• Against a Dark Background by Iain M. Banks. Banks has a unique and entertaining voice, in his universe advanced technology is just a little perverse and contrary and darkly witty. Fun read although a little long. Amazon says 4.5 stars, Goodreads 3.8, I would definitely comtimnue to read more Banks.
• Ancestor by Scott Sigler. 4.5 stars on Amazon, 4.1 on Goodreads, but utter crap. Derivative Crichtonesque garbage with 1D cartoon characters. Not finishable.
• Ariel by Steven R. Boyett. Terribly inconsistent tale of a young man and a unicorn in a post-apocalyptic world, but something endearing about the protagonist and his trials. 4 stars on Amazon, 3.53 on Goodreads. 3-3.5 seems about right, a good tale wrapped up in a kind of a sloppy book.
• The Company by K. J. Parker. Odd parable of a group of veterans in a vaguely Nordic country who come together years after a war. Their lives have come to be defined by their wartime experiences and their personal forms of cowardice and betrayal. Amazon says 3.5 stars, Goodreads says 3.2. I can’t highly recommend the book but it was interesting enough to finish.

Wow this is an underwhelming list to end the summer on.

Tags: Books

OK, it is summer, so of course I am reading zombie books. There are enough of these to probably dedicate a blog just to the category.

• Patient Zero by Jonathan Maberry. Terrorists and their greedy western sponsors create a zombie virus to bring the USA to its knees. Joe Ledger, supercop, leads the fight against the zombie plot. Typical escapist action fare. Amazon says 4 stars, goodreads 3.91, this is high, but an entertaining airplane read.
• World War Z by Max Brooks. A grittier look at an imagined future zombie war. Of course the humans win but massive deaths, and no one left alive is untouched. Nicely structured as a series of interviews with survivors. Amazon says 4.5 stars, goodreads says 4.17, that might be rich, but this was entertaining with some emotional depth.
• Unholy Ghosts by Stacia Kane. No zombies, just hordes of ghosts that won’t go away in the near future. Magic has been rediscovered to control them, and our heroine finds herself in the middle of multiple intersecting plots. An attempt to kickstart a franchise, but ultimately the attempt to create a flawed heroine just didn’t do it for me. Amazon says 4.5 stars, goodreads says 4.09, but I was left a little bored.
• Boneshaker by Cherie Priest. In an 1880s steampunk alterna-Seattle, a manmade disaster has unleashed a toxic cloud of zombification. The zombies are not really the main protagonist, rather it is all the humans scrabbling to live in the transformed city. Really quite good, Amazon says 4 stars, goodreads says 3.7, this is fair, the setting and characters are good.
• Feed by Mira Grant. A group of bloggers cover a presidential campaign and uncover a treasonous plot, against the backdrop of a world dealing with a virus which is pervasive in its dormant state and breaks out occasionally in its active zombie-inducing state. I like an author who isn’t afraid to kill off central characters, some real pathos in this tale. I’d like to read the next in the series. Maybe the most interesting science of any of the books. Amazon says 4.5 stars, goodreads says 4.24, this was probably the best of the set for me.

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• 61 Hours by Lee Child. Reacher’s back and never fails to entertain. And gasp a cliffhanger, that is a new element. I hope Child pushes the character more to be honest, Reacher needs to evolve to keep my interest and to avoid replaying the same plot over and over again with ever more outlandish elements — and the crazy WWII era abandoned military facility had a little bit of shark-jumping in it. But still entertaining. Amazon says 3.5 stars, that seems fair. 
• The Law of Nines by Terry Goodkind. Goodkind seems to sell a lot of books based on shelf space at the local bookstore, so I decided to try one. What an epic piece of crap. Plodding, pedantic, characterless,derivative, logically-inconsistent crap. I am stunned that books this bad get published. How does it rate 3.5 stars on Amazon? This thing deserves negative stars, it saps the life out of any book it sits next to, it is a black hole of literature.
• Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace. After the Goodkind crapfest I needed something of substance, and it was great to dive into a book of complex characters slowly revealed through events. Ultimately this book is not my style, a little too much towards farce, but I can admire the writing. Amazon says 4 stars and I guess I’d agree tho I didn’t finish as it just not my taste.
• Death Comes for the Archbishop by Willa Cather. A great tale of a full life on the American frontier. Death comes easy when you have worked long and given much to people. A further cleansing of the mind after that terrible Goodkind book. Amazon says 4.5 stars and I’d agree.

