woodge.com > books > book notes

		Below: dashed off notes on the last dozen books I've read.
		Wicked Plants: The Weed That Killed Lincoln's Mother and Other Botanical Atrocities • Amy Stewart HC 223 pages ISBN-10: 1565126831 ISBN-13: 978-1565126831 I enjoyed this handsome little compendium of plant facts and lore. But it's also scary too. There's more than a few plants in this book that I never want to come in contact with. One that is native to Australia called the stinging tree can leave you in pain for up to a year. I also learned about several very invasive species of plants that are taking over both land and sea. There was also poisonous plants that need only hours to kill you after ingesting; and plants good for getting high (mostly mildly) although some of them look very much like other plants that will kill you. Lesson learned? Just say no. This book includes handsome etchings. [amazon] [comment via blog] [11 september 2009]
		[abandoned] The Court of the Air • Stephen Hunt pb 599 pages ISBN-10: 0007232187 ISBN-13: 978-0007232185 I got to page 172 before deciding against finishing this story. The author crams many different ideas into this steampunk-fantasy-mashup of a tale. The two main characters are orphans. Molly Templar gets placed by the orphanage into prostitution, but her very first john turns out to be an assassin. She escapes but we don't know much about who the assassin is, who he works for, or why Molly would be targeted. By page 172 I still don't know. Then there's Oliver. When he was very young he and his parents crashed an aerostat (an airship) and he lived for 4 years within the "feymist." The feymist has been known to alter people only after casual contact yet Oliver seems unaffected. Then his guardian uncle and household are murdered and Oliver is framed. Again we don't know why his uncle was targeted or what the motivations are of the killers. Ugh. There's various fun things thrown into the mix: other races like the craynarbians (crab-like people), autonomous "steammen" (think robots) with their own culture, floating pieces of land (often the result of floatquakes), underground cities, etc. The problem is that all these new things keep on coming and keeping everything straight is a complicated chore. Place names are thrown about but no maps are provided. Various terms are sprinkled in, but their definitions are lacking (no glossary either). And so far Molly and Oliver are fairly one-dimensional. I don't feel like I know them. I should after 172 pages, no? So, dang. I was looking forward to getting into this one but the hypercomplicated, incomprehensible plot along with the cardboard characters and indeterminate world has me scratching my head. There's too much other stuff to read before I continue plodding through this one hoping it'll get better. (Plus, this could be first in a series that may number seven books... and I've already committed to too many other series.) On to other venues. [amazon] [comment via blog] [28 august 2009]
		How I Became a Famous Novelist • Steve Hely pb 224 pages ISBN-10: 0802170609 ISBN-13: 978-0802170606 This is very light reading about a guy who figures out that many of the authors on the current bestseller lists are just really good con-artists and he wants in. He comes up with some hilarious rules for writing a bestseller and sets off to write a schlocky romance-and-redemption story filled with heinous clichés and such. He also wants to be famous just so he can upstage his ex-girlfriend at her upcoming wedding. But the character's trashing of the bestselling ilk that passes for entertainment these days is the good stuff. It's often quite funny and possibly hits pretty close to home on occasion. This book can be read very quickly and should appeal to the cynic in you. Oh, also: all the blurbs are fake. [amazon] [comment via blog] [28 august 2009]
		Gardens of the Moon (Malazan Book of the Fallen, Book 1) • Steven Erikson pb 688 pages ISBN-10: 0765348780 ISBN-13: 978-0765348784 This is the first book in a 10-volume series (eight of which are currently published). It's an epic fantasy spanning a world and with a myriad different characters. There are several maps, lists of dramatis personae, and glossaries to help you navigate this intricate world. It would be daunting to someone new to the fantasy genre, and on someone less so to a fan (like me). Until relatively recently, I resisted getting involved in multi-volume fantasy series — at least those that expand beyond a trilogy. But that all changed when I started George R. R. Martin's Song of Ice and Fire series (4 published, 3 to come). Got hooked there. I also got hooked on Jim Butcher's Codex Alera series (I've read 2 of 6 so far). Erikson has been compared to Martin because both are not afraid to kill off main characters (both good, evil, and somewhere in between). But these