So I have joined in with the ladies of The Craft Club to make crochet items for the Little Havens Hospice. The theme is Enid Blyton's The Faraway Tree and they are trying to break the record of over 4000 pieces. So to keep things short I have been busy making said items and listening to lots of audio books (when not reading Goodreads m/m group Love's Landscape stories).
Audiobook: Mission Of Honor: Honor Harrington, Book 12 by David Weber Narrated by Allyson Johnson Narration 5 Story 5
Audiobook: A Riing Thunder: Honor Harrington, Book 13 by David Weber Narrated by Allyson Johnson Narration 5 Story 5
Audiobook: Timing by Mary Calmes Narrated by Sean Crisden Narration 5 Story 4
Audiobook: Magic's Pawn: The Last Herald Mage, Book 1 by Mercedes Lackey Narrated by Gregory Nassif St. John Narration 5 Story 5
Audiobook: For The Love Of Mother Not: Pip and Flinx, Book 1 by Alan Dean Foster Narrated by Stefan Rudnicki Narration 5 Story 5
Audiobook: The Tar-Aiym Krang: Pip and Flinx, Book 2 by Alan Dean Foster Narrated by Stefan Rudnicki Narration 5 Story 5
And for those who are interested I have made:
1 hedgehog (eating a worm)
1 Butterfly scene (butterfly on treestump with grass underneath and flowers on grass)
1 Woodland fairy/elf
1 cat/squirrel
1 vase with a dozen carnations
1 basket with a trio of apples and a pair of acorns
WIP a rainbow wreath with hanging nest and bird with butterflies and flowers around it.
pics of the first three can be seen here: Bespokecrochet4u
Showing posts with label David Weber. Show all posts
Showing posts with label David Weber. Show all posts
Friday, June 13, 2014
Saturday, May 10, 2014
One for challenge, one for fun.
So one more finished for the challenge and I reread another that wasn't on the list just for fun.
Challenge read
The Serpent's Shadow (Elemental Masters #2) by Mercedes Lackey 4*
BLURB: Mercedes Lackey returns to form in The Serpent's Shadow, the fourth in her sequence of reimagined fairy tales. This story takes place in the London of 1909, and is based on "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs." Lackey creates echoes of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, pays affectionate homage to Dorothy Sayers's Lord Peter Wimsey (who plays an important role under a thin disguise), and turns the dwarves into seven animal avatars who masquerade as pets of her Eurasian heroine, Maya.
Some of Maya's challenges come from the fact that she is not "snow white," and she has fled India for her father's English homeland after the suspicious deaths of her parents. Establishing her household in London, she returns to her profession as a physician, working among the poor. Her "pets" and loyal servants stand guard, and Maya herself uses what bits of magic she managed to pick up in childhood to weave otherworldly defenses as well. But the implacable enemy who killed her parents has come to London to search for her; if Maya can be enslaved, her enormous potential powers can be used to the enemy's ends. Fortunately, English magicians of the White Lodge have also noted a new, powerful presence in their midst, though they're having trouble locating her, too. They send Peter Scott, a Water Master, to track her down. He finds Maya beautiful and benign, and is determined to teach her to use the Western magic she is heir to, before her enemy discovers her.
My Review: Long time readers of my reviews will know, by now, that I love reworked fairy tales and this one is very good. However I wasn't as happy with it as I was with The Fire Rose, but that might be because my favourite fairy tale is Beauty & the Beast on which The Fire Rose is based. In The Serpent's Shadow I loved the historical setting of London in the early 1900's and Ms. Lackey was able to imbue the whole book with the atmospheric feelings of helplessness and despair of those times. The addition of the magic was carefully and skilfully embroidered into it so that the whole thing seemed very real. I liked all the characters but more than that I really loved Maya's 'pets'. It was worth reading the book just for them.
