Joseph Baneth Allen's Blog, page 85
February 26, 2022
Beyond by Mercedes Lackey
Just finished reading "Beyond" by Mercedes Lackey, published by DAW Books.
I greatly enjoyed reading Lackey's "The Heralds of Valdemar" and "The Last Herald Mage" trilogies set in her Valdemar when her first published novel, "Arrows of the Queen" offered a fresh new fantasy world to explore when it was first published in the early 1990s - I discovered it on the shelves in the new arrival section of Barnes & Noble near where I live here in Jacksonville, Florida. I think Mom was with me when I bought it.
And while I did read other novels that Lackey wrote, I just didn't read any other of her Valdemar novels because I thought the series fell flat. Now she did incorporate her Vows and Honor trilogy into the Valdemar universe, and I wasn't a really big fan of that particular decision of hers.
Still it's always a risk when a writer decides to delve into the creation of a popular world, or a character's origin story. Lackey doesn't quite succeed here with this new novel about the founding of Valdemar. Duke Kordas Valdemar is preparing for the day he can enact a multi-generational plan to escape from the reach of the Eastern Empire and everything just goes too smoothly. We know Kordas will succeed - there's never any real dramatic doubt and no real tension. Kordas does indeed start an exodus and a revolution, and there's no real sense of drama or doubt that he can pull it off.
I do plan on reading the remaining two books in this new Valdemar trilogy to see if the story picks up.
Time will tell.
Recommended for die-hard fans of Lackey's Valdemar series.
Three Luke Warm Stars.
https://www.amazon.com/Beyond-Foundin...
I greatly enjoyed reading Lackey's "The Heralds of Valdemar" and "The Last Herald Mage" trilogies set in her Valdemar when her first published novel, "Arrows of the Queen" offered a fresh new fantasy world to explore when it was first published in the early 1990s - I discovered it on the shelves in the new arrival section of Barnes & Noble near where I live here in Jacksonville, Florida. I think Mom was with me when I bought it.
And while I did read other novels that Lackey wrote, I just didn't read any other of her Valdemar novels because I thought the series fell flat. Now she did incorporate her Vows and Honor trilogy into the Valdemar universe, and I wasn't a really big fan of that particular decision of hers.
Still it's always a risk when a writer decides to delve into the creation of a popular world, or a character's origin story. Lackey doesn't quite succeed here with this new novel about the founding of Valdemar. Duke Kordas Valdemar is preparing for the day he can enact a multi-generational plan to escape from the reach of the Eastern Empire and everything just goes too smoothly. We know Kordas will succeed - there's never any real dramatic doubt and no real tension. Kordas does indeed start an exodus and a revolution, and there's no real sense of drama or doubt that he can pull it off.
I do plan on reading the remaining two books in this new Valdemar trilogy to see if the story picks up.
Time will tell.
Recommended for die-hard fans of Lackey's Valdemar series.
Three Luke Warm Stars.
https://www.amazon.com/Beyond-Foundin...
Plague Ship by Andre Norton
Just finished reading "Plague Ship" by Andre Norton, published by ACE Books back in 1973 [Third printing].
For those who came in late, several years ago I started what I call my "Great Re-Reading Project of Favorite Books from My Youth" project. I first discovered "Plague Ship" on the shelves of the new arrival section in the Science Fiction section at Michele's Bookstore in the Brynn Myar Shopping Center in Jacksonville, North Carolina. I bought my reading copy at Chamblin's Book Mine - the greatest bookstore here in the Eastern United States.
"Plague Ship" is the second book in the original Solar Queen Quartet, though I have some small suspicions that Andre Norton originally wanted to bring the series to and end with this book. With the exception of her Witch World series, Andre usually wrote duologies, stand-a-lone, and quartets - with the exception of the Swords Trilogy featuring WWII resistance fighter Lorens van Norreys. The original two Solar Queen novels were written for the Gnome Press under her Andrew North pen name, and Gnome Press was pressing for another Solar Queen novel, which if I'm remembering correctly, she wasn't keen on writing at that particular time.
