Doug Lewars's Blog, page 20

The Afterlives

The Afterlives by Thomas Pierce

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


*** Possible Spoilers ***

Thomas Pierce brings a whole new meaning to the term 'speculative fiction'. Basically, this book consists of speculation regarding life after death, time, and reality. He uses fiction to illustrate his ruminations. I listened to this in audio format. Had I attempted a text version I'd likely have DNFed it. There is precious little plot and the characters are ho-hum. Listening to it as I went about doing other things was fine and some of the ideas were interesting but hardly original. This definitely is NOT a page turner. If you're looking for a strong plot and some excitement you'd best move on. If what you want is something to break the silence and you don't like radio or television - and I don't - you might give this a try. it's far from unpleasant but not very stimulating either.



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The Road to Roswell

The Road to Roswell by Connie Willis

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


*** Possible Spoilers ***

This book wasn't bad enough to warrant a one but it was far from anything above a two. It's what you get when you take E.T., Close Encounters, and a dash of Independence Day, mix them together and turn the result into a romcom (and there's precious little com). I've come to the conclusion selecting books by using recommendations based on a prior book doesn't work. Perhaps the if-you-liked-that-you'll-like-this suggestions work for some people but I've had mostly bad luck with them. This had all the elements to make it a great comedy. An alien abducts a women and they go on a bizarre road trip not being able to communicate and winding up in all sorts of messes. Instead the author played it straight.

I think there are lots of people who might enjoy this. if you like romcoms without sex or comedy, just two people gradually coming together after having been abducted by an alien then this book is for you. I can't say it's bad. It just didn't live up to my expectations. As the book progresses, more and more people are added to the abductees. Some of them are mildly humerous but at no time did I find myself laughing. There are various awkward situations once they realize the alien isn't going to hurt them and they're trying to protect it.

I don't read many romcoms but of the ones I have read, it seems authors believe young, urban women have little sense of self and are hard pressed to think rationally. They're good when it comes to empathy, even with aliens, but not so much when a bit of rationality might make everything much simpler.

As with any good romance, you know there's going to be a happy ending. I suspect reading some books can give you diabetes but this author shows a modicum of restraint, not much maybe but a bit. For those who like a combination of sci-fi and romcom, I think you might like this one, but if you're looking for hard sci-fi or romance, you might do better.





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Envy of Angels

Envy of Angels by Matt Wallace

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


*** Possible Spoilers ***

This book was given the tag of 'humour'. There is precious little humour to be found. I think I smiled twice and that was about it.

The author gets full marks for creativity. The idea of a catering company for demons was excellent. Unfortunately good ideas also need good execution and this was so-so. The pacing was good and the plot kept moving but I found it a little scattered.

The characters were generally unlikable and mostly flat.

There were a lot of obscenities which added nothing to either the characters or the book. I got the feeling the author was writing for a young audience, maybe 12 - 25.

This isn't a terrible book and it's short which is a redeeming feature but frankly I think readers could do better.

On other thing. If an author wants to end a book on an amusing note, he or she should try for a bit of humour which has not been around since it cracked up the dinosaurs.



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The Life of Elves

The Life of Elves by Muriel Barbery

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


*** Possible Spoilers ***

This book does not deserve being knocked down to the 2.77 rating it currently has. Having said that, it id DEFINITELY not for everyone. If you like strong plots move on. The one in this book is pretty thin. Likewise if you like well-developed characters move on. The characters aren't exactly cardboard cutouts but they don't stand out to any great extent. Muriel Barbery's strength lies in her word-smithing and she is a master when it comes to that. Reading the book reminded me of dreaming. There is very little of a definitive nature. Everything is shifting like the mists within the story. If you enjoy a very slow read, and like watching the world through when all sharp lines become blurred than you might like this one but I can understand most readers, and particularly young ones, wanting to read something else



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The October Man

The October Man by Ben Aaronovitch

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


*** Possible Spoilers ***

Another short one although thoroughly entertaining nonetheless. This one was set in Germany so while Peter Grant was mentioned it was only in passing and he's not the protagonist or even a character. As usual there was a fast-moving plot, excitement, and a number of pointers with respect to the manner in which the police carry out their investigations. I listened to the audio version and text might be better for this one. There were quite a few characters and I tended to lose track of which suspect was which when I merely heard the names. I think reading them would have been better.
I have to wonder a bit at the cynicism espoused by protagonists play in these works. In this case the protagonist would like to discourage his enthusiastic partner from becoming involved with magic. He takes the position of 'special' investigations and the accompanying work is generally unpleasant. Peter Grant is a bit like this as well; however, one has to wonder why one works at any particular job if he doesn't like it. Sure there are downsides to any profession but I think if I felt like these protagonists I'd have moved on. Instead they stay and complain.
As usual there is some humour tucked away in the corners, generally digs at bureaucracy, report writing, report keeping, and certain elements in society. I quite liked it.



