September Reading List

50. Severe Clear (ua), Stuart Woods
49. The Third Kingdom (ua), by Terry Goodkind
48. Gotham Central: In the Line of Duty HC (gn), by Ed Brubaker, Greg Rucka, and Michael Lark
47. Mockingjay (ua), by Suzanne Collins


Earlier in 2013:
46. The Shambling Guide to New York City (pb), by Mur Lafferty
45. The Hound of the Baskervilles (ua), by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
44. Guild of the Cowry Catchers: Book 4 (ua), by Abigail Hilton
43. The Big Cat Nap (ua), by Rita Mae Brown and Sneaky Pie Brown
42. Free (ua), by Chris Anderson
41. Iron Man: Legacy of Doom (gn), by David Michelinie,
40. The She-Hulk Diaries (pb), by Marta Acosta
39. Elizabeth the First Wife (Nook), by Lian Dolan
38. The Maze (nook), by Jason Brannon
37. The President's Vampire (ua), by Christopher Farnsworth
36. The Pope Who Quit (pb), by Jon M Sweeney
35. Memoirs of Sherlock Homes (ua), by Arthur Conan Doyle
34. More or Less (ua), by Jeff Shinaberger
33. Blood & Wine: Readings for Lent and Easter (pb), by various
32. The Children of Hurin (ua), by J.R.R. Tolkien
31. Atlantyx, (pb), by Chase Dalton
30. Callahan's Secret (ua), by Spider Robinson
29. Take Four (ua), by Karen Kingsbury
28. Skull-Kickers, Treasure Trove volume 1, by Jim Zub and various artists
27. The Dalek Generation (pb), by Nicholas Briggs
26. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (ua), by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
25. The Areas of My Expertise (pb), by John Hodgman
24. The Skin Map (ua), by Stephen Lawhead
23. Catching Fire (ua), by Suzanne Collins
22. Quitter (ua) , by Jon Acuff.
21. The Bone Bed (ua), by Patricia Cornwell.
20. Stop Asking Jesus Into Your Heart (hc), by J.D. Greear
19. Left Behind: The Kids #28 (pb), by Jerry B. Jenkins, Tim LaHaye, & Chris Fabry
18. Left Behind: The Kids #27 (pb), by Jerry B. Jenkins, Tim LaHaye, & Chris Fabry
17. Left Behind: The Kids #26 (pb), by Jerry B. Jenkins, Tim LaHaye, & Chris Fabry
16. Time Travelers Strictly Cash (aa), by Spider Robinson
15. The Devil's Company (ua), by David Liss
14. Deadly Straits (ua), by R.E. McDermott
13. Doctor Who: Paradise Towers (ua), by Stephen Wyatt
12. DC Universe Secret Origins (gn), by various writers and artists
11. The Gods of Mars (ua), by Edgar Rice Burroughs
10. Craving Grace (hc), by Lisa Velthouse
9. The Sign of Four (ua), by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
8. DC Dead (ua), by Stuart Woods
7. A Study in Scarlet (ua), by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
6. The Hunger Games (ua), by Suzanne Collins
5. Take Three (ua), by Karen Kingsbury
4. Mary Through The Centuries (hc), by Jaroslav Pelikan
3. Roil (ua), by Trent Jamieson
2. The Devil You Know (ua), by Mike Carey
1. Ender's Shadow Ultimate Collection (gn), by Mike Carey

Book #50. Severe Clear

Severe Clear, by Stuart Woods. Unabridged audio.

I have read every one of Stuart Woods' novel, through this one. I have not read the last couple, but they are on my list.

Woods continues his recent habit of including many of his characters in a single book. This one stars Stone Barrington, but Will and Kate Lee, Holly Barker, Herbie Fisher, and Felicity Devonshire all play critical roles. Only Dino Bacchetti gets less page time than usual.

The action starts when the NSA picks up the word "The Arrington" -- and since this is the new hotel at which the US President will be signing a treaty in a few days, they pay attention.  The plot involves a British national leading a cell of three Americans who want to bring revenge on the US for killing Osama.

The scope of the novel is that of an epic thriller, but it is still the size of the mystery stories that Woods was writing fifteen years ago. This means the book moves at a breakneck pace, and the sheer speed with which the plot moves helps overcome some of the issues that the book has in terms of its unrealistic plot.

As I've mentioned before, the good guys in Woods' books seem to have the greatest luck in the world. Everything seems to work out for them, personally and professionally. One of them even won the lottery a few dozen novels ago. Literally won the lottery. At least in this book, one character points that out, and I appreciate Woods acknowledging this criticism.

As always, Tony Roberts does a fine job reading the book. He is able to bring nuance to all of the characters, including the females characters, and the foreign characters.

Wonder Woman -- Another View

I recently shared my thoughts on issues 7-12 of New 52 Wonder Woman, having covered issues 1-6 a few months before.

