THE IMAGINARY CORPSE – Tyler Hayes

Posted by Daniel on February 26, 2021
Posted in: SF/FANTASY. Tagged: , , . Leave a comment

Where do ideas go when we’re done with them? If we believe in an idea enough, it becomes real. But if we abandon an idea that we once really loved, it falls into the Stillreal – a seedy segment of the Imagination.  It is here we find Tippy the Triceratops. Tippy was once the imaginary friend of a little girl who created him in order for her to make sense of the grown-up world. But when the girl’s father dies, she’s forced to face the real world and her imaginary friend Tippy heads to Stillreal.  There, Tippy passes the time by taking on odd detective jobs for other unwanted ideas.  It’s convenient and unremarkable … until Tippy makes the acquaintance of The Man in the Coat – a nightmare who can do the impossible … turn an imaginary friend into an imaginary corpse.

This book is … wow … I don’t know how to define this.

Imagine reading a book the way a child reads a book, believing and accepting the fantastic as possible.  Now imagine reading some specific children’s books, as adults, and believing in and accepting the implausible as possible – Corduroy, A Dinosaur for Danny, The Borrowers. Now give those same books some more adult themes and we start to inch toward what this book is like.

Wildly inventive is putting it mildly, and honestly, I kept expecting the ‘real world’ to break in at any moment, as though we were on the outside, looking in, rather than being part of this.  I think that’s not necessarily a good thing … but I’m entirely sure because this was so different. This is Philip K. Dick, Lewis Carroll, Fredric Brown, and the Teletubbies rolled into one dark detective fantasy.

I was pulled in to the book right at the start, by the introduction of the highly unusual characters and location.  We aren’t hit with a bunch of narrative backstory (which is good) and since this is so different we can’t help but sit back and hope the author is able to make sense of this world for us.  Thankfully, he does.

I love being tossed into a story that’s already underway and having to catch up with where we are and what’s happening while still following the present action.  Fantasy author Roger Zelazny was very good at this, as is Philip Pullman (and now, perhaps, Tyler Hayes).

While this kind of writing and story absolutely thrills me, I can see that this is not something that will appeal to the masses. Read the description, read the reviews, and if it looks like something you might like, then definitely give it a try.

Looking for a good book? The Imaginary Corpse by Tyler Hayes is a very real fantasy/mystery that may bring back some childhood nightmares.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

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The Imaginary Corpse

author: Tyler Hayes

publisher: Angry Robot

ISBN: 0857668315

paperback, 297 pages

DEADLANDS: GHOSTWALKERS – Jonathan Maberry

Posted by Daniel on February 24, 2021
Posted in: ENTERTAINMENT, SF/FANTASY. Tagged: , , , . Leave a comment

The great quake of 1868 split California into scores of labyrinthine caverns, mostly flooded with ocean water. But the quake also revealed a new substance known as “ghost rock” which creative individuals have discovered can be useful for making some inventive weapons, among other things. Ghost rock provides the source for many steampunk-like inventions.

Right out of a classic 1950’s western, our hero is a gun-for-hire, haunted by his past (quite literally in this dark fantasy), who wanders into a town that desperately needs a hero-for-hire to rescue them from a mad scientist who’s  creating an army of undead. Assisting our hero is a British-educated American Sioux because … well, why not?  It takes place in the old west so some Indigenous Peoples representation needs to happen.

This was my second attempt to read the book. It is a long, drawn-out work that doesn’t even come close to living up to the expectations, given that it’s based on an RPG game and mashes westerns with fantasy and the supernatural. This should be a slam-dunk winner for a reader like myself who loves all these genres.

First, I should admit that I am not at all familiar with the role playing game game on which this novel is based. If that’s key to enjoying this book, then I shouldn’t have bothered trying. But I don’t see anything on the cover that warns me of this. And even if this warned in bold letters that this was based on an RPG, I’d still probably have wanted to read it, based on the themes and the fact that I’ve enjoyed some RPGs.

No, the problem here is that author Jonathan Maberry goes on and on describing every little aspect in great detail. It is exhausting reading through this, and not because of the high energy action but because this fractured fantasy world is full of varied pieces with no unify story.  Okay… that’s not entirely true, but the unification is so remote and so far off in this massive book (475 pages that reads like 900) that it could just as well be non-existent.

