2014 Books Read For Forum Members

Lou_Sytsma

Looks my previous post was lost...

1) Swan Song - by Robert McCammon My 'Go To' book between books. A pretty direct homage to The Stand in my mind. I love the characters in this book. The book gives off the vibe this was an early effort by McCammon. It has aged more rapidly than The Stand.

2) The Last Dark - by Stephen R. Donaldson. This is it. The last book in the Thomas Covenant: The Unbeliever series. Next to The Dark Tower this is the longest running series of books I have followed.

BevVincent

It was probably posted after I sent the message board content to the migration team.

Lou_Sytsma

1) Swan Song - by Robert McCammon - ongoing

2) The Last Dark - by Stephen R. Donaldson

Done. An excellent end to the series and given the amount of pain Donaldson put the characters through I was worried if he would be able to give them a deserved send off.

He did.

Donaldson commented at one time, he waited to write the final saga of Thomas Convenant because he lacked the necessary skills to do so earlier.  While that quote makes great copy, there is no real evidence of Donaldson morphing or going to a different level with these last four books.  His writing style has remained consistent throughout the entire series to my mind. 

And to be clear - consistently excellent.

Was he referring to working out the logics of Time via travel through Caesures perhaps?

All in all, I enjoyed these last four books quite a bit - though a tightening to three books would not have been a bad thing.

3) Changes: Book 12 of the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher - currently reading.

Lou_Sytsma

1) Swan Song - by Robert McCammon - ongoing

2) The Last Dark - by Stephen R. Donaldson

3) Changes: Book 12 of the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher - currently reading.

4) White by Robert McCammon - an eshort story that reminds me a lot of King's short story - Into The Deathroom - but with a grimmer plotline.  It certainly keeps you guessing where it will go and the tension is taut from the get go.  The title could have just as easily been Red.

Lou_Sytsma

3) Changes: Book 12 of the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher - 

Changes by David Bowie

Strange fascination, fascinating me

Changes are taking the pace

I'm going through

Ch-ch-ch-ch-Changes

(Turn and face the stranger)

Ch-ch-Changes

Oh, look out you rock 'n rollers

Ch-ch-ch-ch-Changes

(Turn and face the stranger)

Ch-ch-Changes

Pretty soon you're gonna get

a little older

Time may change me

But I can't trace time

I said that time may change me

But I can't trace time

"Screw this Zen crap. Maybe she'll be early."  

What follows this line of dialogue from Harry Dresden, Wizard and Warden Of The White Council - amongst other dubiously accrued titles - is typical Dresden Files pathos and Jim C. Butcher setting up the next level in Harry's Hero Journey.

Harry has nothing left at the end of this one.  Butcher has taken his hero and stripped him of everything.  Not just his worldly possessions but his moral integrity and self respect too.

Ballsy, Butcher. Very ballsy.  And Butcher uses the only lever that would propel Harry to such desperate straits.  

Family.

The price Harry pays to protect them, cost him and his friends around them dearly. Harry also carries the additional burden of the price paid by his closest friends and his apprentice.

Changes is no doubt an inference to the David Bowie song but by the end of his one, Butcher could have invoked The Doors - Break On Through To The Other Side just as easily.

Changes is a real capper. What is left of a person soul when you take everything away?  Can't wait to find out the answer in the next book!

Highest recommendation possible.

Lou_Sytsma

Postscript - I checked this book out of the library via eBook.  First time doing so.  Pretty cool and very convenient.  I have the next Dresden file downloaded and ready to read as I type this without every leaving my desk.  Very Cool!

Lou_Sytsma

1) Swan Song - by Robert McCammon - ongoing

2) The Last Dark - by Stephen R. Donaldson

3) Changes: Book 12 of the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher

4) White by Robert McCammon

5) Ghost Story: Book 13 of the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher - currently reading - I'm totally hooked now!