I wanted to mention that an Internet friend of mine, and blogging buddy, has also written on these first 12 issues. ComiKate, whom I know mostly from the Spirit Blade podcast and forums, has started a new blog, and her Wonder Woman review was one of her early entries.

Kate was also a fan of these issues, and writes a very thorough and interesting review. She admits her hesitancy to read the books, and how she was pleasantly surprised about by the quality of the books. She admits that the Greek mythology angle was a key factor for her enjoyment of the series.

Kate is Dutch, and her "main" blog is totally written in her native language, but she regularly translates entries into English, and it is this version of the blog that is linked above and on the sidebar.  Check it out.

TEASER TUESDAY

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can
play along!
Just do the following:

Grab your current read.

Open to a random page.

Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page.

BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

From the prologue of Shadow Legion: New Roads to Hell, by Thomas Deja:

I need a representative here ... you could be that representative, doing my will and paving the way for return.
"You keep me breathing, there ain't nothing I won't do."
You will need to prove your willingness to be in my service.
"How?"
By giving me ... what you love.

Book #49: The Third Kingdom

The Third Kingdom, by Terry Goodkind. Unabridged audio.

I have read all of Terry Goodkind's books, and have reviewed one of them here. And one here.

This is his 14th novel overall, and the second to take place after the close of the Sword of Truth epic. The action picks up right where the last novel left off. At the end of The Omen Machine, after defeating the Hedge Maid. In that final conflict, Richard and Kahlan were injured. Their injuries, and the events of that confrontation with the Hedge Maid, form the basis for the plot of this new novel.

As in all of Goodkind's books, actions have consequences.

Infected with the essence of death itself from the final battle in the prior book, Richard has been robbed of his power as a war wizard,  he races against time to stop the terrible  conspiracy assembling itself behind the North Wall. His friends and allies are already captives, and his beloved Kahlan, also touched by death's power, will die completely if Richard fails in his quest to return her to the Palace of the Prophets.

The titular "third kingdom" is a place where both death and life exist, and this blurring of the lines between life and death include the presence of undead warriors. So in addition to fighting wizards and prophets, our heroes also have to face bloodthirsty, cannabilistic zombies.

With no magical power, Richard has only his sword (also missing its magic), his wits, and his wisdom. We are introduced to a young sorceress, Samantha, who is just coming into her healing powers. This is a type of character that Goodkind has written before. This gives Richard a foil that allows him to operate as both a teacher, and allows him to show his softer, compassionate side.

There were a few other plot points that were reminiscent of events from prior novels, but in fourteen books set in the same world, that is bound to happen.

This is a classic Goodkind tale, a solid adventure with strong characters, with strong motivations. There were fewer of the "preachy" moments that can slow the action in Goodkind books. This one definitely moves at a faster pace than some, and is a satisying fantasy novel.

Book #48: Gotham Central 1-10

Gotham Central, Book 1: In the Line of Duty, by Ed Brubaker, Greg Rucka, & Michael Lark. Paperback graphic novel, collecting issues 1-10.

What is it like to be a cop in a city that is protected by the Batman? The question has been asked before in mini-series, most successfully in the four-issue Batman: GCPD and the one-shot Gordon's Law, both from 1996. But this is first ongoing series to features these characters, running 40 issues from 2003 to 2006.

This series covers the Major Crimes Unit of the GCPD, led by Capt. Maggie Sawyer, formerly of the Metropolis Police Department. Major characters in these issues include Detectives Marcus Driver, Renee Montoya, Romy Chandler, and Crispus Allen. They all struggle to deal with the crime that the Batman doesn't handle, while trying to resist the temptation to ask him for help when they need it.

The title begins with Mister Freeze killing an officer, and the GCPD commits to finding the supervillain before the Batman does. The second story arc is a kidnapping and murder investigation, and is the most traditional police story in the volume.

The writing chores of the issues are divided in an interesting way. The teo authors are credited as co-writers for the first arc, covering issues 1 &2. Brubaker wrote the next 3-issue arc, while Rucka wrote the story covering issues 6-10. But there is little (if any) noticeable difference between the writing style in any of these issues. Both excel at the writing of detective stories. Despite the occassional appearnace of a supervillain or the Batman,

 The third arc is the most famous in the title's run, as it includes the "outing" of Renee Montoya as a lesbian. This story won two awards for its writing, as well as accolades from gay-rights organizations. The story was not nearly as heavy-handed as these stories can be, although most of the expected tropes (colleagues who mock, parents who disown) are present.

This volume was a throroughly enjoyable read, and I look forward to picking up more trades that continue the story.

Teaser Tuesday

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can
play along!
Just do the following:

Grab your current read.

Open to a random page.

Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page.

BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

From chapter 2 of The Third Kingdom, by Terry Goodkind: "He couldn't understand why they didn't simply stab him to death. They were both carrying knives and they had his sword. Still, the partially successful attempts left gaping horrifically painful wounds that gushed blood."