William
Overview: A breathtaking climax to the series told by a great storyteller.
This series is rather hard to describe - it's not a simple three act play. There are many themes and plots weaving in and out, so it is hard to say “this is a story about...”, because it is about so many things. It is a story about prejudice, about societal norms, about guilt and social pressure. It has all the good points of old fashioned Science Fiction, real science and imagined situations - lots of good “what if” scenarios - yet it explores them with a truly diverse cast of believable people who you come to know and care about. These people have plenty of interpersonal drama and growth, as well as getting put in dangerous situations that are described in such amazingly written action scenes that I found myself having to remember to breathe. Perhaps the greatest asset (apart from the brilliant writing style that sucks you in from the first line) is the setting. The setting is so rich and detailed with fascinating hints strewn throughout - I truly believe that there is enough material touched on in this book alone to fill another 100 volumes (Tellon Blaze, Cioni's Apprentices, Jarra's grandparents, Paul who stood with Helena - just to name a few).
Janet Edwards is my favorite living author, and she just keeps getting better.
Once more, thank you Ms Edwards!
Overview: A well written dramatic tale with strong characters based in a fascinating depopulated future New York. Moral questions, character growth, action and a seasoning of humour make this well worth reading. After 1st Reading: Janet Edwards is an excellent writer. This is an exciting story with great characters that pull you in from the first page - leading you on a wild ride while driving home important issues of gender equality, tribalism and environmental issues in a powerful but non-preachy way. I shot through the book and hit the last sentence with a mixture of joy at a great story well told and a feeling of “Gah! But I want to know what happens next!”. I'll just have to put up with the pain of waiting for book 2 to come out. A few years ago [a:Anne McCaffrey 26 Anne McCaffrey https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1599324585p2/26.jpg] passed away and I was sad. Not only was I upset because an amazing talented and imaginative human being had passed from this mortal coil, but also because I did not know of another writer who could produce a very special type of story. It's as if you knew someone who could bake the perfect cake using a secret recipe - and then the recipe was gone. The key ingredients were as follows:* A main character you cared about.* A story that sucked you in from page one.* A setting that was as much a character as any of the people.* A cast of supporting characters that felt rounded and real, and who you cared about - even the “bad guys” (who could be really twisted) still felt like people with reasons for being as they were.* A dash of romance to spice things up. * A sense that, no matter how dark the setting, how dangerous the situation, in the end things would turn out more or less OK - so you could relax and enjoy the thrills. So I was sad that that recipe was lost. I searched high and low and discovered many great authors - but none that filled that void. Then one fateful day I decided to read a bit of fluff. I picked up what looked like a cheesy book for kids called “[b:Earth Girl 12962345 Earth Girl (Earth Girl, #1) Janet Edwards https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1330891351l/12962345.SY75.jpg 18120012]” (I mean, what kind of a silly title is that?). Bam! I was sucked right into an amazing and complex plot/setting that just kept revealing layer after layer - led all the way by a character that I got to care about so deeply that when she was in danger I practically went blue from holding my breath. This was top notch stuff, and felt very much like the perfect recipe...but was it a fluke, or was Ms Edwards a master word-chef? Well her next full novel came out: “[b:Telepath 31300289 Telepath (Hive Mind, #1) Janet Edwards https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1469938072l/31300289.SY75.jpg 51967177]” and I wasn't exactly grabbed by the cover, but I really liked her other work, so I thought I'd give it a go... A minute after opening the book and I was grinning ear-to ear at the brilliant take on a classic SF scenario. A few minutes after that I was starting to realise that there was a lot more to it than I thought. Half way through I'd decided this was just brilliant. Three quarters through I was gasping at how epic everything had got, and by the end I was imploring the gods of reading for a sequel.Oh, and there was no love-triangle, but there was a well written and non-soppy romance which I thoroughly enjoyed - no cheese involved. Now after reading Scavenger Alliance I have decided that Ms Edwards is the bee's-knees. Some of her book covers look like they are aimed at younger adults (and I would seriously recommend them to anyone in that age range) but I would say anyone with an ounce of imagination and soul should find something to enjoy here.On 2nd Reading: I remembered that I loved this book. On second reading I realised that it was better than I remembered. There were so many subtle character details that added depth. Ms Edwards seems to have an abhorrence of 2D characters - somehow she manages to let you know that everyone has a reason for the way they are, even minor characters have details that make you feel that there is a fully rounded person there even if we don't have the opportunity to discover their whole backstory. I'm just itching to explore this world again and find out what happens to Blaze and her friends and to Major and Cage...On 3rd Reading: Even though I'd read this book two times before, I was still sucked right in and found myself trying to find spare moments to jump back into the story - and very reluctant to put the book down. I guess this is what they mean when they call a book captivating. I'm going straight into book 2 and really hoping for a book three sometime.