"Plaque Ship" deftly picks up as the crew of the Solar Queen are negotiating with the natives of Sargol for trading rights on the newly opened planet and are having to deal with a rival trade ship who arrived with the purpose of "jumping" the claim and after a ritual combat, the Solar Queen wins and heads off with trading goods only to find crew members being stricken with an unknown illness which might be a plague, or sabotage by their trading competitor. Posted as a "plague ship" the crew of the Solar Queen has only one chance, to risk everything by landing at Patrol Headquarters on Earth - if they can survive long enough to find out what is going on.
Classic Andre Norton.
Highly Recommended.
Ten Stars.
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/4094757...
For those who came in late, several years ago I started what I call my "Great Re-Reading Project of Favorite Books from My Youth" project. I first discovered "Plague Ship" on the shelves of the new arrival section in the Science Fiction section at Michele's Bookstore in the Brynn Myar Shopping Center in Jacksonville, North Carolina. I bought my reading copy at Chamblin's Book Mine - the greatest bookstore here in the Eastern United States.
"Plague Ship" is the second book in the original Solar Queen Quartet, though I have some small suspicions that Andre Norton originally wanted to bring the series to and end with this book. With the exception of her Witch World series, Andre usually wrote duologies, stand-a-lone, and quartets - with the exception of the Swords Trilogy featuring WWII resistance fighter Lorens van Norreys. The original two Solar Queen novels were written for the Gnome Press under her Andrew North pen name, and Gnome Press was pressing for another Solar Queen novel, which if I'm remembering correctly, she wasn't keen on writing at that particular time.
"Plaque Ship" deftly picks up as the crew of the Solar Queen are negotiating with the natives of Sargol for trading rights on the newly opened planet and are having to deal with a rival trade ship who arrived with the purpose of "jumping" the claim and after a ritual combat, the Solar Queen wins and heads off with trading goods only to find crew members being stricken with an unknown illness which might be a plague, or sabotage by their trading competitor. Posted as a "plague ship" the crew of the Solar Queen has only one chance, to risk everything by landing at Patrol Headquarters on Earth - if they can survive long enough to find out what is going on.
Classic Andre Norton.
Highly Recommended.
Ten Stars.
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/4094757...
Green Hornet - A Matter of TIme
Just finished listening to "The Green Hornet - A Matter of Time" released by Radio Spirits.
Oliver Perry is one of the more intriguing reoccurring villains whose sole purpose evolves from an eluded too but never discussed relationship with Britt Reid. Perry was once a highly regarded private investigator who tried to trap the Green Hornet and learn his identity. Reid's not exactly innocent in how this relationship spiraled downward. Reid completely destroyed Perry's credibility, causing Perry to turn to crime. There is even one episode where Reid ends their friendship/relationship in his bedroom. Reid's relationship with Lenore Case is also hinted to be romantic, but never beyond the hits - though Kato treats Lenore as Reid's wife and does let her drive the Black Beauty - as she does in the episode "Oliver Perry Closes In."
I played this collection over the course of the past ten weeks at my parents' graveside. Mom and Dad always enjoyed listening to old time radio shows.
My favorite episodes in this collection are: "Oliver Perry Closes In," "The Great Reformer," "The Girls Do It," "Hot Car Center," "Axford Wins A Loss," and "The Howard Island Gang."
Highly Recommended!
Ten Stars.
https://www.amazon.com/GREEN-HORNET-M...
Oliver Perry is one of the more intriguing reoccurring villains whose sole purpose evolves from an eluded too but never discussed relationship with Britt Reid. Perry was once a highly regarded private investigator who tried to trap the Green Hornet and learn his identity. Reid's not exactly innocent in how this relationship spiraled downward. Reid completely destroyed Perry's credibility, causing Perry to turn to crime. There is even one episode where Reid ends their friendship/relationship in his bedroom. Reid's relationship with Lenore Case is also hinted to be romantic, but never beyond the hits - though Kato treats Lenore as Reid's wife and does let her drive the Black Beauty - as she does in the episode "Oliver Perry Closes In."
