CLYDE WISHAM
4.5 stars rounded up.Most think that the turning point in the Pacific war was the Battle of Midway. However, as important as Midway was, after reading [b:Neptune's Inferno: The U.S. Navy at Guadalcanal 8575701 Neptune's Inferno The U.S. Navy at Guadalcanal James D. Hornfischer https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1320403084l/8575701.SY75.jpg 13444597], I am now convinced that the true turning point was the fight for Guadalcanal.This book focuses mainly on naval action. The land fight on the island was very tough. The naval fight, however, was ferocious with more than triple the KIAs in the ground fight. It was not a single battle. There were seven major naval engagements starting with the Battle of Savo Island and ending with the Battle of Tassafaronga. One of those was a carrier fight. The other battles were primarily surface unit slugfests using guns and torpedoes.I was struck once again by how poorly prepared the US military was mentally for total war in the early parts of WW2. As in the Battle of Kasserine Pass on the other side of the world, the US forces were complacent and overconfident prior to the Battle of Savo Island. There, an unprepared allied force met a very sharp samurai sword with disastrous results for the allied ships. After that, the US navy proved that it could learn very fast by rapidly instituting new training and operational doctrines and by moving true fighting men into important command slots.The losses were very heavy on both the Japanese and Allied sides, with both displaying plenty of courage and skill in the hell of battle. The deeper resources of the US finally prevailed.Good book.
Cody Hoyt is a cop–a homicide detective and a good one. Like quite a few cops (at least the fictional ones) he has a drinking problem, but is trying to keep it under control. His life spins out of control, however, when his good friend and AA sponsor is found dead in his cabin. At first it looks like an alcohol related accident, but Cody is convinced that it wasn't. Soon his hunch is backed up by some forensic results, and Cody is on the case like a dog on a bone, determined to find his friend's killer.
This is a C.J. Box story so naturally things don't stay in a town or city. Clues lead Cody to suspect that there is a connection to a group on a horseback trip into a wilderness area, and action soon shifts to Yellowstone national park. Along the way things get very dark and very dangerous. Things and people aren't what they seem and somebody seems to be anticipating Cody's moves. There are some twists and surprises and a good exciting finish. We have stampeding horses, dangerous wildlife, and even more dangerous people. By the end of the book the body count is pretty high.
Good book with some interesting characters. I am getting quite fond of C.J. Box.
[b:Wide is the Gate 7402948 Wide is the Gate Upton Sinclair https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1441856499s/7402948.jpg 9306282] was for me a bit of a come down after the excellent [b:Dragon's Teeth 28601293 Dragon's Teeth (The Lanny Budd Novels) Upton Sinclair https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1453181389s/28601293.jpg 16805421]. It continues Lanny Budd's life story in a turbulent time, but without as much suspense as the previous book. Still it is a good story. It certainly inspired me to learn a lot more about the Spanish civil war.I was a bit put off by Sinclair's rather heavy-handed use of Lanny as a mouthpiece for Sinclair's own political views, and I tended to fast-forward through those sections.3.5 stars rounded up.
The fifth entry in Kloos's Frontlines series continues the war with the Lankies. This time we get the battle of Mars: and a very tough battle it is. During the course of the almost constant fighting we learn a little bit more about the very alien enemy that has pushed humanity almost to the brink of extinction. But still, almost everything about them–their motivation, origin, culture, economy–remain unknown. (I keep wondering where Kloos is going with this.) The main character takes some hard knocks.
Good military SF. But, it is not really a stand-alone book. One should read the previous volumes first.
I can only give this book three stars because the story just stops in the middle. It is interesting and well written, but it leaves things very unresolved. Not exactly a cliffhanger, but still unsatisfying.
On further consideration, I'm upping my rating to four stars because I reckon it was the publisher not Stross that broke the story at an unfortunate point.
Like much of Disch's work, Puppies has an odd, almost bizarre feel to it.
Powerful, almost god-like, aliens have taken over the earth. They think humans make good pets and most people accept that – many happily. Call them the happy puppies.
There are some, however, who resist domestication. Call them the wild dingos. This is their story.
A quick and pretty interesting read. (Found recently in a used book store.)
[b:Torchship 28169657 Torchship Karl K. Gallagher https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1449787057s/28169657.jpg 48184170] is good science fiction – a solid four stars.I find it difficult to talk about this book without giving spoilers. It takes place in a future in which something has apparently gone very wrong. The main protagonist, “Mitchie” Long, is the pilot of the torchship Fives Full, a tramp freighter spaceship. She navigates and pilots using analog methods – really nothing much advanced over the methods used on WW2 warships. Why such methods are necessary in a far future situation is a mystery at first. One of the nice things about the story is the slow reveal of the cultural, technological, and military situation as the story unfolds. (There is a distinct lack of data dumps; it just isn't that kind of story.) The future depicted is very dangerous. Life is cheap and there is plenty of action.I can say no more. It was a fun story, and a quite well done first book.
