Don't Forget to Read a Book!

Hello, Stranger. Let's talk about Lois McMaster Bujold's  Diplomatic Immunity. The Short of It Plot: If only Lieutenant Solian had just been murdered and not this he-said, she-said disappearance... then Auditor Miles Vorkosigan would have no need to go investigate. Page Count: 320 Award:  Part of the  Vorkosigan Saga Worth a read : Yes Primary Driver:  ( Plot ,  World , or  Character ) Bechdel Test : Pass Technobabble:  Sufficient. Review:  Arguably the perfect Vorkosigan story. A legitimately engaging smaller scale conflict - in this case, a mystery - with much broader ramifications. Real twists and turns, compelling antagonists and side characters... it's a ton of fun. Inclusion of side story involving Miles and Ekaterina needing to see the birth of their children adds both higher stakes and a ticking clock, upping the pace. Great one-off characters as well. Nice to see some tie-ins with Falling Free  after all this time. Tight plottin...

Hello, Stranger. Let's talk about James K. Morrow's  The Eternal Footman. The Short of It Plot:  People are dropping, replaced by sad husks - fetches - of their former selves. Is there anything that can be done to fight this plague of ennui? Page Count:  368 Award: Third book in the Godhead trilogy Worth a read : No Primary Driver:  (Plot,  World , or  Character )  Bechdel Test : Pass(?) Technobabble:  Spiritual Babble, sure. Review:  A retread of almost the same thing we've read from Morrow, but even less inspired. A dull slog without even the sparks of wit that helped make the previous two books a bit less of a chore. Atmosphere is extremely oppressive, characters are all depressed, bitter, or both. Impossible to care about actual outcomes or story.  The Only of It Spoilers? Not really. Congratulations, this is basically the same book, again. It's just a bit worse each time. I thought about spending a bunch of time writing up a more nu...

Hello, Stranger. Let's talk about Lois McMaster Bujold's  A Civil Campaign. The Short of It Plot:  You've seen Miles Vorkosigan face down armies, conspiracies, and empires. But isn't it about time you saw him in a romantic comedy? Page Count:  428 Award:  Part of the  Vorkosigan Saga Worth a read : Yes Primary Driver:  (Plot, World, or  Character ) Bechdel Test : Pass Technobabble:  Minimal Review:  Fine! I'm invested! It's a comedy of errors, an interwoven net of fumbling affections and budding romances. It's basically not science fiction, or action, or anything but a sappy romance. Yet after spending so much time with Miles we just want him to be happy. The same could be said for Mark, and Ivan, and Gregor, and everyone else who ends up amorously entangled throughout the novel. Of course, it wouldn't be a Vorkosigan book without some plotting and subterfuge, but all of that is background to the multiple romances all going on. The ...

Hello, Stranger. Let's talk about Peter S. Beagle's  The Innkeeper's Song. The Short of It Plot: Tikat will stop at nothing to be reunited with his deceased love, three mysterious travelers try to track down their friend, and Karsh just wants his inn to run smoothly.  Page Count: 346 Award:  1993 Locus Fantasy. Worth a read : Yes. Primary Driver:  (Plot, World, or  Character ) Bechdel Test : Pass Technobabble:  Nope Review:  Beautifully written straightforward fantasy. Excellent use of perspective switches to both contextualize events and add depth to characters. Leans into tropes and clichés to place characters and interpersonal relationships at the fore. Superb use of diction and speech style to distinguish between different narrators. Pacing does not always work - there are major lulls which do not have enough payoff to be worth the break. Overall a warm glass of milk with honey: inoffensive but hits the spot. The Medium of It Spoiler Free...