Night Train To Memphis

Night Train to Memphis Elizabeth Peters Date: 1994   —   used only   —   Book product page Rating:

Fiction, Mystery

Vicki Bliss is suspicious when she's asked to go on an Egyptian cruise to identify a potential thief. But while she is prepared for the thief to be her lover "Sir John Smythe," she isn't prepared for him to show up on the cruise - with his new wife. In a barely contained fury, she misses several clues that could keep her out of danger, because it turns out that in this case, she is not the detective, nor is she the target - she is the hostage in a game she doesn't know exists.

"Sir John" is, as I suspected, featured prominently in another of Peterson's works, a mystery that predates the Vicki Bliss novels. Likewise, I figured out at least one of the characters to be on the side of the bad guys - but I missed others, because much of the cruise can be divided up into camps. (Isn't anyone just along for the ride?) There's even a nod to Peterson's most famous detective, Amelia Peabody, and the fictional tomb she helped to excavate. All in all, it's a very entertaining book.

Trojan Gold

Trojan Gold Elizabeth Peters Date: 1987   —   used only   —   Book product page Rating:

Fiction, Mystery

Vicki Bliss is back (after two more adventures that I haven't actually read) and trying to determine the location of the famous Trojan Gold, long thought lost in the fall of Berlin. But Vicki has received a photograph in the mail of another woman wearing the gold - a woman who is dressed in post-WW II fashion. And there's blood all over the envelope. So she attempts to enlist the help of the art thief "Sir John Smythe" in order to track it down.

Of course, upon arriving at the probable location, it turns out that she isn't the only one to receive a photograph - and the likelihood is that one of the others, colleagues all, actually killed to protect the location. And will kill again, unless she finds the treasure first...

The Copenhagen Connection

The Copenhagen Connection Elizabeth Peters Date: 1982   —   $6.29   —   Book product page Rating:

Fiction, Mystery

Elizabeth Jones meets up with her idol on a plane flight, and through some twist of fate, ends up working for her in Denmark. But when the famous author disappears, Elizabeth has to work with the cranky son in order to find her. Naturallly, this follows the typical narrative where you just know that they will end up in love, since they're sniping at each other so much. But it's fun nonetheless - especially since the author is a bit dotty and apt to go haring off on wild adventures.

Borrower of the Night

Borrower of the Night: The First Vicky Bliss Mystery Elizabeth Peters Date: 1973   —   $6.29   —   Book product page Rating:

Fiction, Mystery

This is a classic setup. It has an ancient castle, a romantic ingénue, and a hidden treasure - not to mention a grasping aunt and multiple treasure-hunters. One of those hunters is Vicky Bliss, a statuesque blond with a brain. As this was written in 1973, this means that she not only has to put off ardent pursuers, but it means that she has to put up with people who think her beauty means she's dumb, and with guys who want her to give up her career and become a domestic wifey. No wonder she's a bit of a misandrist. (While there are still people who think this way, at least there are alternatives.)

Bliss is an art historian, and when the possibility of a lost sculpture by a famous artist presents itself, she has to enter the fray. The "fray" is in Germany, at a castle/hotel that is in considerable disarray. Somewhat suspiciously, the keys to the castle are given to her and her companion Tony, allowing them free run to search. Suspicion becomes dangerous as Tony and Vicki are alternately assaulted and spooked by such hoary chestnuts as the walking suit of armor. It's obvious that someone wants them to find the altarpiece - but it's not so obvious if they will be left alive afterward.

Vicky Bliss is entertaining if a bit strident to modern ears. Like many of Peterson's characters, she is easily distracted by art and history; one gets a sense that this is the best way to entertain the author herself.

The Night of Four Hundred Rabbits

The Night of Four Hundred Rabbits Elizabeth Peters Date: 1971   —   $6.29   —   Book product page Rating:

Fiction, Mystery

Carol Farley knew it was too good to be true. The minor inheritance, coming right after someone had sent her newspaper articles about her long-lost father, could only be a trick. And yet, it seems only natural for her to visit Mexico on her spring break, to visit the father she barely remembers and resolve those issues from the past.

