Hi!
I've been listening to audiobook podcasts. There are some good sources of free SF stories on iTunes.
I just listened to the podcast of issue #51 of Clarksworld Magazine. Very good. The story Tying Knots was unique and interesting. The Taxidermist's Other Wife was creepy but well done.
Every issue I've listened to has been good. The narrator has a very calming and nice speaking voice. The stories have been thought-provoking and unusual. All SF.
I apologize for being behind on my reviews. I'm on book #4 already. I shall get those reviews up here next week. Company's coming this weekend so it'll have to wait until then. However, I do have reviews on Goodreads.
Thanks for reading!
Anna
Friday, January 28, 2011
Thursday, January 13, 2011
SFR #1 Breaking Chance by Kim Knox
Publisher: Samhain Publishing.
Teaser: Melissa "Lucky" Chance is a career petty thief. In a world where the tech to surf the web is implanted at birth, she's talented, spunky and gifted with a cute face that blends in. Getting caught...again...is par for the course, until the new governor of the fairly isolated Jovian Colonies decides to make an example of all those being prosecuted that day. Her only hope of escape lies in the sexy form of The Butcher, a mass murderer.
John Ramius knows he deserves the nickname The Butcher for killing 50 men in as few minutes. But no one else understands his particular Hell--the ability to sense another's deepest needs and the overwhelming compulsion to fulfill them. His only hope of escaping to fulfill the dying desire of his last lover is a cute and talented thief with deep-seated needs of her own.
Together they discover a world full of lies, politics and manipulation.
This book contains graphic sex, though not a LOT of it.
Review:
I love the cover of this ebook. The guy resembles Vin Diesel. Ms. Knox's books are now on my auto-buy list. I completely enjoyed this. I'm not one to normally read books with graphic sex but this one didn't cross over into gratuitous. The few sex scenes were well-developed, fit the plot and advanced the character development.
I immediately liked Chance. She's snarky with a dark side. She's a nymphomaniac out of avoidance. She's not perfect and not drop dead gorgeous. I like that.
John is scary at first. Of course, he's The Butcher, he's supposed to be scary. He's also the perfect compliment for his heroine, Chance. They work together perfectly.
I loved the worldbuilding, the character development, and the sentient ship was sweet. The SF was good, and the Romance was good if a little dark.
The bad? Well, there's nothing "bad" per se. I do wish there'd been another 50 pages (or 200) of plot and character development. It's a novella so the h/h get to the HEA very fast, *almost* a bit too fast. Things are mentioned that I would have loved to read more about. Some of the scenes feel cut to the bare minimum for space.
This could easily have been a 300-400 page book. And I would have loved it.
Out of 10 stars I give this a 9. On the SFR rainbow of SF to R I give it a solid 5 with pretty equal amounts of both.
Here's a link to find it on All Romance Ebooks. There's a Kindle version too. http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-breakingchance-418171-143.html
Teaser: Melissa "Lucky" Chance is a career petty thief. In a world where the tech to surf the web is implanted at birth, she's talented, spunky and gifted with a cute face that blends in. Getting caught...again...is par for the course, until the new governor of the fairly isolated Jovian Colonies decides to make an example of all those being prosecuted that day. Her only hope of escape lies in the sexy form of The Butcher, a mass murderer.
John Ramius knows he deserves the nickname The Butcher for killing 50 men in as few minutes. But no one else understands his particular Hell--the ability to sense another's deepest needs and the overwhelming compulsion to fulfill them. His only hope of escaping to fulfill the dying desire of his last lover is a cute and talented thief with deep-seated needs of her own.
Together they discover a world full of lies, politics and manipulation.
This book contains graphic sex, though not a LOT of it.
Review:
I love the cover of this ebook. The guy resembles Vin Diesel. Ms. Knox's books are now on my auto-buy list. I completely enjoyed this. I'm not one to normally read books with graphic sex but this one didn't cross over into gratuitous. The few sex scenes were well-developed, fit the plot and advanced the character development.
I immediately liked Chance. She's snarky with a dark side. She's a nymphomaniac out of avoidance. She's not perfect and not drop dead gorgeous. I like that.
John is scary at first. Of course, he's The Butcher, he's supposed to be scary. He's also the perfect compliment for his heroine, Chance. They work together perfectly.
I loved the worldbuilding, the character development, and the sentient ship was sweet. The SF was good, and the Romance was good if a little dark.
The bad? Well, there's nothing "bad" per se. I do wish there'd been another 50 pages (or 200) of plot and character development. It's a novella so the h/h get to the HEA very fast, *almost* a bit too fast. Things are mentioned that I would have loved to read more about. Some of the scenes feel cut to the bare minimum for space.
This could easily have been a 300-400 page book. And I would have loved it.
Out of 10 stars I give this a 9. On the SFR rainbow of SF to R I give it a solid 5 with pretty equal amounts of both.
Here's a link to find it on All Romance Ebooks. There's a Kindle version too. http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-breakingchance-418171-143.html
Saturday, January 1, 2011
2011 Science Fiction Reading Challenge! Whoo hoo!
http://sfrreadingchallenge.blogspot.com/p/2011-sfr-reading-challenge.html
I chose the Moon level, 15 SFR books for the year. SFR means any Science Fiction book with any amount of actual Romance, meaning a happy ending. I'll be posting reviews of all the books/novellas I read here and at Goodreads. Most of the participants will post a list at the challenge site of the books they're reading and a link to their blog of reviews, if they choose to review.
If you're looking for a new, expanding genre, look into this! It's a lot like Shippy Fanfic but with new universes.
I can't wait!
My first two books will be Breaking Chance by Kim Knox, and The Stars Down Under, third book in the Outback Stars trilogy by Sandra MacDonald.
I think I may try to finish a few SFR series I started last year.
This is going to be fun! I expect my To Buy list to explode with suggestions from the other participants. :-) It did last year. LOL.
Happy 2011, everyone!
Anna
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Review: Stargate Atlantis: Blood Ties
By Sonny Whitelaw and Elizabeth Christensen.
Summary: A series of gruesome murders on Earth leads back to the SGC, with ties to Pegasus. Weir and some team members are recalled to help Daniel Jackson and an FBI Profiler solve the mystery.
Review: I enjoyed this story.
This is a heavy crossover that leans more into SG1 than SGA and if you haven't watched a lot of SG1 (like me) parts won't be perfectly clear. Me, I'm easily pleased so I just accepted that things would make sense in the end, despite me not knowing all the SG1 backstory. And I basically read between the lines and figured most of it out.
Still, for me it always felt like an SG1 story that just happened to have most of the SGA characters in it, but that's probably due to 1) it happens largely on Earth, and 2) a lot of the "reasons why" everything happened were related to or were explained in SG1 episodes I didn't see.
Were the characters In Character? Yes. I thought so. They sounded like themselves to me.
Since finishing this book I read the Amazon reviews and was really surprised. I didn't think Rodney came off as a coward. He isn't my favorite character though, so sometimes I miss the nuances, but he wasn't so off that I even noticed it. Several people think Larance, the OC, is a Mary Sue. I didn't really think so, at least not as much as Keller was. The reasoning given for who was killed and "planted in position", etc., applied to Larance too, even if she didn't know it, and gave a reason in my mind for her to be in the story a lot. She was in it more than most of the SGA characters, other than John and Rodney--something that bothered me a little and I suspect bothers others too. That she was also the one who happened to clear John to go to Antarctica years ago was a little bit of a stretch to me, but not too bad.
And I saw references to John "Kirking" and flirting a lot in the book which just made me go, huh? To me, he was uncomfortable with all the women in the book except for Weir and Teyla. All of them. He acted like he wished they weren't there. That's how it read to me, though he did admit to sleeping with Chaya in this story.
