Seven Wonders by Ben Mezrich - Book Report #335

 

When I read that Simu Liu was attached to a new television series based on Seven Wonders, I went straight to my local library and borrowed the book.

Lets face it, it is derivative of The Da Vinci Code and National Treasure.  As a matter of fact, I watched National Treasure while reading the book.

That's not to say it wasn't fun, because it was and I enjoyed it.  With Liu in my imagination, I found the protagonist charming.

It will make terrific television since the adventure spans the world and involves the Seven Modern Wonders of the world.

The joy in stories like this is how they can spark an interest in history, which is never a bad thing.

One thing I did learn was that the Christ the Redeemer monument, in Rio, Brazil is much older that I thought.  Construction started in 1922 and was completed in 1931.

I'm glad I read it but I would not recommend it.

It's just that there is nothing really new about this adventure.

Life & Death on the Bugaboo Spire - BC Magazine

I subscribe to British Columbia Magazine.  I live in Alberta.  I wish we had a magazine like this.

I also subscribe to their newsletter where they link to previous stories in the magazine.  That's how I came across this one.

I do enjoy a good adventure.  When it's real, I wonder why people do the things they do?  Take the risks they take?  This is why I am well and truly an armchair traveler. 

This true account of being trapped on a BC mountain peak during a storm sent chills down my back.

Excellent writing.

Better yet, if you enjoyed this piece, it's part of a larger collection, Tales of B.C. by Daniel Wood. 

The Apollo Murders by Chris Hadfield - Book Review #323

I am a space buff.  I was a kid during the Apollo missions.  I grew up with the promise of space travel and exploration.

Chris Hadfield is a Canadian hero and astronaut.

I enjoyed taking a ride on the fictional Apollo 18 mission.

But...

It missed the mark for me.  Not because it was a bad story.  For me, it was because it was historical fiction.  When a twist in the mission occurs, the decisions made struck me as being implausible.

I kept thinking to myself, "There is no way NASA and Mission Control would allow this to continue."

Had this story been inside a world of the author's creation it would have been terrific.  Inserting it into a known history is so much more difficult to pull off.

I very much look forward to his next novel.  I could see a series, where the settings change throughout the history of NASA.  The Shuttle era.  The ISS.  The new Artemis program.  SpaceX.  Missions to Mars.

Hadfield has the inside knowledge which makes his writing so very compelling. 

The Executioner #24: Canadian Crisis - Book Report #315

 

About a dozen years ago I went on a buying spree for old Men's Adventure paperbacks.  For the most part I bought them for their covers and their very straight-forward stories.

Through some exploring on the internet I've learned that Don Pendleton is pretty much the creator of today's modern Action/Adventure genre.

Mack Bolan is a lone-wolf executioner of "justice" on a one-man mission to rid the world of the mafia.  This being written in the '70's the mafia was top-of mind.

If you're a comics reader then The Punisher will come to mind as it is a complete lift from The Executioner series.

Let me just say, right now, I did not like this book.  I hated it. 

Through my 55-year-old eyes, I saw nothing original here (although, as I said, this was original at the time) and was nothing more than gun porn.

The series itself took from the old pulp novels of the 1930's.  Bolan himself leaves a sharp shooter medal at the scene of every massacre. 

This being book 24 there are lots of references and characters from previous books, so there is a bit of reward for the dedicated reader. 

Two thirds of the way in and I was hating myself for wasting my time with this crap.  The body count was incredible with nearly all of them suffering a gurgling death or a splatter on the wall and a wipe with the body as it smears the gore on the way to the floor.

I am so sick of gun justice - I know there is fiction out there that does not rely on so much flying lead but it's difficult to find

Wild Cards I - Voume One edited by George R R Martin - Book Report #313

 

Apologies for the lack of posts.  There has been a pandemic going on and I've been busy building my own personal blog at eric-hebert.ca

It was the cover that drew me in.  It looked steampunk to me but I've heard the series described as dieselpunk  which is similar in that it's "retro futuristic" but instead of being informed by the Victorian era it takes its technology cues and attitudes from the 1930's to 1950's.  

I've always been drawn to the aesthetics and technology of the WWII era and the rest of the 1940's.  So this looked like fun.

The series has been around since the 1980's and continues on today.  This particular book was in a mini hardcover format that I also found interesting and prompted me to buy it.  I only wish the other two books in the first cycle were available in the same format, they would look very nice on my bookshelf.

The stories are all loosely connected around a singular event, that of an alien virus spreading throughout the world killing many and giving others "powers" that could be described as super or meh.  Some survivors were made heroic, others villains and still others merely shlubs. 

