| Title |
Author |
Length |
Completed |
Rating |
Comments |
Total YTD:
77 Books, 40,754 pages
(Averaging 529.3 pages per book, 111.65 pages per day)
|
| Flood
Tide |
Clive Cussler |
548 pgs |
12/21/2001 |
3.0 |
Not as good as his others...or perhaps I've
just read too many of his books. Most of the novel followed a
particular theme, and when it was resolved, the last 100+ pages,
although following the same villian, seemed rather anticlimatic. |
| Serpent
|
Clive Cussler |
470 pgs |
12/14/2001 |
3.0 |
Not as good as most of his books. Instead of
the Dirk Pitt and Al Giordano team, he uses Kurt and Austin
instead. Contrary to most of his novels, where we know who the
villian is early on and have a fair number of scenes where his
character is fleshed out, the villian in Serpent, Mr. Halcon, is less
developed and less frequently seen. Not as interesting. |
| Shock
Wave |
Clive Cussler |
592 pgs |
12/10/2001 |
4.0 |
|
| Iceberg |
Clive Cussler |
296 pgs |
12/8?/2001 |
4.0 |
A surprising number of unexpected plot
twists. Definitely not predictable. There is always a predefined
villian in Cussler's books, but it's the surrounding characters and
the means by which Dirk Pitt (the protagonist) succeeds that makes
the novel interesting. |
| Sahara |
Clive Cussler |
568 pgs |
12/4?/2001 |
4.0 |
A good Clive Cussler book, well-written like
all of them. At this point, I'm just mowing through this author, not
even bothering to read the jackets for a plot synopsis; all of them
are original and unpredictable enough to be consistently interesting. |
| Deep
Six |
Clive Cussler |
470 pgs |
11/30/2001 |
3.5/4.0 |
The seventh book in the Dirk Pitt series,
Clive Cussler's novel is another interesting mystery/fiction novel,
with more realism and less predictable plot than most works of
fiction by verbose writers. |
| The
Midwife's Advice |
Gay Courtier |
624 pgs |
11/26?/2001 |
2.0 |
A horribly boring book. I'm not quite sure
why I bought it, even second-hand. It took me a month or two to
read, because I could never get into it, and others kept taking
precedence. Not recommended. |
| Sword-Dancer |
Jennifer Roberson |
288 pgs |
11/25/2001 |
2.5/3.0 |
The first in the Sword Dancer series, the
reader is introduced to Tiger, the former slave who killed a
Sandtiger to win his freedom, later becoming the best sword-dancer in
the South, and Del, a mysterious beautiful Northern woman, searching
for her brother, sold into slavery five years ago in the South. A
decent beginning to the series, but nothing exceptional. Her
Cheysuli series is more vivid. |
| Inca
Gold
|
Clive Cussler |
577 pgs |
11/25/2001 |
3.0 |
|
| Atlantis
Found |
Clive Cussler |
532 pgs |
11/22/2001 |
3.0/3.5 |
|
| The
Changeling (The Fey, Book II) |
Kristine Kathryn Rusch |
611 pgs |
11/16/2001 |
3.5 |
Told with a bit more skill than the first, and
less gruesome as well, the second book of the Fey follows Islander
Prince Nicholas and his wife, Fey Princess Jewel, through their kingdom's
times of turmoil caused by Fey leader and Jewel's father, Rugar, and the
spiritual leader of the Islanders, the Roccocan, as they battle over
the royal children. |
| The
Lion Throne (Chronicles of the Cheysuli, Omnibus 4) |
Jennifer Roberson |
769 pgs |
11/14/2001 |
3.5/4.0 |
The fourth and final omnibus, it contains the
last two (7th and 8th) books in the Cheysuli series. |
| Children
of the Lion (Chronicles of the Cheysuli, Omnibus 3) |
Jennifer Roberson |
720 pgs |
11/6/2001 |
3.5 |
The third omnibus edition of the series,
encompassing the fifth and sixth books. The fifth book follows each
of the three princes of the realm, Brennan, Hart and Corin, as they
each, in their own portion of the novel, find themselves and face
their fears and shortcomings. The sixth book follows the only
princess, Corin's twin sister, through her own path of discovery and