Lou_Sytsma

1) Swan Song - by Robert McCammon - ongoing

2) The Last Dark - by Stephen R. Donaldson

3) Changes: Book 12 of the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher

4) White by Robert McCammon

5) Ghost Story: Book 13 of the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher 

Butcher's version of - It's A Wonderful - well as much as it can be for Dresden - Life.

Very interesting perspective on life in the spectrum of existences that exist between life and death.  This one pulled in some marginal characters and made them into much more heroic characters - Butters and Mort.  Really liked that.

Also liked that Dresden had time to reflect on his life and the consequences of his choices - especially on his friends and loved ones. We will see a wiser more thoughtful Dresden going forward?  Can't wait to see.

Only one book left to read.

And... what about Bob?

6) Holes for Faces by Ramsey Campbell - now reading

Lou_Sytsma

1) Swan Song - by Robert McCammon - ongoing

2) The Last Dark - by Stephen R. Donaldson

3) Changes: Book 12 of the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher

4) White by Robert McCammon

5) Holes for Faces by Ramsey Campbell* - a collection of 14 short stories that display Campbell's writing range. 

Campbell horror is most often of the 'corner of your eye' type.  He builds up atmosphere and tension by describing how the protagonist senses the world around him.  It's a subtle style that often brings the chills after you read the last sentence or paragraph.  Very eerie to pull off and Campbell does it brilliantly time and time again.  I suspect such a style will not be to all tastes especially for those are prefer their horror more front and center: aka in their face.

Campbell is a clever writer who constructs sentences that lead your train of thought down one avenue but when finished take you to a different destination.  

The collection does contain several pieces that are more forward in their presentation of horror including:

"Chucky Comes to Liverpool" - based on the real life incident where two ten year old boys took an even younger child - two years old - and beat him to death. This story uses Chucky the possessed dummy from the movies as the spring board for evil.  

 "Getting It Wrong" - gives new meanings to the quiz show - 'lifeline' term - as the protagonist learns too late that he is not being put on and has been conscripted into a deadly version of one.

The other stories either take place on trains - symbology in full force in these stories - or focus on young boys/teenagers being plagued by fears - be they real or imagined.

Campbell's writing requires the reader to do some imaginative legwork and if you are up to it - the rewards are plentiful and often leave lasting impressions.

6) Find the New Moon on the Water by Mort Castle* - now reading

* - denotes review copy

Lou_Sytsma

1) Swan Song - by Robert McCammon - ongoing

2) The Last Dark - by Stephen R. Donaldson

3) Changes: Book 12 of the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher

4) White by Robert McCammon

5) Holes for Faces by Ramsey Campbell*

6) Find the New Moon on the Water by Mort Castle* - ongoing

7) Cold Days: Book 13 of the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher

This was so captivating that it bumped all my other reading to the side!!!!

Where to begin?  My, my.  Let's start with Jim Butcher.  A tip of the hat to him for keeping this series as fresh as the first book.  13 books in and this series shows no signs of flagging or wilting.

Neither does Butcher.

If Harry updates his business card, he is going to be hard pressed to fit all the job titles onto it. Including a new, and more traditional take, on the one he has as Warden.  The universe of Dresden continues to become more complicated. The players, good and bad, much more grey and nuanced in their depths.  And Harry's actions have ripple effects that deepen the depth of his guilt and loss, often pulling in and harming his friends in the wake. 

We finally got some movement on one relationship - after 13 frigging books, mind you!!!!!! - and saw another take a totally unexpected and heart breaking turn.  Plus the new status of the second relationship directly impacts the first one.

Harry maybe back, bigger and badass than ever - complete with new duster - but in equal, or surpassing, amounts so are the challenges, allies and foes he has to juggle now.

Kris Kringle on the hunt, indeed!

I'm all caught up now - kind of sad - but at least the next book is due next month.

