Tag: 2011

Dune

~ Bookstooge ~ 4 Comments

53732Dune
Dune Chronicles #1
by Frank Herbert
Dtb, 535 Pages
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

 

This was my first time that I have read Dune in short chunks. I usually read the whole book over a weekend and gorge myself on it.

I had a completely deeper reading by going slow. I don’t think I’ll ever read this way again, because it wasn’t nearly as an enjoyable action story as when read in one chunk.

Herbert tones down his usually dense cryptic philosophical psycho-babble and gives us a story that almost anyone can enjoy.

Freewill, prophecy, love, genetics, time/space, guiding forces, pre-destination, all collide together on a single planet to tell a story about a young man who must face his destiny while averting a horrible future all the while being manipulated by forces outside his immediate control[at the beginning of the book].

There are books that I might enjoy more than Dune, but I have yet to find one that holds up to so many rereads or to find a book that still resonates with me even as I change because of life experiences. This would be a book I would choose to take with me to a deserted island.

Ascension

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12359474Ascension
Star Wars: Fate of the Jedi #8
by Christie Golden
Ebook, 382 Pages
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

 

So many different threads being woven. I feel like I’m on a rollercoaster. As soon as one crisis is over, another one IMMEDIATELY pops up and then whammo, time for our heroes to jump into action again.

I like Luke, Leia and Han and the host of the original characters. Some of the newer people are ok, ie, Jaina, Jag, Tahiri, but most of the characters seem to be there as props.

The Sith. What a joke. What a phracking joke! Where are the ysalamari [excuse the spelling]? Why aren’t they blanketing Coruscant? They are a HUGE tool to use against force users and you would think that the non-force users would have realized this by now.

Abeloth-it morphs once again into the perfect boogeyman for the writers to use without having to think very much. I am resigned to it sticking around to the end.

Overall, this series is my last I’m buying in the Starwars EU. While I enjoy parts and bits, the overall isn’t as fun or as good as say, Zahn, Stackpole or Allston.

The Harp of Imach Thyssel

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13163574The Harp of Imach Thyssel
Lyra #3
by Patricia C. Wrede
Ebook, 308 Pages
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

 

Best book in the Lyra series so far. I actually found myself wanting to read more, unlike the previous books where I just kind of slogged through.

I am not sure why the change in attitude for me. On the surface, this was in the EXACT same vein as the others. It strikes me more as an Andre Norton book than a Wrede book.

I enjoyed it and now have a slightly better outlook for the final books in the series.

Hammered

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11305686Hammered
Iron Druid Chronicles #3
by Kevin Hearne
Ebook, 273 Pages
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

 

This will be the final book I read in this series; it just pushed the irreligious button too hard for me to ignore anymore.

Anyway, w1z3 0l dru1d g3ts tog3th3r with palz and goez aftuh Th0000r!

and they kill Thor and a whole ton of the viking pantheon.

this struck me as odd. If they could do this, why hadn’t other groups assembled and there been war “in the heavens”, as it were? And using Thor as an example of a “killer” god who ruined countless lives? What about some of those hindu gods? It just seemed capricious on the part of the author to pick Thor, like he wanted to use the title and wrote a story around that.

Anyway, done with this series. No more interest even when other books do come out.

The Dragon and the George

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114936The Dragon and the George
Dragon Knight #1
by Gordon R. Dickson
Ebook, 243 Pages
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

 

I actually read a scanned copy on my ereader.

This reminded me, a lot, of the Guardians of the Flame series by Joel Rosenburg. But this was SO much better.
We only have to deal with 1 coward/douchebag and by the end he’s not a douchebag anymore, just a dummie.[unlike the Guardian series, where there is a group and they are still pretty much complete jerks even after several books]
This was a nice fun read that went quickly and gave me an hours enjoyment. I have high hopes that the rest of the series will be as fun.

American Gods

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11275360American Gods
by Neil Gaiman
Ebook, 560 Pages
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

 

I enjoyed this on a mental level, but had so many issues with Gaiman’s world philosophy that I had to completely compartmentalize while reading this.

Well written, very interesting ideas and quite the con game. I can see why many people would like this book. It tells a dramatic, gripping story and looks at American through non-American eyes, but without all the anti-imperial bullshit so common in many modern European writings [which is SO hypocritical that I want to puke sometimes].

Now, the quick philosophical look. This is philosophy 101 for the lazy. which is why it is so popular. Take an idea that has been around for 1000’s of years, modernize it, streamline it, rub off all the hard edges, everything that actually makes you think, and voila, you have a wonderful philosophical “idea”.

Which is great for your a-typical modern human in a first world country who refuses to look at logic and philosophy as a logical school of thought.

All these slams are not slams on the book, but on the intended audience. I think Gaiman wrote a perfect piece for his audience. Pseudo-psychology, some darkness to scare us, some big warm fuzzies to warm us up.

The Gray Wolf Throne

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12475616The Gray Wolf Throne
Seven Realms #3
Cinda Williams Chima
Ebook, 399 Pages
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

 

This series gets better and better!

And all this time I was under the impression it was a trilogy so imagine my surprise when I get to the end of the book and realize it isn’t the end!
I certainly don’t see Chima wrapping up everything in 1 book, but she could just leave certain things undone, or for possible future series.

Either way, I am looking forward to the next book.