Octopus Overlords

Posted: **Sat Jun 08, 2013 5:45 pm**

Hellhole Awakening by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson

Part two of another formulaic epic by a duo well experienced in writing them. Once again, we're in a future far, far from now and human political systems have devolved back to feudalism. At the end of Hellhole, General Adolphus rises from the ashes of defeat and declares independence from the "Crown Jewels" for the outer colonies. Led by the Diadem, a wicked witch of a lady, the Constellation mobilizes a fleet under the son of Adolfus' arch-nemesis. The general hatches a brilliant plot to capture the Constellation fleet intact, and it almost works. In fact, there are a lot of machinations that almost, but not quite, play out as intended. As a result, the middle book of the trilogy accomplishes little, except for the foreboding signs that another enemy lurks in the shadows (an asteroid-chucking enemy at that). If I was to predict what might happen in the upcoming 3rd book, I'd say the humans resolve their differences to face this new threat. Or maybe it turns into the script for a Korean movie and everyone dies. If you like Herbert and Anderson's prior stuff, this is MOTS brain candy.

Posted: **Tue Jun 11, 2013 1:20 pm**

Columbus: The Four Voyages by Lawrence Bergreen

I stumbled upon this at B&N and having read Bergreen's book about Magellan decided to give it a try. The book tells the story of Columbus and his four voyages of discovery. It is not a biography but does give you a good deal of background on Columbus. You learn that he while being a great sailor he could never master the use of what was then new technology, such as quadrant. Columbus did his sailing by dead reckoning.

The book also hammers home the point that Columbus always believed that China was just over the horizon on all his voyages and that on the third voyage Columbus found what he thought was the entrance to "paradise". Columbus continually looked for gold and it was that search that led to his mistreatment of the natives and the deaths of thousands, many by their own hands.

Reading the book one is left with the feeling that as disorganized as the Spanish were that it is amazing they were able to later defeat the Inca's and Aztec's on the mainland.

Next.....I am now reading Helter Skelter.

Posted: **Tue Jun 18, 2013 4:03 pm**

I made it a bit farther during my latest attempt to read Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, but I'm giving up forever. It reads like someone was trying to emulate any number of books I hated reading in High School English class....so I guess if that's the tone she was trying to set, it worked. In checking online, apparently she was an English teacher at one point, so it all makes sense. To borrow a phrase, the style insists upon itself and I find it cumbersome to even make it through a few pages. From the wiki:

Clarke’s style has frequently been described as a pastiche, particularly of nineteenth-century British writers such as Charles Dickens, Jane Austen, and George Meredith

I have no idea how this was a NYT best seller, but I suppose there's no accounting for taste. The premise sounded awesome, but after realizing that the first few chapters could have probably been cut down to a few pages, I gave up (again).

Posted: **Tue Jun 18, 2013 4:12 pm**

That book was ridiculously longer than it needed to be. I didn't enjoy it much.

Posted: **Tue Jun 18, 2013 7:50 pm**

Probably riding on the coattails of Harry Potter, because I remember it coming out around that time, of maybe the 3rd or 4th book.

Posted: **Tue Jun 18, 2013 8:01 pm**

Harrumph. And in the literary world, "Like X, but for adults" means boring and turgid. Blech.

Posted: **Tue Jun 18, 2013 8:08 pm**

I think the style is great, but I also love the period it's mimicking.

The length is part of the style, really. It's a long novel in the style of the long novels of that era.

Posted: **Tue Jun 18, 2013 8:52 pm**

Finished Catching Fire and Mockingjay over the weekend. Don't know if I have much to say about either.

Posted: **Tue Jun 18, 2013 9:32 pm**

Holman wrote:I think the style is great, but I also love the period it's mimicking.

The length is part of the style, really. It's a long novel in the style of the long novels of that era.

Except that during that era, they were done in installments and were only later compiled into a single volume once the story was done being published.

Posted: **Wed Jun 19, 2013 7:15 am**

Rumpy wrote:
Holman wrote:I think the style is great, but I also love the period it's mimicking.

The length is part of the style, really. It's a long novel in the style of the long novels of that era.

Except that during that era, they were done in installments and were only later compiled into a single volume once the story was done being published.

Maybe that's what I'm doing, as I haven't finished all of it yet.

Posted: **Wed Jun 19, 2013 11:46 am**

silverjon wrote:That book was ridiculously longer than it needed to be. I didn't enjoy it much.