trials. Overall, a consistently well-written and interesting series. |
| Legacy
of the Wolf (Chronicles of the Cheysuli, Omnibus Two) |
Jennifer Roberson |
761 pgs |
10/27/2001 |
3.5 |
The second omnibus of the 8-book series
contains the third and forth books. |
| Shapechanger's
Song (Chronicles of the Cheysuli, Omnibus 1)
|
Jennifer Roberson |
560 pgs |
10/19/2001 |
3.0/3.5 |
This omnibus contains the first two books (out of
a total of eight) in the Cheysuli series. |
| The
Sacrifice (The Fey, Book I) |
Kristine Kathryn Rusch |
660 pgs |
10/12?/2001 |
3.0 |
|
| The
Firm |
John Grisham |
501 pgs |
10/4/2001 |
3.5/4.0 |
One of my favorite 3 Grisham books (along with
the Pelican Brief and the Street Lawyer), which I've read at least
once or twice before. |
| Guardian
of the Balance (Merlin's Descendants, #1) |
Irene Radford |
608 pgs |
9/30/2001 |
3.0 |
|
| The
Eyes of the Dragon |
Stephen King |
380 pgs |
9/26/2001 |
3.0 |
Not by any means a standard Stephen King book,
this novel discusses the sides and characters of good and evil in a
world of evil magicians, clueless kings, and princes and
dragons; wherein a prince is betrayed, his prince-brother used, and
evil discovered through a dragon's eyes. |
| March
Upcountry |
David Weber, John Ringo |
512 pgs |
9/24/2001 |
3.0/3.5 |
Another pretty good David Weber book,
following a self-absorbed, shallow prince of the Empire of Man
through his passage accross a dangerous World with the remains of the
batillion sworn to guard him. |
| Guardian
of the Trust (Merlin's Descendant's, #2) |
Irene Radford |
608 pgs |
9/23/2001 |
3.0 |
|
| River
of Dreams |
Gay Courter |
572 pgs |
9/21?/2001 |
2.5 |
Decent, but fairly slow, and not as interesting as
"The Midwife." |
| The
Magic Circle |
Katherine Neville |
552 pgs |
9/13?/2001 |
2.5 |
I bought this book because her "The Eight" is
one of my all-time four favorite books. Unfortunately, this one fell
far, far short of her masterpiece. About 25% of this novel focuses
on Jesus' time, with the majority of the book placed in the present,
following the protagonist in her search for (and then the meaning
within) some valuable, ancient manuscripts, which is somehow related
to the interworkings of her convoluted family. Not worth
reading; pick up "The Eight" by Neville instead. |
| Blindsight |
Robin Cook |
352 pgs |
9/6?/2001 |
2.5/3.0 |
|
| The
Golden Key |
Melanie Rawn, Jennifer Roberson, Kate Elliott |
912 pgs |
8/31/2001 |
3.5 |
I've read quite a few books (5 each) by both
Melanie Rawn and Kate Elliott, so I bought this one in hopes it would
be as good as their others works. The beginning (oh, the first 300
pages) I actually considered to be a bit creepy and disturbing, but
after that the main character somehow seemed less dangerous (although
he was more so) and I became more involved in the rest of the
book. Spanning over 400 years, this book follows Sario Grijalva, who
as one of the Gifted (rather than just gifted) Limner (painters) in
his famiy, uses his Gift in ways which defy the limits of most
mortals. An intersting (and long) read; not at all what I expected,
but good nonetheless. |
| Vital
Signs |
Robin Cook |
352 pgs |
8/27/2001 |
3.0 |
Another standard medical thriller by Robin
Cook, it entertains like all the others, although I must admit that
the near misses by the main character(s) are too good to be
true; they go into too many dangerous situations with no idea of what
they're doing, and come out of it alive and well. The story
follows Marissa, a pediatrician who has discovere that she is barren
as a result of blocked fallopian tubes. After attempting in-vitro
fertilization, she begins to be suspicious of her clinic's practices, and
traces her suspicious to Australia, and then Hong Kong and China to
uncover a conspiracy to take advantage of women who want children, and the
means they'll go through (and money they will spend) to become pregnant.