I played this collection over the course of the past ten weeks at my parents' graveside. Mom and Dad always enjoyed listening to old time radio shows.
My favorite episodes in this collection are: "Oliver Perry Closes In," "The Great Reformer," "The Girls Do It," "Hot Car Center," "Axford Wins A Loss," and "The Howard Island Gang."
Highly Recommended!
Ten Stars.
https://www.amazon.com/GREEN-HORNET-M...
High Sierra
Just finished watching "High Sierra" released by Warner Brothers.
"High Sierra" is a classic of the film noir that embraces the romantic fatalism of a career criminal released early from prison by a pardon from the governor who is recruited by a dying head of a criminal organization to pull one last big heist as a way to go out in a blaze of glory.
Only Roy Earle, the career criminal brilliantly portrayed with quiet dignity and humanity by Humphrey Bogart, who wants the carefree promise of his youth back, but who is a realist who is willing to do what ever it takes to succeed, but who's hopes get crushed at every corner for the life he wants.
Simply spellbinding and engrossing with Bogart's masterful performance.
Highly Recommended!
Ten Stars!
https://www.amazon.com/High-Sierra-Cr...
"High Sierra" is a classic of the film noir that embraces the romantic fatalism of a career criminal released early from prison by a pardon from the governor who is recruited by a dying head of a criminal organization to pull one last big heist as a way to go out in a blaze of glory.
Only Roy Earle, the career criminal brilliantly portrayed with quiet dignity and humanity by Humphrey Bogart, who wants the carefree promise of his youth back, but who is a realist who is willing to do what ever it takes to succeed, but who's hopes get crushed at every corner for the life he wants.
Simply spellbinding and engrossing with Bogart's masterful performance.
Highly Recommended!
Ten Stars!
https://www.amazon.com/High-Sierra-Cr...
February 22, 2022
"Meteorite - How Stones From Outer Space Made Our World"
Just finished reading "Meteorite - How Stones From Outer Space Made Our World" by Tim Gregory released by Basic Books.
Meteorites are history of the solar system and universe at large that you can hold in your hand and Cosmochemist Tim Gregory, a research scientist with the British Geological Survey, takes his readers on a comprehensive tour of how meteorites and how humanity first discovered that meteorites provide clues to the history of the solar system. A great science book.
Highly Recommended!
Ten Stars!
https://www.amazon.com/Meteorite-Ston...
Meteorites are history of the solar system and universe at large that you can hold in your hand and Cosmochemist Tim Gregory, a research scientist with the British Geological Survey, takes his readers on a comprehensive tour of how meteorites and how humanity first discovered that meteorites provide clues to the history of the solar system. A great science book.
Highly Recommended!
Ten Stars!
https://www.amazon.com/Meteorite-Ston...
February 21, 2022
Ghostbusters Afterlife
Just finished watching "Ghostbusters Afterlife" released by Sony.
"Ghostbusters Afterlife" is the rightful sequel to the original "Ghostbusters" movie - "Ghostbusters 2" wasn't a a bad sequel, but it wasn't a great sequel either. And while the female reboot of "Ghostbusters" was just a so-so reboot, "Ghostbusters Afterlife" is an open love letter to the original movie and the fans of the series, which despite all the controversy by fans of the reboot who were correct that this movie effectively erases the reboot from the Ghostbusters universe canon, succeeds in telling a great story of it's own while carrying the original story forward.
"Ghostbusters Afterlife" begins withdivorced, deserted, and destitute single mom Callie Spengler uproots her teenage son Trevor, and 11-year-old daughter Phoebe from New York City and moves the family across the country to flyspeck-on-the-map Summerville, Oklahoma, where Callie’s estranged father after his recent death left her a broken-down old farmhouse and its surrounding property.