And yet, her trip with her boyfriend, Danny, seems to be turning out much as she feared. Her father blows cold, then warms up immediately; the family he is living with seems alternately loving and afraid of Carol. The servant, someone who follows the old customs, keeps muttering about dark magics; Carol is accosted outside her hotel.

And yet, it is the ruins that fascinate her the most, the pyramids and murals outside of Mexico City. She is lulled into a false sense of security by the normal-seeming events, the typical tourist things that happen. Of course, she curses herself for it later, when things fall to pieces...

I prefer this book to the Camelot Caper for many reasons, primary among them the fact that the pieces are presented for your inspection, and a smart person has a hint that it can all be put together in the end. The sense of danger seems comprehensible, if not understood at the moment.

The Camelot Caper

The Camelot Caper Elizabeth Peters Date: 1969   —   $6.29   —   Book product page Rating:

Fiction, Mystery

Jessica Tregand is very frightened. There have been people following her, threatening her, and all over a ring which she brought to England with her on her trip to visit her estranged grandfather. She's being pursued, and there's no reason to believe that her pursuers want anything good for her. After somehow hooking up with a Gothic novelist, she has to elude pursuit while simultaneously trying to figure out what is so important about her ring.

As a thriller goes, it's not bad; it keeps you in the dark fairly well. The conclusion is all right, but I was never quite as engaged as such a thing requires - I didn't feel as if I knew anything of what was going on, either. But hey, popcorn - it doesn't need to be substantial.

The Big U

The Big U Neal Stephenson Date: 05 February, 2001   —   $10.50   —   Book product page Rating:

Fiction, Speculative

You know that the university experience is strange. Now imagine that experience squared, cubed, and diced for your convenience, and you might come up with something like The Big U. American Megaversity, almost out of money, sold off its prime downtown real estate while retaining a three-by-three city block of land, where it built up. There are eight 25-story dorm towers over a building that not only contains classrooms, offices, and the cafeteria, but a mini-mall and entertainment options, with the net result that a student - or 40,000 students - can spend the whole semester without leaving campus for the "real world."

As Stephenson speculates, this is a recipe for disaster.

This is especially bad when it becomes evident that aside from the tangled bureaucracy, horrible food, and idiot tenured teachers who can't teach the subject they are supposed to master, there are other considerations pointing to a downfall - the fact that the administration will do nothing to punish perpetrators of appalling violence, the computer program that is slowly eating away at the AM records, the student-run Stalinist Underground Battalion, and the union held in thrall by the Crotobaltislovians.

Of course, this trek to disaster is immensely entertaining, as Stephenson's prose sometimes reads as an absurdist parody of some things that are silly enough to begin with:

"Mister Krupp, sir. Last year. According, to the Monoplex Monitor, you, I mean the Megaversity ruling clique, spent ten thousand dollars on legal fees for union-busting firms. Now. There are forty thousand students at American Megaversity. This means that on the average, you spent... four thousand million dollars on legal fees for union-busting alone! How do you justify that, when in this very city people have to pay for their own abortions?"

Krupp simply stared in her direction and took three long slow puffs on his cigar without saying anything. Then he turned to the blackboard. "This weather's not getting any better," he said, quickly drawing a rough outline of the United States. "It's this low pressure center up here. See, the air coming into it turns around counter-clockwise because of the Coriolis effect. That makes it pump cold air from Canada into our area. And we can't do squat about it. It's a hell of a thing."

When things start going bad, it is usually in a fashion that is an amplification of the ills of college life. Uncontrolled drug use, rape, and extreme social pressure are merely a few of the things that are injected into the mix, but it is outside concerns - the Crotobaltislovians - that become the tipping point. Once that point is reached, it becomes like the fall of Rome (Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire is mentioned in the dedication.) The end is, perhaps, inevitable, and hinted at from the very beginning. My only gripe is that this early novel is a prime example of Stephenson's flaw - he is not good at endings, and this one is a prime example of his abrupt whiplash-inducing style of having the climax and ending a few sentences later. Just take my word for it: that is the end, and not just a misprint.