|
| Terminal |
Robin Cook |
384 pgs |
8/26/2001 |
2.5/3.0 |
Although I gave this book a relatively low
rating, the premise was pretty good. I found the book better on some
fronts; the idea of what's occurring at the Forbes cancer center is
intersting, but the two main characters are so black-and-white that
they are totally unbelievable. The main character seems to have no
problem 'breaking and entering' into all sorts of places, using the
excuse that someone has to figure out what the 'bad guys' are doing,
like it excuses his own illegal actions. His girlfriend, on the
other hand, starts out with a spine, trying to confront him about
their relationship, but the never really talk about it, and she
follows him around on all of his illegal endeavers like a simpering,
boring, stereotypical wimp, even though she keeps objecting to his
actions even though she accompanies him. The characters are flat and
uninteresting; too bad they didn't match the plot, which was pretty
good. |
| Chromosome
6 |
Robin Cook |
480 pgs |
8/22/2001 |
3.0/3.5 |
This book was a bit less predictable than the
previous two I've read, although perhaps not by much. The book is
divided into two interrelated subplots, following a a couple of medical
examiners (coroners) in their search to explain an odd liver
transplant in the mutilated body of a crime family member, and the
flip side of the coin, researchers who made such organ transplants
possible through their research. Pretty interesting. |
| Contagion |
Robin Cook |
496 pgs |
8/17/2001 |
3.0/3.5 |
This medical thriler follows the forensic
pathologist Dr. Jack Stapleton in his search to explain the sudden
outbreak of three very rare diseases, occuring only at a hospital funded
by the HMO that ruined his medical practice 6 years previously. A fairly
good twist at the end, somewhat unexpected in Cook's writing. Cook seems
to write consistently interesting novels, and his background (being a
doctor himself) is apparent in his writing. He also has surprisingly good
diction, using words that the general populace doesn't use in everday
venacular. |
| Acceptable
Risk |
Robin Cook |
400 pgs |
8/17/2001 |
3.0 |
This was the first book by Robin Cook that
I've read, and it was good enough that it won't be the
last. Following a young woman in her search for herself through
learning about her ancestor, and a research scientist obsessed with a
new wonder-drug, it does a good job of keeping you interested without
being gory; a good medical thriller. The only downside to this book
(and I've noticed it in the second book of his I'm reading now) is
that at least part of the information the protagonists seek is
obvious; the reader might be frustrated with how long it takes the
main characters to discover what you know they will discover from the
outset. Although there are definite suprises at the end; the
"answer" each of the 2 main characters have been looking for-- I
would have preferred to have been less frustrated and more caught up
in the wonder of it all. A good read; better than mere mindless
'airplane fare,' but not completely intellectually stimulating
either. |
| Skybowl
(Dragon Star, Book 3) |
Melanie Rawn |
760 pgs |
8/16/2001 |
3.5 |
|
| The
Dragon Token (Dragon Star, 2) |
Melanie Rawn |
554 pgs |
8/?/2001 |
3.5/4.0 |
|
|
Stronghold (Dragon Star, 1) |
Melanie Rawn |
578 pgs |
8/?/2001 |
3.5 |
Stronghold is the first in the Dragon Star trilogy,
which follows Melanie Rawn's Dragon Prince trilogy. The entire Dragon
Star triology follows High Prince Rohan, his son Pol, and his people's
fight against the Vellanti'im, an invading force of barbarians whose only
goal seems to be to kill and destroy everything within reach. |
| Sun-Runner's
Fire (Dragon Prince, 3) |
Melanie Rawn |
467 pgs |
7/26/2001 |
4.0 |
A very good book, this is the third and last
in the Dragon Prince series. A second trilogy, however, follows
immediately after this one, beginning with "Stronghold." |
| The
Star Scroll (Dragon Prince, 2) |
Melanie Rawn |
582 pgs |
7/24/2001 |
4.0/4.5 |
Just as good as the first book in this trilogy
(below), it follows Rohan in his ascent to the role of High Prince
with his wife, Sioned, and their son, heir to the throne, Prince
Pol, who is both prince and Sunrunner, one of the first to hold their
power as well as political strength. This book was just as riviting
as Dragon Prince, and I looked forward to going home so I could find
out what happened next. |
| Dragon
Prince (Dragon Prince, 1) |
Melanie Rawn |
574 pgs |
7/22/2001 |