One Word Review: Awesome! (If you don't know the series, I really recommend Book 1:[b:Telepath 31300289 Telepath (Hive Mind, #1) Janet Edwards https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1469938072l/31300289.SY75.jpg 51967177])Short Review: “Adversary” keeps the Hive Mind series rolling with a bang. It's all about relationships—family, friends, culture. Ms Edwards nails character growth while handing out out intense action scenes and some seriously tense confrontations. The plot ties up nicely, but there's a clear sign we're in for more. Can't wait!Longer Review (no spoilers, promise!): So, in “Adversary,” Janet Edwards dives into the complex world of relationships, especially during the critical New Year period. It's like catching up with old friends. The characters evolve, and it feels like you're right there with them.When Ms Edwards puts the pieces of the plot puzzle together, it's like fireworks. Action scenes? Oh, they're top-notch, keeping you on the edge of your seat. Tense debates, Poirot style confrontations? Check. Every moment of this not only moves the story forward but also adds layers to the characters. It's like she's got this perfect recipe for blending action and character growth.The wrap-up of the current plot is spot-on. You're left feeling satisfied (in my case almost euphoric), but Ms Edwards is cunning — there are clear signs that more world-building goodness is on the horizon in books yet to come. “Adversary” just cranks up the excitement for what's next. Janet Edwards knows how to keep the momentum going in the Hive Mind series. After this, I'm back counting the days until the next instalment, but even more so than last time.In a nutshell, “Adversary” rocks. If you're into characters you can care for and cheer for, heart-pounding action, and a a world that feel read and like a giant puzzle at the same time, this series is perfect. Seriously, dive in!Note: This review was delayed due to me just not knowing how to get my feelings together - I am so invested in these characters. Janet Edwards is certainly my favorite author.
One Word Review: Fantastic!Short Review: An excellent addition to this character-driven mystery/detective series set in a fascinating future world. Strongly recommended. If you haven't read [b:Telepath 31300289 Telepath (Hive Mind, #1) Janet Edwards https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1469938072l/31300289.SY75.jpg 51967177], you should. If you have - you'll love this book!Longer Review (avoiding spoilers): This book is so good it is going on my fiercely guarded “favorites” shelf. Janet Edwards does here what she has done in her previous books - creating believable, relatable characters, putting them in awful but fascinating predicaments, keeping the stakes high- yet injecting humour to stop things getting too dark, and adding a seasoning of brilliantly written action scenes while at the same time subtly getting you to question the place of the individual in society.She has done this so well in every book in the series that I was already thinking of her as my favorite living author...but here she turns it up to 11! Really - if you haven't read the previous books - give [b:Telepath 31300289 Telepath (Hive Mind, #1) Janet Edwards https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1469938072l/31300289.SY75.jpg 51967177] a try.There is a central investigation that provides the backbone of the plot - this is intriguing in itself and it goes without saying that the plot thickens nicely as the investigation proceeds. Previous novels have reminded me of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in the way things are set up carefully and then revealed with a twist. This time I was reminded of Agatha Christie's Poirot stories in some of the characters we meet and especially in how the denouement is presented, a scene I enjoyed immensely.There are many other sub-plots, both personal for Amber, and some very challenging moments for her team. A brilliant part of this series is the careful world-building which feels very much like a deepening mystery - a very carefully handled overarching plot, which Ms Edwards is managing to hint at just enough to get the interest going without detracting from the immediate story. Very well handled and very intriguing! This is becoming more and more a fascinating setting As I've said before - while I really enjoy the detective aspect of the stories, it's the way that Ms Edwards handles characters that keeps bringing me back. The way both Amber