5
Following
Strong tea and good books
“You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me.”
Popcorn
A playful satire on the Hollywood media circus that surrounds celebrity, on the violence that permeates through modern culture, and a society that often doesn't take responsibility for its actions.Popcorn is a surprisingly enjoyable book that leaves you tantalisingly on the precipice of knowing who the characters are based on, and this is something that occurs when it first came out and is true today.
It is by no stretch of the imagination the best book in the world, nor is it one that will stretch you intellectually, or affect you emotionally. It is what it sets out to be, an interesting and entertaining look at the movie business, modern life, and celebrity in general, through the medium of fiction.
Citadel
John Ringo's Citadel is surprisingly slow to get going at the beginning, considering that it is a sequel to Live Free or Die and that's because the focus at the beginning is on introducing two new characters to the plot, which does remove the almost complete focus on Tyler Vernon. In addition there are some ignorant errors in the book.The problem with that is the way they are introduced, through their training, is slow, very technically orientated, and dull. As the story progressed to conflict and preparation for that conflict, it became more interesting and engaging a novel.
Of the number of awful errors in the book, the most glaring is how Ringo describes the current British Prime Minister (in the novel) as being the first Tory Prime Minister since Margaret Thatcher. The glaring error is that Thatcher was immediately followed by John Major as Prime Minister, a man who was Prime Minister from 1990-1997, and I believe the first novel is set after 1990!
The other error is one I find common amongst American writers. This is where Ringo states, through the Indian Prime Minister, that the world's biggest democracy (India) will work with (or something along those lines) with the world's oldest democracy, which is implied to be the USA.
Now democracy was invented in Athens, Greece, but even if what was meant was oldest continuing democracy, it still isn't America, Iceland has the world’s oldest elected parliament, dating from 930 AD, while New Zealand granted universal adult suffrage in 1893, something not achieved in the US until after the Civil Rights movement had won the right to vote.
I like the book, I like the story, but when the author's own politics shine through the text in a way that shows a shocking lack of research, or ignorant patriotism, it is really annoying and greatly detracts from the quality of the work.
Neuromancer
Disappointing.The concepts throughout the book are of course highly influential and spawned the Matrix, cyberspace, and AI influencing humans. It doesn't make up for what was a difficult read that got better towards the end to a point where you could follow what was going on before confusing everything to end the story in what to me was a disappointing and unfulfilled ending.
The first third of the book was difficult to grasp and get into, there was no sense of inserting yourself into the author's world, in the last third, or third quarter, it was a lot better but the sense of not being fulfilled by the story, plot, and characters is very prevalent while reading and the fact it took me so long to finish for a relatively short book indicates my lack of enjoyment.
An interesting novel, with fantastic concepts for its time, but not a great literary triumph.
The Gunslinger
I really wanted to love this, I wanted to get stuck into another series that I would read in rapid succession and devour with great delight. That did not occur, even though I liked the book.
I did not finish the book wanting to order the next one and read it right away, nor did I buy the following books in the series mid-way through the book as I have done with other first books in a series.
Analysing why leads me to believe that my high hopes were a contributing factor, but also I think the story itself is the reason. I found it slow to develop and hard to follow at the beginning as the story keeps thing very mysterious without much detail or information to entice the reader on.
The constantly changing scenes at the beginning which do not follow chronologically make it hard to grasp what is going on. This may have been deliberate, and I am sure it was, but for me it reduced my enjoyment of the book as the plot unravelled at a glacial pace.
It wasn't until after halfway that enough detail was revealed to enable even a small comprehension of what is going on, enough to want to find out further developments and why exactly Roland is chasing the Man in Black and who exactly is he.
Now I was reading the expanded and revised edition, so perhaps it does have more fluff at the beginning, and the original is tighter and progresses the story quicker, but if that is the case, then this can only be an improvement on the basis of tying it up with books later in the series (as I have read) rather than any improvement to the actual story.
Did I enjoy the book? In the end yes, the latter half did leave me wanting more.
Will I read the next book? Yes but not right away, there are higher priorities on my to-read list.
