Doug Lewars's Blog, page 21

Winter's Gifts

Winter's Gifts by Ben Aaronovitch

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


*** Possible Spoilers ***

Once more Ben Aaronovitch has produced an excellent book, interesting characters, fast moving plot, and lots of supernatural manifestations. This book is set in northern Wisconsin during the winter. There is plenty of snow and cold weather to hinder the protagonist as she attempts to determine what is going on and set about fixing it. This isn't a Peter Grant story although he does make a cameo appearance but Kimberley is interesting precisely because she doesn't have magical talent but has to deal with its manifestations anyway. I definitely enjoyed this one.



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Domesticating Dragons

Domesticating Dragons by Dan Koboldt

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


*** Possible Spoilers ***

A 3 usually means 'meh' but I also use it when there are parts of a book I love and parts I hate and they break down about equal. The author can tell a story and keep the plot moving. I loved that. It's clear Mr. Koboldt has done quite a bit of research into genetics and genetic engineering. That was excellent as well.

Among its classifications, this book listed humour. Some parts are hilarious but those bits are few and far between. The interludes involving customer support were terrific. Perhaps at some point in his life Mr. Koboldt worked in a call center doing fist line support. In addition, the FAQ section was what, I sure, some technical writers would love to have written. I'm not sure the author intended the birthday dragon hatching to be humerous but I thought it was priceless. Although he took care to avoid details, I could definitely imagine the expression on the faces of every member of the family.

On the negative side, this book is clearly targeting an audience of Gen-Z readers. Since I'm not Gen-Z, I found his constant environmental harping tedious as was his anti-corporate righteousness. In addition, I didn't care much for the main character although he improved considerably as the book progressed. All too frequently he came across as whiny.

If you don't like plot holes you may want to pass on this one. There are a number of them but they didn't impact the story to any significant degree. Still, you may find yourself wincing from time to time.

In general, the book is okay, structured primarily for younger readers, but passable for older ones.



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The Cuckoo's Calling

The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


*** Possible Spoilers ***

This was an excellent book. As everyone knows, Robert Galbraith is a pen name for J. K. Rowlings. I think her writing has improved over the years. Yes, I enjoyed the Harry Potter series, but in some of the books I felt the word-smithing was a little choppy. Here it was first rate. The pacing was good and the story kept moving right along. We follow Strike as he follows an obscure set of clues to reach the final answer. Starting from absolutely nothing he progressed to the correct answer. It's a page turner in the sense you want to keep reading to find out what he'll uncover next. Some critics protested this book is not in the same league as masters of the mystery genre. Fine, if you're a purist maybe you won't like this book but I thought it was great. I heartily recommend it.



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The Collectors

The Collectors by Philip Pullman

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


*** Possible Spoilers ***

This is a short story so if you're looking for a full length novel look elsewhere.

It was very well done. The author captures a nice feeling of the macabre. It's been many years since I read and enjoyed His Dark Materials so I don't remember the characters. As a result, I didn't recognize the villain if you can call her/it that. Still, the story was nicely crafted whether it fits with the main plot or not. I enjoyed it.



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The Narrow Road Between Desires

The Narrow Road Between Desires by Patrick Rothfuss

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


*** Possible Spoilers ***
This was a perfectly good fantasy story, a little short perhaps but not every book can be a full-length novel. In the beginning the author warns the reader some things might be a little confusing if this is the first book read and advises starting with a couple of others. I didn't take that advice and had no difficulty with the story. Perhaps I didn't fully understand the characters but then I'm a plot person, and don't care much the inner lives of individuals on the page.
At the end of the book there is an author's note in which he writes what seems like a letter to the reader followed by one to his children. In it he convinced me not to read his other books. He concedes one of this books is about "a sad girl who picks things up and puts them down again". That was enough to quash any interest I might have had and i appreciate the author being so candid. It saved me a lot of time and him a bad review and a 'one' rating.
I listened to the audio version of the book and it was well narrated. I think if you want a light fantasy where trickery is the order of the day, this one is worth reading.



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Reindeer Runes

Reindeer Runes by Danielle Garrett

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


*** Possible Spoilers ***

The library classified this as merely mystery, not cozy mystery but I should probably have guessed from the cover. I should really learn to check Goodreads classifications before selecting a book. I don't hate cozy mysteries but I generally find them a bit too bland and saccharine for my taste. In any event, this was one of the better ones. True, it is set at the North Pole as Santa prepares for Christmas and the world is filled with helpful pixies, but fantasy stories are set in improbable places so this one isn't much different. The author kept the story moving and while the plot was a little thin, and there was an undercurrent of romance, it was still okay and a fine specimen of the sub-genre. I listened to the audio version and it was well read. In addition, it was quite possible to do other things while the story was playing and never miss very much. If you like cozy mysteries I definitely recommend this one. Just have yourself checked for diabetes when you're finished.



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Timon of Athens

Timon of Athens by William Shakespeare

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


*** Possible Spoilers ***

It turns out to be a really BAD idea to listen to a play with which you are not familiar. You either need to see the thing performed or read the script but listening to an audio version just doesn't work. It's next to impossible to distinguish the characters from one another. From what i could gather the play was so-so.



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The Devil You Know

The Devil You Know by K.J. Parker

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


*** Possible Spoilers ***

I loved this book. Basically it's a duel with the devil in which the devil is conned. There were a few laugh-out-loud lines. I listened to the audio version and I might have enjoyed it even more in print because the author changes voices frequently so it's difficult to know who's speaking, but outside of that this was great.



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The Last Witness

The Last Witness by K.J. Parker

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


*** Possible Spoilers ***

I enjoyed this book although much of it was speculation on the nature of truth when memory can be tampered with. If you're looking for action it's a little sparse here but overall I though it was worth listening to. Those few characters in the book are not likeable so if you want characters you can relate to you probably won't find them.



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Kinmount

Kinmount by Rod Carley

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


*** Possible Spoilers ***

This was a nice quirky little comedy, not quite the laugh riot suggested by the blurb but worth a few smiles. The author knows a LOT about Shakespeare and the classics in general. Some may object to the amount of information divulged to the reader but I found it interesting. Still, if you object to information dumps you'd be better reading something else. There are a number of generic cultural references tucked away inside so I was left wondering if the author took the name Lola, the apparent villain, from the movie/play Damn Yankees. That will remain a mystery.

I listened to the audio version but I think print might have been better for this one. The readers were good. It's just with the number of characters and the amount of dialog I think I'd have preferred to create the voices in my imagination.

I'm not certain who the target audience is for this book. Initially I thought it was for Gen Z but then the characters from that generation came across as decidedly unimpressive. Initially the author, through the main character, adopts the young urban manner of sneering at small town life but once the author arrives in Kinmount the author backs off.

The central conflict revolves around the issue of censorship by those who are politically correct, specifically of Shakespeare's works. I don't remember anyone ever criticizing Romeo and Juliet so it seemed a bit of a stretch to have Lola convinced it was going to harm the children. Had he selected The Merchant of Venice he would have had a book which had been censored quite a bit in recent years.

The author is so enthusiastic about Shakespeare I think I might listen to the audio recordings of a few plays. I'm pretty sure I've read most of them but he makes a point of suggesting real appreciation can only come from hearing the words.

In general I liked the book. The ending was a little rushed it seemed and there was a very late plot twist which, while interesting, wasn't really developed sufficiently. Nevertheless, I think most people can find the book enjoyable.



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