CLYDE WISHAM
Good follow up to [b:The Course of Empire 57278 The Course of Empire (Jao, #1) Eric Flint https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1316683812l/57278.SY75.jpg 55806].In this one the Jao and Humans have learned to work together, though not without some difficulty, and have combined their respective strengths to counter the predations of the genocidal Ekhat.An encounter with the Ekhat by a minor Jao clan yields clues that there may be another race in a remote nebula. That race, if they in fact exist, may have something to do with a shameful period in the Jao past. An expedition is dispatched to find out what is there.We learn a lot about the new race. And we learn a lot more about the history of the Jao. A young human diplomat has her skills tested. Also, while this isn't strictly military SF, we do get a humdinger of a space battle with the Ekhat.Good read. You could read it alone, but better to read The Course of Empire first.Solid four stars for me.
Back in the stone age when I was a teenager, I read every WW2 memoir I could find. Thunderbolt! was one of those. It had a pretty big impact on me back then, and having recently gained a copy, I was interested to see if the much older me still thinks it good. I am happy to say it is and I do.
Recommended for those interested in first-person accounts of WW2.
Solid four stars.
I am a fan of this series but was a bit disappointed by this book.
Some reasons in spoilers.
First of all this book ends on a cliffhanger, which I don't care for.Second, I think Boss is a bit off her game in this book.Third, I thought we were going to get some answers in this book. (KKR herself said we would!) However the big things are still unanswered. Here are a few things I was hoping to learn.- What actually is the anacapa drive?- Who did The Fleet steal the anacapa tech from? Where are they?- Why does The Fleet exist, and why does it keep moving forward?- Why does The Fleet leave scrapheaps behind? (Reasons so far are a bit thin IMO.)- How did humans get scattered all over the galaxy?- Possibly related to the previous question -- where are the aliens? - What happened to the Renegat crew who were abandoned in the previous book?
I will keep reading the series.
Interesting book. The parallels between the Victorian telegraph network and modern internet are indeed striking – especially in use and abuse and in how people perceived/perceive the impacts and potential of networking. The characters – the people involved, some well known and others obscure – were in many cases truly characters.
My only (and very minor) complaint is that the book's ‘Afterword' should perhaps be revised again to bring the internet references up to date.
Solid four stars.
This one sat in my Kindle quite a while before I finally got around to reading it. Not sure why it took me so long as I know that both Eric Flint and K.D. Wentworth* are skillful writers.Anyway, TCoE is dammed good science fiction – alien invasion with a twist. The story starts a bit slowly as the world is built and characters introduced, but it really gets going in the second half.The cover text gives a pretty good idea what to expect. There are some plot twists and something I really didn't expect near the end.The ebook is available for zip in the Baen Free Library.Solid four stars. I will move on to Jao #2 ([b:The Crucible of Empire 6670281 The Crucible of Empire (Jao, #2) Eric Flint https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1347977238l/6670281.SY75.jpg 6865223]).*Unfortunately, K.D. Wentworth has passed. She is missed.
Well what do you do when an attractive and quite unclothed lady is standing on your lawn asking for your help? Well, of course you invite her into your home and listen to her request. At least that is what Micajah “Cager” Fenton does.
Thus begins a most unusual story. On one hand it is an adventure story involving time travel and with lots of action. On the other it is a story about love and about second chances and redemption. Along the way this story has more twists than an Appalachian country road. We meet a variety of characters – some honorable and brave (I loved Aunt Celie) and some just plain evil. Cager's road is not an easy one and his decisions will change things for many.
Drawbacks? I found the ending (the last 10% of so) to be elaborate and a bit unsatisfying. (I seem to be in a minority here. YMMV.) Also, why have Lovely Pebble run around naked? I don't see the point.
Anyway, overall a good story that pulled me right in. Christopher Lane provides a skillful narration.
Solid 4 stars.
Like most of Malcolm Gladwell's books, this one is well thought out and well presented. For me it spreads new light on the motivations behind the “Bomber Mafia”. They were a small coterie of Army Airforce officers who set U.S. strategic bombing doctrine for much of WW2.
Were the Bomber Mafia visionaries trying to avoid unnecessary deaths? Or, were they misguided officers who, unwilling to abandon their dreams and accept that they were wrong, caused the deaths of large numbers of U.S. bomber aircrew? A good case can be made either way.
In parallel, was Curtis LeMay a hard man who made the hard decisions necessary to end the war? Or, was he a mass murderer? I lean toward the former, but again, a case can be made either way.
I recommend the audio version because it includes excerpts from recordings of many people involved. (The interview with a survivor of the fire-bombing of Tokyo is especially heart-rending.)
