Books of 2013
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No 44/45. Two fine graphic novels to finish the reading matter for 2013. In the first volume, subtitled 'The Story of a Childhood' Marjane Satrapi tells, in stark black and white drawings of growing up in a privileged family during and after the 1979 revolution in Iran and the subsequent war with Iraq. A difficult and precocious child, Marjane inevitably clashes with the oppressive theocratic state, and, for her safety is sent to overseas by her parents.
The second volume, 'The Story of a Return' picks up Marjane Satrapi's story with an account of her difficulties as a foriegner in an alien land, leading to her return to Iran, where despite education and marriage, she cannot find her place.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persepolis_(comics)
The second volume, 'The Story of a Return' picks up Marjane Satrapi's story with an account of her difficulties as a foriegner in an alien land, leading to her return to Iran, where despite education and marriage, she cannot find her place.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persepolis_(comics)
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No 43. The 'Human Division' in John Scalzi's 5th installment in the 'Old Man's War' universe is not, as you might think, a military force. Rather, it is the suspicion with which the citizens of Earth regard the extra-solar Colonial Union, which has used the Earth as a source of soldiers and colonists, all the while hiding from Earth the dangerous galaxy in which it lives. The novel originally appeared in a series of e-installments, and the story arc is slightly disjointed as a result. Scalzi's tone is light and humourous and keeps the tale rolling along. There is a sequel on the way.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Human_Division
The Human Division - Wikiped
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Human_Division
The Human Division - Wikiped
No 43
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No 42. I'm about 2 trilogies behind with Kate Elliott, so it was good to see that she still builds worlds in which one can get fully immersed. The first volume of 'Crossroads', 'Spirit Gate', begins in the 'Hundred' where giant eagles carry reeves (itinerant law officers) between the small towns, settling disputes and keeping the lines of communication open. But the lands are becoming more lawless, and the reeves no longer command the respect they once did. And when exploring the fate of the legendary 'Guardians', Reeve Joss suffers a crippling loss...
Meanwhile, hundreds of miles to the south, across deserts and mountains, Mai, a merchant woman it taken as his bride by Captain Anji, a barbarian warrior. They flee danger and treachery, attempting to find sanctuary in the Hundred, but first must confront the shadowy evil which besets the land and the reeves......http://thewertzone.blogspot.com.au/2007/12/spirit-gate-by-kate-elliott.html
Meanwhile, hundreds of miles to the south, across deserts and mountains, Mai, a merchant woman it taken as his bride by Captain Anji, a barbarian warrior. They flee danger and treachery, attempting to find sanctuary in the Hundred, but first must confront the shadowy evil which besets the land and the reeves......http://thewertzone.blogspot.com.au/2007/12/spirit-gate-by-kate-elliott.html
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No 41. The graphic novel 'Burning Earth' provides a summary of
'Earth Unaware' and 'Earth Afire', for the readers of the 'Hun'. Pictures are
mediocre, and the simplification of the plot invariably detracts from the
spectacle.
http://www.amazon.com/Enders-Game-Formic-Burning-Earth/dp/0785136096
'Earth Unaware' and 'Earth Afire', for the readers of the 'Hun'. Pictures are
mediocre, and the simplification of the plot invariably detracts from the
spectacle.
http://www.amazon.com/Enders-Game-Formic-Burning-Earth/dp/0785136096
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No 40. In 'The Apocalypse Codex' we find Bob Howard back on the job after that nasty business of 'The Fuller Memorandum'. And ke has a promotion! Lucky Bob. He gets to go out in the field and wrangle some 'independent contractors' in pursuit of a Colorado Springs preacher. He's going to need all the help he can get.....
http://www.orbitbooks.net/the-apocalypse-codex/
http://www.orbitbooks.net/the-apocalypse-codex/
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No 39. Peter Haywood's 'Catch a Falling Star' takes a look at the downward spiral of David Bowie obsessive Nick Walpole as he navigates the dark and alienating world of sharehouse Melbourne in the benighted 80s. With the dubious assistance of of his drug addled friends, he attempts to replicate the path to rock and roll superstardom of his idol. A mildly diverting and harmless book, most notable for nicking the cover of the iconic 'Ziggy Stardust' album. Which is why I grabbed it from the library!