Think of the X-Men to get a feel of the super-powers folks develop.

Each story was a delight to read and did not just tell the story of some conflict but also delved into the consequences of being changed by the Wildcard Virus.  There is a humanity, humour and pulpy fun to the stories.

I found this book a delight to read as it offered a timely subject (the virus) but also charged the stories with fun.  I felt that we can get through this fight with COVID-19 in much the same way as the characters deal with their virus, by coping and adjusting to it.

Recommended for a bit of escapism in a comic book way that does not take itself too seriously. 

Iceberg by Clive Cussler - Book Report #312

I grew up reading the Dirk Pitt adventures.  At the time, they were a great romp and I loved them.  As I kept reading these summer books, I got a bit tired of how Cussler would wrap Dirk Pitt in the American flag and just how invincible he was.

But I had missed the point; the author was writing camp, fun, over-the-top adventures in the style of the pulps.  I didn't find them believable.  

I wasn't supposed to.

Now I'm in my mid-50's and trying to read them again.  Perspective helps and I can certainly turn the pages for the sheer fun of a story well told.

Iceberg was first published in 1975 and it certainly feels a bit dated, but not by much.  There is some light misogyny and heavy smoking which was typical of the time.

I remember how I always liked the first two thirds of his books.  Iceberg was before his formula was set (much like a James Bond movie) so it lacked the historical reference and his good old buddy,  Al Giordino.  Which I missed.  Yes, the last third was over-the-top to the point of eye-rolling.

It was a fun read - but it was fluff.  It may be awhile before I read Raise the Titanic!

Still, if you're missing James Bond, you might enjoy one of these classics.

Recommended, but don't expect much.

Below is the cover of the novel as I read it in the late 70's.

The Adventurer’s Handbook by Mick Conefrey - Book Report #311

 From Surviving an Anaconda Attack

to Finding Your Way Out of the Desert

I loved this book.  The illustrations, the tips & tricks and the history of explorations were all neatly packaged in this small hardcover book.  It was a joy to read.

It is also a terrific guide into the subject of adventure, travel, discovery, endurance, glory and tragedy.  If you are curious about the past and how the world was discovered, mapped and understood, this is the book to reach for.

It is chock-full of brief descriptions of countless expeditions.  You will easily find subjects you are interested in and it will point you in the direction to discover more.  From mountain climbing, desert explorations, ocean sailings of discovery it's all there.  Names, dates, expedition titles all are jumping off points to discover more books or websites that will expand on what is presented by Conefrey.

While reading this book, I often put it down and went outside for some fresh air.

Highly recommended.

Mick Conefrey's website - https://www.mickconefrey.co.uk/

Mick Conefrey

Dragon Teeth by Michael Crichton - Book Report #308

Oh my goodness.  What fun!

This book was given to me by a friend at a time when I needed an easy distraction.

The story, set in the American west of 1876, felt cinematic.  I could envision in my mind all the standard western movie scenes, from the train ride, to the saloons and the frontier towns.

There were wonderful characters, leading separate expeditions to the badlands of the Montana Territory, searching for dinosaur bones.  

I found it interesting how the science of the day was so controversial in the context of Charles Darwin's revelations from his book On the Origins of the Species 

Paleontology was a very new branch of science and the search for discovery was a "wild west" of it's own.

The book as an easy read, felt fresh and was well worth reading.

Michael Crichton's website - http://www.michaelcrichton.com/

Michael Crichton

Black Wind By Clive Cussler and Dirk Cussler - Book Report #292

A Dirk Pitt Adventure

World War II was a pivotal event that formed our present reality.  I find the period fascinating.

In this novel, during the war, the Japanese created a biological weapon and were en route to launch an attack before the submarine was lost sending the toxin to the bottom of the Strait of Juan de Fuca.

The present-day bad guy now wants the weapon for his own nasty plans.

Sometimes the plot of a Cussler novel doesn't grab me as much as the part of history he dug up to start the story.  In this one, the Japanese submarine also had a launcher for an aircraft.  This was the first time I've heard of this combination.

All kinds of questions came to me; how do you travel underwater with a plane attached?  Once in flight, how does the plane return? Or does it?


Cussler did me a favour by opening a part of WWII history I had never know.

I'm sorry to say, but it was the history lesson that captured my imagination.  I felt a bit like Julien Perlmutter in that I put the novel down many times to search out books about the Japanese Imperial Navy.

So, yes I enjoyed the book very much but not for the usual reasons.

