Hey!! Let's get some action going! What are we reading?

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

When I noticed it was an Alan Grant book, I switched to The Franchise Affair. Which I then found that although technically an Alan Grant book, he plays almost no part in it at all


I enjoyed The Franchise Affair. Not much mystery, but a nice description of the characters and the finding of a solution.

Next up: F&SF, Sep/Oct 2019.

Which was their 70th Anniversary issue, and very good. I've certainly enjoyed it a lot more with their 'new' editor, CC Finlay. (Checking, I see that he's now been editor for over four years!

Next up: Sharpe's Enemy by Bernard Cornwell. The 15th Sharpe Novel (by internal chronology).

[EAHope]

Hi,

I wonder, does anybody know Tenebra Zeta #1 - Tomb of Plagues by Justin Bedard? I have finished it a few days ago, and was pleasantly surprised it was quite good :-) It is fast-paced, but there is plenty of space for the main duo's interactions and the end isn't as straightforward as it may seem :-D

I have started reading the next book in the series too, and I'm glad I picked the rest of the series as well :-)

[RobertLCollins]

Finally got back to my reading this week. Last night I finished “White Jenna” by Jane Yolen, the second Great Alta book. I quite liked it, as it was a good conclusion to the story set up in the first book, “Sister Light, Sister Dark.” I enjoyed the contrast between the actual story the historical/mythic asides. The plot really raced along.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Next up: Sharpe's Enemy by Bernard Cornwell. The 15th Sharpe Novel (by internal chronology).

Which was the usual enjoyable historical romp. So enjoyable, I'm going straight on to the next one: Sharpe's Honour.

[issybird]

I'm reading:

Churchill Goes to War: Winston's Wartime Journeys by Brian Lavery, which is about Churchill's trips to meet with the other two of the Big Three during WWII. I don't like it as much as a glowing review by a friend at Goodreads led me to expect, as it's (naturally enough) heavy on logistics, not really my thing. Still fascinating as insight into Churchill; I'm not a huge fan and this book plays into that.

Framley Parsonage by Anthony Trollope, the fourth Barchester novel. I'm happy to say that Trollope's back on his typical witty and insightful form after a disappointing outing in Dr. Thorn.

Spartan Women by Sarah B. Pomeroy, which is rather a dud. There's not that much historical evidence for the lives of women in ancient Sparta, so of necessity this book is both repetitive and highly speculative. That would be fine with an engaging narrative, but while Pomeroy can research, she can't write. There are gems here, but you work for them.

Sharpe's Revenge by Bernard Cornwell, the 19th Sharpe novel. Somewhat coincidentally, I just finished the Aubrey/Maturin book that deals with the same period of the end (not so fast) of the Napoleonic Wars and the immediate aftermath. Overall, I've preferred the Sharpe novels where Cornwell gets inventive and plotty to those where Sharpe is the key person to winning every single freaking battle in the peninsular wars, so I'm good.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by issybird

to those where Sharpe is the key person to winning every single freaking battle in the peninsular wars

Eliminating those books doesn't leave much of the series.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Which was the usual enjoyable historical romp. So enjoyable, I'm going straight on to the next one: Sharpe's Honour.

And that was so much fun I went straight onto Sharpe's Regiment.

And now I'm not sure what'll be next.

[issybird]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Next up: Sharpe's Enemy by Bernard Cornwell. The 15th Sharpe Novel (by internal chronology).

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Which was the usual enjoyable historical romp. So enjoyable, I'm going straight on to the next one: Sharpe's Honour.

Originally Posted by pdurrant

And that was so much fun I went straight onto Sharpe's Regiment.

My Goodreads ratings on these:

Sharpe's Enemy ****
Sharpe's Honor **
Sharpe's Regiment ***

Obviously I'm all over the place on them! For me, three stars is the baseline, four stars is quite spiffy indeed and two stars is pretty bad. (I thought Sharpe's Honor was ridiculous.)

Spoiler:

Cornwell lost me entirely when he hanged his second ringer. Once was dubious enough, but twice?

Flaws and all, they are great fun; I'll be sorry to reach the last of them and it's in sight.

[CRussel]

I admit, I quite enjoyed them for a while. But their sameness finally got to me, and I got bored. Perhaps, in another year or two, I'll be ready to return to Sharpe's gallantry and his ladies.

[astrangerhere]

Originally Posted by CRussel

I admit, I quite enjoyed them for a while. But their sameness finally got to me, and I got bored. Perhaps, in another year or two, I'll be ready to return to Sharpe's gallantry and his ladies.

According to goodreads, I read two of these about 10 years ago... and was utterly underwhelmed by the sameness (and likely the ladies).

[Uncle Robin]

Currently 17% through Beloved Delhi:A Mughal City And Her Greatest Poets and loving the new progress bar in the Kobo firmware.

[CRussel]

Originally Posted by astrangerhere

According to goodreads, I read two of these about 10 years ago... and was utterly underwhelmed by the sameness (and likely the ladies).

The TV series, with Sean Bean, was actually quite fun. But the books? Meh.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by CRussel

The TV series, with Sean Bean, was actually quite fun. But the books? Meh.

Ah well, each to his own. That I've ripped through three in four days makes them good reads for me - fun and enjoyable.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

And that was so much fun I went straight onto Sharpe's Regiment.

Next up: The Blood of the Fifth Knight by E. M. Powell. Historical fiction in the time of King Henry II

[DrNefario]

I really enjoyed the Sharpe books, myself. I read them all in a fairly short period of time, bar the one which was published later. The "backfill" books were mostly a bit less interesting, but I kind of enjoy learning my history through the prism of fictitious action.