http://www.booktopia.com.au/catch-a-falling-star-peter-haywood/prod9781921642388.html
http://www.booktopia.com.au/catch-a-falling-star-peter-haywood/prod9781921642388.html
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No 38. In 'Ghost Train to the eastern Star' Paul Theroux reprises his 30 year old epic journey (The Great Railway Bazaar) by train from Europe through Asia to Japan, and then back via the Trans Siberian Railway. Much has changed and little has. The author is still a judgmental curmudgeon, but he can still has a keen eye for observation, even if he tends to focus on the darker angles in his revealing anecdotes.
http://www.amazon.com/Ghost-Train-Eastern-Star-Railway/dp/0547237936
http://www.amazon.com/Ghost-Train-Eastern-Star-Railway/dp/0547237936
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No 37. John Scalzi edits this collection (METAtropolis) of thematically linked stories, imagining urban life in the near future, after the the years of plenty. Authors Elizabeth Bear, Tobias Buckell, Jay Lake, Karl Schroeder, Scalzi himself contribute.
http://us.macmillan.com/metatropolis/JohnScalzi
http://us.macmillan.com/metatropolis/JohnScalzi
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No 36. Imprisoned in a Mamluk ship, Tycho arrives into a parallel Venice, ruled by a simpleton Doge, and populated by mages, girls fleeing unwanted betrothals, streetwise thieves, scheming assassins and witches and beset by supernatural enemies. He has come though fire from a land of ice, and must find himself soon, or perish...... John Courtney Grimwood delivers in 'The Fallen Blade'. First of a trilogy.
http://www.j-cg.co.uk/books/the-fallen-blade
http://www.j-cg.co.uk/books/the-fallen-blade
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No 35: In 'Japanland', filmmaker Karen Muller travels to Japan for a year to immerse herself in the culture, and to make a documentary. She is honest and funny, relating her experiences and relationships, her hardships and triumphs. The reader gets a personal insight and access unlikely to be available to the casual visitor, and in these experiences finds connections and obligations have both a price and a reward.
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/346040.Japanland
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/346040.Japanland
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No 34: Lawrence Osborne wanders at night through the steaming streets of Bangkok, observing the city of Buddhism, fatalism and sex, through jaundiced expat eyes, in the company of other lonely souls, looking, just looking, but not quite finding. But the journey....
http://www.amazon.com/Bangkok-Days-Lawrence-Osborne/dp/B005Q7I90A
http://www.amazon.com/Bangkok-Days-Lawrence-Osborne/dp/B005Q7I90A
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No 33: Poof! In the town of Perdido Beach, one morning everyone over the age of fifteen disappears. In the blink of an eye as it were. Think 'Lord of the Flies'. But with mutants, bullies, talking animals and a mysterious barrier.'Gone' is the first in a series of six (and counting???).
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2536134.Gone
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2536134.Gone
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No 32: 'Pirate Cinema' extrapolates curent copyright laws and imagines how the world could be if content owners continue to schmoose our elected representatives and continue ever extend the breadth and duration of copyright. After falling foul of draconian laws, pirate filmmaker Trent McCauley flees to London, and with the assistace of a ragtag army of artists and misfits, tries to make a difference. Cory Doctorow has the novel available for free on his website.
http://www.amazon.com/Pirate-Cinema-Cory-Doctorow/dp/B00CC6FHEO
http://www.amazon.com/Pirate-Cinema-Cory-Doctorow/dp/B00CC6FHEO
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No 31: 'Flesh Wounds', Chris Brookmyre's latest in his Jasmine Sharp series ties up a lot of the loose ends from the previous 2 installments. Much of the mystery of our heroine's past is finally explained as she and protector Glen Fallon survive some very close scrapes . So indeed, a new direction will be needed in future should Jasmine ride again! Another ripping read from the masterful Mr Brookmyre.
http://www.amazon.com/Flesh-Wounds-Hb-Christopher-Brookmyre/dp/1408704080/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1381399321&sr=1-3&keywords=brookmyre+christopher
http://www.amazon.com/Flesh-Wounds-Hb-Christopher-Brookmyre/dp/1408704080/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1381399321&sr=1-3&keywords=brookmyre+christopher
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No 30: 'Earth Afire' begins where 'Earth Unaware' left off, bringing the battle to earth. The tale covers desperate attempts to raise alarm, failed attempts to make peaceful contact and describes the Scouring of China, through the eyes of another of OSCs precocious children. We get to know Mazer Rackham much better, but don't lose contact with Victor Delgado as he makes a last desperate effort to attack the giant mothership. (Will have to wait until next June to see how that turns out!)
