The Last Round Up
Here's the first of the two final installment of the short reviews of books consumed in 2004. And many of these reviews will be short short - looking at the list below I see a lot of mind candy.
65. The Crusader - Michael Alexander Eisner
A moderately entertaining historical novel, set in Spain and the Middle East of the 13th century. One the one hand the story was entertaining and all the swashes buckled in the right places. On the other hand I came away with the feeling that the Crusades were more of a convenient setting and less of a topic the author was interested in exploring in detail through fiction. But maybe I've just been spoiled by Patrick O'Brian and Dorothy Dunnett.
66. Grimmer Than Hell - David Drake
A collection of stories by (military) science fiction writer David Drake. If you've never read any of Drake's work before, this collection will give you a taste and a good idea what he's about. For the longtime reader, it's nice to have these stories gathered between two covers.
67. The Victorians - A.N. Wilson
Reader be warned: this is not a cut and dry chronological history of the Victorian Age - it's more like a series of word portraits or mini-essays on subjects ranging from the Chartist movement to "Chinese" Gordon. If you already have a working knowledge of this era, The Victorians is a fine title with which to dig a little deeper. But I wouldn't recommend this book to someone seeking to gain a working knowledge (important dates, people etc) of this time period.
68. Firehouse - David Halberstam
On Sept 11, 2001, thirteen men of Engine 40, Ladder 35 responded to the alarms from the World Trade Center. Only one survived. Halberstam, who lives only three blocks from Engine 40, has written a thoroughly decent little book, one that takes a loving look at these thirteen men and the firehouse culture that called them in life and ultimately into death.
69. The Teeth of the Tiger- Tom Clancy
Clancy has long been a guilty indulgence of mine, but this latest work of his became more of a chore. There are two reasons Teeth of the Tiger left a flat taste in my mouth. First, while most of Clancy's novels take place in an alternate universe (where his hero Jack Ryan rises from lowly CIA analyst to President) the events of 9/11 have taken place in Ryan's world. Frankly, I find the attack on the Twin Towers to be a little too real to swallow their use in alternate timeline. If Clancy wanted to write a novel against the backdrop of the war on terror, he probably should've dropped the whole Jack Ryan &Co, storyline, like he did for Red Storm Rising. And second, the book moves waaaay to slow. For a book that long, not a whole lot happens.
70. Hornblower During the Crisis- C.S. Forester
C.S. Forester was working on this novel when he died; it remains unfinished, though notes included at the end let the reader know in which direction Forester intended to take the story. The 90 odd extant pages of prose are entertaining, if a little unpolished, but only the completist need bother with this novel, as it doesn't add much new material to the Hornblower saga.
71. Betting on Myself- Steven Crist
A jaunty little memoir in which the author recounts his journey, from Harvard student to horse player and avid handicapper to racing journalist for the New York Times to publisher of The Daily Racing Form. Crist is an excellent storyteller. The narrative races along and even those who are not horse players will find Crist's adventures of interest.
72. Across the Nightingale Floor- Lian Hearn
I've noticed that this book tends to be shelved in the fantasy section, although it doesn't have many fantastic elements (i.e. magic, monsters). Across the Nightinggale Floor is set in an imaginary land that strongly resembles pre-Shogunate Japan, complete with daimyos, samurai and ninjas, and is the first volume in the Tales of the Otori. The chief protagonist is Takeo, one of the Tribe (i.e. ninja) who is adopted by a noble house. The plot predictabel but the setting is a welcome change from the quasi-Medieval European setting of most fantasy.
73. The Dark Valley: A Panorama of the 1930s- Piers Brendon
This book should be required-reading for any WWII buff - it provides an excellent and in-depth look at the events leading up to that conflict. Staring with the close of the 1920s, Brendon writes about the unraveling of the social, political and economic fabric of the Great Powers of that era (Great Britain, France, Italy, Germany, U.S.S.R., Japan and the United States); an 'intermission' half way through The Dark Valley covers the Spanish Civil War.
74. Artifact of Evil- Gary Gygax
A fantasy novel written bythe man who also invented Dungeons & Dragons. A trip down memory lane for me (I read this sometime during junior high) and a trip for you to avoid altogether. You can practically hear the dice rolling as you turn the pages.
75. Grass For His Pillow- Lian Hearn
The second volume of the Tales of the Otori
76. Tolkien: A Celebration- Joseph Pearce (ed)
A collection of essays on J.R.R. Tolkien, most of which touch upon the subject of how Tolkien's devout Roman Catholicism informed and influenced his work. So, it's not exactly a book for the casual Tolkien fan. The content is bookended by pair of essays written by two men (Geroge Sayer, Walter hooper) who knew Tolkien well; they're easily the most interesting portions of the book.
