Why bother putting it on the web? Well, mainly because it's the most convenient spot to hold it so I won't forget where it is. :-) I've made a few lists like this in the past, but I have no idea where they are. Plus, this page enables my friends and the curious to see what books I've been reading.
I decided to try out the Amazon associates program (where I get a commission on books you buy through my web page). So, if you click on the books below (or the author) it will take you to amazon.com. Or, you can search for a book at amazon here:
OK, without further ado:
Detailed Rating (each aspect is on a scale of 1-20):
| plot | 14 | |
| flow | 15 | |
| tension/suspense | 14 | |
| character | 15 | |
| connection/immersion | 13 | |
| consistency/logic | 13 | |
| insightfulness/inspirationality | 10 | |
| depth/mileu | 16 | |
| novelty/originality | 16 | |
| --- | ||
| Total | 126 |
Review:
This book is an interesting mix of science fiction and mystery. It is
has the basic plot of a murder mystery but the twist is that the victim
was a dragon in Cleveland. I thought that the character development was
good and the plot kept me guessing and made sense (within the context
of the story). It wasn't riveting but is worth reading if you enjoy both
science fiction and mysteries.
Detailed Rating (each aspect is on a scale of 1-20):
| plot | 18 | |
| flow | 17 | |
| tension/suspense | 19 | |
| character | 15 | |
| connection/immersion | 19 | |
| consistency/logic | 16 | |
| insightfulness/inspirationality | 14 | |
| depth/mileu | 14 | |
| novelty/originality | 10 | |
| --- | ||
| Total | 142 |
Review:
A friend recommended Moonfall to me or I would probably have never tried it.
I'm not generally a fan of "disaster" stories. But, I have to say that this
book kept me up all night at one point and I was thinking about it a lot
when not reading it. McDevitt has done a great job of including all of
the tension, disbelief and horror inherent to such a story. He also
manages to avoid going overboard (although any such disaster story has
elements of exaggeration). He makes the story seem plausible which in
itself had to be difficult and I can't remember any obvious technical
blunders. He deals reasonably well with the near-future technology
involved. He also gives us a large cast of interesting characters,
telling the story from a variety of angles -- political and personal.
I found myself engaged by all of the primary characters and many of the
secondary ones -- I cared about what happened to them. A few of the
characters seemed extraneous but even those were usually interesting.
If you're interested in reading a near-future story with engaging
characters and a gripping plot, give Moonfall a shot.
Detailed Rating (each aspect is on a scale of 1-20):
| plot | 12 | |
| flow | 14 | |
| tension/suspense | 12 | |
| character | 14 | |
| connection/immersion | 15 | |
| consistency/logic | 13 | |
| insightfulness/inspirationality | 15 | |
| depth/mileu | 16 | |
| novelty/originality | 15 | |
| --- | ||
| Total | 126 |
Review:
My Side of the Mountain is written for younger readers but as an adult
I still found it enjoyable. It deals with a young man who makes his own
way in the wilderness. The characterization is good and the story is well
told. There are lots of interesting details about what kinds of things
would be necessary to live in the wild. Recommended.
Detailed Rating (each aspect is on a scale of 1-20):
| plot | 12 | |
| flow | 12 | |
| tension/suspense | 13 | |
| character | 14 | |
| connection/immersion | 13 | |
| consistency/logic | 12 | |
| insightfulness/inspirationality | 8 | |
| depth/mileu | 15 | |
| novelty/originality | 13 | |
| --- | ||
| Total | 112 |
Review:
This is the first book of the Inspector Monk series by Anne
Perry. The overall plot is interesting and enjoyable and occasionally
has significant tension. It's not particularly action packed, however.
The characterization of Monk is interesting -- he's not your typical
confident detective. However, Monk can sometimes be rather annoying
which is why I didn't score it higher on characterization. The other
characters are generally well done and in some cases are at least as
interesting as Monk.
Review:
This is a collection of short stories by one of my favorite author's, Vernor Vinge. The stories range from his first published story in 1965 to a new novella published in 2001. Vinge includes a brief introduction to each of his stories as well as an afterword which give interesting context to the stories.
Overall, the stories themselves are excellent. As always with short story collections, there are a few that stand out and a few which are not as memorable but I enjoyed them all.
The new novella "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" is firmly in the cyberpunk vein. In some ways it could be viewed as a modern version of "True Names" looking at a society that is using wearable computers/ interfaces instead of virtual reality. As many of Vinge's stories do, it deals with how people will respond to the exponential growth of technology. Will parents soon be left behind? And so on.