http://www.amazon.com/Earth-Afire-The-First-Formic/dp/0765329050/ref=pd_sim_b_3
http://www.amazon.com/Earth-Afire-The-First-Formic/dp/0765329050/ref=pd_sim_b_3
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No 29: Orson Scott Card and Aaron Johnston have collaborated to tell the story of the Formic War. So whilst one knows how it will end, flesh is put on the bones of the 'Ender's Game' backstory. 'Earth Unaware' is the first installment of a trilogy, and begins in the icy depths of the Kuiper Belt, where free miners first detect a fast moving object. First Contact does not go well, and this fast paced tale follows the trail of desctuction toward the inner solar system and Earth...
http://www.amazon.com/Earth-Unaware-The-First-Formic/dp/076536736X
http://www.amazon.com/Earth-Unaware-The-First-Formic/dp/076536736X
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No 28. 'First Meetings' brings together 4 short stories, telling the tale of Ender Wiggin. Beginning with how Ender's father came to America, to his meeting with Ender's mother, the quartet includes the original 'Ender's Game' novella and concludes with Ender's introduction to the practice of 'Speaking for the Dead. I'd read them all before, but they are fast to read, and are a pleasant jog to the memory, pending the upcoming film release.
http://www.amazon.com/First-Meetings-Enders-Universe-Other/dp/0765347989/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1380621744&sr=1-1&keywords=first+meetings+orson+scott+card
http://www.amazon.com/First-Meetings-Enders-Universe-Other/dp/0765347989/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1380621744&sr=1-1&keywords=first+meetings+orson+scott+card
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No 27. A new Adam Roberts is always a treat. This short story collection entitled 'Adam Robots' is no exception, providing 24 vignettes of varying length, covering science fiction tropes from time travel, to alternate history, space opera and robot stories. They are crafted with dark humour, with and a fine turn of prose.
http://www.amazon.com/Adam-Robots-Short-Stories-Roberts/dp/0575130342/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1380616674&sr=1-1&keywords=adam+robots
http://www.amazon.com/Adam-Robots-Short-Stories-Roberts/dp/0575130342/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1380616674&sr=1-1&keywords=adam+robots
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No 26. 'The War of Gifts' is a minor tale of the 'Enderverse' which tells of Christmas in the Battle School, and the experiences therein of Zack Morgan, child of intolerant fundamentalists and Battle School refusenik.
http://www.amazon.com/War-Gifts-Ender-Story-Wiggin/dp/B001FOR5V2/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1380611376&sr=1-1&keywords=a+war+of+gifts
http://www.amazon.com/War-Gifts-Ender-Story-Wiggin/dp/B001FOR5V2/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1380611376&sr=1-1&keywords=a+war+of+gifts
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No 25. The 3rd and (probably) final volume in the 'Wave' trilogy, Angels of Vengeance' ties up the loose ends of the first 2 books well enough. The USA is gone, as is the 'Wave' which Disappeared most of its population (though the body is still twitching annoyingly). Caitlin Monroe, 'Echelon' agent is front and centre in this installment, as she the mastermind of the attack on New York which filled so much of the previous book in the series. Birmingham's characters are well rounded and fight internal and external battles of conscience and belief, each no doubt sure of the rightness of their cause. There is even a villain left tantalizingly off stage to the left, as yet undefeated, who might reappear in future works.
http://www.amazon.com/Angels-Vengeance-John-Birmingham/dp/0345502949
http://www.amazon.com/Angels-Vengeance-John-Birmingham/dp/0345502949
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No 24. A new addition to the 'Shadow' sub-series of Orson Scot Card's 'Ender' books. This one picks up from the conclusion to 'Shadow of the Giant', following Bean and his 3 offspring on their journey through the stars near lightspeed, in search of a cure for genetic destiny, and a way to the future. It is compact, and quite narrow focused, but is an enjoyable enough addition to the series.
http://www.amazon.com/Shadows-Flight-Shadow-Orson-Scott/dp/0765368668
http://www.amazon.com/Shadows-Flight-Shadow-Orson-Scott/dp/0765368668
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No 23. I always enjoy reading John Varley, so I grabbed this new novel from the library. However, it was something of a disappointment, not up to the imagination and daring of the '8 worlds' stories or even the 'Titan' trilogy. 'Slow Apocalypse' tells the tale of a family from Los Angeles coping with the aftermath of the destruction of the world's oil reserves by a rogue scientist. followed by a massive earthquake and an uncontrolled wildfire.