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The Furthest Station

The Furthest Station by Ben Aaronovitch

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


*** Possible Spoilers ***

Short but entertaining. I enjoyed the book although i found it a little less coherent than most. The actual crime is rather mundane but the ghost hunting was a nice touch. In addition, I get the feeling Ben Aaronovitch isn't particularly comfortable writing the character of Abigail. She comes across as rather flat in this book and although she showed promise in 'What Abigail Did Last Summer' the promise is still unrealized.



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Remarkably Bright Creatures

Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


*** Possible Spoilers ***

This wasn't exactly my thing but it was very well written so it gets five stars. It's not exactly a romance novel although it contains elements of romance. For those who like character arcs there are plenty and the plot is a bit thin. Normally I prefer plot over character but I enjoyed much of this book after getting through the first part where we meet a 30 year old acting like a Gen Z loser. He's searching for the parents he never had and eventually finds them ... sort of. In the process we meet a highly intelligent octopus who is adept at sneaking out of his tank and a stray cat who moves in with and elderly lady. It you like character development and a bit of touchy-feely stuff you'll like this book. If you prefer a strong plot you may still like it, just not as much. I think it's worth giving it a shot if only for the octopus.



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Never Ask Me

Never Ask Me by Jeff Abbott

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


*** Possible Spoilers ***

Lies upon lies, betrayals and bribes, they all come together in this action packed thriller. it's a page turner right to the very end. It starts off a little slow. All or the characters seem unpleasant to start with but as the story progresses they become more palatable. If you enjoy thrillers this is for you. It's a dandy.



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On Earth as it is On Television

On Earth as It Is on Television by Emily Jane

My rating: 1 of 5 stars


*** Possible Spoilers ***

I'm not sure how, but I made it through 36% of this drivel before DNFing the book. One can stand only so much excruciating boredom before calling it quits. Although the book was written in the third person, it still reminded me of a stream of consciousness. The only even slightly interesting bits were the cats and they form only a tiny portion of the story.

Plot Summary: Alien ships arrive. People freak out. Alien ships leave. People freak out.

Not only are the characters utterly uninteresting, the author has managed to do a good job of creating a couple of little children who are whiny little brats. I listened to the audio recording of this book and while the narrator wasn't great, she managed to whine with the best of them. Although this book seems utterly pointless, the author did convince me of the merits of corporal punishment with respect to children. In fact, strangling both of them would not have been out of line. If this was the author's way of ridiculing modern 'lax parenting' she succeeded beyond her wildest dreams.

If you read books in order to get into characters' heads, you might enjoy this. On the other hand, if you want to read a story with something resembling a coherent plot, forget it.



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The Silkworm

The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


*** Possible Spoilers ***

Being a mystery means you don't quite know what is going on until the end and frankly the end was a little baffling. Why stage a scene if you've got the evidence? If the police were going to reject the hypothesis then taking the villain to Scotland Yard wasn't going to make any difference and if they were prepared to investigate why stage the confrontation? Still it was a good story nonetheless and the pacing was adequate. For me, the relationship between Robin and Michael is wearing a bit thin. Likewise Strike obsessing over an unpleasant ex-lover doesn't work. Dump the fiance and scrap the lover.

What I particularly liked about this book were the jabs at the writing industry in general. They were good fun: the supercilious author, the conforming editor, the useless agent and killing off an annoying author.

No book is for everyone. In this case, 3% of readers rated it 1 or 2. The main objections seem to be it doesn't move quickly enough although I thought it did, and it's politically incorrect. Therefore if you support the far left, you won't like this book. There is an unpleasant trans person in it, a comparatively minor character but there nonetheless. The villain is fat and sex-starved. In addition, the author doesn't follow the modern fad of 'show, don't tell'. Likewise there aren't character arcs in which people suffer through tribulations to achieve a new self-awareness. If you like that sort of thing look elsewhere. This book is for those who like a good old-fashioned whodunit set in London.



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