CLYDE WISHAM
Warning: This book is not for the faint of heart. Right up front you need to understand that it that takes on some brutal subjects – human trafficking, rape, and sexual abuse of children (basically, slavery in various guises). In this book, some descriptions of abuses and violent encounters are very detailed and graphic.
Having said that, I quite enjoyed the book. Having previously read some of Eisler's John Rain books, I knew to expect a thriller with interesting characters and a lot of graphic violence. I wasn't disappointed.
The protagonist, Livia Lone, is an interesting character – intelligent, strong, attractive, driven, and emotionally scarred. Her story is told in two timelines. Then: following her experiences being trafficked and abused as a child and adolescent, and Now: as she tracks down monsters in the present day and wrestles with her inner demons. The story is fast-paced and Livia is one seriously tough lady.
Barry Eisler narrated the audio version himself. And, it turns out that he is a very good narrator. A multi-talented fellow he is.
Good book – solid four stars. Recommended, but do take my warning above seriously.
Good popular science book. Losos gives a good overview of the state of experimental evolutionary science, focusing on the concepts of convergence and contingency. Well written, Losos's book is accessible to interested non-specialists as well as professional evolutionary biologists and paleontologists.
Vincent Poirier's review is the one to read. He says what I was thinking, but more eloquently.
4.5 stars.
This course is built around Dr. Liulvicius's selection of 24 “turning points” in humanity's last 600 years. It is supposed to be a university course, I would guess at a sophomore level. (He teaches at The University of Tennessee.) It is pretty much a survey course, not going too deeply into any one subject.
I found the course overall to be quite interesting. Dr. Liulvicius is an engaging lecturer, and through the use of the “turning points” he was able to bring “modern” history to life. I learned some new things and gained new insights into historical events I already knew a lot about.
The final lecture, 2004 – The Rise of Social Media, is good but already dated. Things are changing fast in that area.
The audio course comes with a useful PDF version which, in addition to the lecture text, provides suggested reading and some questions to ponder at the end of each lecture.
My final take: A generally well-done series of lectures providing a decent combination of education and entertainment.
Solid four stars.
A bit long on introspection and short on action. But, still an interesting read. It is nice to have a new Alliance-Union book after a considerable hiatus.However, this book isn't a particularly good point to enter that universe. I recommend [b:Downbelow Station 57045 Downbelow Station (The Company Wars, #1) C.J. Cherryh https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388858297l/57045.SY75.jpg 55573] and [b:Merchanter's Luck 57100 Merchanter's Luck (The Company Wars, #2) C.J. Cherryh https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1328037793l/57100.SY75.jpg 55628] for that.3.5 stars rounded up.
I had trouble getting into this story. It kept violating my WSOD, and I almost quit a couple of times. Then it occurred to me that I wasn't actually reading science fiction, but rather science fantasy. (Like in Star Wars, most of the ‘tech' was magic with a high-tech veneer.) With that in my head, it became readable and enjoyable.
What do you get? Well – lots of action, lots of narrow escapes and hijinks, some fantastic and very odd characters, and a race against time with lots at stake.
3+ stars, but I cannot quite round it up.
Perhaps some minor spoilers ahead (depending on your sensitivity).
At the start of the ninth Joe Pickett tale, Joe is still a game warden without portfolio working directly for the governor as needed and otherwise dispatched wherever his boss is short of manpower. As a result Pickett spends a lot of time away from home.
In typical C.J. Box fashion, this story is told in multiple threads.
The story starts with a brutal and seemingly senseless murder. That introduces us to the two bad guys. They are accompanied by a 14-year old girl – not a captive exactly, but not really free either. She is horrified by what happened.
Then action shifts to Joe Pickett. He is hunting down a miscreant nicknamed “The Mad Archer” who has been going around putting arrows into animals pretty much at random. No sooner does he arrest this nutjob asshole, than he gets a call from home. It seems someone claiming to be his adopted daughter April has contacted his daughter Sheridan and wants help. The problem is, they buried April six years ago. It soon becomes apparent that this girl, whoever she is, knows a lot about his family. More ominously, she seems to have some connection to a series of oddball murders stretching across several states.
From that point, the hunt is on. Joe Pickett needs to catch up with the killers and rescue the girl. As the story unfolds Joe enlists the aid of his deadly friend Nate Romanowski. He even gets his daughter Sheridan to lend a hand (Joe isn't good at teenage text-talk). At first he is reluctant to bring in the FBI due to sad past experience with their trigger-happy ways. However, he eventually has to contact them because only they have the resources to prevent the body count from rising. The local FBI boss gets very interested when they determine that there is a Chicago mob connection.
Things get exciting as the hunt continues with plenty of action. Joe has to get “Western” a few times. We get car chases, helicopter chases, motorcycle chases, and much more. The plot shifts direction several times, and as things move along we learn the true motivation of the villains and at least some of the girl's backstory. (Cannot say much more without giving things away. But, I don't think it is much of a spoiler to say things get violent and not everyone survives.)
