and others wishing for freedom for self and for nation.
~ Not all strangers can be trusted, and some, Felicity hesitates to believe, might even be spies and thieves for those who sow destruction and chaos around them, simply because others don’t have the same beliefs.
Even long-term friendships are at risk of being destroyed due to conflicting loyalties.
Can Felicity discover the secret that threatens to put her beloved family home and neighbors land in jeopardy? Or are her fears simply due to an overworked imagination and too much talk of fighting?
~ Books I read in April ~
Ben Bova’s “Sam Gunn Ominbus: featuring every short story and some never-before-published”
~ What can I say about Sam Gunn that hasn’t been said already? Oh, wait: this particular Lothario (not a womanizer, not a womanizer, not a womanizer), is a grown-up Denise-the-menace (to corporations and government), in the ‘modern-day’ of the Space-Age. An entrepreneur who will work tirelessly for the little guys, the underdog, and those striving to be someone more than a cog in a machine.
Okay, okay. Ben Bova did a fantastic job of creating believable characters in a not-too-far flung future, if we can ever get to colonizing the moon that is, and while the tales (separated in short-story format, with each chapter a complete story in and of itself), are fantastic and wonderful, Sam Gunn (who suffers -“ I don’t suffer: I enjoy every minute of it!” - from wanderlust and a complete inability to settle down in any matter), who’s cheated death so many times, in so many ways (as the story, relayed by those who’s lives were directly impacted by Sam Gunn, for good or bad), that I started to become disbelieving as the chapters progressed.
Still a good read, but make sure you’ve got time to set aside. At plus 700 pages, this is not a book that can be finished in one setting, or one late afternoon.
The Service Of The Sword: edited by David Weber: Stories and tales inside include: Fanatic - Eric Flint (4 stars), The Service of the Sword - David Weber (3.5 stars), With One Stone - Timothy Zahn (4 stars), Promised Land - Jane Lindskold (3.3 stars)
~ overall, a wonderful reread. Most of the stories (listed) are pretty good. Those that rubbed me the wrong way, I don’t care for and didn’t list here (sorry, Ringo)
Year’s Best SF 18 - edited by David G. Haitwol (?) - A compilation by various authors.
~ Overall, good tales. Some of them were rather exceptional, some were rather forgetful. Something for everyone who enjoys reading Science Fiction.
The Rabbi who Found Messiah: the story of Yitzhak Kaduri and his Prophecies of the Endtime: Edited by Carl Gallups, forward by David Reagan
~ Not what I was thinking after reading the summary and back flap. I was anticipating more of a biography of the world-famous/world renown Rabbi Yitzhak Kaduri. Still, the book was rather interesting - and I did enjoy how Carl Gallups ties modern events with old revelations and yet unfulfilled prophecies.
Bolo Strike: Willaim H. Keiths (based on Keith Laumer’s Bolos)
~This one is vastly different than excepted - but the underlying conflict between immorality and preserving memories of self (copies), was good. And some of the questions asked ‘How does one determine individual self’ and ‘what makes humanity unique’ are not fully answered. That’s okay, because this wasn’t a theological book that delves into the deep core of self, but rather, a far-flung intrinsic look at what drives humans and what might drive ‘godlike’ aliens who cannot imagine a world or mindset quite like our individuality.
Torch of Freedom - David Weber and Eric Flint
~ Loved the antics that Victor and the others get into.
Really enjoyed the huge cast - and the fact that even the minor characters were fleshed out and given backgrounds and histories that make them feel real, makes the story personal.
Science Fiction - futuristic technology notwithstanding, humans are humans the world over - still feels real and very believable.
This is an excellent example of Well Done Space Opera at its finest - a nice balance between action, plot, and details that can bog a work down, be so scant they are worthless, or give the universe a life of its own.
Do Bring Your Own tissues - because sections will jerk the heart.
HORSE DIARIES: Elska - Catherine Hapkie (writer), Ruth Sanderson (illustrator).
~Set in Iceland about 1,000 AD, it’s a short, but sweet story of a young filly (growing into a mare), learning the customs of the human clans as time passes by.
To me, it felt too short. Now I want to know more about the Iceland of old - tribal lore, customs of the ancient people and the Horse Breed that developed over the centuries.
Bronze Dragon Codex - R. D. Henham
~ I am beginning to wonder if I miss anything - EVERYTHING - important when I skip around in a series.
Book two is a short story that gave a new look at old tales of dragons. There are interesting differences between the traditional views (enemy of humans) of dragons, and modern tales (helpers, assisting humans) of dragons.
Need to look for the previous book and the sequels - just to find out if this series follows one-unusual friendship or each book is a separate tale of how humans and dragons should get along … in a world where dragons exist and can talk to humans, that is.
AMERICAN GIRL: Felicity Mystery: Peril at King’s Creek by Elizabeth McDavid Jones
~Just when I was beginning to wonder if ANY history books focused on the women of the era, I found the American Girl collection, and discovered that while the front-line battles of wars were fought by men, women played just as an important part behind the scenes.
While Felicity Mystery: Peril At King’s Creek, depicts women and events that might have happened, there is still a large gap of uncertainty. Not that I’m complaining: lots of things happened that will never be rediscovered or known for sure.
Anyway: Felicity is a young girl living during the American-Revolution times - and misses her father. There is talk of neighbors fighting neighbors, one siding with the local governor who is only obeying the British Monarch’s wishes (commands) because this land is still under the Queen’s (or king’s: wish I remember who was reigning at this perilous time in the late eighteenth century) control, and others wishing for freedom for self and for nation.
~ Not all strangers can be trusted, and some, Felicity hesitates to believe, might even be spies and thieves for those who sow destruction and chaos around them, simply because others don’t have the same beliefs.
Even long-term friendships are at risk of being destroyed due to conflicting loyalties.
Can Felicity discover the secret that threatens to put her beloved family home and neighbors land in jeopardy? Or are her fears simply due to an overworked imagination and too much talk of fighting?