4.0 |
I enjoyed, but wasn't overenthusiastic, about
a couple of Melanie Rawn's other books I'd read, so I decided to try
another of her novels. I was definitely pleasantly suprised. This
is a very good fantasy novel, with something akin to magic wielded by the
Sunrunners, gifted people who can weave the light of the sun and the moon,
in a world ruled by a High Prince and princes, most, but not all, ungifted
with sunrunner skills. This particular book, which I only put down
when my headache made me stop reading, focuses on the evil High Prince
Roelstra, the side plots of his seventeen daughters and current
mistress, and more importantly, our protagonist Prince Rohan of the
Desert and his Chosen Sunrunner-wife, Sioned. Very good fantasy,
alive with interesting, realistic characters. |
| Oath
of Swords |
David Weber |
489 pgs |
7/19?/2001 |
2.0/2.5 |
I finished this book, but I must say it was
not even in the same league as his Honor Harrington series. I was
even more astounded to see this book get an average 4.5 of 5-star
rating on Amazon.com... but maybe they saw something in it I didn't,
or I'm just pickier. The characters were all good or all bad; the
protagonists had no flaws, and the novel seemed to be fairly boring
with little progression, and I never got caught up in the story. Not
recommended. |
| Heirs
of Empire |
David Weber |
533 pgs |
7/16?/2001 |
3.0 |
A pretty good book, and the third in the
series (the previous two below), it follows not Emperor Colin
himself, but his son and daughter, with their closest friends, who
have been trapped on a unknown, human-populated and hostile planet,
caught between two warring factions. |
| The
Armageddon Inheritance |
David Weber |
344 pgs |
7/10/2001 |
2.5/3.0 |
Like its predecessor, Mutineer's Moon,
it was an okay book but not up to the standards of his more recent
work, specifically the Honor Harrington series, which I'd
recommend. Decent but not exceptional or riviting. |
| Mutineer's
Moon |
David Weber |
315 pgs |
7/6/2001 |
2.5/3.0 |
Not a bad book, but not up to the
writing/entertainment standards of his Honor Harrington series. Then
again, he wrote this in 1991, and some of his HH-series works are
more recent. This is the sort of book where you wait for it to show up in
your library, versus buying it. Unfortunately, I bought it,
assuming it would be as good as his other novels. Oh, well. A
decent read, but nothing to talk about. |
| Harry
Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Book 4) |
J.K. Rowling |
734 pgs |
7/4?/2001 |
4.5 |
My third time reading this book; good as
always, definitely a recommended series. |
| Harry
Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Book 3) |
J.K. Rowling |
435 pgs |
6/30/2001 |
4.5 |
My third time reading this book; very good as
usual. Definitely a recommended series. |
| Harry
Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Vol 2) |
J.K. Rowling |
341 pgs |
6/27/2001 |
4.5 |
Very good, as always. This is my third time
reading this book. |
| Harry
Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Vol 1) |
J.K. Rowling |
312 pgs |
6/25/2001 |
4.5 |
Very good, as always. This is my third time
reading this book. |
| The
Mageborn Traitor (Exiles, Vol 2) |
Melanie Rawn |
609 pgs |
6/23/2001 |
3.0/3.5 |
The Mage Captal, Cailet, and her Counselor
sister Sarra are trying to put the world back together again after
their fight against the Malerissi, now headed by their sister
Glenin. Just as good as, if not better than the first book in the
series. |
| Ruins
of Ambrai (Exiles, Vol 1) |
Melanie Rawn |
675 pgs |
6/19/2001 |
3.0 |
A pretty good book- and yes, I saw that about
quite a lot of books. It didn't suck me in to where I absolutely
didn't want to put it down, but it didn't leave me indifferent
either. The character development was decent-to-good, and Rawn was
able to juggle quite a number of prominently figured characters
without confusing them at all, as well as a good progression of plot
in this almost-700-page book. Like so many fantasy books, it has both
Mageborn and magic-less characters, although almost all of the major
players are the former. The novel carries us through an era where
the Mageborn are being systematically wiped out, and their struggles to
stay alive and resist the Lords of Malressi, here the enemey Mageborn
trying to acheive control. Most of the book follows three sisters, who
have chosen different sides of the political and magical spectrum, and
sometimes aren't even aware of each other's existence.
