Socialism Works - Each and Every Time It Is Tried

 For certain definitions of "works".

And, yes.  I understand that there are esoteric differences between communism and socialism that matter in the ivory towers of the overly credentialled class.  The pragmatic results are the same.

Review: One-Fifth Dragon

One-Fifth Dragon by Shami Stovall
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This is a 2-star review. I made it through 10% of the book. Chapter 4. Then I entered the Dorothy Parker book throwing Olympics.

Pretty good start. Generic Asian/Japanese-inspired culture focusing on ninjas. Various clans with unique magical abilities. Some early examples of how those abilities interact and compete.

The student is learning from the master. The master is a bit young to be a master and (until now) too young to accept a student. They are assigned this student who has been poorly trained up until now by a different master.

They go on a training mission to assassinate someone from a dominant clan. The student encounters trouble. The poor training becomes evident. Perhaps the student's attitude is wrong as well. The master saves the student. The targeted clan experiences many deaths. The student and master get away.

And then ...Record scratch.... they go to an inn where the student seduces (partially) the master across several pages of narrative. It turns out that the main clan had adopted the master many years ago. The master has a unique form of magic, but no one wants to marry them. The student came from a clan that had been almost wiped out. The student was similarly adopted by the main clan. They want someone to breed with the master. The student agreed (despite serious risks) and does everything possible to consummate the arrangement while they are on the run from committing an assassination and multiple murders.

The master...again a very stoic person...resists temptation with the obvious implication that when the cultural rules permit it, they will be actively participating.

4 chapters in!! No serious character development up to that point. Bubbly student. Stoic master. Rough sketches of the culture. That's it. A good start, but only a start. Let's get our freaky-deaky on!

I'm not a romantasy fan. This smacks of romantasy in so many ways. I've read Peter V. Brett, N.K. Jemisin, and Robert Heinlein - each of whom have extended sex scenes included in various works in ways that are carefully integrated into the plot. It isn't the sex that is the issue. It is the romantasy trope of making the entire story about a romantic relationship.

Couple that with the fact that the entire scenario as written would be "problematic" in any other setting. One person makes a secret deal to have sex with another person. That second person was already feeling manipulated and vulnerable. And their sexuality is bartered away without their consent.

Rhetorically chucked across the room and started something that I hope will be better.

2-stars only because the writing was pretty good. Grammar/spelling were solid if not perfect. It has the bones of a good story early on.


View all my reviews

Coyote vs Acme - A Modest Review

Wile E. Coyote.  Super-genius.  Or so he thinks.

Boom.

And then boom.

And then a catapult with a boulder that smashes.  That TNT that didn’t work before?  Boom.

When things go wrong so frequently and predictably, there must be a flaw.  Someone must have done something wrong.  The only correct response?

Boom.

No.  Get a lawyer!

This is the central conceit of Coyote vs. Acme.  Our hero…????…goes off to the big city of Albuquerque…again…????…to hire a lawyer to sue Acme for the serial harm he has endured.  His sooper sekrit and blueprinted plan suggests an ulterior motive.

Hijinks ensue as we learn that corporate greed fostered an illicit program of using cartoon characters as unwilling product development subjects subject to all the classics; fold, spindle, perforate, and the ever classic “boom”.  John Cena threatens Tweety by saying “I don’t pay you to tawt you taw.  I pay you to taw!”(1)  A sue-and-settle law firm learns the lesson of not giving up.  A corporate bigwig is prepared for a fricassee.  And the Coyote finds a friend…that he continues to chase.

Coyote vs. Acme does an outstanding job of playing all of the hits.  Pun intended.  The first ten minutes took me back 50 years to Saturday mornings in the basement with my little brother, our dog, and a box of Milk Bones.  We shared the Milk Bones.  I grew out of it.  My brother never did. 

Back when the cartoons had gratuitous violence that left little kids in stitches with laughter.  When you thought things couldn’t get any worse for the Coyote until it did…again, and again, and again.

Coyote vs. Acme is the best animated-and-live-action movie since Who Framed Roger Rabbit.  The writing is tight.  The actors are great (mostly).  The cartoon characters are back in their 1940s-1960s form.

This is a movie made for kids of a certain age.  Old kids.  Very, very old kids.

The dozen or so patrons at my matinee showing were rolling with laughter.  But that highlights the problem.  Most modern little kids won’t have the cartoon vocabulary to appreciate the jokes because modern cartoons not only grind off the serial numbers, they grind off the sharp edges.  This is a great movie for those that remember the originals.  Their children (and perhaps grandchildren) who have been suitably educated about the history of animation in America will have a good time as well.