I think that most science fiction fans with enjoy this collection.
Highly recommended.
Review:
For those interested in cryptography and especially public key cryptography, this is a worthwhile book. Sarah Flannery was 16 years old when she worked on an independent science project where she helped invent an alternative cryptography scheme. She tells the story of how she did it and what happened afterward in "In Code". The first few chapters talk about how she became interested in math and cryptography and include a number of fun word puzzles that she encourages the reader to solve. She then goes into the math behind most of cryptography. For those non-math types, you can skim these sections to get the basic idea and then continue with the rest of the book. The middle chapters discuss how cryptography works, public key crypto in particular. Lastly, she discusses her experiences after she became "famous" for her invention.
I found the book very educational, learning a lot about how public key cryptography works. Also, I enjoyed trying to solve the various puzzles she poses (but then, I like that sort of thing). My eyes glazed over a few times during the math sections, but Sarah did a good job of breaking down the math into digestable chunks to make it more understandable.
Overall, an excellent introduction to cryptography with a fun
and readable writing style. If you are looking for even more detail
and math, try "Applied Cryptography" by Bruce Schneier.
Review:
I should preface this by saying that Vinge is on of my favorite authors. I think that he is a superb storyteller and also has a gift for coming up with insights into the future. "Deepness in the Sky" is among my favorite science fiction novels.
"True Names and the Opening of the Cyberspace Frontier" is mostly a non-fiction book containing articles about possible futures of the Internet (aka Cyberspace) and technology. It also contains two fiction stories, including "True Names" by Vernor Vinge which was the "inspiration" for many of the articles. The rest of the articles are written by other experts from the computer/internet field.
The articles about the future of the Internet are fascinating, dealing with subjects from artificial intelligence to the politics of encryption. A few of them are from the mid-nineties and may be slightly dated already (which demonstrates Vinge's point about the speed of technology growth) but even the older ones deal with subjects that are very relevant today and are probably still new to most people. "True Nyms and Crypto Anarchy" and "Afterword" are two of the articles that I found most interesting.
The short story "True Names" helped originate the "cyberpunk" genre, with machine/human interfaces, virtual reality, and the hacker mentality. It preceeded Neuromancer by 4 years. It demonstrates some of Vinge's basic tenets about what happens when you have exponential technology growth, something also addressed in the articles.
I think that science fiction fans and most anyone interested
in the growth of technology would find this book very interesting.
Highly recommended.
Detailed Rating (each aspect is on a scale of 1-20):
| plot | 11 | |
| flow | 13 | |
| tension/suspense | 13 | |
| character | 11 | |
| connection/immersion | 13 | |
| consistency/logic | 10 | |
| insightfulness/inspirationality | 9 | |
| depth/mileu | 11 | |
| novelty/originality | 11 | |
| --- | ||
| Total | 102 |
Review:
"Rogue in Space" reads like a pulp sci-fi novel from the '50s
(which is what it is). It's a short and fairly enjoyable story but
it wasn't quite fun enough. The protaganist was well-drawn but many of
the other characters fell somewhat flat. I also didn't quite buy a
couple of the developed relationships. Probably not enough time was
spent on them. Lastly, the plot structure was unusual, seeming somewhat
pieced together from a couple different ideas.
Detailed Rating (each aspect is on a scale of 1-20):
| plot | 11 | |
| flow | 12 | |
| tension/suspense | 14 | |
| character | 17 | |
| connection/immersion | 13 | |
| consistency/logic | 14 | |
| insightfulness/inspirationality | 12 | |
| depth/mileu | 15 | |
| novelty/originality | 16 | |
| --- | ||
| Total | 124 |
Review:
"Jerusalem Fire" started off very slowly for me. I had a hard time getting into the first hundred pages or so. However, the plot and especially the characterizations began to build a powerful and engrossing story as time went on. The plot was well done, just not very fast moving. The world Meluch built was interesting, but the characters were the strong point. Soon I found that I was thinking about the characters when not reading the book.
Those looking for a story based more on character and
world building than on plot should give "Jerusalem Fire" a try.
