Book Reviews

Defiant Unto Death (Master of War #2) by David Gilman

2018-08-27 I thought this started a little awkward – too much trying to explain the passing of ten years since the last book. However, it soon found its groove and in the end it proved to be a very satisfying read. I’m excited to see this series will be entering Italy, so will definitely be reading more of this. 🙂 Rating: 4/5 Continue reading

Chapterhouse: Dune (Dune #6) by Frank Herbert

2018-08-14 The most exciting part of this book was the cigarette burn toward the end of the paperback, from when my dad read it. I used to buy him the latest in the Dune series for his birthday – now I know I was punishing him. To summarize Chapter House: People talk with each other, then remember earlier conversations, go back to the current one,... Continue reading

The Midnight Line (Jack Reacher, #22) by Lee Child

2018-08-14 Another excellent Jack Reacher book – one of his better ones – with more emotional engagement than usual, and definitely in a good way. The one small flaw is someone really ought to tell Lee Child to stop using the Magical Healing Penis cliche. 🙂 Rating: 5/5 Continue reading

The Legacy of Rome: Scotland’s Roman Remains by Lawrence Keppie

2018-08-08 I’ve only read the first half of this, and it’s one of the most engaging descriptions of social history I’ve come across. I’ve not yet gone through the second half, simply because it’s a tour of Roman sites in southern Scotland, and I’ll need to wait until I return there before I can judge the rest of the book. 🙂 Rating: 5/5 Continue reading

Orphan Star (Pip & Flinx, #3) by Alan Dean Foster

2018-08-06 This isn’t a particularly bad book, but neither is it a particularly good book. The writing is fluid, so no problem there. It’s just that it’s very much a pulpy space fantasy that I felt would probably appeal better to younger readers than myself. I also hadn’t realized this was part of a series, so I may have missed further meaning in some of... Continue reading

God Emperor of Dune (Dune #4) by Frank Herbert

2018-07-30 A curious book that offers less of a plot as much as a long reflection in the final days of Leto II, the God Emperor of Dune who has ruled for 3,000 years. Frustratingly, despite its 450 pages, at no point is it revealed why Leto chose this option, or this end, or what the Golden Path actually means. Gold Emperor joins Children of... Continue reading

Heretics of Dune (Dune #5) by Frank Herbert

2018-07-30 Finished Heretics of Dune, where whores from outer space threaten humanity with orgasmic amplification – but, luckily for the Bene Gessirit they have created a man irresistible to women who can turn the ecstasy of vaginal pulsation against the user. Seriously. It’s all there in the book – though luckily it’s mostly just talked about rather than described. Actually, there’s a lot of talking... Continue reading

Children of Dune (Dune #3) by Frank Herbert

2018-07-13 It’s not a bad book, but not a great one either. There’s a better sense of story than “Dune Messiah”, but it still feels inconsistent: the treatment of Alia’s character especially, and the previous omission of a rival heir to the empire come immediately to mind. I can’t shake the feeling that Frank Herbert lacked an overall plan for the Dune series and ended... Continue reading