The story was obviously heavily-researched and was well-written. I don't recall any typos or bad editing at all. There was a little, to me, gruesome Shep whump and I liked the way Teyla was used near the end. Some of the dialogue had me chuckling aloud--mostly Rodney's lines. I did like the new aliens and the new world the authors created.
For the most part it was really interesting. The only parts that dragged for me were some of the long explanations about mythology or genetics, but thankfully there wasn't a lot of it. Most was sprinkled throughout.
A good read? Yes. For me it was. I liked it, stayed up late a few nights, and am glad I read it. I tried to relax and just enjoy a new adventure with characters I like in it.
If you're looking for a mostly SGA or "Team" SGA story, this isn't it. If you aren't a fan of OC's or Daniel Jackson, then maybe you should skip this one.
_________________________________
So far I haven't read any SGA books I truly disliked enough to "toss out". The worst I can say about a few is the editing isn't always terrific and they have boring stretches. But then, the same can be said of a lot of non-tv tie-in novels too. To me, part of the reason some are a little dull is that the characters are the same at the end as they were when the story started, with only minor changes, so some exciting stuff has to be downplayed. That's basically the nature of tie-ins though and doesn't leave any room for major character growth like you'd find in other types of novels. It doesn't often bother me, though I'm hoping growth happens in the new, approved series that starts with Homecoming, the book I've chosen to read next.
I have to hurry though. In three days I start the 2011 SFR Reading Challenge and will have to set aside SGA until I can read my quota. I haven't signed up for a level yet but the 2010 challenge had a minimum of 25 books--a LOT for me to squeeze in particularly since this year I want to revise my novel. Also, I signed up for a writing workshop given by the charismatic and talented Margie Lawson. Her classes take so much work I may have to set aside Homecoming for a month too. LOL.
Happy Reading, everyone!
Anna
Summary: A series of gruesome murders on Earth leads back to the SGC, with ties to Pegasus. Weir and some team members are recalled to help Daniel Jackson and an FBI Profiler solve the mystery.
Review: I enjoyed this story.
This is a heavy crossover that leans more into SG1 than SGA and if you haven't watched a lot of SG1 (like me) parts won't be perfectly clear. Me, I'm easily pleased so I just accepted that things would make sense in the end, despite me not knowing all the SG1 backstory. And I basically read between the lines and figured most of it out.
Still, for me it always felt like an SG1 story that just happened to have most of the SGA characters in it, but that's probably due to 1) it happens largely on Earth, and 2) a lot of the "reasons why" everything happened were related to or were explained in SG1 episodes I didn't see.
Were the characters In Character? Yes. I thought so. They sounded like themselves to me.
Since finishing this book I read the Amazon reviews and was really surprised. I didn't think Rodney came off as a coward. He isn't my favorite character though, so sometimes I miss the nuances, but he wasn't so off that I even noticed it. Several people think Larance, the OC, is a Mary Sue. I didn't really think so, at least not as much as Keller was. The reasoning given for who was killed and "planted in position", etc., applied to Larance too, even if she didn't know it, and gave a reason in my mind for her to be in the story a lot. She was in it more than most of the SGA characters, other than John and Rodney--something that bothered me a little and I suspect bothers others too. That she was also the one who happened to clear John to go to Antarctica years ago was a little bit of a stretch to me, but not too bad.
And I saw references to John "Kirking" and flirting a lot in the book which just made me go, huh? To me, he was uncomfortable with all the women in the book except for Weir and Teyla. All of them. He acted like he wished they weren't there. That's how it read to me, though he did admit to sleeping with Chaya in this story.
The story was obviously heavily-researched and was well-written. I don't recall any typos or bad editing at all. There was a little, to me, gruesome Shep whump and I liked the way Teyla was used near the end. Some of the dialogue had me chuckling aloud--mostly Rodney's lines. I did like the new aliens and the new world the authors created.
For the most part it was really interesting. The only parts that dragged for me were some of the long explanations about mythology or genetics, but thankfully there wasn't a lot of it. Most was sprinkled throughout.
A good read? Yes. For me it was. I liked it, stayed up late a few nights, and am glad I read it. I tried to relax and just enjoy a new adventure with characters I like in it.
If you're looking for a mostly SGA or "Team" SGA story, this isn't it. If you aren't a fan of OC's or Daniel Jackson, then maybe you should skip this one.
_________________________________
So far I haven't read any SGA books I truly disliked enough to "toss out". The worst I can say about a few is the editing isn't always terrific and they have boring stretches. But then, the same can be said of a lot of non-tv tie-in novels too. To me, part of the reason some are a little dull is that the characters are the same at the end as they were when the story started, with only minor changes, so some exciting stuff has to be downplayed. That's basically the nature of tie-ins though and doesn't leave any room for major character growth like you'd find in other types of novels. It doesn't often bother me, though I'm hoping growth happens in the new, approved series that starts with Homecoming, the book I've chosen to read next.
I have to hurry though. In three days I start the 2011 SFR Reading Challenge and will have to set aside SGA until I can read my quota. I haven't signed up for a level yet but the 2010 challenge had a minimum of 25 books--a LOT for me to squeeze in particularly since this year I want to revise my novel. Also, I signed up for a writing workshop given by the charismatic and talented Margie Lawson. Her classes take so much work I may have to set aside Homecoming for a month too. LOL.
Happy Reading, everyone!
Anna
Monday, December 13, 2010
Just read: Ej-Es by Nancy Kress
This short SF story is unique, interesting and heartbreaking. The worldbuilding is excellent.
Summary: A team of future Marines/Peace Corp medics lands on a planet that's been decimated by a plague. No one is alive...or are they? Mia, a medic who's about to retire from active duty, finds survivors. But all isn't as it first seems. The survivors behave very strangely, talking to a mysterious Ej-Es and other things that aren't there.
Mia spearheads the investigation to what is really happening and then faces a choice that will change her life forever.
Review: Excellent short story. I really loved it. It was tense, exciting and I truly couldn't figure out what was going on until the bittersweet ending. Afterwards, I found out it was written for an anthology of stories based on lyrics from Janis Ian songs. Ej-Es is a play on Jessie. In the audio version it's pronounced "Edges".
I'm glad I read this. It's one that I'll remember for a long time. The themes are powerful. The characters are interesting. The worldbuilding made me stop and think. Very well done. I've always read Ms. Kress' writing articles, but now I'll look up her fiction, too.
Summary: A team of future Marines/Peace Corp medics lands on a planet that's been decimated by a plague. No one is alive...or are they? Mia, a medic who's about to retire from active duty, finds survivors. But all isn't as it first seems. The survivors behave very strangely, talking to a mysterious Ej-Es and other things that aren't there.
Mia spearheads the investigation to what is really happening and then faces a choice that will change her life forever.
Review: Excellent short story. I really loved it. It was tense, exciting and I truly couldn't figure out what was going on until the bittersweet ending. Afterwards, I found out it was written for an anthology of stories based on lyrics from Janis Ian songs. Ej-Es is a play on Jessie. In the audio version it's pronounced "Edges".
I'm glad I read this. It's one that I'll remember for a long time. The themes are powerful. The characters are interesting. The worldbuilding made me stop and think. Very well done. I've always read Ms. Kress' writing articles, but now I'll look up her fiction, too.
SGA: Mirror, Mirror
Stargate Atlantis: Mirror, Mirror is action-filled and full of twists.
Summary: The Team plus two are offered the chance of a lifetime--a device that can rewrite time and erase the Wraith from existance. Ikaros, the Ancient prodigy who created the device assures them it's foolproof. But he leaves out vital information and suddenly our Team is divided, spread out across infinite timelines in Atlantis and the clock is ticking to save the galaxy.
