Andreas' Other Books - (E-F by author)

Warren Ellis, Chris Weston & Laura Martin - Ministry of Space

This graphic novel assumes that the British gained rocketry knowledge after WWII instead of the Americans and Soviets. The British Empire prevails and establishes a substantial space presence. The art is crisp and brings to mind of 1950s space visions. The plot and characters are caricatures of the British. Lots of daring and stiff upper lip. Plenty of fun but it felt a little short.

 Warren Ellis & Colleen Doran - Orbiter

In the beginning of this graphic novel, Kennedy Space Center is shown as a vast squatter camp. Suddenly, the Venture Space Shuttle appears and lands. Apparently, manned spaceflight was abandoned when the Venture dissapeared ten years previously.

Warren Ellis - Ocean

Just like Ministry of Space was the vision of space seen from the 1950s, Ocean is the vision of space seen from the 1980s. A short graphic novel about an archeologica find in the oceans of Titan. Fun iideas but nothing special.

David Feintuch - Prisoner's Hope

I had run out of books during a holiday in the Greek islands and had to scurry to a second hand bookstore before I lost my sanity. I had seen the "Hope" books in bookstores before, and hoped (haha) that the books would simply be more or less good copies the Honor Harrington series by David Weber. Granted, I have only tried to read  this one book but it was simply terrible. I gave up after a hundred and fifty pages or so. The main character is a total bastard, who takes offence at the smallest slight. The author seems to think that military command entails being a despotic father figure. If you say so... There may have been a story. And don't get me started on all the religious stuff. Steer clear of this one and go buy the Honor books instead.

Raymond E. Feist - Faerie Tale

Fantasy/Horror grounded in the Nordic/English tradition of fairies. Reads like a good Stephen King with a heavy fantasy element. Very scary and very good.

Raymond E. Feist - The Riftwar Saga

• Magician: Apprentice

• Magician: Master

• Silverthorn

• A Darkness at Sethanon

Straightforward fantasy, this saga is very well plotted and written by Dungeons and Dragons aficionado Feist. I am not much into fantasy, but if you want a truly epic tale with kingdoms, magic and so forth, you won't go wrong with this. In the English Edition, Magician is a single volume.

Raymond E. Feist - Prince of the Blood; The King's Buccaneer

These two books bridge the gap between the Riftwar and the Serpent War. They are written with quite a bit of humor and are lighthearted and enjoyable fantasy, introducing two important characters to Feist's world.

Raymond E. Feist - The Serpentwar Saga

Another epic tale from Feist, but this one falls far short of the mark. The characters are not as interesting, and the story does not feel nearly as epic as Riftwar. The antagonist is alsoa bit too simple and stylized. Feists style seems to have suffered as well. Having said that, if you loved Riftwar, you will probably enjoy this series as well. The books in the series are:

• Shadow of a Dark Queen

• Rise of a Merchant Prince

• Rage of a Demon King

• Shards of a Broken Crown

Is reviewed here.

Eric Flint - 1632

Alternate history sci-fi is becoming quite a large subgenre of its own. Much of it is good, although I can't quite bring myself to appreciate Harry Turtledove. 1632 does not deviate from the familiar path too much, although it is written with more than the usual dose of humor. While it may be slightly formulaic and cliché at times, and not at all as sophisticated as S.M. Stirling, the characters are quite likeable and the story is high adventure at its best. In (very) short, it is the story of how a West Virginia mining town gets transported to Germany in the middle of that most horrible of conflict, The Thirty Years War. We children of the twentieth century often think that our century was the worst when it comes to savagery, but the the people of that age were just as bad, if not so systematic, about their cruelty. It is hinted in the book that the death of Gustav II Adolf (Gustavus Adolphus for non Swedes) at Lützen eventually led to the creation of modern Germany and thus, the two World Wars. While this may seem a bit farfetched, I find myself by and large agreeing with the thesis. But I digress. 1632 is just plain fun, easily read in a day or two. Incidentally, this is the first book I have read in its entirety as an ebook on my Palm. I used to think this was no fun, but the new PDA's allow quite a bit of (admittedly tiny) text to be crammed onto one screen, and it was almost like reading a book. Baen books bravely distributes quite a bit of content for free as ebooks here. 20030811

