posts interesting only to me

I finally picked up the pace somewhat this month, with seven books read.

Fledgling — Sharon Lee & Steve Miller
Another free novel set in their Liaden universe, this is a classic coming of age science fiction novel, amusing but perhaps better read when you’re twelve.

1938 Hitler’s Gamble — Giles MacDonogh
A very useful overview of the political and military events that shaped the last year of peace before World War II, showing how opportunistic Hitler’s policies were.

Filthy English — Peter Silverton
An amusing overview of bad language of all kinds.

Vast — Linda Nagata
Hard science fiction of a subgenre that also includes Alastair Reynolds’ revelation Space and Paul McAuley’s Eternal Light: humantiy stumbles over the remains of a millions of years old war and is hunted to extinction by the left over killing machines of the war. I hadn’t read anything by Nagata yet, save for perhaps some short stories but on the strength of this she’s a writer I need to read more off.

The Battle for the Rhine 1944 — Robin Neillands
An overview of the campaign in western Europe from Normandy up until the Battle of the Bugle and very concerned with putting the record straight with regards to Montgomery’s part in the war.

The Eye with Which the Universe Beholds Itself — Ian Sales
Second chapbook in the Apollo Quartet, this is alternate history hard science fiction about a slightly more ambitious Apollo programme.

Child of the Grove — Tanya Huff
I like her military science fiction so I thought I’d check out her fantasy work as well. A decent but weirdly paced novel.

Another month and five more books read. I can’t seem to read much more than a book a week recently.

Swords -Dancer — Jennifer Robson
A northern swordswoman comes to the desert south to search for her brother, taken by slavers. Tiger, one of the greatest swordmen of the south, takes pity on her and accompanies her on her quest.

The Silver Ship and the Sea — Brenda Cooper
On a barely settled colony world, six posthuman teenagers have to win the trust of the small human colony, a decade after the war their parents waged against the colony was lost.

A Bridge too Far — Cornelius Ryan
The classic account of Operation Market Garden, the airborne assault on Arnhem to provide a corridor over the Rhine into Germany and how it failed.

Going Under — Justina Robson
Third in the Quantum Gravity series. Lila Black is still in hell, now married to one of the top demons there and has to deal with becoming increasingly less human as her machine parts slowly take over her body.

Agent of Change — Sharon Lee & Steve Miller
Lee and Miller have just released this as a free ebook, a teaser for their Liaden series. This made it perfect for me to finally try this series, a cult favourite amongst online sf fandom. What it turned out to be was a decent romance/adventure science fiction romp, that unfortunately ended on a cliffhanger. Which means I’ll have to get the rest of the series. Bastards.

Yes, I know, I keep forgetting to put these posts up. Here’s what I read last month.

The Time Traders — Andre Norton
A juvenile deliquent gets the chance to redeem himself by voluntering for what turns out to be a time travelling experiment. A very readable, fast paced coming of age story.

The Handmaid’s Tale — Margaret Atwood
Best book of the month, as you might expect. This is the novel that made Margaret Atwood famous, the classic dystopian story of an America taken over by the religious right. Slightly dated in places, but still chilling.

Fever Pitch — Nick Hornby
This is the book that made football cool for the intelligensia in the early nineties. Hornby writes well about his experiences as an Arsenal fan.

Alphabet of Thorn — Patricia A. McKillip
An orphan working in the royal library comes in possession of a book only she can read, the story it tells may be more than just ancient history. A decent novel by a veteran fantasy author.

Up Against It — M. J. Locke
An excellent hardish science fiction story by a new (to me) author.