The clue is in the title. The pace of the novel is slow, and has no satisfying resolution, there is too much emphasis on the geography of Los Angeles (though might be useful for touring the city in the event of peak oil/earthquake and wildfire occurring simultaneously).only if you really need another post apocalypse tale.
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13542400-slow-apocalypse
The clue is in the title. The pace of the novel is slow, and has no satisfying resolution, there is too much emphasis on the geography of Los Angeles (though might be useful for touring the city in the event of peak oil/earthquake and wildfire occurring simultaneously).only if you really need another post apocalypse tale.
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13542400-slow-apocalypse
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No 22: After I finished reading 'Surface Detail', Iain Banks penultimate Culture novel. It occured to me this is the 4th last time I will have the pleasure of a new Iain Banks, following the writer's untimely death in May. 'Surface Detail' is a sprawling epic Space Opera, complete with wisecracking drones and rogue GSVs.
An indentured slave is murdered by her brutal owner. A copy of her mind escapes to the Culture. She is re-lifed and seeks revenge or redemption. A virtual war is being fought to decide whether to allow or to disallow cultures in the galaxy from running Hells, simulated afterlives in which the mind-states of the dead are tortured. The Culture, as always, vows to be neutral. But it just can't help meddling....
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surface_Detail
An indentured slave is murdered by her brutal owner. A copy of her mind escapes to the Culture. She is re-lifed and seeks revenge or redemption. A virtual war is being fought to decide whether to allow or to disallow cultures in the galaxy from running Hells, simulated afterlives in which the mind-states of the dead are tortured. The Culture, as always, vows to be neutral. But it just can't help meddling....
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surface_Detail
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No 21. Bought my Hugo voter pack from LoneStarCon 3, and set about reading. Must get it earlier next year to give more time to read the novels. Kim Stanley Robinson & Mira Grant made my task easier by putting DRM and passwords on their files. Major fail and no vote for them.
2312 by Kim Stanley Robinson
Blackout by Mira Grant
Captain Vorpatril's Alliance by Lois McMaster Bujold
Redshirts: A Novel with Three Codas by John Scalzi - my selection - a hoot! (and the winner)
Throne of the Crescent Moon by Saladin Ahmed
I enjoyed most of the novellettes, novella and short stories - my votes follow:
Best Novella
After the Fall, Before the Fall, During the Fall by Nancy Kress
The Emperor's Soul by Brandon Sanderson
On a Red Station, Drifting by Aliette de Bodard - my selection
San Diego 2014: The Last Stand of the California Browncoats by Mira Grant
"The Stars Do Not Lie" by Jay Lake
Best Novelette
"The Boy Who Cast No Shadow" by Thomas Olde Heuvelt
"Fade To White" by Catherynne M. Valente
"The Girl-Thing Who Went Out for Sushi" by Pat Cadigan - this won, and was far and away my least favourite
"In Sea-Salt Tears" by Seanan McGuire (Self-published) - my selection
"Rat-Catcher" by Seanan McGuire
2312 by Kim Stanley Robinson
Blackout by Mira Grant
Captain Vorpatril's Alliance by Lois McMaster Bujold
Redshirts: A Novel with Three Codas by John Scalzi - my selection - a hoot! (and the winner)
Throne of the Crescent Moon by Saladin Ahmed
I enjoyed most of the novellettes, novella and short stories - my votes follow:
Best Novella
After the Fall, Before the Fall, During the Fall by Nancy Kress
The Emperor's Soul by Brandon Sanderson
On a Red Station, Drifting by Aliette de Bodard - my selection
San Diego 2014: The Last Stand of the California Browncoats by Mira Grant
"The Stars Do Not Lie" by Jay Lake
Best Novelette
"The Boy Who Cast No Shadow" by Thomas Olde Heuvelt
"Fade To White" by Catherynne M. Valente
"The Girl-Thing Who Went Out for Sushi" by Pat Cadigan - this won, and was far and away my least favourite
"In Sea-Salt Tears" by Seanan McGuire (Self-published) - my selection
"Rat-Catcher" by Seanan McGuire
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No 20. Dan Brown's latest Opus 'Inferno' was the perfect choice to chew up a transpacific flight on United. In this thriller, Robert Langdon and a feisty female gallop through the art treasures of Firenze, Venezia and Istanbul, dodging excruciatingly clunky prose and dastardly villains. Quality of course is not the point. The pages turn easily, concentration is unimportant as the tale thrums along and makes the long hours disappear.