[b:Babylon's Ashes 25877663 Babylon's Ashes (The Expanse, #6) James S.A. Corey https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1442247299s/25877663.jpg 45754030] is another good book in the Expanse series. This is not a stand-alone story at all as it is basically a continuation of [b:Nemesis Games 22886612 Nemesis Games (Expanse, #5) James S.A. Corey https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1407524221s/22886612.jpg 42456264], and picks up right where that story ended. This time we get lots more of people in desperate situations, chases & space battles, and political maneuvering.
This the third of Upton Sinclair's Lanny Budd novels picks up Lanny's tale shortly after the events of [book:Between Two Worlds 642423]. It is the early 1930's and the world has been plunged into the great depression. The book starts slowly, following the events of Lanny and his family as they cope with the changing times. As wealthy folk, they are largely unaffected by the economic turmoil. However, there are clouds on the horizon in the form of the rise of the Nazis. In the second half of the book, the pace clicks into high gear as Lanny struggles to rescue Jewish relatives from imprisonment and torture in Germany. In doing so he strains some relationships within his family and also places himself in extreme danger.While reading [book:Dragon's Teeth 28601293] I found it useful to keep in mind that it is a book of its time. It was published in 1943 while World War 2 was raging and the outcome was still in doubt. The events it depicts were still fresh in the memories of the readership of the time. The fact that it is still a good read 73 years later is a testament to Sinclair's skill as a storyteller. 4.5 stars rounded up.
In [b:The Invisible Library 21416690 The Invisible Library (The Invisible Library, #1) Genevieve Cogman https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1416823893s/21416690.jpg 40717845] Genevieve Cogman gives us a story involving a multitude of alternate worlds and a secret inter-dimensional library that operates across them. The hero of the story is Irene, an agent of the Library. A librarian spy! She and her assistant Kai have to undertake a mission to a dangerous and chaotic world to retrieve a valuable book. It proves to be difficult. They find themselves in an alternate London where both technology and magic work. The book they seek has already been stolen and its owner murdered. They must team up with a famous local detective to solve the murder and find the book. It soon becomes evident that several factions and individuals are working against them, including a renegade librarian. Dangers multiply and Irene and Kai have to respond to a series of attacks as they seek their prize. The action is almost non-stop. The story features malefic manipulative Fey, airship chases, chaotic magic, vampires, and attacks by werewolves and cyborgs. Great fun!All in all, quite an enjoyable story.
[b:Between Two Worlds 28586586 Between Two Worlds (The Lanny Budd Novels) Upton Sinclair https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1453019133s/28586586.jpg 628609] is the second of Upton Sinclair's Lanny Budd novels.Like the first book, [b:World's End 28586585 World's End (The Lanny Budd Novels) Upton Sinclair https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1453019132s/28586585.jpg 197780], it provides a nice mix of history, adventure, and romance. It covers the period from the Treaty of Versailles up to the great stock market crash of 1929. There is a mix of historical and fictional characters with the fiction firmly rooted in actual history. The characters are witness to significant historical events including the rise of Fascism in Italy and of Hitler in Germany. This episode is rather heavy on the romance. In fact it could be subtitled “The Loves of Lanny Budd” as Lanny finds love, suffers heartbreak, and then finds new love. There is some suspense as Lanny's impetuousness and sense of honor land him in serious trouble with hostile authorities at one point. Sinclair puts in lots of detail about life in Europe and the USA during that period. The historical detail alone makes it a worthwhile read.
Another good story in the Joe Pickett series. In this one Wyoming game warden Joe Pickett has to go to Jackson, Wyoming to cover the area of a fellow game warden and personal friend who has committed suicide. Joe comes to suspect that it wasn't a simple suicide. He is soon caught up in trying to find out what caused his friend to become depressed and suicidal. While this is going on, trouble starts brewing at home, and Joe has to call on his dangerous friend Nate Romanowski to protect his family. This story features multiple villains, dangerous wildlife, sexual temptation, gunfights, assassins, and several unexpected plot twists. What's not to like?
Pretty good book. Three and one-half stars rounded up.
This story takes place in Rusch's Diving Universe; however, Boss and her team are not involved. Instead it is a spin-off set many years earlier when The Fleet was active. I was hoping to learn more about The Fleet. But, why it existed, its mission, and what happened to it remain mysteries. Instead Kristine Kathryn Rusch gave us a science fiction who-done-it. Fortunately it is quite a good one. We get a mysterious disappearance, some very high-tech forensics, some bodies, some danger, and a mix of very-focused, hard-headed characters trying to figure it all out.
