Blog o’ the Jimmy

Polished off The Ghost Brigades last night.  To compare Old Man’s War to Ghost Brigades is like comparing a teenager to an adult.  Ghost Brigades is a bit more on the serious side, which I just realized is interesting considering the age and maturity of the characters.  For example, the main characters in Old Man’s War are 75+ years in age and approach their new leases on life from a more youthful perspective; whereas the Newborn (no previous life experience save the main character) of Ghost Brigades have but a brief glimpse of innocence before being plunged into chaos.

Anyway, Scalzi succeeds again in capturing my attention until the wee hours of the night.  I also recommend checking out his blog.

What do you get when you cross the movie Groundhog Day,  some Robotech, and a dash of Armor (John Steakley)?  You get All you need is KILL.  It’s a quick read and quite enjoyable.  I also liked how the author put this from an IT guys kind of perspective.  What do I mean?  If you’re a geek, you’ll get it.  If you are a back country skier or snowboarder and can’t help but see potential runs down any mountain you look at, then maybe you can see it too.

Tonight’s book review is brought to you buy Segram’s Dry Gin, Schwepps Tonic water, and a couple drops of lime juice

Oh, and about 4 hours less sleep because I couldn’t put the book down to actually go to bed last night which made my day job that much more challenging.

As the cover will tell you, this book smacks hard of the writing style of Robert Heinlein (Starship Troopers) which actually made it that much more entertaining for me. Why? Well, I’ve never read Starship Troopers, but I saw the movie.  And as I read this book I had that movie’s pace playing in my mind. Fit like a glove.  Fortunately, all female (green skinned) references did not invoke the image of Denise Richards in my mind but instead the Orion chicks out of Star Trek.

You got stereotypical military experience made complete with a hard ass (you all are dip shits!) drill sergeant,  relationship bonds made through shared conflict, lost love,  lots of free love, alien ass kicking, and a feeling that you are but a pawn in the grand scheme of things.

Now, let us say that you have been given a computer that runs in your head.  This is your personal pager, text messager, and for lack of anything better personal assistant. What name would you use?  My first choice was Bob.  Our main character thought Asshole was the most fitting.  This cracked my ass up in so many ways that I had to give my wife an explanation as to why I couldn’t quit laughing.

So anyway, for those of you who dig an entertaining quick sci-fi read, I highly recommend.  I’d also recommend this to you who like Glen Cook’s Black Company trilogy.

My latest read is The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss.  This book I HIGHLY recommend to anyone but be warned, book two is not out yet and according to his blog it is still a work in progress.

What I like most about a story is how involved I feel while reading.  I’ve always been highly visual, and once I’m into a story I zone out to the point of oblivion.  This kind of focus has helped with my career in web/software development.  I have also found myself so lost in thought that I can cover large distances while hiking and not remembering passing any or all my appointed landmarks I associate as progress until I realize I’m at the end of the trail.

Anyway, back to my point.  Rothfuss knows how to draw one in and keep you engaged.  Rarely is there a dull moment (big issue for me).  The book is told mostly from the point of view of the main character (Kvothe) retelling his past to a scribe who has come to try and get the real story of a hero’s life.  The detail was rich but not overwhelming, leaving enough for your imagination to fill in all the blanks.

Last night I polished off the last book in Brent Weeks Night Angel Trilogy, Beyond the Shadows.

This trilogy totally kicked ass!!!  Even my wife made comment that she hadn’t seen me get into a series this much for quite awhile.

So, what was it that kept my interest?

Plot twist after plot twist after plot twist.

The lines between good and evil blurring over and over.

The constant questioning and redefining of ones morals, beliefs, and ideals.

Super powers, kung fu, corny humor, magic, and ass kicking.

I was on my toes right from the get go.  Hardly a dull moment.

Brent Weeks had stated in an interview that he’d learned a great way to keep an audiences attention was by offing major characters when it was unexpected. I can attest to this being successful.

Looking forward to his upcoming Black Prism!