January Books
Feb. 5th, 2007 07:04 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ellarienOddly enough, I haven't been reading quite as much as usual lately -- at least in book form.
Joel Shepherd, Crossover
Cassandra (Sandy) Kresnov is an engineered supersoldier with the intelligence and heart to decide she doesn't want to be a soldier any more. It may not be possible for her to escape to a peaceful civilian life, however.
I think I may not be the target audience for this book; the politics confused me, at least on a first reading, and the violence, and the extent to which the protagonist is a male fantasy, were offputting enough that I'm not keen to reread. There's some nice, if not terribly original, scenery, though, vaguely reminiscent of Asimov's Trantor.
Dudley Pope, Ramage's Mutiny
In which Our Hero yet again manages to fulfill impossible orders and bring home a bonus as well. I found this one of the more enjoyable entries in the series, with plenty of caper action and not too much infodumping.
Debra Doyle and James Macdonald, Land of Mist and Snow
Sorcery on the high seas during the American Civil War. This is a surprisingly short book, and I'm tempted to call it slight, but it's nicely self-contained and an enjoyable read.
Lois McMaster Bujold, The Sharing Knife: Beguilement
Sweet love story, a bit explicit for my taste; interesting world and characters; not all that much plot. The one-armed hero has his own spork!
Charles Stross, The Jennifer Morgue
Lovecraftian horror meets James Bond, with copious geekery. Sequel to The Atrocity Archives, and very nearly as good. Definitely not G-rated, though. The shorter work, 'Pimpf', included in the same volume, I found less satisfying, but then I'm not an online gamer.
Joel Shepherd, Crossover
Cassandra (Sandy) Kresnov is an engineered supersoldier with the intelligence and heart to decide she doesn't want to be a soldier any more. It may not be possible for her to escape to a peaceful civilian life, however.
I think I may not be the target audience for this book; the politics confused me, at least on a first reading, and the violence, and the extent to which the protagonist is a male fantasy, were offputting enough that I'm not keen to reread. There's some nice, if not terribly original, scenery, though, vaguely reminiscent of Asimov's Trantor.
Dudley Pope, Ramage's Mutiny
In which Our Hero yet again manages to fulfill impossible orders and bring home a bonus as well. I found this one of the more enjoyable entries in the series, with plenty of caper action and not too much infodumping.
Debra Doyle and James Macdonald, Land of Mist and Snow
Sorcery on the high seas during the American Civil War. This is a surprisingly short book, and I'm tempted to call it slight, but it's nicely self-contained and an enjoyable read.
Lois McMaster Bujold, The Sharing Knife: Beguilement
Sweet love story, a bit explicit for my taste; interesting world and characters; not all that much plot. The one-armed hero has his own spork!
Charles Stross, The Jennifer Morgue
Lovecraftian horror meets James Bond, with copious geekery. Sequel to The Atrocity Archives, and very nearly as good. Definitely not G-rated, though. The shorter work, 'Pimpf', included in the same volume, I found less satisfying, but then I'm not an online gamer.