Ditto. It was a long slog for a small payoff, imho.

The Magicians was much better

Sent from my HTCONE using Tapatalk 2

Posted: **Wed Jun 19, 2013 11:52 am**

Smoove_B wrote:I made it a bit farther during my latest attempt to read Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, but I'm giving up forever. It reads like someone was trying to emulate any number of books I hated reading in High School English class....so I guess if that's the tone she was trying to set, it worked. In checking online, apparently she was an English teacher at one point, so it all makes sense. To borrow a phrase, the style insists upon itself and I find it cumbersome to even make it through a few pages. From the wiki:

Clarke’s style has frequently been described as a pastiche, particularly of nineteenth-century British writers such as Charles Dickens, Jane Austen, and George Meredith
I have no idea how this was a NYT best seller, but I suppose there's no accounting for taste. The premise sounded awesome, but after realizing that the first few chapters could have probably been cut down to a few pages, I gave up (again).

I always describe that book as "what if there was really magic in the world, but it was boring."
I enjoyed it overall, but I certainly wouldn't read it again. I second the recommendation of The Magicians. Lots of fun.

Posted: **Wed Jun 19, 2013 11:55 am**

paulbaxter wrote:I always describe that book as "what if there was really magic in the world, but it was boring."

Ha!

I also really liked The Magicians. I keep looking for that promised third book.

Posted: **Wed Jun 19, 2013 11:56 am**

I've read the first two books of the Night Angel trilogy, Way of the Shadows and The Shadow's Edge. They are about an orphan who becomes the apprentice of a master assassin. So far I like the series quite a bit and will start the third book after taking a short break from the world. I'll post my thoughts on the series as a whole once I'm done.

In the meantime I've been reading World War Z. So far it has failed to grab me. I'm about a third of the way through, but have found it very easy to put down. Part of that is due to it's short, individual story structure, and part is due to me not really caring because there isn't an overall story to keep me hanging on. I'm sure I'll go back and read it bit by bit, but I doubt I'll have any bender sessions with it.

I've picked up Dance with Dragons as a break from the Night Angel trilogy. That monster might take me awhile to finish.

Posted: **Wed Jun 19, 2013 12:57 pm**

McNutt wrote:I've read the first two books of the Night Angel trilogy, Way of the Shadows and The Shadow's Edge. They are about an orphan who becomes the apprentice of a master assassin. So far I like the series quite a bit and will start the third book after taking a short break from the world. I'll post my thoughts on the series as a whole once I'm done.

Basic fantasy story with a bit of a twist on the magic. Good series though. Kept me reading through all 3. Really enjoyed it and would definitely recommend.

Posted: **Thu Jun 20, 2013 8:05 pm**

In memory of Iain Banks, I'm reading EXCESSION for the first time.

Wow! What great smart fun.

Posted: **Thu Jun 20, 2013 10:49 pm**

I just finished all 1800+ pages of Brandon Sanderson's Way of Kings. Really enjoyed it (as I do with everything Sanderson writes). What I found most interesting is that sort of like Patrick Rothfuss, he managed to fill a massive tome with a story that really isn't all that epic (no grand journeys or crazy villains), and still made it interesting. By building a rich new fantasy world filled with fascinating little details and focusing on only a few key characters, he really had me glued to the page for the duration.

I really wish Robert Jordan was still alive so Brandon Sanderson could teach him how to write.

Posted: **Thu Jun 20, 2013 10:53 pm**

Sanderson is masterful at building worlds. Oh, and now you get to begin the Jordan/Martin-esque wait. Way of Kings is the first in a planned 10-book series.

Posted: **Fri Jun 21, 2013 12:23 pm**

I've never read any of Sanderson's stuff. Should I start with Way of Kings? Sounds pretty good.

Posted: **Fri Jun 21, 2013 1:09 pm**

McNutt wrote:I've never read any of Sanderson's stuff. Should I start with Way of Kings? Sounds pretty good.

I've read everything he's written so far (including his Young Adult stuff to see if my son would like it but not that IOS game tie in

).

My favorite so far is the Mistborn series.

Posted: **Fri Jun 21, 2013 1:44 pm**

I've only read the Mistborn trilogy and I'd recommend it solely based on the fact that it's finished.