Review: I really liked it. The characters sound like themselves, even when they aren't totally themselves. There's whump, bits of humor, snark, lots of action, and some surprises. All of the Team members, Drs. Weir, and Zelenka get a lot of time, but most of the story does seem to focus on the Team members and Weir.
I read it more than once and really enjoyed it. I could see this as a movie.
Summary: The Team plus two are offered the chance of a lifetime--a device that can rewrite time and erase the Wraith from existance. Ikaros, the Ancient prodigy who created the device assures them it's foolproof. But he leaves out vital information and suddenly our Team is divided, spread out across infinite timelines in Atlantis and the clock is ticking to save the galaxy.
Review: I really liked it. The characters sound like themselves, even when they aren't totally themselves. There's whump, bits of humor, snark, lots of action, and some surprises. All of the Team members, Drs. Weir, and Zelenka get a lot of time, but most of the story does seem to focus on the Team members and Weir.
I read it more than once and really enjoyed it. I could see this as a movie.
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Review: BARK! by Darrell Bain
I finished this a few days ago.
Summary: A weird weather phenomenon happened on the day of Tonto the wiener dog's conception and equal weirdness happened to the pup. Turns out aliens were landing in Texas and now Tonto is the only one on the entire planet that can tell them apart from all other life on Earth.
Tonto is billed as ADHD, cross-eyed and having one testicle. He seemed more obsessive-compulsive to me, but that doesn't stop him from being a hero.
This story is hilarious, thought-provoking and down-right strange. I loved it! Tonto is wonderful. All of the characters are unique and intersting. The plot is unusual and fun. It did end a bit abruptly but I think there may be a sequel.
The only downside to the story is it's chock-full of cussing. Yes, it fits the character that does most of it, but still, if you don't like copious amounts of cussing this might not be the story for you. Two of the characters also spent the entire story drunk.
I liked the aliens. I loved Tonto the dog. I liked all of the other characters. I've already bought a couple more of Mr. Bain's short stories.
Summary: A weird weather phenomenon happened on the day of Tonto the wiener dog's conception and equal weirdness happened to the pup. Turns out aliens were landing in Texas and now Tonto is the only one on the entire planet that can tell them apart from all other life on Earth.
Tonto is billed as ADHD, cross-eyed and having one testicle. He seemed more obsessive-compulsive to me, but that doesn't stop him from being a hero.
This story is hilarious, thought-provoking and down-right strange. I loved it! Tonto is wonderful. All of the characters are unique and intersting. The plot is unusual and fun. It did end a bit abruptly but I think there may be a sequel.
The only downside to the story is it's chock-full of cussing. Yes, it fits the character that does most of it, but still, if you don't like copious amounts of cussing this might not be the story for you. Two of the characters also spent the entire story drunk.
I liked the aliens. I loved Tonto the dog. I liked all of the other characters. I've already bought a couple more of Mr. Bain's short stories.
Currently Reading.
Hi!
I'm now reading SGA: Mirror, Mirror. I had started a year ago or so and stopped. Don't remember why. This one has gotten much better reviews so hopefully I'll think it rocks. :-)
There's a chance I'll participate in a Dec SFR reading challenge on Goodreads, so I don't know how far I'll get.
I'm also working on my Resoutions. How about you? Too early?
I'm now reading SGA: Mirror, Mirror. I had started a year ago or so and stopped. Don't remember why. This one has gotten much better reviews so hopefully I'll think it rocks. :-)
There's a chance I'll participate in a Dec SFR reading challenge on Goodreads, so I don't know how far I'll get.
I'm also working on my Resoutions. How about you? Too early?
Review: SGA: Angelus
This tie-in has gotten a lot of bad reviews, from what I understand. A lot. So of course I had to read it for myself.
**
Set in the Pegasus Galaxy during Sam Carter's new tenure, three weeks after Elizabeth was lost, it's the story of a long-lost Ancient who promises to build a weapon that can destory the Replicators. The meddling IOA forces Sam to allow Angelus, the Ancient, into Alantis so they can get their grubby mitts on the weapon. Things don't go as planned, of course, and all heck breaks loose.
**
I can see why many die-hard SGA-only fans don't like this book. It stars Sam Carter from SG1. She wasn't in SGA very long yet she is clearly the main character with all the SGA characters taking a backseat, except perhaps Rodney, who, for most of the book, didn't speak or act like the character in the show. He sort-of did, but then he was really off, as were most of the SGA characters. His relationship with Sam was not done like the show.
I could overlook it most of the time, but parts were really off--like having Keller quip, "Jesus!" when things suprised or bothered her. Or Rodney willingly sticking his hand into muck and bringing it to his face without much complaint while John whines, 'can we leave yet?' (please, please?) Or, having Ronon call Shep "John" instead of "Sheppard", and John calling him "Dex" instead of "Ronon". Teyla seemed the most like herself.
And then Angelus started out calling the humans "Tou'ri" (sp?) which I thought was Go'auld (sp?) and not Ancient and I thought only applied to specific groups of resistance fighters. I could be wrong but it was really weird to hear him say something I only associated with SG1.
I did like Zelenka's parts, despite him not sounding like himself. The part with he and Sam in the lab in the middle of the night was very creepy and probably my favorite part of the whole book. "What did you hear!" He nodded toward the monitor. "That." Been there. I know the sound they're describing. Very, very creepy!
Also, large chunks of the story star someone named Ellis who I presume was on SG1, a show I only watched part of, on the Apollo. While I can see the author having a legitimate reason to use these characters, it gave the whole novel more of the feel of an SG1 book and not an SGA book. Why didn't he just use Caldwell? Caldwell was on SGA a lot. I couldn't even picture Ellis.
Now, if I forget about all that above for a while and focus on the story itself. I can't believe I read this after dark. LOL. I'm surprised I didn't have nightmares. It was a horror story pure and simple. Gross, scary, and then gory.
The writing itself was good. The imagery was strong. The villain was bad and the ultimate twists were pretty good. The editing wasn't the best but not the worst I've read.
All in all I think the people who will like this book the best are those who are fans of both SGA and SG1. I was surprised how much I did like it after all the bad things I've heard about it.
Still, it's not a keeper for me because ultimately the SGA was lacking and that's why I bought it in the first place. Too bad it has such a nice cover.
**
Set in the Pegasus Galaxy during Sam Carter's new tenure, three weeks after Elizabeth was lost, it's the story of a long-lost Ancient who promises to build a weapon that can destory the Replicators. The meddling IOA forces Sam to allow Angelus, the Ancient, into Alantis so they can get their grubby mitts on the weapon. Things don't go as planned, of course, and all heck breaks loose.
**
I can see why many die-hard SGA-only fans don't like this book. It stars Sam Carter from SG1. She wasn't in SGA very long yet she is clearly the main character with all the SGA characters taking a backseat, except perhaps Rodney, who, for most of the book, didn't speak or act like the character in the show. He sort-of did, but then he was really off, as were most of the SGA characters. His relationship with Sam was not done like the show.
I could overlook it most of the time, but parts were really off--like having Keller quip, "Jesus!" when things suprised or bothered her. Or Rodney willingly sticking his hand into muck and bringing it to his face without much complaint while John whines, 'can we leave yet?' (please, please?) Or, having Ronon call Shep "John" instead of "Sheppard", and John calling him "Dex" instead of "Ronon". Teyla seemed the most like herself.
And then Angelus started out calling the humans "Tou'ri" (sp?) which I thought was Go'auld (sp?) and not Ancient and I thought only applied to specific groups of resistance fighters. I could be wrong but it was really weird to hear him say something I only associated with SG1.
