December Book List
Jan. 1st, 2009 09:40 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lurkerwithoutThe final list for 2008. More new reads than usual as well.
Dec 1st: Glen Cook - Starfishers: The second in Cook's far future scifi series. With the home system government sending agents to try and infiltrate the Starfishers, who have a symbiotic relationship with a species of 4th or 5th dimensional "space whales"...
Dec 2nd: Charlaine Harris - From Dead to Worse: Latest in Harris' Southern Vampire series (more familiar to people thanks to HBO's True Blood). In it the two largest groups of Louisiana supernaturals (Weres and vampires) both have to deal with intrusions from outsiders looking to take control. The upheavals from which have a drastic effect on Sookie's most recent beau, the weretiger Quinn...
Cook - Star's End: Third book in the series, with the agents of the second book, who have gone native as it were, recruited along with the Starfishers and their alien allies recruited into a grand alliance. One that needs to solve the mystery of the planetary super-fortress Star's End to stop an extra-galactic threat...
Dec 4th: Mercedes Lackey - Diana Tregarde Investigates: Bookclub omnibus collection of Lackey's urban fantasy Diana Tregarde series. Which ties in with her Modern Bard and Elves books. Collects Children of the Night, Burning Water and Jinx High...
Dec 6th: Greg Keyes - The Born Queen: Finale to Keyes' Kingdoms of Thorn and Bone series. Avatars and armies gather to determine the beginning or end of the world...
Dec 7th: Eric Flint - 1632: First in Flint's pseudo-alternate history. The set-up is simple. For unknowable reasons a small West Virginia mining town is moved form 21st Century to 1632 "Germany". For those who aren't European history buffs, thats right in the middle of the Thirty Years War, one of the nastier periods of European conflict. This first book unfortunately showcases Flint's weaknesses as a writer. A tendancy towards pompous and florid descriptive writing. Including one of the most laughably overwritten sex scenes I've read. And I used to be a Laurel K. Hamilton fan. But the core of the story is good and later books (as people who skim ahead on the list might guess) show a great deal of improvement. For which I have to say is probably because this is the only novel in the series Flint writes alone. And even his shorter fiction shows that as co-writes books he LEARNS from his partners...
Dec 8th: Eric Flint/David Weber - 1633: The town of Grantville, under the leadership of the local president for the United Mine Workers Mike Stearns, is determined to both survive and infect 17th century Europe with the ideals of 21st century America. Which, thanks to their alliance with King Gustave of Sweden may be possible. Provided they can break the alliance of France, Spain and Denmark...
Dec 9th: Flint/Weber - 1634: The Baltic War: The new ironcald-led navy of theConfederated Principalities of EuropeUnited States of Europe travels out to sea under the command of Admiral Simpson. But can the superior technology of the USE surpass the massed naval might of the League of Ostend. At the same time USE commando team prepares to assault the Tower of London to free the USE's diplomatic mission, led by PresidentPrime Minister Stearn's sister, as well as the imprisoned Oliver Cromwell. Who sits in a cell thanks to the the English royals learning of his rebellion a decade and a half before he would lead it...
Dec 11th: Eric Flint/Virginia DeMarce - 1634: The Ram Rebellion: What starts as a series of amusing short stories about cross-breeding uptime and downtime sheep from the Baen's Bar 1632 community (and more on the 1632 EU online stuff later) turns into a story about Thomas Paine inspired peasant revolution in Franconia...
Dec 12th: Eric Flint/Andrew Dennis - 1635: The Cannon Law: Pope Urban VIII attempts to balance the knowledge of future Catholic dogma against the politics of Rome and the rest of Catholic Europe. But Cardinal Borja of Spain and the Inquisition has his deadly plans for the future of the church...
Dec 13th: Mark del Franco - Unshapely Things: An urban fantasy series, where after being expelled from their homeworld, the courts of British Faerie, German Elf, Gaelic Druid and other supernaturals have mostly integrated with the rest of the world. Connor Grey was once a rising star in the the Guild, but an encounter with an Elf ecoterrorist wrecked most of the druid's abilities. Now he freelances, helping Boston PD with crimes in the fairy neighborhood known as the Weird. But a series of prostitute murders may end up shaking the foundations of the Guild and it looks like Grey may be the only one who can stop the madman behind it...
Dec 14th: del Franco - Unquiet Dreams: Connor Grey and his friends again have what looks to be a simple gang homicide that could reach to the highest levels of power...
