|
Post by wildfire2099 on Dec 30, 2015 23:51:47 GMT -5
Night Circus Erin Morganstern
I read Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell not very long ago. It seems this author did so as well, just before writing this book. Much like that epic tome this is a book of magic in the Victorian age... and of comparing two very distinct approaches.. the intellectual and the instinctive.
This version added some romance, but, when you get down to it, it isn't really so very different than the friendship of Strange and Norrell. The ending is certainly a match... as is the level of action that takes place (which is to say, almost none).
That said, The Night Circus is beautifully written. The settings and descriptions are quite good, and really bring you to the circus and give you a sense of being there. Also, using 1/3 the pages is a big plus. .. ultimately, though just to derivative to really be a good story on its own.
|
|
|
Post by Calamas on Jan 1, 2016 16:49:33 GMT -5
TWO MORE TO CLOSE OUT THE YEAR:
Blue Belle by Andrew Vachss The third Burke novel and as with the previous two, titled after the woman central to the story. As I was reading, this was easily my least favorite so far--and by a wide margin. I’ll put aside the transparent mystery of the Ghost Van. That’s a time issue. In 1988, when Blue Belle was published, it would take more than half the book to figure it out. It’s hardly fair to hold that against Vachss since it’s because of the tireless work of him and others like him that these things are no longer a dirty secret here in 2015. It was Belle I had the problem with. We got essentially the same scene between her and Burke over and over: her desperate need for his love, his need for her to conform to the rules by which he lives his life, the clash of the two, and an accepted agreement or stalemate; mix and repeat. And repeat. And repeat.
Not that Belle wasn’t an interesting character. Sprinkling her past into scenes like these is one of Vachss’ premier skills. Unfortunately, there wasn’t enough history to invigorate these scenes as they started to repeat themselves. But remember, I qualified my comments with “as I was reading.” Once we got down to dealing with the main villain and the cost of doing so, Blue Belle was as good as anything Vachss has written (conceding I’m three novels and one co-written short story into his work). A great ending can cover a multitude of sins. And this hardly qualified as a multitude.
The Professional by Robert B. Parker The post-Poodle Springs work of Parker consisted of the exact opposite of the Vachss novel discussed above: unsatisfying endings. Cases solve themselves and bad guys walk away, both because the author can’t find an appropriate way to bring things to a close. Also resulting from his abandonment of plotting, a lot filler arose when he was not sure of what would happen next. The increasing fluff and padding turned me from a loyal reader into someone who would pick up his stuff on the cheap whenever I got around to it. Apparently Parker started to address these issues near the end of his life. Spare Change was the only Sunny Randall novel I completely liked and the previous Spenser effort had a serviceable conclusion.
I am very much glad for this because Parker’s strengths were considerable. His reoccurring characters are like old friends. And he can find and dissect the underlining psychological reasons for some fairly complicated actions and reactions. And of course humor has always been a part of his repertoire.
The Professional involves a seducer of women who has taken his abilities to newer levels, first by living off his victim’s generosity, then by selecting wives of rich, older men, and resorting to blackmail. Thing get more complicated, as they have to, and if the ending isn’t great at least it works in terms of the characters we’ve met. Not the glory days by any means but when the positives overwhelm the faults, my time was well spent.
|
|
|
Post by wildfire2099 on Jan 2, 2016 19:55:40 GMT -5
Those Who Watch by Robert Silverberg c. 1967 Cool premise... two rival alien cultures (seemingly analogous to the US and the USSR, but little sign of which is which) are watching Earth, since they're close to space flight, but still very warlike in nature. One of the watching ships crashes, and it's 3 crew (who are also a 'sexual group), bail out just in time. All three are seriously wounded, however, and are nursed back to health. One by a lonely widowed single mom, one by a down and out member of the AOS (the Air Force department that investigates flying saucers) and one by a Pueblo kid on the reservation. All three aliens reveal their culture (against standing orders).. the two adults fall in love with their aliens, and keep them secret. The kid keeps it a secret because he's neglected and needs a teacher-father figure. Rescue groups eventually find them.. beating the other race to the punch just barely, and they peacefully go home. Of course the two humans who sheltered them meet up (and probably live happily ever after), while the kid steals a laser from 'his' alien and is determined to get a good education to escape the reservation and get to space and visit. Fun little story, but not much plot... Silverberg seemed more interested in talking about the plight of people on Indian Reservations, talking about scientology (there's a similar cult that the characters mock), and doing a 'who watches the watchers' bit than telling a story. I would have liked some ramifications after... it's clear the aliens weren't going to say secret, but the book ends without addressing it. There's a few 'future' bits (it's 1982, 15 years ahead)... the cars are electric, and the booze just gets injected. Otherwise, not much advancement. Worth reading overall, but I expected more from Silverberg, who is usually far better.