I’ve liked Maberry’s work that I’ve read in the past.  In fact it was his name as well as the western/fantasy/zombie story that had me interested. But by the end I couldn’t help but wonder if perhaps Maberry’s worked so long in the comic/graphic novel world that he’s forgotten how to write novel-length prose.  I don’t know what his comic scripts look like, but I can imagine him going on at length to describe a scene, which gets interpreted into 4-6 panels of art so we don’t read all the description. But here there’s no artist to interpret and condense.

I wish I could have liked this because I put in a great deal of time and effort reading it, but ultimately this just doesn’t work.

Looking for a good book? You need to be really committed to wanting to read this book, and perhaps already familiar with the role playing game, to enjoy Jonathan Maberry’s Deadlands: Ghostwalkers.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

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Deadlands: Ghostwalkers

author: Jonathan Maberry

series: Deadlands #1

publisher: Tor Books

ISBN: 0765375265

paperback, 476 pages

STRATEGIC PLANNING IN THE ARTS – Michael M. Kaiser

Posted by Daniel on February 22, 2021
Posted in: ENTERTAINMENT, NON-FICTION. Tagged: , , , , . Leave a comment

I’ve been working in the arts for four decades and I’ve seen a lot of changes in how arts organizations approach the business of presenting arts programming. Treating the arts as a business is probably the biggest change I’ve seen. This might seem like an obvious direction, but I’ve known very few artists who are wise with a business sense, and fewer still who enjoy the business side of the arts.

Most arts business books I’ve come across have been about “producing” – gathering teams and resources in order to present your chosen art form. But to truly look at the business side of an arts organization one needs to understand the organizations strategic plan.  What’s a strategic plan you ask? Well author Michael M. Kaiser has some answers for you in this book.

Kaiser takes the reader through, step by step, with all the essential processes to creating an arts business. One of the key ingredients is having and understanding the strategic plan. And yet this is surprisingly not as easy as it might sound.

The information presented here comes from actual instances of strategic planning and not simply ideal-but-unrealistic proposals. And while none of us reading the book are actually planning on running The Kennedy Center or The Metropolitan Opera, it is most beneficial if we were to proceed as though we were.  Even the small town community theatre or symphony orchestra should be treated as professionally as possible and that starts on the business end, with a solid strategic plan.

Looking for a good book? Michael M. Kaiser’s Strategic Planning in the Arts is a must-read for anyone working in an arts organization and wants to see it step up to the next level.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Edelweiss, in exchange for an honest review.

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Strategic Planning in the Arts: A Practical Guide

author: Michael M. Kaiser

publisher: Brandeis University Press

ISBN: 1512601748

hardcover, 200 pages

GLOW – Tim Jordan

Posted by Daniel on February 19, 2021
Posted in: SF/FANTASY. Tagged: , . Leave a comment

From the publisher’s description, as found on Goodreads:

After the Nova-Insanity shattered Earth’s civilization, the Genes and Fullerenes Corporation promised to bring humanity back from the brink. Many years later, various factions have formed, challenging their savior and vying for a share of power and control.

Glow follows the lives of three very different beings, all wrestling mental instability in various forms; Rex – a confused junkie battling multiple voices in his head; Ellayna – the founder of the GFC living on an orbital satellite station and struggling with paranoia; and Jett – a virtually unstoppable robotic assassin, questioning his purpose of creation.

…

I think that’s all you really need to know, although the description does go on.

Three beings wrestling mental instability, including a robotic assassin questioning his purpose.  Uhhhh….  That alone would suggest that either this is going to be a wild, Philip K. Dick-like tale or a messy conglomerate of ideas.  The possibility of the former is what had me excited to read it, but unfortunately it came across as the latter.

There’s a lot going on here … a LOT … but that shouldn’t be a detriment to the story – it should enhance the reader’s desire to put it all together. Unfortunately it is a detriment. We get bogged down in the weight of this world and all the information that we have to receive in order to make sense of it all.And somehow there’s characters in here, involved in the story, but I never felt I got to know them and I certainly cared even less about them.

A big chunk of the plot revolves around ‘Glow’ – a nanotech drug. While there was a pretty interesting facet of this drug (the ability to survive from host to host, carrying portions of the previous host(s) into the next host), I really couldn’t shake the feeling that this was so familiar.