Reread
Bolo! (Bolo #14) by David Weber 4*
BLURB: Controlled by their tireless electronic brains which were programmed to admit no possibility of defeat, the gigantic robot tanks known as Bolos were almost indestructible, and nearly unstoppable. Their artificial intelligences were designed to make them selflessly serve and protect humans throughout the galaxy and made each Bolo the epitome of the knight sans peur et sans reproche, and often far more noble than the humans who gave them their orders. Now, David Weber, New York Times best-selling author of the Honor Harrington series, continues the history of the Bolo, in four short novels, one of them published here for the first time. One Bolo is driven over the edge by the very humans it is pledged to protect. Another Bolo must decide whether or not to disobey when it is given an order that constitutes genocide. A third must hunt one of its own kind whose robot brain is damaged and rescue two children which the deranged Bolo thinks it is protecting from a nonexistent enemy. And more, including as a bonus, David Weber's own authoritative technical history of the Bolo, all in a volume that will be irresistible both for David Weber's huge readership and Bolo fans everywhere.
My Review: It's been some years since I first read this book and my opinion of it hasn't changed. The stories are really good and I love any books about Bolos and am very glad that a lot of great science fiction writers have taken up the stories where Keith Laumer stopped. I first read this one from the library and this reread was my very own e-reader copy, the first I hope in getting my own collection of Bolos together so that I can reread them to my hearts content. There is just something primeval in me that responds to military science fiction stories about almost sentient 32,000 tonne tanks.
Challenge read
BLURB: Mercedes Lackey returns to form in The Serpent's Shadow, the fourth in her sequence of reimagined fairy tales. This story takes place in the London of 1909, and is based on "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs." Lackey creates echoes of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, pays affectionate homage to Dorothy Sayers's Lord Peter Wimsey (who plays an important role under a thin disguise), and turns the dwarves into seven animal avatars who masquerade as pets of her Eurasian heroine, Maya.
Some of Maya's challenges come from the fact that she is not "snow white," and she has fled India for her father's English homeland after the suspicious deaths of her parents. Establishing her household in London, she returns to her profession as a physician, working among the poor. Her "pets" and loyal servants stand guard, and Maya herself uses what bits of magic she managed to pick up in childhood to weave otherworldly defenses as well. But the implacable enemy who killed her parents has come to London to search for her; if Maya can be enslaved, her enormous potential powers can be used to the enemy's ends. Fortunately, English magicians of the White Lodge have also noted a new, powerful presence in their midst, though they're having trouble locating her, too. They send Peter Scott, a Water Master, to track her down. He finds Maya beautiful and benign, and is determined to teach her to use the Western magic she is heir to, before her enemy discovers her.
My Review: Long time readers of my reviews will know, by now, that I love reworked fairy tales and this one is very good. However I wasn't as happy with it as I was with The Fire Rose, but that might be because my favourite fairy tale is Beauty & the Beast on which The Fire Rose is based. In The Serpent's Shadow I loved the historical setting of London in the early 1900's and Ms. Lackey was able to imbue the whole book with the atmospheric feelings of helplessness and despair of those times. The addition of the magic was carefully and skilfully embroidered into it so that the whole thing seemed very real. I liked all the characters but more than that I really loved Maya's 'pets'. It was worth reading the book just for them.
Reread
BLURB: Controlled by their tireless electronic brains which were programmed to admit no possibility of defeat, the gigantic robot tanks known as Bolos were almost indestructible, and nearly unstoppable. Their artificial intelligences were designed to make them selflessly serve and protect humans throughout the galaxy and made each Bolo the epitome of the knight sans peur et sans reproche, and often far more noble than the humans who gave them their orders. Now, David Weber, New York Times best-selling author of the Honor Harrington series, continues the history of the Bolo, in four short novels, one of them published here for the first time. One Bolo is driven over the edge by the very humans it is pledged to protect. Another Bolo must decide whether or not to disobey when it is given an order that constitutes genocide. A third must hunt one of its own kind whose robot brain is damaged and rescue two children which the deranged Bolo thinks it is protecting from a nonexistent enemy. And more, including as a bonus, David Weber's own authoritative technical history of the Bolo, all in a volume that will be irresistible both for David Weber's huge readership and Bolo fans everywhere.
My Review: It's been some years since I first read this book and my opinion of it hasn't changed. The stories are really good and I love any books about Bolos and am very glad that a lot of great science fiction writers have taken up the stories where Keith Laumer stopped. I first read this one from the library and this reread was my very own e-reader copy, the first I hope in getting my own collection of Bolos together so that I can reread them to my hearts content. There is just something primeval in me that responds to military science fiction stories about almost sentient 32,000 tonne tanks.