and Lucas have to deal with insecurities and trauma is very, very real. The wonderful thing is how they support each other to get through it. These are the sort of well written characters that you want to keep visiting, in fact I put off finishing it because I was enjoying it so much. I just don't want this story to end.Addition after 2nd Reading: Everything I said in my last reading of this fantastic book is still true.I loved the characters, the setting, the mystery and the moments of warm humour.On this second reading I was more aware of broader plot growing in the background. Given the title of the next book I am absolutely on the edge of my seat to see how this is going to play out.After 5th Reading: Five times. Do I recommend this series? Obviously. This is now clearly confirmed as my go to series if I want something to grab me and suck me in. It still does that after five reads.Once more, I really don't want this story to end. I'm missing these characters already.Thank you Ms Edwards.
This story starts slowly, then picks up pace to “Go away reality, don't you understand I'mreading!*” levels by the end.
The interesting idea of fantasy colonists passing through portals to settle a new world got me through the first half. This is a scenario more usual in SF and it was a different experience to see it through the eyes of people who have to worry about enchantments as well as if their crops will grow in the soil.
By the second half things had kicked off with our magic using hard-as-nails heroine and determined if naive warrior off on their quest (avoiding spoilers), travelling through the ruins of a vanished civilisation with wonderfully used pseudoceltic references.
A great read!
An intriguing, and rather dark, short story that very much reminds me of [a:Edgar Allan Poe 4624490 Edgar Allan Poe https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1454522972p2/4624490.jpg]. I think it would be best to approach it knowing as little of the plot as possible, but be prepared for some old fashioned and flowery language.
A facinating memoir from Dr Asimov which charts his time during and either side of the Second World War. slipped into his witty narrative are lesser known stories he wrote during this period which range from the clever and funny to the deeply moralisitic (he apologises for his heavy handedness but explains it was “when both the United States and the Soviet Union developed the fusion H-bomb, and I was bitter again.”).
Well worth reading.
A really enjoyable read. I wanted this to work beacause I really appreciate the work of Lovecraft and Sherlock Holmes is...well need I say more? However a crossover sounded like it would be very hard to pull off. I was pleasantly surprised that Mr Lovegrove has done an excellent job (I debated giving 5 stars).
This is told by Dr Watson in perfect Dr Watson style. The tone and the characters feel spot on. Dr Watson explains that this is the true account of how our two heroes meet and their first case together - an account that Dr Watson had not felt that the public were ready for. Avoiding spoilers this account deals with several suspicous deaths in the Shadwell district of London which leads Holmes into areas familar to fans of the great detective, such as the docklands and the opium dens... but also into darker and more mysterious realms more familar to readers of Lovecraft's work.
I started the book half expecting to put it down after a chapter or two because it just sounded like it couldn't work. I expected it to be over-the-top, contrived or just cheesy. Instead we really see Holmes being Holmes, applying himself to a case with his energy, interlect and drive for justice, in this case however the world he investigates reveals itself to be more complex than expected - but as ever our favorite Consulting Detective is up to the task even when Scotland Yard is a bit out of it's depth.
• If you are a fan of Mr Holmes, but are intrigued to see how he would react to some seemingly paranormal activity: this book is for you (hint: he reacts like Holmes, with observation and the application of reason).
• If you know nothing about the “Cthulhu Mythos” and are looking for an introduction/prequel: this is for you - it's easy to get into and touches all the main bases without anything I would consider spoilers for the Mythos tales. To be honest, this introduction is just what the Mythos needs.
• If you are a Holmes purist and the thought of any revision to the cannon fills you with nameless dread... then run, run now.