I did like Zelenka's parts, despite him not sounding like himself. The part with he and Sam in the lab in the middle of the night was very creepy and probably my favorite part of the whole book. "What did you hear!" He nodded toward the monitor. "That." Been there. I know the sound they're describing. Very, very creepy!
Also, large chunks of the story star someone named Ellis who I presume was on SG1, a show I only watched part of, on the Apollo. While I can see the author having a legitimate reason to use these characters, it gave the whole novel more of the feel of an SG1 book and not an SGA book. Why didn't he just use Caldwell? Caldwell was on SGA a lot. I couldn't even picture Ellis.
Now, if I forget about all that above for a while and focus on the story itself. I can't believe I read this after dark. LOL. I'm surprised I didn't have nightmares. It was a horror story pure and simple. Gross, scary, and then gory.
The writing itself was good. The imagery was strong. The villain was bad and the ultimate twists were pretty good. The editing wasn't the best but not the worst I've read.
All in all I think the people who will like this book the best are those who are fans of both SGA and SG1. I was surprised how much I did like it after all the bad things I've heard about it.
Still, it's not a keeper for me because ultimately the SGA was lacking and that's why I bought it in the first place. Too bad it has such a nice cover.
Monday, November 29, 2010
Reviews: SGA: Death Game, I Survived the Shark Attacks of 1916
Death Game
Summary: The Team goes to a new world, gets split up and beat up, and discovers that all isn't right in this isolated fuedal society when they get caught up in the Death Games.
Review:
Unlike most of the tie-in novels I've read from most of the shows I've followed, this one is a keeper for me. I really liked it. It made me cringe, laugh out loud, and feel for the characters. The characters were all true to canon to me.
It started right in the middle of the action and if you like Shep Whumping (getting bruised up) you'll probably like this one because he gets a concussion on page one and Teyla spends the whole book with a dislocated shoulder. Ouch!
Secondary characters get nice nods in the book, including: Cadman, Lorne, Zelenka and Carson. I thought they were all well-done. Most of the "issues" with tie-in novels stem from the feeling that the characters aren't true to the actors' portrayals or that the story deviates from established canon. In this story I personally couldn't point to anything that I could say didn't follow both or couldn't be justified to follow both.
I really liked Zelenka's stories. They brought his character a lot of depth and strength too. His interplay with Ronon was realistic to the show, for me, and often funny.
The bad? Some people may not like the backstory the author invented for Sheppard, though it does fit pretty well with his character and I liked most of it. Others have mentioned wondering why Carson would fly a Jumper instead of Lorne, but that didn't bother me. I chalk it up to Carson needing to practice sometime and since he was going on the mission anyway, Weir probably told him he had to do it. Just my thoughts though.
All in all I enjoyed this one so much more than the other SGA books I've read, admittedly I've only read three others. Something I intend to rectify after finishing Bark! I do own half a dozen or so of the SGA books and want to do a marathon. But I may only be able to do one or two more before January and another challenge.
>>>>>>>>>>>
I Survived the Shark Attacks of 1916
Summary: In 1916 the first ever shark attacks on humans off the north-East Coast of America occurred. By some fluke of streams and bays, a shark or two also made their way inland and killed a couple of people. This book is the fictionalization of those true happenings. It's YA.
Review:
This is a very good book for a ten-year-old. Mine liked it enough to beg me to read it. I had no idea until I finished that it was based on a true story. The author did a great job making the situation and the characters come to life. I cared about the hero. It also has a bit of the lesson about not crying wolf in it.
Overall, it was good for the kids.
Currently reading:
Bark! by Darrel Bain and SGA: Angelus.
I decided to save the rest of my SFRs To Read until next year since Rae Lori is already setting up a 2011 SFR Reading Challenge. Go Rae!
If you want to see my To Read list or Have Read list look me up on Goodreads.com There're too many books to list here and I don't even have half of my boxed books listed.
Happy reading, everyone!
Summary: The Team goes to a new world, gets split up and beat up, and discovers that all isn't right in this isolated fuedal society when they get caught up in the Death Games.
Review:
Unlike most of the tie-in novels I've read from most of the shows I've followed, this one is a keeper for me. I really liked it. It made me cringe, laugh out loud, and feel for the characters. The characters were all true to canon to me.
It started right in the middle of the action and if you like Shep Whumping (getting bruised up) you'll probably like this one because he gets a concussion on page one and Teyla spends the whole book with a dislocated shoulder. Ouch!
Secondary characters get nice nods in the book, including: Cadman, Lorne, Zelenka and Carson. I thought they were all well-done. Most of the "issues" with tie-in novels stem from the feeling that the characters aren't true to the actors' portrayals or that the story deviates from established canon. In this story I personally couldn't point to anything that I could say didn't follow both or couldn't be justified to follow both.
I really liked Zelenka's stories. They brought his character a lot of depth and strength too. His interplay with Ronon was realistic to the show, for me, and often funny.
The bad? Some people may not like the backstory the author invented for Sheppard, though it does fit pretty well with his character and I liked most of it. Others have mentioned wondering why Carson would fly a Jumper instead of Lorne, but that didn't bother me. I chalk it up to Carson needing to practice sometime and since he was going on the mission anyway, Weir probably told him he had to do it. Just my thoughts though.
All in all I enjoyed this one so much more than the other SGA books I've read, admittedly I've only read three others. Something I intend to rectify after finishing Bark! I do own half a dozen or so of the SGA books and want to do a marathon. But I may only be able to do one or two more before January and another challenge.
>>>>>>>>>>>
I Survived the Shark Attacks of 1916
Summary: In 1916 the first ever shark attacks on humans off the north-East Coast of America occurred. By some fluke of streams and bays, a shark or two also made their way inland and killed a couple of people. This book is the fictionalization of those true happenings. It's YA.
Review:
This is a very good book for a ten-year-old. Mine liked it enough to beg me to read it. I had no idea until I finished that it was based on a true story. The author did a great job making the situation and the characters come to life. I cared about the hero. It also has a bit of the lesson about not crying wolf in it.
Overall, it was good for the kids.
Currently reading:
Bark! by Darrel Bain and SGA: Angelus.
I decided to save the rest of my SFRs To Read until next year since Rae Lori is already setting up a 2011 SFR Reading Challenge. Go Rae!
If you want to see my To Read list or Have Read list look me up on Goodreads.com There're too many books to list here and I don't even have half of my boxed books listed.
Happy reading, everyone!
All Done! Whoo hoo!
I finished my committment to the 2010 SFR Reading Challenge! For a while there it was challenging to find time to read.
So, of course, after I finished Star-crossed the kids decided to give me time to read--stories they picked out for me.
Since finishing the challenge I've now read:
I Survived the Shark Attacks of 1916
Stargate Atlantis: Death Game
And I'm nearly finished with Darrell Bain's "Bark". Talk about a weird but intriguing story. Lots of cussing. Lots and lots, but I love the heroic weiner dog and the idea that if aliens invade they won't walk just walk up on two feet. LOL. Hard start to the story but once I got into it it's really thought-provoking and funny.
I may as well do short reviews for those also.
So, of course, after I finished Star-crossed the kids decided to give me time to read--stories they picked out for me.
Since finishing the challenge I've now read:
I Survived the Shark Attacks of 1916
Stargate Atlantis: Death Game
And I'm nearly finished with Darrell Bain's "Bark". Talk about a weird but intriguing story. Lots of cussing. Lots and lots, but I love the heroic weiner dog and the idea that if aliens invade they won't walk just walk up on two feet. LOL. Hard start to the story but once I got into it it's really thought-provoking and funny.
I may as well do short reviews for those also.
