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Two Book Reviews
Oct. 5th, 2018 11:05 amTo prevent this blog from being all Kavanaugh, all the time, herewith are two reviews of books I've read.
The Art of Raising Hell
I grew up in one town north of and one decade later than the author. As a result, I recognize most of the settings described in the book, which for me made it part of the fun. Your mileage may vary.
Regarding the book itself, I found it interesting but a bit flawed. The narrator, Newbie Johnson, is going through high school in Bunsen Creek and has an older friend, Lonny Nack. Lonny is the hell-raiser of the title, and we get to see him raise quite a bit of hell. (Streaking, that 1970s fad, is just one example.) Most of the story is just events in Newbie's and Lonny's life. There's a subplot about a small-town businessmen gone bad, but that feels tacked on. Overall, I liked it - 4 out of 5 stars.
A Memory Called Empire
I recently acquired an advanced reader's copy of this book. I assume that (in part) I was given said book to generate some buzz about it. Consider this my buzz. Preorder this book! The plot is simple yet convoluted. In the far future, an empire with Roman elements rules most of humanity. One small part not under the empire, the space station Lsel, needs to send a new ambassador to the planet-city capital. Why they need to send an new ambassador is not defined.
While this is going on, we are seeing hints of an alien invasion brewing. We are also privy to a lot of palace intrigue, as it proves that the previous ambassador was a favorite of the Emperor. Our young replacement ambassador finds herself way in the deep end without a life vest.
I found this book literally impossible to put down. I read it in one long gulp. Five stars.
The Art of Raising Hell
I grew up in one town north of and one decade later than the author. As a result, I recognize most of the settings described in the book, which for me made it part of the fun. Your mileage may vary.
Regarding the book itself, I found it interesting but a bit flawed. The narrator, Newbie Johnson, is going through high school in Bunsen Creek and has an older friend, Lonny Nack. Lonny is the hell-raiser of the title, and we get to see him raise quite a bit of hell. (Streaking, that 1970s fad, is just one example.) Most of the story is just events in Newbie's and Lonny's life. There's a subplot about a small-town businessmen gone bad, but that feels tacked on. Overall, I liked it - 4 out of 5 stars.
A Memory Called Empire
I recently acquired an advanced reader's copy of this book. I assume that (in part) I was given said book to generate some buzz about it. Consider this my buzz. Preorder this book! The plot is simple yet convoluted. In the far future, an empire with Roman elements rules most of humanity. One small part not under the empire, the space station Lsel, needs to send a new ambassador to the planet-city capital. Why they need to send an new ambassador is not defined.
While this is going on, we are seeing hints of an alien invasion brewing. We are also privy to a lot of palace intrigue, as it proves that the previous ambassador was a favorite of the Emperor. Our young replacement ambassador finds herself way in the deep end without a life vest.
I found this book literally impossible to put down. I read it in one long gulp. Five stars.