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• The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood. Not sure why I decided to make this book my 3rd Atwood. Well written and engaging but you probably need to be very well-versed in Greek myth to fully enjoy, and I am not. Amazon says 4 stars, metacritic gives a 74, these both seem a little high to me, I’d say 3.5 stars.
• Arthur and George by Julian Barnes. A fictional retelling of the odd true story of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and his defense of George Edalji, who was falsely convicted of animal mutilation and other crimes. Oddly engaging although drags a bit in the middle. Amazon says 4.5 stars, metacritic gives a 79. I’d say 4 stars, this is quite a good book, I was suprised at the end to discover just how much of this story was true.
• Ordinary Thunderstorms by William Boyd. No good deed goes unpunished — a man tries to return some papers left mistakenly at a restaurant and stumbles into a murder, is chased by the police and the cabal behind the murder, takes to the streets, is mugged, changes his identity, and very nearly loses his life. His impetuous decisions bring him to the brink and his wits eventually lead him out. Fun tale. Amazon says 3.5 stars, not listed on metacritic. I’d say 3.5 stars, I enjoyed this as much or more than the Atwood.
• People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks. A book conservator puzzles out the history of an ancient Jewish text. The story is fleshed out with flashback chapters to the historical characters who created and preserved the text. Thankfully avoids veering off into the Dan Brown/National Treasure realm, but doesn’t quite replace silly adventure with emotional depth despite attempts to do so — ultimately the characters were a little thin. Amazon says 4 stars, not listed on metacritic, I’d say 3.5 stars — a solid and engaging tale but could have used a bit more character depth. 

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• Across the Nightingale Floor by Lian Hearn. Well regarded YA novel, tells the tale of a young man from humble beginnings who with the help of several mentors discovers his magical powers and rises to great heights. Well worn territory but nicely told. Amazon says 4.5 stars, that might be a little rich, I’d say 4, but it is a quality tale.
• All Other Nights by Dara Horn. A ripsnorter of a tale. A young Jewish Northern spy during the Civil War wrestles with his duty to country, his family, himself. Makes a lot of poor decisions along the way but an element of redemption at the end. Amazon says 4 stars, that seems good, tho I could even inch a little higher; while the setting is familiar, the character is unique.
• American Rust by Phillip Meyer. Life in the rust belt sucks, there are few ways out. Somehow two young men turn a tragedy into an escape for themselves, but not without a lot of trials. Amazon says 4 stars, I might stop at 3.5. It is a good story and gives much to think about, but, well, it is a little bit of a downer at times.
• The Imperfectionists by Tom Rachman. A trendy story, Amazon gives 4.5 stars. It is a very interesting story, doesn’t follow the typical novel structure as it weaves and bobs over 30-40 years of the operation of a newspaper seen through the eyes of different people, all with their own personal issues. But it hung together for me and ultimately was a rewarding tale.

While not the major element of the last two books, they both had themes of parent/child estrangement. And they both leave you feeling that there is no worse hell than being estranged from your child, particularly when the estrangement is largely of your own making. And the best way to become estranged is to make the relationship about you, instead of about your child. Good lessons.

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• Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer. Total downer, post-apocalyptic story narrated by a teenage survivor. Really drug me down, kudos to the author for really establishing the tone. Amazon gives 4 stars, I agree.
• Orphans of Chaos by John C. Wright. The Greek gods are at war and it is spilling over onto Earth. Not a new idea, somewhat entertaining but lacks the mortal/immortal conflict that is at the heart of many of these stories. Amazon says 3.5 stars, that seems a little rich, but there is something that kept me engaged all the way thru.
• Altar of Eden by James Rollins. If you like Crichtonesque pseudo-science formulaic thrillers, then this is for you. Unfortunately I don’t like Crichton and this is a weak attempt at the form with depthless predictable characters. Amazon has a bunch of breathless 4 star reviews, I give this a 1 star. Didn’t bother to finish.
• Alexandria by Lindsey Davis. A very nice mystery set in Roman Alexandria. Very breezy modern tone, really brings the era to life. Enjoyable. Amazon says 4 stars, agreed. 