http://www.danbrown.com/inferno/
http://www.danbrown.com/inferno/
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No 19. After completing the last 4 stories in Paul MacAuley's brilliant elegeic 'Stories from the Quiet War (see AYOB No 6), I chose Charlie Stross & Cory Doctorow's classy satire romp 'Rapture of the Nerds'. A great way to pass the time on a transpacific flight. Follow Huw as he battles to remain sane and whole (not always successfully)in the face of the challenges of a post-singularity world.
http://www.amazon.com/The-Rapture-Nerds-singularity-posthumanity/dp/0765329107
http://www.amazon.com/The-Rapture-Nerds-singularity-posthumanity/dp/0765329107
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No 18. In Matthew Jarpe's debut, a megalomaniac software billionaire wants to take over the world. Arrayed against this dastardly plan are a disparate bunch of rock stars and genius hackers who just might be able to mount aresistance, if they could keep off the drugs long enough to plan coherently. But with the assistance of our hero Quin Taber's very illegal AI sidekick, and a sentient computer virus, they might just pull the irons out of the fire. A pretty decent first novel.
http://us.macmillan.com/radiofreefall/MatthewJarpe
http://us.macmillan.com/radiofreefall/MatthewJarpe
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No 17. In the 4th volume of David Wingrove's rebooted Chung Kuo series, 'Ice and Fire', the consequences of the dramatic ending to Vol 3 are explores, as the Seven's policy of passivity 'wuwei' fails to deliver fruit. The Dispersionist star waxes, and in the climax, action replaces inaction to restore the balance. The tales of Kim Ward, Ben Sheppard and Li Yuan are advanced, and we are in no doubt that each has a role to play as the narrative unfolds.
http://www.amazon.com/Ice-Fire-Chung-Kuo-Series/dp/1848877293
http://www.amazon.com/Ice-Fire-Chung-Kuo-Series/dp/1848877293
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No 16. Ian Douglas (one of many pseudonyms of William H Keith) brings it back home writing of the unsung medics of the Space Marines (no doubt drawing on his own experience as a Navy Corpsman in the Vietnam era). The tale 'Star Corpsman' (the first of a trilogy) is mostly well paced, with detailed alien worlds, aliens and a riddle to solve about xenopsychology. Douglas' skill is in his depiction of military life in his imagined future). Whilst the characterization is thin (main character Elliot Carlyle is pretty much a cipher, and he is easily the best drawn of the dramatis personae), and the stodgy infodumps describing the process of treating injured comrades on the battlefield tend to disrupt the narrative flow, overall the story entertains effectively enough. Perfect for a long plane or train ride.
http://www.amazon.com/Bloodstar-Star-Corpsman-Book-One/dp/0061894761
http://www.amazon.com/Bloodstar-Star-Corpsman-Book-One/dp/0061894761
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No 15. CJ Cherryh comes back with the 14th Foreigner book 'Protector'. This is the 5th trilogy! This makes the installments all the more like the old Saturday afternoon matinee serial at the local picture theatre. Cajeiri is soon to be fortunate nine, and for his birthday, his human associates will be invited to visit from the space station. Cajeiri sincerely hopes for 'No Trouble!', but atevi politics being what it is, trouble ensues. The buildup is typical Cherryh, a slow build, many earnest discussions over tea, on tactics, on conspiracies and on suspicions before an explosive finale. Cue the next episode!
http://www.amazon.com/Protector-Foreigner-C-J-Cherryh/dp/0756407982
http://www.amazon.com/Protector-Foreigner-C-J-Cherryh/dp/0756407982
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No 14. In another 'let's finish the trilogy' maneuver I read the finale of Michael Cobley's 'Humanity's Fire' series, a middling quality space opera (The Ascendant Stars). The action around the planet Darien continues as the horribly beweaponed battle fleets of evil alien empires gather to win the prize. The plot is well wrapped up at the end, with perhaps a little too convenient 'hand of god' moments assisting the conclusion. The main problem I had with this volume is it's slow start, particularly the character fragmentations of 2 of the main characters, Julia Blake & Robert Horst as they transition between embodied and diembodied or physical and virtual states of being. The other POVs are simple by comparison. it does eventually get going, and the pace builds toward the climax.
