Richard's SF Ramblings / Speculative Fiction Speculations

Went Back To Robin Hobb's First Elderlings Book, Happy I Did So

2012-01-31T15:16:00.000-07:00

I was truly taken by Robin Hobb's Rain Wild Chronicles
Then, a couple of patrons I jaw with, informed me
Most of her work is all related
There are now four distinct but connected series
It starts with Assassin's Apprentice
I went to book one series one
Assassin's Apprentice begins The Farseer Series
There are no dragons but there is talk of "The Elders"
The protagonist is the bastard son of a King in Waiting
The King in Waiting gives up the throne
Fitz, the bastard, is raised by the Stable Keeper/Soldier
Suddenly he is spirited away by the royal assassin

I have now finished book two, Royal Assassin

I am well (finished it) into book three Assassin's Quest
Here, there be dragons
It's all worth the trip
I'm headed into the second trilogy soon

The Liveship Traders, I can hardly wait

Robin Hobb, satisfies as only the few can do
Her characters are fully fleshed out, complex and conflicted
Fully in the grips of the human condition
Her plotting will grab and keep your attention

Wonderful new music
The Jayhawks got back together
It was a long wait
Mockingbird Time
Worth the wait

A Cautionary Tale, Beautifully Told

2012-01-09T15:42:00.000-07:00

At page 31, I stopped reading and emailed my boss
I had been struck dumb
Literature, real literature, and low, I am aghast
A tale of vampires
Christians and Pagans take heed
The end of days is nigh
The horses are upon us
Surprise, surprise, they are ridden by vampires

Do not approach this book casually
Be awake, be alert, savor every turn of phrase
Be prepared to read some paragraphs twice
It's that good, again and again and again
And then it is over, There is no more
Woe, woe is me, I thirst for more words
Zone One by Colson Whitehead
Trust me, I'm a guy

Brilliant author needs brilliant music
New music to connect the soul
Bad as Me by Tom Waits

Too Much Of A Good Thing? No Way! I Want More!

2012-01-09T15:17:00.000-07:00

Scholar, the new L. E. Modesitt novel
Number 4 (#1 chronologically) in the Imager Portfolio series
Just what I needed and didn't know I needed it
Going back hundreds of years in the series timeline
We get the back story of the Scholars/Imagers
The turbulent social and political machinations
How the young ruler, Bhayar, uses his friend Quaeryt
Setting things in motion to educate and protect Imagers
Quaeryt tells no one he is an Imager
On the surface, it's all about Scholars
The political boundaries are awash with turmoil
There is much to be done
The intrigues are just that, intriguing
I look forward to more prehistory
I hope he continues with the "modern" characters too
Good Stuff!

Music on my mind
Ryan Adams newest
Some fine song writing and performing
Ashes & Fire

Just Can Not Stay Away From YA

2011-11-28T16:27:00.001-07:00

Having read David Weber for years
And totally enjoying the Honor Harrington series
Start with On Basilisk Station you won't look back
What a treat to find him entering the YA fray

Book one of the Star Kingdom novels A Beautiful Friendship
Gives the back story to Honor Harrington's family
The story is that of young Stephanie Harrington
Stephanie is the first to encounter the sentient alien "treecats"
The first to make a psychic bond with a treecat

There are many lessons for both young and old readers here
I shudder to think what our first encounter will be like

As a young man I bought all the LPs I could find
Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee were treasures
New to our collection Backwater Blues
Recorded live at Sugar Hill 1961
Recorded and mastered with loving care
This is the best they have ever sounded to me
The dynamics of instruments and vocals are amazing
Traditional Blues at its very best

Action, Action And More Action, Gotta Love YA

2011-10-27T14:39:00.002-06:00

Lorien Legacies book two
The Power of Six
by Pittacus Lore (James Frey and Jobie Hughes)
Is loaded for bear with action

(Why is James Frey ringing bells?
A Million Little Pieces (A Million Little Lies)
Can't deny his ability to tell a good story)

Book one, I Am Number Four
Set everything up and ended with a Bang
The Power of Six opens fast
Introduces more players, more perils
More Numbers, some dying
The bad aliens are moving in, fast and violent
But for the Grace of God
They have to kill the Lorien in numerical order
Sam and Number Four, literally
Take a walk into Alien Hell

New music in the library
with an apropos song
Smells Like Teen Spirit (radio edit) (track 17)
Outside Society (remastered) woo hoo
by Patti Smith, beat poet attitude on a CD
Only two of the tracks are "radio edit"

Water, Can't Live Without It

2011-10-25T15:30:00.002-06:00

The Last Stormlord made me thirst
Glenda Larke has something going here
My co-worker said "It took me a while to get into it"
I was a goner after a few pages
The world and society building, very smart
It relates to our life and times
The characters are in constant conflict
With themselves and with others
The power hungry and greedy are pervasive (what's new?)
The story is built around the extremes of limited water
Nothing short of a clear eyed vision of things to come
Potable water is a finite commodity
We can't live without it
Interesting and fresh magics
Tried and true politics
Good story telling
Book two, Stormlord Rising
Is in the hand of a co-worker
I think she is intentionally slow
Denying me my gratification
I thirst mightily
I want to know what's coming
I want to know yesterday
I need a slacking quaff of prose
Series title, just what you'd think
Stormlord

Music
I can hardly contain myself
Been waiting for this CD impatiently
It is delicious!
So worth the wait
Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit
Here We Rest
Jason is a former member of Drive-By Truckers
I am so glad he stepped aside to offer his own work
Alt-Country, Americana at its best
Lyrics, nothing short of genius

I Put The World On Pause For Two Days

2011-10-08T15:37:00.001-06:00

Virgil Flowers has a new case
Virgil was just being himself, edgy
Thinking about fishing
Wearing great T-shirts
John Sandford was just being himself
Writing books much better than most
Literate comes to mind
Virgil's sensitive side came to the fore
Made me like him even more
The mad bomber was brilliant
Virgil tried something new
Virgil was Brilliant
And went home alone
Shock Wave
Enjoy

On the Sci-Fi side
Just finished The Digital Plague
Jeff Somers can write shootouts
His character Avery Cates
A noir head case (this is a positive statement)
MW Dictionary suggest Bleak and Sleazy
I'm game, Bleak and Sleazy it is
Avery has a penchant for violence
Not quite, "ruthless killer"
Wanton killer comes to mind
The Plague?
A new spin on nano technology
Fast, Fun, Gritty, Violent!
I learned I had read book 2
It stood alone quite well
I will be dipping back to the first
And moving on the the newer ones
Avery Cates, interesting guy
Lots of Attitude

Music
Not so main stream, main stream
Some attitude, some sensitivity
Lots of Content
Brad Paisley
Time Well Wasted

Hard Nosed Noir Alt-History

2011-09-27T14:31:00.000-06:00

Hard Magic by Larry Correia is a treat
Book 1 of the Grimnoir Chronicles
Occurring in early mid 19th Century America
Many of the major players of the day are mentioned
Their history is Alt, and entertaining
Gist of the story is
Jake Sulliven, a Heavy, is upset
He is having a lot of bad days
He will not stop until what needs fixing is fixed
Very entertaining and varied magicks

Political enemies and alliances are fluid
The Imperium (Japan) is powerful
And behaving badly
The "new" weaponry is imaginative
Tesla's work is the alt-science baseline
Page burning escapist fun
I look forward to more

Music to fit the mood
Glenn Miller
The best of The lost recordings

Needed Some Candy; Found It; Sated; Baited

2011-09-20T15:59:00.000-06:00

Deus Ex: Icarus Effect did just what I needed
Faded away into story land
Violence, Weapons, Augmented Bodies
What more could I ask for
Big Konspiracy (sic) of course
The Illuminati, nothing less
What fun, What fun!
Very Good Story Telling
Two characters with admirable ethics
Complexities of we broken; mending humans
James Swallow
Writer, Scriptwriter, Gaming stuff
Knowing this, the book was better than expected
My "negative gaming cognitive effect"
It's personal (I read, I read, I read)
Time; Make Time, Make Time, Make Time
Soylent Green on my brain
I must get over it
My sister sent my 7 yr old a DS lite
E gads! she's gaming
I must get over it
It's 2011, I need to embrace the present
We will be buying more James Swallow
I need my candy

Music at the moment
Lucinda Williams
West
Alejandro Escovedo
Real Animal
Keepers

Another Very Positive Adventure To The Young Adult Shelves

2011-09-19T14:35:00.001-06:00

Someone recommended Graceling recently
Kristin Cashore delivered the goods
Everyone I mentioned it to said
Oh, Fire is even better
I am now cruising through Fire
Good reading
The magic manifests uniquely
The characters have depth
The plotting keeps me hopping
Fire seems to be a sequel but
A series may be in the making
One can hope

p.s. Just finished Fire
No running in the Library
But get to YA and enjoy!

