So What Are you Reading?: Generations
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Recreational reading and the crossover book, being number 23 of 2018 and number 1 of 2019 is THE UNKNOWN KIMI RAIKKONEN by Kari Hotakainen
A bit of a mixture. It's a fun book for F1 fans, and there is a mix of interesting trivia and confirmation of what a lot of us figured about Kimi, as well as some good bits of insight behind the scenes at race weekend. On the other hand, F1 fans will have read or seen footage of what goes on behind the scenes elsewhere already, so even the new bits all sound fairly familiar. It's also not really a traditional biography, as it jumps around with occasional interview snippets and leaves out a lot links from one thing to another.
The blurb mentions Hotakainen being an experienced novelist who has never written a nonfiction book before- and that latter element definitely shows. Whether it's because it's his first or whether it's down to the translation from Finnish, it comes over as bitty and not that engaging. It's also very Finnish-parochial, but to be fair, British and American books do the same thing, so... I did get a certain amusement from Kimi's first driving experience apparently being from Lahti, and his antics when arriving at customs at airports...
Still, an F1 fan or Kimi fan will get entertaining moments from it, but it's not that good a biography, not that well written (or perhaps translated). But it plays well into Kimi's brand, and is less “look how great and cool I am” than most celebrity books.
A bit of a mixture. It's a fun book for F1 fans, and there is a mix of interesting trivia and confirmation of what a lot of us figured about Kimi, as well as some good bits of insight behind the scenes at race weekend. On the other hand, F1 fans will have read or seen footage of what goes on behind the scenes elsewhere already, so even the new bits all sound fairly familiar. It's also not really a traditional biography, as it jumps around with occasional interview snippets and leaves out a lot links from one thing to another.
The blurb mentions Hotakainen being an experienced novelist who has never written a nonfiction book before- and that latter element definitely shows. Whether it's because it's his first or whether it's down to the translation from Finnish, it comes over as bitty and not that engaging. It's also very Finnish-parochial, but to be fair, British and American books do the same thing, so... I did get a certain amusement from Kimi's first driving experience apparently being from Lahti, and his antics when arriving at customs at airports...
Still, an F1 fan or Kimi fan will get entertaining moments from it, but it's not that good a biography, not that well written (or perhaps translated). But it plays well into Kimi's brand, and is less “look how great and cool I am” than most celebrity books.
M
marlboro
Guest
Finished up The Lost Years.
I enjoyed it quite a bit. The author really nailed the characters. Not a lot of action but the excellent characterization more than makes up for it. Too bad that the series turned into such a cluster**** because I think the era had some interesting storytelling potential.
An interesting "What if?" scenario, I was pondering while reading the book: what if this had kicked off a TOS Relaunch in 1989? Taking pieces of the 80s novel continuity, filling in the blanks inbetween the series and TMP, and then moving in to a new, semi-serialized, 5ym set pre-TWOK?
I enjoyed it quite a bit. The author really nailed the characters. Not a lot of action but the excellent characterization more than makes up for it. Too bad that the series turned into such a cluster**** because I think the era had some interesting storytelling potential.
An interesting "What if?" scenario, I was pondering while reading the book: what if this had kicked off a TOS Relaunch in 1989? Taking pieces of the 80s novel continuity, filling in the blanks inbetween the series and TMP, and then moving in to a new, semi-serialized, 5ym set pre-TWOK?
Just posted my review of the first book in the I.K.S. Gorkon series: A Good Day to Die by Keith R.A. DeCandido. I'm loving this series, and I am currently reading the final book, Klingon Empire: A Burning House for an upcoming episode of Literary Treks!
I'm still busy with A good day to die. For a non-native speaker I can read it well. I'm busy with other things at the moment, so I'm a bit slow. David Mack's The Sorrows of Empire was way more difficult to read as to technical terms..... Maybe it's because Klingons are not politicians.
M
marlboro
Guest
Recovery
This is the last of the four Lost Years books. It isn't bad exactly, but the premise of the story is extremely contrived. If TMP was "Where Nomad Has Gone Before" this is "The Ultimate Computer 2.0."
The story is centered around a gargantuan medical rescue ship designed to operate without a human crew. Oh, and it's heavily armed. The may as well have named the ship the USS Frankenstein's Monster or the USS Kevorkian or something.
If you can get past the idea that anyone would build something like this, particularly after the M-5 incident, the book isn't bad.
I've read three out of four of The Lost Years books, and the first one is the best of the bunch, imo. Traitor Winds and Recovery are flawed, but are still ok reads.
This is the last of the four Lost Years books. It isn't bad exactly, but the premise of the story is extremely contrived. If TMP was "Where Nomad Has Gone Before" this is "The Ultimate Computer 2.0."
The story is centered around a gargantuan medical rescue ship designed to operate without a human crew. Oh, and it's heavily armed. The may as well have named the ship the USS Frankenstein's Monster or the USS Kevorkian or something.