As Phoebe, an aspiring scientist and fully certified geek begins to investigate the history of Summerville and her grandfather’s connection to it, she discovers that the late Egon Spengler was one of the original Ghostbusters, the heroes rumored to have saved New York City during the fabled “Manhattan Crossrip of ‘84.” The late Dr. Spengler deserted his family--and his partners--when he learned a massive spiritual manifestation would soon occur in Summerville, and he moved to the town to try to prevent it.
Egon sacrificed everything to try to keep his loved ones safe, and it's up to Phoebe to solve the riddle he left behind and save not only the world, but her family as well.
Great Classic Ghostbuster Fun!
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
TEN STARS!
https://www.amazon.com/Ghostbusters-A...
"Ghostbusters Afterlife" is the rightful sequel to the original "Ghostbusters" movie - "Ghostbusters 2" wasn't a a bad sequel, but it wasn't a great sequel either. And while the female reboot of "Ghostbusters" was just a so-so reboot, "Ghostbusters Afterlife" is an open love letter to the original movie and the fans of the series, which despite all the controversy by fans of the reboot who were correct that this movie effectively erases the reboot from the Ghostbusters universe canon, succeeds in telling a great story of it's own while carrying the original story forward.
"Ghostbusters Afterlife" begins withdivorced, deserted, and destitute single mom Callie Spengler uproots her teenage son Trevor, and 11-year-old daughter Phoebe from New York City and moves the family across the country to flyspeck-on-the-map Summerville, Oklahoma, where Callie’s estranged father after his recent death left her a broken-down old farmhouse and its surrounding property.
As Phoebe, an aspiring scientist and fully certified geek begins to investigate the history of Summerville and her grandfather’s connection to it, she discovers that the late Egon Spengler was one of the original Ghostbusters, the heroes rumored to have saved New York City during the fabled “Manhattan Crossrip of ‘84.” The late Dr. Spengler deserted his family--and his partners--when he learned a massive spiritual manifestation would soon occur in Summerville, and he moved to the town to try to prevent it.
Egon sacrificed everything to try to keep his loved ones safe, and it's up to Phoebe to solve the riddle he left behind and save not only the world, but her family as well.
Great Classic Ghostbuster Fun!
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
TEN STARS!
https://www.amazon.com/Ghostbusters-A...
February 14, 2022
"Doctor Who #242 - The Dispossessed"
Just finished listening to "Doctor Who #242 - The Dispossessed" released by Big Finish Productions.
When the TARDIS arrives back on Earth, the Seventh Doctor, Mel, and Ace find themselves in a rundown area that is surrounded by an odd energy field. They soon find themselves inside the force field that houses humans who have been turned into zombies by an unknown source. Separated by a zombie hoard, Mel and Ace find themselves at the mercy of a disembodied alien mind named Arkallax, who may not be all innocent prisoner of circumstance that he is claiming to be. Also the dark secret that Mel has been hiding from the Seventh Doctor and Mel is about to come home and roost.
Another great outing for this TARDIS trio.
Highly Recommended.
Five Stars.
https://www.bigfinish.com/releases/v/...
When the TARDIS arrives back on Earth, the Seventh Doctor, Mel, and Ace find themselves in a rundown area that is surrounded by an odd energy field. They soon find themselves inside the force field that houses humans who have been turned into zombies by an unknown source. Separated by a zombie hoard, Mel and Ace find themselves at the mercy of a disembodied alien mind named Arkallax, who may not be all innocent prisoner of circumstance that he is claiming to be. Also the dark secret that Mel has been hiding from the Seventh Doctor and Mel is about to come home and roost.
Another great outing for this TARDIS trio.
Highly Recommended.
Five Stars.
https://www.bigfinish.com/releases/v/...
"Shadows of Eternity" by Gregory Benford
Just finished reading "Shadows of Eternity" by Gregory Benford, published by SAGA Press.
I suspect "Shadows of Eternity" is a love letter to the late, great science fiction author Poul Anderson since Benford "borrowed" one of Anderson's greatly beloved creations of intelligent aliens - the Ythri - who are featured in two of Anderson's novels.
