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February '12 Book List
Mar. 13th, 2012 08:08 pmStarted off the month with In Fire Forged the newest Honor-verse anthology edited by David Weber. Only three stories in this one, by Jane Lindskold, Timothy Zahn and Weber. Both Zahn and Lindskold mesh their styles well to compliment Weber's setting...
Later in the month, after finding out I couldn't get one of the work's wireless networks to connect with my Fire, I ended up rereading more Honorverse since I had it downloaded. Ashes of Victory, War of Honor, Shadow of Saganami, At All Costs, Storm From Shadows and Mission of Honor. Which basically covered from the midpoint of the series to right before the most recent book...
Only two books for Feb. from the "cheap Kindle deal" pile. The first is a historical fiction bit by John J. Miller, the First Assassin about a plot to kill Lincoln early at the start of the Civil War. The bits with the killer feel a bit overdone, but otherwise a decent enough read. The second book is a collection of essays Hatemail from Cheerleaders by sports essayist Rick Reilly. Can't say I cared for that one. A bit too heavy on the slice-of-life feel-good fluff and light on the humor really...
Finished the newest "Instrumentalities of the Night" book from Glen Cook, Surrender to the Will of the Night. This one really pushes forward the potential game changing nature of cannon usage. Both against the supernatural godlings and spirits, as well as on more traditional battlefields. This series could still use a damn included world map though...
Then I checked out a sort of prequel to Harry Turtledove's "Lost Legion" series, Krispos Rising. Which is basically showing how the lead character goes from being a simple peasant to eventually seizing control of an Empire...
The roommate got me the latest steampunk althistory series featuring Richard Burton as a birthday gift. Expedition to the Mountains of the Moon involves both Richard Burton attempting a new expedition to the Mountains of the Moon and also getting sort of lost in time...
Borrowed from the roommate was the Dragon's Nine Sons by Chris Roberson. Which is set in a world where China was expansionist instead isolationist and now controls nearly all of the world. Here a group of "volunteer" Chinese soldiers has to bring down a Mexican space station that threatens the Imperial Martian colonies. Kind of like "The Dirty Dozen". In space. With everyone having Chinese names without all actually being Chinese of course. Because of the whole One World Chinese Nation thing...
Next was the newest "Paksworld" novel Echoes of Betrayal. I liked the book, even though like 4/5ths of it felt like set-up rather than forward movement...
Then a new urban fantasy anthology, Home Improvement: Undead Edition edited by Charlaine Harris and Toni L.P. Kelner. Which basically passes my two main metrics for an anthology. Did I enjoy at least 50% of the book? And do any of the short stories leave me interested in the rest of the author's series?
Finished the month with a three book omnibus from Sharon Lee and Steve Miller, "Partners in Necessity". I'd read one of their "Liaden Universe" short stories online last year and I'd been meaning to check them out more fully for a while. The three books Conflict of Honors, Agent of Change and Carpe Diem made from pretty good space opera with intergalatic merchant houses, spies, mercs, psychic powers, romance, cool aliens and lots of interesting background details...
Total books: 18
Later in the month, after finding out I couldn't get one of the work's wireless networks to connect with my Fire, I ended up rereading more Honorverse since I had it downloaded. Ashes of Victory, War of Honor, Shadow of Saganami, At All Costs, Storm From Shadows and Mission of Honor. Which basically covered from the midpoint of the series to right before the most recent book...
Only two books for Feb. from the "cheap Kindle deal" pile. The first is a historical fiction bit by John J. Miller, the First Assassin about a plot to kill Lincoln early at the start of the Civil War. The bits with the killer feel a bit overdone, but otherwise a decent enough read. The second book is a collection of essays Hatemail from Cheerleaders by sports essayist Rick Reilly. Can't say I cared for that one. A bit too heavy on the slice-of-life feel-good fluff and light on the humor really...
Finished the newest "Instrumentalities of the Night" book from Glen Cook, Surrender to the Will of the Night. This one really pushes forward the potential game changing nature of cannon usage. Both against the supernatural godlings and spirits, as well as on more traditional battlefields. This series could still use a damn included world map though...
Then I checked out a sort of prequel to Harry Turtledove's "Lost Legion" series, Krispos Rising. Which is basically showing how the lead character goes from being a simple peasant to eventually seizing control of an Empire...
The roommate got me the latest steampunk althistory series featuring Richard Burton as a birthday gift. Expedition to the Mountains of the Moon involves both Richard Burton attempting a new expedition to the Mountains of the Moon and also getting sort of lost in time...
Borrowed from the roommate was the Dragon's Nine Sons by Chris Roberson. Which is set in a world where China was expansionist instead isolationist and now controls nearly all of the world. Here a group of "volunteer" Chinese soldiers has to bring down a Mexican space station that threatens the Imperial Martian colonies. Kind of like "The Dirty Dozen". In space. With everyone having Chinese names without all actually being Chinese of course. Because of the whole One World Chinese Nation thing...
Next was the newest "Paksworld" novel Echoes of Betrayal. I liked the book, even though like 4/5ths of it felt like set-up rather than forward movement...
Then a new urban fantasy anthology, Home Improvement: Undead Edition edited by Charlaine Harris and Toni L.P. Kelner. Which basically passes my two main metrics for an anthology. Did I enjoy at least 50% of the book? And do any of the short stories leave me interested in the rest of the author's series?
Finished the month with a three book omnibus from Sharon Lee and Steve Miller, "Partners in Necessity". I'd read one of their "Liaden Universe" short stories online last year and I'd been meaning to check them out more fully for a while. The three books Conflict of Honors, Agent of Change and Carpe Diem made from pretty good space opera with intergalatic merchant houses, spies, mercs, psychic powers, romance, cool aliens and lots of interesting background details...
Total books: 18
