Reading List Update: # 44 - 49
Aug. 12th, 2008 01:49 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jedibuttercupOnly six books in the last month; I'm definitely behind pace if I want to hit 100 again. One Napoleonic War-era fantasy, three romantic fantasy, and two sci-fi this time.
44. Victory of Eagles by Naomi Novik. Hardback, 329pp. 5th of the Temeraire series. The action didn't disappoint in this one. The cliffhanger from Empire of Ivory is resolved; England is handily defended, over the course of some well-written action in which Laurence and Temeraire play a big part, though the war's not over yet; the political situation with Britain's dragons undergoes a favorable change; and the book ends with Laurence and Temeraire off to yet another continent with Granby, Iskierka, and a few eggs for company. There are a couple of ominous threads left hanging from previous plot elements, but mostly I'm really looking forward to seeing what marvels our heroes will discover next.
45. Resenting the Hero by Moira J. Moore. Paperback, 304pp. 1st of Source and Shield series; Reread. Lighthearted fantasy. Still gives me flashbacks to that strange, popular subgenre of Sentinel fandom fascinated with Bonded Pairs. The main characters-- the so-called Source and Shield-- are likeable enough, and face challenges both personal and professional that keep the pages turning. Interestingly, this series makes heavy use of the unreliable narrator; the heroine has a very stubborn mindset, and often persists in interpreting events in certain ways when it's clear to the reader that the opposite is true.
46. The Hero Strikes Back by Moira J. Moore. Paperback, 308pp. 2nd of Source and Shield series; Reread. Much the same as its predecessor. An easy read, not entirely predictable, and based around fairly likeable characters. My only real complaint is that by the end of this book, it becomes obvious that the main focus of the series is a romance with fantasy dressings, rather than a fantasy with romantic elements; the worldbuilding is seriously incomplete. We're told what their "magic" gifts are, but no real background as to why or how those gifts work.
47. Heroes Adrift by Moira J. Moore. Paperback, 340pp. 3rd of Source and Shield series. The publication of this book is why I reread the previous two; I'm not sure it was worth the effort. The heroes' personal lives moved forward somewhat, though still plagued by misunderstandings; and the subplot in which they actually had to work for their living for once had its entertaining moments. However, the fantasy elements of the series, far from being further explained, actually almost disappeared in this one, and the main plot-- in which Lee and Taro were tasked to search for a royal relative-- had a disappointing lack of resolution.
48. Some Golden Harbor by David Drake. Paperback, 510pp. 5th of the RCN series. Leary and Mundy continue in their tradition of being ordered to make bricks without straw, and somehow pulling off a grand success. Much to-ing and fro-ing and politics, mixed with battles and intrigue. I continue to enjoy the non-sexual, yet deeply supportive and affectionate best friendship the hero and heroine have going; but they really haven't changed much since the first couple of books. I hope the author gives them a chance for personal growth amid all their struggles-against-overwhelming-odds at some point in the series-- because I'm really enjoying it, and I'd hate to see it stagnate.
49. By Schism Rent Asunder by David Weber. Hardback, 494pp. 2nd of Safehold series. After I read the first book in this series and loved it, someone told me they'd seen a review that it was a good idea let down by jingoism (aka "extreme patriotism in the form of aggressive foreign policy"). That was really on my mind when I read this one and I-- can maybe see that reviewer's point? In that the Merlin-esque hero figure picked the most advanced country on humanity's new, very backward homeworld to enlighten after his awakening, which pushed that country into all-out religious war with the fundamentalists controlling much of the rest of the world? That war continues in this book, which feels a little less like a really interesting exercise in reverse-engineered world-building as the characters come more into their own. Romance, intrigue, naval action, and a couple of unexpected plot surprises; the good guys not always winning, and acknowledgement that the "bad" guys aren't really all that bad, just terminally misguided by the corrupt religious architecture. And yet? The primary character of the main cast-- a human personality copied into an advanced robotic body-- is a devout believer in God, despite everything. It's like no other science fiction epic I've ever read, and I'm just as fascinated upon finishing this book as I was after "Off Armageddon Reef". I hope Weber doesn't make us wait too long for the third.
Next book: Well, I sort of picked up The Lies of Locke Lamora. It's-- a very interesting setting, fun main characters, excellent and vivid writing; but for some reason I just can't get into it. I'm 130 pages in, and really wondering whether it's worth continuing, so anyone who's finished it: I'd love to hear from you.