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• Caught by Harlan Coben. I love Coben and this book is ok but felt a little choppy. Some side characters introduced and discarded just to service the plot, and the ending felt a little scattered as if Coben toyed with multiple endings. Not his best. I’d say 3 stars. The Coben fanboys on Amazon give it 4.5 stars, they need to get out more.
• The First Rule by Robert Crais. Solid Joe Pike tale about Eastern European crime gangs in LA. Believable plot twists, much more compelling than the Coben above. I give it 3.5 stars, Amazon says 4.
• The Fourth Assassin by Matt Beynon Rees. A Palestinian visitor to the US is entangled in politics, crimes, and murders involving Palestinian emigres in NY. No idea how accurate the depiction of the Palestinian community is, but I found it engaging. Some of the plot leaps were a little unrealistic — I am not convinced NYPD cops would overlook a beheading in exchange for some information on a murder plot — but still good. 3.5 stars from me, Amazon says 4. 

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• A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick. You know what sucks? Sending away for a mail order bride, only to discover she is your estranged son’s lover and has come to poison you, and so you allow her to do so, believing it will provide absolution for how you treated your son, and then things get really complicated. Cures you of nostalgia for the good old days. Amazon says only 3 stars but I found it much more compelling.
• Flight from Monticello by Michael Kranish. The tale of Jefferson’s days as governer of Virgina during the Revolutionary War. Makes you wonder just how we won the war, given the general ineptness of the Virginia government. And certainly makes you question the moral basis for the war — we were fighting to preserve the Virginia slave economy? Amazon says 4.5 stars, it is a very good book. I’d love to read a British perspective of the war after reading this…

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• Relentless by Dean Koontz. Koontz writes light horror books — humorous, at times scary, a little grotesque, ultimately uplifting. He seems like he’d be a nice guy to have lunch with. Amazon says 3.5 stars, sounds right.
• Land of Marvels by Barry Unsworth. Lust in all it’s forms — for a woman, for glory, for power, for money, for empire — collide in pre WWI Mesopotamia with predictably disastrous results. Good but not great tale. Amazon says 4 stars, might be a bit rich. 
• The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley. Excellent mystery starring a very unusual precocious 11-year-old detective. Not very believable but I was totally sucked in. Amazon says 4.5 stars, I loved the book. 
• “Even Cowgirls Get the Blues”: amazon by Tom Robbins. I hate farce and so didn’t finish this. I tried. It does seem well written but I can’t get past the absurdity. Amazon says 3.5 stars, I’d say .5. 

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• Typhoon by Charles Cumming. I really liked this tale, suspense set in China over the last 15 years, with some nicely shaded characters. Amazon says just 3.5 stars, but I’m at least 4 stars, I would pick up another book by the author in a heartbeat.
• Invisible by Paul Auster. Quite a twisted little tale of a very evil and manipulative man working his way through a set of lives. And a very nice structure to the tale, raises the book above your typical mystery. I’ve had several Austers on the shelf for a while, very worth the time. Amazon says 4 stars, I’m good with that.
• The Private Patient by P.D. James. This one feels to me like it is the dead zone between a good mystery yarn and literature. The author aspires to write a deeper more thoughtful tale but is just boring. Doubt I will finish. Amazon says 4 stars but really not close.

