Book Log 35/2010 - Alan E Nourse: Star Surgeon

Alan E Nourse: Star Surgeon
1959 (via Project Gutenberg)

Perhaps it's wrong to judge yesterday's SF by today's standards. This is very much a product of its time.

Earth is poised on the brink of becoming a full member of the Galactic Federation. Of all the races so far encountered Earth's humans have the best skills in medicine, and Earth has become the sole provider of medical services to the galaxy at large, contracting out their services to a multiplicity of species across the galaxy. Dal Timgar is the first non-human to be accepted by Hospital Earth as a student. His ambition is to become a surgeon.

He encounters hostility and prejudice all the way through his training, always being isolated and avoided by everyone except a fellow student, Tiger. One senior doctor encourages him; it seems another will go to any lengths to break him and prevent him from graduating and (when that fails) subsequerntly from completing his probationary patrol mission, with two other newly graduated doctors (including Tiger).

( Spoilers under the cut... )

A book that looks at some big questions but never really addresses them thoroughly. Back to what I said at the beginning. This book is a product of its time and sadly hasn't aged well.

Book Log 35/2010 - Alan E Nourse: Star Surgeon

Alan E Nourse: Star Surgeon
1959 (via Project Gutenberg)

Perhaps it's wrong to judge yesterday's SF by today's standards. This is very much a product of its time.

Earth is poised on the brink of becoming a full member of the Galactic Federation. Of all the races so far encountered Earth's humans have the best skills in medicine, and Earth has become the sole provider of medical services to the galaxy at large, contracting out their services to a multiplicity of species across the galaxy. Dal Timgar is the first non-human to be accepted by Hospital Earth as a student. His ambition is to become a surgeon.

He encounters hostility and prejudice all the way through his training, always being isolated and avoided by everyone except a fellow student, Tiger. One senior doctor encourages him; it seems another will go to any lengths to break him and prevent him from graduating and (when that fails) subsequerntly from completing his probationary patrol mission, with two other newly graduated doctors (including Tiger).

( Spoilers under the cut... )

A book that looks at some big questions but never really addresses them thoroughly. Back to what I said at the beginning. This book is a product of its time and sadly hasn't aged well.

Book Log 36/2010 - Julia Golding: The Diamond of Drury Lane

Getting down to my backlog of booklogs, now...

Julia Golding: The Diamond of Drury Lane
Egmont, 2006, YA

Set in 1790 this is the charming story of Catherine (Cat) Royal, a foundling brought up in the Drury Lane theatre by the kindness of the owner, Mr. Sheridan. Still in her teens, Cat has become part of the furniture, sleeping in her nest in the top of the building amidst costumes and props and acting as the gopher, running errands and helping out. She's not uneducated, but her lessons have been by the kindness of various theatre employees – mostly the old prompt. She's the one who, more than anyone, has her finger on the pulse of the place.

When the old prompt leaves her lessons pass over to the new prompt, Johnny, whom Cat likes very much. Then she makes friends with Pedro, a young African ex-slave who is a singer and prodigy on the violin. Outside the theatre she's friends with one of Covent Garden's young gang leaders, Syd Fletcher, a butcher's son, and soon makes an enemy out of rival gang leader, Billy 'Boil' Shepherd.

Cat manages to get into various different kinds of trouble when she overhears Mr. Sheridan talking about hiding a diamond on the premises. This leads to various scrapes, largely caused by Pedro's ambitions and the genteel interference of Lady Elizabeth and Lord Francis, children of the Duke of Avon, who befriend both her and Pedro, but don't always have the best understanding of the situation on the streets.

There's a felon at large, the traitorous Captain Sparkle, likely to swing by the neck for the drawing of some politically astute cartoons, and Cat soon finds herself protecting him, as well as trying to keep Shridan's precious diamond from the clutches of Billy Boil.

Captain Sparkle, the diamond, the Duke's children and Pedro all combine to make Cat's life complicated, even though they're her friends, but Billy Boil is out to end it with a knife to the throat if she doesn't find the diamond for him and hand it over.

Cat's an engaging protagonist. The style is archaic enough to give the whole thing a period feel whilst allowing modern pacing. The plot reaches a satisfying conclusion but still allows for sequels.

Book Log 36/2010 - Julia Golding: The Diamond of Drury Lane

Getting down to my backlog of booklogs, now...

