Books (again)
Must. Clear. Desk.
8. The Wizard Lord - Lawrence Watt-Evans
W-E takes a step away from the "grittier" tone of his Dragon books to produce another medium-weight fantasy novel. Like "Touched by the Gods", this is a meditation on standard fantasy tropes, but manages to be a likable and well-paced tale as well. Standalone, though it's labeled as the first in a series. B
9. The Dragon Never Sleeps - Glen Cook
Cook does space opera - an older book. In places, this felt a little like Dune without the metaphysics. In others, it seemed a bit disjointed. Still, epic scope, grand world building, and some classic Cook characters. B+, though I imagine some would rate it lower.
10. Conscience of the Beagle - Patricia Anthony
11. Happy Policeman - Patricia Anthony
Anthony reminds me a lot of Phillip K Dick, but she doesn't cut quite as deep. She's clearly riffing on Dick's themes - a simulacrum and a repressive theocracy in Beagle, a nuclear holocaust in suburbia and some incomprehensible aliens in Policeman - but somehow it's not the same. The simulacrum isn't as sympathetic. The suburban paranoia isn't as creepy. The secret police aren't as malevolent. The aliens aren't as menacing. Still, it's nice to see someone trying. B- for Conscience, B for Policeman.
12. Newton's Cannon - J. Gregory Keyes (reread)
A reminder of just how inconstant I am. On first reading, this book really didn't grab me. This time around I loved it. An 18th-century setting combined with some interesting fantasy metaphysics and a liberal sprinkling of historical characters (Isaac Newton, Ben Franklin, and Edward Teach, to name a few) make for a fun, if pulpy read. A-
13. Mistborn - Brandon Sanderson
From the cover copy: "Campbell award nominee Brandon Sanderson dares to turn a genre on its head by asking a simple question: What if the prophesied hero had failed to defeat the Dark Lord?"
Yeah, right. I think he's trying, I really do, but he just doesn't get there. This is Sanderson's second book, a broadly written and somewhat predictable fantasy, enlivened somewhat by his odd magic system and his earnest attempt to contradict some of our expectations. But he just doesn't make the twists interesting enough. C+
14. Waking the Moon - Elizabeth Hand
Dark. Creepy. Original. But a little disjointed, and the ending is too rushed. What's more frustrating is that the most interesting characters - the mysterious Benandanti - are hardly fleshed out at all. B
15. The Lies of Locke Lamora - Scott Lynch
Pure pulp; but fast moving, exciting pulp, with lovable heroes, repugnant villains, and a great plot. Fantasy, but most emphasis is on the mundane lives of the characters. Oh, and it's occasionally pretty funny too. A
16. Sky Coyote - Kage Baker
Baker has a gentle touch, and I appreciate that. In some hands, this tale of differing cultures could have become a lurid rant at the evils of modern society; in others, it might have been a real yawnfest. Baker manages to keep it interesting (even though very little actually happens and there is almost no tension), thought provoking, and funny. It's a Company book, but it's not required for those following the overall plot. (Thanks to changinganswers for the loan.) B+
8. The Wizard Lord - Lawrence Watt-Evans
W-E takes a step away from the "grittier" tone of his Dragon books to produce another medium-weight fantasy novel. Like "Touched by the Gods", this is a meditation on standard fantasy tropes, but manages to be a likable and well-paced tale as well. Standalone, though it's labeled as the first in a series. B
9. The Dragon Never Sleeps - Glen Cook
Cook does space opera - an older book. In places, this felt a little like Dune without the metaphysics. In others, it seemed a bit disjointed. Still, epic scope, grand world building, and some classic Cook characters. B+, though I imagine some would rate it lower.
10. Conscience of the Beagle - Patricia Anthony
11. Happy Policeman - Patricia Anthony
Anthony reminds me a lot of Phillip K Dick, but she doesn't cut quite as deep. She's clearly riffing on Dick's themes - a simulacrum and a repressive theocracy in Beagle, a nuclear holocaust in suburbia and some incomprehensible aliens in Policeman - but somehow it's not the same. The simulacrum isn't as sympathetic. The suburban paranoia isn't as creepy. The secret police aren't as malevolent. The aliens aren't as menacing. Still, it's nice to see someone trying. B- for Conscience, B for Policeman.
12. Newton's Cannon - J. Gregory Keyes (reread)
A reminder of just how inconstant I am. On first reading, this book really didn't grab me. This time around I loved it. An 18th-century setting combined with some interesting fantasy metaphysics and a liberal sprinkling of historical characters (Isaac Newton, Ben Franklin, and Edward Teach, to name a few) make for a fun, if pulpy read. A-
13. Mistborn - Brandon Sanderson
From the cover copy: "Campbell award nominee Brandon Sanderson dares to turn a genre on its head by asking a simple question: What if the prophesied hero had failed to defeat the Dark Lord?"
Yeah, right. I think he's trying, I really do, but he just doesn't get there. This is Sanderson's second book, a broadly written and somewhat predictable fantasy, enlivened somewhat by his odd magic system and his earnest attempt to contradict some of our expectations. But he just doesn't make the twists interesting enough. C+
14. Waking the Moon - Elizabeth Hand
Dark. Creepy. Original. But a little disjointed, and the ending is too rushed. What's more frustrating is that the most interesting characters - the mysterious Benandanti - are hardly fleshed out at all. B
15. The Lies of Locke Lamora - Scott Lynch
Pure pulp; but fast moving, exciting pulp, with lovable heroes, repugnant villains, and a great plot. Fantasy, but most emphasis is on the mundane lives of the characters. Oh, and it's occasionally pretty funny too. A
16. Sky Coyote - Kage Baker
Baker has a gentle touch, and I appreciate that. In some hands, this tale of differing cultures could have become a lurid rant at the evils of modern society; in others, it might have been a real yawnfest. Baker manages to keep it interesting (even though very little actually happens and there is almost no tension), thought provoking, and funny. It's a Company book, but it's not required for those following the overall plot. (Thanks to changinganswers for the loan.) B+