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• Freedom by Daniel Suarez. Not as mind-wreckingly good as his prior, Daemon but a very nice conclusion to the tale. 3.5 stars, Amazon says 4.5 stars but that I think is carryover from the first book.
• Give Me Liberty by Naomi Wolf. Nice nonfiction complement to the above. Does a nice job of illustrating how our rights have been eroded, and admonishing us to do something about. Amazon says 4.5 stars, well, it is a fine book, but I’d stop at 3.5
• Judas Unchained by Peter Hamilton. Vaguely remember the prior book but it has been a while and this book does not stand alone. Amazon says 4 stars, I am hard on books today, I’d say 3 stars
• The Forgotten Man by Amity Shlaes. History of the Depression, interesting although some of the details could have been left to an appendix. Roosevelt’s level of power was amazing. The story of the transformation of government into a very active role is told well and is clearly not an unalloyed good. The abject failure of monetary policy is well told and a good lesson for today. And my impression of Hoover from high school history as a total bumbler changed, he was incredibly competent prior to his stint as president. Amazon says 4 stars, I’ll say 3.5, and with tighter editing could have been a 4. 

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• Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith. Excellent tale of a Stalin-era security officer in Moscow trying to unravel a series of murders while his own loyalty to the state is under question. He comes to grips with his own morality, his relationships, and his family history as he pursues the case in the face of increasing personal costs. 4.5 stars on Amazon, really an excellent tale.
• The Hidden Family and The Clan Corporate by Charles Stross. Stross has written some good books but these are not it Choppy. A protagonist who is alternately wickedly competent and incredibly dumb, as the plot demands. Sloppy. Mailing it in? The Amazon ratings on this series is declining and I’d have to concur.
• At Empire’s Edge by William Dietz. Barely in and it reads like a bad Star Trek script. Why did I buy this dreck. Amazon says 4 stars, must be Dietz’s mom rating over and over again, this is not readable, 0 stars.
• Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel. Stilted, awkward, dull. Applies to characters and prose. No idea why people like this book or why it wins awards. Amazon says 3.5 stars, I’ll say 1 — readable but dull as dirt, I gave up. 
• Fragment by Warren Fahy. Crichtonesque romp on a remote jungle island. Engaging and fun. Amazon says 4 stars, a very solid piece of entertainment. 

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• The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz. Amazing story. Intertwines the tale of an outcast, a tragic family, the sad 20th century history of the Dominican Republic, and classic science fiction themes. Unique and surprisingly hopeful. Amazon gives 4-5 stars, this is definitely a 5 star read.
• Gentlemen of the Road by Michael Chabon. Great tale of middle age adventurers. Jacket blurb says reminiscent of Leiber’s Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser stories and this is dead on. Amazon says 3.5 stars but I thought this was fun, 4 stars at least.
• A Handbook of Statistical Analyses Using R by Brian Everitt and Torsten Hothorn. I wanted an overview of R, this wasn’t it, but a useful set of case studies of the various types of problems that R can be used on. Very thinly reviewed on Amazon, I’d say 3 stars.
• The Perfect Fruit by Chip Brantley. Moderately interesting story of the inside of the fruit growing industry. Personally would have enjoyed more of the science, and more color on the people in the industry. Amazon says 5 stars but not a ton of reviews. I’d say 3.
• The Red Prince: The Secret Lives of a Habsburg Archduke by Timothy Snyder. The blurb on Amazon drew me, and I enjoy history. The author attempts to enliven this story with a lot of meandering and fictionalization, it just didn’t work for me. Perhaps Habsburg history is meandering and confusing, perhaps just this telling, I’ll never know as I am giving up. Amazon says 4.5 stars with a light review history, I’d say 2.5. It is not terrible but just didn’t grab me.

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Holiday time, and time for some light escapist reading.

• The Moor by Laurie R. King. Part of her Russell series, and excellent. Interesting character, very atmospheric (the “Moor” refers to the moorlands of England). The mystery itself was nothing special but the character and atmosphere make up for it.
• Terra Incognita by Ruth Downie. A mystery set in the Britain of Roman times. An interesting lead character, the doctor affiliated with the Roman legionnaires. The story is choppy and doesn’t hang together well, but the character has promise.
• Revelation Space by Alistair Reynolds. Modern space opera. Great reviews but I found it unoriginal.
• The Fade by Chris Wooding. Fantasy set in an underground world at war, very engaging. Grabs you from the first chapter.

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