To properly enjoy a particular book, one must be in the right mood for it. I bought A Nameless Witch when it came out, but quickly lost interest in it and set it aside. There wasn't really anything wrong with it, it just didn't really catch my interest. Two days ago I decided to try it again, and found it a quick, fairly fun romp, which was also my reaction to Martinez's earlier books, Gil's All-Fright Diner and In the Company of Ogres. Obviously the book didn't change in the meantime, but I wasn't in the correct mood to appreciate it on my earlier attempt.
A Nameless Witch is about a young undead witch. A generations-old curse on her family has made her beautiful, which is very inconvenient when one is a witch. When her mentor, Ghastly Edna, is killed, she sets out with her familiar, a cannibalistic demon duck, to seek revenge. They pause in a human settlement, where she discovers the rest of her curse: she has a taste for human flesh. And then she meets a White Knight: noble, handsome, virtuous, brave. They set out together to find and defeat the sorcerer who killed Ghastly Edna. She comes to love him, and he her; can they resist the forces that draw them together, or will they find joy in each other's arms? And if they do, will she have to eat him?
A Nameless Witch is a light, sometimes humorous fantasy. I didn't like it quite as well as Gil or Ogres. I did like her demonic duck familiar, who was the source of most of the humor. The resolution was too quick and too easy, which was also a complaint I had with Ogres. I don't really have much to say about it, because there isn't much to it. Nevertheless, it was a pleasant enough way to spend a couple of afternoons.
Monday, July 28, 2008
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Tour de France, 2008
The Tour de France ended today in Paris. I love bike racing, and love the Tour because it's so thoroughly covered that I can actually watch it every day. Once upon a time the Outdoor Life Network also showed daily coverage of other big races, but they have trashed that in favor of bull riding and cage fighting. Sigh. That just makes the Tour even more special.
It was a good Tour, though I believe I say that almost every year. There were, as always, 21 days of racing spread across three weeks and a bit. The race began in Brittany, passed through central France, then south to the Pyrenees for a few days, then dashed over to the Alps for a few more days, and then headed back north to Paris. There were fewer time trial miles this year and not many pure sprinter stages. The mountain stages, though hard, were actually rather dull because the favorites were all playing it cautious and riding in a group keeping an eye on each other instead of attacking. I'm not sure if this was due to nervous, nonaggressive riders, or if the days of guys sprinting away from the group on mountains are over now that they're cracking down on doping. I guess time will tell.
There were relatively few dramatic pileups and it seemed to me relatively few serious injuries compared to some years, which is a good thing. 180 riders started in Brest, and 145 finished in Paris, for a 19% dropout rate, which is lower than last year. There were three riders who failed doping tests, and another rider was pulled out of the race when his team found he was doping. The Saunier Duval team pulled out of the race because two of the doped riders were theirs (and both had won stages in the Tour). Both Saunier Duval and Barloworld (team of one of the other riders caught) announced that they were ending sponsorship of their teams because of the doping problems. Both teams have found the financing to continue until the end of the year. This is bad, of course, but minor compared to what happened in the last two years.
In good news, there were two American-owned teams in the race: Columbia (which used to be High Road, and before that was the German-owned T-Mobile) and Garmin-Chipotle (which used to be called Slipstream). This was Garmin-Chipotle's first time at the Tour, and they did a great job. Three teams announced new sponsorships just before the Tour, which is essential to keeping the sport going. Two were the above named teams, bringing Columbia and Garmin into the sport, and the other was CSC, which will be sponsored next year by Saxo Bank. It is perhaps not a coincidence that these three teams are the most aggressive in their anti-doping programs.