Revelation Space
Sometimes the ideas and thoughts I want to express are difficult to formulate into words that give justice to my thoughts. It is as if English does not have the facility to express these thoughts, even though that is clearly not the case. Initial impressions with this book had me worried that it would be a story of disparate parts that never come together. So at first it reminded me of a science fiction version of Cloud Atlas.
This is not a good thing.
I seem to be one of a small minority on Goodreads who did not like Cloud Atlas and was distinctly unimpressed by the way it never really came together or worked as a novel, instead being merely a collection of 6 tenuously linked short stories.
Luckily this was not the case with Revelation Space as it all comes together into a cohesive whole that makes sense of the chaos at the beginning.
At first the separate stories and multiple characters seemed quite random and were developing with little cohesion. Fortunately as the story progresses and establishes itself it all comes together into what suddenly becomes a very interesting book that is in essence, a mystery, set hundreds if not thousands of years in the future.
The writer explores many concepts, including apocalyptic events, environmental catastrophes, and genetic engineering. It holds your interest and gives you plenty of information and details to help understand the vision of the future the author is creating.
As an enjoyable read that came to an ending that I did not expect or see coming I can only recommend it to science fiction fans. A novel that comes to a unexpected but not unfulfilled ending is always a good thing.
I shall be reading further books by the author and in this series in the future.
Lost Fleet: Beyond the Frontier
When you've read all six Lost Fleet books, and then the first in the Beyond the Frontier series in virtually one go (i.e. less than a month), the concept of waiting for the next one to be published is hard to accept!This book continues the Lost Fleet series as it describes, beyond the frontier with the 'Enigma Race' and into their territory. Due to the addition of a new species, new areas of space, and changes to the fleet, it brings new angles and interest to the series and the characters.
There continues to be one central character, John 'Black Jack' Geary, with two other main characters, Desjani and Rione, though they are always seen exclusively through interactions with Geary.
The novels are written in the third person but basically from a first person perspective. It works, but it does make the series very focused on one character and thus the only interactions and knowledge of the universe that the author has created is through that characters eyes and thought processes.
All in all, a great book for sci-fi fans and I eagerly await the next installment.
Victorious (The Lost Fleet, Book 6)
Victorious is a fitting conclusion to what is the Lost Fleet series, dealing mainly with the aftermath of what has happened in the first five books, (the fifth of which is the best in the series), and featuring a bit more politics and a wider focus on what is occurring throughout the star systems of humanity after the events of the Lost Fleet deep in Syndicate space.The fallout from those events is a great stage on which Campbell/Hemry concludes the story of the Lost Fleet while bridging it to the start of a new series dealing with the discovery of the 'Enigma race' on the borders of humanity's sphere of influence in the star systems.
Relentless (Lost Fleet 5)
I really, really enjoyed this book, the story developed a great deal, the characters were fleshed out some more, and the action was back to its best, interesting and exciting.In my view, this book, number 5 in the series, is of the same quality and possibly even better than the first, which given it is number 5, is some achievement. The politics have increased, the intrigue is great, and the way the series is coming together is special, something I've found other series have failed to do.
It still rankles that some things are explained in each book but for some reason, due to all that went on and the developing plot lines and the subplots that have come to the fore, it didn't bother me as much. The rate at which I am racing through this series concerns me in that soon I will be up to date.
If you like science fiction, military sci-fi, and space opera, then this series is absolutely for you.
The Lost Fleet: Courageous Bk. 3
The Lost Fleet series continue to entertain, and enthrall. At this point in the series however the lack of further character development and almost complete focus on Geary, with minor bits of Desjani, and Rione, but all through Geary has the series like a first person story told through a third person perspective. The story is still fascinating, and I will continue with the series however some of the repetition of how fleet conferences work, light speed delays, and other bits is getting a bit annoying due to this repetition.
What I believe the series and novel lack is background, background of the two sides, the people involved, and the history of the conflict and human development.
