Agents of Light and Darkness by Simon R. Green
John Taylor is back in Darkside - this time he is commissioned by a priest named Jude to finding the unholy grail, not for the cup that Jesus drank from, but the other cup, the Judas Cup, which provides both ultimate power and ultimate corruption.
If it was just John Taylor and an ugly silver cup this would be a piece of cake for John - find it and return it to the Vatican, who will hide it from all the powers, human and otherwise. But no such luck - everyone is after it. Demons, gangsters, and angels - thousands of them, good and bad, all prepared to end the universe to gain the cup. Knowing he is out of his depth, Taylor brings Shotgun Suzie on board, and together they challenge Armageddon.
It is funny as angels from both heaven and hell are after the cup and both are determined to torture, kill and destroy anyone who gets in the way. These angels appear as ordinary gray suited bankers or accountants until they burst into flames turning those who look into a pilar of salt. Except if you are holding the Speaking Gun, in the beginning God created things by calling their name, which can destroy things by Speaking their name. It will also kill angels. Go figure? Of course Taylor gets his hand on it from the nazis.
Green's books are not long but he manages to crame a huge amount of horrible images in it. I skim through those parts as I usually like the beginning and the ending makes me want to read more about Taylor. I know this is a pretty big series so will try another one out.
More in the series.
3) Nightingale's Lament
4) Hex and the City
5) Paths Not Taken
6) Sharper than a Serpent's Tooth
7) And Follow Darkness Like a Dream
Tuesday, September 26, 2006
Family Tree by Sheri S. Tepper
Police officer Dora Henry talks to the trees, and they listen. They also provide her with fruit out of season and guard her bicycle. Why they do these things, she's not sure, but she doesn't have time to worry about it: three geneticists have been murdered and clues are in short supply.
She's also going through a painful divorce from her abusive husband, Jared, after two years of sterile, sexless marriage--and Jared has vowed that he won't let her go and has begun stalking her. The trees, meanwhile, are springing up everywhere, ripping up streets, kidnapping unwanted babies and acting like sentient beings. Dora's story represents only half of what's going on in this tale, however. In a parallel narrative set 3000 years in the future, Opalears, a young slave in a quasi-Arabic society, accompanies her master on a quest to seek interpretation of an ancient prophecy. As they travel, they are joined by others on their own quests. Eventually, Opalears and her companions also run into sentient trees.
When the future peoples come into Dora's world, everything becomes clear. Dora must work with the future peoples to save the future and maybe even herself.
It's been a long time since I read any of Tepper's work. It deals with many controversial topics such as controlled populations, animal testing and intelligence, and deforestation. She is an excellent storyteller and while not one of her best works it is still thought provoking.
Tepper wrote as B. J. Oliphant & A. J. Orde in the 1990's writing two different mystery series.
Police officer Dora Henry talks to the trees, and they listen. They also provide her with fruit out of season and guard her bicycle. Why they do these things, she's not sure, but she doesn't have time to worry about it: three geneticists have been murdered and clues are in short supply.
She's also going through a painful divorce from her abusive husband, Jared, after two years of sterile, sexless marriage--and Jared has vowed that he won't let her go and has begun stalking her. The trees, meanwhile, are springing up everywhere, ripping up streets, kidnapping unwanted babies and acting like sentient beings. Dora's story represents only half of what's going on in this tale, however. In a parallel narrative set 3000 years in the future, Opalears, a young slave in a quasi-Arabic society, accompanies her master on a quest to seek interpretation of an ancient prophecy. As they travel, they are joined by others on their own quests. Eventually, Opalears and her companions also run into sentient trees.
When the future peoples come into Dora's world, everything becomes clear. Dora must work with the future peoples to save the future and maybe even herself.
It's been a long time since I read any of Tepper's work. It deals with many controversial topics such as controlled populations, animal testing and intelligence, and deforestation. She is an excellent storyteller and while not one of her best works it is still thought provoking.
Tepper wrote as B. J. Oliphant & A. J. Orde in the 1990's writing two different mystery series.
Sunday, September 24, 2006
Goodnight Nobody by Jennifer Weiner
Kate Klein, an "accidental mother of three" in suburban Connecticut, misses New York City and just doesn't seem to fit in with all of the expensively dressed mommies. A former journalist, Kate is bored staying at home until the day she is invited to lunch at a neighbor's house and finds the woman's body lying in a pool of blood. With the help of her outrageous best friend and a detective, a former flame from New York, she swiftly begins her own investigation into the murder, uncovering plenty of suburban secrets along the way.