Clive Cussler's Website - https://clive-cussler-books.com/

Japanese submarine history Wikipedia page - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Submarines_of_the_Imperial_Japanese_Navy

Clive Cussler

Trojan Odyssey by Clive Cussler - Book Report #287

I grew up reading Clive Cussler in the '80s.  The man has only increased his output by teaming up with other authors.  I've decided to try and catch up as quickly as possible.  To that end, I've gone as far back as the Edmonton Public Library goes with downloadable audiobooks.

Dirk Pitt adventures are best approached like a James Bond movie; the hero will always win and the bad guy is typically a mustache-twisting character bent on world domination.  But that's okay because there is much more going on in between the lines.

First off, there is always a true historical element to these books,  Cussler will fictionalize these events to suit the story but, because they are real moments in history, they anchor the adventures extremely well.

What makes his books work are the relationships with his main characters; Dirk & Al are the best of friends, trust each other with their lives and always have fun while defying death.  They always believe that things will turn out just fine.

The NUMA team is so incredibly competent I often wish I worked with such dedicated people.

And there is an arc to the lives of the characters that progress from book to book.  Recently, Dirk discovered he had twin children.  In this volume, the relationship of his love progresses as does the growth of NUMA itself.  It's a very satisfying construct to the series.

In this particular adventure the evil genius is secretly plotting to divert the Gulf Stream in order to bring on climate change.  Sure the idea, is silly but it plays with the “what if?” question that all good speculative fiction does.  Any movie or fiction relies on a suspension of disbelief by the person consuming it.  Some stories demand more of it than others

This particular one demanded a lot.

Still it was silly fun.

Borrow the book or buy it second hand.  It's not a book I'll go back to but it pushes the overall arc of the characters’ lives forward and that was satisfying.

Clive Cussler’s website - https://clive-cussler-books.com/

Clive Cussler

Extreme Frontiers: Racing Across Canada by Charley Boorman - Book Report #255

Being Canadian it’s always interesting to get a foreign perspective on my home.

I was happy to read that the people Boorman met along the way were open, helpful and friendly. 

From region to region he tried to participate in activities that reflect the land, history and people. 

To be honest, I found the narrative a bit clunky during the first third but that was just me adjusting to his voice.  Once I got comfortable with his writing style I found myself smiling and engaging with the book.  I was reading it at every opportunity and tore through it rather quickly.

Honestly, the bit where he was mountain climbing in the Rockies made my heart race.  There were some scary parts of that climb where I was glad it was him doing it and not me.

It’s a rare occurrence to be sad that you are reaching the end of a book, which is a real compliment to Boorman. I wish he would have taken a dip in the Pacific, turned around and rode all the way back again.

I was happy to see he has many more books to his credit and I am looking forward to reading them.  However, I have both The Long Way Round and The Long Way Down which I haven’t read yet.  Having seen both adventures on DVD, I’m sure there will be some interesting perspectives in them.  It’s good to know I still have some Charley Boorman to read.

This is a comfortable read where, by the end, you will feel like you’ve met a charming, honest and good man.  That is excellent company to keep.

Charley Boorman’s website - http://www.charleyboorman.com/

Charley Boorman

James Bond 007: Hammerhead by Written by Andy Diggle, Art by Luca Casalanguida - A Graphic Novel Review

This book was a spot-on delivery of what we've expected from Bond over the years.

There is action, humour, style and cutting-edge technology.

I found the art and the depiction of violence, in particular, to be cinematic.  In that, it wasn't overly gratuitous.  In the past couple of books I've reviewed, I've found the blood, guts and gore splattered on walls a bit too self-serving.

I am sure the body count is about the same but it was handled with a more practiced hand here.

The story was spot on and I was happy to see Diggle bring out the secondary characters, proving they are in positions for more than their typing skills.

And this was a classic plotline; a new weapon is developed to replace ageing infrastructure.  However, what is good for national defence is also good for organized crime and a race is on to control the Hammerhead weapon.

An excellent entry in Dynamite Entertainment's Bond series.

Andy Diggle's website - http://www.andydiggle.com/

Art by Luca Casalanguida

Little Brother by Cory Doctorow - Book Review #174

I found this to be a terrific book.

It was fast paced and pertinent. 

It explores how our society is moving more and more into a surveillance state.   We are inexorably losing our freedoms. 

We follow the adventure of Marcus Yallow and his friends after his hometown of San Francisco suffers a terrorist attack. 

It is a subversive novel designed for young readers to take seriously their privacy and right to use encryption. 

Interestingly, even though the story itself was very entertaining I found the essays and bibliography at the end to be just as compelling.

Recommended.