Paths of Glory; He Loved Two Women... And One of Them Killed Him
Who was the first person to reach the top of Everest? Did George Mallory beat Edmund Hillary by a three decades or did he fail to reach the summit?The book details the life story of George Mallory, mountain climber extraordinnaire and schoolteacher, from his start in climbing to his attempts to climb Mount Everest. Mallory being the man who responded to question "Why do you want to climb Mt. Everest?" with the phrase "because it's there."
An interesting tale, that leaves question marks at the end, fictionalised as it is, and which has been added to by the recent discovery of Mallory's body below the second step. The life of George Mallory is interesting and one I was not familiar with before this book. An excellent read.
The Lost Fleet: Dauntless Bk. 1
I wish there was a 4 and a half star rating as I wouldn't say it was amazing, but it sure is one of the better sci-fi books I've read, a great book and I will be reading the sequels.
The Long Walk
This is surprisingly to me, my first Stephen King novel, it surprises me I suppose because I have grown up with Stephen King influenced literature, films, and television. From The Green Mile, Shawshank Redemption and the Shining, I have been exposed to the work of King many times and enjoyed all of them.The Long Walk is very different from other books I have read, a book about a Long Walk is relentless in its focus on the Walk, nothing else matters, and you don't want to focus on anything else. This book affected me, the constant warnings, the punching of tickets, had me, while I was reading it, making sure I kept my pace when I was walking, looking over my shoulder, and focusing very hard on my walking.
It was quite strange to experience that while reading it and it is probably the first time a book has influenced my actions or feelings like that when I'm not asleep. It is a great book, absolutely gripping, and frightening.
Bleachers
I enjoyed Bleachers, a different novel for Grisham in that the central focus is sport not a legal case. Being a fan of American football I am sure that is influential in my appreciation for the story and the writing. To my mind, it is just a nice reminiscing tale of high school life from the point of view of the protagonist/narrator, and his experiences with the coach. The influences for the novel are obvious but at the same time, it is still a good read.
The Associate
Grisham is in a rut, that or he isn't spending enough time on his novels because this one, which starts off well, has a plot very similar to the Firm, ends really badly.Kyle McAvoy and Mitch McDeere are almost interchangeable except for economic background, both brilliant law students, both hired by big firms, both blackmailed to do things they don't want to do.
The difference? The Firm is by far the better book as the ending is more conclusive, more fulfilling, and wraps the whole story and characters up. The Associate does none of this, leaving several questions unanswered, to such an extent, you wonder if a sequel isn't being planned, though this would be very un-Grisham.
All in all, good mystery, good plot to begin with, disappointing ending.
Life and Laughing: My Story
I do not usually read autobiographies, I think i've read 3 at most and this is usually because they do not interest me and because most of the autobiographies that come out now are written by people of little talent who in some instances surprise me that they could actually write a book. They are often far too young to be telling "their story" and do not have any interesting journey to tell, Rooney, Gerrard, any footballer or newly found 'celebrity'.However this one is different, very different and I like what Michael has done with it. From starting off with needing to set up his office to write the book to his young life, his parents, his quest for his love, and his attempts to make it as a comedian.
I would not have even read this book but for the Mrs getting it for her birthday, reading it, and me hearing the frequent and loud outbreaks of laughter that occurred when she read it. So in the end, I had to read it, and I am very glad that I did.
Very rarely do I read a book that makes me laugh out loud and is so very funny, but Michael McIntyre's autobiography is a wonderful mixture of laughs, stories, and the journey he undertook. I recommend it to anyone who is a fan of his stand-up.
Carpenter's Pencil
I picked up this book on the recommendation at the end of my edition of The Shadow of the Wind expecting to be enthralled in a story set in the Spanish Civil War. I was severely disappointed.Perhaps it is the translation that is at fault, though I struggle to believe that is the main reason I didn't enjoy the novel. About a Doctor imprisoned by the Nationalists for his Republican sympathies the book never really gets going, it is never able to capture the reader and drag him into a world that he has created in his prose.
Despite its short length, it took me a long time to finish because I would not be wanting to continue with it to see what happens, an occurrence which is quite rare for me.
I do wonder if the essence of the book has been lost in translation, but given my inability to read Galician, I can only rate my experience with the English translation of this novel.