Make No Bones

Make No Bones Aaron Elkins Date: 1991   —   used only   —   Book product page Rating:

Fiction, Mystery

At a conference of forensic anthropologists in Bend, Oregon, one would not usually suspect murder. Yet Gideon Oliver stumbles over a shallow grave in a bulldozed shed, and the timing puts the murder at the first conference ten years ago. Worse yet, there's the possibility that the body is that of an FBI agent, long thought to be dead in the same firey crash that killed Albert Jasper, the anthropologist whose retirement party was the impetus for the conference.

Which means that when strange events start happening at the current conference, the likely murder suspect is one of the original six founding members. And, as always, Gideon Oliver is the target.

As with all mystery series that go on for any length of time, it seems strange that one person would be at the center of it all. Elkins has done better than most in creating a character born to get into trouble: Gideon is stubborn, always willing to help, and unlikely to let anything slide no matter who is going to get harmed. So it's all too likely that if there is danger, he's going to be in the thick of it, often giving as good as he gets. And as he likes to work with "dry" bones, there's usually no question of him being suspected himself.

Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason

Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason Helen Fielding Date: 30 January, 2001   —   $10.50   —   Book product page Rating:

Fiction

A sequel to the original Bridget Jones' Diary, this novel takes place shortly after Bridget and the man of her dreams have hooked up. Naturally, Bridget's insecurities (and a poaching acquaintance) lead to a breakup, and just as naturally, the reader spends much of the book wondering how these two will end up back together again.

The joy of this type of novel is in the journey, not the destination, and the journey takes you past a crazy carpenter, a hilarious interview with Colin Firth (Mr. Darcy in the A&E Pride and Prejudice, and a subject of lust for Bridget and her female friends), a Masai from Kenya, the aforementioned Mark-Darcy-poaching woman, a naked Filipino kid, a death threat, and a Thai jail with Madonna-loving inmates. Bridget Jones exemplifies the school of "It Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time" and her utterly obsessive diary-keeping is a window into the mind of someone whose own writing points out why she has such a hard time getting along in life.

If you liked Bridget Jones in the first book, this one is just as entertaining.

Curses!

Curses! Aaron Elkins Date: 1989   —   used only   —   Book product page Rating:

Fiction, Mystery

Those who dare disturb the ancient Mayan pyramids will suffer the bite of the poisonous kinkajou, bright lights and the scourging of the soul, fires in the innards, and death by sharp spikes through the brain. Of course, archæologists don't believe that (well, most of them don't), and so when a really bad version of the curse starts coming true at a reopened dig, Gideon Oliver and the rest suspect a human agency.

The obvious and logical suspect is the archæologist who, years before, ran off with the priceless codex found in the pyramid and caved it in. But the site has been abandoned for years, so why is there fresh digging going on in secret? What can the person hope to find that they could not have found without detection in the intervening years? And why is Gideon, in particular, being targeted for death?

This is a fun little romp that underscores the importance of proper archæology; much of the pyramid was irreparably damaged by the inept handling of the codex-stealing group leader. Archæology is the study of everything, not merely the objects of greatest value.

Old Bones

Old Bones : A Gideon Oliver Mystery Aaron Elkins Date: 01 October, 1988   —   used only   —   Book product page Rating:

Fiction, Mystery

An old man dies, trapped by the tides at Mont St. Michel (the fastest tides in the world; they approach at a fast run across nearly fifty miles of plains.) His family, gathered for unrelated reasons, decide to allow a cellar repair to proceed - and the workmen turn up a skeleton. Stranger still, there is also an SS uniform, one that is the wrong size for the body, and the body is showing near-certain signs of being related to the family...

Gideon Oliver, at a nearby conference, is called in to help identify the bones. In his presence, another member of the family is poisoned, and now he has to work fast, because it seems as though grudges - and secrets - from World War II are leading to current deaths. And that the old man may have been murdered in an almost ingenious fashion.

This is indeed a classic mystery, full of too many suspects, misidentification, motives galore, and twists and turns and close escapes. It's also got an aphorism-spouting uncle with an astounding cast of "relatives" in Texas, last minute revelations, and true love thrown in to boot. And somehow it all seems perfectly natural. This one is worth buying - if you can find it.