Only time will tell if Coyote vs. Acme will make a net profit in the bank.  In terms of laughter it is a solid gold success.

---

Thanks to Mike Glyer over at File770 for running this piece.  As always, I appreciate his consideration.

(1)  The quote above isn't quite accurate.  You can see the full preview here.  The accurate quotation follows.

"I tawt I taw..."

"You tawt you taw? I don't pay you to tink you taw, I pay you to taw!"

"I did!  I did taw!"

"What did you tee?  What did you taw?"

Classic.  Go see the movie.

The Media Is Biased - Example #666

My trust in the media has been waning for decades.  Their biases have always been made manifest in their reporting.

I was listening to coverage of Michigan's Senatorial contest on ABC News on the radio this morning.  The focus on their reporting was on how the Democrat candidate, al Sayed, has to motivate enough voters to win to make it easier for the Democrats to take control of the US Senate.  Democrat control of the Senate was framed as being a desirable outcome.

Putting someone who is at the least philosophically "kissing cousins" with communism is not a desirable outcome.  We need fewer progressives/socialists/communists in the US Senate, not more.

At the very least, coverage of the race should be neutral with no implied preference in either direction.

Dante's Devil in Hell will thaw long before the mainstream media will check their biases at the door.

Review: Sisters of Mercy

Sisters of Mercy by Yuval Kordov
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This 4.5-star review is a fair representation of my experience.

The premise is that there is a mysterious quasi religious order who is raising girls to be embedded in a sort of android/mech. The mechanical body protects them from harm (mostly) while their consciousness and vital organs ride along. They roam in a dystopian wasteland hunting the remnants of a conflict fought ages ago.

It was a thrilling ride as the new "Sister" was being trained by an older "Sister". Discovering the things that haunt fallen cities and military bases. How to hunt them. How to kill them. Learning about the secure waystations used by the Sisters to rearm and recover from prior battles. Ultimately finding and defeating a relic of the old war.

My only complaint is that this is a novelette. That means that there are plenty of world building details that have been omitted.

I'm inclined to read the mainline Dark Legacies series by the same author.


View all my reviews

Review: Waffle Irons vs. the Horde

Waffle Irons vs. the Horde by Dr. Insensitive Jerk
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This 3.5-star review is a fair representation of my experience.

The premise is that Earth is about to be invaded by malicious aliens. Another group of aliens precedes the destructive ones. The second group has come to save humanity by taking captives and forcing them to train to fight the malicious aliens.

Our "hero", such as he is, employs malicious compliance to obtain the best living conditions possible. Think about the 60s era sitcom "Hogan's Heroes" as a reference point. I'm old. Sorry.

There were plenty of jokes along the way. Cultural misunderstandings twisted for our hero's benefit and our amusement. Consider this funny version of "Ender's Game".

This was a light and entertaining book. I laughed more than a few times. The subtext is mildly small-L libertarian which is odd given the conclusion of the book.

View all my reviews

Review: The Utterly Uninteresting and Unadventurous Tales of Fred, the Vampire Accountant: Fred the Vampire Accountant #1

The Utterly Uninteresting and Unadventurous Tales of Fred, the Vampire Accountant: Fred the Vampire Accountant #1 by Drew Hayes
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This 3-star review is a fair representation of my experience with the book. Perhaps this is closer to 3.5-stars

The premise is that Fred has been turned into an vampire. He was an in accounting before becoming a vampire. So he just changes his working hours to suit. There are other paranormal creatures running around. And an agency focused on containing bad actors. Light hearted. Easy read. Amusing at times.

I was not convinced that I should read any further installments.

View all my reviews

Review: Auntie Heroes

Auntie Heroes by Rita Beeman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This 5-star review is representative of my experience with the book.

This is a collection of short (and short-ish) stories that are predicated on an older woman (or women) who are surprisingly capable in unusual situations. Some situations are outright physical based on a thriller, spy, or military component. One story involves an older lady marking her last few years of government service in an overseas embassy that is attacked. The story nicely balances certain capabilities (such as shooting and weapons knowledge) with the reality that a woman (an older woman no less) probably lacks the physical stature to manhandle a group of terrorists. Tossing in a series of stun grenades until they surrender is a nice combination of those two facets.

Other stories lean more heavily into fantasy/sci-fi mode. One story leans into a Lovecraftian mythos where a group of old ladies is prepared to defend the local town from someone attempting to summon an unspeakable horror. A second story involves an older woman who thinks she is about to fight werewolves. The flamethrower comes in handy in any event. A third story involves a local group of women who find their overseas experience combatting a species of electrically active plant useful when the neighbor decides to plant some new botanicals.