#25 Star-crossed
By Marilynn Byerly
Teaser:
Earthman Tristan Mallory discovers that on Arden, men are sex slaves. He has no intention of belonging to anyone, not even beautiful Mara d'Jorel.
Mara despises the harem system and has refused to participate, but her heart won't allow anyone else to own Tristan, To give Tristan the freedom her world denies, she must risk everything, her reputation, home, and her freedom and life. Her greatest risk is losing Tristan's love to another woman.
Tristan's friend Kellen is acquired as a bed slave by vicious Cadaran d'Hasta, head of Arden's Internal Security, who has used the lives and deaths of thousands of men to gain her power. Intelligent and amoral, she'll do anything to destroy him and Tristan and any woman weak enough to love them. With the help of a local intelligent alien who resembles an Earth cat and Dorian Dalia, Tristan's long-time romantic interest, Tristan, Mara, and Kellen escape the planet. Through the vast emptiness of space and the most primitive of human colonies, they seek freedom, but Cadaran is always one step behind them.
Review:
This love story had a totally different feel than the last one I read. It's more romance, and darker, with more sex spelled out and some torture to boot. This is a twist on the "planet full of women with hardly any men" theme. Unlike Catherine Asaro in Last Hawk, Ms. Byerly spells out some of the sexual torture until you really see what a sick and twisted person the villain is. Fortunately, that makes up a small part of the book and she does show the ramifications on the poor guy for the rest of the story. PTSD, anyone?
The hero, Tristan, and his friend Kellen, I liked immediately. The heroines took longer to grow on me but I ended up liking them too. I even liked many of the secondary characters.
My favorite character? The Rab-cat, Floppy. He was cool.
This story isn't very fast-paced. The relationships develop realistically over time. There's romance and some action, fights and spaceships, a mystery and a conspiracy, betrayal and revenge, sex and hope.
It was good. I liked it. I won't reread it but I will give the author's other works a read too. And I would revisit the same universe again because the worldbuilding was good.
The bad? The editing was awful. Sorry. Misspelled and missing words. And in my ebook copy Chapter 21 ended in mid-word mid-sentence. "... h-" Nothing.
For me parts of the story were really slow, and then the villain was not "on-screen" for quite a while. I did wonder why the women of the colony didn't figure out the mystery earlier and why it took an alien man to figure out how to talk to the intelligent indigenous species, but not bothered enough to not want to finish reading.
It did have a HEA and a satisfactory ending. The romance was good. The SF was good and didn't dominate the story. Overall I liked it, but not a keeper for me, more of a jumping off point to more of the author's works.
Teaser:
Earthman Tristan Mallory discovers that on Arden, men are sex slaves. He has no intention of belonging to anyone, not even beautiful Mara d'Jorel.
Mara despises the harem system and has refused to participate, but her heart won't allow anyone else to own Tristan, To give Tristan the freedom her world denies, she must risk everything, her reputation, home, and her freedom and life. Her greatest risk is losing Tristan's love to another woman.
Tristan's friend Kellen is acquired as a bed slave by vicious Cadaran d'Hasta, head of Arden's Internal Security, who has used the lives and deaths of thousands of men to gain her power. Intelligent and amoral, she'll do anything to destroy him and Tristan and any woman weak enough to love them. With the help of a local intelligent alien who resembles an Earth cat and Dorian Dalia, Tristan's long-time romantic interest, Tristan, Mara, and Kellen escape the planet. Through the vast emptiness of space and the most primitive of human colonies, they seek freedom, but Cadaran is always one step behind them.
Review:
This love story had a totally different feel than the last one I read. It's more romance, and darker, with more sex spelled out and some torture to boot. This is a twist on the "planet full of women with hardly any men" theme. Unlike Catherine Asaro in Last Hawk, Ms. Byerly spells out some of the sexual torture until you really see what a sick and twisted person the villain is. Fortunately, that makes up a small part of the book and she does show the ramifications on the poor guy for the rest of the story. PTSD, anyone?
The hero, Tristan, and his friend Kellen, I liked immediately. The heroines took longer to grow on me but I ended up liking them too. I even liked many of the secondary characters.
My favorite character? The Rab-cat, Floppy. He was cool.
This story isn't very fast-paced. The relationships develop realistically over time. There's romance and some action, fights and spaceships, a mystery and a conspiracy, betrayal and revenge, sex and hope.
It was good. I liked it. I won't reread it but I will give the author's other works a read too. And I would revisit the same universe again because the worldbuilding was good.
The bad? The editing was awful. Sorry. Misspelled and missing words. And in my ebook copy Chapter 21 ended in mid-word mid-sentence. "... h-" Nothing.
For me parts of the story were really slow, and then the villain was not "on-screen" for quite a while. I did wonder why the women of the colony didn't figure out the mystery earlier and why it took an alien man to figure out how to talk to the intelligent indigenous species, but not bothered enough to not want to finish reading.
It did have a HEA and a satisfactory ending. The romance was good. The SF was good and didn't dominate the story. Overall I liked it, but not a keeper for me, more of a jumping off point to more of the author's works.
#24 Taking Liberty
Author: Jodi Redford
Teaser:
"From zero to naked at warp speed…
Rini Campell’s one shot at keeping her field agent position with the United Galaxies’ repo department means bringing in the spaceship Liberty. Piece of cake. Except she didn’t count on the pilot still being on board. Or being buck naked.
Lucus Granger doesn’t have time to deal with a pain-in-the-ass repo agent. Not when he’s minutes away from dropping off a cargo haul for the psychotic alien dictator of Aquatica. Though he figures it’s just about the stupidest bargain he’s ever made, he allows Rini to tag along for the flight.
Big mistake.
Stranded in enemy territory, they find themselves fighting a battle on two fronts. Against a creepy dictator who’d as soon drown them as look at them. And against a blazing attraction hotter than the godforsaken planet itself. For these two wary hearts, love could bloom in the desert…if it doesn’t kill them first."
Review:
I adored this book. The voice is strong and it reminded me immediately of Firefly. I've read a lot of books this year and this one is one of the few keepers that I intend to reread. I will buy any other story in this universe because it was so captivating for me.
Despite what the teaser says, there's not much nakedness. LOL. And it's more toward the sweet than the erotic, though the sex is not behind closed doors. There's plot, wit, banter, action, a strong heroine, a dashing and interesting hero, and a bad guy who's not horrible, but bad enough.
The story is well written and caught me from page one. The only time the really strong voice slipped for me was during the sex, but that may be just me. All in all, for me this story Rocked with a capital R.
The bad? Perhaps a few moments of trying too hard to be funny, and Rini's parents were a bit too predictable or overused to me, but the rest of the story is so good in my opinion that I can overlook that. The editing was good too.
Teaser:
"From zero to naked at warp speed…
Rini Campell’s one shot at keeping her field agent position with the United Galaxies’ repo department means bringing in the spaceship Liberty. Piece of cake. Except she didn’t count on the pilot still being on board. Or being buck naked.
Lucus Granger doesn’t have time to deal with a pain-in-the-ass repo agent. Not when he’s minutes away from dropping off a cargo haul for the psychotic alien dictator of Aquatica. Though he figures it’s just about the stupidest bargain he’s ever made, he allows Rini to tag along for the flight.
Big mistake.
Stranded in enemy territory, they find themselves fighting a battle on two fronts. Against a creepy dictator who’d as soon drown them as look at them. And against a blazing attraction hotter than the godforsaken planet itself. For these two wary hearts, love could bloom in the desert…if it doesn’t kill them first."
Review:
I adored this book. The voice is strong and it reminded me immediately of Firefly. I've read a lot of books this year and this one is one of the few keepers that I intend to reread. I will buy any other story in this universe because it was so captivating for me.
