Martin

See if you can spot the "twist" (Hint: You can!)

Revisado: 10-09-12

I usually like "hidden history" type stories of which "The DiVinci Code" is probably the best-known example. You almost always get far-flung adventures in exotic or ancient locations with protagonists who are either immensely capable Indiana Jones types, or academics out of their league who start figuring out the clues and by the end of the book are two steps ahead of the bad guys. In both cases you start liking the good guys and are excited by what's happening to them and are happy you're along for the ride.

In "The Mask of Atreus", not so much. The main character, Deborah Miller, just seems to be a victim of circumstance. She moves through the story like a twig in a stream... letting events push her along but never taking charge herself. She's not weak, she endures any number of hardships, but she just never gets ahead of the story and takes charge.

This could be forgivable with a better story, something that kept the reader a bit off balance as well. Unfortunately I saw the saw the big twist coming about two thirds of the way through, and then spent the rest of the book waiting for everyone else to catch up.

Given the setup and major plot points, this could have been something like a mega-roller-coaster, full of drops and climbs with so many corners and loops that you're never quit sure what comes next and that leaves you with a jaw-splitting grin. Instead, it was like a kiddie-coaster at the state fair. A few short drops, a Whee or two, and then on to the Tilt-A-Whirl. This is probably the first book I return, if for no other reason than I can't imaging wanting to listen to it again.

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Let's go to Mars! (but with working toilets)

Revisado: 11-16-11

I love the conclusion of this book: “Mars is there! RIGHT THERE! You can see it from here! LET’S GO!” (paraphrasing slightly, I’m afraid). And overall this is an enjoyable trip through the back halls of the space program. The ostensible thread through the book is how we can prepare for a trip to Mars and what’s been done so far to meet specific challenges. In reality, however, this is a bit like reading The National Inquirer Meets NASA as told by George Carlin. Mary Roach is always respectful to the men and women behind the space program, but you get the feeling that she kept saying “And isn’t there any little tidbit you can share? Just between us? Promise I won’t tell!”. Oh, and that she has or knows a five your old boy and based some of her humor on his reactions. Fair warning: the chapter on toilets in space will be side-splitting if you like bathroom humor and pretty gross if you don’t.
To be fair, she does throw herself into her research. She relates first hand experience with some of the research and testing NASA is doing, and she isn’t afraid to make fun of herself. And there were times when I was laughing out loud. Seriously, why would an organization dedicated to launching people into space on the tops of guided missiles be so obsessively concerned about slip hazards?
So, look elsewhere if you want scientific rigour or high adventure. But get this book if you want a lighthearted look at the past and future space program with some behind the scenes coverage.

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Tried for WOW, ended up at meh...

Revisado: 11-16-11

I have to admit to being a little disappointed by The Ice Limit, although that’s partially because I was expecting something else. Having read The Relic and some other stories by Preston and Child I kept waiting for the monster to jump out of the closet... and it never happened. There were some scenes that sounded like they were going to get weird, but then just ended. So where I was expecting a “Don’t go down into the basement, there’s a monster there” type of story, I got a “We keep finding out odd things about this item but we don’t know what they mean” story.
And then, right at the end, someone must have said “Oh wait! We promised the publisher a scary story!” and threw in about ten pages of newspaper extracts describing what happens after the main story is over. For me, that would have been the best part of the book had it actually been written.
On the other hand, if you come into this book with different expectations you may well enjoy it more than I did. Because this story isn't really about the mysterious artifact. It’s about all the madness going on in people's minds. You’ve got one character that went mad on an expedition and has been struggling with the consequences ever since. You’ve got another character who’s crazy in a very specific way, and a whole lot of obsessive-compulsive behavior. Oh, and the captain of a Chilean warship who’s just bat-**** nuts. And it can get kind of fun watching them bounce off one another.
But in the end, there was just too much missed opportunity and Deus Ex Machina from the authors to raise this from a background listen to the “don’t want to leave the car yet” thrill-fest it could have been.

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Witness the birth of a whole new genre!

Revisado: 11-16-11

Before we go any further, let’s get one thing straight. This is pulp fantasy written in the 1930’s for a pulp magazine audience and sold for money. This is not a work of high literature for which the author created an entire history, multiple cultures, and dozens of languages. Howard sketched out a quick back story and a rough map and then got down to writing. That he created a character that has lasted so long and become so popular is a credit to Howard’s writing and the ability to create such an archetypal character as Conan. But the roots of the stories are pulp fiction, and it shows sometimes.

These are also the original stories as written and published by Howard; not re-writes done after his death. And it’s interesting that they are presenting in order of publication. This lets you not only enjoy the stories, but get a glimpse of Howard’s development as a writer. As the forward notes, for a time Howard had to crank out Conan stories just to make ends meet. Where the early stories had almost no female characters, the later ones all have a “damsel in distress” theme featuring young women wearing nothing but wispy bands of silk. I guess even in the 30’s sex sold. But the earlier stories are pure sword and sorcery gold.

Overall, I really enjoyed these stories. Having seen the 1982 movie and read many of the re-writes and comic books I was a bit surprised at Howard’s version of Conan. He gets drunk, he takes revenge, he can be remarkably petty. But he can also be fiercely loyal, caring for his men, and as king he values the welfare of his people. These stories show all sides of the character.

I did have some problems with the reading, however. I grow up hearing the pronunciation “Cim AIR ee ah” while the reader constantly pronounces it “Cim er EE ah” A small point, but it did get to me at first. On the other hand he did a great job with the several voices in each story, and Conan consistently had a slight accent which I think went well with the character. The pacing was generally good, but I could have used just a bit longer pause between each story.

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Won't talk like this to my kid, but I can relate

Revisado: 10-20-11

I'm not usually a poetry reader (or listener), but I thought I'd give this a try for a little ear candy. Samuel Jackson was the perfect reader, getting just the right note of exasperation in his voice as the evening progresses. However, if you're not a big fan of profanity you might want to skip this. It isn't exactly over the top but it is a bit much for my taste. Still, it was a pretty funny poem with an excellent narrator. And all parents have lived through this kind of evening at some point or another!

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Free is good as long as you get your money's worth

Revisado: 10-20-11

I downloaded this for free, which apparently was the author's plan based on some of the free models he describes. This is, at it's heart, a business book that looks at how zero cost can be made to work. In some cases it's because the cost of the item has decreased to the point that it's just easier to round down to zero (although that seems to work best for services and non-physical properties) and in other cases the free item is subsidized by other for-cost products.

While I did get some valuable insight into how to market using free as a model, I do have a couple bones to pick with the premise. First, none of the examples given in the book are truly free. In every case the cost is borne by someone, at some point in the product's lifespan. Sure, Google gives gigabytes of storage and access to their search engine for free, but the costs are covered through AdWords and other Google businesses. It's free to you, but that's because someone else is picking up the tab. To be fair, the author does point this out in his many examples.

On the other hand, he's fallen into the "Music should be free and piracy is good" trap. There are certainly examples that "prove" that piracy has benefited an artist or studio, but I suspect that most artists would prefer a check rather than a kind word. However, he does give examples where artists have created their own pirated music as part of a marketing plan; that may be an interesting strategy in an increasingly digital world.

Overall, some very interesting ideas presented with enthusiasm and energy as read by the author. And giving the audiobook away for free (at least at the time I got it) certainly proves he's willing practice what he preaches.

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