Book Reviews

[Rusty]

How are the females being treated or seen in the book?

Basically females are not as capable as males. Their place is in the kitchen. If things get tough, they're likely to feel faint. etc. etc.

[Rusty]

Heart of Oak by Alexander Kent - In 1818, Adam Bolitho has to postpone his wedding when he gets assigned as captain to a new frigate. His ship must deal with pirates along the African coast and aid the French who are now their allies. This is the 29th book in the Bolitho series and is pretty good, though a bit slow reading at times. The best books in the series are still the first 15 or so which deal with Richard Bolitho.

[Rusty]

Dragon and Liberator by Timothy Zahn - This is the final book in the Dragonback series where an alien symbiote named Draycos and a 14 year old boy who was trained as a thief have to stop the genocide of Draycos's people from happening. The earlier volumes were all lots of fun and this volume puts the various pieces from those books together in a satisfying conclusion.

[Rusty]

Making Money by Terry Pratchett - Moist von Lipwig resurrected the Post Office in Ankh Morpork, but eventually it was running so well that he grew bored. Now he is set for his next challenge - running the Royal Bank and Royal Mint. He doesn't know much about either, but has to learn on the go. Another entertaining novel in the Discworld series. I think I liked Going Postal more than this one, but this is a good read.

[Rusty]

The Dragon's Lair by Elizabeth Haydon - This is the third in the Ven Polypheme series. Ven and his friends need to hide from the Thief Queen, so they journey to the East. While on this trip, Ven undertakes a mission from the King involving disputes between several races and a dragon. An entertaining novel like the first two in the series.

[Rusty]

Valor's Trial by Tanya Huff - The fourth book in the Confederation series starts with Gunnery Sergeant Torin Kerr being captured by The Others and waking up in an underground prison. However, it is widely known that The Others don't take prisoners, so she has to find out what is going on, organize the other prisoners and escape. Just like the first three books, this book was a fun read. I'd like to read more, even though this book could serve as a satisfactory conclusion to the series.

[Psychotic_Carp]

Is there more books?

[Rusty]

I don't know if there are going to be any more books in this series, but Torin Kerr is a cool character and I'd like to see more. She leaves the military at the end of the novel, but there is plenty of room to continue the story.

[Rusty]

Dragonlight by Donita Paul - This is the final book in the Dragon Keeper Chronicles and takes place about 5 years after the previous book. Amara has been at peace since the wars in the last book and Bardon decides that Kale needs an adventure, so he takes her to meet a few old friends who are searching for the lost Meech colony in the north. A couple of new threats to peace arise and must be subdued. This was a fairly satisfying conclusion to the series. I like the various fantasy elements, though some people might be put off by the religious aspects of the series.

Sky Realm by Rebecca Moesta and Kevin J. Anderson - Another adventure in the Crystal Doors set sees Sharif called back to the floating city of Irrakesh at his father's order. His friends accompany him to the impressive city, but a sudden attack leaves the city in enemy hands. This young adult series is entertaining, though a pretty quick read.

[Rusty]

The New Kindaichi Case Files 2 - Murder On-Line - Hajime and Miyuki get stuck in a mountain lodge during a blizzard along with 7 other guests. These guests are all part of an on-line chat group and this is the first time they've met in person. When members of the group start dying, Hajime has to figure out the evidence and track down the killer.

The New Kindaichi Case Files 3 - The Shanghai River Demon's Curse - Hajime and Miyuki travel to Shanghai at the request of Miyuki's penpal, Yang Lili. Lili's father was the head of an acrobatic troupe and was murdered two weeks earlier in a way suggesting a river demon's curse. Lili's brother is the prime suspect and Hajime has to find the murderer as other troupe members start to die.

I enjoyed these two books from the Kodansha English Library. They were very similar to the manga volumes and were nice, quick reads. Now I need to track down the other books in this series and maybe the bilingual series as well.

[Rusty]

City of Time by Eoin McNamee - This is the second book in the Navigator trilogy. Owen and Cati notice that time is acting strangely and discover that time seems to be running out. The only solution is a trip to Hadima, the City of Time, but they face adversity along the way and in the city as well. This was a good followup to the first book in the series and featured interesting characters such as the gang of 'Dogs' who run in a pack in Hadima, causing all sorts of havoc.

[Rusty]

Artemis Fowl: The Time Paradox by Eoin Colfer - Artemis is a bit older, more compassionate and a better person than he was in the first book in the series. However, when his mother is dying, he has to travel back in time to find a cure and comes up against one of his toughest foes - his 10 year old self. This was a fun adventure and highlights how much Artemis has changed over the course of his adventures.

Let's see. Any other authors named Eoin I should check out?

[Rusty]

Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer - I thought this book was very entertaining and wrapped things up nicely, though it didn't really have the tension of the earlier books in the series. I've read that some fans didn't like the book, but I thought it was good. Tthere were a number of interesting ideas explored and I enjoyed the section of the book that was told from Jacob's point of view a lot more than I expected. It was a good change of pace.

[Rusty]

Space Cadet by Robert Heinlein - I'm continuing my reread of the Heinlein juveniles with this classic from 1948. It tells the story of four young men who seek to join the Space Patrol toward the end of the 21st Century. They enroll as cadets in the academy and begin their training and find themselves tested in many ways. This book was a lot of fun and I think it holds up very well. It is a very entertaining novel. It also apparently served as the inspiration for the Tom Corbett, Space Cadet show and series from the 1950s.

[Rusty]

By Schism Rent Asunder by David Weber - This is the second book in the Safehold series and really sets the table for the major conflict to come. There is lots of preparation for war, an escalation of hostilities, political intrigue and even a marriage thrown in. The book may not have had as much action as Off Armageddon Reef, but it was excellent nonetheless. Weber has a nice science fiction/naval fiction series here that promises to be good for a while to come.