Lou_Sytsma

1) Swan Song - by Robert McCammon

2) The Last Dark - by Stephen R. Donaldson

3) Changes: Book 12 of the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher

4) White by Robert McCammon

5) Holes for Faces by Ramsey Campbell*

6) Find the New Moon on the Water by Mort Castle* 

7) Cold Days: Book 13 of the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher

8) Turn Out The Lights - Various - Anthology from Cemetery Dance - now reading

Lou_Sytsma

1) Swan Song - by Robert McCammon - reread finished.  

Been over twenty years since my initial read.  The book is corny as hell, reads like a very early work, and a straight out homage to King's - The Stand.

But dammit!  I love the characters and their fates still managed to get me choked up from time to time with either joy or sadness.  Even if the delivery of those moments was often clunky, McCammon has the elusive gift of making me care about his characters.  And in the end, that is the most important thing.

2) The Last Dark - by Stephen R. Donaldson

3) Changes: Book 12 of the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher

4) White by Robert McCammon

5) Holes for Faces by Ramsey Campbell*

6) New Moon on the Water by Mort Castle* - finished. 

Great collection of short stories.  Castle is a jazzy huckster, buckster, flamboyant writer who is not afraid of breaking the fourth wall. An excellent showcase of his writing skill with an eclectic collection where no two stories are remotely similar.

7) Cold Days: Book 13 of the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher

8) Turn Out The Lights - Various - Anthology from Cemetery Dance - now reading

"Summer Thunder" by Stephen King - has been read.  This is an odd one.  It's King. It's well written with characters that feel alive.  But it's a story that also feels 20 - 30 years too late.  It's also a major downer and not something I'll come back to.

9) These Are The Voyages - Season One by Mark Cushman - ongoing. An in depth, episode by episode recounting of the creation of Star Trek including the two pilots. Most detailed look at the series since Stephen Whitfield's - The Making of Star Trek. Two more books to come - one for each season.

Lou_Sytsma

1) Swan Song - by Robert McCammon

2) The Last Dark - by Stephen R. Donaldson

3) Changes: Book 12 of the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher

4) White by Robert McCammon

5) Holes for Faces by Ramsey Campbell*

6) New Moon on the Water by Mort Castle*

7) Cold Days: Book 13 of the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher

8) Turn Out The Lights - Various - Anthology from Cemetery Dance - finished

A slim volume, It tips the scales at a mere 172 pages - including a foreword and afterward.  

I liked all the stories to varying degrees except one.  

Flying Solo by Ed Gorman was the stand out story for me.

Peter Straub's was the most brilliant and worked from an innocently humorous premise to a very chilling ending.

9) These Are The Voyages - Season One by Mark Cushman - ongoing. 

I've got a $15 iTunes gift card from Christmas to use - thinking of using it to buy RObert McCammons's short story collection related to Wolf's Hour.

BevVincent

I got $30 from the Amazon class action eBook settlement that can only be used on books -- haven't decided what to buy yet.

Lou_Sytsma

1) Swan Song - by Robert McCammon

2) The Last Dark - by Stephen R. Donaldson

3) Changes: Book 12 of the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher

4) White by Robert McCammon

5) Holes for Faces by Ramsey Campbell*

6) New Moon on the Water by Mort Castle*

7) Cold Days: Book 13 of the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher

8) Turn Out The Lights - Various - Anthology from Cemetery Dance

9) These Are The Voyages - Season One by Mark Cushman - ongoing

Lou_Sytsma

1) Swan Song - by Robert McCammon

2) The Last Dark - by Stephen R. Donaldson

3) Changes: Book 12 of the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher

4) White by Robert McCammon

5) Holes for Faces by Ramsey Campbell*

6) New Moon on the Water by Mort Castle*

7) Cold Days: Book 13 of the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher

8) Turn Out The Lights - Various - Anthology from Cemetery Dance

9) These Are The Voyages - Season One by Mark Cushman - ongoing

10) Game of the Thrones: Book 4 - A Feast of Crows - George R.R. Martin

Well the next season is about to start on TV so now is a good as time as any to dive into the next book.