Murder In the Queen's Armes

Murder in the Queen's Armes (A Gideon Oliver Mystery) Aaron Elkins Date: 1985   —   used only   —   Book product page Rating:

Fiction, Mystery

A few years have passed since the events in Fellowship of Fear (including the events of The Dark Place); now Gideon Oliver is on a honeymoon with his new wife Julie. Their trip through England passes near to a dig being worked by an old friend of Gideon's, and they stop in to find tensions high and archæological chicanery afoot. A student worker plans to meet with Gideon that night but never shows; when told that the student is a flake, he leaves on the rest of his honeymoon.

When he swings by on the way back, however, a body has been found, and now he has to determine why someone on the project cares enough to commit murder - and what this has to do with his old friend's archæological discoveries.

This is the classic "Skeleton Detective" style that came along long before CSI; an explanation of how our bones tell the story of our lives. It also shows how obsession in any field is a dangerous thing, and how something that seems merely the dry province of academia could be worth killing for.

Fellowship of Fear

Fellowship of Fear Aaron Elkins Date: 1982   —   used only   —   Book product page Rating:

Fiction, Mystery

This is the introductory novel for Elkins' protagonist Gideon Oliver, and shows the typical problem of a new series: there's barely two hundred pages to introduce someone, and later character development in later novels may lead to a different impression than the first novel creates. Another "flaw" that Elkins could not have foreseen was the end of the Cold War; a generation who has grown up without the shadow of nuclear annihilation does not connect to a story that is centered on espionage.

Later Gideon Oliver mysteries focus on skeletal evidence that draw Professor Oliver into physical danger. This novel is more based upon derring-do and action film heroics, something that is not particularly well suited to the character. However, the book is not badly written for all that, and as a quick read it's enjoyable enough. Check it out from the library or borrow it.

Epiphany of the Long Sun (Long Sun 3 & 4)

Epiphany of the Long Sun: Calde of the Long Sun and Exodus from the Long Sun (Book of the Long Sun, Books 3 and 4) Gene Wolfe Date: 04 November, 2000   —   $12.57   —   Book product page Rating:

Fiction, Speculative

The Book of the Long Sun should be read in its entirety, as the breaks in between books are almost arbitrary, and the entire action of the four-book series takes place in as little as two weeks. (The last few chapters are not given a defined timeline, but at most the books cover a few months.) The use of cant and liguistic mannerisms can be difficult to plow through, and the fact that the story progresses very slowly can be offputting. As with most of Wolfe's work, I'm going to have to read it a second time to catch what I missed.

And yet, for me at least, this was not a difficult read. The story flowed smoothly from point to point, from Patera Silk becoming caldé to his discovering the true purpose of the whorl and of the gods. There are a number of asides that hint at great mysteries, particularly in the meaning of conciousness when it is applied to chems - robots - with mutable memories, or when it is recorded by Mainframe, the great computer that is the heart of the Whorl. And somethings never are explained, such as why Silk is so good at what he does; there is just a hint that he might have been bioengineered as a fetus, but only if inferred from a general comment that such things were done, and applied to his apparently unprecidented abilities at unlearned swordplay, or at housebreaking.

Wolfe has never been one to fully explain anything. As with life, one does not know the ending, and the ending of the novel hints at the beginning of a new story entirely.

Litany of the Long Sun (Long Sun 1 & 2)

Litany of the Long Sun: Nightside the Long Sun and Lake of the Long Sun (Book of the Long Sun, Books 1 and 2) Gene Wolfe Date: 01 April, 2000   —   $11.87   —   Book product page Rating:

Fiction, Speculative

Wolfe is not an easy read. He dumps you into the story as if you know exactly what he is talking about, and doesn't hesitate to have his characters use their own peculiar argot, which you have to understand through inference. You can assume that his novels are set in a far distant future where Clarke's law* has taken effect, and yet he leaves you to wonder if, in fact, there is magic afoot. And they are dense reading, not the sort of thing you have at bedtime.