Drugs and drug use in science fiction is not a new concept but it does feel as though we’ve suddenly seen a rash of ‘tech drugs’ in recent sci-fi and I can name three that have come from publisher Angry Robot (Ramez Naam’s Nexus series; Ferrett Steinmetz’s Flex series [okay … not a tech drug, but a high-profile drug around which the series is based]; and Amanda Bridgeman’s Salvi Brentt series’ drugs).

‘Glow’ didn’t feel new and creative but rather a slightly creative rehash of what has gone (recently) before.

Looking for a good book? Glow, by Tim Jordan, is a science fiction novel that tries to encompass too much in a wildly inventive manner and the result is a difficult to read mess.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

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Glow

author: Tim Jordan

publisher: Angry Robot

ISBN: 0857668439

paperback, 400 pages

ADMIRAL – Sean Danker

Posted by Daniel on February 17, 2021
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There was a time when I wouldn’t have even considered reading a military fiction book, even military science fiction. But the descriptions I had seen for Sean Danker’s Admiral looked really appealing to me so I thought I’d give it a read. I’m glad I did.

A ship in deep space has for sleepers (individuals in a cryogenic stasis) aboard.  They are members of the Evagardian Imperial Service. The ship loses power and brings the individuals out of their sleep.  They all seem a bit groggy and unfamiliar with one another.  The last to wake is in a sleeper pod bearing an admiral’s insignia. And so the individual takes command over the other three (an ensign, a private, and a lieutenant).  But is he really an admiral?

They find themselves stranded on a planet, their supplies running out, no way to send a distress call, and their limited sensors indicate they may not be alone.  Can someone who may or may not really be an admiral command this small team and keep everyone safe until help arrives?  Will the three others support and follow the one they think is possibly an admiral? Why did their ship suddenly lose control? Where are they and is anyone else near?

Sean Danker has written a powerful science fiction mystery with a great deal of suspense.  There are some shades of Alien here, but this story is much more about the four protagonists. Who are they? Who are they to one another? Who are they to those who sent them out on the ship?

The action is intense and because we get to spend some time with each of the four protagonists we get to experience their concerns and fears, which compounds our own. I felt as though we never really know what is happening, but that puts the reader in the same position as the characters. This helps us empathize with them, creating an intense experience.

This book was Danker’s debut, and he really hit a homerun.  There are now six books in the Admiral series as I write this and I’m definitely going to go look for the next one right away.

Looking for a good book? Admiral, by Sean Dankers, is a solid, suspenseful, sci-fi mystery, well worth reading.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

* * * * * *

Admiral

author: Sean Danker

series: Evagardian #1

publisher: Ace Books

ISBN: 0451475798

hardcover, 309 pages

IMAGINARY NUMBERS – Seanan McGuire

Posted by Daniel on February 15, 2021
Posted in: SF/FANTASY, Uncategorized. Tagged: , . Leave a comment

If you’ve been reading my reviews for any length of time you should know that I’ve become a tremendous fan of Seanan McGuire’s work,  I believe she consistently has the best most regular, best urban fantasy being published today. Her world-building is fantastic (and I mean that word in all its definitions) and well-defined. Her characters are unique and relatable and always seem so real.  They deal with personal issues as well as the big picture problems around which the plot is built.
Though my memory is a little fuzzy and I’m probably remembering this a little incorrectly, I once heard the great Theodore Sturgeon respond to the question :”What is the difference between writing short stories and writing novels?”  His response was, “Short stories are about things people do and novels are about people, who do things.”  McGuire’s novels are definitely about people.  But let’s not sell short the things these people do, because McGuire’s stories are also well plotted.

The story:

The Price family are cryptozoologists – a bit on the eccentric side, their goal is to protect the magical creatures of the world who are living in secret (or trying to) among the human population.

Adopted into the Price family is Sarah Zellaby. As much as she’d like to think of herself as Price, she will never get away from who she really is – a cuckoo … “a telepathic ambush predator closer akin to a parasitic wasp than a human being.” If her nature takes over, everyone she considered family or friends are possible targets for her predatory nature.

Sarah is returning to the family compound and both she and her close friend Artie are happy to reunite. But Sarah has come to the attention of other cuckoos who have taken up residence near the Price home.  There is bound to be a clash. Between Sarah’s core and who she has known herself as her entire life, and between the apex predator cuckoos and everyone around them.