Dec 15th: Flint (ed) - Grantville Gazette: The first of the semi-pro anthologies for the 1632 Expanded Universe. What makes this most interesting to me is its origins. Flint and the late Jim Baen created an area of the Baen's Bar forums where fan fiction for the series was ORGANIZED. And then they took the best stories and non-fiction and published it in an e-zine (called the Grantville Gazette). And then after that showed the ability to make a profit, they published print versions. Which also showed a profit. So you have an author harnessing their fandom (and fandom's tendency to write fan fiction), organizing it and making it canon to his universe and then publishing it. Which is honestly just cool...
Dec 16th: John Levitt - Dog Days: Another urban fantasy. This one's protagonist is a musician who once worked as an enforcer protecting and laying down the rules for San Francisco's magical community. The writer's unwillingness to use terms like Wizard (Practitioner), Magic or even Magik (Talent) or Familiar (Ifrit) bugged me at times. For the rest its an ok series, good for killing time and scratching your modern fantasy itch while waiting for your preferred urban fantasy writer to come out with their next book...
Dec 17th: Levitt - New Tricks: Next book in the series. Mysterious deaths, unknown threat, strange happenings, etc etc etc...
Dec 18th: Sherwood Smith - King's Shield: The third insartorias' Inda series. Big battles, heroic last stands, deadly betrayals and other good things. sartorias strength for me is her ability to mesh grand themes with strong and attractive characters...
Dec 19th: Terry Pratchett (actually SIR Pratchett now) - Reaper Man: Death of the Discworld finds himself fired. Which is an annoyance for recently deceased wizard Windle Poons. As Death attempts to find a place to settle in for his new "life", Poons ventures out and explores parts of the world he missed out on when he was alive...
Dec 21st: Richard Morgan - Th1rte3n: Carl Marsalis is a genetically altered Thirteen. One of many super-alpha males created by various governments to be super-soldiers. But the war he was built to fight is long over and now he earns a living and keeps his freedom by hunting other rogue Thirteens. Like the seemingly insane one leaving a trail of corpses across the fractured former United States...
Dec 23rd: Harry Turtledove - In at the Death: Turtledove's finale to his American Front series. As the United States advances steadily across the Confederacy both sides race to be the first to develop the atomic "super-bomb". But even when the war ends, what next for the victor?
Rob Rogers - Devil's Cape: Rogers' debut novel is easily one of the best print versions of super-hero fiction. Devil's Cape is one of the most corrupt cities in America. One that has killed every hero that has attempted to clean it up or bring down its criminal leader, the Robber Baron. But a trio of new heroes; Bedlam, Argonaut and Dr. Camelot IV, won't let that deter them from trying...
Dec 24th: Flint (ed) - Ring of Fire: The pro-anthology of short fiction for the 1632 EU. The sheer organization shown in keeping the pro and semi-pro short fiction under control really does amaze me. Some it is very much thanks to Flint's decision to base his fictional Grantville on a real West Virginia town. This allowed him and other researchers to determine EXACTLY what uptime resources and people should be reasonably available...
Dec 25th: Flint/Dennis - 1634: The Galileo Affair: I should have read this one before The Cannon Law as it takes place first and sets up that book. In it you have the American Embassy to Venice, led by the local uptimer Catholic priest, pot grower turned chemist and dye magnate Thomas Stone and his family and the recently widowed nurse turned 17th century doctor Sharon Nichols. Also a almost farcical plot to "free" Galileo and a more dangerous one by agents of Richelieu and France...
Dec 26th: Pratchett - Hogfather: What would the holidays be without a rereading of this seasonal classic?
Dec 28th: Flint (ed) - Grantville Gazette II: 2nd semi-pro 1632 EU anthology...
Dec 29th: Flint (ed) - Grantville Gazette III: 3rd semi-pro 1632 EU anthology...
Will Shetterly - Dogland: Probably what makes this book work as it does is Shetterly's decision to tell everything from the perspective of the Nix family's oldest, age 4-7. But beyond that is a fine tale of subtle magics, old divinities, racism and dogs in 1960s Florida...
Dec 30th: Stephen King - : Just After Sunset: Some excellent pieces of short fiction, but King still hasn't surpassed the Nightmares & Dreamscapes anthology...
Dec 31st: George R.R. Martin (ed) - Inside Straight: Rereading the franchise relaunch in preparation to read the latest and newest book...
Lois McMaster Bujold - Beguilement: It has been a very long time since I've read any of Bujold's noteworthy scifi series (though the roommate does have them) so I'm not sure how much the style differs between this fantasy series and that. In fact if it weren't for some well-crafted but highly graphic sex scenes I'd quantify it as a YA book series. Not that there is anything in the slightest wrong with YA, but it tends to have a certain feel to it...