All of the stories are inventive and a touch humorous.

Raconteur Press is an exciting entry into the genre publishing space. Well worth everyone's attention.



View all my reviews

Review: Red Seas Under Red Skies

Red Seas Under Red Skies by Scott Lynch
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This 3-star review is representative of my experience with the book.

I read the first book in the series and loved it, 5-stars. This one...not so much.

Where the first book involved a lot of character growth and world exploration, this one relied more on withholding facts from the reader and deceiving the reader at every turn. It then ends in a cliffhanger with important plot points left unresolved.

Consider this a reader's test for this series. If you liked book 1 and like this book, then continue on with the series. Otherwise, move on to something fresh.


View all my reviews

Review: A Kiss for Damocles

A Kiss for Damocles by J. Kenton Pierce
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a 5-star review. This book was great.

A Kiss for Damocles received this year's Prometheus Award for the work of fiction that best illustrates libertarian principles. And boy does it. I bought the book when nominations were announced.

Our protagonist is a young girl who lives in a small underground village. They live a slightly better than subsistence life because they lack any technological growth.

Both of those are odd conditions until you learn that there is an orbital system of gravity weapons controlled by a mid-level AI that takes a very dim view of any electronic signals that might indicate a technological capacity on the planet. At any whisper of a coherent electronic signal, Damocles drops a little gift from above that obliterates everything in the area.

Our young hero, Shai, is also a scavenger. She looks for wreckage from past millennia that can be used by her village either locally or as a matter of trade. She finds the jackpot - a largely intact warship that landed in the war that Damocles had finished many years ago. She ends up leading the trade mission to the local town to obtain supplies and negotiate access to her find.

Because it is her find! She found it. She owns it.

What follows are a predictable series of events orchestrated by politically powerful people who want to expand their control over the region. Shai and her village prefer the traditional form of government that existed before their planet was invaded millennia ago. That system of government traditionally was more respectful of individual liberty and local control. The larger town has fallen under the sway of a sort of proto-fascist ideologue who uses propaganda, currency manipulation, and outright violence in turn to concentrate power under his control.

We meet a variety of characters and groups through Shai's travels. One group appears to be quasi-mystical but in reality they have been collecting technology and resources with the objective of eventually going back into space so they can dismantle Damocles. A leader of the town's guard ends up being sympathetic to Shai even though the proto-fascist is running a successful campaign to bring the guard under his control.

There are many political themes underlying the book. Respect for diverse population groups. The plight of the individual against the collective. The use of fiat currency to control a population. The use of "education" to influence the next generation. Private property rights. Limited vs. unlimited government. Etc.

But while these themes are present, the author wisely never permits that subtext to upstage the text of the book which is an entertaining tale of a young woman discovering the potential key to liberating her culture from the legacy of foreign invaders.



View all my reviews

Review: The Thirteenth Hour

The Thirteenth Hour by Trudie Skies
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is a 3-star review which is a fair estimate of my experience with the book. I picked it up because it was a SPFBO finalist. That contest generally provides some good reading.

I'm not partial to steam punk, but this book had a ton of potential. That potential was wasted.

In this world, everyone is tied to one of 12...well 13...gods. Their lives are ruled by the whims to those gods. When they die, their souls return to the gods who then are able to experience those "human" lives.

There is a hub that is called Chime. Each of the domains of those 12 deities is tied to Chime. In theory, the gods cannot meddle in Chime. In theory, the humans (sort of) can be "recalled" from Chime back to their deity by praying to that deity and thereby attracting the deity's focused attention. This recall is called "death", because that is what happens.

There are other rules. I guess they make sense within the context of the book.

Chime is split into three levels. The top level is reserved for the upper class. The mid-level is reserved for the upper class and associates. The lower level is reserved for most everyone else. A lot of lower class folks want to dissociate from the gods.

As the title suggests, there is a 13th god. The book is the tale of those lower class folks, how they seek to liberate themselves from the gods, and the discovery of the 13th god.

The story is pretty good. There are a few plot holes. Two major ones being the focus and tolerance of class-based biases by everyone involved, and the fact that no one leaves Chime for the hinterlands. They all just accept that they have to stay close to Chime.

No one opts to ignore classes. No one opts to head for the hills.

Other plot holes include the invisible

The book leads off with a strong anti-capitalist vibe that suggests that capitalism causes slavery (or some sort of compulsory servitude). Capitalism is the single strongest motivator against slavery.