|
| Against
the Odds |
Elizabeth Moon |
416 pgs |
6/16/2001 |
2.5/3.0 |
The most current novel in the series about
Esmay Suiza, the last of the Familias Regnant saga. The book had all
of the characters from the previous books, but I don't think it stood
up to the previous novels in the saga. It was still a good read, but
nothing exceptional. Perhaps I considered the character development
weaker than expected, but I could attribute the bland feeling to the
fact that Kate Elliotts Jaran series seems so much more alive. |
| A
Girl of the Limberlost |
Gene Stratton Porter |
479 pgs |
6/13/2001 |
4.0/4.5 |
I gave this such a good rating because it's a
children's book that can also be read years later as an adult. I
first read this book when I was a child, and re-read it again at
least once or twice, and just read it because it was such a good story of
a young girl in the early 1900's who grows up in the school of hard
knocks, but has the best disposition and a strong love of nature. Elnora
collects rare moths to put her way through high school. Definitely
recommended for kids 8 and up, but written well enough (like
Harry Potter) that it doesn't lose interest as you get older. Totally
innocent, and appropriate for children. |
| The
Law of Becoming (Jaran, Book 4)
|
Kate Elliott |
495 pgs |
6/7/2001 |
3.5 |
The beginning of this book, the forth in the
series, starts 5-7 years after the conclusion of the third novel. This
time lapse, as well as trying to catch up with an almost confusing amount
of characters, makes the first hundred pages a bit difficult. It picked
up admirably, though, and had a few surprising twists, that I'm sort of
surprised the author chose. I was, however, eager to pick up the book
again whenever I put it down, and had to convince myself to put it down at
night so I could get enough sleep for work the next morning. So far, I've
enjoyed this series a lot, and it's been consistently good. |
| His
Conquering Sword (Jaran, Book 3) |
Kate Elliott |
743 pgs |
6/3/2001 |
3.0/3.5 |
Also a good book, continuing where book 2 left off
(below). Not /quite/ as good as the second, but still very
good. Overall, I think this series is holding up better than her
Crown of Stars series did at this point. Still
recommended. Each of the main characters progresses, and new minor
characters are added. There are still a surprising amount of lesser
characters who still play a fairly large part in the novel. |
| An
Earthly Crown (Jaran, Book 2) |
Kate Elliott |
500 pgs |
5/30/2001 |
3.5/4.0 |
I can always tell a good book from a bad one by how
eager I am to finish my workday, so I can go home and find out what happens
next. This was such a book. I'm realy enjoying Elliott's Jaran
series so far. This book continues to follow Tess, caught between her
Jaran husband Illya, from the nomadic people on Rhui, and her brother,
from Earth, who owns the planet Rhui she now lives on. Definitely
recommended, you won't want to put it down.
|
| Child
of Flame (Crown of Stars, Vol 4) |
Kate Elliott |
850 pgs |
5/28/2001 |
2.5 |
Well, I have to say I was sorely dissapointed by
this one. This book is 850 pages long, and it took me until about 550 to
get interesting enough to /want/ to pick up. It was /okay/, but not
great. The first three books in the series were better. The end
picked up, and if you've read the first few in the series, it's worth
reading to find out what happened...but only if you can handle 500
pages of slow going. Once it picks up, though, it does pretty well. |
|
Jaran |
Kate Elliott |
496 pgs |
5/13/2001 |
4.0 |
When I first picked up this book and read the back
cover, I thought it looked boring, and didn't want to buy it. However,
I'd read Elliott's other books, and enjoyed them, and needed something to
read while traveling, so I bought it anyway. I was glad I did: I
definitely enjoyed this book, and found it to be just as good (if not
better) than the Crown of Stars books so far. Kate Elliott is a
consistently good fantasy author. |
| The
Burning Stone (Crown of Stars, Vol 3) |
Kate Elliott |
801 pgs |
5/11/2001 |
3.5 |
Not as good as the first book in the Crown of Stars series,
but still good and entertaining. |
| Prince
of Dogs (Crown of Stars, Vol 2) |
Kate Elliott |
627 pgs |
5/1/2001 |
3.5/4.0 |
The second in the Crown of Stars series, and just as
good as the first. I didn't want to put it down, and looked forward
to picking it back up. The same multiple protagonists are still
followed through this book, with additional sub-plots beginning or
being resumed from the early portion of book 1. |
| King's
Dragon (Crown of Stars, Vol 1) |
Kate Elliott |
636 pgs |
4/26/2001 |