Detailed Rating (each aspect is on a scale of 1-20):
| plot | 12 | |
| flow | 14 | |
| tension/suspense | 13 | |
| character | 15 | |
| connection/immersion | 14 | |
| consistency/logic | 14 | |
| insightfulness/inspirationality | 9 | |
| depth/mileu | 13 | |
| novelty/originality | 12 | |
| --- | ||
| Total | 116 |
Review:
I can't put down most Dick Francis novels. "Shattered" kept my
interest but wasn't quite the page turner that I'm used to. I think that
the plot didn't quite flow as well as it could have. The characterizations
were good and I liked the main character, as usual. If you like Dick
Francis, you'll like "Shattered" but if you are trying him for the first
time then you're probably better off with another Francis novel like
"Reflex" or "Break In".
Detailed Rating (each aspect is on a scale of 1-20):
| plot | 11 | |
| flow | 12 | |
| tension/suspense | 12 | |
| character | 13 | |
| connection/immersion | 14 | |
| consistency/logic | 12 | |
| insightfulness/inspirationality | 10 | |
| depth/mileu | 16 | |
| novelty/originality | 16 | |
| --- | ||
| Total | 116 |
Review:
Considered a classic sci-fi story by many, I have to admit that I ended up a bit disappointed by Childhood's End. The plot started off with many of the classic aspects of science fiction, but I felt that it was unable to live up to them. The characterizations were good, but due to the time frame of the story we didn't really get to know anyone very well.
On the other hand, some of Clarke's foresight into how technology (computers, communications/surveillance devices, and other more mundane things) would pervade our lives were amazing (considering when it was written). Clarke brings up some interesting ideas about human nature as well, though some of the conclusions he comes to seem rather simplistic.
In all, it kept my interest but wasn't quite as good as I thought it
could be.
Detailed Rating (each aspect is on a scale of 1-20): Not applicable to a non-fiction book.
David Bodanis has written an enjoyable and educational book about the history behind the well-known equation, E=mc^2. Instead of delving deep into the science and math behind the equation he examines the people behind it. As you would expect Einstein plays an important role in the book, but really he is only one of many players. Bodanis takes an historical perspective, showing how the scientific concepts of energy, mass and the speed of light all came about and were developed separately until Einstein put them together. The early discoveries and insights, up until Einstein himself were the most interesting parts for me. Bodanis then gives us a glimpse into some of the results of the equation, focusing the race to build the atomic bomb in WWII.
The book is very readable even by those not very mathematically oriented since Bodanis goes to a lot of trouble to provide background information and useful metaphors. He spends a lot of time with the scientists involved, their personalities and relationships to other scientists, and their position in history. At times, I would have preferred a bit more discussion on math or science to better understand things but that was not the focus of the book.
Bodanis does an amazing job of making a seemingly dry subject
very interesting.
Detailed Rating (each aspect is on a scale of 1-20):
| plot | 13 | |
| flow | 14 | |
| tension/suspense | 15 | |
| character | 9 | |
| connection/immersion | 13 | |
| consistency/logic | 13 | |
| insightfulness/inspirationality | 12 | |
| depth/mileu | 17 | |
| novelty/originality | 16 | |
| --- | ||
| Total | 122 |
Review:
Signal to Noise is well within the cyberpunk genre with an abundance of the associated techno-babble about machine/mind interfaces and the dystopian future. If you don't like cyberpunk stay away from this one. I felt that it overindulged in the fantasy worlds created by the machine/mind interface.
That being said, it was a pretty fun read and it did have a few interesting ideas, including one that deals with how communication and commerce may happen with aliens. The plot moved along at a good pace when it wasn't bogged down in techno-babble. Other than the protaganist, the characterizations were flat. SPOILER: It felt like Nylund was afraid to address some of the important conflicts between the characters, or perhaps he just wasn't sure where they would lead. That unwillingness to actually face those conflicts directly in the story ended up being very disappointing. END SPOILER.
If you like cyberpunk, you may like this novel since it does
immerse you in the cyberpunk world, has a few interesting ideas, and
has a plot that moves along at a decent pace. Perhaps the sequel, A
Signal Shattered, will improve upon the original, but I haven't decided
yet whether I'll give it a try.
Detailed Rating (each aspect is on a scale of 1-20):
| plot | 14 | |
| flow | 16 | |
| tension/suspense | 16 | |
| character | 17 | |
| connection/immersion | 16 | |
| consistency/logic | 15 | |
| insightfulness/inspirationality | 14 | |
| depth/mileu | 15 | |
| novelty/originality | 15 | |
| --- | ||
| Total | 138 |
Review:
"The King Beyond the Gate" is the second Drenai book that I've read by David Gemmell, the first being "Legend". This book can be read independently from "Legend" since they take place over 100 years apart but it makes enough references to the things that happen in the other book that it is probably worth reading "Legend" first.
