2006-12-28
Burning Tower
Author: Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle
As usual, reading a good Niven/Pournelle novel reminds me just what good writing is all about. Burning Tower is the sequel to The Burning City which I read a year or two again. The characters have changed to the descendants of the originals, although not much time has passed. Whandall Feathersnake's story and the story of Tep's Town are over. While we start in Tep's Town and Lordshills, this story hits the road and doesn't come back. It's sufficiently separate from the first entry in this fictional world that I think a person could read this book first and The Burning City second without losing too much enjoyment. Surprisingly, the sequel stands up to the original.
The only problem I had with the story was the false ending about 3/4 of the way through. I don't mind the device sometimes, but I didn't feel like the conflict of the last 100 pages was set up far enough in advance. I understand the basic idea -- the story begins with Sandry realizing he needs to get married soon and so it shouldn't end until he does -- but that didn't stop the pages following the Battle at Sunfall from feeling like an exceptionally long epilogue before the need to escape Aztlan was presented.
This fault doesn't override the deep characters, the sturdiness of most of the plot, or the well-paced storytelling. If that's nothing less than we expect from these frequent collaborators then it only proves why the masters stand out from the crowd. Like almost anything with their two names on it, Burning Tower is highly recommended fantasy.
Here at the end of 2006 I'm a little disappointed that I've logged only 48 books, less than one per week. The end of the year has been particularly slow. Still, this list has served its purpose. I'm not sure if I'm going to continue it or not. If it comes to be February 2007 and this is still the latest update, rest assured that I've read a book since then and simply haven't put it up here.
As usual, reading a good Niven/Pournelle novel reminds me just what good writing is all about. Burning Tower is the sequel to The Burning City which I read a year or two again. The characters have changed to the descendants of the originals, although not much time has passed. Whandall Feathersnake's story and the story of Tep's Town are over. While we start in Tep's Town and Lordshills, this story hits the road and doesn't come back. It's sufficiently separate from the first entry in this fictional world that I think a person could read this book first and The Burning City second without losing too much enjoyment. Surprisingly, the sequel stands up to the original.
The only problem I had with the story was the false ending about 3/4 of the way through. I don't mind the device sometimes, but I didn't feel like the conflict of the last 100 pages was set up far enough in advance. I understand the basic idea -- the story begins with Sandry realizing he needs to get married soon and so it shouldn't end until he does -- but that didn't stop the pages following the Battle at Sunfall from feeling like an exceptionally long epilogue before the need to escape Aztlan was presented.
This fault doesn't override the deep characters, the sturdiness of most of the plot, or the well-paced storytelling. If that's nothing less than we expect from these frequent collaborators then it only proves why the masters stand out from the crowd. Like almost anything with their two names on it, Burning Tower is highly recommended fantasy.
Here at the end of 2006 I'm a little disappointed that I've logged only 48 books, less than one per week. The end of the year has been particularly slow. Still, this list has served its purpose. I'm not sure if I'm going to continue it or not. If it comes to be February 2007 and this is still the latest update, rest assured that I've read a book since then and simply haven't put it up here.
2006-12-16
The Tournament
Author: John Clarke
The Tournament: A Novel of the 20th Century sounded just goofy enough that I put it on my wish list last year for fun, and someone thought it sounded goofy enough that it was my sort of thing so I got it. The premise is that around 500 famous people from the last century gather in Paris for a tennis tournament. They're all championship-caliber tennis players, people who lived decades apart can gather together, and the television ratings break all records as the entire world is full of rabid tennis fans. No feeble explanation for this wastes our time.
This a social studies test in the form of a novel. I got the feeling that any passage I wasn't laughing at just meant I didn't recognize the historical figure being sent up. If there's any real plot or significance to who's winning in the tournament I didn't see it. It's just a non-stop series of jokes poking fun at famous personality flaws, and as such, it's well done. A recommended quick read for someone who will recognize enough of the characters to get something out of it all.
The Tournament: A Novel of the 20th Century sounded just goofy enough that I put it on my wish list last year for fun, and someone thought it sounded goofy enough that it was my sort of thing so I got it. The premise is that around 500 famous people from the last century gather in Paris for a tennis tournament. They're all championship-caliber tennis players, people who lived decades apart can gather together, and the television ratings break all records as the entire world is full of rabid tennis fans. No feeble explanation for this wastes our time.
This a social studies test in the form of a novel. I got the feeling that any passage I wasn't laughing at just meant I didn't recognize the historical figure being sent up. If there's any real plot or significance to who's winning in the tournament I didn't see it. It's just a non-stop series of jokes poking fun at famous personality flaws, and as such, it's well done. A recommended quick read for someone who will recognize enough of the characters to get something out of it all.
2006-12-04
Paul Simon
Author: Laura Jackson
Paul Simon: The Definitive Biography of the Legendary Singer/Songwriter starts out with a kind of fawning admiration that warns the reader this won't be a completely unbiased biography. The author is clearly on her subject's side when discussing things like the Simon & Garfunkel relationship or the making of Graceland. Still, there is a lot of information that was new to me as a casual fan.
After an introduction the book proceeds in chronological order through Simon's life. It takes a little over half of the pages to reach the professional breakup with Art Garfunkel, then events from 1970 and the eponymous solo debut album through the book's publication in 2002 require only ninety pages. The cutoff point is around Simon's inclusion on The Wild Thornberries soundtrack -- the fact is noted in the discography but not part of the text.
Reading this book you won't learn exactly why Simon and Garfunkel broke up, then continuously teased at a comeback that never could happen. You will, however, get enough clues that it appears Jackson has her impression of why even though she doesn't want to say it quite so neatly. As I said, this is a sympathetic biography, so you'll get a favorable impression of that event and others. What pop star really warrants a scholarly biography? This book is meant to be fun reading for existing fans, and succeeds completely.
Paul Simon: The Definitive Biography of the Legendary Singer/Songwriter starts out with a kind of fawning admiration that warns the reader this won't be a completely unbiased biography. The author is clearly on her subject's side when discussing things like the Simon & Garfunkel relationship or the making of Graceland. Still, there is a lot of information that was new to me as a casual fan.
After an introduction the book proceeds in chronological order through Simon's life. It takes a little over half of the pages to reach the professional breakup with Art Garfunkel, then events from 1970 and the eponymous solo debut album through the book's publication in 2002 require only ninety pages. The cutoff point is around Simon's inclusion on The Wild Thornberries soundtrack -- the fact is noted in the discography but not part of the text.
Reading this book you won't learn exactly why Simon and Garfunkel broke up, then continuously teased at a comeback that never could happen. You will, however, get enough clues that it appears Jackson has her impression of why even though she doesn't want to say it quite so neatly. As I said, this is a sympathetic biography, so you'll get a favorable impression of that event and others. What pop star really warrants a scholarly biography? This book is meant to be fun reading for existing fans, and succeeds completely.
