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varjohaltiaI read a few over the cabin trip, and in lieu of proper reviews, I'm putting up a list, largerly for myself.
Reread the third installment in the story about Jani Killian. These books are a bit fluff, a bit Mary Sue, a bit "I'm different" angst, but I like them a lot. Also, while fairly standard sci-fi universe in many ways, the document examiner profession of Ms. Killian is pretty neat -- the idea being that with digital technology being what it is, the only way to have actually verifiable authentic records is to put them on paper -- fancy paper, with all kinds of anti-forgery devices, giving rise to people specifically specializing in figuring out what is real and what isn't. Sort of a mix between a librarian and a film noir detective.
British science fiction. It takes place on a ship larger than planets, among humans and other races that have achieved practical immortality in the vein of Iain Banks' Culture setting. Hence the main characters can spend thousands of years doing stuff -- and all of this makes the book different, but very hard for me to really connect with.
And there I had thought that I finished Shinn's Twelve Houses saga, to stumble upon a new installment in a bookstore in Franklin, NC. The main character of this book is oddly enough not one of the original party, but Wen, a knight, one of the minor recurring characters of previous books. She's an interesting person, and the book is generally well crafted and a pleasure to read, but it's a lot simpler than the others, and it's quite slow and predictable. I liked it, but it's clearly the weakest of the series.
Completing the quadfecta of strong female leads (not intentional, I swear!) Gunnery Sergeant Torin Kerr returns. As usual, she goes for a little harmless mission that goes south in a hurry and she together with a civilian and a group of marine recruits gets to fight for survival. I like Huff in general, but the space marine novels tend to be incredibly formulaic. If you like military sci-fi on a smaller scale, they're good, though.
Kristine Smith: Law of Survival
Reread the third installment in the story about Jani Killian. These books are a bit fluff, a bit Mary Sue, a bit "I'm different" angst, but I like them a lot. Also, while fairly standard sci-fi universe in many ways, the document examiner profession of Ms. Killian is pretty neat -- the idea being that with digital technology being what it is, the only way to have actually verifiable authentic records is to put them on paper -- fancy paper, with all kinds of anti-forgery devices, giving rise to people specifically specializing in figuring out what is real and what isn't. Sort of a mix between a librarian and a film noir detective.
Robert Reed: Marrow
British science fiction. It takes place on a ship larger than planets, among humans and other races that have achieved practical immortality in the vein of Iain Banks' Culture setting. Hence the main characters can spend thousands of years doing stuff -- and all of this makes the book different, but very hard for me to really connect with.
Sharon Shinn: Fortune and Fate
And there I had thought that I finished Shinn's Twelve Houses saga, to stumble upon a new installment in a bookstore in Franklin, NC. The main character of this book is oddly enough not one of the original party, but Wen, a knight, one of the minor recurring characters of previous books. She's an interesting person, and the book is generally well crafted and a pleasure to read, but it's a lot simpler than the others, and it's quite slow and predictable. I liked it, but it's clearly the weakest of the series.
Tanya Huff: The Heart of Valor
Completing the quadfecta of strong female leads (not intentional, I swear!) Gunnery Sergeant Torin Kerr returns. As usual, she goes for a little harmless mission that goes south in a hurry and she together with a civilian and a group of marine recruits gets to fight for survival. I like Huff in general, but the space marine novels tend to be incredibly formulaic. If you like military sci-fi on a smaller scale, they're good, though.
