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trevert's reviews
295 reviews
The Forgotten Realm by Lester Dent, Will Murray, Kenneth Robeson
3.0
These modern Doc Savage books are all about three times longer than the crisply written pulp originals, but they're great fun if you're in the mood for that sort of thing, and by "that sort of thing" I mean daring escapes, Indiana Jones music, crazy monsters, lost kingdoms, and bad guys who say, "Youse". It was nice to see Johnny Littlejohn as a main character for once, though as usual Monk and Ham chew most of the scenery.
Angelmaker by Nick Harkaway
4.0
What an odd book, and very hard to categorize. A reclusive repairman of complex mechanical objects, the son of a notorious British gangster, is sucked into a global apocalyptic conspiracy when an old lady brings him a device to fix which turns out to be an activated doomsday machine from what may as well be a 60's Bond movie. From there, our mousy hero Joe Spork must figure out WHAT the device was, where it came from, and how to turn it off before it fries the planet. The book is full of romantic and intriguing ideas like the Night Market, a rotating carnival market where all the city's rogues and thieves meet up secretly to buy, sell, and plan, and a lawyer firm crooked enough to take on governments. It's a sprawling adventure story over land, sea, and air, with some steampunk elements, lots of classic Bond spy fun, and evil bad guys who want to destroy the world.
My only real caveat is that the shifting timelines (Part of the book is told in retrospect, part right now) can be frustrating at times because just when you're really into the current mystery, the book will drop back into the 60's high-spying adventures of the Mata Hari-esque co-protagonist. Regardless, it's a hell of a ride. Recommended.
My only real caveat is that the shifting timelines (Part of the book is told in retrospect, part right now) can be frustrating at times because just when you're really into the current mystery, the book will drop back into the 60's high-spying adventures of the Mata Hari-esque co-protagonist. Regardless, it's a hell of a ride. Recommended.
How the White Trash Zombie Got Her Groove Back by Diana Rowland
4.0
Fun and silly as usual. Better than the last one, and it's a kick to see Angel dragged out of her element and into a big city and a fancy hotel. "How do they keep people from stealing the towels?", indeed.
Playing for Keeps by Mur Lafferty
3.0
Enjoyable self-published book. The audiobook was read by the author herself, who does a much better job of reading than many other authors I've listened to. Be warned, though, that the audiobook version has a very annoying repeating musical riff that breaks up the narrative podcast-style about every ten minutes, and by the end of the book it will get on your nerves.
Keepsie and her friends are D-list superpowered people, not effective enough to be real superheroes and get academy training. Instead, she has friends that have powers like always remembering people's food orders, or never dropping drink trays, and being able to detach their own legs. When conflict breaks out between the arrogant-but-well-meaning superheroes and the affable-but-evil supervillains, Keepsie and her friends at the bar are caught in the middle.
As superhero books go, it was enjoyable. Not on the same level as one of my favorites, "Soon I will be Invincible", but still fun. If you liked the movie Mystery Men, you'll probably enjoy this.
Keepsie and her friends are D-list superpowered people, not effective enough to be real superheroes and get academy training. Instead, she has friends that have powers like always remembering people's food orders, or never dropping drink trays, and being able to detach their own legs. When conflict breaks out between the arrogant-but-well-meaning superheroes and the affable-but-evil supervillains, Keepsie and her friends at the bar are caught in the middle.
As superhero books go, it was enjoyable. Not on the same level as one of my favorites, "Soon I will be Invincible", but still fun. If you liked the movie Mystery Men, you'll probably enjoy this.
Oblivion by Jay Bonansinga
2.0
Sadly, I have to give this one a "Meh". It had a great setting (Ex-priest called in to exorcise haunted house, which turns out to be the White House, then gets locked down during a winter storm over the Christmas holidays). The concept alone was excellent, and kept me reading, but I thought the writing style could have used a lot of improvement... Cliches abounded, everything happened "at the very last possible second", everyone drops their flashlights (Low on batteries, natch) in the dark during scare scenes, and so on. The breathless narration of the audiobook version I listened to definitely didn't help, and I wonder if the book would be better in written form, without the reader reciting the whole thing in what feels like a dead run.
Bottom line - OK, but I've read much better horror than this.
Bottom line - OK, but I've read much better horror than this.
Night of the Living Deed by E.J. Copperman
2.0
Billed as frothy and a cozy mystery, and it was that. However, the lead character's tremendous sense of entitlement ("Everyone else on the planet should clearly be thinking only of MEEEEEE and removing every difficulty from my path!" "I hated that bitch instantly because she had nice shoes." "What is WRONG with impossibly perfect guy that he did not read my mind and know I wanted him to do X?" And so on...) really soured me on the character. Spending the whole length of the audiobook inhabiting this woman's headspace was exhausting and teeth-grinding. The male characters were all either impossibly perfect or sleazy; the female characters were all hysterical over-reactive nitwits or manipulative evil bitches. It's weird how so often it's female-focused "chick lit" like this that comes off much more sexist than any macho Jack Reacher book.
In any event, it had some humor and ghosts and a bit of mystery. It wasn't the worst book I've ever read by far, but I won't be revisiting this particular series.
In any event, it had some humor and ghosts and a bit of mystery. It wasn't the worst book I've ever read by far, but I won't be revisiting this particular series.