Here are the results:
1. Carlos Sastre, Spain, CSC Saxo Bank
2. Cadel Evans, Australia, Silence Lotto
3. Bernard Kohl, Austria, Gerolsteiner
4. Denis Menchov, Russia, Rabobank
5. Christian Vande Velde, USA, Garmin Chipotle
6. Frank Schleck, Luxembourg, CSC Saxo Bank
7. Samuel Sanchez, Spain, Euskaltel Euskadi
8. Kim Kirchen, Luxembourg, Columbia
9. Alejandro Valverde, Spain, Caisse d'Epargne
10. Tadej Valjevec, Slovenia, Ag2r
In the other competitions:
green jersey, sprinters: Oscar Freire, Spain, Rabobank
polka dot jersey, climbers: Bernard Kohl, Austria, Gerolsteiner
white jersey, young rider: Andy Schleck, Luxembourg, CSC Saxo Bank
best team: CSC Saxo Bank
Most aggressive rider: Sylvain Chavanel, France, Cofidis
Lantern Rouge, last-placed rider: Wim Vansevenant, Belgium, Silence Lotto
I'm as pleased as can be with the results of this Tour. Carlos Sastre is a good, solid rider who is always high in the standings at the Grand Tours, but has never won before. If my count is correct, this is the 18th Grand Tour he's participated in. It's time he won, and he deserved it. He had the strongest team, he attacked and won on the Alpe d'Huez, and he rode better than his competitors. He's also a really nice, shy, thoughtful person who proves that you don't have to be a crazy egomaniac to win the Tour. On the other hand, if he'd been a crazy egomaniac, maybe he'd have won sooner.
The surprises of the race were Bernard Kohl (3rd place and polka dot jersey) and Christian Vande Velde (fifth place, rode fantastically well except for one bad day when he crashed and lost time).
It was a good Tour, though I believe I say that almost every year. There were, as always, 21 days of racing spread across three weeks and a bit. The race began in Brittany, passed through central France, then south to the Pyrenees for a few days, then dashed over to the Alps for a few more days, and then headed back north to Paris. There were fewer time trial miles this year and not many pure sprinter stages. The mountain stages, though hard, were actually rather dull because the favorites were all playing it cautious and riding in a group keeping an eye on each other instead of attacking. I'm not sure if this was due to nervous, nonaggressive riders, or if the days of guys sprinting away from the group on mountains are over now that they're cracking down on doping. I guess time will tell.
There were relatively few dramatic pileups and it seemed to me relatively few serious injuries compared to some years, which is a good thing. 180 riders started in Brest, and 145 finished in Paris, for a 19% dropout rate, which is lower than last year. There were three riders who failed doping tests, and another rider was pulled out of the race when his team found he was doping. The Saunier Duval team pulled out of the race because two of the doped riders were theirs (and both had won stages in the Tour). Both Saunier Duval and Barloworld (team of one of the other riders caught) announced that they were ending sponsorship of their teams because of the doping problems. Both teams have found the financing to continue until the end of the year. This is bad, of course, but minor compared to what happened in the last two years.
In good news, there were two American-owned teams in the race: Columbia (which used to be High Road, and before that was the German-owned T-Mobile) and Garmin-Chipotle (which used to be called Slipstream). This was Garmin-Chipotle's first time at the Tour, and they did a great job. Three teams announced new sponsorships just before the Tour, which is essential to keeping the sport going. Two were the above named teams, bringing Columbia and Garmin into the sport, and the other was CSC, which will be sponsored next year by Saxo Bank. It is perhaps not a coincidence that these three teams are the most aggressive in their anti-doping programs.
Here are the results:
1. Carlos Sastre, Spain, CSC Saxo Bank
2. Cadel Evans, Australia, Silence Lotto
3. Bernard Kohl, Austria, Gerolsteiner
4. Denis Menchov, Russia, Rabobank
5. Christian Vande Velde, USA, Garmin Chipotle
6. Frank Schleck, Luxembourg, CSC Saxo Bank
7. Samuel Sanchez, Spain, Euskaltel Euskadi
8. Kim Kirchen, Luxembourg, Columbia
9. Alejandro Valverde, Spain, Caisse d'Epargne
10. Tadej Valjevec, Slovenia, Ag2r
In the other competitions:
green jersey, sprinters: Oscar Freire, Spain, Rabobank
polka dot jersey, climbers: Bernard Kohl, Austria, Gerolsteiner
white jersey, young rider: Andy Schleck, Luxembourg, CSC Saxo Bank
best team: CSC Saxo Bank
Most aggressive rider: Sylvain Chavanel, France, Cofidis
Lantern Rouge, last-placed rider: Wim Vansevenant, Belgium, Silence Lotto
I'm as pleased as can be with the results of this Tour. Carlos Sastre is a good, solid rider who is always high in the standings at the Grand Tours, but has never won before. If my count is correct, this is the 18th Grand Tour he's participated in. It's time he won, and he deserved it. He had the strongest team, he attacked and won on the Alpe d'Huez, and he rode better than his competitors. He's also a really nice, shy, thoughtful person who proves that you don't have to be a crazy egomaniac to win the Tour. On the other hand, if he'd been a crazy egomaniac, maybe he'd have won sooner.