That being said, I'm not quite sold on Sanderson's abilities as a writer. The entire time I was reading the trilogy, it felt like I was reading something that was crafted by someone that was technically knowledgeable about writing, storytelling, plot crafting, etc... but it didn't have that "spark" that made the experience feel "real". I'm not sure if that's the best description, but that's how I felt when it was all over. It was still a good series and I don't know that my opinion is common among fans of his.

Posted: **Fri Jun 21, 2013 1:57 pm**

There's just something about a ten-book series that turns me off. I don't think I want to commit to a plan that big. I'd hate to start book one and realize that I kind of like it and give it another chance with book two and decide I don't really like it. If it were a three-book series I'd just read the third to get it over with. Alas, I have too much of a backlog right now to even think about starting another series, much less a ten-book series.

Posted: **Fri Jun 21, 2013 2:24 pm**

If you want a low barrier to entry, read Warbreaker. It's a one-shot novel, and the world he creates is just as creative and unique as Mistborn.

Posted: **Sat Jun 22, 2013 3:55 pm**

The Waste Lands by Stephen King

Book Three of the Dark Tower series. I'm told it gets better after this...so I refrained from hitting the eject button after Jake, the kid I didn't care about in Gunslinger, was resurrected much to my continued apathy. Our gunslinger hero Roland is now traveling with three New Yorkers, all separately transported to "Mid World." This posse of his contains no likeable characters yet it seems they will not die. It is unusual to spend this much time in a Stephen King work and come up empty on the character front, but there you have it.

After the resurrection of Jake and the introduction of a new sidekick, best described as a Scooby Doo-like talking dog, the trek to the Dark Tower resumes. A town and a city are encountered, people are old, diseased, and more or less insane. The party is forced to give up Jake to a creepy old coot out of the song Aqualung, who eyed the young boy with bad intent. Unfortunately, he was subsequently rescued, more or less intact. The quest in the city was to find a train, Blaine, which too was insane (and apparently sentient). In the worst case of foreshadowing ever, Jake happened to arrive in Mid World with a book of riddles, and Roland happened to be schooled in them while young and it just so happened, surprise surprise, that the bored Blaine wanted to be riddled in order to comply with the request to transport them to, naturally, Tulsa. Of course, he's still insane, and more than a bit suicidal. To be continued.

Posted: **Sat Jun 22, 2013 4:01 pm**

#4 -- Wizard and Glass is probably my favorite book by Stephen King; I'm nearly certain I've read it half a dozen times. I believe it's the high point of the Gunslinger series and possibly one of the best books he's ever written.

If you make it through that story and it doesn't make you feel something, you should probably just abandon the rest of the books.

Posted: **Sat Jun 22, 2013 4:41 pm**

Take, Burn or Destroy by S. Thomas Russell

The search for the next Jack Aubrey or Horatio Hornblower continues. I haven't yet read the first two books in this series, so some moments in the book have more back-story than is conveyed in this book. Unfortunately, most of the moments I suspect would be dull as dishwater regardless. Hayden seems to follow O'Brian's formula, interweaving the captain's professional life with his domestic life. As in the Aubrey series, though, those periods spent at home were largely forgettable and an unwelcome break in the action.

Captain Hayden, a Master and Commander of a frigate (a rather large ship for any but a post-captain), is carrying word of Napoleon's gathering invasion force back to England when he is waylaid in fog, his ship captured, and then the French ship who captures him itself is wrecked by a subsequent storm. Hayden's crew by and large survives and is rounded up in France. Because of their efforts saving French sailors in the wreck of the French ship, they are released to a ship that repatriates them to England. In spite of losing his ship, Hayden is promoted to post-captain, given a refurb 64-gun ship of the line, and charged with carrying dispatches to Admiral Lord Howe, last seen cruising off Ushant. The story climaxes with the inconclusive battle known as the Glorious First of June.

Meanwhile, Hayden's domestic life falls apart, and is largely abandon the last third of the book. No big loss as those characters were uninteresting, weak characters. I might go back and read the earlier books when I have opportunity; it remains to be seen if Thomas is the real deal or a pretender to the nautical fiction throne.

Posted: **Sat Jun 22, 2013 6:03 pm**

Jag wrote:
McNutt wrote:I've read the first two books of the Night Angel trilogy, Way of the Shadows and The Shadow's Edge. They are about an orphan who becomes the apprentice of a master assassin. So far I like the series quite a bit and will start the third book after taking a short break from the world. I'll post my thoughts on the series as a whole once I'm done.
Basic fantasy story with a bit of a twist on the magic. Good series though. Kept me reading through all 3. Really enjoyed it and would definitely recommend.