In "The King Beyond the Gate" Gemmell proves again that he can write larger than life characters that still feel real. In some ways he reminds me of Glen Cook in that his "heros" tend to do what it takes to acheive their goals even if it hurts a few people and they often pay the price for their choices. However, Gemmell's protagonists tend to be more heroic than Cook's -- a bit more black and white. Still, I found myself drawn in by the characters and kept turning the pages to find out more.
The plot held together but it wasn't quite as interesting as I'd hoped it would be at the beginning. I did have a hard time putting the book down though, so it certainly kept things moving.
Overall, I'd say give it a shot but read "Legends" first.
Detailed Rating (each aspect is on a scale of 1-20):
| plot | 16 | |
| flow | 15 | |
| tension/suspense | 16 | |
| character | 18 | |
| connection/immersion | 16 | |
| consistency/logic | 15 | |
| insightfulness/inspirationality | 16 | |
| depth/mileu | 19 | |
| novelty/originality | 18 | |
| --- | ||
| Total | 149 |
Detailed Rating (each aspect is on a scale of 1-20):
| plot | 12 | |
| flow | 11 | |
| tension/suspense | 12 | |
| character | 14 | |
| connection/immersion | 11 | |
| consistency/logic | 14 | |
| insightfulness/inspirationality | 11 | |
| depth/mileu | 16 | |
| novelty/originality | 14 | |
| --- | ||
| Total | 115 |
Review:
After reading "The Last Dragonlord" by Joanne Bertin I had high hopes for her next book "Dragon and Phoenix". Unfortunately, it let me down. "Dragon and Phoenix" takes place in the same world as the "The Last Dragonlord" and has many of the same characters. I don't really consider it a series since the books are independent, but I think you would want to read "The Last Dragonlord" first to get to know the characters. Plus "Dragon and Phoenix" just wasn't as enjoyable for me. There are a number of reasons. First, I felt like I didn't really get to know the old characters any better than I had in "The Last Dragonlord" (where I had enjoyed getting to know them) and while some of the new characters were interesting, they all seemed a bit flat. Second, the writing style was very jarring, often jumping between different characters in different parts of the world, sometimes as often as once per page. The story just didn't flow that well for me as a result and it may have partly contributed to my difficulties with the characters. Lastly, while the plot was somewhat interesting it never really grabbed my attention to the point where I wanted to keep reading.
One positive aspect of the book was the world building which
created an interesting society, but it wasn't enough to carry the
story. I'd recommend trying "The Last Dragonlord" but I can't really
recommend "Dragon and Phoenix."
Detailed Rating (each aspect is on a scale of 1-20):
| plot | 13 | |
| flow | 13 | |
| tension/suspense | 15 | |
| character | 15 | |
| connection/immersion | 13 | |
| consistency/logic | 13 | |
| insightfulness/inspirationality | 12 | |
| depth/mileu | 17 | |
| novelty/originality | 17 | |
| --- | ||
| Total | 128 |
Review:
This book started off slowly for me. For the first 50 pages or so
I wasn't particularly enamoured with the characters. Though they were well-
drawn and interesting individuals, I just didn't like them that much.
Also, the plot jumped around a bit without pulling me in. But, after
that slow beginning things picked up nicely and soon I was drawn into
the story. As I got to know the characters better, I began to like them
much more. I found myself thinking about the story when I wasn't reading
it which is always a good sign. Jones has developed an alternate-world
universe that is pretty unique. Overall I enjoyed it.
Detailed Rating (each aspect is on a scale of 1-20):
| plot | 16 | |
| flow | 12 | |
| tension/suspense | 15 | |
| character | 17 | |
| connection/immersion | 17 | |
| consistency/logic | 15 | |
| insightfulness/inspirationality | 13 | |
| depth/mileu | 17 | |
| novelty/originality | 17 | |
| --- | ||
| Total | 139 |
Review:
I've been impressed by both of the first two books in the "Tale of the Einarinn" series. The first was "The Thief's Gamble" and this is the second. Each of the books thus far in the series can be read independently but they have strong ties with regard to the characters and background. I have found it refreshing to not have to worry about waiting a year for the next installment of a series where each book ends on a cliffhanger. However, the first book should definitely be read before the second since it intruduces characters and plot that the second book depends on.