Despite what the teaser says, there's not much nakedness. LOL. And it's more toward the sweet than the erotic, though the sex is not behind closed doors. There's plot, wit, banter, action, a strong heroine, a dashing and interesting hero, and a bad guy who's not horrible, but bad enough.
The story is well written and caught me from page one. The only time the really strong voice slipped for me was during the sex, but that may be just me. All in all, for me this story Rocked with a capital R.
The bad? Perhaps a few moments of trying too hard to be funny, and Rini's parents were a bit too predictable or overused to me, but the rest of the story is so good in my opinion that I can overlook that. The editing was good too.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
#23 Nebula's Music
Yay, my twenty-third book in the SFR Challenge! Nearly done!
Nebula's Music
Author Aubrie Dionne
Pages: 94.
This is the story of human-cyborg, Nebula, and her journey of self-discovery. About years after her creation she begins to experience memories from her donor's prior life. These memories involve a captured rebel fighter who is being held on the ship she works on.
Radian, a rebel fighter, is the former fiance of the woman from whom Nebula was created. He's vowed to avenge her death and rescue her sister, who was captured by the alien Gryhponites as slave labor.
Though Nebula is no longer the woman Radian loved, she's drawn to him and joins his mission to rescue his love's sister.
**
Review: MINOR SPOILER ALERT!!!
Overall, I enjoyed this story even though it didn't quite live up to my expectations. The cover rocks. It's beautiful! Loved that. The characters are interesting. Nebula is an accomplished pianist and excellent at her job. Her self-discovery is steady. Her memories are realistic and poignant. I liked the secondary characters. Some were really likable.
Radian is a good hero. He's dashing and committed and thoroughly in love with the not-so-wonderful woman Nebula once was.
I did feel the story was a bit rushed, as if the author was told to finish in 100 pages but needed 150. Neb and Radian fell for each other a bit too fast, even given their past. Others were too accomodating and trusting of strangers to me. One secondary character, a boy of 15, acted and was treated more like my 4 year old than a teenager. That part pulled me out of the story, though it may not bother anyone else.
Nebula didn't live up to her full cyborg potential to me. She kept saying how she was stronger, faster, smarter, etc., than humans but then in some instances where she could have really shined she stood back and watched or it sounded like she was just doing what all the normal humans could. Most of her potential was used playing the piano or doing math. Again, it felt like some of this was cut out to make the story shorter.
I still liked the story. There was enough to keep me reading.
SPOILERS AHEAD!!
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My only qualm about the technical aspects of the worldbuilding is who would create a space craft that splits in two and not put a control bridge on both parts? It's fun conflict but really? Would they do that?
My only qualm on the Romance side is that Radian basically admits he loves Nebula because she looks like the woman he once loved who, even her sister admits, wasn't very nice, didn't love him back and made accepting his proposal conditional to his letting her sister live with them. Neb remembers this too. Nebula's a lot nicer than her donor so it's no wonder he jumped at the chance to be with her.
END SPOILERS
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Qualms or not, I did enjoy most of the story and wanted to find out what would happen next. I would read another story set in this universe and I would read another story by this author.
Anna
Nebula's Music
Author Aubrie Dionne
Pages: 94.
This is the story of human-cyborg, Nebula, and her journey of self-discovery. About years after her creation she begins to experience memories from her donor's prior life. These memories involve a captured rebel fighter who is being held on the ship she works on.
Radian, a rebel fighter, is the former fiance of the woman from whom Nebula was created. He's vowed to avenge her death and rescue her sister, who was captured by the alien Gryhponites as slave labor.
Though Nebula is no longer the woman Radian loved, she's drawn to him and joins his mission to rescue his love's sister.
**
Review: MINOR SPOILER ALERT!!!
Overall, I enjoyed this story even though it didn't quite live up to my expectations. The cover rocks. It's beautiful! Loved that. The characters are interesting. Nebula is an accomplished pianist and excellent at her job. Her self-discovery is steady. Her memories are realistic and poignant. I liked the secondary characters. Some were really likable.
Radian is a good hero. He's dashing and committed and thoroughly in love with the not-so-wonderful woman Nebula once was.
I did feel the story was a bit rushed, as if the author was told to finish in 100 pages but needed 150. Neb and Radian fell for each other a bit too fast, even given their past. Others were too accomodating and trusting of strangers to me. One secondary character, a boy of 15, acted and was treated more like my 4 year old than a teenager. That part pulled me out of the story, though it may not bother anyone else.
Nebula didn't live up to her full cyborg potential to me. She kept saying how she was stronger, faster, smarter, etc., than humans but then in some instances where she could have really shined she stood back and watched or it sounded like she was just doing what all the normal humans could. Most of her potential was used playing the piano or doing math. Again, it felt like some of this was cut out to make the story shorter.
I still liked the story. There was enough to keep me reading.
SPOILERS AHEAD!!
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My only qualm about the technical aspects of the worldbuilding is who would create a space craft that splits in two and not put a control bridge on both parts? It's fun conflict but really? Would they do that?
My only qualm on the Romance side is that Radian basically admits he loves Nebula because she looks like the woman he once loved who, even her sister admits, wasn't very nice, didn't love him back and made accepting his proposal conditional to his letting her sister live with them. Neb remembers this too. Nebula's a lot nicer than her donor so it's no wonder he jumped at the chance to be with her.
END SPOILERS
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Qualms or not, I did enjoy most of the story and wanted to find out what would happen next. I would read another story set in this universe and I would read another story by this author.
Anna
Monday, October 11, 2010
#22 Kiana: The Rea Cheveyo Chronicles
Author: Rayne Forrest
This short erotic SFR novel is good and fun. It's the story of Kiana and Adjutant with a secret for a planet that has a lot of secrets, and Ian Logan, dashing new captain of the Rea Cheveyo spacecraft. Kiana is a humanoid (possibly human, but no one knows if the legends of seeding are true) sent to work with humans against her will and with implied threat to her family if she misbehaves by breaking any of the numerous rules about contact with offworlders.
Ian is a happy-go-lucky guy just loving his new assignment and his ship when in walks a virginal hot blonde and knocks him for a loop. He falls for her so hard that the many strings attached to her don't matter to him much.
The Romance plot is believable and the sex is definitely not skimped on but it's also not overwhelming (and I tend to go for the tame stuff, y'know.) There's only one spot where I thought, "hmm, would the captain really do that now?" But technically he WAS off-duty and his First Officer was handling the bridge, so it was okay.
The external plot is interesting and nicely convoluted. Kiana is an investigator with some psychic powers, a greedy venegeful boss, and a lot of secrets that come back to haunt her.
The good: the writing is good, the characters solid, likeable and growing. The worldbuilding is a little sparse for the first half but gets more in-depth after the relationship is built and actually made me want to read more about the "universe" due to the larger plot complications brought up near the end. I genuinely like both of the main characters and some of the background characters too.
The bad: Kiana's people use Thee and Thy and some formal speech that was really hard for me to get into at the beginning. I got more used to it as I read but it still jumped out at me. Also, the worldbuilding was a bit sparse for the first half (to my SF-adoring personality) but it picked up enough in the second half that I read a lot faster.
I had the impression in places that the author was told to shorten this and leave some things out or skim things I would have liked to read in depth. Not often enough to detract from the story.
Book #23? I haven't decided yet. But probably another short ebook.
This is a good story. Maybe not a keeper for me but I definitely want to read the other stories in the Rea Cheveyo series.