The book also features a bit of gender identitarian nonsense. It isn't enough to get in the way of the story, but it's still there.

If you like steam punk, acceptance of class-based structures, and a surfeit of tea, then this book is probably for you.

View all my reviews

Review: American Paladin

American Paladin by Larry Correia
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is a 3.5 star review which is a fair appraisal of my experience with the book. But Goodreads doesn't allow 3.5 stars. So why did I go with 3?? I acquired the book via the author's Kickstarter campaign.

Here we go. The book is centered around Mike Spears. As a teen, he went to "the other side" or "the other world". A world populated by people who would make the Aztecs and their murderous religious practices seem almost peaceful. Normal people are kept as slaves there. Used for labor, food, and/or religious sacrifices based on the whims of the "gods" and those who worship them.

There are other creatures there as well. Equally dangerous and perhaps a bit more so.

Mike randomly made it back to our world and lost his family, lost his girlfriend, and lost pretty much every human/family connection in the process. He now lives and trains for the day when he encounters the monsters from the other world again.

We pick up with Mike after he has spent years training, wandering from place to place, and killing the human monsters from our world who our justice system sees fit to release back out into the world to victimize others once again. Mike has a code. So far, he hasn't killed anyone who was innocent.

Then he runs across someone being hunted by the monsters from the other side. The story is about hunting those monsters and saving the girl. If you can shut off certain critiques, then this is a fine book. Give it a try. It might scratch a certain literary itch for you.

If you are a fan of Larry's Monster Hunter novels, then I suspect that this book might be for you. I've not read those books for reasons that I think this book confirms. Alternatively, if you like Alistair MacClean novels, then this might be up your alley. It's not quite as good as Mr. MacClean's books but it's close enough.

I have read his Saga of the Forgotten Warrior Series and the first book of Servants of War series. I heartily recommend both as being outstanding on their own merit and vastly superior to this book.

I also want to point out that I have followed the author's career and controversies within the genre. His perspective is generally pointed in the right direction in most cases, IMO.

So why the round down to 3 stars??

- Gun porn. The author has a penchant for describing guns and ammo in loving detail. I'm familiar enough with weapons to know what he is describing, but it's really just wasted detail, in my opinion.

- Putting the subtext ahead of the text. Almost every author includes some sort of underlying theme or moral value in their story. But that subtext is covered by the text; the story narrative. Early on, the author discards the text of the story in favor of trashing Joe Biden, leftist judges, and the leftist modern politics. Again, I think his personal perspective is generally correct, but in 15-20 years, no one will know or care about those specific issues. He could have been a bit more generic and still served the interests of the narrative.

- Modern cultural references. One or two major references are probably fine. Anything more than that and the book will not stand the test of time. I have a hard time believing that all of our modern cultural references will survive the next 50 years.

- Too much showing, not enough telling. We learn about Spears' history and development via a series of brief vignettes at the start of each chapter. We are told that he has done a ton of training. We are told he experienced horrors. We are rarely shown either of them.

- Over competent character. Spears is a one-man wrecking crew. He can pick locks, shoot accurately with every weapon he encounters, is an expert grappler, and knows how to make bodies disappear. The only challenges he experience are when facing multiple humans or something from "the other side". He is The Terminator. He pursues relentlessly.

- Which leads to the lack of character development. There is no hero's journey. We are dropped into a crisis where the main character's major challenge is how to use the skills and resources he has already developed.

I was disappointed. I am a sometime Hugo nominator and I was hoping this book would make the cut. I know he doesn't want one. That doesn't mean that his superior writing (when it occurs) shouldn't be recognized. This one didn't measure up.

View all my reviews

1776 TO 1976. AMERICA CELEBRATES OUR BICENTENNIAL.

America's Bicentennial was celebrated across the country with fireworks, parades, and a host of events that could only have made our Founding Fathers smile in appreciation.

In Jackson County, Mrs. Gerald V. Harkness won a design contest with her "Cabins to Capsules" logo. Jackson County has direct ties to two astronauts in James McDivitt and Al Worden. Both men were featured prominently in the Michigan Space Museum when it was located on the grounds of Jackson College. "Cabins to Capsules" was a natural theme for the county. 

At the time, Jackson area high schools provided students to participate in an all-county honors choir and all-county honors band. For this special year, the directors were Kenneth Todd [choir] and Kennistan Bauman [band]. The directors assembled a program of patriotic music for the 4th of July program to be held at the Cascades water feature that is located in the Sparks Foundation Park. 