three, Erikson, Martin, and Butcher all have very different writing styles. Erikson's style is less straight-forward than the others. With Martin and Butcher, following the plot and the character's motivations doesn't tax your brain. But there is so much going on in Erikson's world. It's a little much at first but then a third of the way through this book, it begins to get clearer. And his use of sorcery in the story is heavy, detailed, and fascinating. It's a strange place — maybe not as strange as China Mieville's Bas-Lag, but wonderfully strange all the same. And the characters are wildly diverse as well. But they could use some more fleshing out. Of the two dozen or so that I followed through this tale, I was only getting a clear picture of four or five of them. But I found the whole thing to wickedly engrossing. I love some of the weirdness he puts into this tale, like, for instance, a sorcerer who ends up having his soul transferred into a marionette. Think Chucky with wizardly powers. In this series the Malazan empire is hellbent on world domination but that is neither easy nor assured. Who knows how long it will take me to get through this series, but I'm looking forward to doing so. One thing I gotta add is that Jeez Laweez, but these Malazan covers are cheesy-looking! I mean, look at this one, is that guy sporting a mullet?! Sheesh. And, Book 3 looks like it may have the worst cover. I'd be embarrassed if I cared enough. [amazon] [25 august 2009]
		Academ's Fury (Codex Alera, Book 2) • Jim Butcher pb 544 pages ISBN-10: 0445013406 ISBN-13: 978-0445013401 This is the second in a series of six and this entry was every bit as exciting and thrilling as the first (Furies of Calderon). This book takes up two years after the events in the first book (Tavi is seventeen now). Many of the same players from the first book are back and there are many more new villains. Butcher keeps the action going strong and the interest level high which makes for a fast and fun read. The Codex Alera is fast becoming one of my favorite fantasy series. This book also delivers some cool plot twists/revelations. Highly recommended. [amazon] [5 august 2009]
		The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters, Volume Two • Gordon Dahlquist pb 432 pages ISBN-10: 0553385860 ISBN-13: 978-0553385861 This book is the second half of the story begun in Volume One. Not sure why it was split into two volumes, together they are about 900-odd pages of a story, on the large side, surely, but I devoured it fairly quickly. Like Volume One, Volume Two has many hair's-breadth escapes, confrontations, and other suspenseful stuff. Sometimes they get a bit too descriptive, but this story holds your interest throughout. The characters both good and bad are wonderful creations. And our three protagonists prove themselves worthy adversaries for the numerous bad guys in the sinister cabal. If the body count in Volume One is impressive, it's nothing compared to Volume Two. Our heroes (and heroine) are deadly! Guns, knives, sabres, glass shards -- and that's just a partial list of the weapons they employ. And the final denouement is an extremely cinematic (and bloody) smorgasbord of good versus evil. And there is one small hanging thread that leaves room for a sequel. I understand that the recently published book, The Dark Volume continues the adventures. Sweet. This was a fantastic story in every sense. Wicked fun. [amazon] [26 july 2009]
		The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters, Volume One • Gordon Dahlquist pb 480 pages ISBN-10: 0553385852 ISBN-13: 978-0553385854 This is fast becoming my favorite story of the year and I'm only half done (I'm currently reading Volume Two). This is a Victorian adventure which combines elements of mystery, a dash of science fiction, a smattering of romance, and is smothered in suspense. Didn't take long for me to hooked into the story, either. It charges right along keeping you hungry for what happens next. There are three main protagonists who are very dissimilar yet they are all tenacious. The book is peopled with all manner of types, from lords and ladies to rogues, whores, and assassins. There are several death-defying escapes and chases. The main characters are compelling and very likable, the villains are varied, dangerous, and fleshed-out as well. The writing is top-notch. I really love this story, it's cinematic, larger-than-life and something you can really lose yourself in. Very fun. [amazon] [15 july 2009]
		Low Moon • Jason HC 216 pages ISBN-10: 1606991558 ISBN-13: 978-1606991558 The author, known simply as Jason, is an acclaimed graphic novelist based in Norway. This book contains five stories and takes its name from one of them, my favorite, a chess western. His characters are all hapless dog-faced creations grappling with desire and melancholy. The stories are interspersed with deadpan wit and bits of slapstick humor. It's very cool and apparently Jason has a rabid following. Last year the title piece was serialized in the New York Times Sunday Magazine "Funny Pages" section. Count me in as another fan. (Below is a random panel from the book.) [amazon] [11 july 2009]