This short erotic SFR novel is good and fun. It's the story of Kiana and Adjutant with a secret for a planet that has a lot of secrets, and Ian Logan, dashing new captain of the Rea Cheveyo spacecraft. Kiana is a humanoid (possibly human, but no one knows if the legends of seeding are true) sent to work with humans against her will and with implied threat to her family if she misbehaves by breaking any of the numerous rules about contact with offworlders.
Ian is a happy-go-lucky guy just loving his new assignment and his ship when in walks a virginal hot blonde and knocks him for a loop. He falls for her so hard that the many strings attached to her don't matter to him much.
The Romance plot is believable and the sex is definitely not skimped on but it's also not overwhelming (and I tend to go for the tame stuff, y'know.) There's only one spot where I thought, "hmm, would the captain really do that now?" But technically he WAS off-duty and his First Officer was handling the bridge, so it was okay.
The external plot is interesting and nicely convoluted. Kiana is an investigator with some psychic powers, a greedy venegeful boss, and a lot of secrets that come back to haunt her.
The good: the writing is good, the characters solid, likeable and growing. The worldbuilding is a little sparse for the first half but gets more in-depth after the relationship is built and actually made me want to read more about the "universe" due to the larger plot complications brought up near the end. I genuinely like both of the main characters and some of the background characters too.
The bad: Kiana's people use Thee and Thy and some formal speech that was really hard for me to get into at the beginning. I got more used to it as I read but it still jumped out at me. Also, the worldbuilding was a bit sparse for the first half (to my SF-adoring personality) but it picked up enough in the second half that I read a lot faster.
I had the impression in places that the author was told to shorten this and leave some things out or skim things I would have liked to read in depth. Not often enough to detract from the story.
Book #23? I haven't decided yet. But probably another short ebook.
This is a good story. Maybe not a keeper for me but I definitely want to read the other stories in the Rea Cheveyo series.
Saturday, September 25, 2010
#21 Shades of Dark by Linnea Sinclair
Okay, I screwed up. LOL. I actually finished reading this one while still reading Driven but somehow forgot to post a review. So I'll number it 21 and call it good.
Shades of Dark is book 2 in the Dock 5 series by Linnea Sinclair. It follows directly on the heels of Gabriel's Ghost and continues the story in a very inventive and suspenseful way.
There's action, speedbumps in the continuing romance, new characters and lots of fun. I really, really enjoyed this novel as it peeled back more layers in the onion of the original story. At the end of the novel the whole universe has changed and I had the feeling that the Big Picture was about to hit the fan.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this fun and complex story. I loved learning more about the characters from the first book.
It's a keeper for me. I'm sure I'll read it again some day.
>>>>
Next? I'm reading a short story called Kiana: The Rea Cheveyo Chronicles by Rayne Forrest.
After that I'd love to continue the Dock 5 series but since book 3, Hope's Folly, is only on my hard-drive I don't know how fast I can read it. I'm more into portability right now.
Shades of Dark is book 2 in the Dock 5 series by Linnea Sinclair. It follows directly on the heels of Gabriel's Ghost and continues the story in a very inventive and suspenseful way.
There's action, speedbumps in the continuing romance, new characters and lots of fun. I really, really enjoyed this novel as it peeled back more layers in the onion of the original story. At the end of the novel the whole universe has changed and I had the feeling that the Big Picture was about to hit the fan.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this fun and complex story. I loved learning more about the characters from the first book.
It's a keeper for me. I'm sure I'll read it again some day.
>>>>
Next? I'm reading a short story called Kiana: The Rea Cheveyo Chronicles by Rayne Forrest.
After that I'd love to continue the Dock 5 series but since book 3, Hope's Folly, is only on my hard-drive I don't know how fast I can read it. I'm more into portability right now.
#20! Driven by Eve Kenin
Hi!
I picked up this book because it was the BOM for the Goodreads SFR section and I needed to read more SFR for the challenge anyway.
This story takes place in a post-apocalyptic world of global climate change and fledgling genetic manipulation. The heroine, Raina, is a truck driver on a trans-world highway. Think Ice Truckers meets Road Warrior meets Dark Angel and you get the gist of the main elements of this story. There's romance of a sort, mild sex, and character growth. There's action, interesting secondary characters, and a heroine who saves herself.
On the downside I found the first half repetitive in respect to the heroine's isssues and I never really warmed up to the hero who spent the first half of the book as warm as an ice cube--but there were reasons for these issues, and they were resolved/explained later in the book.
The bad guy is really awful, if a bit two-dimensional. He was definitely creepy.
The ending is pretty good with lots of action and a happy for now.
Overall I think Driven was good enough for me to try more of Ms. Kenin's stories. She has potential in the SFR realm.
I picked up this book because it was the BOM for the Goodreads SFR section and I needed to read more SFR for the challenge anyway.
This story takes place in a post-apocalyptic world of global climate change and fledgling genetic manipulation. The heroine, Raina, is a truck driver on a trans-world highway. Think Ice Truckers meets Road Warrior meets Dark Angel and you get the gist of the main elements of this story. There's romance of a sort, mild sex, and character growth. There's action, interesting secondary characters, and a heroine who saves herself.
On the downside I found the first half repetitive in respect to the heroine's isssues and I never really warmed up to the hero who spent the first half of the book as warm as an ice cube--but there were reasons for these issues, and they were resolved/explained later in the book.
The bad guy is really awful, if a bit two-dimensional. He was definitely creepy.
The ending is pretty good with lots of action and a happy for now.
Overall I think Driven was good enough for me to try more of Ms. Kenin's stories. She has potential in the SFR realm.
Saturday, August 28, 2010
#19 Gabriel's Ghost by Linnea Sinclair
I really, really enjoyed this book.
Blurb: Starship Captain Chaz Bergren thought her life was over when she was unjustly courtmartialed and sent to a prison planet with a life-expectancy of less than a year. Her powerful family and connections couldn't save her.
Who knew she'd run into a ghost?
Gabriel Ross Sullivan was supposed to be dead. Outlaw, handsome rogue, and a man with so many secrets it could make a woman's head spin, Sully has his own reasons for finding his beautiful former rival. Some of those reasons have implications that effect the fate of the entire Empire.
Review:
This book surprised me and kept surprising me. Just when I'd think things were about to be resolved and how could there be so many more pages...Wham! giant complication that added another layer to the Big and Little pictures.
The romance is spicy and great. The plot and SF are interesting and well-done (but technophobes, don't run!). The ending is a terrific HEA with enough plot questions and character development left for the sequel.
So far, this is my favorite Linnea Sinclair book. It rocks! It's also a keeper and I don't keep many books since I don't have a lot of space.
On the SFR Rainbow this is smack dab in the middle. Linnea handled the Romance well enough to keep me on the edge of my seat but still get warm fuzzies at the end, and she handled the SF well enough to please this old hard SF fan.
I'm now reading Shades of Dark, the sequel to Gabriel's Ghost. (And even though she never called him Gabriel out loud, she did think it all the time.)
Blurb: Starship Captain Chaz Bergren thought her life was over when she was unjustly courtmartialed and sent to a prison planet with a life-expectancy of less than a year. Her powerful family and connections couldn't save her.
Who knew she'd run into a ghost?
Gabriel Ross Sullivan was supposed to be dead. Outlaw, handsome rogue, and a man with so many secrets it could make a woman's head spin, Sully has his own reasons for finding his beautiful former rival. Some of those reasons have implications that effect the fate of the entire Empire.
Review:
This book surprised me and kept surprising me. Just when I'd think things were about to be resolved and how could there be so many more pages...Wham! giant complication that added another layer to the Big and Little pictures.
The romance is spicy and great. The plot and SF are interesting and well-done (but technophobes, don't run!). The ending is a terrific HEA with enough plot questions and character development left for the sequel.