The surprises of the race were Bernard Kohl (3rd place and polka dot jersey) and Christian Vande Velde (fifth place, rode fantastically well except for one bad day when he crashed and lost time).
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Implied Spaces by Walter Jon Williams
I've been reading Walter Jon Williams, off and on, for about 20 years, starting with Hard Wired. He doesn't keep writing the same sort of book over and over again, and consequently my reaction to his work varies widely--sometimes I love the books, and sometimes I don't like them at all. I have the same reaction to Stross and Banks, though, so he is in esteemed company. I will always remember Williams as a favorite because it was Aristoi that helped lure me back into reading SF again in the early 90s, after I had drifted away from the genre when I was in college. It was just so mind-blowingly awesome that it sucked me right back into reading SF. For calibration purposes for those who are already Williams readers, my favorites are Aristoi, Voice of the Whirlwind, and Metropolitan.
Implied Spaces is his latest, released recently by Night Shade Books. It begins with a man and his cat walking across a wasteland. They are soon raiding a temple and killing evil priests, which is lots of fun and at the same time not exactly what it seems. The man, Aristide, then returns home to the technologically advanced world of Topaz, but discovers that the evil forces have been at work there, as well. Thus begins a quite fun spy story that morphs into an interstellar war story as they attempt to knock out the bad guy before he can kill or enslave the galaxy.
Implied Spaces is a quick read at about 260 pages. The first 170 pages are a whole lot of fun. The rest is less fun, but still worth reading. I enjoyed Aristide and I loved his cat, Bitsy, who is a lot brighter than he is. It was a quick and fun read. Have I mentioned lately that Night Shade has become my favorite publisher these days? They're putting out a lot of the sort of thing I like to read. Now I can't wait for the new Neal Asher to arrive.
Implied Spaces is his latest, released recently by Night Shade Books. It begins with a man and his cat walking across a wasteland. They are soon raiding a temple and killing evil priests, which is lots of fun and at the same time not exactly what it seems. The man, Aristide, then returns home to the technologically advanced world of Topaz, but discovers that the evil forces have been at work there, as well. Thus begins a quite fun spy story that morphs into an interstellar war story as they attempt to knock out the bad guy before he can kill or enslave the galaxy.
Implied Spaces is a quick read at about 260 pages. The first 170 pages are a whole lot of fun. The rest is less fun, but still worth reading. I enjoyed Aristide and I loved his cat, Bitsy, who is a lot brighter than he is. It was a quick and fun read. Have I mentioned lately that Night Shade has become my favorite publisher these days? They're putting out a lot of the sort of thing I like to read. Now I can't wait for the new Neal Asher to arrive.
Friday, July 25, 2008
Polyester...Phooey
I haven't been reading much the last couple of weeks, in part because I've been making a Regency ball gown for my sister-in-law. I finally finished it last night, so here are a couple of photos.
Here is the neckline:
It is a really beautiful dress, but it's made from a polyester brocade that was hell to work with. It's heavy, it's slippery, it snags easily, and unravels like crazy. Just look at it funny and the edges start disintegrating. It probably could have been done in almost half the time with a natural-fiber material. It's a good thing I like the recipient very much, because this was a really not-fun project. I do like the way it looks, though.
Here is the neckline:
It is a really beautiful dress, but it's made from a polyester brocade that was hell to work with. It's heavy, it's slippery, it snags easily, and unravels like crazy. Just look at it funny and the edges start disintegrating. It probably could have been done in almost half the time with a natural-fiber material. It's a good thing I like the recipient very much, because this was a really not-fun project. I do like the way it looks, though.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Yes, these tests are stupid. So what?
Your result for The What Middle Earth race do you belong to Test...
Dunedain
You scored 0% Size & Strength, 65% Morality, 41% Aggression, and 88% Intelligence.