Cory Doctorow's website is here:  http://craphound.com/

Cory Doctorow

Created, The Destroyer by Warren Murphy and Richard Sapir - BookReport #152

04/15/2016

There is a long history of men's adventure books. Paperback originals that were a quick and mindless distraction. The Destroyer series was unique in that it took a humorous spin on the genre never taking itself too seriously but delivering on the action and adventure.

This is the origin story and I was able to download it from the Kindle store for free.  Like a good drug dealer would do, the first couple of tastes are free.

There were nearly 200 stories written staring Remo Williams and Chiun and they do not need to be read in any order.

The dialog is crisp, funny, irreverent and intense.  The plotting is quick and the bad guys practically twist their mustaches.  It was a fun read.

If you like Bond, Spenser or even MacGyver then you will enjoy this.

Warren Murphy - http://warrenmurphy.com/

Richard Sapir -  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Sapir

Around The World In 80 Days by Michael Palin - Book Report #138

If you listen to the news you must feel, as I do, that we are living in a pretty shitty place and a pretty shitty time.  The world is not like that.  As a matter of fact it is much, much better than what we are being bombarded with in the media.  I'm not saying terrible things are not happening, they are, but it's not the only thing going on.

Because I needed to let some sunshine in and feel good about things I've turned to a few books that focus on the good that people do.

To start off I returned to my hero Michael Palin.  It was way, way back in 1988 that Michael took the challenge the BBC offered him to travel around the world following the path of Jules Vern's character Phileas Fogg.  Could the journey be done in modern times given how the world had changed since the book was published in 1873?

This book is the companion to the TV series and it is best if you take the time to watch that to get the full experience.  I read the paperback edition that holds a copyright of 1999. The original hardback was published in 1989.

The book is presented as a series of journal entries and included two sets of pictures of his journey.  Not only does Palin describe the places he saw and the food eaten but he also describes his own doubts of his ability to pull off being a presenter.  He also goes to describe the adventures of his crew, lovingly called Passepartout, after Fogg's companion in the novel.

The overwhelming generosity of strangers and the openness of people is something I found surprising and touching.  A wonderful tonic to restore your faith in humanity.

Michael Palin has made a positive impact on the world.

Michael Palin has two websites.  The first one is dedicated to his travels and you can read each book on-line!

http://www.palinstravels.co.uk/

The second one is also very, very interesting if your are interested in the man himself.  Wonderful. Check out his Ramblings page.  Also wonderful.

http://www.themichaelpalin.com/

Michael Palin

Book Report #47 - Diving into the Wreck by Kristine Kathryn Rusch

Now THIS is SF! Old-school adventure story in space. Like the folks who dive on ship wrecks in the Earth's oceans Boss (who narrates the story but does not tell us her name) is in the business of finding and exploring derelict spacecraft. Mostly she's in it for the history although she's managed to make a fair living at it.

One day she finds a ship, an enormous and old ship, one that should not be in the region of space she's found it in. And it's dangerous; there is a technology on board that is still powered up and it's claiming lives.

This is what I want in SF; nuts and bolts, ships that need repair, crews that have conflicting personalities and desires. There are no aliens with weird names with apostrophes in strange places, no need to learn a new culture or history. We are dealing with humans and although there is an Empire and an Alliance Rush does not waste time explaining the ins and outs of the universe she's creating. In just a few sentences we learn there was a war between the two groups ( the Empire won) and we are in a region of space that is pretty much left alone as a bit of a frontier. 'Nuff said.

I'm sure she'll go on to expand on the world inhabited by the crew of the "Nobody's Business" but if she makes it part of the story without veering off into back story then I'll know that I'm in the hands of a very skilled story-teller.

There is nothing I hate more than exposition. If it takes more than a paragraph or two to explain the environment of the tale then the author is not as skilled as he could be.

The book was laid out in three parts and although the middle section was not very action packed it was a good place to expand our knowledge of the history of the world Rusch is building.

The third part of the book was very interesting and opened wide the door to future books.

I am so glad I read the original short story and now the novel.

I've already purchased the next two books in the series plus an issue of Asimov's for a short story in the "Diving" universe.

Kristine Kathryn Rusch's website is HERE

The original publication of the Diving into the Wreck short story was in Asimov's magazine, December 2005.

It was also collected in Recovering Apollo 8.  Buy it HERE

The novel can be purchased HERE

Book Report #35 - Pacific Vortex by Clive Cussler

Oh my God - what fun!

Clive Cussler has a special place in my heart.  I read him a lot when I was a teenager (sadly a long time ago) and I grew out of his books in my mid 20's.  With my interest in pulp fiction it didn't take long to rediscover good 'ol Cussler who has not slowed down one bit.