Eric Flint and David Weber - 1633

The sequel to 1632, not unexpectedly titled 1633, is just as good as the first novel, if not better. Mr Flint now has the cooperation of David Weber. For the experienced Weber fan, this is discernible in the sometimes slightly longwinded expositions on politics and religion. No matter. The book is very good, especially the last ten chapters. The theme of predestination (or the lack of it) is very well developed and thoughtprovoking. The battlescenes are, as one would expect, very well written. And the humor is still there, along with, sometimes, a certain gravitas.

In his afterword, Eric Flint mentions the fact that Mr Weber and he are now under contract for no less than four sequels, and there is an anthology in the works. Can't wait... 20030812

Eric Flint (Editor) - Ring of Fire

An anthology of stories set in the 1632verse. While I wouldn't recommend it until you have read 1632 and 1633, it's certainly worth a read after that. The most interesting thing about the 1632verse is it's shared nature. Flint has only set the most general guidelines, and other authors (both professional and non) are free to develop their storylines as they see fit, even if they affect other storylines in a major way. Flint is thus the editor of an evolving history that he has much less than perfect control over. The interesting part of the experiment is that it very much mirrors real history, which is definitely non linear and chaotic. 20051105

Eric Flint (Editor) - The Grantville Gazette

This is actually the second anthology in the 1632verse, but the first one to be published in paperback. It began life as an electronic magazine, but the success was so great Baen decided to publish in traditional format as well. Most of the stories and articles started as posts in the Baen's Bar forum. Unknown and mostly unpublished authors producing high quality fanfic. However if you are not familiar with the 1632verse, you will be somewhat confused. Not to worry, the books are a lot of fun! 20050209

Eric Flint (Editor) - Grantville Gazette II

Dead tree edition of the second volume filled with "user generated content" in the 1632verse. This continues Flint's experiment with not only opening his universe, but letting other writers actually add to the stories and developing landscape in a major way. Flint does not set strict guidelines, allowing other writers to take his own creation in totally unexpected ways.

The book is a mixed bag. Some of the stories are cute, some are more serious. The novelette about setting up a medical school that fills a large part of the compilation is engaging but fails to pull out all the stops and ends up rather flat. The non-fiction is mostly interesting. None of the content is bad but there isn't really anything that stands out as particularly good either. It's pretty interesting if you're into the other books, but it can't bea read as a standalone. 20071230

Eric Flint and Andrew Dennis - 1634: The Galileo Affair

The first of many sequels to 1632 and 1633, 1634: The Galileo Affair focuses more on the theological-political impact of the Ring of Fire. The newly formed United States of Europe sends a delegation to Venice. This leads, more or less on purpose, to links with the Vatican and involvement in the trial of Galileo. Great reading, although there is much less action than in 1632 and 1633. I would recommend starting at the beginning of the series, otherwise you will only be confused.

Eric Flint - Mother of Demons

This early Flint effort shows signs of his future greatness. Hidden behind the horrid cover and the rather simplistic few humans on a hostile world lie deep layers of meaning. A human colonization ship to another star has an accident. The only survivors to make it to the habitable planet are a few scientist and an historian, along with a host of young children. The natives are in the local Bronze Age. The story tells of how the historian must overcome her fears of the evil she knows the future will hold, and help lead her small band, and native allies.

There is great moral strength in the story. Flint is, however, rather too enamoured with the historical concepts he is exploring. He shows greater maturity in later works such as 1632, where he is more subte about the whole thing. That being said, Mother of Demons is a fun read full of Flint's trademark humor.

