The Kriptonomicon
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The Kriptonomicon, Dont read everything you believe
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Sat, 26 Apr 2008
The Chinese Lake Murders
By Robert Van Gulik
Once again the Judge is on the case - this time, hints of the supernatural - both spirits and the possibility of the Dreaded White Lotus Cult! Will the Judge fail his imperial masters? Is the spirit of the drowned girl really going to take her vengeance? Find out here!
Posted at: [/books] permanent link
Sun, 13 Apr 2008
Small Favour
By Jim Butcher
The next in the Dresden Files series. I'm revising my assessment of Butcher as a guilty pleasure - after having ready some execrable stuff recently, I really appreciated this. It cracks along, with plot, characterisation and action. His writing skills have definitely improved, as I'm fully involved with the characters and on the edge of my seat as I read. I will have to go back and re-read fairly soon, as I just gulped this down, and as a result probably missed something. If you haven't read any of his series before, don't start here, but its definitely with continuing with.
Now I have to wait a year for the next one!
Posted at: [/books] permanent link
Tue, 08 Apr 2008
KT Tunstall
Live at the Corn Exchange on Sunday! I was dead chuffed to get tickets as its not often that 'big' acts come our way, and their inevitably booked out when they do.
The warm up act was awful, as he had no sense of irony, and very whiney songs. Pity as he could actually sing.
KT (as I can now call her, I assume ;-) was superb, however. I was glad that a headlining act that I'd paid good money to see was as good as their albums. Not always the case (and not even a problem if they're a studio band), so a relief.
No new material, but a good selection from her two albums. She had a group of talented musicians - most played several instruments, apart from one who played - that I saw - keyboards, drums, a washboard tie (really! I want one!), trumpet, and vocals. He also had the best 'Rolf the piano player' hair for the more rocking numbers. KT proved that she's got real stage presence by playing a couple of numbers solo, or with only her backing singers. Amusingly, she appeared to have a different guitar for each song - do guitars get tuned diferently or something?
Posted at: [/live] permanent link
The Privilege Of The Sword
By Ellen Kushner
I was recommended this, if memory serves, from Scalzi's 'Big Idea' Blog posts featuring Kushner. I bought this hoping for more Dumas style swashblucking in the mode of Perez-Reverte's Captain Alatriste. Unfortunately, Kushner is no Perez Reverte. I was expecting something of a feminist book, co-opting the usualy masculine tradition of the swashbuckler, and she makes a stab (ah ha. see what I did there?) at this, along with a stab at being edgy (yes, the predictable way - everyone's bisexual), and a stab at a plot. The plot does OK, up to a point, and that point is the ending - it got the feeling of the author reaching her word count and simply deciding to use her last thousand words to wrap up. One of the least dramatic endings, with little internal consistency I've read in a while.
Still, Jim Butcher's 'Small Favor' arrived to day, no thanks to Amazon, so I have something to look forward to.
Posted at: [/books] permanent link