Thursday, May 28, 2015

read: Empire State (2 stars)

Empire State (Empire State, #1)Empire State by Adam Christopher
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This was not the book I thought I was going to get. The reviews and cover blurb advertised alternate history, dimensional rifts, super heroes, gangsters and detectives. It had all those, but the story felt like they'd all been put into a food-processor and roughly chopped together. Nothing fit. There was very little cause and effect and zero character motivation (other than simple survival). It felt a lot like an old comic book or television show where stuff happens because the story needs it to happen. There is no 'why'. Disappointing.

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Tuesday, May 26, 2015

read: Before Tomorrowland (3 stars)

Before TomorrowlandBefore Tomorrowland by Jeff Jensen
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The second half of this book is pretty darn fun. It's full of action and robots and alternate history and fantastic other worlds. It's good setup for the motion picture without giving away anything about that story.

The problem is that the reader is misled into believing they must wade through the first half of the book to get there. And the first half of the book pretty much sucks. One could argue that the first half helps us understand the characters better. Except it doesn't. All it does is bog the reader down with angst, tragedy and opaque mysteries. Better to hit the ground running and invite the reader to tag along. At least let them actually care about the characters. I completely understand folks who gave up.

I'm glad I didn't though. Knowing a bit more back story for the world of Tomorrowland helped me enjoy the film just a little bit more.

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Friday, May 8, 2015

read: Piranha (4 stars)

Piranha (The Oregon Files, #10)Piranha by Clive Cussler
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Piranha is just what I would expect a Clive Cussler novel to be - non-stop action and plenty of high-tech thrills on and off the water. He and co-author Boyd Morrison deliver the goods with a wild ride. This book is for fans of Cussler, Morrison, Tom Clancy, Ian Fleming, and James Rollins.

The first half of the book is really a mystery: who is behind the Venezuelan smuggling operation Juan Cabrillo and his crew disrupt and goad into 'sinking' the Oregon? How is this adversary tracking their every move? And why are they so desperate to assassinate them? Solving the mystery involves action, close calls and quick thinking. The characters are likable and pretty believable. The technobabble is rich and realistic.

Of course there is a megalomaniac with an implausible toy out to rule the world. The second half of the book is the quest to hunt him down and outwit him. Accept the premise and it's a fine action adventure, worthy of James Bond or Mission: Impossible. One complaint is that there are too many crew members on the ship to keep straight in my head. I just had to ignore the diversity and focus on the mission. Another distraction for me was the inconsistency of the bad guy's toy. It didn't operate like I would have envisioned. But those are quibbles.

Strap in, hold on, and watch for the appearance of Morrison's hero, Tyler Locke.

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