Congratulations, you're one of the Dunedain. You scored high on size & strength, high on morality, low on aggression and high on intelligence. The Dunedain are all that remains of the once great line of men from Numenor. Described as tall, with dark hair and grey eyes, the Dunedain are much greater in stature and spirit than common men. Those of high rank are possessed of enhanced wisdom and occasional prophecy, in addition to just being bigger and stronger. Aragorn himself was described as being 6'6" and was one of only three warriors to come out of the Battle of Pelennor Fields completely unscathed. (Incidentally, only one of the three was not Dunedain). He was also able wrest control of the Palantir from Sauron using just the force of his will. Summary: Dunedain = Bad Ass.
FYI, your polar opposite is the Orc. You know, those nasty little critters you've been beating the living hell out of since you were three. Yeah, those.
FYI, your polar opposite is the Orc. You know, those nasty little critters you've been beating the living hell out of since you were three. Yeah, those.
Take The What Middle Earth race do you belong to Test at HelloQuizzy
Monday, July 21, 2008
Cruel Zinc Melodies by Glen Cook
Cruel Zinc Melodies is the latest in Cook's series of somewhat lighthearted novels about Garrett, fantasy PI. Garrett is a private investigator in the fantasy city of Tunfair. He isn't the brightest fellow around, and is annoyingly lazy and immature. He often gets through his investigations with considerable help from his friends, including his roommate, the Dead Man. The Dead Man is a 500-pound dead member of a race called a Loghyr who haunts his remains and can read minds. He is definitely the brains of the operation, and uses Garrett to do the legwork and get beat up periodically.
It should be obvious, but until my mother read a couple and pointed it out to me, I never realized that these resemble a fantasy homage to Nero Wolfe, with the Dead Man as the Fat Man and Garrett as Archie Goodwin. In my defense, I hadn't read much Nero Wolfe before this was pointed out to me. Still, the comparison is apt. Not only does Garrett run around collecting data and reporting to the Dead Man, who then comes up with the answers; but they also tend to gather all the suspects in the living room of Garrett's house for the reveal, like Nero Wolfe did. They are light fun reading for someone who enjoys mysteries.
In Cruel Zinc Melodies, Garrett is sent by a regular client to sort out some problems at a construction site. Big bugs have been sighted, and some people are reporting seeing ghosts and hearing strange music. Garrett doesn't really believe the reports, but as things get more and more out of hand he's forced to admit that there is something odd going on. He also has to struggle with beautiful women who all seem interested in him, and fend off the anger of his fiery and jealous girlfriend, Tinnie. And struggle to knock some sense into a bunch of snotty teenagers.
I don't think that Cruel Zinc Melodies is one of my favorite Garrett novels--his relationship with Tinnie was particularly annoying this time, and the resolution was too quick--but they are always good for a quick, entertaining read.
It should be obvious, but until my mother read a couple and pointed it out to me, I never realized that these resemble a fantasy homage to Nero Wolfe, with the Dead Man as the Fat Man and Garrett as Archie Goodwin. In my defense, I hadn't read much Nero Wolfe before this was pointed out to me. Still, the comparison is apt. Not only does Garrett run around collecting data and reporting to the Dead Man, who then comes up with the answers; but they also tend to gather all the suspects in the living room of Garrett's house for the reveal, like Nero Wolfe did. They are light fun reading for someone who enjoys mysteries.
In Cruel Zinc Melodies, Garrett is sent by a regular client to sort out some problems at a construction site. Big bugs have been sighted, and some people are reporting seeing ghosts and hearing strange music. Garrett doesn't really believe the reports, but as things get more and more out of hand he's forced to admit that there is something odd going on. He also has to struggle with beautiful women who all seem interested in him, and fend off the anger of his fiery and jealous girlfriend, Tinnie. And struggle to knock some sense into a bunch of snotty teenagers.
I don't think that Cruel Zinc Melodies is one of my favorite Garrett novels--his relationship with Tinnie was particularly annoying this time, and the resolution was too quick--but they are always good for a quick, entertaining read.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Monday, July 14, 2008
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Jhegaala by Steven Brust
I've been reading Brust since 1991, when I picked up a copy of Taltos off a wire rack in a drugstore to read while I was on vacation. I've read (or at least tried--there are two I didn't complete) all of his others since then, and to this day I like Taltos the best. Nevertheless, there have been other good books along the way which I enjoyed. The last several have been rather disappointing to me, but I am happy to report that Jhegaala is the best (in my opinion, of course) since Dragon, which came out ten years ago.