The community supported the special musical program by helping with recording the two groups. The Jackson Rotary Club sponsored the choir and band. Aeroquip (now a part of Eaton) sponsored the production of a record of the groups by Mark Records [now Mark Custom Recording Service, Inc.]. 

The program and album featured a series of patriotic tunes honoring America's history. 

Side A - The Jackson County Bicentennial Honors Band directed by Kennistan Bauman

1. National Emblem by E.E. Bagley (1902)
2. American Variations by Jerry Bilik (1970)
3. March Grandioso by Roland F. Seitz (1909)
4. Suite of Old American Dances by Robert Russell Bennett (1949)
5. Stars and Stripes Forever by John Philip Sousa (1896)
6. America the Beautiful by Samuel Ward (1910)

THE BICENTENNIAL BAND Jim Baschall, Bette Benedette, Julie Biernat, John Brittain, Gerald Cain, Patty Clark, Larry Crouch, Robert Cummings, Craig Durst, Douglas Eicher, Mark Elenio, Ken Finton, Irene Fisher, Kyle Grinnell, Marcia Haven, Patty Heady, Janice Herl, Lorrie Huffman, Jolene Jaquays, Peggy Jekel, Marcia Jenkins, Ken Knight, Todd Krutsch, Larry Kujawa, Karen Lindow, Doug Maitland, Gina Mattone, Dan Mitchell, Barry Myers, Kathleen Mynahan, Mark Nelson, Sheryl Nidelcheff, Joy Paulson, Linda Pilatowicz, Laurie Pultz, Eric Raby, Cindy Ragonesi, Doug Rainey, Jane Ratcliff, Kathy Roelofs, Joe Rumler, Chris Sayles, Barb Schmidt, Brian Spitler, Jan Stump, Jennifer Swihart, Katrina Swihart, Natalie Taylor, Julie Weatherwax, Lee Weatherwax, Kathy Westfall, Debbie Wilcox, Carolyn Ybarra 

Side B - The Jackson County Bicentennnial Honors Choir directed by Kenneth Todd

1. The Eyes of All Waite Upon Thee by Jean Berger (1960)
2. Black is the Color of My True Love's Hair arr. by Stuart Churchill (Traditional)
3. The Music Man by Meredith Willson (1957)
4. And Thou America by Paul Laurence Dunbar (1903)
5. Battle Hymn of the Republic by Julia Ward Howe (1861) arr. by Peter Wilhousky (1959)
6. God Bless America by Irving Berlin (1918) arr. by Roy Ringwald

THE BICENTENNIAL CHOIR

Martha Armstrong, Angie Barron, James Baschal, Steve Brown, Donna Burkholder, Elisa Canvin, 

Scott Davis, Dave Dixon, Mike Dixon, Linda Eicher, David Erber, Julee Erber, Dina Flint, Andy Fugate, Lori Grow, Jenny Heiler, Marta Hendricks, Julie Hill, Doreen Hodge, Jolynn Holton, Andy Howe, Dianne Janes, Jared Knaup, Bob Luson, Cheley Martin, Bev McClain, Kathy McGee, Lorri McGuire, Lynn Miller, Vicki Miller, Kathy Mills, Nancy Minder, Theresa Minder, Daniel Mitchell, Jeff Mossolle, Mary Nelson, Regina Pace, Sheri Pahl, Lora Painter, Jeff Rahn, Cindy Redman, Lynndy Robercs, Roger Roelofs, Amy Sayles, Karen Sharrer, Chris Simmons, Allan Smith, Kathy Smith, Chip Smith, Deborah Smith, Shelly Southwell, Dawn Spink, Nate Spitlier, Dawn Strobel, Jeff Swanson, John Swartzel, Sally Tallman, Ken Todd, Susan Tyshko, Carol VanValin, Theresa Vargo, Linda Vaughn, Kathy Whitaker, Steve Whitaker

A complete presentation of the album is available via YouTube. 

July 4, 1976 was an appropriately hot summer day. The sun set behind the Cascades. The lights beneath Jackson's famous water feature began to glow as a light breeze blew the heat of the day away. And the musical talents of Jackson's finest musicians honored our nation's Bicentennial. 

Review: Mushroom Blues

Mushroom Blues by Adrian M. Gibson
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This is a 2-star review. I'm categorizing it as a plain "DNF" rather than a full on Dorothy Parker DNF.

This book came in second in SPFBOX. I read the winner. It was much better than this.