Julia Golding: The Diamond of Drury Lane
Egmont, 2006, YA

Set in 1790 this is the charming story of Catherine (Cat) Royal, a foundling brought up in the Drury Lane theatre by the kindness of the owner, Mr. Sheridan. Still in her teens, Cat has become part of the furniture, sleeping in her nest in the top of the building amidst costumes and props and acting as the gopher, running errands and helping out. She's not uneducated, but her lessons have been by the kindness of various theatre employees – mostly the old prompt. She's the one who, more than anyone, has her finger on the pulse of the place.

When the old prompt leaves her lessons pass over to the new prompt, Johnny, whom Cat likes very much. Then she makes friends with Pedro, a young African ex-slave who is a singer and prodigy on the violin. Outside the theatre she's friends with one of Covent Garden's young gang leaders, Syd Fletcher, a butcher's son, and soon makes an enemy out of rival gang leader, Billy 'Boil' Shepherd.

Cat manages to get into various different kinds of trouble when she overhears Mr. Sheridan talking about hiding a diamond on the premises. This leads to various scrapes, largely caused by Pedro's ambitions and the genteel interference of Lady Elizabeth and Lord Francis, children of the Duke of Avon, who befriend both her and Pedro, but don't always have the best understanding of the situation on the streets.

There's a felon at large, the traitorous Captain Sparkle, likely to swing by the neck for the drawing of some politically astute cartoons, and Cat soon finds herself protecting him, as well as trying to keep Shridan's precious diamond from the clutches of Billy Boil.

Captain Sparkle, the diamond, the Duke's children and Pedro all combine to make Cat's life complicated, even though they're her friends, but Billy Boil is out to end it with a knife to the throat if she doesn't find the diamond for him and hand it over.

Cat's an engaging protagonist. The style is archaic enough to give the whole thing a period feel whilst allowing modern pacing. The plot reaches a satisfying conclusion but still allows for sequels.

Book Log 37/2010 - Ann Aguire: Doubleblind

Ann Aguire: Doubleblind
Ace 2009

The third of Ann Aguire's lively Sirantha Jax novels in which Jax is charged with drawing the Ithtorians into the Conglomerate while at the same time she's trying to retrieve her relationship with the war-damaged lover, March, who is living on a knife-edge in permanent kill mode after events in the second Jax book.

The isolationist Ithtorians (bug-like aliens) might be humanity's only hope, beleaguered as the Conglomerate is by raiders, pirates and carnivorous aliens who like the taste of human flesh. This leaves Jax wondering why she was given the job as ambassador when she's a notorious troublemaker with no political experience. Her main skill is as a 'jumper' through grimspace, and most jumpers are dead or mad by the time they're as old as her.

Aided by Vel, an outcast Ithorian bounty hunter who started out as her enemy, but became her friend in the second book, Jax and her mismatched crew take on this new challenge, causing chaos, but getting results. This is definitely not the last we'll see of Sirantha Jax as the ending leaves everything wide open for a continuation of the series.

Book Log 37/2010 - Ann Aguire: Doubleblind

Ann Aguire: Doubleblind
Ace 2009

The third of Ann Aguire's lively Sirantha Jax novels in which Jax is charged with drawing the Ithtorians into the Conglomerate while at the same time she's trying to retrieve her relationship with the war-damaged lover, March, who is living on a knife-edge in permanent kill mode after events in the second Jax book.

The isolationist Ithtorians (bug-like aliens) might be humanity's only hope, beleaguered as the Conglomerate is by raiders, pirates and carnivorous aliens who like the taste of human flesh. This leaves Jax wondering why she was given the job as ambassador when she's a notorious troublemaker with no political experience. Her main skill is as a 'jumper' through grimspace, and most jumpers are dead or mad by the time they're as old as her.

Aided by Vel, an outcast Ithorian bounty hunter who started out as her enemy, but became her friend in the second book, Jax and her mismatched crew take on this new challenge, causing chaos, but getting results. This is definitely not the last we'll see of Sirantha Jax as the ending leaves everything wide open for a continuation of the series.

Book Log 38/2010 - Rachel Neumeier: Lord of the Changing Winds

Rachel Neumeier: Lord of the Changing Winds
The Griffin Mage, Book One
Orbit, 2010

I bought this on the recommendation of the manager at Bakka in Toronto, in fact I broke my own rule and bought both the first and second in the Griffin Mage trilogy because of such a strong recommendation. Unfortunately I wish I'd stuck at one. Maybe that's the problem of having someone rave about a book (or two) it sets up expectations and then when the book doesn't quite hit the mark, the disappointment quotient is amplified.

