Doug Lewars's Blog, page 3

Rogue Protocol

Rogue Protocol by Martha Wells

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


*** Possible Spoilers ***

Once again short but sweet. There was plenty of action and surprises along the way. I enjoyed it and will continue with the rest of the series. However, one thing I found curious. Miki is presented as being pure bot with no organic parts. Therefore, despite his processor and memory being destroyed, it should have been possible to restore him from backup. I mean surely a sentient robot would take backups wouldn't it? I think Martha Wells made a mistake there.



View all my reviews

Artificial Condition

Artificial Condition by Martha Wells

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


*** Possible Spoilers ***

A nice little novella featuring a murder bot who has gone rogue. Although very short, this is a good, fast-paced adventure in which our protagonist meets and briefly teams up with a research ship bot, protects some humans from another group bent on murdering them, and in general embarks on a quest to learn more about an incident in the past which has been wiped from memory. If you're going to read this series I recommend downloading a bunch of episodes because they're so short.



View all my reviews

Killing Moon

Killing Moon by Jo Nesbø

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


*** Possible Spoilers ***

I use a rating of 3 for one of two purposes. If the book is bland but otherwise okay, I give it a three. This book was anything but bland. The other instance where I rate with a 3 is when I love some parts and hate others in pretty much equal measure. In this case I loved the plot. It was exciting, held my interest, and the villain was one of the best I've encountered in literature. On the other hand, I hated the soul searching. The protagonist is a brilliant detective but an alcoholic suffering over a lost love murdered by a man he once knew and seemed to like. There was far too much of this inward examining of the psyche for my taste. Sure, bad things happen. Move on. This character didn't and we had to hear about his suffering page after page after page. I'll concede many readers love deep introspective feelings. I don't. Let the detective focus on the crime. I don't need the maudlin whining.

This book is not for everyone. One critic complained it is misogynistic and only people living in the past might enjoy it. I didn't think she was correct in its being misogynistic but if you happen to be 'woke' you may want to pass. Likewise if you're squeamish about pedophilia and cannibalism this book is probably not for you. For those who like a good detective story - this is not a whodunit - and don't mind the focus on feelings this is a great book with a fantastic villain.



View all my reviews

Glorious Exploits

Glorious Exploits by Ferdia Lennon

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


*** Possible Spoilers ***

This wasn't a bad book but it was far from as it was advertised. I selected it because, keywords, description and many rating said it was humerous. It wasn't. There were a few smiles throughout the book but no laughing moments. Basically it's about a couple of characters at the lower rung of the social order undertaking things seemingly impossible and somehow overcoming all odds to achieve them. I enjoyed it but I'm not setting about to find other works by this author.



View all my reviews

The Pumpkin Seed Massacre

The Pumpkin Seed Massacre by Susan Slater

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


*** Possible Spoilers ***

One of the most fascinating things about this book was that it was published in 2002. It's about a man-made virus genetically engineered for the purpose of committing a murder. The virus then gets out of control and kills a bunch of people. The setting is New Mexico, a state relying heavily on tourism so the government is not impressed by the publicity. People start staying away in droves thereby damaging the economy. The CDC gets involved and researchers there and elsewhere work frantically to isolate the virus and find some sort of treatment. The thing is, this was written long before COVID. Even SARS didn't take its first victim until November 2002 and wasn't considered serious until March 2003. So it appears the author was rather prescient in developing ideas along such lines.

The pacing is good and the plot interesting. This is not a Whodunit as the villains are identified early in the story and it's up to the authorities to catch them It is, however, a pretty good detective novel although the detectives in this case are two doctors and a journalist.

Don't look to this for in depth character analysis. It's a good, thriller but the author doesn't spend much time digging into the depths of her characters, which, in my opinion, improves rather than detracts from the book.



View all my reviews

The Hungarian Game

The Hungarian Game by Roy Hayes

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


*** Possible Spoilers ***

This is a spy thriller but if you're looking for something like James Bond, this isn't it. The pace is much slower. It more like the various characters are engaged in a chess game with no board and all the moves are unspoken so everyone needs to intuit what the others are up to. I love this type of novel but I'm fully aware I'm in the minority. Fights are few and far between. Keeping track of characters is tricky. Our protagonist is often as concerned with padding hie expense account as figuring out how to catch the individual he's looking for. I loved the book but it's certainly not for everyone.



View all my reviews

MeetEater's Campfire Stories Close Calls

MeatEater's Campfire Stories: Close Calls by Steve Rinella

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


*** Possible Spoilers ***

This book consists of a series of anecdotes told by people who had close calls usually in the wilderness. Each story is unique and quite interesting but there is no sustained plot as there would be in a novel. It's a good book for audio format as you can listen while doing stuff like chores or driving. The individual stories are interesting but it would be possible to abandon the book after any individual tale without missing much.



View all my reviews

It Was This Big

It Was THIS Big!: Humorous Adventures of a Canadian Fisherman by Bruce Tilbrook

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


*** Possible Spoilers ***

Bland. Very very bland. It wasn't either bad or good, just somewhere in the middle. I wouldn't recommend the text version of this book but I listened to the audio and it was quite pleasant to do chores or eat meals with the author rattling along in the background. The title suggests it will be humorous but such humor as was present was pretty thin. I had been hoping for something like Greg Clark and Jimmie Frise Go Fishing but this didn't come close. It consists of a serious of comments about fly fishing trips in Alberta. If nothing else, the author is clearly dedicated to the sport.



View all my reviews

Medusa

Medusa by Clive Cussler

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


*** Possible Spoilers ***

Think of this as a variation on a James Bond movie and you'll know pretty much what to expect. There is plenty of action, simple characters - the good guys are all good and the bad guys all bad - and a fantastic diabolical plot to destroy the world. It's a fun story but don't look to it for anything of a penetrating literary nature. I expect to read more of the series but not right away.



View all my reviews

The Navigator

The Navigator by Clive Cussler

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


*** Possible Spoilers ***

If you want realism this book is NOT for you. Imagine a combination of James Bond and Indiana Jones and you'll get the idea.

If you want character development this book is NOT for you. It's 100% plot driven. The good guys are good, the bad guys are evil, and that's the way it is from beginning to end. Likewise if you're looking for deep psychological motivations try something else. This is for those who like plenty of action without a great deal of rationale behind it. Also, if you dislike prologues, move on because this book has one of the longest I've encountered in any book. In fact I was convinced I'd somehow missed the beginning of Chapter 1 and was well into the story when it ended and the real story began.

One negative review claimed this book was 'unapologetically racist, filled with centuries old stereotypes', so if you regard yourself as 'woke', try another book.

Although this is book 7 of a series, for me it was number 1 as I wanted an audio book for when I'm doing chores around the house and none of books 1 through 6 are in audio format. As such it took a little getting used to as quite a few characters were introduced with some rapidity but it wasn't too long before I figured out who was who and had no problems afterwards.

Although the pacing is fine, there are a number of information dumps scattered through the story. They aren't long and I found them interesting but some may not like them.

There us plenty of action, plenty of excitement, some rather bizarre situations and overall it was a fun read.



View all my reviews