Tunes
The Doors
Live in Vancouver, 1970
17 minutes 55 seconds of Light My Fire
17 minutes 57 seconds of The End

The Golden Age Of The Solar Clipper Continues To Satisfy

2011-09-14T09:53:00.000-06:00

Full Share kept me turning pages with ease
Nathan Lowell is so good at what he is doing
Full Share continues the story of a young man
Booted from a Corporate Planet when his mom died
Landing a job on a space freighter
He learns to be of service to his ship and crew
You can not help but like the guy
You leave each book wanting to know more
The Golden Age of the Solar Clipper or Solar Clipper series
I can hardly wait for Double Share, coming soon
I hope

Music
Emmylou Harris
All I Intended To Be

Three slow deep breaths
om

Heart Of Iron Seduced Me

2011-09-12T10:50:00.000-06:00

Ekaterina Sedia grabbed my mind
The book would not let go
Heart of Iron is a total genre mash-up
First and foremost, Steampunk
Heady alt history espionage thriller
And so much more
It all happens in Tsarist Russia
The Decembrists have started the unstoppable
Change can not always be controlled
The young fem Noble finds strength
Her accomplices are many and varied
The language feels just right for the era
Great fun!

Appropriately named group for the music
Decemberists
The King is Dead
The Hazards of Love
Enjoy it all

Richard

Brave And Violent New Genre / Bugpunk

2011-08-18T11:48:00.000-06:00

Kameron Hurley is not a squeamish writer
God's War is something very new
Steam does not run this civialization
Bugs are the powerhouse here
Bugs run everything, lights, cars, magic...
This story does not flinch
Diversity of proclivities rules the day
If you tread lightly, don't tread here
The societal setting is very Near Eastern
Muslim oppressors rule the lands
The war between states has no foreseeable end
Men are utterly, completely, totally disposable
The strong female protagonist has much to learn
I could not put it aside
The lessons of war were so well played
The well envisioned and built world
Gave a clear pallet to see what was to be seen
The wages of war were clearly muddled

Something new to you in music
Jimmie Dale Gilmore / Come On Back
Jimmy with his pal, Joe Ely, cover some notables
The pun was so not intended, I'm leaving it (sic)

Regards,
Richard

I Have Lost Sleep / I Am Dread / I Am Foreboding / I Am Not Happy

2011-08-13T10:09:00.001-06:00

Directive 51 scared me silly
Too plausible, Too possible, Too scary
I love apocalyptic stories
Can't get enough of, the end
How will we go down
How will we behave
I now know one more possible way
I am struck dumb
John Barnes
Directive 51, fraught with fear and foreboding
Don't miss it, Don't miss the Daybreak novels
The sequel, Daybreak Zero is available
It's not just about rebuilding
It's not over
It's a big mess and getting messier
There may be no end to Daybreak
Time and good story telling will tell, I hope

Music with an apropos title
Steve Earle
I'll Never Get Out OF This World Alive

Billed As Space Opera, Read Like Very, Very Good Hard Science Fiction

2011-08-08T15:24:00.000-06:00

Publishers, go figure, what are they thinking?
Leviathan Wakes by James S. A. Corey is so good
The publisher splashed a big quote across the book
"It's been too long since we've had a really kickass space opera"
-George R. R. Martin"
The story is so much more than k/a space opera
This book may be operatic, but it's loaded with Hard SF
It's loaded with science
How and Where we are going to live
The politics and social dynamic of how we will live
And so much more
Bottom Line: A Blistering Read

Music worth mentioning a second time
I suspect you did not listen to it
Robbie Robertson / How To Become Clairvoyant
You can thank me later, or not

My Wife Took My Book

2011-07-25T14:33:00.000-06:00

I had just set down my book
Eon: Dragoneye Reborn by Alison Goodman
It disappeared in a blink of the eye
My wife had watched me read the book
I had said nothing, I'm always reading
She must have noticed my absence
I wasn't gone long, But I was, long gone
Total immersion
The family all but ceased to exist
My wife, and the book disappeared
This does not happen often
She returned to the family smiling
We had something in common
A good book!

What's the story?
Strong young fem protagonist
An ancient Oriental setting
Dragons
And a seriously diverse cast of characters
It's shelved down in the Young Adult collection
Take the elevator, take the stairs
But, take the trip
Enjoy!

Music of the moment
Robert Johnson (1911 - 1938)
Robert Johnson - The Complete Recordings
41 songs (12 are alternate takes of his 29 compositions)
Digitally remastered by someone who cared
Absolutely astounding!
I feel like a smiling man with a bad reputation
Guilty pleasures

More Druids And A Brilliant Prey Novel

2011-07-16T09:46:00.000-06:00

The minute I put Hounded down I picked up Hexed
This is great summer fun by Kevin Hearne
The Iron Druid Chronicles keeps me smiling
Poor Atticus is Hexed by some bad witches
He abhors witches, he loathes witches
Unfortunately, or fortunately
He has to work with some "good witches"
It's a relative term, taken with a pinch of salt no doubt

John Sandford's latest Prey Novel, #21, is a bell ringer
Buried Prey tolls for me
(pardon me, too slow getting my hands off the keyboard)
Yes, I know it's not SF and F, but this one, Whew!
This novel warps time and gives us the back story
Things we did not know about Davenport
A glimpse of his first trip through the tulips
Off with the uniform
On with the best threads his budget can afford
Temporary assignment as a detective
"What a bright boy am I", says Davenport to himself
What a bright boy he is
If you have never read Sandford
Start at the beginning
Read Rules of Prey, 1989
Some of the best character development ever
Not one, not one, of his stories will let you down

New to the library
Music worth listening to

Blonde on Blonde, Bob Dylan 1966
Dylan devoted one whole side,
of this original double LP, to one (1) song
Sad Eyed Lady of the Low Lands 11 min.19 sec
Unheard of at the time

Music From the North Country;
The Jayhawks Anthology, Jayhawks
This band was early in the genera, Alt-Country
Music with content

Regards,
Richard

Esurient For Summer Reads? Grab A Plate

2011-06-29T14:29:00.000-06:00

Kevin Hearne is standing on a tall pedestal
Hounded, book one of The Iron Druid Chronicles
Young Atticus O'Sullivan, twenty one
Is really the last Druid alive
His real age, well, he is very very very old
Sidohachan O'Suileabhain has seen it all
There are Gods still roaming the earth
and plenty of Demons, Ghouls, Witches and the like
Atticus has a plethora of enemies
And a few very important and powerful friends
Werewolves and Vampires for starters
The book is laden with humor
Not a little of which
His dialogue in mind speak
With his Irish Wolf Hound, Oberon
The pages will fly
Time will pass you by
Why didn't the publisher publish in hardback?
Same thing I thought after reading Brent Weeks
Those of you as enthralled with The Night Angel Trilogy
Will wonder as much, which reminds me
We need new copies of The Night Angel Trilogy
You've warn them weary
I'll get on it
Book two, Hexed is already here
Currently in my paws
Book three will probably hit the stacks in later July

Music, Something Old and Timeless
New to our collection
Neil Young
Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere, 1969

Don't miss this one!
Regards,
Richard

Strange And Wonderful Science Fiction

2011-06-29T13:44:00.002-06:00

Heads Up and Woo Hoo!
You can now get Blog update email notification
Just fill in the wizard in the right column

I now understand all the buzz in the press
The Quantum Thief delivers
Hannum Rajaniemi is an imaginative fellow
I was not over worked keeping up
I did have to pay attention
But, that was easy, I was totally immersed
The protagonist begins the story in prison
A very very bazaar prison
His removal from said prison is cunning
Arriving on a, yet imagined, future Mars is straight forward
The city is not straight forward
Layers and layers of power struggle and manipulation
The finish left me with satisfied anticipation
What are the true dynamics of freedom
Who are we? Which are we?
The Universe has a new author to watch

Music
Former lead guitar for The Band
Robbie Robertson
Music made collaborating with Eric Clapton
Many great guitar players featured
How To Become Clairvoyant
Don't miss it

Lauren Beukes Maintains Ownership

2011-06-21T19:01:00.003-06:00

Zoo City kept me turning the pages
Lauren Beukes' Zoo City has a different impact
Moxyland floored me, Ironed me flat
Zoo City entertained
Kept me curiouser and curiouser
By the end, I was sated
It was time to close the book
More to come? I sure hope so
Zoo City does not have the linguistic flash
Moxyland ruled my world
Zoo City's young fem protagonist wraps you up
You want to know more
Maybe not get too close
Think Edgy Urban Fantasy Procedural
Or not, but think something

Music?
Emmylou Harris
Hard Bargain

Pure SteamPunk / Dazzling

2011-06-20T16:58:00.000-06:00

I like Steampunk
Admittedly I didn't notice it until
The Difference Engine by Gibson and Sterling
I paid closer attention after that
Tim Akers has just dazzled me
The purest, no genera wash, pure Steampunk
Heart of Veridon kept me up late
Took every spare minute of the days in hand
Left me chomping for a bit
Hoping to reign my impatience in
Book two is in the works and will arrive soon
E gads, what a read! Whew!