An excellent book that manages to be an easy read while at the same time be a fascinating study of archaeology, biography, ancient history and comparative religion. That's pretty impressive. It also manages to be both respectful and funny. Again: impressive.
This book surprised me by reminding me very much of Terry Prachett. It alternated between the antics of the ridiculous Baltimore Gun Club (which, being devestated by not being allowed to shoot people now that the country was at peace, decide instead to shoot the moon), and amazingly accurate descriptions of how to go about sending a capsule to the moon. Ideas such as launching from Florida and building the capsule from aluminium were exactly as used 100 years later in the Apollo missions. Mr Verne was also aware of the dangers of acceleration and tried to compensate for this with an elaborate mechanisim - though I do believe that the daring travellers would have been transformed into something resembling a thin tomato carpet with bits in.
A worthy sequel to an all-time favourite. A great blending of classic detective story, very current social commentary, and true thought-provoking science fiction equal to any of the greats of the genre.
I strongly recommend this series.
A short yet detailed and rewarding look at the historical context of, and evidence for the life of Jesus.
The book does consider the various ancient texts that refer to the story of Jesus both within and (more numerous) outside of cannon, comparing and evaluating them using a secular historical approach. While the author takes a very agnostic approach to the actual person of Jesus, she remains respectful in tone both to the person of Jesus and to the traditions built around that person. The author uses this thread as the centre around which she brings in many fascinating facts about this little corner of the Roman world at a particularly interesting time.
Don't be fooled by the title, most of the cases in this book turn out to have very human causes. This book from 1913 feels very Sherlockish: in each short story the great gentleman detective Carnacki invites our writer to his home to tell him about his latest investigation while puffing on his pipe.
Good stories well told, I'm so glad I stumbled across these. They are free to download on Project Gutenberg and elsewhere.
Karen Armstrong is an amazing writer. As with other of her works, this is a heavily referenced history book, yet is written in such a way that you are just swept along in the story, like reading an epic novel. It is not often that a non-fiction work with footnotes and a bibliography turns out to be an unputdownable page-turner that has me on the edge of my seat and gets finished in under 24 hours!
What a book!
This is not a religious polemic, it should be approached as a work of historical study, with an open and enquiring mind - it often examines different angles of interpretation and I can imagine this might upset some people. Aside from the excellent writing style the book's greatest strength is putting events in their cultural, economic and historical context, something that has greatly increased my understanding of Paul, the historical individual, as well as enhanced my understanding of the use and misuse of his teachings over the years.
This book tries to tell a critical moment in history and manages to bring that world to life.
“The opposite of Faith isn't doubt. The opposite of Faith is certainty”...”Being humble before God means accepting that you may not possess the only path to Him.” (Defy the Fates, Chapter 23)
This series is a very powerful argument against extremism in all it's forms and an argument for judging people purely on the content of their character.
It's many things, particularly a very well written romance and an epic Science Fiction adventure, but the social commentary has been building through the series and becomes quite clear (and quite forceful) in this last book. I in no way think this impeded the storytelling – in fact I felt like punching the air and shouting “You tell them!” in some of the final scenes.
I seriously hope that we have not seen the last from this entertaining, fun, yet thoughtful series.
This book is a great and imaginative story, well told.
The middle book of a trilogy is one which I approach with patience. I know it won't have the zing of the new - Book 1s have all the fun of introducing new characters and situations and can throw all sorts of problems and dangers at the characters without having to worry too much about cleaning up the mess. Book 3s have the grand climax with all the emotional pay off. Book 2s are stuck with “...the plot thickens...”.
Somehow Ms Czerneda has avoided this pattern most triumphantly. Not only does she add tons of character development, she expands and deepens the world in a way that just took my breath away. The challenges thrown at the characters were resolved in an immensely satisfying way, enough that other authors would have just left it there - but Ms Czerneda managed to walk a tightrope of giving closure while at the same time leaving threads loose and mysteries to be solved so that if I didn't have Book 3 handy then I might go a bit batty wanting to know what happens next.
