woodge.com > books

		Below: dashed off notes on the last dozen books I've read.
		God of Clocks (Deepgate Codex, Book III) • Alan Campbell mmpb 400 pages ISBN-10: 0553589334 ISBN-13: 978-0553589337 The concluding book in this trilogy is the weakest of the three, but overall this trilogy was endlessly inventive and unpredictable. The first in the trilogy, Scar Night, is still the best especially in terms of plotting. But beginning with the second book, Iron Angel, characters go off in different directions and new characters enter the fray. John Anchor was a favorite. Also, not all loose ends are wrapped up. The story concerns a fight for supremacy among gods (winged angels cast out of Heaven) and the ruler of Hell, King Menoa, the self-styled Lord of the Maze. I enjoyed it all but I it seems to me that the plotting was either more rushed after the first book or the author was nearly making it up as he went along. I'd be keen to see what he comes up with next, though. [amazon] [27 jul 2010]
		Fragment • Warren Fahy mmpb 528 pages ISBN-10: 0553592459 ISBN-13: 978-0553592450 Now here's a story that's seemingly modeled after some of Michael Crichton's fast tales. The Trident is a large ship chartered with carrying an attractive crew being filmed for a reality TV show called SeaLife. In a remote section of the Southern Pacific Ocean they come across tiny Henders Island. Soon after a landing party manages to gain access to the island, most of them end up being eaten by beasties never before seen on Earth. Good start! And then half-way in, things pick up and the pages fly by. I think some other blurb said it first, but Fragment is like a combination of The Ruins and Jurassic Park. A fast, diverting story with really nasty fauna. [amazon] [13 jul 2010]
		Lamentation (The Psalms of Isaak) • Ken Scholes mmpb 432 pages ISBN-10: 0765360918 ISBN-13: 978-0765360915 This the first in a proposed series of five books, this story begins shortly after the complete destruction of a central city of learning. The setting is somewhat medieval with splashes of steampunk. In fact, the Isaak of the series name is an automaton who emerged intact from the city's destruction. There's a bunch of incomprehensible foofarraw about ancient times and lost knowledge thrown about and several strangely named characters charging about with different agendas (Rudolfo, Jin Li Tam, Sethbert, Neb, Petronus, to name a few). But I found the story to be severely lacking in suspense. The level of interest I sustained was barely enough to keep turning pages. One important character was this guy who seems to be eight steps ahead of everyone else, hatching plans within plans, and annoyingly obtuse about what his motives are. I didn't end up caring much about any of the characters. I'll pass on the rest of the series. [amazon] [9 jul 2010]
		Masterpiece • Elise Broach tpb 320 pages ISBN-10: 0312608705 ISBN-13: 978-0312608705 I was looking around for a book to read aloud that would appeal to both my kids (age 8 and 5). This one is about a young, lonely boy names James who befriends a beetle who lives in his NYC apartment named Marvin. Together they get involved in an art heist. The story is a tad dry and slow-moving and without much conflict. All in all I felt the story to be unremarkable. But both my kids kept wanting me to read more when I was ready to say good night. So that's good. [amazon] [6 jul 2010]
		What Every American Should Know About the Middle East • Melissa Rossi tpb 512 pages ISBN-10: 0452289599 ISBN-13: 978-0452289598 This is the fourth "What Every American Should Know About..." book I've read and just as fascinating as the others. Published in 2008, this book is filled with facts, history, and the current state of affairs of the countries which comprise the Middle East. Although it's not the sexiest title in the world, it's a book that I read like a page-turning thriller. I kept putting down the fiction titles I've been reading and reading this instead. Before this book, I only had vague notions of what what was going on in this part of the world, and little idea of how it got that way. But after reading this, I've got a much better understanding of the area, it's diverse people, and how they got there. One thing that stands out is how you just can't paint these Middle Eastern countries as simply good and bad, black or white. They all have their good and bad points. And the USA is included in that assessment since the USA has had a big hand in shaping Middle Eastern affairs and it's not always been a helping hand. Nobody comes away cleanly from this book. Not the USA, the British, the French, or the many characters in the Middle East. It's a messy world and this book helped me put it in context. This is just fascinating stuff. [amazon] [21 jun 2010]
		Road Dogs • Elmore Leonard tpb 288 pages ISBN-10: 0061985708 ISBN-13: 978-0061985706 Road Dogs is the 19th novel I've read by Elmore Leonard. That's a record number by one author that I've read. The reason is that Elmore Leonard's stories are just consistently entertaining. You can't tell exactly where the story is headed and the journey there is just so much fun. In this story he revisits the main character of Out of Sight — haven't read it, but the movie adaptation is a favorite — Jack Foley, convicted bank robber. The title refers to prison buddies. In this case, Jack's buddy is Cundo Rey, a cocky little Cuban who's sitting on a fortune and helps Jack get an early release from prison. Cundo's girlfriend Dawn, a psychic, has some ideas on how to separate Cundo from his money, but it's not an easy task and Cundo is dangerous. Jack, of course, is one cool customer and not easily fooled. It's a fast-moving, fun tale. [amazon] [1 jun 2010]