Bujold - Legacy: The sequel to the previous book. Which continues the story of the opposing cultures romance of Dag (Lakewalker psychics) and Fawn (farmer) as well as increasing the threat of the Malice/Blight Boggles. I actually found the sequences where Dag and Fawn attempt to get the rest of his Lakewalker tribe to accept Fawn to be stronger than the more horrifying Malice parts...
Total books: 30
Dec 1st: Glen Cook - Starfishers: The second in Cook's far future scifi series. With the home system government sending agents to try and infiltrate the Starfishers, who have a symbiotic relationship with a species of 4th or 5th dimensional "space whales"...
Dec 2nd: Charlaine Harris - From Dead to Worse: Latest in Harris' Southern Vampire series (more familiar to people thanks to HBO's True Blood). In it the two largest groups of Louisiana supernaturals (Weres and vampires) both have to deal with intrusions from outsiders looking to take control. The upheavals from which have a drastic effect on Sookie's most recent beau, the weretiger Quinn...
Cook - Star's End: Third book in the series, with the agents of the second book, who have gone native as it were, recruited along with the Starfishers and their alien allies recruited into a grand alliance. One that needs to solve the mystery of the planetary super-fortress Star's End to stop an extra-galactic threat...
Dec 4th: Mercedes Lackey - Diana Tregarde Investigates: Bookclub omnibus collection of Lackey's urban fantasy Diana Tregarde series. Which ties in with her Modern Bard and Elves books. Collects Children of the Night, Burning Water and Jinx High...
Dec 6th: Greg Keyes - The Born Queen: Finale to Keyes' Kingdoms of Thorn and Bone series. Avatars and armies gather to determine the beginning or end of the world...
Dec 7th: Eric Flint - 1632: First in Flint's pseudo-alternate history. The set-up is simple. For unknowable reasons a small West Virginia mining town is moved form 21st Century to 1632 "Germany". For those who aren't European history buffs, thats right in the middle of the Thirty Years War, one of the nastier periods of European conflict. This first book unfortunately showcases Flint's weaknesses as a writer. A tendancy towards pompous and florid descriptive writing. Including one of the most laughably overwritten sex scenes I've read. And I used to be a Laurel K. Hamilton fan. But the core of the story is good and later books (as people who skim ahead on the list might guess) show a great deal of improvement. For which I have to say is probably because this is the only novel in the series Flint writes alone. And even his shorter fiction shows that as co-writes books he LEARNS from his partners...
Dec 8th: Eric Flint/David Weber - 1633: The town of Grantville, under the leadership of the local president for the United Mine Workers Mike Stearns, is determined to both survive and infect 17th century Europe with the ideals of 21st century America. Which, thanks to their alliance with King Gustave of Sweden may be possible. Provided they can break the alliance of France, Spain and Denmark...
Dec 9th: Flint/Weber - 1634: The Baltic War: The new ironcald-led navy of the
Dec 11th: Eric Flint/Virginia DeMarce - 1634: The Ram Rebellion: What starts as a series of amusing short stories about cross-breeding uptime and downtime sheep from the Baen's Bar 1632 community (and more on the 1632 EU online stuff later) turns into a story about Thomas Paine inspired peasant revolution in Franconia...
Dec 12th: Eric Flint/Andrew Dennis - 1635: The Cannon Law: Pope Urban VIII attempts to balance the knowledge of future Catholic dogma against the politics of Rome and the rest of Catholic Europe. But Cardinal Borja of Spain and the Inquisition has his deadly plans for the future of the church...
Dec 13th: Mark del Franco - Unshapely Things: An urban fantasy series, where after being expelled from their homeworld, the courts of British Faerie, German Elf, Gaelic Druid and other supernaturals have mostly integrated with the rest of the world. Connor Grey was once a rising star in the the Guild, but an encounter with an Elf ecoterrorist wrecked most of the druid's abilities. Now he freelances, helping Boston PD with crimes in the fairy neighborhood known as the Weird. But a series of prostitute murders may end up shaking the foundations of the Guild and it looks like Grey may be the only one who can stop the madman behind it...
Dec 14th: del Franco - Unquiet Dreams: Connor Grey and his friends again have what looks to be a simple gang homicide that could reach to the highest levels of power...
Dec 15th: Flint (ed) - Grantville Gazette: The first of the semi-pro anthologies for the 1632 Expanded Universe. What makes this most interesting to me is its origins. Flint and the late Jim Baen created an area of the Baen's Bar forums where fan fiction for the series was ORGANIZED. And then they took the best stories and non-fiction and published it in an e-zine (called the Grantville Gazette). And then after that showed the ability to make a profit, they published print versions. Which also showed a profit. So you have an author harnessing their fandom (and fandom's tendency to write fan fiction), organizing it and making it canon to his universe and then publishing it. Which is honestly just cool...