The premise of the book is that humans have conquered a world populated by mushroom people. They are just like humans except they have various fungi growing out of their skins including a huge mushroom on top of their heads. Everything is made of something fungal. They eat fungal foods. They build with fungal bricks and cables. They communicate partially via fungal spores. And the author reminds the reader of this fungal basis for life every other paragraph.

The book begins early on with heavy doses of racism, colonialism, and sexism. The subtext bleeds over the text pretty quickly. The native mushroom people exude a sort of language and culture that reads as "Asian" which as odd choice for people that would otherwise have no contact with an Earth Asian culture.

Within the book's narrative, there isn't any explicit reason for the humans to have conquered this planet. The impression given is that humans just love to conquer other places. There aren't any specific resources of interest nor any motivation due to expanding populations. The Terran presence on this planet is an excuse for humans to beat up on a native population...for fun?

The plot centers on a detective story. Our "hero" has a serious case of fungal-phobia and is assigned to solve the mystery of disappearing and murdered fungal children.

One feature of the story is that humans and mushroom people can make babies. How a species could evolve based on a fungal-centric biology that would be genetically compatible with humans is never explained. Do mushroom people have all the same sexual organs as human? If so, why when fungi reproduce via spores.

I made it 37% through the book before giving up. I might have lasted longer if I preferred detective stories. Belief is supposed to be suspended, not terminally broken.



View all my reviews

Review: Drones Above Hell Below

Drones Above Hell Below by Eric Kay
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is a 3-star review. I was invited to beta-read this book. While that is a fair estimate of my experience, this could easily be a 4+ star book with a bit of editing/clean-up.

The book is the story of our hero Killian who is part of a prospecting/exploring team on an alien planet. Most of the team either dies or is captured (it's unclear). Killian rescues one of his teammates and escapes back to their homebase planet via a jump drive.

Ordinarily, the jump drive creates a near instantaneous transition. But something went wrong and the jump drops them ~50 years in the future. The future is controlled by an AI that uses a social credit system to control/shape human behavior.

The humans have been back mining the planet for most of 50 years.

If you think this sounds a little like the set up for the movie "Aliens", you are right. It's still a solid premise.

The AI doesn't know what to do with Killian. It starts him off with a child's social credit score and makes him an offer if he will go back with a team to the planet. The AI has lost contact with the settlement and it has decided to send a military team to investigate.

This book has all of the prerequisites for an entertaining story. Exploration of a new world. Military action. Even a bit of a Star Trek/Kirk "putting it to" an alien logic system. IYKYK

But...the beta version has many little errors. Spelling. Changes in gender for no reason. Continuity errors (our hero was released from his handcuffs, but then was back in them).

And my pet peeve was the overuse of modern idioms. I don't believe most new/modern idioms will survive centuries from now. IMO, using modern idioms only works if the book is either humorous or just being a bit tongue-in-cheek. Modern idioms generally don't work well in serious sci-fi. Generally, less is more. One or two are excusable.

Hopefully, the author will clean up some of the more obvious issues before the formal release date. The book was generally very entertaining and engaging. I was stealing time from other priorities because I wanted to know what came next.

View all my reviews

Review: The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle

The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This is a 2-star review.

The elevator pitch for this book was good enough to get me to buy it. 5% into the book and I had zero connection to any of the characters or the setting.

Somehow, this mystery book ended up being mentioned in fantasy/sci-fi circles. For mystery fans, this might be a great book. For others...like me...not so much.

By a non-trivial margin.

The ghost of Dorothy Parker rose and the book took majestic flight.

View all my reviews

Review: Blood Meridian: Or the Evening Redness in the West

Blood Meridian: Or the Evening Redness in the West by Cormac McCarthy
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This is a 2-star review which is a fair estimate of my engagement with the work.

I can't recall why I bought this book other than I was reading comments about Cormac McCarthy and this book was mentioned as something worth reading.

It didn't work for me.

It is set in the mid-1800s with the conflict between the US and Mexico. There are no heroes - including the first nations people. The characters seem to move from one desert location to another where they either end up killing a bunch of locals, or being stuck in the hoosegow for a while before being released to go kill a bunch of other locals in another desert location.

The book works hard to be "literary" to the point of boredom with extended descriptions of desert, mountains, and villages that end up being repetitious given that the region does not possess a wealth of diverse biological zones. The author also eschews the use of quotation marks to delineate when a character speaks. The lack of quotation marks isn't a deal killer, but it did make the book a more challenging read.

I made it 25% through the book before Dorothy Parker's putative ghost arrived. Go read something better.

This review made me laugh. He finished the book and nails the writing style in his review 100%.  If the writing style of the review doesn't work for you, then the book won't work for you either.