Interesting story.
[b:World's End 28586585 World's End (The Lanny Budd Novels) Upton Sinclair https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1453019132s/28586585.jpg 197780] is the first of [a:Upton Sinclair 23510 Upton Sinclair https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1438843258p2/23510.jpg]'s Lanny Budd novels.At the start of the book, Lanny is a 13-year-old boy living with his glamorous mother on the French Riviera. A teenage boy is good vehicle to show pre-WW1 Europe. The reader gets to learn that lost European world along with Lanny as we follow his teenage adventures. In a posh Swiss boarding school Lanny meets Rick, an English boy, and Kurt, a German boy. They soon become fast friends. The three boys are all well to do and live a privileged and happy life. But, their world soon comes to an abrupt and violent end with the start of hostilities. The story then follows Lanny's life and, at one remove, the lives of Rick and Kurt throughout world war 1. Lots of other interesting folks, both fictional and historical, also people the book.World's End provides a nice mix of history, adventure, and romance. Sinclair puts in lots of detail about life in Europe before and during the war, and after the armistice. This first book in the series ends at the signing of the Treaty of Versailles.Sinclair has a nice direct writing style which I rather like. His muckraking roots show in his characterization of the armaments/munitions industries, but that doesn't get in the way of the story.Sinclair's main protagonist, Lanny Budd, is a very precocious and likable young man. He seems almost too good to believe. I chose to think of him as an outlier. Out of millions of people, there would have to be a few such special ones.Though originally published in 1940, the story really doesn't feel very dated. Some of the problems it highlights could come from today's headlines. Problems related to extreme concentration of wealth, unemployment, incestuous military-industrial relationships, trends toward economic nationalism, and political corruption all seem very familiar.All in all, a pretty good book.
I was quite pleasantly surprised by this book. It is in short, quite wonderful.
Code Name Verity defies easy description. It is filled with action, danger, tragedy, horror, and some comedy. The story is told in the form of journals written by the two main protagonists (a bit of an odd format, but it works quite well). The story is set in the 1940's in wartime Britain and France, and the war sets much of the tone and rhythm of the story. However, it is much more than a war story. At its core, it is the story of a powerful friendship between two young women who were caught up in the turmoil of that war. These girls, Maddie and Queenie, come from very different socioeconomic backgrounds and would probably never have met in normal times. But the crucible of war tosses Queenie the agent and Maddie the aviator together and forges a strong bond.
I wrote quite a bit more about the story, but then deleted it all because it seems to me that almost any details I could give might spoil the impact for the reader. I'll just say: good book, read it.
Some years back [a:Walter Jon Williams 48960 Walter Jon Williams https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1275489992p2/48960.jpg] gave us his engrossing Dread Empire's Fall trilogy. It was about a despotic, hierarchical, multi-species star empire that fell into a very nasty civil war. One of the main characters in that trilogy was one Captain the Lady Caroline Sula – a very tough-minded hero with a dark past.[b:Impersonations: A Story of the Praxis 30199338 Impersonations A Story of the Praxis Walter Jon Williams https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1464007521s/30199338.jpg 50650415] follows Lady Sula's story after the end of the war. She has been rewarded for achieving victory by being posted to a backwater planet called Earth. (Best not to win a battle against orders, you know.) That doesn't bother her because she has always been fascinated by the histories of her species' birth planet. For her, it is almost a vacation posting.Of course things don't go smoothly. Multiple problems soon raise their nasty heads. A local company is doing something mysterious. An old “friend” from a forgotten past makes an appearance. And, it seems that Sula herself is being targeted by by person or persons unknown. Toss in some active geology, and you have the ingredients for an exciting action-filled tale.A short but quite good read.(Note: Walter Jon Williams gives sufficient background; so, you don't need to have read the Dread Empire's Fall trilogy to enjoy this story.)
In [b:One Blood 29967480 One Blood (Argonauts of Space, #2) Sabrina Chase https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1461186882s/29967480.jpg 50362455] Sabrina Chase gives us another good space opera. This story picks up right after the events of [b:The Scent of Metal 17665340 The Scent of Metal (Argonauts of Space, #1) Sabrina Chase https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1364507781s/17665340.jpg 24658571]. Lea and Argo and their mixed team of Terran humans and Wiyert journey to the planet Beredul to free the Wiyert trapped there by the Fadohl slavers. When they get there, things get complicated and the action picks up. There are mysteries to solve, local chieftains to negotiate with, and very very badass monsters to fight.Good book. But the story isn't complete, so I give it 3.5 stars rounded up. (I will probably come back and make it a full four stars after the series is completed.)