Friday, November 01, 2013
Review Of A Rising Thunder by David Weber
A Rising Thunder (Honor Harrington #13) by David Weber 4*
BLURB: Peril and strife strike on a double front for Honor Harrington and company. After a brutal attack on the Manticoran home system, Honor Harrington has rooted out a plan designed to enslave the entire human species. Behind that plan lies the shadowy organization known as the Mesan Alignment. Task number one for Honor is to shut down and secure the wormhole network that is the source of the Star Kingdom's wealth and power—but also its greatest vulnerability. Yet this is an act that the ancient and corrupt Earth-based Solarian League inevitably takes as a declaration of war.
The thunder of battle rolls as the Solarian League directs its massive power against the Star Kingdom. And once again, Honor Harrington is thrust into a desperate battle that she must win if she is to survive to take the fight to the real enemy of galactic freedom—the insidious puppet masters of war who lurk behind the Mesan Alignment!
My REview: Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley. I've only given this a 4* because it just wasn't as satisfying as the previous Honorverse books. It had all the trademark Weber touches that I expected but it seemed to be lacking a little something. Maybe it's because it was setting up for the next book or because it didn't have as much substance as usual. Mind that doesn't mean I won't be getting book 14 as soon as I can afford it because I will. I am totally addicted to David Weber's Honorverse :D
Sunday, May 26, 2013
Review Of In Fury Born
Review of In Fury Born by David Weber 5* (reread)
BLURB: Imperial Intelligence couldn't find them, the Imperial Fleet couldn't catch them, and local defenses couldn't stop them. It seemed the planet-wrecking pirates were invincible. But they made a big mistake when they raided ex-commando leader Alicia DeVries' quiet home work, tortured and murdered her family, and then left her for dead. Alicia decided to turn "pirate" herself, and stole a cutting-edge AI ship from the Empire to start her vendetta. Her fellow veterans think she's gone crazy, the Imperial Fleet has shoot-on-sight orders. And of course the pirates want her dead, too. But Alicia DeVries has two allies nobody knows about, allies as implacable as she is: a self-aware computer, and a creature from the mists of Old Earth's most ancient legends. And this trio of furies won't rest until vengeance is served.
In Fury Born is a greatly expanded new version of David Weber's popular novel Path of the Fury, which has gone through six large printings in its original mass market edition. David Weber has added considerable new material, revealing the earlier life of Alicia DeVries before she embarked on her mission of vengeance, and illuminating the universe of the original story. The result is a novel with almost twice the wordage of the original, and a must-buy for all David Weber fans.
My Review I love books by David Weber and this one is no exception and I reread it to get myself out of a reading slump. It's a wonderful story and the feisty heroine had me rooting for her all the way through. I even found myself cheering for a computer and a mythological Fury!
BLURB: Imperial Intelligence couldn't find them, the Imperial Fleet couldn't catch them, and local defenses couldn't stop them. It seemed the planet-wrecking pirates were invincible. But they made a big mistake when they raided ex-commando leader Alicia DeVries' quiet home work, tortured and murdered her family, and then left her for dead. Alicia decided to turn "pirate" herself, and stole a cutting-edge AI ship from the Empire to start her vendetta. Her fellow veterans think she's gone crazy, the Imperial Fleet has shoot-on-sight orders. And of course the pirates want her dead, too. But Alicia DeVries has two allies nobody knows about, allies as implacable as she is: a self-aware computer, and a creature from the mists of Old Earth's most ancient legends. And this trio of furies won't rest until vengeance is served.
In Fury Born is a greatly expanded new version of David Weber's popular novel Path of the Fury, which has gone through six large printings in its original mass market edition. David Weber has added considerable new material, revealing the earlier life of Alicia DeVries before she embarked on her mission of vengeance, and illuminating the universe of the original story. The result is a novel with almost twice the wordage of the original, and a must-buy for all David Weber fans.
My Review I love books by David Weber and this one is no exception and I reread it to get myself out of a reading slump. It's a wonderful story and the feisty heroine had me rooting for her all the way through. I even found myself cheering for a computer and a mythological Fury!
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