Lou_Sytsma

1) Swan Song - by Robert McCammon

2) The Last Dark - by Stephen R. Donaldson

3) Changes: Book 12 of the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher

4) White by Robert McCammon

5) Holes for Faces by Ramsey Campbell*

6) New Moon on the Water by Mort Castle*

7) Cold Days: Book 13 of the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher

8) Turn Out The Lights - Various - Anthology from Cemetery Dance

9) These Are The Voyages - Season One by Mark Cushman - ongoing

10) Game of the Thrones: Book 4 - A Feast of Crows - George R.R. Martin

Book 4 of this series maybe a feast for crows but it's slim pickings for the readers.

GRRM makes a heavy withdrawal on the goodwill and interest from the first three books.  Very little happens here and, with one exception, most of it is with characters we never met before and care about.

This is one of the hurdles that faced GRRM when being ruthless with characters - creating new and just as interesting, if not more, ones.  Sadly, for me, this book failed to do that.

GRRM states he wrote too much and split the book in two dealing with half the characters in this one and half in the next one.  A tactical mistake in my mind.  Would much rather had half the story of all the characters in one book.

I suspect the time pressures to get the next book out is why this book was released in the shape it was in because the book, as it is, stands in need of some serious editing.  I had wondered at the discontent of fans with books 4 and 5.  

Now I understand.

I'm giving the book 3 stars but feel one of those stars belongs to the goodwill generated by the first three in my heart.  In my head this books rates two stars because of how it meanders.

Lou_Sytsma

1) Swan Song - by Robert McCammon

2) The Last Dark - by Stephen R. Donaldson

3) Changes: Book 12 of the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher

4) White by Robert McCammon

5) Holes for Faces by Ramsey Campbell*

6) New Moon on the Water by Mort Castle*

7) Cold Days: Book 13 of the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher

8) Turn Out The Lights - Various - Anthology from Cemetery Dance

9) These Are The Voyages - Season One by Mark Cushman - ongoing

10) Game of the Thrones: Book 4 - A Feast of Crows - George R.R. Martin

Lou_Sytsma

11) Salem's Lot - Modern Film Studies - edited by Tony Earnshaw - ongoing

12) Shadow & Tall Trees 2014 - anthology by Mike Kelly

With this volume Mike Kelly has moved his anthology to a yearly release and the first one jumps out of the gate and hits the ground running.

The S&T line of horror collections focus on the more literate and slow burn style of story telling. Each release has done an admirable job with an attendant increase in quality as Mike Kelly's work in putting these collections out has gathered more attention and critical acclaim.

This volume continues the trend and hits new highs. The same introspective style of writing that is the trademark of this fiction lien has been collected in this volume but never has the story telling been this accessible and emotionally engaging.

I really enjoyed this book, treasured each story, and was truly sad when the last page had been read.

Excellent collection. The bar continues to be raised and I can't wait for the 2015 edition!

13) Far Dark Fields by Gary Braunbeck 

A Cedar Hills book - much like Bangor, Maine is for Stephen King - this is an intense book about a survivor - Geoff Conover - of a family massacre by his brother. 35 years later Conover married with a family of his own is haunted by his past which has been triggered by a recent shootout at the high school where he teaches English.  Conover is called back to Cedar Hill to find out why he was spared as a baby by his brother and to solve the mysteries that hang over Cedar Hill including a boogeyman known as Hoopsticks.

Braunbeck handles hot button material with an incredibly deft and sensitive hand.  This is an emotional journey for the reader and the protagonist thanks to Braunbeck's skill as a writer. You can feel the emotional energy Braunbeck expends to make his characters come to life.  

Besides one section that stumbled the book for me near the end,  the only shortcoming here is that it ends up feeling like a setup for a bigger story to follow.  What I loved about this story is that went in a direction that totally surprised me.  