I am so glad I discovered this author. This is great stuff!
Out of the short story collections, I think this is my favorite volume of Sherlock Holmes stories. Every mystery had some twist or detail that intrigued or surprised, and each one was written in a very enjoyable and engaging style. Really great stuff.
An excellent novella, kindly released as a free serial by the author during the time of the covid-19 pandemic.
For the last few months I've been checking the author's website, eagerly looking to see if the next part had been posted. It really was something to look forward to, something I'll miss but fondly remember.
The story itself continues the story of Jarra and brings together many story threads. We not only get to see what happens to her next, but also find out what happened to many excellent characters from the early stories. In places it was very philosophical, reflecting very much on how we all change, and if we change are we still the same person? At another point there was one of the best written action scenes I have ever read, I can not praise it highly enough. To me action scenes only work if you care about the characters - Janet Edwards writes characters that seem real, and who you come to care deeply for. When they are in danger - you care.
Also, archaeologists uniting to defend the dig site! Oh yeah!
(can you tell I did archaeology?)
At the very end when it started looking to the next adventure I was practically vibrating with anticipation.
It really is an excellent ending and a brilliant new beginning to one of my favorite series, by my favorite author writing today.
This was a fantastic read of the sort where putting down the book took a serious amount of willpower.
I'm not sure what to say, but this was a very intelligent Science Fiction story, cleverly written to raise important questions, with an overarching mystery...and it was a serious page turner with a romance that pulled at my heartstrings.
I shot through the last quarter and now I need to remember how to breath.
Wow!
Overview: An unofficial continuation of Asimov's Robot/Empire/Foundation Future History. This is done with great skill and was a highly rewarding read. More Detailed Review: Isaac Asimov wrote a grand epic history of the future, beginning in the far distant year of 1982 (with the birth of Susan Calvin) and stretching into the distant future through his Robot, Empire and Foundation books. Unfortunately, when he passed on in 1992 his work was unfinished. His estate has authorised additional works, yet none of them move the timeline forward or address the open question explicitly outlined at the end of the final volume.In this book Stephen Collings has attempted to produce an (unofficial) continuation of the story, starting directly after Foundation's Edge, making the Trevize/Pelorat books into a rounded trilogy. These books are rather special to me and I'm a bit protective of them, so here are some searching questions.Does Mr Collings manage to emulate the style? I found his style of writing matched Dr Asimov's so well that I actually forgot that I was reading a work of fanfiction. The obvious format is there, familiar to any Foundation fan: Numbered chapters opening with extracts from the Encyclopedia Galactica starting in mid discussion and ending mid sentence, but that is obviously just the trimmings. Asimov, by the time of Foundation's Edge, had developed a rather economical style of writing. Dr Asimov didn't waste time on Tolkien style descriptions of hillsides or Le Guin style semi-poetry (both excellent in their own right), Asimov instead had perfected a way of writing in which each sentence had a point, it said what happened, moved the plot forward, explained an idea or made you chuckle. Asimov was a craftsman and he got the job done. While, to be frank, that often left you with no idea what a certain place looked like, you knew everything you needed. Most of the time the important thing was a discussion between several characters about some crisis revolving around an esoteric philosophical point. A good part of Asimov's genius was that he could make that riveting. How on earth Mr Collings managed to emulate this, I have no idea, but he actually did! In one scene there is a bunch of people sitting though a history lecture/philosophy discussion and I was on the edge of my seat. That is total Asimov. (This is also probably why Foundation hasn't been a Hollywood Blockbuster yet. Studio Exec: “Galactic Empires! That's cool, like Star Wars! Wait... the hero is an old guy doing math?...oh, that's just the start, what happens next? Star Fleets! Wars! Excellent!...What? They get beaten by a bunch of guys talking economics? Where's the explosions?”)Does the author get the characters right? Yes. I was there with Trevize and Pelorat, the characters so accurately presented that I wasn't asking myself “Is that what Pelorat would say?”, because it totally was Pelorat. Let me stress that while I've eased off in recent years, for a stretch