As I have come to expect, there is a nice little C.J. Box twist at the end.
Good book.
In an alternate North America which has been cut off from the rest of the world and where magic has been revived, the wizard Benjamin Franklin organizes an expedition to explore the western territories and discover what ancient evil has risen there. Lewis and Clark have a perilous and wonderous journey ahead as they make their way to the Pacific Ocean.
Along the way they encounter terrible monsters, zombies (both man and beast), and battling native gods. Not to mention dragons! What's not to like?
Pretty good book; Anderson and Hoyt are skillful writers. 3.5 stars.
Interesting memoir providing a look into the life and motivation of a combat fighter pilot.
Good book. It does have a few negative reviews, but don't let that put you off. (I suppose the fighter jock mentality isn't for everyone – fighter pilots really are a breed apart.) Col. Hampton is an extremely accomplished pilot who specialized in very demanding and dangerous missions. He is also an actual hero.
I listened to the audio version and quite enjoyed it. John Pruden's narration is well done.
Pretty good story about a young wizard trying to make his way under very trying circumstances.
Young Nick's father is a really nasty piece of work. Through Dad's machinations Nick gets a very close encounter with a real-life demon. Then things get very interesting for him and a lot worse.
We get lots of magic, both good and bad (which is referred to as ‘diabolical magic'). We also get universities for studying magic, a somewhat overbearing church (apparently Catholic), a lady wizard who seeks out evil magic users, and a plague (timely that) which also seems to have a magical origin. Magic, magic everywhere!
The ending seemed a little flat to me. But hey, some really famous writers – Hemingway, Heinlein – had that problem. So, OK then?
I noticed a few typos, but not enough to take me out of the story.
3.5 stars rounded up.
Dan Carlin is a treasure. If you are familiar with his Hardcore History, you know what to expect in this volume. If not and if you are interested in history, you are in for a treat.
As for what it is all about – well, the title might be a clue.
I highly recommend the audio version, which is of course narrated by Dan Carlin himself. (It would be difficult for anyone else to match his engaging style.)
Fleet Elements is another good read in WJW's excellent Dread Empire's Fall series. This one is marketed as #5, but there are also two novellas that take place between books 3 and 4. You don't have to read the earlier books first – WJW gives enough background – but it is probably better to do so. (And anyway, they are damned good reads!)The previous book in the series ([b:The Accidental War 37486195 The Accidental War (Dread Empire's Fall #4) Walter Jon Williams https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1523738506l/37486195.SY75.jpg 56993451]) was long on political machinations, intrigue, economic shenanigans, and treachery – all leading to inter-species war. This book, however, is almost all military action. The humans are fighting for their very existence with Gareth Martinez and Caroline Sula leading the battle fleets against long odds. The romantic tension between Gareth and Caroline also heats up as they are thrown together by the necessities of battle preparation.The pace is fast and the ending is quite good with a nice little twist (though of course it does not resolve the overall storyline).Good book. 4+ stars.
My takeaway from this book is, “Don't mess with Sacketts, not even if the Sackett is a girl”. (Or perhaps, “especially not if the Sackett is a girl”.)
Like a lot of L'Amour's books, this one could have used a good structural edit. That said, it is still an enjoyable action story set in 1800s America.
3.5 stars rounded up.
This book is perhaps Jacqueline Winspear's ‘book of the heart' – something she needed to write.
It is a story of life, of friendship, and of love. As you might well presume from the subtitle, it is also a story of war and of loss. Compared to her Maisie Dobbs stories, this one is slower paced and perhaps less exciting, but IMHO more beautifully written.
(Aside: The readership of this book is predominantly female. An artifact of marketing perhaps? This male, however, found it worth his time.)
3.5 stars rounded up.
A solid and interesting work on trilobite paleontology. Fortey provides us with lots of detail on the animals themselves, their distribution over space and time, the history of those who studied them, and their importance in the overall geologic picture.
Fortey is a very good writer, and he makes what most would probably consider an arcane subject accessible to interested non-specialist.
Solid four stars.
Frank Crampton was born into a wealthy New York family. By his own account he was a bit of a scamp, even a rogue perhaps – anyway, frequently in trouble. At the age of 16 he was kicked out of his prep school. Deciding he had enough of school and social boundaries (“deep enough” in the mining vernacular he would learn), he then ran away from home and headed West. There he learned new trades in the tough mine fields, worked and played hard, and did well.
This book is the story of his adventures in the Western mining communities. He was lucky to survive some of them as he was naturally disposed to taking chances.
Damn good book; a look into a world that is now gone. Worth the price ($2 for the Kindle version) just for the photos at the end.
Solid 4 stars.