Books read (relatively) recently
May. 8th, 2006 09:41 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ellarien(but not including Vellum and Never Let Me Go.)
The bits below the cuts might be considered spoilers.
Sharon Lee & Steve Miller, Balance of Trade
This is pretty much the last fictional thing from the Old Backlog that I actually wanted to read, and I finally got to it last week. It's a pleasant read, the story of a young lad recruited to improve cross-cultural understanding between Liaden and Terran traders, some centuries before the main Liaden series takes place. I felt it was Liaden Lite, rather gentle, with only modest stakes and no grand passions; if I thought he'd find it interesting, I'd be quite comfortable recommending it to my eleven-year-old nephew. (And no, that's not damning with faint praise. I enjoyed it, and it was just what I needed last week.)
Naomi Novik, His Majesty's Dragon
Let me just join the chorus on this one; it's delightful. Dragons and napoleonic-era warfare -- what's not to like? Temeraire is an engaging character, with his intelligence and curiosity, and the setting is intriguing and deftly drawn. (I was amused by the bit at Wollaton Hall. I've been there; at that point the house held an industrial museum, and the park, on the fringes of Nottingham, still has deer.) I have the next installment, but I'm saving it for a trip.
Robin Page, Death at Blenheim Palace
Another installment in the series of Victorian/Edwardian mysteries featuring real people -- in this case, Winston Churchill, the Duke and Duchess of Marlborough, and a very young T. E. Lawrence. The mystery involves a ring of jewel thieves plotting a heist at Blenheim palace; a pleasant page-turner but nothing special.
I also re-read five Cherryh novels, but that's a separate post.
The bits below the cuts might be considered spoilers.
Sharon Lee & Steve Miller, Balance of Trade
This is pretty much the last fictional thing from the Old Backlog that I actually wanted to read, and I finally got to it last week. It's a pleasant read, the story of a young lad recruited to improve cross-cultural understanding between Liaden and Terran traders, some centuries before the main Liaden series takes place. I felt it was Liaden Lite, rather gentle, with only modest stakes and no grand passions; if I thought he'd find it interesting, I'd be quite comfortable recommending it to my eleven-year-old nephew. (And no, that's not damning with faint praise. I enjoyed it, and it was just what I needed last week.)
Naomi Novik, His Majesty's Dragon
Let me just join the chorus on this one; it's delightful. Dragons and napoleonic-era warfare -- what's not to like? Temeraire is an engaging character, with his intelligence and curiosity, and the setting is intriguing and deftly drawn. (I was amused by the bit at Wollaton Hall. I've been there; at that point the house held an industrial museum, and the park, on the fringes of Nottingham, still has deer.) I have the next installment, but I'm saving it for a trip.
Robin Page, Death at Blenheim Palace
Another installment in the series of Victorian/Edwardian mysteries featuring real people -- in this case, Winston Churchill, the Duke and Duchess of Marlborough, and a very young T. E. Lawrence. The mystery involves a ring of jewel thieves plotting a heist at Blenheim palace; a pleasant page-turner but nothing special.
I also re-read five Cherryh novels, but that's a separate post.