The Litany of the Long Sun is a compilation of the first two novels of the four novel Long Sun series. We meet young Patera Silk, an augur at a poor manteion. The manteion is poor to the point, in fact, that it has been sold to cover back taxes. After an epiphany from the Outsider, a god of whom Silk knows little, he sets out to save the manteion, leading him on a trail of amazing deeds and strange interactions, and severe trials of faith as Silk discovers the truth behind the gods he has spent his life in service to.

The cover art for this compilation deserves mention, because without giving anything away it manages to let you know exactly what kind of world Silk inhabits - it is a cylindrical spaceship, with the "sun" a bright line through the center. (It has a shade that rotates, providing night.) In the course of the four days that these two books cover, we learn that the city of Viron is suffering from a years-long drought, that prosthetics were once available but are slowly disappearing as they wear down, that chems - robots - are getting older, and beginning to die. One assumes that other cities are much the same way, but there is little contact between the groups. All in all, it speaks of a world - the Whorl - on the edge of collapse, of a setup that was only meant to endure so long, and has long passed that point.

And one gets the sense that Silk is at the center, someone who will, perhaps, save the world and all its people. Wolfe has a gift for this manner of story, of bringing about a savior whose humble beginnings are never in doubt, and who always follows the necessary path almost by accident. One thing leads to another and somehow the central character ends up in charge of the world as events force him to that point as though it were foreordained. You feel sympathy for Silk (a broken ankle, a wrenched arm, and cuts galore on the first day alone) even as you realize that he is the strong center of the novel, and that his pains are somehow necessary.

Wolfe is well worth your time, but if you find yourself overwhelmed by his phrasing, don't worry. You can put him aside for later.

*Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.

Road Fever

Road Fever (Vintage Departures) Tim Cahill Date: 03 March, 1992   —   $10.40   —   Book product page Rating:

Nonfiction, Travel

Get a new truck. Get several thousand dollars in sponsorships. Get two crazy guys. Get a ride to the southern tip of South America, and then drive from there to the northern edge of Alaska.

In twenty-five days or less.

This book is the saga of a record-making journey that Time Cahill and Garry Sowerby made from the furthest point south to the furthest point north (with one cargo interlude where there was no road.) More appropriately, it is a saga of trying to get through South and Central America quickly, dealing with documents and customs officials, with machine guns held to the throat, and with roads that range from the good to the bad through the extraordinarily frightening. You know, the sort where if you go over the edge, you end up several thousand feet down.

Most of the book deals with Latin America, as is right; the U.S. and Canada are known quantities to the majority of Cahill's readers, and besides, a quick zip along the interstates doesn't provide nearly as much time for local color as does standing on a loading dock, insuring that the rusty container holding the truck actually does get loaded, or dealing with military checkpoints by the simple expedient of letting rotting milkshakes fester in the tropical heat of the camper shell.

As always, Cahill's writing is evocative of the places he has visited, and has more than a little undertone of danger. Obviously, as he wrote the book, he survived, but will they make it in time, or is bureaucracy going to kill their speed? Will they get food poisoning? And - this is always a possibility - will they have to spend several days in a jail?

Go ahead, read this book and experience the vicarious thrill of the longest (continuous) road trip you can possibly imagine.

Changeweaver

Changeweaver Margaret Ball Date: 01 May, 1993   —   used only   —   Book product page Rating:

Fiction, Fantasy

Charles Carrington wants to travel to China, the Forbidden Kingdom, where foreigners have been unable to penetrate for the better part of a century. His talks with the British government have led him to Gandahara, a small country high in the Himalayas where he is to get a guide. That guide is Tamai, a woman with powerful - and mostly uncontrolled - magic, because the magic of Gadahara depends upon having children as an anchor, and Tamai is barren.

The trip to China is complicated by many things, including the fact that Lord Charles is very leery of "letting" a woman go into danger, and the fact that he doesn't believe in yush, the Mongolian demons barely held in check by the power of the Red Hat sect. Tamai has to pose as a slave, something that is very difficult for a proud warrior. And everything is complicated by the fact that no English are allowed to enter the Forbidden Kingdom, and those who are caught are put to death...