Brust's main character is Vladimir Taltos, a human living in the Dragaeran Empire. The Dragaerans are taller than humans, very long-lived, skilled in sorcery, and generally contemptuous of puny, short-lived humans. Dragaeran society is broken out into seventeen great Houses, and Vlad joined the only one open to humans, House Jhereg. The Jhereg are the organized crime of the Dragaeran Empire, and Vlad became an assassin and small crime boss.
Like Dragon, Jhegaala fills in some of his back story, chronologically between Phoenix and Athyra. Vlad has left Adrilanka, the city of his birth, and traveled to the East, to his family's homeland of Fenario, whose residents are human, like him. After years of dealing with murderous criminals who are physically more powerful than he, Vlad assumes that the peasants of Fenario should be relatively nonthreatening. His assumption is incorrect.
I always enjoy a good, quick-moving tale with plenty of violence and a mystery to ponder, and Jhegaala meets those requirements. Vlad spends much of his time just tryng to figure out what's going on. People are dropping like flies and, unusually, he didn't kill any of them. He should just pack up and leave town, but he has an obstinate, nearly suicidal streak that won't let him back down from a bad situation.
I've been wondering, for the last several books, why I haven't given up on Brust. Several mediocre works in a row have demoted him off the list of authors I buy on sight in hardcover. But with Jhegaala he has redeemed himself, and I look forward to re-reading it again soon.
Brust's main character is Vladimir Taltos, a human living in the Dragaeran Empire. The Dragaerans are taller than humans, very long-lived, skilled in sorcery, and generally contemptuous of puny, short-lived humans. Dragaeran society is broken out into seventeen great Houses, and Vlad joined the only one open to humans, House Jhereg. The Jhereg are the organized crime of the Dragaeran Empire, and Vlad became an assassin and small crime boss.
Like Dragon, Jhegaala fills in some of his back story, chronologically between Phoenix and Athyra. Vlad has left Adrilanka, the city of his birth, and traveled to the East, to his family's homeland of Fenario, whose residents are human, like him. After years of dealing with murderous criminals who are physically more powerful than he, Vlad assumes that the peasants of Fenario should be relatively nonthreatening. His assumption is incorrect.
I always enjoy a good, quick-moving tale with plenty of violence and a mystery to ponder, and Jhegaala meets those requirements. Vlad spends much of his time just tryng to figure out what's going on. People are dropping like flies and, unusually, he didn't kill any of them. He should just pack up and leave town, but he has an obstinate, nearly suicidal streak that won't let him back down from a bad situation.
I've been wondering, for the last several books, why I haven't given up on Brust. Several mediocre works in a row have demoted him off the list of authors I buy on sight in hardcover. But with Jhegaala he has redeemed himself, and I look forward to re-reading it again soon.
Friday, July 11, 2008
The Disappeared by Kristine Kathryn Rusch
The Disappeared is based on an old idea that, if memory serves, was the basis once of a Star Trek episode: humans inadvertently and innocently breaking alien laws without knowing it, and then being forced into a horrific punishment for seemingly minor transgressions. Many humans, facing a terrible sentence, utilize a disappearance service, which relocates them and gives them a new identity so that they can escape punishment.
The main protagonists of The Disappeared are a couple of space cops on the Moon. They are called to inspect a space yacht which was found drifting in space and has been towed in. Inside, they find the terribly maimed bodies of three humans, and realize that they were probably legally killed by aliens, who are allowed to dismember people they have outstanding warrants against. This seems to be there mostly to show how unfair and barbaric alien justice is. Their next case is a spaceship of aliens who have apparently abducted two human children, and claim that they have the legal right to do so, but for some reason never explained they do not have the paperwork that would have cleared up the matter in a few minutes. Instead the children and the aliens are taken into custody while the police refuse to work on the case and rail about how indecent it is that the aliens are stealing innocent babies.
The final story line involves a woman who is on the run from a third alien race and shows up at the Moon base on a stolen space yacht with a fabricated tale. She is desperate enough to try to fight her way through the human authorities to freedom so that she can try to disappear and escape the aliens who are searching for her.