This was a really enjoyable series.

Posted: **Mon Jun 24, 2013 12:07 pm**

Helter Skelter by Vincent Bugliosi

Maybe it's my age or maybe it is because I grew up in California and my grandmother lived in the LA area but the Tate-LaBianca murders and the Manson Family have always fascinated me. I was 13 at the times of the murders and can remember the headlines of the murder and much of what followed. Manson was tried for 7 murders but he and members of his family claimed as many as 35 murders.

This book, written by the prosecutor of the trial of Manson and three of his female followers is a great, quick read. Bugliosi takes you through the murders, through the investigation and then through the trial. In this version (1995 Printing) there is also an "Afterword" that updates the original story 25 years.

Bugliosi pulls no punches, although he does change names of people in a few instances. He criticizes the LAPD (often), the defense attorneys and a judge or two. Given that this took place in 1969 and we have now had many years of CSI shows on TV it is amazing how poorly evidence was collected in those days. LAPD officers routinely ignored evidence, damaged evidence and refused to work with the LA Sheriff's Office.

Finally, you are left with a question as to the legal meanings of "crazy". There seems to be a fine line between crazy and just plain evil. There is little doubt that Manson and several of his followers were evil and believed they had the right to do whatever they wanted in their "cause".

Their cause, the social upheaval of America as blacks would violently oppose the white majority, taking over America and then eventually, in confusion as to what to do they would turn the place over to the smartest guy left around, Charles Manson. That was the basic idea behind the Beatles inspired "Helter Skelter". Manson found messages in much of the Beatles music, believing they were actually speaking to him. Manson tried to meet the Beatles and did actually live with Dennis Wilson of the Beach Boys for a time, until Wilson realized what Manson was about and in essence abandoned the house they were sharing to Manson and his family.

I would give this book a must read, 4.9 of 5 stars.

Posted: **Wed Jun 26, 2013 7:29 am**

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

This is a young adult novel and a very quick read (finished it in a day of air travel). I don't want to spoil anything, so I'll just go with the official description

From amazon -

TIME Magazine’s #1 Fiction Book of 2012!
“The Fault in Our Stars is a love story, one of the most genuine and moving ones in recent American fiction, but it’s also an existential tragedy of tremendous intelligence and courage and sadness.” —Lev Grossman, TIME Magazine

Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel’s story is about to be completely rewritten.

Insightful, bold, irreverent, and raw, The Fault in Our Stars is award-winning-author John Green’s most ambitious and heartbreaking work yet, brilliantly exploring the funny, thrilling, and tragic business of being alive and in love.

Posted: **Wed Jun 26, 2013 9:19 am**

I love John Green.

Posted: **Wed Jun 26, 2013 3:12 pm**

Back in the saddle...

Sacred Secrets: How Soviet Intelligence Operations Changed American History

Wow, was this country lousy with Soviet agents during the period during the 30s-50s.

A major focus of the book is the Venona project of decrypted Soviet cables. Included in the book are examinations of the actions of Oppenheimer, the Rosenbergs, and even why Einstein wasn't permitted full clearance into the Manhattan Project. It also explores the weaknesses of political figures and the US agencies in their inability or unwillingness to act against their own employees when receiving reports of internal espionage, and how that likely made the Red Scare of the 50s even worse and made it so politicized.

All in all, an excellent read and one that definitely made the postwar period a bit more interesting than it was when covered in HS.

Posted: **Wed Jun 26, 2013 4:12 pm**

Smoove_B wrote:#4 -- Wizard and Glass is probably my favorite book by Stephen King; I'm nearly certain I've read it half a dozen times. I believe it's the high point of the Gunslinger series and possibly one of the best books he's ever written.

If you make it through that story and it doesn't make you feel something, you should probably just abandon the rest of the books.

Agreed. Book 3 was the turning point for me, so if you don't like the characters now I don't know if there is anything coming that will change your mind. Get through book 4 though, as it is a great stand-alone book.

Posted: **Thu Jun 27, 2013 8:08 am**

If you can, listen to book 4. i have listened to a lot of audio books but the performance of Frank Muller reading this is still my number 1 favorite. I have listened to this reading at least 4 times over the years and I am not done yet

Posted: **Thu Jun 27, 2013 8:25 am**

Scuzz wrote:Helter Skelter

I read this way back when (teenage years), thought it was a good read too. Honestly, I think anout the book and various details every now and then. I'm interested in the afterward you mention. I'll have to look it up in the library when I visit again. Fascinating how Manson was able to get people to follow him with such commitment. Mr. Bugliosi put a lot of X into the case for sure!

