[HarryT]

Books read during 2018

Jan: "Disappearing Act", by Margaret Ball. Bought from Baen in October 2004. Baen description:

Maris's work with the local underworld on the huge space station was anything but honest, but life was much more pleasant than it had been before the gang's leader had picked her up from the slums. Then her boss grabbed a visitor to the station who was asking too many questions, only to find out that she was a very important diplomat. Worse, his prisoner had apparently committed suicide by jumping through an airlock into hard vacuum.

To avoid dangerous questions from station security, he decided to let Maris's corpse be found with the diplomat's IDs; but Maris saw through his plot and used those IDs to escape to the planet the Diplomat was about to investigate. Unfortunatley she landed in a hornet's nest of corrupt officials conspiring with a local tyrant. Surrounded by people who wanted her eliminated, the only person she could trust was Gabrel, a young officer who set off with her on a cross-planet trek to get evidence that would expose the tangled web of corruption.

Maris was strongly attracted to Gabrel and the feeling seemed to be mutual. But then, he thought she was a high-ranking government agent. What would happen when he found that she was only a petty criminal on the run

A very enjoyable SF romp!

Jan: "Deepsix", by Jack McDevitt. The second book in the "Academy" series, about a team of interstellar archaeologists exploring the remains of dead civilisations in the 23rd century.

It should have been a straightforward exercise; but they were reckoning without mechanical failures, earthquakes and hostile indigenous species.

It’s 2225. Mankind has reached the outskirts of the universe, and discovered evidence of intelligent life on dozens of planets. Nothing still alive, but some amazing archaeological remains. On the distant planet Maleiva III, known colloquially as Deepsix (it’s about to be wiped out by a rogue gas giant, the Jerry Morgan) they’ve found traces of an ancient civilization. With two weeks to go before the gas giant destroys the planet, a team of crack archaeologists lands on the surface to record and salvage as much of this ancient civilzation as they can.

Suddenly, the team is stranded there with no means of getting off it. With the Jerry Morgan bearing down on them day by day, survival is going to require some ingenuity…

Absolutely superb. A real page-turner. One of those books where you want to carry on reading to find out what happens next, but you don't want the book to end. VERY highly recommended!

Jan: "Rogue Berserker", by Fred Saberhagan. The first book in the "Berserker" series, in which the human race is being attacked by sentient robots from an ancient war who have the goal of exterminating all life from the galaxy. Enjoyable.

Jan: "Come to Grief", by Dick Francis. The third of the four books in the "Sid Halley" series, but all completely standalone. Sid Halley, a former champion jockey turned private investigator in the world of horse-racing, suspects that his best friend may be responsible for a series of attacks in which horses are mutilated. He must be wrong, mustn't he?

Perhaps not the absolute best by Francis, but still very enjoyable indeed.

Jan: "Berserker Spy", by Fred Saberhagen. The first book in the Baen omnibus titled "Berserker Man". In this one, the Berserkers try to wipe out the current inhabitants of a planet by attacking key points in history in the distant past, thus changing history. Very good SF.

Jan: "Chindi", by Jack McDevitt. I enjoyed "Deepsix" so much that on with the third book in the "Academy" series. Perhaps not quite as good as "Deepsix", but still very, very good indeed. In this instalment in the series, "Hutch" leads an expedition of wealthy sponsors of the Academy on a mission to track down the source of a mysterious alien transmission originating from a neutron star. Again highly recommended!

23rd Jan: Finished "Berserker Planet", by Fred Saberhagen, which forms approximately the second quarter of the very large Baen omnibus called "Berserker Man", which I bought in October 2004. A story about a group of "modern" hunters on a planet which has fallen back to a mediaeval level of civilisation, who find more fearsome prey than they were anticipating! Not outstanding but an enjoyable enough read.

24th Jan: Finished "To the Hilt", by Dick Francis.

Home for Alexander, an artist, is a small bothy on a remote mountain in Scotland. One day, his peace is shattered when he returns home to find some strangers waiting for him. After a scuffle, he is left for dead with only the wind and the words, "Where is it?" ringing in his ears.

An extremely enjoyable mystery/thriller. Highly recommended!

24th Jan: Finished "Berserker Man", by Fred Saberhagen; the title story of, and third book contained in, the Baen omnibus of the same name. This one didn't particularly grab me. OK, but nothing special.

27th Jan. Finished "Omega", By Jack McDevitt, the fourth book in the excellent "Academy" series, about a group of interstellar archaeologists exploring the remains left by dead extraterrestrial civilisations. In this book, the Academy has to try to save a civilisation, who are roughly at the technological level of the Roman Empire, from being wiped out by one of the mysterious "Omega Clouds" that we first met in the first book in the series, without violating the law which prohibits interference in other cultures. Absolutely excellent, like all the other books in the series so far. Highly recommended.

28th Jan. Finished "The Berserker Throne", by Fred Saberhagen. This is the final book in the extremely long Baen omnibus called "Berserker Man". I have to admit that I'm starting to find this series a little tedious. Nothing wrong with the plots, but I just don't like Saberhagen's writing style.

29th Jan. Finished "10lb. Penalty", by Dick Francis. This, like many of his later books, has only a fairly peripheral connection to horse racing, which appears in some way or other in all Francis' books. Description from Fantastic Fiction:

Teenager Benedict Juliard has no other ambition than to ride in steeplechases as an amateur jockey. Having agreed not to do anything that could destroy his father's growing public service and political career, Ben finds himself targeted in an attack mounted by his father's enemies.

Absolutely excellent - one of his very best books, I think. Very highly recommended!

Total: 12 books.