Margaret Ball is a writer whose books are lighthearted and fun to read, even with the undertone of abuse she puts in. (In this book, Tamai develops a protective relationship with Shahi, a young dancing slave who has spent most of her life being abused.) Perhaps it is because in her books, when someone is hurt, they are usually saved, and the abuser usually gets a satisfying comeuppance.

It

It Stephen King   —   $7.19   —   Book product page Rating:

Fiction, Horror

Don't know how I missed this one. Oh, well, back in time it goes, to an appropriate location.

It is considered one of King's best novels, and with good reason. For sheer creepiness, nothing in more telling than the fears of childhood, especially when those fears are not apparent to the adults who are ostensibly in charge. In this case, not only is there a monster in the sewers that eats children, but the adults involved barely notice; they blame human agency. What is worse is that the cycle of extreme violence is repetitive, going back hundreds of years— and yet, there is no major record of it. As though the people involved are either silenced or part of it.

While this book has some musings on the nature of reality and faith, they are all subsidiary to the primary goal: to give you nightmares. If you enjoy that sort of thing, and have yet to read this book, it is well worth your time. But if you have trouble sleeping after one of these novels, I suggest you save it until you are well surrounded by people.

Emily of New Moon

Emily of New Moon Lucy Maud Montgomery Date: 01 April, 1983   —   $4.99   —   Book product page Rating:

Fiction, Juvenile

By now, readers should know that I have a soft spot for Lucy Maud Montgomery, even though her strength is in one particular story, that of an orphaned child, usually a girl, who finds love with a new family. As Montgomery was not an orphan herself, I've often wondered about her devotion to this particular topic, but I'll mostly just shrug and enjoy the text.

This is, surprisingly enough, the first time I have read this book. Of course, I didn't know about Anne of Green Gables until well past the time I read Nancy Drew, so I can probably be forgiven for not reading Montgomery's entire catalogue.

In this book, as with her other novels, Emily is a sensitive, feeling girl whose father's death throws her into the company of her mother's estranged relations, who don't entirely know what to make of her and her poetry and writing. (One gets the sense that Montgomery herself had a lot of pre-teen writing that later embarrassed her as her literarily inclined characters so often create elaborate romances that on later reflection turn out to be foolish.) She is eventually taken in by her strict Aunt Elizabeth and her loving Aunt Laura, who live with Cousin Jimmy, who is a bit simple following a childhood accident involving a stone well. (One gets the sense that he's pretty well all there; perhaps the knock on his head only made him extreme ADD or something.)

Naturally, what at first seems an untenable situation soon becomes home, with the inevitable scrapes, misunderstandings, and human interest that Montgomery fills her stories with. There's two more books based on Emily, and I am looking forward to reading them, but I only recommend this to those who like Montgomery's writing because it is really more of the same, just a different iteration.

What If? 2

What If? 2: Eminent Historians Imagine What Might Have Been Robert Cowley, editor Date: 01 October, 2002   —   $10.47   —   Book product page Rating:

Nonfiction, History

This is more like it. As with the previous compilation, historians take a moment in history and explore its importance by use of "counterfactuals" - that is, they speculate on how history could have been different. Unlike the previous compilations, however, these moments are not all military, and, more to the point, the historians actually explore the resulting scenarios quite thoroughly.

As an example, there is one article on Pontius Pilate that uses the conventions of the novel to set up a storylike explanation of what would have happened had Pilate refused to crucify Jesus. We get a peek into Pilate's thought processes as he reasons through his unwillingness to put the man to death; he finally settles on the fact that he'd rather have a riot than deal with his angry wife! Another historian writes as though he were a historian looking back on the second World War - here a Franco-Prussian conflict - in the wake of the election of Lord Halifax, not Winston Churchill, to the Prime Ministership during the war. One historian even imagines the consequences of Napoleon III's being cured of a bladder stone and not declaring war on Bismarck.

