SAILING BRIGHT ETERNITY by Gregory Benford is the conclusion of a series that failed to live up to its jacket blurb. Reading 50 or so pages in, I stopped because of boredom. Initially, I thought the series might be like Robert Heinlein Lazarus Long books, which I enjoyed back in the ’60’s and ’70’s. No way. The jacket praises the “hard science,” which I saw as totally speculative far futurism. The use of a chimera of hard science detracted so much from the action of what I read, I couldn’t go on. The conversations were minimal and hard to follow. My suggestion is that if you haven’t read Heinlein’s STRANGER IN A STRANGELAND, read it first. Then go to the first of Benford’s series. To be somewhat fair, it is possible that had I done that, I would have been drawn in and at least read the whole first novel of the series. (Is on Amazon and Facebook.)
THIEF OF SOULS by Ann Benson I found interesting, entertaining, and informative. In a sense it is two novels in one. The last page is 482. One of the novels is a detective mystery near the turn of the 20th century. The other, which parallels it, takes place in the mid 15th century, when the plague was fresh in the memory of the adults in the population. The heroines are both female, a detective in Los Angeles in one, a nun in the other. Both are uppity, pushy, aggressive with an underlying layer of self doubt, hesitation, and lack of confidence. Each has a relationship with a boss, male, the next step up in the hierarchy of the L.A. police or the church that is often conflictual while at the same time being supportive. I won’t reduce your reading pleasure by giving more of plot lines, characterization, etc. away.
I believe both novels are quite well researched, with the mid 15th century characters based on the author’s historical research. I appreciated learning more of that time. The contrast between cultures worlds and centuries apart is very enjoyable and informative. It lead me to take a look at myself and how I function in my culture. The book is constructed with the chapters alternating between now and then, with the themes of one chapter helping illuminate the preceding and following chapter.
A caution is that there are both a good deal of gore and the major crime theme is horrifying, even sickening for many. It sickens a number of the characters as well, but fails to sicken others. (50″)
I AM NOT A PSYCHIC by Richard Belzer with Michael Black. I do not recommend this book. I struggled through 27 pages of it while eating lunch and should have stopped sooner. It’s a mystery with a stand-up comic as the hero. The jacket indicates Belzer is a very successful television actor with a number of series to his credit as well as being a stand-up comic. He should have stayed away from writing, but I would imagine his name does sell enough of his books so the publishers make a profit.
He gives many examples of poor humor in what I read, with the hero looking down on other stand-up comics from his own egotistical heights. I found none of the characters interesting, likable, anyone I would want to get to know. This may, perhaps is, an accurate portrayal of Las Vegas show biz, but I need at least one character in 27 pages interesting and sympathetic enough that I might want to know them.
I like well written and edited books. This is neither. Several grammatical errors in what I read helped turn me off. But enough, don’t read unless you like disliking all the characters in a book.