The cover and the blurb both annoyed me. While the cover is a very accurate depiction of a key moment in the story, and the blurb does sum up the key players rather neatly, I think that they probably scared away a large part of the potential readership. 20050410

Eric Flint - 1812 - The Rivers of War

Another alternate history novel from Flint. This one, the first of a series, rewrites the War of 1812. Instead of being wounded in the groin at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend, Sam Houston is only grazed in the arm. And so he can participate in the defense of Washington against a British raid. Flint spins an interesting tale of how influential (American) Indians, whites and blacks begin to form strong bonds and plan for the future. It helps if you know some of the history, but even if you don't, Flint is pretty good at filling in the blanks.

I enjoyed the book, but it is by no means perfect. Flint has a great sense of humor and the book is a page turner. However, he is a bit too in love with his characters, and the smugness in which he describes them is a bit grating. Having said that, if you liked 1632  and so forth you mightenjoy this.

Michael Flynn - In the Country of the Blind

Michael Flynn's first novel, in which he presupposes that the calculating engine proposed by Charles Babbage in the early 1800's (a sort of mechanical computer) was actually built, and used by a secretive society to calculate the future, then influence the history of the world. Very exciting, but gets a bit bogged down towards the middle with a very complex web of conspiracies. Worth a read if you can look past the shortcomings. 2003

C.S. Forester - The Hornblower Series

Since I am a big fan of David Weber's Honor Harrington, I wanted to try my hand at the original inspiration for those books: the classic Horatio Hornblower series by C.S. Forester. Set during the peak of the Age of Sail in the Napoleonic era, the books detail the exploits of Horation Hornblower from Midshipman to Admiral. Full of action and adventure, they manage to include shiphandling minutiae without bogging down the story. Page turners for young and old alike. I would recommend starting with Beat to Quarters (AKA The Happy Return) since the chronologically earlier books (those written later) tend to be of a slightly lesser quality.

• Mr. Midshipman Hornblower - This short story collection covers the early career of our young hero, from his first onboard ship experience to his two and a half years of captivity in Spain. By the end, Hornblower is promoted to Lieutenant. Even though it is a short story collection, it flows quite nicely and is more of an episodic novel.
   

• Lieutenant Hornblower - The still very young Hornblower has to deal with a tyrannous and insane Captain. He then distinguishes himself by helping in the destruction of a Spanish fortress and taking prizes.
   

• Hornblower and the 'Hotspur' - Although the action is fast and furious, this one is a mite tedious. Hornblower spends a couple of years on blockade duty off the coast of France. This sort of duty was demanding and harsh, but also monotonous and performed in cold, dreary weather for much of the year.
   

• Hornblower during the Crisis - The chronologically fourth novel is unfinished due to Forester's death. Nothing much happens since only the first 100 pages or so are written. Hornblower is about to become a spy. Also included are a couple of short stories, the latter showing our hero in old age.
   

• Hornblower and the 'Atropos' - This one is quite episodic in an annoying way. Apart from the one ship commanded, there is no single thread to pull the reader through. Dissapointing given the other books.
   

• Beat to Quarters (AKA The Happy Return) - The first novel to be written, this one is a masterpiece of plotting and action. Hornblower, in command of the frigate Lydia, heads to the Pacific coast of Central America in order to make life difficult for the Spanish colonies there. He also has his first encounter with Lady Barbara. The sailing and combat action is excellent, but one should not forget the evolution of the relationship with Lady Barbara. In the beginning, Hornblower strongly dislikes her, but in the end he loves her. And we see the process every step of the way. The books chronologically preceding this one are much weaker, and interestingly they were written later in life.
   

• Ship of the Line - Hornblower takes command of the two decker Sutherland. He carries out five daring raids against the French, but ends up a prisoner after defeat against overwhelming odds. This one ends in a cliffhanger of sorts as our hero is imprisoned in French oppupied Catalonia. Great action, perhaps even better than Beat to Quarters.
   

