Books read and other media of note: |
Only Time Will Tell by Jeffrey Archer Archer
is a master storyteller, and makes the story of a poor lad from the
early 20th C England rising up to aspire to the upper class more
interesting than it sounds... Does resemble Horatio Alger,
although he isn't rich at the end of this first of a promised trilogy. Why Call Them back from Heaven by Clifford Simak. An extended vision of the then current fad of freezing bodies against a possible resurrection, made into a dystopia where everyone puts all their efforts into saving up for a revived eternal life. The Quantum Thief by Hannu Rajaniemi Charles Stross is quoted on the cover admiring this novel. For the most part I admire Charles Stross, and this novel does seem to imitate his style--high tech SF written by an extremely science-based writer. I'm afraid I'm not smart enough to handle all the alien concepts, groups, and subplots, but it is no doubt brilliant. Voodoo River by Robert Crais I'm guessing the title was suggested by a publisher, as it had nothing to do with the book besides the Louisiana ambience. Elvis Cole is getting more ethical in this book, probably as a result of hooking up with a lawyer :-) The 13th Story by Sid Fleischman. He's one of my favorite juvenile adventure writers, weaving in history with strong young protagonists and interesting plot--in this case a spooky time travel to 17th century New England... Bushman Lives by Daniel Pinkwater This is my FAVORITE juvenile adventure writer, although this novel is more in the Young Adult section. This meandering plot involves a portrait of a young man as an artist in Chicago in the beatnik 50's. The book ends in a way that begs for at least a sequel, or better, a trilogy... References to his other fine novels are frequent... Badge of Infamy by Lester Del Rey. This 50's novella carries the trend towards certification to its logical extreme--a doctor is banned from his profession for saving someone outside of the hospital. He catches a tramp freighter to Mars, where he's more welcome in the frontier, and is in the vanguard to fight a space plague, still at odds with the medical community... Jim Ugly by Sid Fleischman Another western story with a diamond mystery, entertaining juvenile fiction, but not his best... |
INBMA |