|
|
|
Post by Ish Kabbible on Jan 2, 2016 19:59:28 GMT -5
Those Who Watch by Robert Silverberg c. 1967 Worth reading overall, but I expected more from Silverberg, who is usually far better. As someone who has read a couple thousand pages of Silverberg this past year, I'm not familiar with this novel at all. It was right after this, however, when he began his best years of writing
|
|
|
Post by wildfire2099 on Jan 2, 2016 20:02:08 GMT -5
He was really cranking them out in 1967 (5 novels, according to wiki... including Time Hoppers, which I did really like)... so maybe this was a phone it in for a paycheck sorta book.
|
|
|
Post by Ish Kabbible on Jan 2, 2016 21:15:38 GMT -5
He was really cranking them out in 1967 (5 novels, according to wiki... including Time Hoppers, which I did really like)... so maybe this was a phone it in for a paycheck sorta book. You might very well be right. He was highly prolific and even then the quality was decent and sometimes approaching great. Then around 1968 his level of writing really took off and he took his time instead of cranking them out. Still he was more prolific than most others. His prime years was between 1968 to late 70s when he took his sabbatical from SF writing.
|
|
|
Post by Slam_Bradley on Jan 4, 2016 0:09:10 GMT -5
The Plantagenets by Dan Jones. A history of the English dynasty from it's founding by Henry II through the deposition of Richard II by Henry Bolingbroke, who started the Lancastrian Dynasty (though he was a Plantagenet as a grandson of Edward III). I'm a bit of a nut for this particular dynasty, particularly Henry II and his immediate progeny. This was a good overview of English Kingship from the early 12th Century through the dawn of the 15th Century.
|
|
|
Post by berkley on Jan 4, 2016 11:01:40 GMT -5
I read a biography of Henry II's son, Richard I, many years ago, fascinating character.
|
|
|
Post by Slam_Bradley on Jan 4, 2016 11:21:19 GMT -5
I read a biography of Henry II's son, Richard I, many years ago, fascinating character. Henry himself was fascinating. As was his wife and Richard's mother Eleanor of Aquitaine. And they gave birth to a brood of eaglets who were equally fascinating. Richard's death was a huge turning point in English history. Putting John on the throne (though arguably it should have gone to Arthur of Brittany) and there was this momentous pendulum swing from a dynamic powerful king to one of the worst to sit the throne. A similar thing happened at the end of the mainline of the Plantagenet line. Edward, The Black Prince fell ill in Iberia and subsequently died, leaving a power vacuum at the end of Edward III's life and putting an under-aged Richard II on the throne. Edward, was the hero of Crecy and Poitiers and arguably could have held together the balance of power between the throne and the Barons and prevented the events that led to the War of the Roses.
|
|
|
Post by Prince Hal on Jan 4, 2016 13:10:00 GMT -5
I read a biography of Henry II's son, Richard I, many years ago, fascinating character. Henry himself was fascinating. As was his wife and Richard's mother Eleanor of Aquitaine. And they gave birth to a brood of eaglets who were equally fascinating. Richard's death was a huge turning point in English history. Putting John on the throne (though arguably it should have gone to Arthur of Brittany) and there was this momentous pendulum swing from a dynamic powerful king to one of the worst to sit the throne. A similar thing happened at the end of the mainline of the Plantagenet line. Edward, The Black Prince fell ill in Iberia and subsequently died, leaving a power vacuum at the end of Edward III's life and putting an under-aged Richard II on the throne. Edward, was the hero of Crecy and Poitiers and arguably could have held together the balance of power between the throne and the Barons and prevented the events that led to the War of the Roses. Slam, do you like the film The Lion in Winter? Wondering if it hews at all closely to the history. Also, what you wrote about the Black Prince's life is an eerie parallel to Henry V's. Also a renowned war hero who used similar tactics at Agincourt to defeat the French and also died of illness (in France) leaving his infant son as his heir. The kingdom fell apart and the factionalism began again, not to be resolved until 1485 at Bosworth.