This felt very sex and the city goes to the suburbs to me. It was fun and reader did a great job using various voices for the different characters. I just found the main character, Kate, really annoying. She whined about being a mother, she whined about being married, she whined about not having a good mother figure, she whined about her husband not being home, then whined when he was. I think you get the picture. She has great friends and family, personally more then she deserves with how she goes on and on about life. Don't get me wrong I enjoyed the book, I just got tired of her "voice".
Kate Klein, an "accidental mother of three" in suburban Connecticut, misses New York City and just doesn't seem to fit in with all of the expensively dressed mommies. A former journalist, Kate is bored staying at home until the day she is invited to lunch at a neighbor's house and finds the woman's body lying in a pool of blood. With the help of her outrageous best friend and a detective, a former flame from New York, she swiftly begins her own investigation into the murder, uncovering plenty of suburban secrets along the way.
This felt very sex and the city goes to the suburbs to me. It was fun and reader did a great job using various voices for the different characters. I just found the main character, Kate, really annoying. She whined about being a mother, she whined about being married, she whined about not having a good mother figure, she whined about her husband not being home, then whined when he was. I think you get the picture. She has great friends and family, personally more then she deserves with how she goes on and on about life. Don't get me wrong I enjoyed the book, I just got tired of her "voice".
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
Harry Sue by Sue Stauffacher
At eleven years old, Harry Sue Clotkin already has a couple of strikes against her. She's the only child of convicted felons and her best friend is a quadriplegic who won't come out of his tree house. Her plan so far is to tough up and head for the joint. But before she can start the life of crime that will land her in the joint with her mom, Harry Sue needs to save a swarm of little kids from evil Granny Clotkin, whose in-home daycare should be labeled hazardous to your health. In addition, Violet Chump could use a good Samaritan, and Jolly Roger Chlorine and his crew need to learn that girls like Harry Sue do not take it on the chin.
Like Dorothy in her favorite story, The Wizard of Oz, Harry Sue's got a long journey home. And she could use some help. Add Baba and J-Cat to Homer Price, and you have a crew only slightly less strange than the lion, the tin man and the scarecrow.
The cover is what attracted me to this book with a little girl looking through red jail bars. At first I thought it might be just another one of those sarcastic books for kids. But I quickly realized that this character while wanting to be bad just can't be. You end up cheering for her to succeed by the end. The author's notes at the end were very interesting as well.
At eleven years old, Harry Sue Clotkin already has a couple of strikes against her. She's the only child of convicted felons and her best friend is a quadriplegic who won't come out of his tree house. Her plan so far is to tough up and head for the joint. But before she can start the life of crime that will land her in the joint with her mom, Harry Sue needs to save a swarm of little kids from evil Granny Clotkin, whose in-home daycare should be labeled hazardous to your health. In addition, Violet Chump could use a good Samaritan, and Jolly Roger Chlorine and his crew need to learn that girls like Harry Sue do not take it on the chin.
Like Dorothy in her favorite story, The Wizard of Oz, Harry Sue's got a long journey home. And she could use some help. Add Baba and J-Cat to Homer Price, and you have a crew only slightly less strange than the lion, the tin man and the scarecrow.
The cover is what attracted me to this book with a little girl looking through red jail bars. At first I thought it might be just another one of those sarcastic books for kids. But I quickly realized that this character while wanting to be bad just can't be. You end up cheering for her to succeed by the end. The author's notes at the end were very interesting as well.
Saturday, September 09, 2006
Ender's Shadow by Orson Scott Card
Parallel volume to Ender's Game.
The human race is at War with the "Buggers," an insect-like alien race. The first battles went badly, and now as Earth prepares to defend itself against the imminent threat of total destruction at the hands of an inscrutable alien enemy, all focus is on the development and training of military geniuses who can fight such a war, and win. The long distances of interstellar space have given hope to the defenders of Earth — they have time to train these future commanders up from childhood, forging them into an irresistible force in the high-orbital facility called the Battle School.
Andrew "Ender" Wiggin was not the only child in the Battle School; he was just the best of the best. In this new book, Card tells the story of another of those precocious generals, the one they called Bean — the one who became Ender's right hand, his strategist, and his friend. One who was with him, part of his team, in the final battle against the Buggers.
Bean's past was a battle just to survive. He first appeared on the streets of Rotterdam, a tiny child with a mind leagues beyond anyone else's. He knew he could not survive through strength; he used his tactical genius to gain acceptance into a children's gang, and then to help make that gang a template for success for all the others. He civilized them, and lived to grow older. This successful struggle to live brought him to the attention of the Battle School's recruiters, those people scouring the planet for leaders, tacticians, and generals to save Earth from the threat of alien invasion. Bean was sent into orbit, to the Battle School. And there he met Ender. . . .