"Shadows of Eternity" follows the adventures of apprentice and wannabe Librarian Rachel Cohen two centuries who arrives on the moon in search of an opportunity to work on/with a SETI AI message that is known as the Sagittarius Architecture and she gets her wish. Humanity is under siege from a cloud of interstellar gas that has caused a path of destruction in the outer solar system and humanity's range is being pushed back to Mars. Humanity's salvation might be found in the alien AI mind/s of the Sagittarius Architecture, but Rachel and her fellow librarians forgot that alien minds can have their own wants, desires, and agendas and are not noble enough to take the high road in pursuing them. Enter the Ythri who arrive on a literal wing and a prayer to the Solar System by way of a worm-hole that is hidden - or is it -or is there a deeper motive behind their arrival and pursuit of an ancient archive which might hold the salvation to their home world? It's mystery upon mystery, but don't expect any grand revelation other than life is what you make of it.
Not a great book, not a bad book. Just not epic, and it should have been.
Recommended.
Three Stars.
https://www.amazon.com/Shadows-Eterni...
I suspect "Shadows of Eternity" is a love letter to the late, great science fiction author Poul Anderson since Benford "borrowed" one of Anderson's greatly beloved creations of intelligent aliens - the Ythri - who are featured in two of Anderson's novels.
"Shadows of Eternity" follows the adventures of apprentice and wannabe Librarian Rachel Cohen two centuries who arrives on the moon in search of an opportunity to work on/with a SETI AI message that is known as the Sagittarius Architecture and she gets her wish. Humanity is under siege from a cloud of interstellar gas that has caused a path of destruction in the outer solar system and humanity's range is being pushed back to Mars. Humanity's salvation might be found in the alien AI mind/s of the Sagittarius Architecture, but Rachel and her fellow librarians forgot that alien minds can have their own wants, desires, and agendas and are not noble enough to take the high road in pursuing them. Enter the Ythri who arrive on a literal wing and a prayer to the Solar System by way of a worm-hole that is hidden - or is it -or is there a deeper motive behind their arrival and pursuit of an ancient archive which might hold the salvation to their home world? It's mystery upon mystery, but don't expect any grand revelation other than life is what you make of it.
Not a great book, not a bad book. Just not epic, and it should have been.
Recommended.
Three Stars.
https://www.amazon.com/Shadows-Eterni...
The Invaders by Keith Laumer
Just finished reading "The Invaders" by Keith Laumer, released by Pyramid Books back in August 1967.
Yes, "The Invaders: is part of my "Great Re-reading of Favorite Books from my Youth" project. I first found a copy of "The Invaders" on the shelves in the science fiction section of Twice Told Tales Bookstore across the street from the New River Shopping Center in Jacksonville, North Carolina in the mid-1970s. I found my re-reading copy at Chamblin's Book Mine - the greatest bookstore in the Eastern United States.
Now a curious note about this novelization. For at least five decades I thought that there was only one paperback novelization of the short-lived cult television series. There was an original Big Little Book and an authorized Whitman Television Book. I was wrong, Keith Laumer would also write the second Invaders novel and a third would be written by another author before the series of original paperback books would come to an end.
"The Invaders" was created by Larry Cohen as a series to replace his highly popular "The Fugitive" which enjoyed a highly successful five year run before becoming the first American television series to be brought to a definitive end/conclusion.
"The Invaders" followed a similar theme of "The Fugitive" featuring a man on the run and proactively to overcome the circumstances which put them on the run - only David Vincent is both running and actively fighting against aliens bent on destroying humanity and taking over the Earth.
"The Invaders" is structured similar to "The Lost In Space" novel published by Pyramid Books. It features David Vincent in three interlinking adventures - the first one chronicling who he discovered the Invaders as he's investigating weird components being manufactured separately at different plants; the second one infiltrating a meeting of UFO enthusiasts only to be cornered by a psychotic human who is also hunting Invaders, and the third adventure where he is aided in stealing a tank to destroy an advance ship of the Invaders as it lands in the desert. All three adventures in the novel have odd undertones that make it appear that David Vincent is no stranger to cruising for men. Remember, this was written in the late 1960s, so I'm going to reserve judgement until I read the second novel in this series.