Music you too, might have missed
The Decemberists
The Hazards of Love and The King is Dead

The Lost Fleet Heads Into The Deep Dark

2011-06-15T11:43:00.001-06:00

Jack Campbell writes enjoyable space opera
His, The Lost Fleet series gets a new subtitle
It's getting ridiculously long
The Lost Fleet: Beyond The Frontier: Dreadnaught
Okay, Series Title: Sub-Series Title: Title
Jack? Publisher? Publisher? Jack?
Somebody is a little title happy
I'm sure glad the author continues
With good pacing and enjoyable stories
Multidimensional characters
Space Candy, Yummy

New Music just in the library
Steve Winwood
Revolutions: the very best of Steve Winwood
If you were to throw the parts of my brain
That contain Steve Winwood memories
Into a Veg-O-Matic, and then let it sit for a day
The Skim Cream would result in this CD
It's brilliant. It's the songs I want to hear
Starting with two cuts from his early teens
with The Spencer Davis Group; I'm A Man
His influence on the group was overwhelming
Three or four cuts from Traffic
Starting with my All Time Favorite Song
Forty Thousand Headmen
Several more from Blind Faith
and finishing with some newer music
Fondest memory; all but leaning on his B3
The Family Dog, Denver, Co 1969
Eric Clapton standing right there in front of me
Skinny little Ginger Baker in the back on the drums
Chills run up my spine thinking about it.
I was young and dumb, they owned me

Regards,
Richard

Half Share By Nathan Lowell Does Not Miss A Beat

2011-06-13T11:00:00.000-06:00

Somewhere in one of the books
Perhaps an interview with Nathan Lowell on the web
The author explained his motive in writing
Trader's Tales from The Golden Age Of The Solar Clipper
It made perfect sense.
His aim is not to boldly go somewhere
But, to capture life on a space freighter
It's not about aliens
This is not about saving the Universe

It's about saving one another, about being human.
Quarter Share thrilled me
Its simplicity and story telling absolutely captivating
Half Share seamlessly continues the story
I had a free weekend and wasted no time
Reading every word, pausing at every comma
Landing satisfied at the finish.
In the Deep Dark, on a Solar Clipper
Crew is Family

Salt of the earth story
Salt of the earth music
Levon Helm (of The Band)
Dirt Farmer 2007
Electric Dirt 2009

Revolution World; Si-Fi / Urban Fantasy Blend For The Libertarian

2011-05-23T14:35:00.000-06:00

Katy Stauber knocked my socks off with this one
Revolution World is a bigger than Texas, Texas story
There is a little something for everyone here
Gaming, Genetic Engineering, Vampires
Arrogant Homeland Security and Military types
An enjoyable love story
Revolution
What more could you ask for?
No heavy lifting here, but lots of fun!

Texas story, Grassy music
Allison Krauss & Union Station
Paper Airplane
Allison Krauss is quite the story
Started winning fiddle contests at age 10
Signed with a record label at age 14
And where oh where did that voice come from?

Stop What You Are Doing And Read This Book!

2011-05-16T15:47:00.000-06:00

Social Science Fiction at its best
The human condition In Your Face
Hidden on a false background

Moxyland is so #@!$%^&*
Lauren Beukes owns me!
What a frenzy to read
The language will find its way
Our lexicon will change, no doubt about it!
You want to know about terrorism?
You want to know your place in the world?
This book is so sneaky
I thought I was reading a very hip book
I felt like I was out there on the edge of hipness
"Kinda Hear, Kinda Now, Kinda Hip, Kinda Wow!"
(Thank you Frank Zappa)
I was so wrapped and rapt up in this read.
I did not see it coming

You must read the afterword
Titled "Stem Cells" "Extra"
Anything you may have missed
Will be illuminated

I am totally creeped!

Richard

Lost Gate Is So Much More Than Some Of The "Critics" Said

2011-05-16T14:49:00.001-06:00

Thank goodness for book reviewers
They help in picking a books
Thank goodness I often don't listen
Thank you, I'll make my own mind up
Perhaps my mind is making me up
Sci-Fi & Fantasy, ya gotta love it

The Lost Gate is a great opener for the series
The Mithermages by Orson Scott Card
The young lad is an outcast among his people
He has no magic
The obvious arrives
He is a Gate Mage
On the run and being hunted
His own people, no less
Want to put him down like a broken dog
Fun Fun Fun!

Been stressed for time to write
Will try to find more time
Much to talk about

Music in my grateful psyche
Lucinda Williams newest
Blessed

Awash amid anxiety, angst and acerbity
One foot in front of the other
Not looking over my shoulder
I abide

Regards,
Richard

Nathan Lowell May Well Be Channeling Robert A Heinlein

2011-05-16T14:16:00.000-06:00

Book one Quarter Share trips the light fantastic
The Golden Age of the Solar Clipper. Trader Tales Series
Nathan Lowell has captured my R.A.H. heart
Young teen suddenly orphaned
Must join a space ship crew to survive
The corporate planet has given him the boot
With a little help from the Union Hall he gets a job
Signs on with a solar clipper and works hard
Bright boy does good!
Delicious!

Music a must to hear, Wow!
Subdudes newest Flower Petals
A big step away from their "sound"
Feels like; Americana, Folk Rock, Alt-Country
Done from the heart
I'm totally sold and love it!

Happy Days In Fantasy Land; Blackveil Delivers

2011-04-20T09:15:00.000-06:00

I thought all fantasy would fade to pale
After The Name of the Wind
I was wrong, of course
Blackveil by Kristen Britain
Fourth book of the Green Rider Series
The best of Britain's work to date
I have enjoyed the series immensely
The strong female protagonist, Karigan
Has the depth of character
The conflicted human condition we all know
Karigan has the strength to keep moving
In spite of her environs
In spite of herself
Readers of John Flanagan's Ranger's Apprentice Series
This one is also for you!

Music on my mind
Something you will have to go find
Alt-Country long before there was such a term
Sweetheart of the Rodeo by The Byrds 1968
It's worth clicking this link to the Wiki
Enjoy, if you find it.

Regards,
Richard

Thank The Stars For Friends And Fellow Readers

2011-03-24T13:53:00.000-06:00

How in the world did I miss The Name of the Wind
Patrick Rothfuss has written a masterpiece
First published in 2007 and I just got the word
I have not enjoyed a fantasy this much since
Well since Brent Weeks', The Way of Shadows
One of my superiors, who's son I once advised
Thought I might enjoy The Name of the Wind
Winner of The Quill Award 2007
I did not like it. I loved it
Depth of characters
Breadth of story and plot
The prose, Oh the prose
The cadence, the pace, the lyricism
Hot Diggity Damner, Woo Hoo,
Yippi-I-A-Ki-O

Book two, The Wise Man's Fear is now here
I await my turn with much toe tapping
Series title: The Kingkiller Chronicle
Wonderful new series (to me)

Deserves wonderful new music
Harlem River Blues by Steve's boy
Justin Townes Earle

A Pastiche Of Three Worthy Reads

2011-03-14T13:41:00.000-06:00

Wish I had more time to write
It would be nice to flesh some books out a bit
The library is a hive in the full bloom of spring
Job security is a good thing in these troubling times

Starting with the page blitzing YA hit
I Am Number Four will not let you set the book down
Pittacus Lore, James Frey and Jobie Hughes, have a great idea
Their pacing and character development are not lacking
The boy and his keeper are constantly on the run
New names and new places are the norm
They live in eminent danger
The world is in eminent danger
Three are dead
The boy is number four

The movie got hit pretty hard by some critics
IMDB 6.5/10; Metacritic 36/100
The book is a little time well spent

We now have Jaine Fenn's third book of the Hidden Empire
I ordered Guardians of Paradise used from Amazon UK
The book is sadly lacking availability in the US
Little money and some time waiting well spent
I just had to keep going with this story
The characters are further developed
The suspense and danger, closer and bigger than ever
The author is a very good story teller
Her characters do not walk the road well trodden
I am eager the find out where this complicated story goes next

I returned to the Jon and Lobo series
I needed some opera to escape into
Well I disappeared, but I didn't escape
Children No More by Mark L. Van Name satisfied
Jon grew greatly in depth of character
I knew he was complicated and conflicted
I just didn't get the depth of his heart
Lobo, well, he's a machine, but he grew too

Music
Cross Canadian Ragweed
If you haven't heard them, its time
Happiness And All The Other Things 2009
Mission California 2007

Regards,
Richard

Mad Science, Cowboy Angels And A Second Ship In New Mexico

2011-02-27T14:08:00.001-07:00

Walter Greatshell has my attention!

Mad Skills is a manic read

A delightful young girl suffers severe brain damage

Mad scientist embed a chip in her brain

And the excitement begins

Paul McAuley spins the multiverse relentlessly

Cowboy Angels had me thinking of the Grand Masters of yore

An America, one of many, has “Turning Gate” technology

They begin traveling to other Americas
Spreading the Great Democracy

Agents, Cowboy Angels, do the black ops

Subverting the other Americas, ours included

Action packed, Sublime pacing

Wondrous Quantum Physics

As good as Science Fiction gets!

The Second Ship, book one of The Rho Agenda

Trips the light fantastic

Los Alamos, NM has in its lab, a UFO

They have been scrutinizing it for years

Trying to reverse engineer some useful technology

What they don’t know

There is a second ship

Found by three high school students

Much different from the ship in the lab

There is danger everywhere

Two, count them, two serial killers

Good Scientist, Bad Scientist

Good UFO, Bad UFO

And lying quietly at the heart of it all

An extraterrestrial war

Enough said,

Richard Phillips has something special going on here

Read and Enjoy

Music

The Best of Bowie by David Bowie

Space Odity & Ziggy Stardust; need I say more

Want The Usual Assassin Apprentice Story With The Happy Ending? Read No Further

2011-02-07T11:59:00.000-07:00

Farlander, Col Buchanan’s first novel, was delectable

The characters are fully developed

The story is character driven

There is plenty of mayhem

But, it is not, just another Slash and Gash fantasy

There is no magic to speak of

The inhabitants of this tale are on their own

They must rely on intellect, skill, and heart

The sequel, or book two… which ever

Will be out this summer

I am waiting, I am ready to read

My foot is tapping with a little impatience

Music

Kill To Get Crimson by Mark Knopfler

Greg Bear Chills, Thrills And Enthralls This Old Dog

2011-01-25T15:55:00.001-07:00

Taking the old premise

Sending humans from a dying (warring) Earth

In hopes of saving some remnant of humankind

Greg Bear’s Hull Zero Three is brilliant!