Posted: **Thu Jun 27, 2013 11:40 am**

KKBlue wrote:
Scuzz wrote:Helter Skelter
I read this way back when (teenage years), thought it was a good read too. Honestly, I think anout the book and various details every now and then. I'm interested in the afterward you mention. I'll have to look it up in the library when I visit again. Fascinating how Manson was able to get people to follow him with such commitment. Mr. Bugliosi put a lot of X into the case for sure!

I checked the wikipedia pages on many of the people involved and most are pretty good and use Bugliosi as the main source. It is a good way to check up on the people.

Susan Adkins.....died of cancer recently while still in prison
Charles Tex Watson.....found God, still in prison
Sqeeky Fromm......still in prison for attempt on Pres Ford
Charles Manson......still in prison

Posted: **Thu Jun 27, 2013 1:39 pm**

I'll follow everyone else and say that book 4 is worth it as a stand alone.

msteelers wrote: Agreed. Book 3 was the turning point for me, so if you don't like the characters now I don't know if there is anything coming that will change your mind. Get through book 4 though, as it is a great stand-alone book.

After reading book 4 I took a long pause in the series (moved and just never looked for them at the new library). When I did go back to books 5-7 I found all of the companions much more likeable. Plus they started to behave realistically, at least to my mind, in that they started to accept the reality of their new lives. The last three books were over long and King spent way too much time tying them into everything else he's ever written or thought he would ever write but the world felt much more consistent (even if consistently screwy) after the very different tones of books 1-3.

Posted: **Thu Jun 27, 2013 2:04 pm**

Scuzz wrote:Sqe[a]ky Fromm[e]......still in prison for attempt on Pres Ford

Out of date by about four years.

Posted: **Thu Jun 27, 2013 2:25 pm**

Isgrimnur wrote:
Scuzz wrote:Sqe[a]ky Fromm[e]......still in prison for attempt on Pres Ford

Out of date by about four years.

I knew I had spelled her name wrong but I was to lazy to look it up. But unless I had remembered wrong (and either case I was wrong) she is out. She was considered one of the few followers to actually stay loyal to Manson for the first 25 years. Her and Sandra Good (I think) who as of 1995 was living in Hanford so as to be near the prison Manson was in, although she was not allowed to see him.

Posted: **Thu Jun 27, 2013 2:54 pm**

Just finished Joyland by Stephen King

This is one of his "Hard Case Crime" books so going in I knew this was not a typical mainstream King novel. The Hard Case Crime books are modeled after pulp thrillers of the 40's and 50's. While King doesn't try to recreate the feel of that era (the novel takes place in the '70s), it does follow a more traditional crime novel format - first-person narrative, murder mystery, etc.

King has always had a wonderful flair for generating nostalgia (see Stand By Me), and this book is no exception. Taking place over a magical summer in the '70s, it tells the story of the book's narrator as a young adult finding work at a mid-sized amusement park named Joyland in North Carolina (King modeled the setting after one of my local beaches, which made this book particularly interesting for me). The haunted house ride at Joyland was home to a real-life murder a few years prior, and employees report seeing the victim's ghost in the ride. While struggling with coming-of-age woes, girls, and the oddities of working with carny folk, our narrator gets wrapped up in the mysteries surrounding this unsolved murder.

If all of this sounds a little mundane and by-the-numbers, it is. King could write a story like this in his sleep. Where the book's magic really lies is the introduction of some primary characters halfway through the book. The relationship the narrator has with these characters up until the end gives the book a layer of heart and emotion that elevate it far above simple Scooby Doo mystery.

King proved he could not only scare, but tug at those heartstrings with his novel 11/22/63. This is further proof that deep down when King is not scaring, he can be a real softie.

I really enjoyed the book, and while I went in hoping for a bit more straight-up horror, I was pleasantly surprised at the way King deftly shifted the focus. I went in looking for scares, and I came out with a bit more appreciation of the happier memories we only have one chance to capture in our youth.

Posted: **Thu Jun 27, 2013 2:59 pm**

Oh, King is a total sap in a lot of ways. I have a hold on that one at the library right now, just waiting for my turn.

Octopus Overlords

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