If you can get past the idea that anyone would build something like this, particularly after the M-5 incident, the book isn't bad.
I've read three out of four of The Lost Years books, and the first one is the best of the bunch, imo. Traitor Winds and Recovery are flawed, but are still ok reads.
M
marlboro
Guest
S.C.E. Fables of the Prime Directive
^Good cover.
A good showcase for Abramowitz. I would love to see a Heart of Darkness style prequel. It looks like this was the author's only contribution to TrekLit. Too bad; I thought this was pretty good.
Only (minor) complaint: I don't care for the Iotian character.
^Good cover.
A good showcase for Abramowitz. I would love to see a Heart of Darkness style prequel. It looks like this was the author's only contribution to TrekLit. Too bad; I thought this was pretty good.
Only (minor) complaint: I don't care for the Iotian character.
Going to start a rerun of Dune by Frank Herbert shortly
M
marlboro
Guest
Elvira: The piece everyone's dying to rest in.
A few years ago I did a series of photoshops combining horror movie characters with classic Hollywood actresses, models, and pinup girls. I did one featuring Elvira sitting in the lap of the chained up Monster from BoF that turned out ok.
One of the very first animated gifs I made by request was for a cartoon of Elvira winking. Somebody sent me a still pic so all I had to do was construct an eye and make it blink. Simple enough, right? Wrong. I can't draw for shit. It took me hours to come up with something that didn't look like Marty Feldman with a boob job.
A few years ago I did a series of photoshops combining horror movie characters with classic Hollywood actresses, models, and pinup girls. I did one featuring Elvira sitting in the lap of the chained up Monster from BoF that turned out ok.
One of the very first animated gifs I made by request was for a cartoon of Elvira winking. Somebody sent me a still pic so all I had to do was construct an eye and make it blink. Simple enough, right? Wrong. I can't draw for shit. It took me hours to come up with something that didn't look like Marty Feldman with a boob job.
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This month:
Dark Matter by Blake Crouch
Version Control by Dexter Palmer
and I'm currently reading Pushing Ice by Alastair Reynolds
Dark Matter by Blake Crouch
Version Control by Dexter Palmer
and I'm currently reading Pushing Ice by Alastair Reynolds
The cover to Fables of the Prime Directive is one of my favorites that Mike Collins did.
As for Makk Vinx, I'm sorry to say that you're gonna see more of him if you keep reading ahead. Loren Coleman and Randall Bills created him for The Demon, and I absolutely fell in love with the character and made sure he stuck around.
After Fables, he also appears in Security, Out of the Cocoon, Blackout, The Cleanup, Turn the Page, Signs from Heaven, and both parts of Remembrance of Things Past.
I just read David Webers Honor Harrington series finale; Uncompromising Honor.
Pros: Lots of cool action, lots of good guys sacrificing themselves to save the innocent, gallantry, etc.
Cons: Lots of exposition. Lots and lots of it. Complete chapters between minor characters trying to save the planet but that the reader can hardly empathize with.
Not nearly enough dialog between established characters.
Too much dialog between the bleeping treecats - ok, Nimitz was cute, but really? I honestly wish Weber had just skipped, or at least skimmed through the treecat development part.
Too much but not enough happening at the same time!!!
Too many mustachioed villains cackling over their evil plot.
Wraps up the primary plot in a very satisfying AND unsatisfying way at the same time, using lots of guns and crying.
Improbable survival of some important characters.
2 out of 5 stars. Would not care to read again.
Pros: Lots of cool action, lots of good guys sacrificing themselves to save the innocent, gallantry, etc.
Cons: Lots of exposition. Lots and lots of it. Complete chapters between minor characters trying to save the planet but that the reader can hardly empathize with.
Not nearly enough dialog between established characters.
Too much dialog between the bleeping treecats - ok, Nimitz was cute, but really? I honestly wish Weber had just skipped, or at least skimmed through the treecat development part.
Too much but not enough happening at the same time!!!
Too many mustachioed villains cackling over their evil plot.
Wraps up the primary plot in a very satisfying AND unsatisfying way at the same time, using lots of guns and crying.
Improbable survival of some important characters.
2 out of 5 stars. Would not care to read again.
After finishing up Star Wars: Dark Disciple, I finished up The Flash: Rogues' Revolution. Since I got to Blink of an Eye in my ST: Voy rewatch I decided to go back to ST: Voy: Distant Shores, starting with Eighteen Minutes by Terri Osbourne, once I was done withe Rogues' Revoluton.
I just read A Fire Within The Ways, a short Wheel of Time novella that can be considered a 'deleted scene' from A Memory of Light.
M
marlboro
Guest
A Time to Kill and A Time to Heal
Very good.
Next up: Towards Zero by Agatha Christie
Very good.
Next up: Towards Zero by Agatha Christie
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