Dec 16th: John Levitt - Dog Days: Another urban fantasy. This one's protagonist is a musician who once worked as an enforcer protecting and laying down the rules for San Francisco's magical community. The writer's unwillingness to use terms like Wizard (Practitioner), Magic or even Magik (Talent) or Familiar (Ifrit) bugged me at times. For the rest its an ok series, good for killing time and scratching your modern fantasy itch while waiting for your preferred urban fantasy writer to come out with their next book...
Dec 17th: Levitt - New Tricks: Next book in the series. Mysterious deaths, unknown threat, strange happenings, etc etc etc...
Dec 18th: Sherwood Smith - King's Shield: The third in
sartorias' Inda series. Big battles, heroic last stands, deadly betrayals and other good things. sartorias strength for me is her ability to mesh grand themes with strong and attractive characters...Dec 19th: Terry Pratchett (actually SIR Pratchett now) - Reaper Man: Death of the Discworld finds himself fired. Which is an annoyance for recently deceased wizard Windle Poons. As Death attempts to find a place to settle in for his new "life", Poons ventures out and explores parts of the world he missed out on when he was alive...
Dec 21st: Richard Morgan - Th1rte3n: Carl Marsalis is a genetically altered Thirteen. One of many super-alpha males created by various governments to be super-soldiers. But the war he was built to fight is long over and now he earns a living and keeps his freedom by hunting other rogue Thirteens. Like the seemingly insane one leaving a trail of corpses across the fractured former United States...
Dec 23rd: Harry Turtledove - In at the Death: Turtledove's finale to his American Front series. As the United States advances steadily across the Confederacy both sides race to be the first to develop the atomic "super-bomb". But even when the war ends, what next for the victor?
Rob Rogers - Devil's Cape: Rogers' debut novel is easily one of the best print versions of super-hero fiction. Devil's Cape is one of the most corrupt cities in America. One that has killed every hero that has attempted to clean it up or bring down its criminal leader, the Robber Baron. But a trio of new heroes; Bedlam, Argonaut and Dr. Camelot IV, won't let that deter them from trying...
Dec 24th: Flint (ed) - Ring of Fire: The pro-anthology of short fiction for the 1632 EU. The sheer organization shown in keeping the pro and semi-pro short fiction under control really does amaze me. Some it is very much thanks to Flint's decision to base his fictional Grantville on a real West Virginia town. This allowed him and other researchers to determine EXACTLY what uptime resources and people should be reasonably available...
Dec 25th: Flint/Dennis - 1634: The Galileo Affair: I should have read this one before The Cannon Law as it takes place first and sets up that book. In it you have the American Embassy to Venice, led by the local uptimer Catholic priest, pot grower turned chemist and dye magnate Thomas Stone and his family and the recently widowed nurse turned 17th century doctor Sharon Nichols. Also a almost farcical plot to "free" Galileo and a more dangerous one by agents of Richelieu and France...
Dec 26th: Pratchett - Hogfather: What would the holidays be without a rereading of this seasonal classic?
Dec 28th: Flint (ed) - Grantville Gazette II: 2nd semi-pro 1632 EU anthology...
Dec 29th: Flint (ed) - Grantville Gazette III: 3rd semi-pro 1632 EU anthology...
Will Shetterly - Dogland: Probably what makes this book work as it does is Shetterly's decision to tell everything from the perspective of the Nix family's oldest, age 4-7. But beyond that is a fine tale of subtle magics, old divinities, racism and dogs in 1960s Florida...
Dec 30th: Stephen King - : Just After Sunset: Some excellent pieces of short fiction, but King still hasn't surpassed the Nightmares & Dreamscapes anthology...
Dec 31st: George R.R. Martin (ed) - Inside Straight: Rereading the franchise relaunch in preparation to read the latest and newest book...
Lois McMaster Bujold - Beguilement: It has been a very long time since I've read any of Bujold's noteworthy scifi series (though the roommate does have them) so I'm not sure how much the style differs between this fantasy series and that. In fact if it weren't for some well-crafted but highly graphic sex scenes I'd quantify it as a YA book series. Not that there is anything in the slightest wrong with YA, but it tends to have a certain feel to it...
Bujold - Legacy: The sequel to the previous book. Which continues the story of the opposing cultures romance of Dag (Lakewalker psychics) and Fawn (farmer) as well as increasing the threat of the Malice/Blight Boggles. I actually found the sequences where Dag and Fawn attempt to get the rest of his Lakewalker tribe to accept Fawn to be stronger than the more horrifying Malice parts...
Total books: 30
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Date: 2009-01-02 02:42 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-01-02 06:46 pm (UTC)