		The Warded Man • Peter V. Brett mmpb 480 pages ISBN-10: 0345518705 ISBN-13: 978-0345518705 The first of a trilogy, The Warded Man takes place in a world where the human population is dwindling. As soon as the sun sinks below the horizon the demons emerge. The humans are protected by various magical wards that repel the wood, fire, sand, swamp, and wind demons. But if a ward circle is improperly painted or hidden my mud... the legion of demons can enter and feast on the tasty humans. This story focuses on three individuals that will take the fight to the demons. The characters are very compelling and the tale is deftly told. I enjoyed this story very much and will eagerly look forward to completing this trilogy. [amazon] [28 may 2010]
		Graceling • Kristin Cashore (YA) tpb 480 pages ISBN-10: 0547258305 ISBN-13: 978-0547258300 To be "graced" means you've been born with a special skill and the most telling characteristic that distinguishes the graced from the un- is that the graced have one eye with a different color than the other. Our heroine, the feisty Katsa, has one blue eye and one green. Her grace seems to be superior fighting ability. In her kingdom, one among seven, the king reserves the right to use those graced as he sees fit. Katsa is his enforcer of choice. But she's starting to get ideas of her own. And after meeting a skilled (and graced) fighter from the kingdom of Leinid, Katsa's life takes a decisive turn. This was an easy read, a little too grown up for the younger teens perhaps, and the obstacles facing Katsa are handled well. But I wouldn't classify this as a blazing page-turner either. Also: it's a fairly small cast of characters for a fantasy. This is a stand-alone tale but the author has written a separate book set in the same world. I'm not putting it on my To Be Read list, though. [amazon] [comment via blog] [13 may 2010]
		10 Bad Dates With De Niro • edited by Richard T. Kelly tpb 288 pages ISBN-10: 1585679712 ISBN-13: 978-1585679713 A movie list book is usually not my thing. This book was a gift. But then I opened it at random and started idly reading and kept going back to it until I'd finished the whole book in a week. The lists are unusual, witty, informative, and naturally have plenty of room for argument. These top 10 lists are backed up by commentary on why the movie in question was included and lets you know some of which are intentionally excluded and why. Lists include such stuff as 10 Worst Wigs an Actor Dared to Wear, 10 Gratuitous Machine-Gun Frenzies (I'd seen number 1 thru 8), 10 Best Uses of Poetry in Film, best endings, best opening credits, best use of food, 10 best Coen Brothers minor characters... topics were mercurial and wide-ranging. I've added some films to my to-see list and some to my to-see-again list. Good book for cinephiles. [amazon] [comment via blog] [9 may 2010]
		The City and the City • China Miéville HC 336 pages ISBN-10: 0345497511 ISBN-13: 978-0345497512 This is a strange tale from one of my favorite authors. But it's a bit of a diversion from his previous books. Here he takes on a detective story but adds his own unique wrinkle to the story which is the setting. The title refers to the cities of Beszel and Ul Qoma which occupy the same geographical location. They are sort of interwoven together and the citizens of one city must ignore or unsee the citizens, buildings, et cetera of the other city. Detective Tyador Borlù of Beszel's Extreme Crime Squad begins what looks like a routine murder investigation. But his investigation leads him to follow up leads in Ul Qoma. It's such an odd concept. But it's fairly interesting. However, the story moves a bit slowly. Not a page-turner. I have (fittingly) mixed feelings about this one. [amazon] [comment via blog] [22 april 2010]
		The Polysyballic Spree • Nick Hornby tpb 143 pages ISBN-10: 1932416242 ISBN-13: 978-1932416244 Totally geeked out with this very readable science book. Michio Kaku addresses some of the usual tropes of science fiction and then explains what it would take to actually make them a reality. They are divided into three classes of impossibility. Class I items could happen under the known laws of physics and given another century or more technological progress. Class II items such as faster-than-light travel may happen far in the future. And Class III items (perpetual motion machines and precognition) just ain't gonna happen without a rewrite of known laws of physics. His explanations do not require a Ph.D to understand. Pretty cool and often weird stuff. I particularly liked the weirdness that is quantum physics, an area of science that noted physicist Richard Feynman once said that no one really understands. [amazon] [comment via blog] [10 april 2010]
		Physics of the Impossible: A Scientific Exploration into the World of Phasers, Force Fields, Teleportation, and Time Travel • Michio Kaku tpb 352 pages ISBN-10: 0307278824 ISBN-13: 978-0307278821 Totally geeked out with this very readable science book. Michio Kaku addresses some of the usual tropes of science fiction and then explains what it would take to actually make them a reality. They are divided into three classes of impossibility. Class I items could happen under the known laws of physics and given another century or more technological progress. Class II items such as faster-than-light travel may happen far in the future. And Class III items (perpetual motion machines and precognition) just ain't gonna happen without a rewrite of known laws of physics. His explanations do not require a Ph.D to understand. Pretty cool and often weird stuff. I particularly liked the weirdness that is quantum physics, an area of science that noted physicist Richard Feynman once said that no one really understands. [amazon] [comment via blog] [7 april 2010]