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Books I've Read
Aug. 31st, 2010 02:33 pm-God Stalk, by P. C. Hodgell. I adore this book. It's the first book that ever kept me up past my bedtime reading it. Jame, our heroine, is strong and brave and clever, while being scared and confused. She's trying to do her best, and it's not her fault things keep falling down. Honestly, I'd recommend this book to anyone who likes high fantasy, or humor, or strong female characters, or...well...reading. 10/10
-On Basilisk Station, by David Weber. Spaceships! Honor Harrington is the protagonist of a very long series, and I haven't read all of the books, but her introduction here is marvelous. She's believably clever and strong-willed, and the universe Weber creates is interesting and plausible. The later books have the same problem as the Temeraire series, with things just getting worse as you go along, and some books being purely setup for the next ones, but this one is self-contained. 9/10
-Thrice Bound, by Roberta Gellis. I picked this up because I'd liked Bull God, and it's just as good. Again, a slight problem with a too-trite ending, but otherwise quite enjoyable. Hecate, the three-faced goddess of Greek mythology, is presented as a magic-worker who can shapeshift between the forms of maiden, woman, and crone. She's strong-willed and quite charming. I must admit, though, that her reaction (or lack thereof) to the titular three bindings elicited the same frustration in me as Harry Potter's inexplicable refusal to go in for self-defense classes after discovering he's the target of a murderous madman did. Nevertheless, it's a fun book. 7/10
-Grass, by Sheri S. Tepper. I have a great fondness for Tepper's work, though the number of dei ex machinae is occasionally depressing. This book, with its plague, its aliens (both friendly and non), and its stubborn heroine, is lots of fun. And the romance is indescribable, but in a good way. Tepper wrote at least one sort-of-sequel to this, but Grass is a stand-alone novel. 8/10
-Making Money, by Terry Pratchett. I love, love, love the Discworld books. That said, Moist von Lipwig is not my favorite character (that's a three-way tie between Susan, Vetinari, and Vimes), but he's clever and fun to read about, and Vetinari is really in top form in this book. I'd recommend reading Going Postal first, though, just so as to understand who everyone is. 7/10
-Nimisha's Ship, by Anne McCaffrey. It's always nice to see female characters with strong math and engineering skills, who aren't dependent on men for their emotional integrity. That said, the time frame of this book, and the told-not-shown nature of interpersonal relationships, make me wish this had been a trilogy instead, so as to explain things more fully. Still, spaceships! Aliens! Wormholes! All very fun. 6/10
-On Basilisk Station, by David Weber. Spaceships! Honor Harrington is the protagonist of a very long series, and I haven't read all of the books, but her introduction here is marvelous. She's believably clever and strong-willed, and the universe Weber creates is interesting and plausible. The later books have the same problem as the Temeraire series, with things just getting worse as you go along, and some books being purely setup for the next ones, but this one is self-contained. 9/10
-Thrice Bound, by Roberta Gellis. I picked this up because I'd liked Bull God, and it's just as good. Again, a slight problem with a too-trite ending, but otherwise quite enjoyable. Hecate, the three-faced goddess of Greek mythology, is presented as a magic-worker who can shapeshift between the forms of maiden, woman, and crone. She's strong-willed and quite charming. I must admit, though, that her reaction (or lack thereof) to the titular three bindings elicited the same frustration in me as Harry Potter's inexplicable refusal to go in for self-defense classes after discovering he's the target of a murderous madman did. Nevertheless, it's a fun book. 7/10
-Grass, by Sheri S. Tepper. I have a great fondness for Tepper's work, though the number of dei ex machinae is occasionally depressing. This book, with its plague, its aliens (both friendly and non), and its stubborn heroine, is lots of fun. And the romance is indescribable, but in a good way. Tepper wrote at least one sort-of-sequel to this, but Grass is a stand-alone novel. 8/10
-Making Money, by Terry Pratchett. I love, love, love the Discworld books. That said, Moist von Lipwig is not my favorite character (that's a three-way tie between Susan, Vetinari, and Vimes), but he's clever and fun to read about, and Vetinari is really in top form in this book. I'd recommend reading Going Postal first, though, just so as to understand who everyone is. 7/10
-Nimisha's Ship, by Anne McCaffrey. It's always nice to see female characters with strong math and engineering skills, who aren't dependent on men for their emotional integrity. That said, the time frame of this book, and the told-not-shown nature of interpersonal relationships, make me wish this had been a trilogy instead, so as to explain things more fully. Still, spaceships! Aliens! Wormholes! All very fun. 6/10
