A spot o' reviewing
Aug. 19th, 2007 11:08 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
stephbgI don't do proper book reviews, but I'm in the mood to type. And what's life without a bit of ranting here and there.
Many many thanks to![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
stephen_dedman at Fantastic Planet for recommending Old Man's War by John Scalzi. Great premise, fabulous characterisations, excellent analysis of the impact of technology on society and individuals, perfect Starship Troopersesqe front line infantry alien shoot 'em up, and almost Moon calibre military disorganisation. All in a first novel! Looking forward to more.
--
When I finished the third part of Traci Harding's Ancient Future trilogy (Masters of Reality - The Gathering) I had planned to document its worst features. Couldn't bring myself to do it at the time, but I'll get it out of the way here as context for the next review.
One of the most irritating things about MoR was an editorial error - the constant misuse of apostrophes to refer to multiple Gods as "God's". There were other cases of the same error, but that one was constant inspiration to throw the thing across the room. The other thing that rapidly eroded any remaining interest for the climax was the introduction and pairing off of dozens of characterless characters. I didn't know who they were, I didn't care if they'd been Elvis, Robin Hood or Bernard King in previous lives.
So why had I read these things at all?
Marketing.
In the Swancon conbag a few years ago was a nicely bound excerpt from a Traci Harding novel called Gene of Isis, part 1 of the Mystique triology. 'Twas nothing outstanding, but readable, so I bought the book. I tend to immerse myself in a new author, so lacking any alternatives (and since part II of that series was not yet out) I started to collect and read The Ancient Future Triology. It was much much much worse, but I've just started to re-read Gene of Isis and can appreciate the contrast. Ms Harding has improved.
Good for her.
I'll grant you that I doubt many 19th century English peers would say "Wow", but on the whole she's managed to tame her tendency towards mind-blowingly banal modern dialog. The heroine Ashlee is hardly complete, but is at least more rounded than Tory, and all the spiritualism is presented in a slightly more academic fashion than the pop-up book new age for dummies crap in the first trilogy. Ever so slightly.
I wonder ifstrangedave would burst into flame if I made him read the allegedly occult bits. Could be fun to see how far he gets without giggling.
--
J. K. Rowling. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
I said I wouldn't, and I shan't.
Many many thanks to
stephen_dedman at Fantastic Planet for recommending Old Man's War by John Scalzi. Great premise, fabulous characterisations, excellent analysis of the impact of technology on society and individuals, perfect Starship Troopersesqe front line infantry alien shoot 'em up, and almost Moon calibre military disorganisation. All in a first novel! Looking forward to more.--
When I finished the third part of Traci Harding's Ancient Future trilogy (Masters of Reality - The Gathering) I had planned to document its worst features. Couldn't bring myself to do it at the time, but I'll get it out of the way here as context for the next review.
One of the most irritating things about MoR was an editorial error - the constant misuse of apostrophes to refer to multiple Gods as "God's". There were other cases of the same error, but that one was constant inspiration to throw the thing across the room. The other thing that rapidly eroded any remaining interest for the climax was the introduction and pairing off of dozens of characterless characters. I didn't know who they were, I didn't care if they'd been Elvis, Robin Hood or Bernard King in previous lives.
So why had I read these things at all?
Marketing.
In the Swancon conbag a few years ago was a nicely bound excerpt from a Traci Harding novel called Gene of Isis, part 1 of the Mystique triology. 'Twas nothing outstanding, but readable, so I bought the book. I tend to immerse myself in a new author, so lacking any alternatives (and since part II of that series was not yet out) I started to collect and read The Ancient Future Triology. It was much much much worse, but I've just started to re-read Gene of Isis and can appreciate the contrast. Ms Harding has improved.
Good for her.
I'll grant you that I doubt many 19th century English peers would say "Wow", but on the whole she's managed to tame her tendency towards mind-blowingly banal modern dialog. The heroine Ashlee is hardly complete, but is at least more rounded than Tory, and all the spiritualism is presented in a slightly more academic fashion than the pop-up book new age for dummies crap in the first trilogy. Ever so slightly.
I wonder if
strangedave would burst into flame if I made him read the allegedly occult bits. Could be fun to see how far he gets without giggling.--
J. K. Rowling. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
I said I wouldn't, and I shan't.