3.5/4.0 |
The first book in the Crown of Stars series. Definitely a
good book. Another fantasy book with both magic, war and warriors, it's a
plot-rich tale with multiple protagonists and other lesser characters. I
didn't want to put it down, and read for hours at a time. As soon as
I finished book 1, I literally went out and bought 2 and 3, knowing I
would enjoy the whole series. |
| Resistance
|
Anita Schreve |
222 pgs |
4/15/2001 |
3.0 |
A pretty good book, although nothing exceptional, about an
American whose plane crashed in Belgium during WWII, and his
experience in hiding in the home of a married Belgian woman, whose
husband is away. |
| Assassin's
Quest (The Farseer: Book 3) |
Robin Hobb |
757 pgs |
4/9/2001 |
3.0/3.5 |
The third and last book in the Farseer trilogy. Oddly,
this book scared me a little; yes, I scare esily, but it wasn't a
horror-inducing book, but rather one which always made me feel a bit
afraid for the main character. The first 100 pages or so moved
unusually slowly for this series, and I put it down for a while, but
I'm glad I picked it back up. THe last 150 pages or so had a lot of
fascinating twists and turns, and I think it was successful overall. |
| Ashes
of Victory |
David Weber |
672 pgs |
3/21/2001 |
3.0/3.5 |
The ninth book in the Honor Harrington series, with Honor
freshly returned from the prison planet Hell. As good as all the
others; the most recent of the series, and possibly the last. |
| Echoes
of Honor |
David Weber |
718 pgs |
3/9/2001 |
3.0/3.5 |
The eighth book in the Honor Harrington series, set both
on the planet Hell, a Peep prison planet Honor and her fellows are
trying to escape, and with Manticore. Like In
Enemy Hands, a bit slow getting started, but picked up around
page 100. |
| In
Enemy Hands |
David Weber |
530 pgs |
3/3/2001 |
3.0 |
The seventh book in the Honor Harrington series. Good, but
not as good as the others. Surprisingly, the book didn't seem to pick up
to the "don't want to put it down" level until shortly before page 300.
Since the book jacket lets us know that the book covers our protagonist
actually being "in enemy hands," I expected it to happen sooner, and the
process by we get there happened more slowly than usual. Still good,
however.
|
| Honor
Among Enemies |
David Weber |
544 pgs |
2/28?/2001 |
3.5/4.0 |
The sixth book in the Honor Harrington series. Good as all
the others, with Honor returning to the Royal Manticorian Navy,
commanding Q-ships. |
| Flag
in Exile |
David Weber |
443 pgs |
2/24?/2001 |
4.0 |
The fifth book in the Honor Harrington series, where Honor
recovers from the difficulties of the previous book and goes back
into action as an Admiral in the Grayson navy to fight against the
Peeps. |
| Field
of Dishonor |
David Weber |
384 pgs |
2/20/2001 |
3.5/4.0 |
The fourth book in Weber's Honor Harrington series. Honor is
well-written (if consistently almost always perfect) character who seems
to save the day time and time again. Very good series so far; I hope
to continue to read the rest of his HH books, of which there are 9, I
believe. Recommended. |
| The
Short Victorious War |
David Weber |
376 pgs |
2/18/2001 |
3.5 |
The third book in Weber's Honor Harrington series. Good
like all of the others. I'm definitely enjoying this series. |
| The
Honor of the Queen |
David Weber |
422 pgs |
2/14/2001 |
3.5/4.0 |
The second book in the Honor Harrington series. Very
interesting 'space opera' sci-fi. I didn't want to put it down,
definitely enjoyable. |
| On
Basilisk Station |
David Weber |
432 pgs |
2/12/2001 |
3.5/4.0 |
Very good 'space opera' sort of writing... futuristic
space-Navy oriented novel, first in the series, following female
captain Honor Harrington. Reminds me of Elizabeth Moon's Heris
Serrano series; very similar, and also very good. |
| Change
of Command |
Elizabeth Moon |
320 pgs |
2/8/2001 |
2.5/3.0 |
Not bad, but nowhere near as good as the predecessor, Rules
of Engagement. The
first half started very slowly, but in the book's defense, the second
half sped up to the point where I was eager to find out what
happened. If you can stick with the beginning, the end makes it more
worthwhile. However, it leaves you hanging at the beginning of
another subplot, so be ready to get the next book to find out what
happens. |
| Girl,
Interrupted |
Susanna Kaysen |
168 pgs |
2/8/2001 |
3.0 |
Good; not thrilling or exciting, but it isn't supposed to
be. An autobiographical novel, it describes her experience in a
psychiatric ward when she was 18-20 years old. |
| Rules
of Engagement |
Elizabeth Moon |
497 pgs |
1/28?/2001 |
3.5/4.0 |
I really enjoyed this book; I didn't want to put it down.
