Dear Alien Anthropologists

(Originally posted August 27, 2011) With the Lightnings is the first book in David Drake’s RCN Saga. I love Drake because he can write just about anything- military sci-fi (Hammer’s Slammers), fantasy (Lords of the Isles), and space opera (RCN Saga). The space opera is my favorite, though I enjoy them all. He is one of those male authors who can write strong female characters I like and identify with. I’ve read many of the RCN books, but its nice to go back to the beginning every now and then and remember how it all started. Still loving Adele and Daniel, so its all good.

(Originally posted in three parts May 22-24, 2011) Let’s start with the disclaimer. I know Daniel Kelley. I was a fellow student and TA in a writing class where Daniel was working on this book. I love his writing, his lush descriptions and well drawn characters. Given that, I really, really wish he had not gone the self-publishing route. Daniel is talented enough that if he had given the process the time a patience it needs, he could have had a publishing house behind him, with a chance to make a real name for himself. In addition, the lamination is already coming off the cover of the book. I may…

(Originally posted March 19, 2011) It took me a year and a half or more to finish this book, not because it wasn’t good, but because I read it intermittently. If you’re interested in business, especially in entrepreneurship and venture capital, you should read this book. Adams works in venture capital and walks the reader through the steps that investors are looking for before they hand you money. My only complaint with this book is that it really focuses on the technology sector. I know the base rules should be the same, but I really would have loved to see examples from non-tech start ups.

(Originally posted January 15, 2011) My favorite comic book ever is Ruse, a steampunk style detective story; The Affinity Bridge sets up in much the same style. We have a male detective and his female assistant. He is brilliant but she is also more than competent. We have mystery, and hints of the supernatural. Detective stories are not my usual read, but the characters and relationships were well done and believable. Considering the book labels itself “A Newbury and Hobbes Investigation” I am looking forward to seeing the main characters again and learning more about the minor characters I was just given a taste of.

(Originally posted December 7, 2010) This is the first of the Jill Kismet books, and I must say, at this point, I like Jill more than I liked Dante Valentine (not that I didn’t devour those books). Jill seems a little more approachable, a little more relatable in her issues. And I like her love interest more. In both series, I have a hard time understanding the love interest’s motivations- I’m not certain what he’s getting out of the relationship. Of course, I don’t think it matters. The books are pulp. They’re action with a little bit of romance thrown in. Saintcrow does that beautifully.

(Originally posted on November 9, 2010) To a new reader, it may not seem like Gibson is a science fiction writer. Starting with Pattern Recognition, Gibson’s writing has been less in the future, closer and closer to the present. Zero History, you might say, takes place at time that is only 17 minutes from now. I need to go back and re-read both Pattern Recognition and Spook Country. I wouldn’t call these three books a trilogy, exactly, but they are all tied, and together, I’m hoping, they will provide the base for future Gibson writing. But be warned, soon he’ll be writing only seven seconds ahead.

(Originally posted in three parts October 25-27, 2010) I don’t know if I could define speculative fiction if you asked me to. I’ll leave that to the critics. What I can recognize is good fiction, no matter what you call it. Neal Stephenson is one of my favorite authors, so its not surprising that I liked Anathem, but its a very different book than what you would expect from the author of Snow Crash. Take a first contact story and wrap it in a philosophical discussion and you have the basic idea, though Stephenson is too gifted a story teller for that description to do the novel justice. Stephenson takes…

(Originally posted in three parts September 28 – October 1, 2010) I read reviews of Never Let Me Go when it first came out and thought it sounded fascinating, though I’ve never been a fan of “literary” fiction. Still the concepts behind the story interested me. If you’ve never read the book, don’t read the rest of this post. The story is about children who are clones created for medical purposes. Their sole reason for existence is to serve as organ donors for “real” people once they reach adulthood. The children know this from the beginning and are raised to believe that being a donor is the highest calling in…

(Originally posted on September 16, 2010) All those reasons I gave for liking to read YA fiction- I like to read Charles deLint for the exact opposite reasons. I read a deLint novel every couple of years. His character arcs are complex and in depth. There’s a depth to everything. It may be hard to put the book down, but you don’t fly through it. Mulengro is a dark urban fantasy. There are multiple point of view characters, including almost everyone who dies, making the senseless violence feel that much more potent, and putting everyone in danger. The ending is not surprising, but is still powerful.

(Originally posted in four parts September 4-7, 2010) I enjoyed the Song of the Lioness quartet quite a bit. If I had read the books when I was at the target age, they probably would have been among my favorites. As an adult, and a writer, I find them good, but not great. Alanna is a likeable hero. She is not perfect, but she tries and is (mostly) able to admit her mistakes. Pierce is most at home when writing action scenes. When in the midst of a fight, the reader is right there in the middle of the action, feeling every punch and clash of the swords. Pierce’s biggest…