But that is not the strong point of "The Swordsman's Oath". The compelling characters are what make the book superb. I found myself very interested in finding out what would happen to not only the hero but also many of the secondary characters. All of the characters come across as unique individuals. It helps that the characters act in their own interests and according to how they view the world. They have lives beyond just defeating the bad guys. McKenna has made the relationships between the people come alive.
She has also succeeded in creating an interesting universe which does not rely the standard high-fantasy magic but instead takes a couple of ideas and combines them in a fairly original way. The world has more than one culture and a long history. The plot is not quite as fast paced as in the first book, but I found it equally compelling.
In all, I found myself often thinking about the world
and the characters in it even when not reading the book. If you
enjoy fantasy, pick up both of these books.
Detailed Rating (each aspect is on a scale of 1-20):
| plot | 17 | |
| flow | 16 | |
| tension/suspense | 16 | |
| character | 17 | |
| connection/immersion | 17 | |
| consistency/logic | 16 | |
| insightfulness/inspirationality | 14 | |
| depth/mileu | 17 | |
| novelty/originality | 13 | |
| --- | ||
| Total | 143 |
Review:
I recently reread Reflex by Dick Francis. I had remembered it as one of my favorite books by Francis and it lived up to my memories. The plot and characterization is typical Francis: a stoic character gets thrown into a mystery and has to puzzle his way through it. I like most of Francis' novels, but Reflex seems to stand above the majority of them. Francis often gives his character a particular skill which is well researched that adds an interesting dimension to the story (and usually to the mystery as well). [small spoiler] In Reflex, this skill is photography and Francis makes good use of it. [end small spoiler] In addition to the interesting plot, the main character and his relationships are well fleshed out and integrated into the story. There are more plot threads in Reflex than in the typical Francis story and that helps maintain the tension.
Overall, this is a great place to start if you like mysteries and a
must if you are a Dick Francis fan.
Detailed Rating (each aspect is on a scale of 1-20):
| plot | 13 | |
| flow | 14 | |
| tension/suspense | 12 | |
| character | 14 | |
| connection/immersion | 14 | |
| consistency/logic | 13 | |
| insightfulness/inspirationality | 7 | |
| depth/mileu | 10 | |
| novelty/originality | 13 | |
| --- | ||
| Total | 110 |
Review:
Doorways in the Sand is a fun, quick read. The plot is a bit shaky at times
but keeps moving so there isn't much chance to sit back and wonder about
what's going on. The main character is enjoyable and often amusing. The
supporting cast is reasonable, though a bit flat at times. If you just
want a lighthearted, short adventure, give it a shot.
Control is another interesting story by William Goldman. I should preface this review by saying that I really enjoy Goldman's writing. He writes both gripping characters and gripping action -- a combination not often found. I should also say that he generally doesn't write science fiction and this book, while it has some sci-fi elements, is not a typical sci-fi book.
As I was reading Control I was at first a bit worried that I had come across a Goldman story that I didn't like. But, though it took some time, Goldman worked his magic once again and I was hooked. This book doesn't live up to his Marathon Man which is one of my all-time favorites, but it is a fun read once it gets going. The tale is a bit fragmented at times which detracts a bit from its power. If you're a fan of Goldman, I'd recommend picking it up. If you haven't read him before, try Marathon Man first.
Unfortunately, Dragon was my least favorite of the Vlad Taltos books so far. I'd previously read two books from the series: Jhereg and Taltos. I really enjoyed Jhereg, which I thought was a great story with an original approach, and I liked Taltos because it was also a good story and expanded on some of the other characters. So, I had high hopes when I picked up Dragon. It didn't live up to them. The main problem had to do with the story-telling style. It was not a direct narrative, but instead jumped around in time going back and forth between two story lines. The approach just wasn't effective for me. I found it to detract from the momentum of the story when it would avoid a climactic scene by jumping away and to also reduce the suspense. I think I would have enjoyed it more with a straightforward style. But, perhaps it was just that the plot wasn't up to par with his other stories. Lastly, I didn't find that it added much to what we knew of the characters so it didn't hold my attention that way either. Of course, I did finish the book, so it wasn't terrible, just not as good as some of his other work.
If you like the Vlad Taltos series, this book might be worth picking up, but I'd definitely recommend starting with either Jhereg or Taltos first.