The first character we meet

Is awakened some 500 years out

Something has gone wrong, very wrong

I’ll not spoil this book

You read, you discover

You burn the midnight oil

Hey! We’re Human

Not so good, not so bad

Human

Bittersweet, I love Bittersweet

Speaking of Bittersweet

Listen to Bittersweet

Easy Tiger by Ryan Adams

N. K. Jemisin’s Second Book Stands Tall; Jack Campbell Writes Exemplary Space Opera

2011-01-24T15:19:00.002-07:00

N. K. Jemisin did not bunt her second book

The Broken Kingdoms

She Hit Another Home Run!

In The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms

We learned about Sky

The city in The Tree where Gods are at beck and call

Now we learn about life around the roots

Gritty, Dangerous, Scheming, Conniving

Filled with Socio-Religious Machinations

Our new heroin Oree

A blind girl from a destroyed continent

Gifted with the ability to see Gods and Godlings

Among other things

And a compassionate heart

You can’t help but love the girl

I read and truly enjoy Space Opera

I’m now reading book three

The Lost Fleet: Courageous

Of Jack Campbell’s Lost Fleet Series

Campbell just does it better

The characters have complexity

There is a distinct lack of

Repetitive drivel, alas, alack, O Woe…

The battles are well written

The prose, do not stumble

Thanks Jack!

Track Three, Downtown Babylon

Brother Paul Thorn's Mission Temple Fire Works Stand

By Paul Thorn

Yes I’ve mentioned this before

It’s good enough to say it again!

Regards

Rapt Up In The Player Of Games

2011-01-10T15:22:00.004-07:00

Not even finished with book two

The Player of Games by Iain Banks

The Culture Novels

I am in a transcendental fugue

Iain Banks is viscous wicked

Gollum screaming Sneekum

Comes to mind

Book eight was great

Book one set the stage

Book two, the characters,

Both man and machine

Twisted, smart, sneaky

The plot, absolutely astounding!

The society build, so inventive

The tease

A great and noted scholar of games

Joins Culture’s “Special Circumstances”

Travels to an Empire who's power structure

Is based on one’s ability to play The Game

The result

Messy, convoluted, twisted, slick story

Driving the reader deeper and deeper

Where the hell are the boundaries of the Game

Are there boundaries to the Game

Wait a minute. Does this apply to my life?

YIKES! THIS IS THE GOOD STUFF!

Music at the moment

Living Proof by Buddy Guy

Harlem River Blues by Justin Townes Earle

So Runs The World Away by Josh Ritter

WHEW! Music with CONTENT!

Sandman Slim Kills The Dead

2011-01-05T09:58:00.003-07:00

Richard Kadrey continues to entertain immensely

Kill the Dead has enough laugh out loud

To Kill the Living

Kadrey’s knowledge of B movies

Beyond belief

(Is there a wasted youth skulking the frontal lobe?)

William Gibson's tag on the cover of book one

“Best B movie I’ve read in twenty years”

I would never disagree with Gibson

Book two is even funnier

If you like James Butcher

Something New This Way Comes

2011-01-03T14:56:00.002-07:00

The Half-Made World by Felix Gilman

A double dose of whatever turns your crank

And you don’t feel bad after it’s over

Not quite steampunk. A world too well imagined

Not quite fantasy. It’s not magic its Gods

Not quite science fiction. Still feels post apocalyptic

Gripping Engrossing Captivating, More, Much More

You have never read this story before

I could not put the book down

People of the Gun (Think über-cowboy),

With their personal God in their gun

Controlled by “The Gun”

Go toe to toe with

People of the Line

(Think über-industrialist / bureaucrats)

Their Gods are in their machines

Very controlled by “The Line”

People of the Line now inhabit my nightmares

The rest of the world’s people?

Cannon fodder or Gear fodder

There are two main characters

Creedmore, a man of the Gun

In constant conflict with “the Gun” and himself

Dr. Liv Alverhuysen, psychologists, recently widowed

Liv is moving West and growing stronger

looking for adventure (or something)

She finds it

Music of the moment

Drive-By Truckers, Brighter Than Creation’s Dark

Alt-Country is the real country for me

Iain Banks’ first Culture Novel Satisfies

2010-12-28T17:40:00.005-07:00

Having read and enjoyed book eight of the Culture Novels, Matter, I have returned to book one and am smug with self satisfaction for having started reading the books of Iain Banks. The man delivers the groceries, and they are indeed exotic goods. Consider Phlebas ((1987, 2008) we are so fortunate to have the series re-released and in the US) is just a wisp of what is to come, but the story is fully engrossing, amusing and thoroughly thought provoking. The protagonist is not a Culture man, and, is in fact at war with them, and in league with the Idirans. The Iridans are an insectile alien race, growth economy driven, and at heart a bunch of jihadist religious zealots out to subjugate, and maybe do a little business with, everybody and everything they encounter. You might want to walk quickly by any mirrors and not look too closely at yourself or your culture while reading this author, he does not wear colored glasses. Banks is brilliant at painting the human condition, writ large, on a false background. Science Fiction, at its very best.

Music to stir your gray matter.

The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter by Josh Ritter

I Just Read The Meanest, The Nastiest, The Grittiest, The Most Irreverent, Page Blitzing, Exciting, Mind Boggling, Did I Say Irreverent, Book I’ve Read In Decades!

2010-12-20T15:28:00.002-07:00

Sandman Slim by Richard Kadrey is something totally unexpected. Think of Jim Butcher writing under the influence of some really bad drugs with someone behind him poking him with a hot branding iron. James Stark, aka Sandman Slim, is mad as Hell and he should know, he just spent the last eleven years of his life in Lucifer’s domain. The world has changed in his absence, chaos is running rampant in L.A.. The woman he left behind and loved with all of his heart and all his of soul has been murdered. The six fellow magicians responsible for sending him to Hell and the two of them responsible for the murder of Alice are on his hit list and nothing, absolutely nothing can stop him; Not Homeland Security, Not a U.S. Marshall, Not even one of God’s own angels can stop Sandman Slim from doing what must be done. Whew! Richard Kadrey is literate, this is a very literate slough through Hell on Earth with a good dose of literary and cinematic hilarity. This guy knows the turf he writes about. I suspect he know something of hell on earth as well. Kadrey seem quit cheery in his online video spits, and quite entertaining. I like the guy. He has been "their", he's back and he's writing stories. His photo art is for adults only, as is Sandman Slim. I look forward to Kill the Dead, book 2 of the Sandman Slim Series.

Music I've mentioned before but a must mention with this author.

Sympathy for the Devil (track one) Beggars Banquet by The Rolling Stones.

Real Science Fiction With Bang, Great Straight Fiction And Some New Opera

2010-12-15T09:48:00.001-07:00

Running on reviews, comments and male intuition (yes a bit of an oxymoron) I ordered the complete Culture Novel Series by Iain M. Banks. I jut read the first to arrive, book eight, Matter, and I'm smiling like the cat that ate the mouse after a delightful little play time. I am now reading book one, Consider Phlebas, and am running in "complete immersion mode" with Culture. Reading this series will have you remembering your first encounter with books like Dune by Frank Herbert and Foundation by Isaac Asimov. This is science fiction, the real deal, and it makes you happy to be reading.

I had my turn with John Sandford's latest Virgil Flowers novel, Bad Blood, the other day. Grittiest, meanest, nastiest bunch of bad people he's had to tackle yet. Don't start this one without a chunk of time set aside, you will not be wanting to set the book aside. This may not be Sci-Fi but it is very eerie. If you are not familiar with John Sandford, it is your loss. He has never let me down (only author I say this about). You might complain about him not writing fast enough but he is a craftsman and does not release flawed stories. No wonder he (real name, John Roswell Camp) won a Pulitzer as a journalist in 1986.

Mark L. Van Name had the beginnings of his Jon & Lobo Series re-released as a collection and what a pleasant surprise it was to read. I enjoy stories of men with machines that think for themselves (both man and machine). Jon, a vet and ex mercenary; Lobo, a space ship weapons combo, with attitude. Very enjoyable characters and casting Jon as the moral upstanding stall worth guy and Lobo as O so ready to do what he does best, kill.

Watched a movie on the computer while
the girls were in the other room this weekend.
Harry Brown starring Michael Caine,
directing debut by Daniel Barber.
Whew! Have not seen such a realistic look inside
a bad neighborhood's drug culture in recent memory.
This is not a movie for the feint at heart.
Michael Caine is a genius
and knows his craft so very, very well.