I read Ender's Game probably 20 years ago now and I never forgot it. So I was interested to see how this would compare. I listened to it on CD while I've been driving too and from work. Wow, it was so engaging and well read. They actually used 4 different voices which is a new way for me to listen to a book on CD or tape. While at first a bit distracting it really added to the elements that make the story pop. You see the war from so many different points of view including Bean's which at some points did feel somewhat tedious to me but I got over it. Now I want to re-read Ender's Game but wish I could listen to it as well.
Parallel volume to Ender's Game.
The human race is at War with the "Buggers," an insect-like alien race. The first battles went badly, and now as Earth prepares to defend itself against the imminent threat of total destruction at the hands of an inscrutable alien enemy, all focus is on the development and training of military geniuses who can fight such a war, and win. The long distances of interstellar space have given hope to the defenders of Earth — they have time to train these future commanders up from childhood, forging them into an irresistible force in the high-orbital facility called the Battle School.
Andrew "Ender" Wiggin was not the only child in the Battle School; he was just the best of the best. In this new book, Card tells the story of another of those precocious generals, the one they called Bean — the one who became Ender's right hand, his strategist, and his friend. One who was with him, part of his team, in the final battle against the Buggers.
Bean's past was a battle just to survive. He first appeared on the streets of Rotterdam, a tiny child with a mind leagues beyond anyone else's. He knew he could not survive through strength; he used his tactical genius to gain acceptance into a children's gang, and then to help make that gang a template for success for all the others. He civilized them, and lived to grow older. This successful struggle to live brought him to the attention of the Battle School's recruiters, those people scouring the planet for leaders, tacticians, and generals to save Earth from the threat of alien invasion. Bean was sent into orbit, to the Battle School. And there he met Ender. . . .
I read Ender's Game probably 20 years ago now and I never forgot it. So I was interested to see how this would compare. I listened to it on CD while I've been driving too and from work. Wow, it was so engaging and well read. They actually used 4 different voices which is a new way for me to listen to a book on CD or tape. While at first a bit distracting it really added to the elements that make the story pop. You see the war from so many different points of view including Bean's which at some points did feel somewhat tedious to me but I got over it. Now I want to re-read Ender's Game but wish I could listen to it as well.
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
Above Suspicion by Lynda La Plante
London copper Anna Travis, is the bright and eager young daughter of recently deceased Detective Chief Superintendent Travis. Anna is brought on board by Detective Chief Inspector Langton, whose murder team has been completely outfoxed by a serial killer with a trail of six murdered prostitutes dating back 12 years. Anna joins the team just as they identify the corpse of a younger victim with no history of prostitution, a casualty that Langton takes as a sign of the killer's escalating blood lust. Further investigation reveals handsome up-and-coming film actor Alan Daniels as a potential suspect, and Anna and Langton widen their inquiry to include Daniels's past movie locations in the U.S., following a trail of victims to Los Angeles, San Francisco and Chicago. Suspense builds and circumstantial evidence continues to pile up, but absolute proof eludes Anna and Langton as the sociopathic suspect attempts to turn his seductive powers on Anna.
I wouldn't say this was the best suspence thriller I've read especially since we know who the killer is in the first 1/3 of the book. Most of the book is dealing with Anna's insecurities and anxieties regarding her job and being put out there for the murder to confide to. I did wonder how they would get him to confess or find him responsible. It was done but kind of by luck versus good detective work. This author has written the Prime Suspect series which in my opinion are better done but this book was not a bad result. Just kind of trying.
London copper Anna Travis, is the bright and eager young daughter of recently deceased Detective Chief Superintendent Travis. Anna is brought on board by Detective Chief Inspector Langton, whose murder team has been completely outfoxed by a serial killer with a trail of six murdered prostitutes dating back 12 years. Anna joins the team just as they identify the corpse of a younger victim with no history of prostitution, a casualty that Langton takes as a sign of the killer's escalating blood lust. Further investigation reveals handsome up-and-coming film actor Alan Daniels as a potential suspect, and Anna and Langton widen their inquiry to include Daniels's past movie locations in the U.S., following a trail of victims to Los Angeles, San Francisco and Chicago. Suspense builds and circumstantial evidence continues to pile up, but absolute proof eludes Anna and Langton as the sociopathic suspect attempts to turn his seductive powers on Anna.
I wouldn't say this was the best suspence thriller I've read especially since we know who the killer is in the first 1/3 of the book. Most of the book is dealing with Anna's insecurities and anxieties regarding her job and being put out there for the murder to confide to. I did wonder how they would get him to confess or find him responsible. It was done but kind of by luck versus good detective work. This author has written the Prime Suspect series which in my opinion are better done but this book was not a bad result. Just kind of trying.
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