		The Reavers • George MacDonald Fraser pb 288 pages ISBN-10: 0307388050 ISBN-13: 978-0307388056 Fraser is best known for his series of Flashman novels. But this one is a silly stand-alone. In fact, the first sentence of his foreward to the book is: "This book is nonsense." Which means that basically, he just wrote it for fun and he's not hewing closely to the facts of the time period he set it in (Elizabethan England, somewhere around 159-, Fraser is willfully vague). The characters frequently spout anachronisms and it's really just all done for laughs. If you're familiar with Fraser's book The Pyrates, it's close to that style. I loved The Pyrates, and this one was diverting enough but not as easy to follow. Fraser renders his characters' dialogue into their various accents (Scottish, Cockney, American Deep South, Spanish, etc.) and that tends to slow the reading speed doon abit. If ya nae ken whut ahm tockin' aboot, yer in fer a bit o' a slog. Oh, also, a passing familiarity with Cockney rhyming slang also helped in a few spots. To wit: china (plate) = mate, butcher's (hook) = look. [amazon] [5 july 2009]
		City Of Thieves • David Benioff hc 272 pages ISBN-10: 0670018708 ISBN-13: 978-0670018703 This is an excellent World War II story set in and around St. Petersburg (aka Leningrad) in 1942. Lev is arrested for looting a German corpse and Kolya is arrested for desertion. A colonel gives them a choice: die by execution or find him a dozen eggs for his daughter's wedding in four days. They choose the latter. The story is funny, horrble, suspenseful, heart-breaking and exciting. It draws you in completely and the writing has that effortless feeling. Great characters too. I really wouldn't want to tell you anything more. It's best to discover this story on your own. It's a quick read. [amazon] [21 june 2009]
		Prador Moon • Neal Asher pb 222 pages ISBN-10: 159780052X ISBN-13: 978-1597800525 Neal Asher's brand of SF is not for the squeamish. Prador Moon is set within his Polity universe. The Polity is the collective group of worlds which is run by AI and policed by Earth Central Security agents. Unlike the first Polity novel, Gridlinked (which I've read), this one does not feature ECS agent Ian Cormac. Prador Moon is a standalone novel which details the first contact with emissaries of the Prador Second Kingdom. The alien race known as the Prador are huge crab-like beasts who give new meaning to the world hostile. For instance they enjoy dining on humans and occasionally will eat their own young. (I found much to admire in their parenting skills.) This tale has two main characters: Jebel Krong and Moria Salem. Jebel Krong becomes a revenge-driven leader of the defensive forces; Moria Salem is getting used to having a new aug implanted on her skull. Think of an aug as like a small super-computing wi-fi connected interface to universe-spanning data bank. That would take some getting used to. Anyway, Prador Moon is a short book that moves quickly. It occasionally gets lost in head-scratching technobabble but only for a paragraph here and there. It's a nice diversion for Asher fans. But if you're interested, I'd suggest checking out Gridlinked first. That said, The Skinner is my favorite Asher tale and one I plan on revisiting some day. The Skinner also features some Prador characters. They are nasty! [amazon] [10 june 2009]
		Poison Study (Study, Book 1) • Maria V. Snyder pb 416 pages ISBN-10: 0778324338 ISBN-13: 978-0778324331 A couple months ago I had a Borders Gift Card burning a hole in my pocket and as luck would have it, there's a big fat Borders store a short walk from where I work. So I was browsing again and came across this title. I'm much better about impulse buys than I used to be so I checked out the comments on Amazon before snagging it. Well, as of this writing it's rated 4 and a half stars out of 5 from over 200 reviews. And sure enough, I was hooked by the second page. The plot concerns a young woman named Yelena sentenced to be executed for murder. But she's given an option: die by execution, or become the Commander's food taster, a life-long position (which is currently available since the last food taster died from poisoning.) Yelena chooses not to die and then gets caught up in the political intrigue surrounding the land known as Ixia. It's a breeze to read and the pace rarely flags although the rest of the story is not as strong as the first third. This book can stand alone but there are two more "Study" books featuring Yelena. They're on my list. 4 stars. [amazon] [4 june 2009]