Review: The Woman on the Orient Express

The Woman on the Orient Express by Lindsay Jayne Ashford
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Not my usual sort of book, far too dependent little women wailing about not having a man.

That said, it was well enough written, and kept me reading despite what I don't like.

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Review: Mortal Engines

Mortal Engines by Philip Reeve
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Pretty good steampunk version of cities on the hoof rather than cities in flight, but good nonetheless.

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Review: Ink and Bone

Ink and Bone by Rachel Caine
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Surprisingly good YA SFF. Enjoyed it and will read more of the series. Good job!

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Review: Swords and Deviltry

Swords and Deviltry by Fritz Leiber
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Okay, but not something I'll continue to read.

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Review: The Dread Wyrm

The Dread Wyrm by Miles Cameron
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I love this series. Knights and dragons and a smart ass hero who always has plans within plans. What's not to like!

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Review: Ice Station Zebra

Ice Station Zebra by Alistair MacLean
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I'm of the opinion that this is one of those rare instances where the movie was far better than the book. Book wasn't bad, just that the movie was better!

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Review: Iron House

Iron House by John Hart
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Excellent book with atmosphere and suspense. My only complaint is that he got the psychology wrong, but then it's a common misconception so I won't fault him too badly for it, since the book is so good otherwise. Highly recommended.

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Review: The Second Ship

The Second Ship by Richard Phillips
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Enjoyable sci fi with a few twists that surprised me. I'll probably continue the series

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Review: The Chrysalids

The Chrysalids by John Wyndham
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Even after catastrophic disaster, life finds a way.

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Review: As Chimney Sweepers Come to Dust

As Chimney Sweepers Come to Dust by Alan Bradley
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Flavia. At her best.

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Review: God's War

God's War by Kameron Hurley
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I wanted to like this book, but didn't. Did Not Finish.

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Review: Central Station

Central Station by Lavie Tidhar
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A very different take on sci fi, concentrating not on the shiny and new, but rather on what daily life might be like and what would change and what would not, even in the face of complex and not altogether positive advances. A difficult thing to do, but done well.

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Review: Starhawk

Starhawk by Jack McDevitt
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

interesting prequel for the series.

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Review: The Hidden Family

The Hidden Family by Charles Stross
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

interesting addition to the series. Strong female characters and lots of action.

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Review: Pushing Ice

Pushing Ice by Alastair Reynolds
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Excellent portrait of humans trying their best to understand alien artifacts. And how difficult it is to fully understand the aliens themselves.

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Review: The Fifth Season

The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Impressive world building. Characters are complex and confusing and impossible, but one can see why, given what they have to endure.

Looking forward to the rest of the series.

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Review: The Fifth Season

The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Impressive world building. Characters are complex and confusing and impossible, but one can see why, given what they have to endure.

Looking forward to the rest of the series.

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Review: The Fifth Season

The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Impressive world building. Characters are complex and confusing and impossible, but one can see why, given what they have to endure.

Looking forward to the rest of the series.

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Review: The Last Colony

The Last Colony by John Scalzi
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

As usual, an intriguing and complex plot, great characters and easily read writing. I do enjoy his books.

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Review: Iron Gold

Iron Gold by Pierce Brown
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Up to his usual standards. A new front in the wars against the Golds. But this time our hero has gone a bit far and his revolution turns on him.

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Review: Borderline

Borderline by Mishell Baker
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I enjoyed the story but had my issues with it. It seemed to drag and be a bit repetitious at times but the ideas were very good and the world building complex and intriguing.

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Review: Empire of Sand

Empire of Sand by Tasha Suri
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Rating: A really intriguing new author, with a well thought out world.

I really enjoyed this, although I thought it was a bit slow in parts. Even so, the characters were well drawn, the world-building was well thought-out, and the story line was compelling. Her writing is top notch.

I'll look forward to book 2.

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Review: Dark Run

Dark Run by Mike Brooks
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Pretty good start of a new series. Interesting characters, lots of action, world-building good.

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Review: The Bone Labyrinth

The Bone Labyrinth by James Rollins
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

excellent entry to a terrific series

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Review: A Closed and Common Orbit

A Closed and Common Orbit by Becky Chambers
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A different sort of sci fi, no lasers firing, just interesting character development.

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Review: Half-Resurrection Blues

Half-Resurrection Blues by Daniel José Older
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

An okay urban fantasy.

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Review: The Daffodil Affair

The Daffodil Affair by Michael Innes
My rating: 0 of 5 stars

What do a horsenapped Daffodil, a missing mentally challenged girl, and a house that disappears from London have in common? Appleby is on the case...

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Review: The Other Einstein

The Other Einstein by Marie Benedict
My rating: 0 of 5 stars

DID NOT FINISH.

It started off very well, but devolved into romantic nonsense and whinging.

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Review: Dune

Dune by Frank Herbert
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I thought it held up well over the years since I last read it. Too bad the follow on books weren't as great.