Music to go with the mayhem.
Vicious and Walk on the Wild Side
"Doo do doo do doo do do doo"
Tracks 1 and 5 of Transformer by Lou Reed

Regards,
Richard

Kathy Reichs Swings Into YA Series With A Grand Slam Home Run

2010-12-06T15:43:00.002-07:00

Virals by Kathy Reichs author of the Temperance Brennan forensic anthropologists series (starting with Déjà Dead) with the offspring of the Bones Television Series, has moved into the Young Adult genera with a screaming, bases loaded, home run. Her young fem protagonist Tory Brennan, named after her famous aunt Temperance, loses her mother and is suddenly sent to live with the father she has never met. Her father “Kit” is a marine-biologist working for a University in Charleston, SC on a nearby, but difficult to reach, island. Reichs introduces and develops her geeky, brainy characters well and the pages begin to blur with readers chomping to know more. All stops are pull out when this cadre of bright boys and girl get infected with a mutant strain of canine parvovirus and find themselves capable of things they should not be capable of. Where some adult authors move to YA in a pretty contrived way, Kathy Reichs is a perfect fit with a story that will genuinely capture the audience. The science is not contrived; the author has a PhD, and is one of eighty-two forensic anthropologists certified by the American Board of Forensic Anthropology(Wiki). She is the real deal and the story shines (I find all of her work more entertaining than the more famous fem forensic mystery author (Ouch! Didn't I say I'd only be rambling about books I like earlier?)). This, sure to be a series, starts with a bang. While many of us older gents have tripped the light fantastic to the YA collection to read John Flanagan’s Ranger’s Apprentice Series this one should also send you ladies in search of a good story.

Music? Something old, mysterious, curious and very wonderful.
Something a forensic anthropologists might dig up.
The Basement Tapes by Bob Dylan and The Band

Brent Weeks Is As Shiny As Ever With His New Series and Greg Egan Offers Up Some Hope

2010-11-22T14:29:00.001-07:00

I worry about and for new authors. When they leave the starting gate writing like a winner I don't want to be disappointed with something less than their beginnings. Brent's newest book stands tall. If you enjoyed the Night Angel Trilogy you won't want to miss The Black Prism, book 1 of The Lightbringer Series. The characters are as complicated and conflicted as ever and the story is sticky with eye glue. I wish the publisher would re-release the Night Angel Trilogy in hard back, you are wearing our paperback series down fast. They will be replaced as needed, being truly good books, so keep reading.

I've just finished Zendegi by Greg Egan. What an intriguing piece of work. The story takes place in the near future Iran and centers around whole body immersion gaming. A father dying of cancer is worried about how his son will be raised after his death. The father, an Australian reporter, married a very modern Iranian woman who was in the midst of the revolution that brought Iran out of the completely controlling grasps of the clerics. He loves his son dearly and wants his son to have some western values. This is not a blistering read but the folks inhabiting the book are interesting and keep you engaged. The view of a possible future Iran is so plausible it could be more than wishful thinking. If you are an action hero fan this may not be the book for you, If you seek good prose, an intriguing story, and the interior of a dying man's head, pick it up.

Music on my mind.
The Union by Elton John and Leon Russell
Produced by T. Bone Burnett with some
very interesting musicians sitting in.

Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Personal Security People And A Whole Lot More: Also, David Weber Falls Off Flat World!

2010-10-20T16:36:00.000-06:00

Do Unto Others… by Michael Z. Williamson caught me a little off guard. I have not given much thought to personal body guards and the work they do. Picking up Do Unto Others… was a page turning surprise. I considered giving it up but kept with it to landing on the mining planet Govannon. Here the author has created a great potential view of the future of mining in space and the extremes of environment likely to be encountered. The story is very much in the vein of Robert A. Heinlein’s body of work and the characters are, to put it lightly, diverse. The center protagonist is the young college graduate heiress to the hands down wealthiest family in the known universe. The machinations of intra-family skulduggery frame the security details work to keep young Caron alive and the family business moving forward. Williamson has co-authored with John Ringo and knows Space Opera and how to deliver. The tech detailing of the living and mining environs and the detail of the explosives and how they are used is very interesting,down right fun. Military SF fans will like where this books takes them too.

I am just finishing David Weber’s Out of the dark and am blown away. Once again something harkening back to the master R. A. Heinlein with a story of Alien invasion and what humans do when half the population of Earth is destroyed before even presenting themselves and suggesting we submit to their superiority and do their bidding. The story moves around the globe to different groups trying to survive and deal with the invaders. Weber delivers a delightful analysis of the human psyche and how we might react. The psyche of the invaders and the hegemony from which they come from are so plausible as to make me tremble with tremors of fear and joy of who I am (we are). I am a big fan of David Weber and his Honor Harrington stories and the Safehold Series, two of my favorites.

Ye Gads! Yikes! What is going on here?
I just hit the last chapter of Out of the Dark,
had to get up and go to work.
My mind is REELING!
I think I'll take an early break and finish this Sudden Weird.
Whew! Shocking, just shocking.
Given David Weber is writing it, I'll look forward to the next in this, if it's going to be a series, series. It will be okay, he'll do it differently and do it better. I think I can, I think I can....
No spoilers here, read it and weep, read it and howl,
read it and jump for joy, read it and do as you wish.

Steve Earle is ringing in my ears.

The whole CD, The Revolution Starts Now

Thank You, Thank You Readers!

2010-10-17T15:51:00.000-06:00

I am so amazed and so pleased.
Thursday October 14th this blog with just my library home page
touting it, hit 1,000 visits. Wow! I started on December 11, 2009.
A special thanks to those of you visiting from all over the world.
Of course, most of my visitors are folks from the
Campbell County Library community,
but I also have visitors all over the world.
There have been more than ten hits from
Indonesia, Portugal, Ukraine,South Korea,
Spain, Japan, Russia, Canada and Italy.
We live in interesting times and we are very connected.
I'd love to hear from some of you,
how you got here, and why you return.
Just click on the email link if you don't want to post publicly.
Thanks to All of You!
Knowing you are out there and reading this ramble is encouraging.
Regards,
Richard

William Gibson Walks In The Tallest Cotton I Grow

2010-10-09T15:49:00.002-06:00

I have loved William Gibson from the get go (Necromancer, 1984). I didn't even blink with his move from cyberpunk to the present day dystopia stories. For those of you who also read him, his newest, Zero History, is his third installment centered around marketing and all that it entails and more. The first book in the Bigend Trilogy, Pattern Recognition, I have mentioned before and will undoubtedly mention again (easily on my top reads ever list). Whew! What a read. Book two, Spook Country, will delight as well. Gibson's view of our current, recent past and our soon to be world, is enough to strike me dumb, numb and confounded. His vocabulary constantly pleases and challenges me. His knowledge of the fashion industry and fashionista are a delight to learn. All the while spinning and spinning and spinning an outrageous and compelling story of viral marketing and what the industry and clientele will do to be players in their world. Gibson's personal fashion choice, in a word, durable. My kind of guy. The protagonists are always telling the story from a point of view you want to be watching from. The reader gets to feel quite clever while reading William Gibson.

I just finished the latest two installments of David Drake's RNC (Leary/Mundy) Series. Books 7, Into the Stormy Red Sky and book 8, What Distant Deeps. Book 8 may be my absolute favorite of the series and I'm thinking it's about time the two got them selves figured out. One can hardly imagine what kind of progeny they could conceive and unleash on the universe. Space Opera could become more than it already is. Frightening!

William C. Dietz' second book in his Empire Duology arrived at the library.
Bones of Empire is just what I expected of it.
Fast furious space opera with a predictable outcome.
But, what fun!
I left the real world behind for a short while and was happy to do so.

I sorry to not be listening to music available at the library,
but I just can't leave Ryan Adam's early work with
his alt-country band Whiskytown alone.
The lyrics from the title cut of the CD Faithless Street
haunts me on a regular basis.
"If angels are messengers from God,
please send one down to me.
If angels are messengers from God,
I wrote a letter he should read.
Been living on faithless street all by myself..."

If you haven't noticed I am over fond of
Ryan Adams music, lyrics and phrasing.
Come to think of it, his phrasing is
right up there with Elvis Costello.
Remember this stuff is just my opinion.
If phrasing interests you, Elvis Costello is the World Champion.
Proof of the Costello pudding is to listen to
his singing on Painted From Memory,
with Burt Bacharach stroking the ivories.
All the songs are the "light" pop tunes Bacharach penned.
What come out of Elvis's mouth are deep,
brooding, emotional, content laden songs.
I had no idea Burt's music was that meaningful.
Sometimes it's all in the phrasing.
Just remember, this is an opinion,
your thoughts on the matter are much more meaningful.
Just an aside, but, Imperial Bedroom by Costello is
my favorite. The whole CD feels like listening to the
confessions of a bad boy all but unaware
of the coming change.

Regards,
Richard

BANNED BOOK WEEK / READ ONE TODAY

2010-09-28T14:45:00.000-06:00

What a perfect time to read a Banned Book.
Phillip Pullman's, His Dark Materials series is my best recommendation.
1. The Golden Compass 2. The Subtle Knife 3. The Amber Spyglass

Think for Yourself and Let Others Do the Same

What the heck. It's Banned Book Week.
Another YA favorite of mine.
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian by Alexie, Sherman

Enjoy

Jaine Fenn Gets Me Again

2010-09-25T15:09:00.056-06:00

Consorts of Heaven, the second novel by Jaine Fenn is just too good not to mention right away. I loved Principles of Angels as you may have noted in the previous blog. Her second book stands tall, the woman is a very talented story teller at the beginning of what I hope is a long career. Though her first two books don't seem on the face of things to be much related, there are hints. The same aliens, the Sidhe, are afoot and the previous character Nual is mentioned. The author says they are part of her Hidden Empire series but the stories stand alone comfortably. I look forward to the big bang when the dots really start to connect. Consorts... takes place on a planet living on the edge of what feels like pre-iron age and the folks for the most part have no idea they are under the thumb of some not so benevolent aliens. The story begins with a "sky-touched" (kinda, autistic savant, sorta) boy, Damaru, finding a naked stranger in the swamp lands. Damaru and his widower mother, Kerin, take the man home to care for him. Kerin is an appropriately strong willed and strong minded woman with purpose to her life, I loved her. The man has no memory, but a quick clue to who or what he might be is in his finding his primitive surroundings pretty disgusting. Oh What Fun! The world Fenn has created, its social and religious system, are nothing short of brilliant. I look forward to the next book Guardians of Paradise, maybe the big connect will arrive in it's pages. The Sidhe's ability to get inside the minds of humans makes for a very difficult critter to face off with. But surprises abound and heroes emerge from the most unlikely places.

