Assaph Mehr's Blog, page 19

Book Review: How to Rule an Empire and Get Away with It, by K.J. Parker

I’ve read the previous novel (Sixteen Ways to Defend a Walled City) just recently, and there was just no doubt I’d read this one as soon as it comes out.

What to Expect

Events in this book take place seven years after the previous one, with the The City still besieged all around by the horde camped outside its walls (although luckily they have the sea port open). Some of the important characters from the previous novel are still quite active in managing all the warfare side...

Sunita Kumar (of Murder Planet, by Adam Carpenter)

Dear readers, tonight with us is a security officer from a merchant spaceship. She is here to tell us about rebels, inhospitable planets, murder teddies, and tyrannical governments.

Good morning Mrs Kumar, so, let’s start with an easy one. Tell us a little about where you grew up. What was it like there?

I grew up on a space station orbiting the planet Kilkenny in the Union of Irish Stars, part of a family of Spacers. Being part of a nomadic people meant that there ...

Book Review: The Last Wish (Introducing The Witcher), by Andrzej Sapkowski

I’ve watched The Witcher TV series first, and since my wife wanted to watch it again ahead of season 2 it was high time to read the books.

What to Expect

Six short stories / novelettes introducing us to the world of the Witcher, glued together with interludes that make for a seventh. We get glimpses into Geralt’s character, his companions, his world.

The TV series is based (loosely, like most adaptations) on both these short stories and the start of the saga (Blood o...

Aneni (of Revival, by Daniel C. McWhorter)

Tonight with us is an artificially-intelligent android from a series we’ve visited before. She’s here to tell us about space travel and finding life amongst the stars.

Tell us a little about where you grew up. What was it like there?

I became self-aware on May 1st, 2056. Although I am not human, you could say that I “grew up” inside a simulated world within a matrix of quantum computers housed in a server room onboard the Hades One research station orbiting Mars. My...

But at least I can Cook with History

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#Cooking rather than #writing for a change, but a dish with an #historical background. This is a Russian #Kulebyaka, a layered "pie" that was enjoyed since the time of the tsars. It includes layers of loaded rice, salmon, mushrooms and chard, and blini (crepes). This was brought to the west by Escoffier (the father of modern French cuisine) as #Coulibiac. Took about 3 hours to make, and distinctly less to eat

Anna Di Angelo (of Trillium, by Margaret Lindsay Holton)

Dear readers, tonight with us is a matriarch of a wine-making family from Canada. She is here to tell us about the 250-year history of three families.

Tell us a little about where you grew up. What was it like there?

Hello. My name is Anna Di Angelo and I am in my 80th year now. I am the only daughter of the late Domi and Gloria Di Angelo. I still live in the same 1920s family bungalow near the massive century-old Hartford peach and fruit farm on the southern shore ...

Book Series Review: The Elric Saga

I’ve been in the mood for some classic SF/F lately, and since I’ve been meaning to re-read the Elric saga this seemed like the perfect, timely choice.

This post contains the review for Elric of Malniboné and The Weird of the White Wolf. Though there are different ways of ordering the series, those are the prequel (1972) and a collections the first original stories (1961-62).

What to Expect

Classic swords-and-sorcery stories on one of the most famous and influential h...

Loki Laufeyjarson (of Truth and Other Lies, by Lyra Wolf)

Dear readers, tonight with us is a god, one refusing to have his life obliterated by some stuffy prophecy. He is here to tell us about proving himself to others, and the complications of loving a mortal woman.

Tell us a little about where you grew up. What was it like there?

I grew up in a realm called Jotunheim, a rugged place of mountains, pine forests, and thicker pine forests. 

On harsh winter nights, Jotuns believe nothing warms the blood faster than a d...

Book Review: The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, by Robert A. Heinlein

I read most of Heinlein’s work years ago, and was in the mood for some classic Sci-Fi. This work has aged well, and makes it clear why he was a grandmaster story-teller.

What to Expect

This is the story of an accidental revolutionary, a computer technician that ends up leading the movement to free the Lunar penal colonies from Earth’s control and into independence. Written in the mid 60’s, the book is very much a product of its time: back when wearing a shirt with Che Gueva...

Nick Walker (of the United Federation Marshal series, by John Bowers)

Dear readers, tonight with us a is law-enforcement officer on a visit between his interstellar travels. He is here to tell us about space travel and gun-fights among the asteroids.

Tell us a little about where you grew up. What was it like there?

I was born and raised in Chowchilla, a farming community that became the capital of CentCal when the old California was split into six states. It’s not a large city, only a million people, and it’s still an idyllic place to...