Twisted Metal by Tony Ballantyne

Mini-Review

Wow.

I just finished Twisted Metal by Tony Ballantyne last night. I've gotta say, it's a mess.

The world just does not track true to me. No justification is given for the levels of technology that suddenly appear and would have been useful just pages before (or even afterwards in different applications). What powers the Robots? They are never depicted 'eating', fueling up, or recharging. Why would you bother collecting bauxite ore if you think Aluminum is mythical? How can you develop nuclear reactors if you don't even understand the role that oxygen can play in chemistry or metallurgy? Why is the main weapon of the Robots an awl (as opposed to a stiletto or rondel)?

I even found a major typo!

At least the philosophical issues are interesting and the action fast paced. The narrative is, in fact, quite addictive. I can hardly wait for the next book in the Penrose series!

***/5

Ringworld's Children by Larry Niven

Mini-Review

I thought that Ringworld's Children by Larry Niven fit in very well with the series. It is a little short, and a bit too concise, but that probably helped the pacing.

It is a thoroughly entertaining continuation and, perhaps, conclusion to the series.

***/5

The Dragon Book

Mini-Review

I have just finished reading The Dragon Book: Magical Tales from the Masters of Modern Fantasy edited by Jack Dann and Gardner Dozois. I thouroghly enjoyed it; not a single story failed to entertain!

As a fan of Naomi Novik's Temeraire series, I'll admit that the main reason I purchased this book was for her story, Vici. I was not dissapointed.

I was, however, pleasantly suprised that the other stories in the book also held my interest. There is some great variation represented by this collection in both setting and type of type of dragon(s) encountered. For instance, one story may take you to Tsarist Russia where winged terrors are hatched from firery eggs while another takes you to a 195o's nuclear testing site in Nevada where an ancient alien dragon curse comes to light.

While each story has it's own weaknesses, and some stories are weaker than others, the collection as a whole was excellent.

My favorite stories were:

• Humane Killer by Diana Gabaldon and Samuel Sykes
• A Stark and Wormy Knight by Tad Williams
• None So Blind by Harry Turtledove
• The War That Winter Is by Tanith Lee
• The Dragon's Tale by Tamora Pierce
• Dragon Storm by Mary Rosenblum

Oh, and don't let John Jude Palencar's destinctive cover image fool you - the book does not contain a story by Christopher Paolini.

****/5

Virga: Cities of the Air by Karl Schroeder

Mini Review

Virga: Cities of the Air by Karl Schroeder is a great adventure in World building, not unlike Larry Niven's Integral Trees. The story is, however, dragged down by the immorality of its characters, by its over-reliance on coincidence, and by a very odd concept that a bullet can both remember it's journey and transfer that memory to the person it hits.

***/5

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies!

(mini-review)

Excellent fun!

I just finished reading Pride and Prejudice and Zombies Deluxe Edition by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith. If you have not read this one yet, and you have read the original Jane Austen novel, I highly recommend it.

Here's hoping that this nascent genre has not reached its pinnacle with its first specimen. . . and further, that such works do not cause Jane Austen to rise from the dead in outrage.

Rating:
****/5

A Lazyman's Catch-Up Post

Look at that - another gap in time.

Mini-Reviews:

Ventus by Karl Schroeder - This book actually takes place in the same universe as Lady of Mazes. And it's almost as good. I really enjoyed this Fantasy/Science Fiction cross-over.

****/5

Tuck by Stephen R. Lawhead - A Great ending to a great series.

****/5

The Winds of Darkover by Marion Zimmer Bradley - After a clumsy intro, this obvious potboiler actually gets interesting. But it is too short. The author even admits she wrote this one because she needed some fast cash.

***/5

If I pay thee not in Gold by Piers Anthony and Mercedes Lackey - The first half is slow and plagued by heavy foreshadowing. The second half is just not very compelling and ultimately results in an unsympathetic protaganist.

BTW the conclusion of the book's title statement is (spoiler):

I'll have freaky three way demon sex with thee.

**/5

Distant Early Warnings Ed. Robert J. Sawyer - Warning, avoid! Okay, there are a few good stories in there, Sawyer's work notwithstanding.

Note to RJ: If you have to come up with justifications not to include better authors than yourself in a compilation and then put two stories of your own in there, chances are your compilation sucks as much as your stories.

**/5

The Green Trap by Ben Bova - Abysmal.

0/5

On T.V:

Warehouse 13 - I finally gave this show a chance. I like it!

Sanctuary Season 3 - Why did they change the music? And why did they change it to something so inferior?

Stargate Universe Galactica - I may abandon this show soon for the same reason I abandoned Battlestar Galactica. I just don't like any of the characters.

An Update

Hi all,

I started a second blog a while ago where I can go off and rant about anything. Mostly that means politics or things I heard on the news but sometimes it will be about non-SF&F pop culture or some other minutiae of my life. It's called I Don't Buy That.

My second update is a notification that I am discontinuing my use of the mini reviews in the 'Just Finished' portion of the left hand column. I will continue to post the names of books I have recently completed reading, but the mini reviews will now be placed as blog entries.

Update - Here are the last of the "Just Finished" blurbs:

1491: New Revelations of the Native Americans Before Columbus by Charles C. Mann

An excellent compendium of new discoveries and emerging theories in archaeology. While some will find the conclusions controversial, I support virtually every claim in this book. It will be interesting to see the results of some research that was still ongoing when the book was released.


History of the Hobbit Part 2: Return to Bag End by John D. Rateliff

I admit, I skipped the last portion of this book. Otherwise, I found it intriguing.


The Space Opera Renaissance by David G. Hartwell and Kathryn Cramer

I stalled out on the last story, but I enjoyed all the others!