http://www.amazon.com/The-Ascendant-Stars-Humanitys-Fire/dp/0316214035
http://www.amazon.com/The-Ascendant-Stars-Humanitys-Fire/dp/0316214035
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No 13. John Scalzi's Hugo nominated novel begins conventionally enough. Ensign John Dahl has just been assigned to the Universal Union flagship Intrepid. It is a prestigious assignment. But Dahl and his fellow newbies soon discover that things just aren't quite right. Crew hide when senior officers come looking for personnel to join away teams. The away missions always end in tragedy with the untimely death,or disfigurement of a 'redshirt'. But said senior officers survive unscathed. What the ......? Dahl and his colleagues try to find out why this is so, and when they do, embark on a mission to change the universe (or at least their universe)
http://www.amazon.com/Redshirts-A-Novel-Three-Codas/dp/0765334798
http://www.amazon.com/Redshirts-A-Novel-Three-Codas/dp/0765334798
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No 12. In what appears to be the first of a series, Paolo Bacigalupi expands on the grim, post warming world of his short stories. Nailer crawls the ducts of the abandoned hulks of beached oil tankers, seeking salvage to earn his keep, making his quota for his crew. After narrowly surviving a betrayal by one of his crewmates he finds a treasure beyond value, and which could change his life. If he can escape with it. In a world where city-killer hurricanes batter Orleans III, built on the ruins of the last 2 versions of New Orleans, this is going to be a struggle.
http://www.amazon.com/Ship-Breaker-Paolo-Bacigalupi/dp/0316056197
http://www.amazon.com/Ship-Breaker-Paolo-Bacigalupi/dp/0316056197
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No 11. Michael Flynn's entertaining 'Spiral Arm' series continues with a 3rd volume 'In the Lion's Mouth', where the tale of a convoluted battle between factions of Confederal Shadows and Those of Name is played out across the Rift, related as a chant by one Ravn Olafsdottr to the Red Hound Bridget ban and her daughter. More is learned of the fate of Donavan buigh, once a hero, now shattered.
http://www.amazon.com/In-Lions-Mouth-Michael-Flynn/dp/076536283X
http://www.amazon.com/In-Lions-Mouth-Michael-Flynn/dp/076536283X
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No 10. Adam Roberts always raises the bar. 'Jack Glass' channels 'Golden Age' science fiction adventure and detective fiction. and does it with page turning verve. Diana Argent is addicted to solving murder mysteries. The best in the solar system. Jack Glass is a criminal mastermind. The best in the solar system. Their paths intersect, and on their interaction hangs the fate of humanity itself. Brilliant.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Jack-Glass-Adam-Roberts/dp/0575127627
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Jack-Glass-Adam-Roberts/dp/0575127627
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No 9. Many years ago I read and thoroughly enjoyed, a brilliant fantasy novel written by Melanie Rawn, Kate Elliot and Jennifer Robinson called 'The Golden Key' http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Golden_Key_(novel)
So it was with great pleasure I encountered and borrowed a prequel, 'The Diviner', in which Melanie Rawn provides the story of how the 'Grijalva' gift was born.
I was not disappointed.
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3276653-the-diviner
So it was with great pleasure I encountered and borrowed a prequel, 'The Diviner', in which Melanie Rawn provides the story of how the 'Grijalva' gift was born.
I was not disappointed.
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3276653-the-diviner
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No 8. My friend Jeremy gave me volumes 2, 5 and 6 of Kevin Anderson's Saga of Seven Suns' series, so I got the opener, 'The Hidden Empire' from the St Kilda Library. Just gets a pass mark as not a complete waste of time - more aeroplane fodder than serious reading. The tale takes a while to get going - the multiple POV chapters switch threads very frequently. It is fantasy masquerading as SF, as there is not much actual science as compared to faux science put into the set up. A very adjective heavy prose was offputting too. By the clifhhanger end of Volume 1, at least 3 main characters are in 'very tight spots indeed'. and Vol 2 looks well set. I'll return to the series later.
http://www.amazon.com/Hidden-Empire-Saga-Seven-Suns/dp/0316003441
http://www.amazon.com/Hidden-Empire-Saga-Seven-Suns/dp/0316003441
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No 7. If the year of books needs a signature moment, then perhaps this is it. I started reading the Wheel of Time in the mid 90's, and though I stopped actually buying them after Book 9, I persevered at the library as Brandon Sanderson resurrected the series from Robert Jordan's notes after the original author's death. And 'A Memory of Light' wraps up the tale with considerable panache, the entire volume concerning itself with the 'Last Battle', in its myriad parts. Each main character plays their role, there are deaths aplenty, and not just of the supporting cast. Sanderson even tips his lid to Jordan by seeming to forget a major player for 300 pages before returning them to the fray in the nick of time. A very satisfying conclusion.
