The Faithful Spy

Upon the recommendation of a reporter (talking about the most recent book), I picked up the the first story in Alex Berenson's John Wells spy series. Nothing wrong with this book. It is a fairly straight-up spy thriller. John Wells is the only CIA operative to penetrate Al Qaeda and the Taliban, but being in so deep means no one trusts him. And there is the jist of the story. The plot is serviceable and the writing is on point. But for me it just didn't have that zing. If I get some free reading space, I may try to read the next one, but I have a small stack waiting from the library right now.

Fuzzy Nation

FUZZY NATION was the spring book that I was simultaneously awaiting and dreading. LITTLE FUZZY was the first science fiction book I remember seeing on my dad's bedside book stack and probably the second grown-up book he gave to me. (The first was STAR WARS with the reddish pre-movie cover). LITTLE FUZZY introduced me to H. Beam Piper and his wonderful style of prose. After reading that, I scoured the book shops to find every Piper scrap out there. I even bought a copy of THE COSMIC COMPUTER at an airport kiosk in West Germany - only to find out it was missing pages in the middle midflight. I rejoiced when FUZZIES AND OTHER PEOPLE was "found" in the mid 80s. I think I've read every Piper-derived sequel with the exception of the most recent John F. Carr Kalvan book and William Turing's FUZZY BONES, which I owned but set aside following the release of the third Piper book. (I think I'll try to find that when I go back to Chicago this summer).

All that said, John Scalzi is one of my favorite new authors. He's the one I send people to when they are looking for science fiction. So when he announced his re-imagining of LITTLE FUZZY, I was geeked. But as the date of release approached, I grew more apprehensive. How would this book reflect on that novel that drew me happily into science fiction reading. Admitted, I had not read LITTLE FUZZY since the 1980s, but still I worried. When my copy finally arrived at the library, I set it aside to finish the Patricia Briggs book I was reading (which I set aside to read the latest Star Trek: New Frontier novel). Finally, I started reading. It is good, but not great. I enjoyed the plotting and pacing. The story was a great updating of Piper's ideas. My only rub were the language and the characters. The language seemed too contemporary. Truly great science fiction gets the same points across but in a new way - creating those new phrases and catchwords (off the top of my head - TANJ and TANSTAAFL) and this book felt that the author could have set the story in current times without the SF elements and had the same effect. On the characters, the author used his stock wise-ass. I love Scalzi's sarcasm and witticism, but it clearly stamps it as his book. Nothing wrong with that, but I'd like to see him stretch further.

All in all, I enjoyed FUZZY NATION. I read it very quickly and had a hard time putting it down. I look forward to sharing it with my dad, just as I see the very near day where my daughter gets to meet the Fuzzies. In fact, I just came across an illustrated adaption of LITTLE FUZZY that we will be reading soon. First we must make it through the LAND OF OZ.

River Marked

Since I had five books that I knew I wouldn't be able to renew from the library, I thought I'd better get through them. I had RIVER MARKED first, but stopped when BLIND MAN'S BLUFF came in. But then I jumped right back in.

The latest Mercedes Thompson adventure starts out more slowly than previous installments. First she has to get married and go off on a honeymoon before any action begins. From there the mystery develops gradually until everything comes to a head. As stories go, I preferred this book over the last, and we do get a lot more backstory on Mercy. I have nothing I can really say bad about this book or series (except of course the covers over which the author has little control). Patricia Briggs is a solid, entertaining writer and I hope she keeps the reading fun for years to come.

Blind Man's Bluff

Star Trek: New Frontier is the best Trek series not to make it to film. Taking a mix of original and established characters, Peter David shaped a unique corner of the Star Trek universe that is far more entertaining than almost every other Trek spin-off ever written. I just cannot state how much this series has entertained my imagination over the years. I have three other books by favorite authors that I put aside to jump right into the goodness that is ST:NF.

Now in the latest book, BLIND MAN'S BLUFF, Peter David moves the story forward and gives the reader a wild ride. I love everything about this book from the characters to the inside jokes to the quirky time-stamping of the chapters. As usual, I can't wait for the next book to come out, but as I read Peter David's blog, the next book is not a sure thing. Apparently publisher Pocket Books is reassessing its outlay and may not commission a follow-up. This is too bad because they obviously do not know the good thing that they have and because David gives us just enough to want more story. I cannot blame the publisher because times are hard in the book biz, but it would be a shame if this series were to die when it is the best thing that they put out.

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

I finally got around to reading THE WONDERFUL WIZARD OF OZ thanks to my daughter. We decided to read a chapter a day (although we missed some days due to my work schedule). Like millions of Americans, I watched the movie many times. I bought this copy of the book (and THE LAND OF OZ) around the time of the centennial more for the introductions and essays than for the stories themselves. But now my little one is ready for longer stories and we can start out with some classics.

I was very entertained by THE WONDERFUL WIZARD OF OZ. It was interesting to see where the movie came from and how the story differed from what was filmed. The language may have been a little old-fashioned, but it was still readable. Finally, Oz stretches your imagination and makes you look for the wonder behind the curtain.

Reading aloud is a wonderful experience. It gives you an idea of cadence, character and construction. And it lets you make silly voices. My interpretation of the Tin Woodman was particularly nasal sounding. I hope my daughter and I can continue for many years. I am already developing the list of books to come which includes Adams, Gaiman, Hodgson, Wall, Grahame, and Carroll.

The Last Run

Speaking of feelings of finality, Greg Rucka's THE LAST RUN feels to be the final chapter in the Queen & Country series he started in comics at Oni Press almost a decade ago. It is unusual for comics and novels to tie in together so seamlessly, but it is Rucka's story from start to finish so there was no competing narrative. Our heroine, Tara Chace, has been battered by life and the job. She has lasted as a "Minder" longer than anyone including her boss and now has a daughter who needs her.

The title alone gives away that this is the ending of this part of Tara's story, but the plot as a whole is a fast-paced thriller that keeps the reader moving through the action. I did put together the mystery a bit earlier than the characters, but that did not keep me from being entertained. I loved the Queen & Country from the beginning and have shared it with friends. Rucka carries the story through to a natural conclusion and did so without destroying what came before. I'm sorry to see the story end, but applaud Mr. Rucka for providing such throuoghly entertaining reading. (Now if we could only get more stories from Mrs. Rucka - writer Jen Van Meter)