Lou_Sytsma

11) Salem's Lot - Modern Film Studies - edited by Tony Earnshaw - ongoing

12) Shadow & Tall Trees 2014 - anthology by Mike Kelly

13) Far Dark Fields by Gary Braunbeck 

14) Robopocalypse by Daniel H. Wilson - ongoing

BevVincent

I'm reading the sequel, now. Robopocalypse wasn't my favorite book for a number of reasons, but it was thrilling.

Lou_Sytsma

Yeah, it's weird.  You know the outcome, the chapters read more like news summaries instead of fiction, and yet there is something compelling about the entire scenario.

Was unaware there was a sequel.

BevVincent

It comes out in June: Robogenesis. Your comments about Robopocalypse sum up my qualms. Here's my review.

Lou_Sytsma

Heh, great minds think alike!  )

Lou_Sytsma

11) Salem's Lot - Modern Film Studies - edited by Tony Earnshaw - done

Overall this is an excellent book bordering on greatness.  The book is full of interviews with the main players behind and in front of the cameras.  In some cases like producer - Richard Kobritz - they are interviewed twice. Those interviews are interesting because one is from the production time period and the other much more recent. Very interesting to read how interviewees thoughts have evolved - sometimes changing and sometimes not. Note earlier interviews are often reprints of ones that appeared in previous publications - often with material not included in the original publications.

The book is printed on thick glossy paper and is chuck full of photos - most in colour, many of which I have never seen before.  There is also a beautiful poster section - in glossy colour for international Salem's Lot posters.  Another photo section compares on location shooting against present day Ferndale, California.  Mostly recognizable except for the signature set - the Marsten house of course.

Finally there is a section containing excerpts from the script.  Not sure why these excerpts were chosen but it seems that there are scene extensions that I assume were filmed but later trimmed. Nothing big was deleted, mostly character beats.  Too bad the whole script could not have been included.

If you are a King fan, and especially if you count Salem's Lot as one of your favorite movies/books, then this is a definite buy.

My main quibble -  I wish the book was larger overall in size ie coffee table sized to give the photos and posters more room to breathe.

Very glad I bought it!

12) Shadow & Tall Trees 2014 - anthology by Mike Kelly

13) Far Dark Fields by Gary Braunbeck 

14) Robopocalypse by Daniel H. Wilson - done - as per my previous comments:

 the chapters read more like news summaries instead of fiction, and yet there is something compelling about the entire scenario.

15) Mr. Mercedes by Stephen King - on deck!!!!  B-)

Lou_Sytsma

15) Mr. Mercedes by Stephen King

Another entertaining yarn from the Master Yarn Slinger that is firmly planted in reality. The book's strengths as expected lie with King's innate ability to create interesting and endearing characters. Flawed and all the more emotionally engaging because of them. Hodges and Hartsfield make for a great protagonist/antagonist duo and Hodge's unlikely posse of Jerome and Holly - especially Holly, a damaged character who makes great strides through the course of the book.  Wish she had been introduced earlier in the book.

As a straight crime novel - not a genre I naturally gravitate to - Mr. Mercedes shares the same restrictions of the genre in that fortuitous events must occur so that the antagonist can be stopped.  King supplants supernatural forces with technical voodoo to facilitate those circumstances and they are more visibly obvious as a result. In his horror works those otherwordly forces are less obtrusive and tied into larger unseen forces that are engaged in a perpetual duel of good and evil.

Case in point, Hartsfield's mother - a confirmed lush - leaves vital clues on her personal PC which seems at odds with her established mental and emotional states.

Like, Colorado Kid this is a great change of pace and I look forward to more forthcoming adventures with King's new ka-tet. Mr. Mercedes is an awesome appetite whetter for his next book, Revival which is back in familiar King horror territory and is the one of the two 2014 releases I am most eager to read.

16) The Good Nurse: A True Story of Medicine, Madness, and Murder by Charles Greaber - now reading - recommended by King about a nurse that makes Annie Wilkes look like a piker.