View all my reviews

Jimmy Webb - American Songwriter With Many Connections To Genre Fiction

 

Jimmy Webb is a songwriter, composer, and singer with a long and storied history within the music business. The son of a US Marine veteran of the WWII island hopping campaign against Imperial Japan and Baptist preacher, Jimmy began his career working by crafting songs for various Motown artists. 

His work was performed by a wide range of artists including Vikki Carr, The 5th Dimension, and The Supremes. He developed a close relationship with singer Glen Campbell whose performances of "Galveston", "By The Time I Get To Phoenix", and "Wichita Lineman" became standards in the American songbook. 

Glen Campbell also popularized the Jimmy Webb song "Highwayman" which includes an interstellar reference:

I fly a starship 
Across the Universe divide
And when I reach the other side
I'll find a place to rest my spirit if I can

Jimmy's relationship with genre figures includes the late Richard Harris who was the first incarnation of Dumbledore in the Harry Potter movies. It was Richard Harris' recording of "MacArthur Park" that first popularized that song. Harris was nominated for a Grammy Award in 1968 for the best pop male vocal performance of "MacArthur Park". [Also nominated were Glen Campbell for another Jimmy Webb song "Wichita Lineman" and the ultimate winner in the category José Feliciano who covered The Doors' "Light My Fire".] 

Harris' version of MacArthur Park went to number 2 on the Hot 100 chart. Webb's only number one hit in his career was when Donna Summer's version went to the top of the chart. 

Jimmy Webb proceeded to write and produce two full albums of music performed by Richard Harris. The first album released in 1968 was the Grammy nominated A Tramp Shining album. The second album "The Yard Went On Forever" was released later the same year. 

As evidenced by the starship reference in "Highwayman", Jimmy has had a long relationship with genre fiction. 

A long-time fan of Robert A. Heinlein, Webb proceeded to write "The Moon Is A Hard Mistress". Robert Heinlein offered no opposition to using that name for the song. 

The song is more of a love song than a paean to science fiction with the moon representing a woman who is hard to hold in love.

"The moon's a harsh mistress
And the sky is made of stone
The moon's a harsh mistress
She's hard to call your own"

The song was first performed by Joe Cocker and has been subsequently recorded 30 times by artists including Glen Campbell (natch!), Pat Metheny, Linda Ronstadt, Joan Baez, and Maureen McGovern. 

Jimmy Webb talked about his relationship with genre fiction and Robert A. Heinlein specifically in a 2009 interview for Penny Black Music by Lisa Torem.

Penny Black Music: Another beautiful ballad ‘The Moon is a Harsh Mistress’ (1977, 'El Mirage’, Rhino Handmade) was inspired by science- fiction literature. Does literature often inspire you?

Jimmy Webb: Well, it always has. In that particular case, you know, Robert Heinlein, was a kind of early mentor of mine. I started reading his books when I was eight years old. He really wrote juvenile novels – ‘Starship Trooper.’ But, he had a lot of political content and sociological content. I guess I was really getting more of my education out of science-fiction than out of public school. I was reading Ray Bradbury and Isaac Asimov and learning a great deal about the patois of the language itself and how these words were being used to create emotions. I was learning this from writers without even knowing it.

And since science-fiction is my cup of tea and I don’t think I turned out to be wrong – I think it’s dominated the film industry over the past few years and it turned out to be a legitimate form of expression.

When I first started reading sci-fi they were debating whether it as a legitimate art-form. I’m not going to get into that…

This isn’t really art – these are just stories that people make up. People like Arthur C. Clarke invented the communications satellite and Jules Verne – as a visionary – what they were was futurists. And so what I was doing was looking with a glazed look on my face and my father would say, “Where are you now, Jimmy?”

But, I guess I always knew that. ‘The Moon is a Harsh Mistress’ was one of the best titles I’ve ever heard in my life. I really am guilty of appropriating something from another writer. In this case I had contact with Robert A. Heinlein’s attornies. I said, “I want to write a song with the title, ‘The Moon is a Harsh Mistress.’ Can you ask Mr. Heinlein if it’s okay with him?” They called me back and he said he had no objection to it.

I Didn't Just Lose You

 
Found on the Book of Faces under The Pooh Lover.

Maybe I'm saving this because my friend Gary just lost his wife.  The one he spent a lifetime waiting for.  The one he will spend a lifetime missing.

Maybe I'm saving this because I fear experiencing his fate.  Losing my beloved bride wouldn't just be losing a partner.  It would mean losing in integral piece of what make me who I am.