Makes you think. Solid 4 stars.
An interesting side story set in Rusch's Diving Universe. However IMO, it isn't quite as good as some of the other sides stories ([b:The Falls 32143712 The Falls (Diving Universe, #5) Kristine Kathryn Rusch https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1474370602l/32143712.SY75.jpg 52778527], [b:The Runabout: A Diving Novel 35572074 The Runabout A Diving Novel (The Diving Series Book 6) Kristine Kathryn Rusch https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1499023389l/35572074.SY75.jpg 55492830]). The story overall is quite good, but I feel that it is too long. The alternating timeframes became a bit of a drag, and I actually found myself thinking “come on, get on with it” at times.The finish, however, is a humdinger.I suspect that Nadim Crowe and his remaining crew members will meet up with the Boss's outfit in a future main line story.3+ stars, but I cannot quite round it up.
The crew's trusty M4 Sherman “Dog” is no longer fit for war and they get a new Sherman Easy Eight replacement. They name this new and more formidable weapon “Bear”.
They face constant battle in Normandy and in the subsequent breakout. That leaves them battered, worn, and hoping for a chance to rest and rebuild their emotional reserves. It isn't to be as the The Battle of the Bulge looms.
An interesting twist at then end sets up the final book in the series. I look forward to seeing what happens next.
In Armor 3, the crew of the M4 tank ‘Dog' take part in the D-Day invasion and the fight for Normandy. There, in close-range and very bitter hedgerow fighting, ‘Dog' takes a beating as does its crew. Also, they find that not all enemies are German.
Good read for those interested in tank warfare during Big 2.
The crew of the Sherman tank ‘Dog' don't have as hard a time in Sicily as in North Africa. Still, they do face some tense, desperate, and dangerous moments. The most dangerous moment is probably the journey from the LCT to the landing beach. An encounter with a Tiger tank is also fraught with danger. After the fighting stops, they spend some time as occupation troops, during which they get to interact a bit with the locals – with varying results.
Entertaining read. I will continue with the series.
There aren't many novels about armored warfare during WW2. This is a pretty good one.
This is the story of five Americans from various walks of life who are sent into North Africa in an M4 Sherman tank during Operation Torch. At first they are a mismatched bunch who don't get along well. However, the intense pressure of the meat-grinder battle of Kasserine Pass forges them into an effective team. None of them get through that disaster unscathed.
The descriptions of tank warfare are very well done. DiLouie seems to have done his research.
I will move on to the next book in the series.
3.5 stars rounded up.
Another good novella in the Penric and Desdemona series. LMB is one of the best.
In this chapter of Penric's life journey, finding himself and companions in a very delicate and desperate situation, Penric is forced to don the Mira persona from his demon Desdemona. Tense moments mixed with humor ensue. To say more would be spoilery; read and enjoy.
Grover Gardner's narration of the audio version is quite good.
Solid four stars.
In late 1942 Guy Sajer, a French boy, was drafted into the German army. His mother being German, the conquerors considered him German and therefore good canon fodder. Truthfully, he went willingly as the war seemed a great adventure to a teenage boy. He didn't realize until he found himself in a nightmare reality that he was going to something closely resembling hell.
Starting in a transport unit and later transferring to a famous attack division (Großdeutschland), he got to experience that terrible war up close and personal. He somehow survived while most of his mates died.
After the war he decided to tell his story. This memoir, one of the best books I have read about the Ostfront, is the result. It is a story of terror, of horror, of depravation, of hunger. It is also a story of resolute courage, of friendship, of joy in victory, of despair in defeat, and of absolute trust in one's comrades.
Be aware that the subject matter is quite disturbing in places and is told in great detail. (I had to take it a little bit at a time.)
Not quite as gripping for me as The Martian was. But, still an interesting story with a nice twist at the end.
The protagonist, Ryland Grace, is a reluctant hero with a big mission. To accomplish it, he has to science the hell out of multiple problems all the way through the story – with a little help from a friend. It isn't easy.
I think it is best to go into this story cold. If you can avoid it, don't even read the cover text.
I recommend the audio version. Ray Porter's narration is very good, and there are elements of the story that can be presented better in audio than text.
Solid four stars.
I am quite enjoying the Murderbot series.
In this one, Murderbot goes on a rescue mission. It seems the GrayCris corporation is getting a bit desperate and have resorted to kidnapping. Unfortunately for GrayCris, they kidnapped someone Murderbot cares about. Stealthy infiltration, hacking, and violent action ensue – along with Murderbot's trademark snarky internal dialog.
Good story. Kevin R. Free provides a good narration.
Solid four stars.