I'm still trying to work out why this didn't hit the mark. It's well written, the concept is original and the griffins are fabulous – in all senses of the word – but... I don't think I connected with any of the human characters and as a result I found it a slow read.

Kes is the main character, a quiet village girl who doesn't quite fit in. Then one day the griffins come down from the mountains, bringing their hot desert winds and their desperate need for a healer who is more than human, or who can be made so. Kes goes with them, unaware that she will never be able to go back and over the course of the book she's changed completely – so completely that she ceases to have human emotions.

Through her healing magic she also affects Lord Bertaud, the King of Feierabiand's right-hand-man until a dose of griffin magic begins to change the way he sees the world.

The physical conflict is between Casmantium and Feierabiand with the Griffins first as pawns and then as movers and shakers in the conflict. The plot works and the conclusion is satisfactory, but as I say, there was a disconnect for me. Maybe it was that the main character became increasingly non-human and I felt as though I'd lost my point of reference for the non-human griffins.

One other beef – which is just a personal thing really. The griffins are drawn as very different from humans and their culture is very different. Neumeier achieves this brilliantly and never slips into humanising them, but part of that difference is in their name-scheme. They have eye-boggling names like: Opailikiita Sehanaka Kiistaike and Riihaikuse Aranuurai Kimiistariu and their whole name is often used. Even if shortened it will only be to Opailikiita. I like names that I can conceivably pronounce and throughout thew course of the whole book I stumbled over these like little speedbumps.

I have the second book in the trilogy: 'Land of the Burning Sands' but I'm not sure if I can bring myself to read it yet.

Book Log 38/2010 - Rachel Neumeier: Lord of the Changing Winds

Rachel Neumeier: Lord of the Changing Winds
The Griffin Mage, Book One
Orbit, 2010

I bought this on the recommendation of the manager at Bakka in Toronto, in fact I broke my own rule and bought both the first and second in the Griffin Mage trilogy because of such a strong recommendation. Unfortunately I wish I'd stuck at one. Maybe that's the problem of having someone rave about a book (or two) it sets up expectations and then when the book doesn't quite hit the mark, the disappointment quotient is amplified.

I'm still trying to work out why this didn't hit the mark. It's well written, the concept is original and the griffins are fabulous – in all senses of the word – but... I don't think I connected with any of the human characters and as a result I found it a slow read.

Kes is the main character, a quiet village girl who doesn't quite fit in. Then one day the griffins come down from the mountains, bringing their hot desert winds and their desperate need for a healer who is more than human, or who can be made so. Kes goes with them, unaware that she will never be able to go back and over the course of the book she's changed completely – so completely that she ceases to have human emotions.

Through her healing magic she also affects Lord Bertaud, the King of Feierabiand's right-hand-man until a dose of griffin magic begins to change the way he sees the world.

The physical conflict is between Casmantium and Feierabiand with the Griffins first as pawns and then as movers and shakers in the conflict. The plot works and the conclusion is satisfactory, but as I say, there was a disconnect for me. Maybe it was that the main character became increasingly non-human and I felt as though I'd lost my point of reference for the non-human griffins.

One other beef – which is just a personal thing really. The griffins are drawn as very different from humans and their culture is very different. Neumeier achieves this brilliantly and never slips into humanising them, but part of that difference is in their name-scheme. They have eye-boggling names like: Opailikiita Sehanaka Kiistaike and Riihaikuse Aranuurai Kimiistariu and their whole name is often used. Even if shortened it will only be to Opailikiita. I like names that I can conceivably pronounce and throughout thew course of the whole book I stumbled over these like little speedbumps.

I have the second book in the trilogy: 'Land of the Burning Sands' but I'm not sure if I can bring myself to read it yet.

Book Log 39/2010 - Jim Butcher: Fool Moon

Jim Butcher Fool Moon – Harry Dresden #2
Roc 2001

What's not to like about Harry Dresden? Think of all those hard-boiled PI novels and now imagine that one of those PIs is the only publicly practising wizard in Chicago whose bread and butter work is being the go-to guy for the local police department's special investigations unit. It's a good set-up premise and as this, my second Dresden novel, keeps up the pace of the first one, I think I'm going to enjoy working my way through the whole series.