Maybe I'm saving this for day when memory truly fades and I'm looking around for someone familiar in a sea of faces all claim to be friends or family and in whose faces I experience only vague recollection.

Maybe I'm saving this for you, my unknown reader, so you will know that it is OK to miss someone with all your heart.  Your world has changed.  And it will change again.  And so will you.  And while there will be someone missing in your life, you will still be here.  You too will be missed in turn.  So stay with us.  Be the place that feels "like home" for someone else for as long as you can.  And then a minute more.

SPFBO Champions League

Now that SPFBO has completed 10 competitions, Mark Lawrence has started a "Champions League" where each of those winners will be ranked against one another.  The competition has concluded with the winners announced on Facebook and on Mark's blog.

I've read most of the winners, but not all.  With that in mind, here is how I would rank these champions.

I've segmented this into tiers as there are some books that far outshine the others.  And other books that...welllllll.  You get the point.  Links to my reviews are included where available.  Included in the comments is where the book ended up in the competition.

First Tier - Must Read
Book	Author	Dann's Rating	Brief Comments
	J. Zachary Pike	5 Stars	Solid mix of humor, old-school, hack-and-slash AD&D, economics, and the financial crash of 2008. Our hero is an adventurer in the old school D&D sense.  He assembles a team to go acquire treasure.  Along the way, he learns how his expedition gets monetized and how the adventuring system creates victims unjustly. [Came in second in the competition.  Great book, great series.]
	Jonathan French	5 Stars	A bunch of half-orcs are charged with defending civilization (read humans) from predation by full orcs.  This is a surface level "guys" book that includes an important subtext about questioning the accepted narrative.  A "must read" for any fantasy fan. [Came in 8th in the competition.  I'm not sure why.  I may have to read the judges reviews.]
	Morgan Stang	4 Stars	I should not like this book.  It combines a Cthulu-esque mythos, with a Sherlock Holmesian protagonist, with a steam punk vibe. But I love this book.  Our hero and her sidekick are engaging and entertaining.  The mystery takes time to resolve and kept me guessing.  Lots of dry British humo(u)r. Well worth the time to read. [Came in 7th in the competition.  Again, I'm baffled, but to each their own dentifrice.]
	M.L. Wang	5 Stars	The book is a tour-de-force of Asian inspired fantasy storytelling.  Our protagonist isn't supposed to be good with a sword.  Turns out she is great with a sword. Lots of culture/norms busting subtext included with a main story and characters that are engaging and thought provoking. [Came in 1st in the competition.  This is a worthy victor and well worth your time.]
Second Tier - Good Books, Solidly Entertaining
	Olivia Atwater	4 Stars	[I haven't formally reviewed the book.]  This is one of those "cozy" novels that have become popular lately.  Great characters.  The storyline is mostly OK and would be great were it not for the unforeseen resolution that smacks mightily of Deus ex machina, literally. It turns out that angels and demons really do live among us.  And sometimes they do miracles.   [Came in 4th in the competition.  It's a good book.  If you like "cozy" coupled with "don't think too much about it", then this is a great read.]
	Justin Lee Anderson	4 Stars	I'd almost put this book above "Small Miracles".  It was a well told story with engaging characters.  At the end of the book, there is a big reveal that causes you to reconsider all of the other actions in the book.  A real mind-bender. [Came in 5th in the competition and 6th on my list, so pretty close!!]
	J.L. Odom	4 Stars	While I enjoyed this book and wish the author, a fellow Marine, great success, it just left something out.  Mostly this is the first book of a series and it largely sets up the later books without really resolving any issues in the first book. [Came in 3rd in the competition.  There was a lot of great writing and worldbuilding in the book.  But it isn't a complete story.  And the fantasy elements were minimal.]
Have Never Read - I'm working on it.
	Michael McClung	--	I haven't read this, but I've heard lots of good things about it. [Came in 6th in the competition.]
	Rob J. Hayes	--	I haven't read this one either.  But the author is well known in the self-publishing and Grimdark communities. I'm reading this book right now.  Not the best first few chapters.  I thought this was going to be a DNF for a while.  It's picking up.  Unless it sticks the landing, it will end up in the Second Tier, above. [Came in 9th in the competition.]
Last Tier
	J.D. Evans	2 Stars [2.5 Stars]	This is a romance novel smeared with a layer of fantasy-ium.  Our protagonists smash for no good reason.  The magic and political intrigue is stated but never really shown.  There are the bones of a good story here that are occluded by "romantasy". [Came in 10th.  I agree!!]