The police have to walk a fine line between following the law, which requires them to assist the aliens in serving their warrants, and dragging their feet and looking for loopholes to try to invalidate the warrants so the humans can go free--all the while railing against how horrible the aliens are, and how the humans deserve to be free. In the end one of the cops goes renegade, helps some people to escape, and starts a new career working with the Disappeared people.
The Disappeared was overwrought, heavy-handed, manipulative, and fairly stupid. It was a grave disappointment, and a total waste of my time. Not recommended.
The main protagonists of The Disappeared are a couple of space cops on the Moon. They are called to inspect a space yacht which was found drifting in space and has been towed in. Inside, they find the terribly maimed bodies of three humans, and realize that they were probably legally killed by aliens, who are allowed to dismember people they have outstanding warrants against. This seems to be there mostly to show how unfair and barbaric alien justice is. Their next case is a spaceship of aliens who have apparently abducted two human children, and claim that they have the legal right to do so, but for some reason never explained they do not have the paperwork that would have cleared up the matter in a few minutes. Instead the children and the aliens are taken into custody while the police refuse to work on the case and rail about how indecent it is that the aliens are stealing innocent babies.
The final story line involves a woman who is on the run from a third alien race and shows up at the Moon base on a stolen space yacht with a fabricated tale. She is desperate enough to try to fight her way through the human authorities to freedom so that she can try to disappear and escape the aliens who are searching for her.
The police have to walk a fine line between following the law, which requires them to assist the aliens in serving their warrants, and dragging their feet and looking for loopholes to try to invalidate the warrants so the humans can go free--all the while railing against how horrible the aliens are, and how the humans deserve to be free. In the end one of the cops goes renegade, helps some people to escape, and starts a new career working with the Disappeared people.
The Disappeared was overwrought, heavy-handed, manipulative, and fairly stupid. It was a grave disappointment, and a total waste of my time. Not recommended.
Monday, July 7, 2008
Anathem, briefly
I've just finished Neal Stephenson's new novel, Anathem, which is due out in September. I will post a longer review closer to the actual publication date, but here's a frustratingly short review:
It's really good.
I can't believe I managed to read it in 11 days. Cryptonomicon took me four months to complete. Needless to say, I haven't been keeping up on the housework.
I think I will need to re-read this one again fairly soon, as it gave me some things to think about, and I suspect I missed some things the first time through.
Did I mention that it's really good? It is.
It's really good.
I can't believe I managed to read it in 11 days. Cryptonomicon took me four months to complete. Needless to say, I haven't been keeping up on the housework.
I think I will need to re-read this one again fairly soon, as it gave me some things to think about, and I suspect I missed some things the first time through.
Did I mention that it's really good? It is.
Friday, July 4, 2008
Vacation
It's a holiday weekend, and as is the tradition among people around here, I went Up North to The Lake. It was a quick trip, just Thursday and Friday, as I have to work on Saturday, and anyway would want to be home to watch the Tour de France, which is starting this weekend. I stayed long enough to remember why I used to love going to the lake as a kid, and then I stayed long enough to remember why I stopped loving it when I got older. Nevertheless, the weather was beautiful and it was a chance to catch up with family members, go swimming, and get sunburnt.
The thing about the lake is that it's incredibly beautiful. Here's sunset:
I think I preferred sunrise, though, because it was peaceful and in the summer it can be magical to be awake at 5:30 in the morning:
And the best part was that, while everyone else was still in bed, I was able to do what I really wanted to get done while at the lake:
That's Anathem in my lap. I managed to get in another hundred pages before everyone else was up. Then I was expected to talk to people, which rather ruins the whole point of being on vacation with a good book, in my mind.
The thing about the lake is that it's incredibly beautiful. Here's sunset:
I think I preferred sunrise, though, because it was peaceful and in the summer it can be magical to be awake at 5:30 in the morning:
And the best part was that, while everyone else was still in bed, I was able to do what I really wanted to get done while at the lake:
That's Anathem in my lap. I managed to get in another hundred pages before everyone else was up. Then I was expected to talk to people, which rather ruins the whole point of being on vacation with a good book, in my mind.
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