This time it's werewolves... or is it? When a thug is found at full moon, ripped apart, Murphy, Harry's police employer, calls him in. The conclusion seems obvious, but Murphy's investigation is somewhat hampered by an elite FBI squad. Undaunted she instructs Harry to dig up all the information he can on werewolves. It turns out that's a lot. There are three different kinds, some of them mad, bad and dangerous to know, others magically induced who retain some semblance of their own humanity.... Er, right, that makes them madder, badder and even more dangerous under certain conditions. And then there are shapechangers...

Harry goes through the mill, falls out and back in with Murphy, make a few mistakes, takes a few a lot of knocks and finally solves the case – as we all knew he would. It's just the route he takes to get there that's the meat of this story. Highly recommended.

Book Log 39/2010 - Jim Butcher: Fool Moon

Jim Butcher Fool Moon – Harry Dresden #2
Roc 2001

What's not to like about Harry Dresden? Think of all those hard-boiled PI novels and now imagine that one of those PIs is the only publicly practising wizard in Chicago whose bread and butter work is being the go-to guy for the local police department's special investigations unit. It's a good set-up premise and as this, my second Dresden novel, keeps up the pace of the first one, I think I'm going to enjoy working my way through the whole series.

This time it's werewolves... or is it? When a thug is found at full moon, ripped apart, Murphy, Harry's police employer, calls him in. The conclusion seems obvious, but Murphy's investigation is somewhat hampered by an elite FBI squad. Undaunted she instructs Harry to dig up all the information he can on werewolves. It turns out that's a lot. There are three different kinds, some of them mad, bad and dangerous to know, others magically induced who retain some semblance of their own humanity.... Er, right, that makes them madder, badder and even more dangerous under certain conditions. And then there are shapechangers...

Harry goes through the mill, falls out and back in with Murphy, make a few mistakes, takes a few a lot of knocks and finally solves the case – as we all knew he would. It's just the route he takes to get there that's the meat of this story. Highly recommended.

Book Log 40/2010 - Elizabeth Chadwick: The Marsh King's Daughter

Elizabeth Chadwick: The Marsh King's Daughter
1999

Another excellent Chadwick. This time the main characters are entirely invented though some of the minor characters are acrual historical figures. The main plot-bunny is that intriguing question... what did happen to King John's royal regalia? Was it really lost in the Wash?

When Miriel Weaver is forced into a convent by her violent stepfather, she sees the opportunity to escape when nursing the wanted rebel Nicholas de Caen back to health. It doesn't all quite go to plan, but Miriel does get away and discovers Nicholas' big secret – a treasure box rescued from King John's baggage train when the tidal flow of the Wash caught the wagons unawares. In the belief that Nicholas will abandon her penniless, Miriel steals a portion of his treasure and with it makes a good life for herself in Nottingham, buying a weaving business and running it as an independent widow. Nicholas also prospers, becoming a ship-master with a thriving business, but the two of them are destined to meet again. Unfortunately not until Miriel has given up her independence by marrying an man she discovers she hardly even knows.

Bound together by dangerous secrets, Miriel and Nicholas' relationship flares into passion which brings them both into desperate danger. Unknown to Miriel, her husband is not above murdering those who stand in his way.

Miriel isn't always likeable, but she is admirable and believable. Even with invented characters, Chadwick's impeccable research and feel for the period shines through.

Book Log 40/2010 - Elizabeth Chadwick: The Marsh King's Daughter

Elizabeth Chadwick: The Marsh King's Daughter
1999

Another excellent Chadwick. This time the main characters are entirely invented though some of the minor characters are acrual historical figures. The main plot-bunny is that intriguing question... what did happen to King John's royal regalia? Was it really lost in the Wash?

When Miriel Weaver is forced into a convent by her violent stepfather, she sees the opportunity to escape when nursing the wanted rebel Nicholas de Caen back to health. It doesn't all quite go to plan, but Miriel does get away and discovers Nicholas' big secret – a treasure box rescued from King John's baggage train when the tidal flow of the Wash caught the wagons unawares. In the belief that Nicholas will abandon her penniless, Miriel steals a portion of his treasure and with it makes a good life for herself in Nottingham, buying a weaving business and running it as an independent widow. Nicholas also prospers, becoming a ship-master with a thriving business, but the two of them are destined to meet again. Unfortunately not until Miriel has given up her independence by marrying an man she discovers she hardly even knows.

Bound together by dangerous secrets, Miriel and Nicholas' relationship flares into passion which brings them both into desperate danger. Unknown to Miriel, her husband is not above murdering those who stand in his way.

Miriel isn't always likeable, but she is admirable and believable. Even with invented characters, Chadwick's impeccable research and feel for the period shines through.