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Review: The Stars Are Legion

The Stars Are Legion by Kameron Hurley
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Props for the attempt to write a different sort of world, a world of women where no men are in evidence. The writing was great and the world-building complex and confusing and mysterious, as it should be. I guess my disappoint is that even without men, this world is all aggression and war. Maybe it would be, but I can always hope for something different if women ruled the world.

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Review: Broken Harbour

Broken Harbour by Tana French
My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Rating: Psychologically complex and painful

This series, and this book in particular, is far more than a police procedural, rather stories that delve deeply into people's hidden fears and messed up lives and minds. They deal not just with murder, but with broken lives and psychological scars that really never heal, but that the best you can hope for is scar tissue to paint them over so the agony isn't always front and center, but yet are always there to come to the surface under certain conditions.

Not easy to read, but horribly realistic, at least in my experience.

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Review: The Beautiful Mystery

The Beautiful Mystery by Louise Penny
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

not my favorite of the series

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Review: An Autumn War

An Autumn War by Daniel Abraham
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

excellent view of war, humanizing both sides but showing the futility and misery also

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Review: Sleeping Giants

Sleeping Giants by Sylvain Neuvel
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Rating: Fun and interesting, not to mention a nicely different take on artifacts.

Really enjoyed the story. I wasn't a fan of the format at first but it grew on me. Nicely mysterious and alienist.

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Review: The Autumn Republic

The Autumn Republic by Brian McClellan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Good wrapup to the series, but I still have questions! Guess I'll have to read the next trilogy.

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Review: Two for Sorrow

Two for Sorrow by Nicola Upson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Not as enjoyable to me as the previous two books in the series.

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Review: The Crimson Campaign

The Crimson Campaign by Brian McClellan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Flintlock fantasy. Good second book in the trilogy with a little too much slogging on, but otherwise, lots of action and character development. The world he's created is complex and interesting.

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Review: A Betrayal in Winter

A Betrayal in Winter by Daniel Abraham
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

powerful second entry to the series

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Review: A Betrayal in Winter

A Betrayal in Winter by Daniel Abraham
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

powerful second entry to the series

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Review: A Shadow in Summer

A Shadow in Summer by Daniel Abraham
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A re-read so I can continue the series. Very nicely done world-building and complex and interesting characters. The writing is lyrical.

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Review: A Conjuring of Light

A Conjuring of Light by V.E. Schwab
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Satisfying conclusion to an intriguing series

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Review: A Natural History of Dragons

A Natural History of Dragons by Marie Brennan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A good sendup of Victorian sensibilities and natural history fascination. Enjoyable and well written.

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Review: The Shadow Throne

The Shadow Throne by Django Wexler
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Rating: Mysteries and Secrets and Magic, oh my!

I'm really enjoying this series. The magic is there, but not in your face and up front. More, the focus is on military SFF and politics. The characters are quite varied and all of them are fully formed and intriguing. The world-building, with much of the world hidden from our view with only hints of what surrounds our current active piece of it, is first rate.

Eager to get to the next entry in the series.

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Review: The Shadow Throne

The Shadow Throne by Django Wexler
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Rating: Mysteries and Secrets and Magic, oh my!

I'm really enjoying this series. The magic is there, but not in your face and up front. More, the focus is on military SFF and politics. The characters are quite varied and all of them are fully formed and intriguing. The world-building, with much of the world hidden from our view with only hints of what surrounds our current active piece of it, is first rate.

Eager to get to the next entry in the series.

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Review: All Systems Red

All Systems Red by Martha Wells
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Imaginative look at what makes something human. Maybe it's the entertainment feeds?

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Review: A Gathering of Shadows

A Gathering of Shadows by V.E. Schwab
My rating: 0 of 5 stars

Solid second book in the trilogy, continuing the tale of multiple Londons which intersect through magic. Great characters and awesome worldbuilding. My only complaint is the cliff hanger ending.

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Review: The Reality Dysfunction

The Reality Dysfunction by Peter F. Hamilton
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

As usual for Peter F. Hamilton, intriguing ideas regarding the future of tech and humanity. Complex plotting and characters who are multilayered and interesting.

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Review: Victory Conditions

Victory Conditions by Elizabeth Moon
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Rating: A very satisfying ending to a great series.

Ky Vatta, failed student and one of the few Vatta survivors after her family is attacked at home and in space, has morphed into a cool and calm not to mention deadly enemy to the pirates attempting to take control of her world. They should run while they still can.

Really interesting characterization, a fully imagined world, and complex plotting has made this a great series.

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Review: The Queen's Poisoner

The Queen's Poisoner by Jeff Wheeler
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I'm not generally a fan of YA and younger books, but I truly enjoyed this one. Interesting ideas, characters you can care about and not an angst in sight.

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Review: Mechanical Failure

Mechanical Failure by Joe Zieja
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This was a DNF for me. Found the humor sad and didn't give a hoot about the main character. I struggled through 155 pages to decide I really didn't want to read it any more.

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