The continuation of, but better than Moon's first book following Esmay
Suiza. Definitely recommended.
|
| Once
a Hero |
Elizabeth Moon |
416 pgs |
1/24/2001 |
3.0 |
As with all books I've read so far by Elizabeth Moon, I
liked it. However, the book seems to be divided. The first half
seems to move slowly, and very little seems to happen; in fact, the
first half focuses on a battle that happened to Heris Serrano in the
previous set of books. This book focuses on Esmay Suiza's
involvement in that battle, and then moves into her own
life/surroundings in the second half of the book. The second half
was much more exciting. All in all, an okay book, but not as good as
the Heris Serrano series (Hunting Party, Sporting Chance, &
Winning Colors). |
| Acorna's
Quest |
Anne McCaffrey, Margaret Ball |
397 pgs |
1/17/2001 |
3.0 |
The sequel to Acorna:
The Unicorn Girl, it was just as good as the first book. I found
myself a bit more prone to not wanting to put this book down. This
book has two main themes; being found by members of her own
unicorn-people, and saving the human-populated local worlds from the
Khleevi, space-bugs whose only pleasure is to attack and torture their
victims. |
| Acorna:
The Unicorn Girl |
Anne McCaffrey, Margaret Ball |
409 pgs |
1/15/2001 |
3.0 |
A pretty good book. The idea of a half-unicorn,
half-human girl, and her coming of age and quest to rescue a world's
children from child-slavery, it has a certain appeal. Although this
book did have all the elements to make it an interesting read, it
didn't keep me spellbound. Other reviews have the right idea; there
isn't necessarily a lot of character development; Acorna and her
"uncles" are all good, and their foes bad, with no gray areas in
between. This book is more about the tale and less about character
development, but the tale is interesting enough to make the book
worth reading. |
| Royal
Assassin (The Farseer: Book 2) |
Robin Hobb |
675 pgs |
1/13/2000 |
3.0/3.5 |
The sequel to Assassin's
Apprentice, the second book is just as good as the first.
FitzChivalry, the King's assassin and his dead Prince-son's bastard,
is actually a fairly easy character to identify with. Hard to
describe this book without ruining some of the plot. There seems to
be pretty good character progression, both with the main character
and some side characters, and plenty of plot progression and action
as well. Recommended. |
| The
Deed of Paksenarrion |
Elizabeth Moon |
1040 pgs |
1/9/2001 |
4.5/5.0 |
One of my favorite four books of all time. I /love/ this
book. Elizabeth Moon did a great job, and this is by far her best
work, a compilation of three books previously published
seperately. It follows the tale of Paksenarrion, a sheepherder's
daughter who becomes a great warrior, and her life and the deeds she
performs. A great read, one I've read a few times now, and highly
recommended. |
| Winning
Colors |
Elizabeth Moon |
416 pgs |
1/3/2001 |
3.0/3.5 |
Another good Moon book, the third in the series after
Sporting Chance (below). Fun characters, with multiple protagonists. |
| Sporting
Chance |
Elizabeth Moon |
416 pgs |
1/2/2001 |
3.0/3.5 |
Another good Elizabeth Moon book, like all the others (save
Liar's Oath). The second in this series, after Hunting Party. If you
want some /really/ good reading, though, try her The
Deed of Paksenarrion. |
Want to see more? Look at the books completed in 2000.
|