|
|
|
Post by Slam_Bradley on Jan 4, 2016 14:01:44 GMT -5
Henry himself was fascinating. As was his wife and Richard's mother Eleanor of Aquitaine. And they gave birth to a brood of eaglets who were equally fascinating. Richard's death was a huge turning point in English history. Putting John on the throne (though arguably it should have gone to Arthur of Brittany) and there was this momentous pendulum swing from a dynamic powerful king to one of the worst to sit the throne. A similar thing happened at the end of the mainline of the Plantagenet line. Edward, The Black Prince fell ill in Iberia and subsequently died, leaving a power vacuum at the end of Edward III's life and putting an under-aged Richard II on the throne. Edward, was the hero of Crecy and Poitiers and arguably could have held together the balance of power between the throne and the Barons and prevented the events that led to the War of the Roses. Slam, do you like the film The Lion in Winter? Wondering if it hews at all closely to the history. Also, what you wrote about the Black Prince's life is an eerie parallel to Henry V's. Also a renowned war hero who used similar tactics at Agincourt to defeat the French and also died of illness (in France) leaving his infant son as his heir. The kingdom fell apart and the factionalism began again, not to be resolved until 1485 at Bosworth. I love The Lion in Winter. And also Beckett. But I'm also a huge Peter O'Toole fan. While it is fictional, none of the dialogue or action actually happened, it hews pretty close to reality in most ways. Henry played his sons off against each other all the time. Eleanor and the Princes revolted against Henry, after which Henry kept Eleanor imprisoned with occasional furloughs. Henry had numerous mistresses and numerous illegitimate children. There is no indication that he ever intended to annul his marriage with Eleanor or try to have new children to take the throne. What he had was a LOT of ambitious sons and a lot of land. But overall the characterization of the players is quite accurate.
|
|
|
Post by Prince Hal on Jan 4, 2016 14:25:03 GMT -5
I love The Lion in Winter. And also Beckett. But I'm also a huge Peter O'Toole fan. While it is fictional, none of the dialogue or action actually happened, it hews pretty close to reality in most ways. Henry played his sons off against each other all the time. Eleanor and the Princes revolted against Henry, after which Henry kept Eleanor imprisoned with occasional furloughs. Henry had numerous mistresses and numerous illegitimate children. There is no indication that he ever intended to annul his marriage with Eleanor or try to have new children to take the throne. What he had was a LOT of ambitious sons and a lot of land. But overall the characterization of the players is quite accurate. Ah, how could I have neglected to mention Beckett? I like them both very much. Thanks for the insight here. Just have never read enough about that period to know. I'm also a fan of O'Toole, with a fondness for Lord Jim (1965), and a somewhat forgotten picture called My Favorite Year (1983).
|
|
|
Post by wildfire2099 on Jan 8, 2016 12:18:13 GMT -5
Magnus Chase and the Sword of Summer by Rick Riordan
I admit, I kinda expected this to be similar to the Percy Jackson series, only with the Norse Pantheon. I didn't expect it to border on having been cut and pasted... it's THAT similar.
The end left some hope... it was a pretty decent climax (those the epilogue was, again, a near carbon copy of 'The Lightning Thief'), and there's the possibility of some crossover, which could be really interesting.
It does have some fun mythology stuff in it (which is sorta the point), so I guess it was worth reading, but I may skip the rest unless my daughter really loves it and insists.
|
|
|
Post by berkley on Jan 8, 2016 12:39:01 GMT -5
I skimmed through a few pages of one of those Riordan books and it didn't seem to have much to offer. I know it's aimed at children but a good children's book can be rewarding for adults too at some level, and I don't mean only acknowledged and time-tested classics like Carroll's Alice books or Grahame's The Wind in the Willows - I found the Harry Potter series enjoyable, for example.
|
|
|
Post by wildfire2099 on Jan 8, 2016 23:55:59 GMT -5
I like Riordan more than Harry Potter, myself. His characters are pretty believable kids, and seeing how he portrays various bits of mythology in the modern world is really fun. I can see not liking them, though.. they're pretty snarky at times, and a little Deux ex Machina-y at time, but I guess that's to be expected when Gods are around.
The first series is certainly the best.
|
|