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Michael Crichton: Pirate Latitudes
Well, it's not the worst pirate novel I've ever read (that "honour" goes to M.S. Hunter's The Buccaneer, one of the rare books I've wanted to hurl across the room (alas, the room at the time was a train carriage, so that wasn't actually a practical solution)). It's just - kind of formulaic? Pirate raid, battle between ships, cannibals, sea monster, villanious officials - check, check, check. Also, the women characters pissed me off - mostly they seem to be there to either throw themselves at the hero or be inconvenient damsels in distress (or both). And then there's Lazue, the woman pirate who lives as a man (and a ladies man at that) and seems promising - except every time one of the pirates has to have a panic attack or be afraid or something like that, guess which one gets the honour? That's right...
Peter Decherney: Hollywood's Copyright Wars
Very interesting. Didn't exactly do anything to convince me copyright will be sensibly used any time soon, but still, interesting.
Terry Pratchett & Stephen Baxter: The Long Earth
I like the concept and I like the matter-of-factly way people react to an infinite number of alternate Earth's lying open for mankind. The actual plot was - less satisfying. Still, if I remember, it's supposed to be the first in a series, and I'll be perfectly happy to read more books set in this world.
Felice Vinci: The Baltic Origins of Homer's Epic Tales
Well, I am entertained. Not convinced, but entertained - in fact, I was tempted to nominate this book for Yuletide (then I went with A:EMH instead, and, well, that went - badly) and ask for some Greek myth or other retold in a bronze-age Scandinavian setting. It's not that I don't like the author's idea, actually, or even that it's beyond belief - I'd just wish he didn't base so much of his argumentation on modern day place-names and their similarity with Homer's place names, while every time the modern names don't match, he starts digging into etymology that doesn't quite feel legitimate... Anyway, if nothing else, I'm entertained.
Total books and comics read this month: 18.
Currently reading: Civil War: Front Line vol. 2. by Paul Jenkins and The Family Trade by Charles Stross.
Well, it's not the worst pirate novel I've ever read (that "honour" goes to M.S. Hunter's The Buccaneer, one of the rare books I've wanted to hurl across the room (alas, the room at the time was a train carriage, so that wasn't actually a practical solution)). It's just - kind of formulaic? Pirate raid, battle between ships, cannibals, sea monster, villanious officials - check, check, check. Also, the women characters pissed me off - mostly they seem to be there to either throw themselves at the hero or be inconvenient damsels in distress (or both). And then there's Lazue, the woman pirate who lives as a man (and a ladies man at that) and seems promising - except every time one of the pirates has to have a panic attack or be afraid or something like that, guess which one gets the honour? That's right...
Peter Decherney: Hollywood's Copyright Wars
Very interesting. Didn't exactly do anything to convince me copyright will be sensibly used any time soon, but still, interesting.
Terry Pratchett & Stephen Baxter: The Long Earth
I like the concept and I like the matter-of-factly way people react to an infinite number of alternate Earth's lying open for mankind. The actual plot was - less satisfying. Still, if I remember, it's supposed to be the first in a series, and I'll be perfectly happy to read more books set in this world.
Felice Vinci: The Baltic Origins of Homer's Epic Tales
Well, I am entertained. Not convinced, but entertained - in fact, I was tempted to nominate this book for Yuletide (then I went with A:EMH instead, and, well, that went - badly) and ask for some Greek myth or other retold in a bronze-age Scandinavian setting. It's not that I don't like the author's idea, actually, or even that it's beyond belief - I'd just wish he didn't base so much of his argumentation on modern day place-names and their similarity with Homer's place names, while every time the modern names don't match, he starts digging into etymology that doesn't quite feel legitimate... Anyway, if nothing else, I'm entertained.
Total books and comics read this month: 18.
Currently reading: Civil War: Front Line vol. 2. by Paul Jenkins and The Family Trade by Charles Stross.
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