Go with music that fits the titles for this one.
Bob Dylan's, Dylan track 12, Knockin' On Heaven's Door
There have been so many pop covers of this song of late
it's good to get back to the genius who penned the song.

Steampunk Noir Nightmare, Quick Enjoyable Space Opera, A Rousing God Riddled Fantasy and A Twisted Sci-Fi Laden With Broken People On The Mend Throug Action

2010-09-20T14:46:00.001-06:00

Jeff Vandermeer's Finch is one bent bit of imagining. Thought it reminded me of China Miéville's, Perdido Street Station, which blew me away, it had it's own originality and intrigue. Just think of aliens living beneath you and the world running riot with fungal rot that is slowly diminishing your life and all that you and your physical world are. Spooky! The protagonist is not the easiest fellow to like but his complexity drags you along until you don't want to let go and you need to know more about him. He's just a poor plodding detective trying to do his job.

At Empire's Edge by William C. Dietz, book one of a new duology, was almost put aside after the first few pages. I picked it up a little later and the hooks were set. I burned the words off the pages and sighed with contentment as I closed the book. Space Opera, Candy, Yum!

Surprise, surprise, some new thinking in Fantasy Land. N. K. Jemisin caught me off guard with The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms. It is a poor lass from the hinterlands come to the city as a poor prospect to vie with two psychopaths for the throne. But it is so much more. The Gods are enslaved to the whims of the city folk, but twist any and all commands to some twisted demented "Mr. Literal" response. What fun!

I have saved the most interesting for last. Some of the professional reviewers are so wrong about this author's first novel. Principles of Angels by Janie Fenn is terrific. The broken, the depraved and the deprived reign supreme in the delicious tale. The city is a brilliant closed system construct. The players are brutal beyond pale. Faint at heart be forewarned. Yet, those of you, who like me, walked through Stieg Larsson's first and brilliant tale of broken abused humans, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, without doubting the potential cruelty of the human being may enjoy this read. I could do nothing less than admire and respect the young male protagonist telling (living) this tale.

It was so shocking, I can't remember which of the three books above did me in, It was not Dietz' Space Opera, but I was just reading along minding my own business and things slipped in to a full blown stream of consciousness event. I don't think it was a psychotic break, I may have suddenly started channeling William S. Burrows (Naked Lunch), I'm just not sure. The point beyond the event is, I guess, (I don't even know why I'm making this point, but hey, this is Science Fiction, strange things happen.) there are linguistic programmers out there that don't even know they are linguistic programmers and they want your brain, they want your heart, they want your soul. It may be a talk show host, it may be a pretend news man. It may be an author. It might be me. Check the facts, just check the facts. Go find independent and opposing forces, go look at raw data. Don't roll over because you heard it before. "Doubt your doubts", as my semantics professor kept harping at me back in 1968. Read a book, Go with the flow. Don't let anybody know you're the least bit as confused as they are (except for friends that need to know they are not alone).

Obvious Music of the Moment
The Rolling Stones
19th Nervous Breakdown, Disc 1,Track 7 Forty Licks
Torn and Frayed Track 7 Exile on Main Street
Jigsaw Puzzle, Track 5, Beggars Banquet
Thank goodness for mood music to sound track your life with.

Regards,
little richard, Big Universe

If You Are Not Reading Young Adult Fiction You Are Missing Some Of The Best

2010-09-09T11:42:00.013-06:00

Just finished Christy Raedeke's Prophecy of Days,
Book One of The Daykeeper's Grimorie.
I am breathless and filled to the brim with joy and trepidation.
I see conspiracies everywhere I look. This book was such fun!
2012, the end of the Mayan Calendar, is near at hand
and daring do is the watch word of the day.
Caity Mac Fireland never stops to twiddle her thumbs.
Once the intros are made the pages burn while turning.
If you are like me and like strong female protagonist,
look no further. (you might look at the second paragraph below too)

I suspect this book will be challenged by foolish folks,
but what the hey, ideas and thinking really are dangerous.

You have to be living under a mushroom to have missed all the
to do about "The Hunger Games" Trilogy by Suzanne Collins.
1.The Hunger Games; 2.Catching Fire; 3.Mockingjay.
The young fem protagonist in this series make the young lady
in Stephenie Meyer's Twilight Saga Series,
look like a wimpy damsel in distress looking for a rescue.
On the other hand, Katniss Everdeen is one stand up young lady.
She may not know exactly where she's headed
but she is definitely not standing around waiting for a train.
I'm shaking with anticipation for my turn at book three.
Admittedly the Twilight Saga Series is enjoyable,
but doesn't come close the the above mentioned young ladies
and all the young female characters in the Philip Pullman books.

I can not stress enough the great reading you are missing
by not looking at the Young Adult Collection.
It is loaded for bear with great writers telling tremendous stories.
I will undoubtedly return to this theme.
I love YA not to mention some serious gems
in the Juvenile Collection.
It's all about the story telling.

Music for the young at heart (YA) readers.
Patti Smith's CD "Twelve"
track 2 "Everybody Wants to Rule the World"
originally written and recorded by Tears for Fears.
track 1, "Smells Like Teen Spirit" by Kurt Cobain
and Dave Grohl, Krist Novoselic of (Nirvana)

The whole CD is a compilation of 12 cover songs
Smith had been wanting to do for years.
Very interesting mix and great music.
Track 1 is Jimi Hendrixs' "Are You Experienced?"
nuf said; Enjoy!
Richard

Hey Hey Hey
Don't forget to read everything written by Philip Pullman

High Operatic Adventure From Michael Flynn, And More Imager Intrigues From L. E. Modesitt Jr.

2010-07-29T11:58:00.004-06:00

Continuing with some of the intriguing characters from January Dancer, Michael Flynn has put together another enjoyable intergalactic search. Most interesting to me in Up Jim River is one of the two main protagonists, Donovan (the scarred man). This guy is troubling in spades. Earlier in his life he was a spy for the bad guys, but they did an experiment to improve his usefulness and failed miserably. Donovan was given five and possibly eight other selves, personalities, in hopes they would integrate into a super spy. What remains is a guy constantly arguing with himselves and living a very messy life. Along comes the daughter of a former lover, spy, antagonist, in search of her mother. The race is on. Enjoy!

I'm in the middle of the third Imager Portfolio book by L. E. Modesitt and am regretting not telling you about this series before. It is becoming one of my favorite fantasy series in the library. Imager, the first book, knocked me off my chair. The characters and story are both strong and well developed. The plotting has grown deeper and broader as the protagonist ages. If you'd like a little magic in your life, I can't recommend anything better.

Music of the moment
Farewell, So Long, Goodbye
Track 12 on American Myth by Jackie Greene

The Boy Can't Spell, Spell Casting Fraught With Problems

2010-07-19T15:54:00.003-06:00

The first thing I do when starting a new post is open another tab or window with a dictionary, or two dictionaries, depending on what vocabulary gear my brain is in. I could easily relate the the young man in this story. He can not spell and casting spells for him can be very dangerous and or very destructive.

He was not born or educated poorly, he was messed with by the bad guys at an early age. The oh so interesting spell casting alone in this absorbing read is built solidly around the caster's ability to spell in one or more of the languages of spells.

Of course, the world as they know it is in grave peril and Nicodemus Weal, just might be the only man who can save it. The story is much more complicated than your average neophyte "wizard in training" story. Social and political environments are dynamic and complex.

I love first novels and the author, Blake Charlton, has opened his writing career with a great story, Spellwright. I eagerly anticipate the forthcoming sequel to this engaging story. Booklist gave Spellwright a starred review, I can't agree more, it shines brightly

I could also identify with the author's back story. Severely dyslexic through the seventh grade where his intense interest in fantasy helped him beat the problem. The books of Robert A. Heinlein, E. E."Doc" Smith and Ayn Rand brought me into the light about that same time in my life.

Music in my head today
Real Animal by Alejandro Escovedo
Alejandro is his own genre, he crosses all trails
and blazes trails where others have not gone.

Regards,
Richard

Post Apocalyptic Bliss

2010-07-17T13:00:00.000-06:00

I have always had a perverse fascination with what comes after, and the different possibilities of what causes the end of life as we pretend to know it. Elegy Beach : a book of the Change by Steven R. Boyett has a novel precept. The laws of Physics have changed. Magic, what people can figure out about it, rules the day. Most things mechanical just don't work anymore. The story begins a full generation after the change. The truly horrific stuff, is for the most part over, though there remain plenty of bad guys making mayhem, as bad guys are wont to do. There are some interesting folks in this story, a unicorn, Ariel, who has spent entirely too much time with humans. A father, Peter, who walked through Hell for years before landing in a, somewhat safe, beach community on the California coast and stopping there to raise his son Fred in a community. Ariel ©1983 is the story of Ariel and Peter's journey in the early years after the change.