of around fifteen years I made a point of reading every novel and short story in the Future History, in chronological order on a loop. Yes that may be obsessive, but it does let me say with confidence: Mr Collings got the characters right.Did the author get the world right? When it comes to Asimov that question is utterly tied up with the question of if he got the issues right. This is a touchy subject for me as I've read other works based on Asimov's writing that completely dispenses with key social and philosophical points that, for Asimov were the entire point. In my opinion Mr Collings gets this spot on, in fact he explicitly draws on issues right from Asimov's early short stories, right up to his final works and manages to weave them together in a way that in no way interferes with the plot, but rather drives it forward, encouraging the reader to ask deep questions about free will, the nature of humanity and, centrally, the value of human life. This is clearly what Asimov strove for and this is what Mr Collings has managed to achieve.OK if you're an Asimov fan, is there any reason you wouldn't like this? A major deal breaker for you may be that this story counts the so-called Second Foundation Trilogy by Benford, Brin and Bear as cannon. Characters and issues from these books affect this story. If you strongly object to those books, you will find this difficult. If you haven't read them you might be able to enjoy this story, but many parts would probably be very hard to follow, in this case you may want to give [b:Foundation's Fear 566429 Foundation's Fear (Second Foundation Trilogy #1) Gregory Benford https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388548970l/566429.SY75.jpg 618932] a try. If, like me, you enjoyed these additional books you should love Foundation's Resolve Voltaire, Joan and Lodovik all play a part..I loved this book (can you tell?) however, if I had to find a negative point it would be that, while the ending is deeply satisfying, it did leave very clear room for further stories and, to the best of my knowledge Stephen Collings has not produced any further work, and right now I'm dying for more.I'm now going to say something that's pretty serious to me.To me, this is cannon.
A good, well written adventure that feels far more serious and adult (ie. grown up) than book 1.
Book 1 of the series felt like it was trying to merge the more whimsical side of Pratchett with a rather serious space adventure. It did quite a good job and the obviously intentional chuckles allowed me to ignore quite how unlikely “Legolas-in-space” actually is.
Book 2 still had humour, but it became more and more along the lines of wry banter. Some events (and flashbacks) are really not-funny and well written. The seemingly impossible nature of actual elves-in-space is actually called out and addressed as a plot point, character development happens hard and the stakes are raised to chilling levels both on a personal and civilisational level.
On top of all of that, towards the end of the book the narrative style and the actual text on the page starts to change in dramatic and experimental ways - to very good effect. I was impressed.
Most of this book was a good solid 3 Stars: I liked it.
The ending of the book changed dramatically enough that I kind-of want to give that 5 stars just for the sheer guts of the author to experiment in multiple ways of telling a story (they actually change the text on the page!) and as the icing on the cake it really worked for me.
On balance I'm sticking to the 3 stars- the ending was amazing, but it was only a tiny portion of the book. That said, I'm really looking forward to seeing how things develop in the third book.
Perfect and inspiring.
This is an utterly beautiful volume of spiritual poetry, including the deeply moving epic work “The Seven Valleys” which portrays the progress of the soul as a journey through the eponymous seven valleys.
I have read several of these poems many times before, often swiftly, enjoying the narrative, imagery and moral points. Other times I have read it slowly, contemplating each verse in depth. This time I worked my way through by reading a verse each morning and evening. If a text can withstand all these methods of consumption and still move and inspire each and every time the book is opened... I know of no way of expressing the extent of this book's perfection.
A fascinating book that explores how we relate to the universe, which is both ancient and vast, both in a physical and spiritual sense. The settings described are fascinating and focus on science that is not often discussed. While the ending seemed rushed, almost as if the author woke up and realised he had to hand the book in that afternoon, the plot is exciting, engaging and thought provoking.
An utterly beautiful account of the life of the founder of the Baha'i Faith, who taught a message of peace, love and equality and as a result suffered torture, imprisonment and exile.
Immensely inspiring.