Even the stories that don't engage in counterfactuals are interesting. "The Boys Who Saved Australia" is a story of the Kokoda Trail, a horrible jungle trail that ill-equipped, under-trained, and understaffed Australian militia were sent to defend - a critical trail that was the back route to capturing New Guinea, and eventually to blocking off Australia. These "boys" were dressed in smooth-soled boots and khaki-colored uniforms, and were sent against well-trained, jungled dressed Japanese commandos. The Australians didn't win; they stalled as they battled altitude sickness, jungle rot, rust, rotting clothes, broken bones, and breaking weapons. They were vilified by MacArthur and his aides, who had no idea how horrible the so-called "trail" really was. They fell back continually, and yet they held the Japanese off long enough for the element of surprise to be entirely gone and the Japanese themselves to abandon their backdoor plan. One doesn't have to delve too deep into the counterfactual to understand how different history would be without these men (now rightfully lauded in Australia.)

This is more interesting a compilation than the first book, though it does dwell overmuch on the twentieth century and World War II. Still, as people are less likely to understand the consequences of actions beyond the last century (television as the most important invention of the last 1000 years? Gaaaaahhhhh) it's probably just as well.

What If?

What If?: The World's Foremost Military Historians Imagine What Might Have Been Robert Cowley, editor Date: 12 September, 2000   —   $10.47   —   Book product page Rating:

Nonfiction, History

The scenario of What If? is well known to fans of science fiction as "alternate history." What if Hitler had won WWII, or if a time traveler were to accidentally delay someone important on a trip? In history, these sorts of imaginings are known as "counterfactuals," and this collection examines such possibilities from as long as three thousand years ago.

Of course, in order to examine how these scenarios would be changed, the historian has to first explain the significance of his choice. The first selection, which deals with the failed siege of Jerusalem by the Assyrians (a pestilence decimated the troops, and the military leadership decided that Jerusalem was an unimportant target in the grand scheme of things), seems at first of little consequence, especially as the city fell little more than two decades later. But those two decades and change enabled some enduring changes to be made to the Jewish faith, changes that enabled it to survive the loss of city in a way that the faith of the tribes of Israel - the "Ten Lost Tribes" - had not. Various historians examine the effects of small changes in history, such as Alexander dying in battle long before he became "the Great" (if a warrior had been thirty seconds late, Alexander would be dead) or the critical plans of Robert E. Lee kept secure instead of being carelessly lost where Union soldiers would find them.

My only gripe with this compilation is that the historians spend very little time on the counterfactuals themselves; they mostly speculate on why a moment in history is a turning point. While this is wonderful history, I was hoping for a little bit of flights of fancy.

When Boston Won the World Series

When Boston Won the World Series: A Chronicle of Boston's Remarkable Victory in the First Modern World Series of 1903 Bob Ryan Date: 18 March, 2003   —   $7.58   —   Book product page Rating:

Nonfiction, Sports

This is a baseball history for those who do not have an in-depth knowledge of the sport. I know because I am one such person, who picked out a galley copy as a present for a Red Sox fan last Christmas. In light of the historic return of Boston to the Series, I thought I'd drop in a brief review.

The 1903 World Series was not, as urban legendry goes, named after the World newspaper; the creators of the Series were attempting to push the creation of the new league. The Red Sox were not, at the time, the Red Sox; they were (if I recall correctly) the Braves. There was no fence on the outfield, and viewers could and did interfere with gameplay. (One game was so crowded that viewers were up to the diamond and special rules for hits had to be established.) Pittsburgh had a field that flooded.

And yet, and yet... with little money, donors backing out of pledges, and the possibility of one league's demise due to the rivalry with the new league, a few men crafted a tradition that endures to this day. And though baseball fanatics may find this book a bit thin on the ground (Bob Ryan relies almost exclusively on Boston Globe accounts; thankfully, the primary writer of the time was of high quality), for casual fans, this is a good window into the world of old-fashioned baseball.

The Crystal Cave

The Crystal Cave Mary Stewart Date: 1970   —   $10.47   —   Book product page Rating:

Fiction, Fantasy
First in series of four

I am not like many people who find King Arthur endlessly fascinating. (Even though I do have two cats named Percival and Nimüe.) Most tales of Arthurian stripe seem to me to be little more than war-story bragging - "I fought this HUGE monster!" - and, really, that's close to the impulse that created them in the first place. A large number of the traditional stories are adapted from old English (pre-Saxon) folklore; Gawain is actually adapted from a god, hence his power getting greater until the middle of the day and waning as the sun sets. (Lancelot and Galahad are French grafts onto the legend, actually, whose roles were likely originally fulfilled by Gawain, Bedevere, and Percival, the original Grail Knight.)