The story is, at it's heart, a coming of age story, Fred's, and an exemplary one at that. It has all the makings of a good heroic myth and the final pages, oh the final pages, be still my heart. The final pages are capable of calming the disturbed (I feel much better). Both books are standing alone stories in their own right, but, I am now going to read Ariel and get the back story for Elegy Beach the writing is just too good to leave it unread. The writer knows prose and has a human heart.

Enjoy,
Richard

Music in my life at the moment.
Gretchen Peter's wonderful song, Revival.
Covered on Jimmy LaFave's CD Blue Nightfall Track #1
and
Brother Paul Thorn's Mission Temple Fireworks Stand by Paul Thorn.
The title cut Mission Temple Fireworks Stand
has one of my all time favorite song quotes I paraphrase often.
"...bottle rockets, two for a dollar, salvation is free."
Paul Thorn started out as a boxer but retired the effort after
spending six rounds in the ring with Roberto Duran, hence
the title of his first CD Hammer & Nail, he seemed not
to want to be the nail anymore.

I Am Not A Critical Reader. I Am A Viceral Reader. Give Me Something To Expirence!

2010-06-25T15:55:00.000-06:00

I have just finished the Jump 225 Trilogy and am breathless. Few writers and critics disagree, this trilogy is a brilliant piece of work. These books grabbed me, shook me and would not let go. On the grand scale of things I kept thinking of The Foundation Series by Isaac Asimov, Dune (usually #1 on my all time ever list) by Frank Herbert and strangely enough but really not so strange, Pattern Recognition by William Gibson. Foundation and Dune because of the grand scope of world building and Pattern Recognition because the unique sub genera "Sci-Fi Business Thriller" with much to do about advertising. I'm hoping the two mentions of "pattern recognition" I caught in my reading of book three, Geosynchron, were homage to Gibson by Edelman. Anyone who has ever seen an advertisement or plans to see one in the future should read Gibson's book. You will be changed in what you see forever and have a lot of fun reading to boot.

I am a slow deliberate reader. I read everything the author writes. I pause for commas, I hesitate for semicolons and I reread the occasional line or paragraph that inspires or baffles. I am aghast at some of the reviews I read of the books I've blogged. Some critics are so puffed with self aggrandizing, I wonder if they even read the book. Don't they like a good story? Don't they want to escape and or think about something else for a little while? You will not find books I have not liked for one reason or another in this blog. I don't finish books I don't like, my list is too long to accomplish to begin with, I don't have time for fiction I don't like.

About the near future Jihadist war series with no name by Tom Kratman, it is now officially Carrera's Legions. Thank you H. O..

BURNING BOOK! Fire Unsuppressable! YIKES! Grand Master Spins and Spins and Spins Time!

2010-06-15T12:56:00.000-06:00

Summer Reading Fans, Here's One Lightening Fast and Fun Read.
Jack McDevitt could not have pleased me more with his newest,
Time Travelers Never Die. It is a joy to read.
No heavy thoughts, save the usual paradox involving time travel.
It's like some of the old great stories where the author takes an idea
and turns it loose on a Mobis Strip and then plants it
at a very uncomfortable juncture in an M. C. Escher drawing..
Time! What Fun! What an idea! What a concept! You get the idea.

Music after reading this one.
"Well, I woke up this morning, I got myself a beer.
The future's uncertain, and the end is always near..."
Roadhouse Blues [track 1] on Morrison Hotel by The Doors

And yes to you etymologists pulling your hair, roots and all;
unsuppressible should be insuppressible or in-suppressible.
Just didn't sound right to me.
Merriam-Webster would not buy my try,
but the Wiktionary even defined the goofy word.
It's 2010 you don't have to be right if someone else agrees with you.
Just ask a pundit or talk show host.
Did I just become what I loathe?
I hope this isn't becoming a theme for my blog.

More War, More Dragons and Some Summer Reading

2010-06-11T14:45:00.001-06:00

I just finished Dragon Haven by Robin Hobb, book two of The Rain Wilds Chronicles. The story continues to stand strong, I'm loving this series. Stronger women, stronger dragons, stronger story.

I finally got my hands on The Lotus Eaters by Tom Kratman, book three of his violent Jihadist annihilation series with no series name. Wow! This guy really makes me think of the value of soldiers and what they do for a living. The war is over now and the troops are at home and starting to deal with local problems, drug cartels, international and intergalactic politics, the usual stuff. The leading soldiers son is being introduced into the story and some of the tribal folks treat him as "Avatar of God." I'm wondering if we have a religious war looming in the next installment (do we become what we loathe?). I continue to burn through these books. My brain continues to re-evaluate my body-politic in regards to war. I think this pondering is good for me. We live in troubling times even as we are evolving (hopefully for the better) as species. I think I've been a little myopic in my middle years. Having a six year old girl makes me look much more to the future.

Enough for now!
Sleepless in Sleepy Hollow Subdivision

Almost forgot the summer reading. An aging thing again.
I just read Patrica Briggs' newest Mercy Thompson Novel, Silver Borne. Of course, a burning book experience. The whole series of stories is just good Urban Fantasy Candy. Few in the genre compare, but, but, but I just read a new author, Seressia Glass. Shadow Blade was a lark! I know this lady is going to delight us in the future, Kira Solomon is a strong protagonist with an interesting day job. Her avocation is fraught with danger and daring do.
Enjoy!

Music at the moment
To be young (is to be sad, is to be high)
David Rawlings' cover of Ryan Adams deliciously down beat song.
CD - Dave Rawlings Machine / A Friend of a Friend [track #2]
Just as an aside, David Rawlings is husband to Gillian Welch.
Their music is always haunting me. Try Time (The Revelator).

Here There Be Dragons, Albeit A Motley Crew

2010-05-18T19:47:00.000-06:00

I've always liked Robin Hobb's Fantasies. Her newest, Dragon Keeper, I love.

The two strongest characters are emergent women, one young and by conventional standards, ill formed with a showing of scales and spikes, the other, an older woman, in her early 20's, past marriageable age and not considered comely by her society's standards and she has become bookish and reclusive, studying Dragons and Elderlings, both diminishing races.

Ms Hobb takes her time building characters but the pace is well set and my interest was always piqued. I enjoyed these people and the lives they live. The family stew is always brewing and angst always lurking in the shadows. The self doubt demonstrated in the interior voices of these two women highlights the short comings of the speech and actions of the people in their lives spurring their awakening true selves.

I have enjoyed Science Fiction and Fantasy with strong female protagonists since reading Robert A. Heinlein's, Podkayne of Mars back in 1963 when it was published. It is my belief that most young boys enjoy reading fiction with strong female protagonists, it gives us clues about those beings, we eventually learn, that we will never fully understand. I am sure Science Fiction & Fantasy led me to my strong feminist posture in the mid 60's. That belief remains strong and in place today. My mother, of course, played her part as well. Future reading of this Blog will undoubtedly demonstrate my proclivities in this bent of my psychosocial development and personal preferences in choosing my reading materials.

Turning the last page was totally unexpected. There was no more to read! The book was over! No semi closure, no warning, the end. YIKES!!! This was not expected. This was not acceptable!

I ran to the basement. WHEW!, book two was sitting on the received shelf and ready for processing. It helps to have friends in Tech Services. Dragon Haven, book two of The Rain Wilds Chronicles, is now in my paws and I don't have to wait. Being an American I'll just butcher Jim Morrison's great line with "I want more, and I want it now."

Did I mention there were dragons in the story. Ill formed at hatching but, like the women in the story, emergent and very interesting.

Music haunting my psyche today, Easy Tiger (the whole CD) by Ryan Adam.

Regards,
Richard

Objectivism, Meets Capitalism, Meets Speculative Fiction

2010-05-04T15:41:00.000-06:00

In many ways this is a Business Thriller with some serious Speculative Science. After reading Infoquake I know why this book is selling so well. This is fun! David Louis Edelman has been in close proximity with many titans around Washington, DC and knows the business and governmental turf he fictionalizes so well.

The glimpse of our possible business future is fascinating, fast paced and oh so cutthroat. The scientific speculation is fresh and the spin is oh so intriguing. Those of us from the GimmieGottaWanna tribe "want" what these people have (then again maybe not). "Hack the body and the mind will follow" is the catch phrase of the day. Programed bots in your neural system do the job that needs to be done (a few powder milk biscuits won't hurt), on command and or automatically depending on the program. Feel surprised call up Poker Face 46.2 or what ever the current version is running in your body. Get sick and the Government controlled Dr.Plugenpatch will fix you right up, you may not even notice.

The personal and business rivalries are deliciously convoluted and complex. The characters are well developed and easily loved and hated at different junctures of the story. Those of you who have read Ayn Rand will undoubtedly keep hearing Howard Roark and John Gault as you burn through the book(s), I'm already about to finish book two, Multireal, and waiting with bated breath to get to book three, Geosynchron, of the Jump 225 Trilogy.

