10. Consider Phlebas - Iain M. Banks

This is a re-read for me, in order to join a group reading of the Culture novels at Library Thing.

 

This book certainly brought up a lot of mixed emotions for me. I spent 20 years in the US Air Force, most of it working with fighter pilots. The warrior culture at it's best. Needless to say, given that comment, all 20 years I was seen as an outsider, a rogue and a troublemaker. I retired at 20 years, as soon as I could.

Even though my particular career field was computers, not directly combat related, even so I participated in some vile things and watched lies and damn lies used to further the drumbeats for war and conflict, and worse, politics.  I watched grown men cry when a Democrat was elected president, because, of course, they’ll sell us out.

Sorry if I offend anyone. Just my personal thoughts regarding my career, and still at odds with all my retiree friends and even my spouse.

More specific to the book:
I found the depiction of the Idirans and Horza, and yes Belveda quite realistic throughout the book. I also agree with the depiction of the futility of war, how little the grinding reality of folks caught up in it matters in the big picture, and how it changes us and hardens us and makes us crazy, driving principles and conscience into a tiny little box as we’re caught up in the madness of group psychopathy.

9. Polaris - Jack McDevitt

Indiana Jones and Tomb Raider in Space!

Alex and Chase run a small antiquary company on the planet Rimway. Alex has a nose for finding lost or unknown antiquities and Chase pilots their superluminal ship. Between the two of them they’ve got a penchant for getting into trouble, rubbing planetary authorities the wrong way, and sticking their noses in where no one thinks it’s a good idea.

This time, through a series of events, they begin to get interested in the ship Polaris. The ship disappeared for a month or so with a small complement of crew and very well-known passengers.  When the ship was finally found, no one was aboard. This all happened 60 years ago and no one has ever figured out what happened, and Alex doesn’t figure it was some unknown alien who spirited the crew away.

But the more he researches the ship and the lost passengers the more his life and Chase’s suddenly are at risk. But whoever doesn’t want him and Chase looking into it, hasn’t realized how stubborn, and determined either he or his partner are.

A ‘locked room’ mystery. Lots of fun. And the secrets are well worth discovering!

8. A Trace of Smoke–Rebecca Cantrell

First of the Hannah Vogel series, the story begins with a 30 year old single woman on her own in 1931 Berlin, The Nazis are just beginning to step up their persecution of Jews and homosexuals. Hannah’s young brother is a gay man who sings and dances at a gay club in the city. She writes a column for the newspaper and goes to the police station to gather information for a column and finds her brother’s picture on the wall of the unknown dead newly discovered in the city. He’d been stabbed and thrown into the river, naked. She admits to no one her brother is dead and determines to discover who has killed him – someone he knows? Or some roaming bad of Nazi soldiers?

The story takes many twists and turns and the discovery of the killer is complicated by secrets and lies her brother told and kept and the need to hide her interest from the authorities for fear she herself might be killed by learning too much about very powerful men.

I really enjoyed this view of Germany after the Great War and as Hitler was just beginning to create his fascist state. Hannah as believable and her actions obviously those of someone who navigated dangerous waters just barely ahead of people out to keep her brother’s secrets secret.

I hope to continue this series soon.

7. The January Dancer–Michael Flynn

A down-at-the-heels starship captain takes his broken down ship to a world off the beaten path to mine for metals to fix his engines. When they start excavating they find instead a buried chamber which holds alien artifacts.  He picks up the only one that is moveable and there starts the tale of the January Dancer.

The artifact might be a powerful object and everyone and their siblings are after it. Thus begins a chase across the galaxy to get control of the Dancer.

The book is written as a tale a harper wants to set to music from an old man she finds in a bar. It’s an interesting method of telling the story but complicated it and made it a bit harder to follow for me.

6. The League of Frightened Men - Rex Stout

Second in the Nero Wolfe series, takes on a group of men who are responsible for a horrible accident to one of their number. They are certain he is killing them off.

Some of the story was interesting, but I found the morality of the time a bit wearing. I expected the attitudes toward women, so that wasn’t a surprise, but the continual use of ‘cripple’ to describe the main suspect I found annoying and troublesome.

Archie can be amusing but also annoying in his attitudes as well. Nero is a bit less so, which I found surprising.

5. The Pure in Heart - Susan Hill

Second in Hill’s Simon Serailler series, is just as deep and complex as her first. Simon, on vacation in Italy, is called home to the bedside of his sister. In her 20s she has the mind of a baby, and has been ill and in a home all her life, but Si cares deeply for her and rushes home when it looks as if she’ll succumb to this latest illness.

He arrives home just as a 9 year old boy has gone missing.

As with the first mystery, Si and his family figure prominently and at times the mystery of the boy takes second place to the mystery of Si himself, and his complex and multifaceted family and their friends. We delve into what it means to love, how we love, how we view the world and how we learn to deal with the tragedies and horrors it holds for us.

4. Dark Star- Alan Furst

Second in Furst’s Night Soldier series follows a Soviet Jew newspaper man through the rise of Hitler, and the beginning of WWII. At first a spy for the Russians based in Germany when war begins his world is turned inside out and he flees through Europe.

I love how Furst shows what little control people in those circumstances have over their lives. At the mercy of powerful elements shoving them and forcing them this way and that.

A terrific series with insights into the mood, realpoliti0 and underside of the run up to war.

3. God Save the Child - Robert B. Parker

The second installment in Parker’s Spenser series, takes place in the 70s. Dated in some ways, intriguing in others. A bit sexist but comparatively speaking, for the time, not too bad really.  More dated is the morality of the time, but true, I think, as I remember the days.

Spenser is hired to find a missing 15 year old boy. At first it seems like he’s run off, but a few days later, a ransom note arrives. And then things get more bizarre from there.

Interesting twists and turns, and Spenser’s smart arse commentary and retorts amuse.

2. Return of the Crimson Guard–Ian C. Esslemont

Back to the world of the Malazan Empire with this book from Esslemont. Epic fantasy at its most epic, with world size wars, fought by tough men and women who appreciate the miseries and the horrors of their craft.

Not for the faint of heart, grim complex storyline and plot, lots of intrigue, backbiting, betrayal and the occasional honorable person who makes it all come together.  But don’t be so sure the good will survive.

1. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone - J.K. Rowling

 

  

  Since LT folks are doing an HP yearly read, I thought I’d join in. I tried the audio on this re-read and at least found it interesting enough to listen to the whole thing. When I read this, not long after it came out, I found it boring and boorish on several levels.  Can you tell I’m not enamored of kidlit?

Since I can get more audios from the library, I’ll probably continue the series, hoping the follow on books are better.

Currently Reading:

 

Starting the new year with a 700 page book, and one I have to visit the Re-Read of the Fallen at Tor.com after every chapter might not have been my brightest move, LOL

Still, nearly done with Harry Potter, which is… meh. More enjoyable in the audio than it ever was written. MAYBE I’ll listen to more of it.

Yes, yes, I hear you, all you HP maniacs. I know.  I’m just not all that enamored of kidlit.