false 8 28 28 true 5736047 read 0 true 684301 currently-reading 0 true 684300 to-read 18 false 688590 sf 12 false 684314 pre-2000 10 false 684625 fantasy 8 false 688592 hardsf 3 false 3560235 pre-1980 2 false 3644465 comics http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/36683215 to: 1812: The Rivers of War (Trail of Glory, #1) by Eric Flint
Eric Flint takes a look at how the War of 1812 could have unfolded had Sam Huston not taken a major injury at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend and was able to participate fully in the war. In the Afterward of the book he mentions that the 'Big Idea' for this one was creating an environment where the Cherokee could have migrated across the Mississippi in a manner of their choosing, rather than at gun-point by the US government. This book sets that up.

The book itself is a very good read. The story telling is gripping, including the battles which are eye wateringly bloody in this age of smooth bore muzzle-loading muskets. What's more, he still manages to educate the reader into why the tactics of the British of the time (stand in a line, perform volley fire upon your foes), really did work; something that is generally missed in US History classes.

And finally, this book really brought to my attention how little I know about the War of 1812. Something I need to remedy with some supplemental reading. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/36232631 to: Birds of Prey, vol. 4: The Battle Within (Paperback) by Gail Simone
bookshelves: comics
This book represents the issues that drew me into Birds of Prey in the first place, and where I fell in love with the character of Black Canary. All thanks to this person. I particularly like the arc of Black Canary, her time learning to live in the footsteps of the Assassin, and her attachment to the girl Sin. Very well put together, and was a great introduction to Gail Simone's storytelling. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/36232209 to: Birds of Prey, vol. 3: Between Dark & Dawn (Paperback) by Gail Simone
bookshelves: comics
Between Simone's story-line and the cheesecake art of Benes, this book is a joy to read. Simone is my favorite writer, and this book is a good ramp-up to the next one, Birds of Prey vol 4 The Battle Within. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/35151621 to: The Long Hunt (Mageworlds) by Debra Doyle
bookshelves: fantasy, pre-2000, sf
Not as well written as the previous books in this series. It definitely feels rougher. This book takes place after the Becca books. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/35151432 to: The Gathering Flame: The Prequel to Mageworlds (Mageworlds, No 4) by Debra Doyle
bookshelves: pre-2000, sf
Space Opera! This is the story of Joss Metadi and the Domina of Entibor. Pieces of this have been hinted before this book, but this is the story that sets a lot of the Becca books up. There are more prequels to this one, but this is how 'known space' crystallizes from a group of separate nation-states into a larger political entity. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/35150926 to: The Price of the Stars: Book One of Mageworlds (Mass Market Paperback) by Debra Doyle
bookshelves: pre-2000, sf
This is space opera! This is not hard science-fiction at all, it's an adventure. For those who like adventures in space, but tire of long-winded expositions about how this nifty weapons system is really nifty, this is a very friendly series.

This first book sets up the rest of the Mageworlds series. It doesn't stand alone well at all, but the craft is pretty good. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/35149180 to: Greyfax Grimwald (Circle of Light, Book 1) by Niel Hancock
bookshelves: fantasy, pre-1980, pre-2000
The first of four books. The jacket copy is rather purple, as this book is pitched in that clear 1970's way to people who liked Lord of the Rings, but wanted more in that vein. Neil Hancock is no Tolkein even though there are dwarfs and things.

Reading this book 30 years after publication, I can see what a 'hail mary' this was for the publishers. It was clearly an effort to feed a market started by LotR, but it sadly doesn't do that. It would have been far better pitched as a separate series unrelated to LotR, as it falls short of Tolkein expectations in many ways.

Thematically, we have a council of wizards out to defend the worlds against the encroaching darkness, and our plucky heroes are part of that. In this first volume we build the world and introduce the characters, Bear, Otter, Dwarf, and namesake wizard Greyfax Grimwald.

From a writing craft point of view, it is uneven. The narrator of paragraphs is not always declared, in many cases leaving it up to the reader to figure out who just spoke. Also, "Dwarf" is used as a proper name a lot of the time, which means many places where other authors would would have written: "And then the Dwarf spoke up," instead Niel writes, "And then Dwarf spoke up", which can trip up the unwary reader if reading aloud.

On the other hand, he does bring in an element you never see in Fantasy: firearms. There be guns in this series, and there be a lot of them, generally in the hands of the other guy; the characters that get much POV-time all eschew them whenever possible. This provides an interesting twist to the classic fantasy quest series. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/34255504 to: A Fire Upon The Deep (Zones of Thought) by Vernor Vinge
bookshelves: hardsf, sf
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/34252246 to: Iron Sunrise (Paperback) by Charles Stross
bookshelves: hardsf, sf
Yummy Stross. A stand-alone sequel to Singularity Sky. It shares some plot-threads from Singularity Sky, but it doesn't feel like the second of two books. The opening section describes what happens to a planetary system when the sun goes super-nova. That alone is worth the read. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/34252131 to: Witches Abroad (Discworld, #12) by Terry Pratchett
bookshelves: fantasy, pre-2000
An early Pratchett, in that it holds a bit less world building and more outright funny. ]]>