Happy Reading,
Richard

Today's Music
Al Green's "Take Me to the River"
covered by Talking Heads on Saturday Night Live. 25 Years of Music disc 2

Franz Kafka And Philip K. Dick Dream Noir

2010-04-29T15:22:00.001-06:00

I have admired China Mieville since his release of Perdido Street Station in 2000. The book was so amazingly fresh. His newest release The City & The City is once again, something new. You'd think Philip K. Dick and Franz Kafka had collaborated on a hard-boiled police procedural (not quite Dashiell Hammett but so much fun). The bureaucracy is very Kafka the read is very Philip K. Dick (a psychotic break is always skulking in the periphery of your psyhche). There are two cities sharing the same physical space. Ul Quoma a modern, vibrant European metropolis and Beszel a downtrodden remnant of eastern Europe's, not so great, recent past. The citizens of the two cities "may not", "must not", see one another (tough living condition).

I don't want to give too much of this one away. The story has been crafted by a through, professional, entertaining writer. If you like detective stories, and/or, have enjoyed Philip K. Dick you will not want to miss this somewhat speculative noir romp.

Song in my head today.
"Neon Meat Dream of a Octafish"
Captain Beefheart - Trout Mask Replica (1969)
Produced by Frank Zappa
Top 500 Albums of All Time / Rolling Stone Magazine (2003)

Not Earth Shaking, But Unquestionably Thought Provoking.

2010-03-30T19:29:00.000-06:00

Just finished The Quiet War by Paul McAuley.
A far future revolt between earth and
the folks who have colonized the outer solar system.

There are two speculative science delights in this book.
The work on earth to re-establish the destroyed ecosystem.
And, the genetic hacking used to survive away from Earth.
I usually find plausible hope delicious. I run a little low personally.
Science can solve all our problems! Really!
Then we can figure out how to solve the problems the solving caused.
Cynicism is not aiding and abetting a better life for me.

Why terra form a planet, moon or asteroid that can’t be terra formed.
Adapt, dig in, or build a cage. Do what needs to be done to survive.
Different atmospheres demand different bodies.

This four hundred page book plays much bigger than it looks.
Lots of political and familial intrigues and a very diverse cast.

The earth did not shake but the book kept me interested.
Glad I finished it, the reviews for the sequel are looking
very good and I’m looking forward to the rest of the story.

//Flashback:
“see a smiln’ woman and a frown’ man
she’s got a ring in his nose and a ring on her hand”
Savoy Brown - Blue Matter (1969)
End of Flashback//

About the flashback; music lives large in my head.
Books live large in my head too.
A good hook or a good quote deserves head space.
Both are more edifying and elucidating than myspace..

Regards,
Richard

Do You Worry About Genetic Manipulation?

2010-03-16T18:29:00.000-06:00

The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi is a thought provoker.
Fear provoker might be a better descriptor if you have any
sparks at all jumping the synaptic paths in your cranium.

The book happens in a somewhat near future Bangkok.
A Bangkok protected by monstrous dikes and levees.
(The water is up again in this future)

The world has “contracted”.
Genetic manipulation of our crops has tipped the scale.
Famine, Blight, Plague; the whole shootn’ match.

Agra Business rules most of the world.
Thailand has managed to keep the world
and the Agra Businesses at bay.

Enough! I liked this one! The guy can write!
His characters are all flawed, beautifully flawed!
I could relate!

Regards,
Richard

I Think This Is A Rant. Mea Culpa and My Apologies, Sorta Maybe

2010-03-08T13:58:00.000-07:00

A patron came in the other day asking for Orson Scott Card’s
new book Hidden Empire. She said I had recommended Empire
and wanted to know what happened next.
I did not remember recommending the book Empire.
I did not remember reading the book Empire.
Aging is not a funny thing.
I have now read the book Empire, I had not read it before.
Basic premise is Civil War in the United States of America.
With no real North South or East West divide it was a mess.
Blue States vs Red States with messy Urban Blues in the
midst of Rural Reds thrown in everywhere and don't forget Your Neighbors.
How could such a thing happen in the United States of America?
Simple, we are polarized as never before save the 1860's.
Just before the Civil War we all know about.
No one is moving an inch to meet in the center.
We are going down and we are going down hard.
I will undoubtedly read the new book to see what happens next.

But; and this is a really big but.
If you do nothing more, read the “AFTERWORD” p.341-347.

Everyone is “right” in what they think in today’s America.
Critical Thinking may now be defined as thinking critically of anyone,
absolutely anyone, who thinks differently than you.
We are all rocket scientist in this America.
I grew up in the late 50's and early 60's and remember Hope.
I wish there was a little more to go around.
Regards,
Richard

I've Been Reading

2010-02-08T13:01:00.000-07:00

Not every thing I read is Science Fiction and Fantasy.
I love many (all) of the other fiction collections in the library.
In December I noticed a title. It caught my eye.
Waiting for Columbus by Thomas Trofimuk.
I stopped and read the reviews, quite favorable.
I requested a copy be purchased for the library.
When it arrived I gave it to my wife. She disappeared.
Closing the book and arriving back in the family
she says “One of the ten best ever!”.
This is not idle chit chat. Quickly I ask “In the
realm of Carry Me Like Water by Benjamin Saenz?”
“Oh yes.” She says.
My turn with the book. I quietly disappear.
Upon my return I am in love again.
I love my wife. I love my family. I love life itself.
I tell my wife, “One of the ten best ever!”
So, I don’t always read SF n’F.and I can’t not
share the good news when something good happens.
Waiting for Columbus satisfies.

I was running the shelves the other day and noticed
how pretty (“distinct,” guys) the covers on the
Starship series by Mike Resnick looked.
They have been around a while but I grabbed one anyway.
I needed some candy. I was shaking like a junky.
I wanted some Space Opera. I wanted something fun.
BINGO! In spades.
I’m on book three; mind you I’m always reading
two or three other books and pick up the candy
when the heavy thought lifting wears me down.
Thank goodness for the candy.

Regards,
Richard

The Sky Is Not Falling. The Water's Rising

2010-01-13T14:17:00.000-07:00

It may not be global warming, but it is global and the water is rising.
The resulting action in the tectonic plates, and what may or may not lie beneath,
keeps this book’s pages turning of their own accord.
Flood, by Stephen Baxter is a good mix of hard science fiction
and big adventure novel with much to contemplate
scientifically and about the base nature of man.
We all see how we react to catastrophic events around the world.
Sometimes with a great outpouring of aid and succor,
other times with complete indifference to the suffering and death of others.
What do we do when the catastrophe is global?
Some scary speculation on how man will react.
Good story line, good character development, good read.

Regards,
Richard

I Love a Battle Between Good and Evil!

2009-12-21T13:35:00.000-07:00

I just finished "The Calling" by David Mack.
Could not stop reading this one.
Wishing the family had a "hold" or "pause" button.
Took me three days instead of one.
No matter you're spiritual predilections
this book is written with enough open
or missing or assumed information
you get to fill in the blanks.

"I'm just sure it was God pulling the strings
and answering the prayers."

You may think (or believe) what you wish.

The protagonist is such a nice guy.
So moral, so stand up, such a nice boy.
Gave me that wanna be maybe I could be feeling.

This is one GREAT duel between Good and Evil.
The book ends with all the potential for a sequel or series.
Hope the next book doesn't destroy this blog with specifics.
YUCK!

My imagination is having too much fun the way it's written.

Regards,
Richard

“(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding”

2009-12-14T15:10:00.001-07:00

(composer: Nick Lowe) (best cover: Elvis Costello)

I was thinking I was a peace minded guy.
I recently finish reading A Desert Called Peace by Tom Kratman
I like war stories, I’m a guy, but I still think I’m a bit of a peacnick.
This book caught me totally off guard. It caught me off guard
in that I not only finished the novel I read the sequel, Carnifex.
Good finish!

In a future not all that many centuries away from now.
On a planet colonized by earth, a planet not unlike earth,
a planet geographically, politically, socially, economically,
racially and religiously; not at all unlike earth. (Think not so "false background" SF)

Anyway; a soldier loses his family in a terrorists "tower attack".
So, what’s the big deal? This soldier decides it is his duty
to rid the earth of all violent Jihad minded Moslems.
Why the font jump and bold?
Jihad to many Moslems is a personal battle,
a personal struggle with spiritual discipline.
(This Jihad I understand all too well)

If you are at all, even a little, "politically correct,"
stay the hell away from this book.
If you like a good war story
and want to know how to take care of business, enjoy.
Regards,
Richard

Brent Weeks Grabbed My Attention

2009-12-13T15:59:00.001-07:00

Not long ago the library purchased Brent Weeks' The Night Angel Trilogy.
It seemed to be a pretty straight forward Apprentice / Assassin story
when the characters suddenly had a depth of character not always found in Fantasy SF.
For crying out loud the people weren't black and white; right and wrong; good and bad.
Yikes! Too real! Too human!
I loved every minute of every book in the trilogy.
1. The Way of Shadows 2. Shadow’s Edge 3. Beyond the Shadows

Richard

Welcome to my SF blog

2009-12-11T10:46:00.000-07:00

I know the value of opinions.
If you're comfortable
knowing this is just my opinion
we'll do well together.

I love Science Fiction, Speculative Fiction, Fantasy
and the myriad of blends found in the genre.
Hard Sci-Fi, Space Opera, Heroic Myth, Detective Procedural;
I enjoy it all.

What draws me to SF?
First and foremost it's ability
to display the human condition
in a false background.
Removing the cultural clutter of our current
perceived reality can be very disarming.
Secondly is it's ability to stretch my brain.
The Universe is a much bigger place than I can immagine.
It's fun to try.
What will follow is what I'm reading,
what I'm reading about,
and things SF that matter to me
and might matter to you.
Regards,
Richard