So far, this is my favorite Linnea Sinclair book. It rocks! It's also a keeper and I don't keep many books since I don't have a lot of space.
On the SFR Rainbow this is smack dab in the middle. Linnea handled the Romance well enough to keep me on the edge of my seat but still get warm fuzzies at the end, and she handled the SF well enough to please this old hard SF fan.
I'm now reading Shades of Dark, the sequel to Gabriel's Ghost. (And even though she never called him Gabriel out loud, she did think it all the time.)
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
#18 Star Shadows by Colby Hodge
358 pages.
Located close to the middle of the SFR rainbow, but on the Romance side. I consider the telepathy to be sf since it was bred into people and not magic.
Book 3 in a series.
There isn't a lot of tech but there are spacecraft, hoverbots, genetic manipulation, and laser guns juxtaposed with the horror of gladitorial bloodbaths and creepy humans.
It's set in the far distant future with no mention of Earth, but there are dolphins and lots of current names.
Princess Elle and Prince Zander are kept very sheltered by their telepathic aristocratic parents. Spoiled and feeling oppressed just before their "coming of age" ceremonies, the brother runs off and is promptly captured by the female baddies (who remind me of the Bene Gesserit cult in Dune). Zander's family promptly gives him up for dead and no one looks for him--which bothered me because if they had they would have easily found him and the book would have been a whole lot shorter.
Add in Elle's cute and talented boyfriend, Boone, who vanishes searching for Zander because he was the only one who didn't automatically assume Zander was dead, legends of saviors, gladiatorial games, and prophetic dreams of soulmates and you have a good premise.
I didn't realize until partway through that it was the third in a series. As I haven't read the others I don't know if they *have* to be read in order. I understood the story fine without reading the others except for the lineage descriptions which got confusing. That said, I recommend starting at the beginning of the series.
At first, I wasn't sure if I liked this story but it got better as it went. I admit to not connecting with the heroine until very near the end of the book because she (okay, her twin a bit too) was selfish, bratty and a bit whiny until they grew up. They reminded me of some of the current preteen characters that annoy me. By the end they'd grown and matured, though for a while Elle was kind of scary in her power-hunger. Later, Elle turned out strong and had one heck of a good action scene at the pivitol moment. My dislike of the heroine as a child might also have been staved off if I'd started at the beginning of the series and "fell in love with" her parents during their story.
There's a HFN but definitely another book coming out. If you read the end you'll probably agree.
To sum up, not one of my favorite books but it was okay to read on a sweltering summer day. Others may like the romance of this since Boone was really sweet despite one scene.
Will I read the rest of the series? Probably. But not right now.
Currently reading: Gabriel's Ghost by Linnea Sinclair. I was hooked by the first page on this one.
Located close to the middle of the SFR rainbow, but on the Romance side. I consider the telepathy to be sf since it was bred into people and not magic.
Book 3 in a series.
There isn't a lot of tech but there are spacecraft, hoverbots, genetic manipulation, and laser guns juxtaposed with the horror of gladitorial bloodbaths and creepy humans.
It's set in the far distant future with no mention of Earth, but there are dolphins and lots of current names.
Princess Elle and Prince Zander are kept very sheltered by their telepathic aristocratic parents. Spoiled and feeling oppressed just before their "coming of age" ceremonies, the brother runs off and is promptly captured by the female baddies (who remind me of the Bene Gesserit cult in Dune). Zander's family promptly gives him up for dead and no one looks for him--which bothered me because if they had they would have easily found him and the book would have been a whole lot shorter.
Add in Elle's cute and talented boyfriend, Boone, who vanishes searching for Zander because he was the only one who didn't automatically assume Zander was dead, legends of saviors, gladiatorial games, and prophetic dreams of soulmates and you have a good premise.
I didn't realize until partway through that it was the third in a series. As I haven't read the others I don't know if they *have* to be read in order. I understood the story fine without reading the others except for the lineage descriptions which got confusing. That said, I recommend starting at the beginning of the series.
At first, I wasn't sure if I liked this story but it got better as it went. I admit to not connecting with the heroine until very near the end of the book because she (okay, her twin a bit too) was selfish, bratty and a bit whiny until they grew up. They reminded me of some of the current preteen characters that annoy me. By the end they'd grown and matured, though for a while Elle was kind of scary in her power-hunger. Later, Elle turned out strong and had one heck of a good action scene at the pivitol moment. My dislike of the heroine as a child might also have been staved off if I'd started at the beginning of the series and "fell in love with" her parents during their story.
There's a HFN but definitely another book coming out. If you read the end you'll probably agree.
To sum up, not one of my favorite books but it was okay to read on a sweltering summer day. Others may like the romance of this since Boone was really sweet despite one scene.
Will I read the rest of the series? Probably. But not right now.
Currently reading: Gabriel's Ghost by Linnea Sinclair. I was hooked by the first page on this one.
Sunday, August 8, 2010
#17 Dushau by Jacqueline Litchtenberg
238 pgs. First of three books. HFN ending, that is satisfying.
Location on the SFR Rainbow: far to the SF.
The Dushau are one of myriad alien races of the far distant future. They live so long as to appear immortal to most other life.
The heroine, Krinata, bascially debriefs the Dushau psychic teams who seek out habitable planets by sort of "becoming one" with the planets and the ecosystems.
As the story begins a new Emperor has taken over and is desperately trying to stay in power by blaming all society's ills on the Dushau. Choas erupts just as Krinata has tried to debrief a Dushau Oliat team that contains her friend and the hero, Jindigar.
She faces the choice of safety via eschewing all things Dushau, allowing Jindigar to be executed, or taking a risk and saving her friend's life at the cost of everything familiar to her.
The worldbuilding is stellar. The aliens are varied and realistic. The tech is great. There is galactic politics, action, character growth, space battles, deep thought, and the feeling throughout that the main motivation for Krinata and probably Jindigar is an unrecognized love for each other.
My favorite characters were the ship's Sentient, Arlai, and the piol, Imp, who looks like a koala on the cover.
The Romance in this novel is very understated. They aren't making out or anything, but they do have enough growth as characters and in a relationship that I wonder if the romance will play out over all the books.
Overall I enjoyed this novel, but it isn't for someone who wants a breezy romantic book.
Next? I've started reading Colby Hodge's Star Shadows. And my car book is Gabriel's Ghost by Linnea Sinclair.
Location on the SFR Rainbow: far to the SF.
The Dushau are one of myriad alien races of the far distant future. They live so long as to appear immortal to most other life.
The heroine, Krinata, bascially debriefs the Dushau psychic teams who seek out habitable planets by sort of "becoming one" with the planets and the ecosystems.
As the story begins a new Emperor has taken over and is desperately trying to stay in power by blaming all society's ills on the Dushau. Choas erupts just as Krinata has tried to debrief a Dushau Oliat team that contains her friend and the hero, Jindigar.
She faces the choice of safety via eschewing all things Dushau, allowing Jindigar to be executed, or taking a risk and saving her friend's life at the cost of everything familiar to her.
The worldbuilding is stellar. The aliens are varied and realistic. The tech is great. There is galactic politics, action, character growth, space battles, deep thought, and the feeling throughout that the main motivation for Krinata and probably Jindigar is an unrecognized love for each other.
My favorite characters were the ship's Sentient, Arlai, and the piol, Imp, who looks like a koala on the cover.
The Romance in this novel is very understated. They aren't making out or anything, but they do have enough growth as characters and in a relationship that I wonder if the romance will play out over all the books.
Overall I enjoyed this novel, but it isn't for someone who wants a breezy romantic book.
Next? I've started reading Colby Hodge's Star Shadows. And my car book is Gabriel's Ghost by Linnea Sinclair.
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