• Flying Colours - This picks up immediately where Ship of the Line left off. Hornblower is on his way to Paris to be tried for purported war crimes. Napoleon is trying to score some propaganda points. However he manages to escape and makes his way back to England, where he finds a hero's welcome. This one is quite introspective in some ways, with Hornblower's cynicism and doubts coming to thefore. He hates himself in some ways, not daring to realize how much he means to people. He is afraid of failure despite great success. And finally he cynically realizes how the British use him for propaganda as much as the French meant to. At the end of the book, we find Hornblower widowed with a young son. But Lady Barbara is also widowed. Opportunity awaits, perhaps.

• Commodore Hornblower - Our hero is now married to Barbara, and in the landed gentry. He is sent on a mission to the Baltic to ensure that the Swedes and the Russians don't join the war on the side of Napoleon. Action as usual but not a whole lot of character development.
   

• Lord Hornblower - The action moves to the English Channel as the Napoleonic era draws to a close and the French mainland can be invaded (ahem... liberated). The last part is rather boring as Hornblower, together with his friends from Flying Colours, fights a guerilla action against the new Napoleonic regime during the "hundred days" following the Emperor's escape from Elba. 20080425
   

• Admiral Hornblower in the West Indies - In my mind this is a short story collection, not a novel, While mildly entertaining, Forester is basically treading water here. A dissapointing last few books after such great novels as Beat to Quarters and Ship of the Line. 20080425

William R. Forstchen - The Lost Regiment

• Rally Cry

• Union Forever

• Terrible Swift Sword

American Civil War regiment gets transported to world where savage spieces comes around every few years and collects tribute in the form of human flesh. Despite the fact that this series trods a well-worn path of military sci-fi (can you say "Janissaries"?), Fortschen does decently well. The first book is quite good, but by the time I got to the end of book three, I discovered that the story was not really going anywhere anymore. There is better stuff than this out there, but if you really want more the series continues for another 6 books.

Alan Dean Foster - A Call to Arms

Book one of The Damned. A man is kidnapped by aliens, who are shocked to find that humans are so good at war and violence. All alien spieces are pretty useless at the stuff. Humans, though obviously and abomination and blablabla, will be a useful asset. Written with a great does of humor, but maybe I just didn't get the joke. Yawn...

 Anne Frank - The Diary of a Young Girl

As is quite well known, this young jewish girl hid for years in the back of a house in Amsterdam during the Nazi occupation. She later died in a concentration camp. This is her diary. A frightening work in many ways, but also a monument to innocence in a terrifying world.

C.S. Friedman - In Conquest Born

Certainly impressive for a first novel, In Conquest Born details the struggle between Anzha and Zatar, prime representatives of their endlessly warring nations. The structure of the novel is unusual, as every chapter is somewhat like a short story in itself, often with different narrators, viewpoints and styles. The advantage is that exposition can be made from several angles. The disadvantage is a certain feeling of disjointedness and the device weakens the motivation to find out what happens next.

The narrative is epic with regards to time, space, and character development. The characterization is masterful indeed. Friedman goes on a deep dive into the conflicting cultures of the novel, especially the secretive Braxaná. This is, in fact, more a story of people than of technology. Few scenes have more than two or three characters, and we are treated to a well written exposé of the workings of the mind. It is very far from hard SF. While it could be called Space Opera, I would call it a psychological SF story.

Friedman proves that she can write a very complex novel without leaving the reader hopelessly confused. For that she definitely deserves credit. I enjoyed this odd semi-classic, despite the fact that it was a slog at times. At the end was the reward: The surprise ending made everything clear, tying up the many many tangents. 20060315

 Robert Fulghum - All I Really Need To Know I Learned in Kindergarten; It Was on Fire When I Lay Down on It

Ok, so the titles are really loooooong. These two books can be seen as the collected wisdom of Fulghum. He has a knack for squeezing the funny out of commonplace occurences, and wondering why people don't have more common sense. Mildly entertaining, if you're into that sort of thing.