~
44. Victory of Eagles by Naomi Novik. Hardback, 329pp. 5th of the Temeraire series. The action didn't disappoint in this one. The cliffhanger from Empire of Ivory is resolved; England is handily defended, over the course of some well-written action in which Laurence and Temeraire play a big part, though the war's not over yet; the political situation with Britain's dragons undergoes a favorable change; and the book ends with Laurence and Temeraire off to yet another continent with Granby, Iskierka, and a few eggs for company. There are a couple of ominous threads left hanging from previous plot elements, but mostly I'm really looking forward to seeing what marvels our heroes will discover next.
45. Resenting the Hero by Moira J. Moore. Paperback, 304pp. 1st of Source and Shield series; Reread. Lighthearted fantasy. Still gives me flashbacks to that strange, popular subgenre of Sentinel fandom fascinated with Bonded Pairs. The main characters-- the so-called Source and Shield-- are likeable enough, and face challenges both personal and professional that keep the pages turning. Interestingly, this series makes heavy use of the unreliable narrator; the heroine has a very stubborn mindset, and often persists in interpreting events in certain ways when it's clear to the reader that the opposite is true.
46. The Hero Strikes Back by Moira J. Moore. Paperback, 308pp. 2nd of Source and Shield series; Reread. Much the same as its predecessor. An easy read, not entirely predictable, and based around fairly likeable characters. My only real complaint is that by the end of this book, it becomes obvious that the main focus of the series is a romance with fantasy dressings, rather than a fantasy with romantic elements; the worldbuilding is seriously incomplete. We're told what their "magic" gifts are, but no real background as to why or how those gifts work.
47. Heroes Adrift by Moira J. Moore. Paperback, 340pp. 3rd of Source and Shield series. The publication of this book is why I reread the previous two; I'm not sure it was worth the effort. The heroes' personal lives moved forward somewhat, though still plagued by misunderstandings; and the subplot in which they actually had to work for their living for once had its entertaining moments. However, the fantasy elements of the series, far from being further explained, actually almost disappeared in this one, and the main plot-- in which Lee and Taro were tasked to search for a royal relative-- had a disappointing lack of resolution.
48. Some Golden Harbor by David Drake. Paperback, 510pp. 5th of the RCN series. Leary and Mundy continue in their tradition of being ordered to make bricks without straw, and somehow pulling off a grand success. Much to-ing and fro-ing and politics, mixed with battles and intrigue. I continue to enjoy the non-sexual, yet deeply supportive and affectionate best friendship the hero and heroine have going; but they really haven't changed much since the first couple of books. I hope the author gives them a chance for personal growth amid all their struggles-against-overwhelming-odds at some point in the series-- because I'm really enjoying it, and I'd hate to see it stagnate.
49. By Schism Rent Asunder by David Weber. Hardback, 494pp. 2nd of Safehold series. After I read the first book in this series and loved it, someone told me they'd seen a review that it was a good idea let down by jingoism (aka "extreme patriotism in the form of aggressive foreign policy"). That was really on my mind when I read this one and I-- can maybe see that reviewer's point? In that the Merlin-esque hero figure picked the most advanced country on humanity's new, very backward homeworld to enlighten after his awakening, which pushed that country into all-out religious war with the fundamentalists controlling much of the rest of the world? That war continues in this book, which feels a little less like a really interesting exercise in reverse-engineered world-building as the characters come more into their own. Romance, intrigue, naval action, and a couple of unexpected plot surprises; the good guys not always winning, and acknowledgement that the "bad" guys aren't really all that bad, just terminally misguided by the corrupt religious architecture. And yet? The primary character of the main cast-- a human personality copied into an advanced robotic body-- is a devout believer in God, despite everything. It's like no other science fiction epic I've ever read, and I'm just as fascinated upon finishing this book as I was after "Off Armageddon Reef". I hope Weber doesn't make us wait too long for the third.
Next book: Well, I sort of picked up The Lies of Locke Lamora. It's-- a very interesting setting, fun main characters, excellent and vivid writing; but for some reason I just can't get into it. I'm 130 pages in, and really wondering whether it's worth continuing, so anyone who's finished it: I'd love to hear from you.
~
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no subject
Date: 2008-08-12 09:16 am (UTC)I read this one, I think on your recommendation, and while the characters were, yes, likeable, they weren't quite likeable enough. Maybe the heroine irritated me with her lack of insight.
but for some reason I just can't get into it. I'm 130 pages in, and really wondering whether it's worth continuing
By the 50-page rule, you've given it a fair go, so I'd stop now and read something else.
no subject
Date: 2008-08-12 01:45 pm (UTC)