http://www.bookdepository.com/book/9780765325952?redirected=true&gclid=CITTz_Lr37UCFQZcpQodbG8AFw
http://www.bookdepository.com/book/9780765325952?redirected=true&gclid=CITTz_Lr37UCFQZcpQodbG8AFw
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No 6. On the plane up to Sydney, I took the Kindle and 'Stories from the Quiet War', by Paul MacAuley. Only had time to read the first of 5 tales, 'Making History', set in the ruins of Paris, Dione as historian Professor-Doctor Graves writes a history of the Quiet War, and the part played by the hero of the barricades in the doomed defense of the city in it's closing days.
More value in this slim volume than all of the 3 massive tomes of the Void trilogy
http://www.amazon.com/Stories-From-The-Quiet-ebook/dp/B006IQ3R2I
More value in this slim volume than all of the 3 massive tomes of the Void trilogy
http://www.amazon.com/Stories-From-The-Quiet-ebook/dp/B006IQ3R2I
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No 5. Book No 5 was 'The Evolutionary Void' the last of Hamilton's Void trilogy. These were 3 substantial doorstoppers, of moderate quality. In the final volume all the loose ends are tied up pretty neatly. Hamilton's characters are as always bursting out of themselves, and he often digs himself into plot holes that it is hard to imagine how he can possibly extract himself. The author's penchant for movements with dumb names is mystifying. My credulity is stretched when the evil masterminds are followers of the 'Starflyer'(!), or in these volumes 'Skylords' and the quintessentially dumb religion 'Living Dream'. Hamilton channels good old E.E 'Doc' Smith himself, complete with ravening pulsing beams puncturing spacebattles and firefights, wherin a character after having his starship blown out from under him, dusts himself off and goes on to the next overblown set-piece. File under relatively harmless,
http://www.amazon.com/Evolutionary-bonus-short-First-Trilogy/dp/0345496582
http://www.amazon.com/Evolutionary-bonus-short-First-Trilogy/dp/0345496582
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No 4. Novel number 4 for 2013 - Intrusion - Ken MacLeod
Hope Morrison is pregnant with her 2nd child. She does not want to take 'The Fix', a safe and effective cure for genetic abnormalities in the growing fetus. Is Hope abusing her child? There are exemptions for those with religious exemptions, but Hope just wants her choice respected. In Ken MacLeod's latest near-future dystopia, Hope and her family are in for a world of hurt....
http://www.orbitbooks.net/intrusion/
Hope Morrison is pregnant with her 2nd child. She does not want to take 'The Fix', a safe and effective cure for genetic abnormalities in the growing fetus. Is Hope abusing her child? There are exemptions for those with religious exemptions, but Hope just wants her choice respected. In Ken MacLeod's latest near-future dystopia, Hope and her family are in for a world of hurt....
http://www.orbitbooks.net/intrusion/
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No 3 Light relief for this year's 3rd novel, the final in the 'Star Carrier' Trilogy by military SF writer Ian Douglas (actually William H Keith). Douglas continues his tale of American exceptional-ism and manifest destiny, as the North Americans show the appeasing European surrender monkeys and inscrutable Chinese a thing or two about taking the fight to the advanced alien races of unpronounceable names (Sh'daar' this time).
It is a good enough page turner, but the resolution a little on the convenient side. Perhaps a sign that his opus was wrapped up in a single trilogy, rather than the trilogy of same in it's space marines predesessor.
http://www.amazon.com/Singularity-Star-Carrier-Book-3/dp/0061840270
It is a good enough page turner, but the resolution a little on the convenient side. Perhaps a sign that his opus was wrapped up in a single trilogy, rather than the trilogy of same in it's space marines predesessor.
http://www.amazon.com/Singularity-Star-Carrier-Book-3/dp/0061840270
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No 2. Finished reading 'The Highway Men' by Ken MacLeod, a vignette observing how small acts can have unexpected consequences. For individuals and for all of us. And my copy was in large print!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Highway_Men
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Highway_Men
No 1. My Facebook post has mysteriously disappeared, and I cannot recall just what the first book of 2013 was! Must have been really good.