This guy is in his 80's now and is only increasing his output by teaming up with all kinds of authors including his own son, Dirk.  The authors he's teamed up with are, Paul Kemprecos, Craig Dirgo, Jack Dubrul, Justin Scott and Grant Blackwood.

The basic story goes like this:  There is an area in the Pacific, north of Hawaii, called the Pacific Vortex, that has, for decades, has been known for ships disappearing with out a trace, just like the Bermuda Triangle.  Along comes a newly built American nuclear submarine and it too goes missing.  Our hero, Dirk Pitt, finds the captain's log capsule floating in the ocean and takes it directly to the US navy.  Thus begins the adventure and with the weight of the US navy the mystery of the Vortex is uncovered.

Pacific Vortex was the first Dirk Pitt adventure written by Cussler but was the sixth in publication order.  This is like American James Bond stuff!  Complete with an evil overlord in a hidden fortress of doom!  There are many tropes that Cussler uses that, like the James Bond films, if they are not present the book feels incomplete.  There is always a beautiful woman who falls, usually tragically, in love with Pitt, there is his best friend and partner Al Girodino and there are the cars.  Oh, the cars are wonderful and sadly the cars also come to tragic ends as well.  But not in this story  Here Pitt drives an AC Cobra into the sunset with nary a scratch on her.  Whew!

This was pure pulpy fun!  Knowing that it was written in the 70's and published in 1983 the story actually stands up very well.  There are no glaringly obsolete technologies mentioned and the story feels just like a James Bond movie.  If you like action, adventure, exotic locations, beautiful babe, humor and men being men - you really can't go wrong with this book.

Book Report #34 - Perry Rhodan - Enterprise Stardust

Perry Rhodan, Book 1
by
K. H. Scheer & Clark Darlton

This is an interesting story in the world of publishing.  Begun in 1961 this German science fiction series has been in constant publication, written by a team of authors, for nearly 50 years!  To stagger the mind a bit more; it's published weekly!  The series is sold in instalments and many story arcs (or cycles as they are know in this series)  can range from 25 to 100 issues before the tale is told.

The universe of Perry Rhodan is revisionist; substituting Neil Armstrong as the first man on the moon with Perry Rhodan and his team.  Written a bit like the Doc Savage stories of the 30's Rhodan is the brains behind everything while his team members represent the best in his field.

In 1969 Ace Books began publishing English translations of the series in mass market paperbacks.  If you haunt used book stores, like I do, you'll see loads of these books still floating around.  The difficulty is in finding the early issues in publication order.  Ace published 118 books in the series before ending the project due to lack of sales.

I was able to find PDF editions of the books on-line and converted the first five books to EPUB and loaded them onto my new Kobo Vox.

This first story sets the stage in the series; Rhodan and his team crash land on the moon because some energy beam interfered with their remote controlled landing sequence.  Once safely on the surface Rhodan discovers another crash-landed ship.  This one is most definitely alien in origin.  They make first contact and discover they are in a position to help the aliens in exchange for advanced technology and Rhodan's desire to unite all the people of Earth, which would allow humans the opportunity to join a galaxy-spanning society filled with alien races united under one old (and failing) government.

You can see all the popular science fiction movies taking parts of this series and using them in their own stories.  First Contact, Galactic Empires, Humans discovering they are not alone - all of it is here.

Even more fun is the cheesy 60's and 70's attitudes that prevail and how 50 years of scientific progress renders these stories charmingly dated.

Deadly Storm

I'm a big fan of the ABC TV show, Castle.  I've bought the three novels published so far.  (I've read the first two)

Today I read the first graphic novel from the show.  This is written by Brian Michael Bendis and is an "adaptation" of Castle's first novel published before the events of the TV show.

I'm a huge fan of Nathan Fillion and I'm thrilled that his show is doing so well.


Because I like the show I'm a sucker for all the spin-off merchandise.

I liked the graphic novel.  There was action, sexy women and humor, exactly what you'd expect from Richard Castle.

The producers of the show are doing a great job breaking down the fourth wall by giving us these books.

What fun.

Indiana Jones and the Secret of the Sphinx by Max McCoy

I dusted off my copy of  Indiana Jones and the Secret of the Sphinx by Max McCoy.

This was a good one; the book started right in the middle of a discovery and just keep going.

 Indy is in a race to find the Omega Book an artifact that tells the destiny of every human being.  Powerful stuff if it winds up in the wrong hands. 

It felt like it could have been a movie.