Book #19

The Furies of Calderon, by Jim Butcher. Unabridged Audio. I've never read any Dresden Files novels, and it this point, the series is so large it's intimidating. But I know plenty of people who like Butcher's work, and I prefer epic fantasy more than urban fantasy, so this seemed like a solid compromise.

The people of the land of Alera have for thousands of years united against various threats. Their bond with the magical elemental furies of earth, air, fire, water, and metal have aided this effort. But now, as the heirless leader of the land ponders his future, he sends the envoy/spy Amara to a mercenary camp. She is betrayed, and in her escape runs across Tavi, a young sheep herder. And there the adventure begins.

Aside from the magic system, there was nothing especially new or unusual about this book. It stayed well within the guardrails fo traditional epic fantasy. There were swords, battles, magics, intrigues, and betrayals. The story in this novel was strong, and I appreciated both of the main characters and how they developed. This novel had an ending, but enough intrigues were left outstanding that it is clear where book 2 will pick up.

Book #18

Cover Run, by Adam Hughes. Hardcover.

Creative people fascinate me, and creative people talking about their creativity fascinate me.

In this oversized volume, artist Adam Hughes talks about the various comic book covers that he has produced for DC Comics. He is known mostly for works featuring female characters, most notably long runs on Wonder Woman and Catwoman. Many of his covers from these runs are featured and discussed.

The process of modern comics art intrigues me -- I did not know how much computer work was involved, for example. Artists are not always strong at describing their work and thier process, but Hughes does a pretty good job of this. And even as a layman, his discussions of color theory and other art concepts were readily understandable to me, and he has a pretty good sense of humor.

Book #17

The Rann-Thanager War, by Dave Gibbons, Ivan Reis & Marc Campos. Graphic Novel.

Certainly most of the comics I read are of the cowl-and-cape type. But I enjoy many of the straight science fictions comics, as well. The GL Corps and Adam Strange are among my favorites DC properties, and I also have fond memories of SF series from the 80s such as Sun Devlis and Spanner's Galaxy.

Now I am usually not a fan of the Hawkworld characters, but I am definitely a fan of Adam Strange, and dug into this tale with high anticipation. And I was not let down.

In typical modern comics storytelling, these six issues could have taken place over four, but then the trade paperback would not have been as salable. But the character development was solid, Gibbons plotting was very strong, and the depiction of the many battles were enjoyable. As a countdown event to Final Crisis, there are implications of this story that were felt across the DC Universe. But this volume works as a solid stand-alone tale, a good sci fi yarn.

Book #16

Callahan's Crosstime Saloon, by Spider Robinson. Paperback.

This is a place where the literary and podcast interests converged. Or intersected. Or something like that.

But both my dauhgter and I heard of this book within about a month of each other, via podcats. It may have been the same podcast, it may have been 2 different podcasts, I can't really remember. Slice of SciFi? Dragon Page? Geeks On? Escape pod? It was probably one of these shows, but I can't recall exactly which.

The book is a collection of Robinson's early stories about the magical pub where people (not all of them Earthlings) come to tell their stories. And engage in punfoolery.

Oh, the puns.

The stories themselves are barely science fiction, but focus on character and have a point to make. The stories are a bit dated in their pop culture references, having been written in the mid-seventies, but beyond that (and beyond the puns) are some intriguing and interesting tales.

Confession Time

Most of the books I have posted here are from one genre or another, there has not been a lot of literary fiction. But I feel I need to warn you, to prepare you, for the coming rush of comic-book related items that will show up here soon.

Yes, comic books. My shame.

Actually, just my hobby. I have been a reader of comics for three decades, off and on. I don't buy new ocmics anymore, but I am a reader of numerous trade paperbacks and collections. And I consider that real reading. So I'll be posting them here.

And there are some terrific comic-book podcasts out there, and I'll be talking about those here, as well.

Book #15

The Winter Ghosts, by Kate Mosse. Unabridged audio. After reading Mosse's prior 2 novels, both of which were epic tales, it was nice to dip into a much smaller book. This is a dual-time story, mostly taking place in a post-WWI world, but with hints and episodes with characters from centuries before.

It could have benn an interesting story, but it moved quite slowly, and I found it not living up to the premise's promise.

Book #14

Port Mortuary, by Patricia Cornwell. Unabridged audio. I am a big fan of this series, and yes, there have been some bumps along the way, but I think they have generally stayed strong throughout. And this one is no exception.

Scarpetta is up in Massachusetts now, working for the state, and her past ties to the military are coming home to roost, as are some of her bad professional decisions. One of the strengths of the series is that the characters change and grow, choices have consequences, and she portrays lives moving on. I feel that in the 15 years I've been reading about her characters, they have all grown 15 years older.

The specific case in this novel involves Scarpetta's assistant, Fielding, and delves into some of the darker aspects of his past. There is military high-tech stuff, a plot that twists and turns, good suspense, and a satisfying conclusion.