Okay, I may not find it fascinating myself, but I'm married to someone who does.

Anyway, this has to be my favorite Arthurian series of all time. While Stewart does not worry too much about the historicity of her tale - she uses Geoffrey of Monmouth's twelfth-century fantasies are her primary source - she has the flavor of the period correct in such a way as to vividly depict a land where Roman occupation is only a few centuries gone, where France (Brittany) is closer in custom to England than Scotland or Ireland, and where the threat of Saxony rides strong. And the character she builds her story around is the most mysterious of all - Merlin.

Nowadays, if you go to the children's section of the bookstore, you'll find whole series on Merlin as a boy, but when Stewart wrote this book, her account was unique. And her take is somewhat unique too: instead of jumping in with the all-knowing sage of later years, she shows us a boy with no father, whose occasional gifts of Sight are wild and uncontrolled. She also shows us a child with a love of learning, a love that later enables him to do seemingly impossible feats such as resettting the Dance of Giants (Stonehenge.) And she shows us a child who was not, as commonly believed, fathered by a demon, but by a human.

Murder For Christmas

Murder for Christmas ed. Thomas Godfrey Date: 01 December, 1999   —   used only   —   Book product page Rating:

Fiction, Mystery

Despite the title, most of these stories have little to do with murder. Most of them are, in fact, mysteries of the classic type: Maigret has to uncover the identity of a "Santa Claus" in a young child's bedroom; Father Brown effects the redemption of the thief Flambeau; Dickens chimes in with a ghost story; Poirot spends a classical English Christmas tracking down a stolen ruby. All in all, these stories are quite enjoyable, even if they don't live up to the title, and definitely fall on the mild (read "non-violent") side of the mystery spectrum.

Four Day Planet and Lone Star Planet

Four Day Planet and Lone Star Planet H. Beam Piper Date: 01 September, 1984   —   used only   —   Book product page Rating:

Fiction, Science Fiction

Four Day Planet is about Fenris, a planet which, logically enough, has four days a year. Its export is monster tallow-wax, a product that is hunted by pseudo-whalers. That wax is then sold to other planets as a product for creating protective garments. The problem is that the cooperative group that exists to sell the wax has been taken over by a group who hold a monopoly on sales, and keep dropping the price (though it is fairly obvious that the price is not really dropping and the money is getting diverted to the strongmen's pockets.) What is a planet with a sole export to do, especially as the local government is merely an extension of the cooperative?

This book was obviously written in an era before hostile takeovers and acquisitions were common. It is probably obvious to the reader what is to be done, but the people involved seem strangely naïve about the business. However, it is a classic piece of science fiction and should be read as such.

Lone Star Planet is the sort of book to make libertarians very happy. It starts with Mr. Stephen Silk, who has written an article that is potentially very embarrassing to his superiors. For his pains, he gets assigned to be the Ambassador to New Texas, the previous one having been gunned down by some of the locals. In fact, of the previous Ambassadors, only one ended up sane and alive - and that one went native. And to make matters worse, it's obvious that an extra-solar race is looking at New Texas to start a war with humanity - and Silk may be the sacrifice needed to justify humanity striking first. Obviously, this is a very touchy job.

The libertarian-pleasing part of the book is in the New Texas constitution - if someone is defined as a practicing politician under the law, and he is killed, the court convenes not to determine whether the killer did the deed but whether it was, basically, justifiable homicide. In other words, if the politician in question does something to erode his constituents' liberties, or otherwise goes against the will of the people, he is fair game.

Brings a whole new meaning to the term "political season."

When Silk gets to New Texas, he immediately discerns a problem. The trial for the murder of the previous Ambassador is taking place in the political court - which means that the precedent is to define Ambassasdors as New Texas politicians. But if the case is withdrawn, then the murderers get off free, and he can't have that either... and besides, he'd like to not only save the day, he'd love to be a hero so as to look good for the lovely Gail, daughter of the Ambassador who went native. It's a fine line to tread.