77. Brilliance of the Moon- Lian Hearn
The third, and concluding volume of the Tales of the Otori.
65. The Crusader - Michael Alexander Eisner
A moderately entertaining historical novel, set in Spain and the Middle East of the 13th century. One the one hand the story was entertaining and all the swashes buckled in the right places. On the other hand I came away with the feeling that the Crusades were more of a convenient setting and less of a topic the author was interested in exploring in detail through fiction. But maybe I've just been spoiled by Patrick O'Brian and Dorothy Dunnett.
66. Grimmer Than Hell - David Drake
A collection of stories by (military) science fiction writer David Drake. If you've never read any of Drake's work before, this collection will give you a taste and a good idea what he's about. For the longtime reader, it's nice to have these stories gathered between two covers.
67. The Victorians - A.N. Wilson
Reader be warned: this is not a cut and dry chronological history of the Victorian Age - it's more like a series of word portraits or mini-essays on subjects ranging from the Chartist movement to "Chinese" Gordon. If you already have a working knowledge of this era, The Victorians is a fine title with which to dig a little deeper. But I wouldn't recommend this book to someone seeking to gain a working knowledge (important dates, people etc) of this time period.
68. Firehouse - David Halberstam
On Sept 11, 2001, thirteen men of Engine 40, Ladder 35 responded to the alarms from the World Trade Center. Only one survived. Halberstam, who lives only three blocks from Engine 40, has written a thoroughly decent little book, one that takes a loving look at these thirteen men and the firehouse culture that called them in life and ultimately into death.
69. The Teeth of the Tiger- Tom Clancy
Clancy has long been a guilty indulgence of mine, but this latest work of his became more of a chore. There are two reasons Teeth of the Tiger left a flat taste in my mouth. First, while most of Clancy's novels take place in an alternate universe (where his hero Jack Ryan rises from lowly CIA analyst to President) the events of 9/11 have taken place in Ryan's world. Frankly, I find the attack on the Twin Towers to be a little too real to swallow their use in alternate timeline. If Clancy wanted to write a novel against the backdrop of the war on terror, he probably should've dropped the whole Jack Ryan &Co, storyline, like he did for Red Storm Rising. And second, the book moves waaaay to slow. For a book that long, not a whole lot happens.
70. Hornblower During the Crisis- C.S. Forester
C.S. Forester was working on this novel when he died; it remains unfinished, though notes included at the end let the reader know in which direction Forester intended to take the story. The 90 odd extant pages of prose are entertaining, if a little unpolished, but only the completist need bother with this novel, as it doesn't add much new material to the Hornblower saga.
71. Betting on Myself- Steven Crist
A jaunty little memoir in which the author recounts his journey, from Harvard student to horse player and avid handicapper to racing journalist for the New York Times to publisher of The Daily Racing Form. Crist is an excellent storyteller. The narrative races along and even those who are not horse players will find Crist's adventures of interest.
72. Across the Nightingale Floor- Lian Hearn
I've noticed that this book tends to be shelved in the fantasy section, although it doesn't have many fantastic elements (i.e. magic, monsters). Across the Nightinggale Floor is set in an imaginary land that strongly resembles pre-Shogunate Japan, complete with daimyos, samurai and ninjas, and is the first volume in the Tales of the Otori. The chief protagonist is Takeo, one of the Tribe (i.e. ninja) who is adopted by a noble house. The plot predictabel but the setting is a welcome change from the quasi-Medieval European setting of most fantasy.
73. The Dark Valley: A Panorama of the 1930s- Piers Brendon
This book should be required-reading for any WWII buff - it provides an excellent and in-depth look at the events leading up to that conflict. Staring with the close of the 1920s, Brendon writes about the unraveling of the social, political and economic fabric of the Great Powers of that era (Great Britain, France, Italy, Germany, U.S.S.R., Japan and the United States); an 'intermission' half way through The Dark Valley covers the Spanish Civil War.
74. Artifact of Evil- Gary Gygax
A fantasy novel written bythe man who also invented Dungeons & Dragons. A trip down memory lane for me (I read this sometime during junior high) and a trip for you to avoid altogether. You can practically hear the dice rolling as you turn the pages.
75. Grass For His Pillow- Lian Hearn
The second volume of the Tales of the Otori
76. Tolkien: A Celebration- Joseph Pearce (ed)
A collection of essays on J.R.R. Tolkien, most of which touch upon the subject of how Tolkien's devout Roman Catholicism informed and influenced his work. So, it's not exactly a book for the casual Tolkien fan. The content is bookended by pair of essays written by two men (Geroge Sayer, Walter hooper) who knew Tolkien well; they're easily the most interesting portions of the book.
77. Brilliance of the Moon- Lian Hearn
The third, and concluding volume of the Tales of the Otori.
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