There are differences of course between the television show and this novel, and I don't know if Keith Laumer had just the bare basics series bible when he wrote this first novel in the series. It is a well written novelization, though keep in mind that novelizations usually varied from the actual show. Again, the "Lost In Space" novelization is a prime example of this rule, along with "The Ghost and Mrs. Muir" novelization of the television show.
Highly Recommended for fans of the original series.
Five Stars.
https://www.amazon.com/Invaders-Keith...
Yes, "The Invaders: is part of my "Great Re-reading of Favorite Books from my Youth" project. I first found a copy of "The Invaders" on the shelves in the science fiction section of Twice Told Tales Bookstore across the street from the New River Shopping Center in Jacksonville, North Carolina in the mid-1970s. I found my re-reading copy at Chamblin's Book Mine - the greatest bookstore in the Eastern United States.
Now a curious note about this novelization. For at least five decades I thought that there was only one paperback novelization of the short-lived cult television series. There was an original Big Little Book and an authorized Whitman Television Book. I was wrong, Keith Laumer would also write the second Invaders novel and a third would be written by another author before the series of original paperback books would come to an end.
"The Invaders" was created by Larry Cohen as a series to replace his highly popular "The Fugitive" which enjoyed a highly successful five year run before becoming the first American television series to be brought to a definitive end/conclusion.
"The Invaders" followed a similar theme of "The Fugitive" featuring a man on the run and proactively to overcome the circumstances which put them on the run - only David Vincent is both running and actively fighting against aliens bent on destroying humanity and taking over the Earth.
"The Invaders" is structured similar to "The Lost In Space" novel published by Pyramid Books. It features David Vincent in three interlinking adventures - the first one chronicling who he discovered the Invaders as he's investigating weird components being manufactured separately at different plants; the second one infiltrating a meeting of UFO enthusiasts only to be cornered by a psychotic human who is also hunting Invaders, and the third adventure where he is aided in stealing a tank to destroy an advance ship of the Invaders as it lands in the desert. All three adventures in the novel have odd undertones that make it appear that David Vincent is no stranger to cruising for men. Remember, this was written in the late 1960s, so I'm going to reserve judgement until I read the second novel in this series.
There are differences of course between the television show and this novel, and I don't know if Keith Laumer had just the bare basics series bible when he wrote this first novel in the series. It is a well written novelization, though keep in mind that novelizations usually varied from the actual show. Again, the "Lost In Space" novelization is a prime example of this rule, along with "The Ghost and Mrs. Muir" novelization of the television show.
Highly Recommended for fans of the original series.
Five Stars.
https://www.amazon.com/Invaders-Keith...
February 6, 2022
Justice League - the Zack Snyder Cut
Just finished watching "Justice League -the Zack Snyder Cut" released by Warner Brothers.
"Justice League - the Zack Snyder Cut" is a far superior version of the story that was released in theaters and why Zack Snyder was booted off the original project is still beyond me. The so-called "Zack Snyder Cut" tells a more comprehensive story and provides greater insight into the heroic and popular comic book heroes of the DC universe as they must form a team to combat Steppenwolf, DeSadd, and Darkseid. It also shows the first appearance of the Martian Manhunter into the DC movie universe.
Well worth watching.
Highly Recommended.
Ten Stars.
https://www.amazon.com/Zack-Snyders-J...
"Justice League - the Zack Snyder Cut" is a far superior version of the story that was released in theaters and why Zack Snyder was booted off the original project is still beyond me. The so-called "Zack Snyder Cut" tells a more comprehensive story and provides greater insight into the heroic and popular comic book heroes of the DC universe as they must form a team to combat Steppenwolf, DeSadd, and Darkseid. It also shows the first appearance of the Martian Manhunter into the DC movie universe.
Well worth watching.
Highly Recommended.
Ten Stars.
https://www.amazon.com/Zack-Snyders-J...