By staying close to Sarah, Artie puts himself in extreme danger, but he’s not about to abandon their friendship now that she’s returned.

The book is told from alternating POV – sometimes Sarah, sometimes Artie.

This book is definitely a cliffhanger, leading up to something big.

In signature fashion, McGuire includes a short story/novelette at the end of the book.  This one, “Follow the Lady,” has the character Antimony returning home from a recent excursion (which takes place before the events in this novel) and relating some gathered information (which will likely be important in the next book).

Looking for a good book? Imaginary Numbers by Seanan McGuire is the 9th book in the InCryptid urban fantasy series. It is fast-paced and there is a lot going on, so pay attention, but do read it.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

* * * * * *

Imaginary Numbers

author: Seanan McGuire

series: InCryptid #9

publisher: DAW Books

ISBN: 0756413788

paperback, 437 pages

CAPTAIN MOXLEY AND THE EMBERS OF THE EMPIRE – Dan Hanks

Posted by Daniel on February 12, 2021
Posted in: SF/FANTASY, Uncategorized. Tagged: , . Leave a comment

It is 1952 and World War II is over, but it’s still fresh in people’s minds.  And when you’re an ace fighter pilot who worked privately for a secret branch of the U.S. government, you’re now out of work and looking for excitement.  Samantha “Sam” Moxley is that fighter pilot – a dominant woman in a male-dominated service. Sam steps up and takes charge when things get tough and she thrives on adventure.  Now she realizes that the organization that she once worked for, known as “The Nine,” has to be stopped from getting their hands on a special key that leads to the renowned Hall of Records.

Sam pulls together a team to help her because she knows first hand the resources that The Nine have to draw from to get what they want, and right now they want Sam’s sister.
It’s hard to imagine any reader picking up this book and not making the comparison to Indiana Jones or Benjamin Gates. In fact the book almost relies on the reader being familiar with the action hero stereotype.  Knowing the type, we then know how unusual it is for a woman to be in the role and the author doesn’t have to work too hard defining the character.
The plot and story are right out of the adventure movie world – stop the bad guys (played by big government) from gaining too much power (because we know that absolute power corrupts absolutely).  But there will be obstacles in the way, often with a supernatural bent to them.
Author Danks Hanks cranks up the action and keeps it revving through the entire book. I’m not sure this is good, though.
The action seems to hold steady at an even pace, so it stops feeling exciting. This pace sort of works when you are watching a movie like The Mummy, Tomb Raider, or, yes, Indiana Jones, but in a 370 page book we need a little more character development time with action folding out of the plot, rather than the plot simply being the action.
The supernatural elements that are hinted at are never fully brought to light.  Perhaps this is held back as a teaser for further adventures, but it comes across as sloppy writing – a forgotten element left unfinished.
I had really enjoyed another pulp-style action book from publisher Angry Robot a little while back and so looked forward to continuing the trend, but this particular venture doesn’t work. I liked the idea and I think I’d like the characters if I got to know them.
Looking for a good book? Captain Moxley and the Embers of the Empire by Dan Hanks is a recreation of the Indiana Jones adventures with a woman as adventurer protagonist. There’s plenty of action but it’s not built around a terribly exciting story.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.
* * * * * *
Captain Moxley and the Embers of the Empire
author: Dan Hanks
publisher: Angry Robot
ISBN: 0857668722
paperback, 380 pages

DRACULA, MOTHERF**KER! – graphic novel

Posted by Daniel on February 10, 2021
Posted in: GRAPHIC NOVEL. Tagged: , . Leave a comment

It’s Los Angeles in the 1970’s (1974, to be precise) and Quincy Harker is a crime scene photographer. He is recognizing a killing pattern as the works of the infamous Dracula, but who would ever believe him? Well, Dracula’s minions might.  Nearly 100 years earlier, Dracula’s brides, seeking to live out their own undead lives, nailed their master to his coffin.  Now they are back as Dracula is making his presence known once again.  But are the brides back to assist their master, or are they looking to continued what they started a century earlier?  Is Harker a tool to the brides’ achieving their goal, or because of his knowledge is he a danger to Dracula’s return?

I’m a sucker for any vampire/Dracula-related book or graphic novel so this was easily something I was looking forward to.  What I found was a real mixed book.

The story, by Alex de Campi, is very much a one-note story. Some of Dracula’s victims/spawn are rising up against him, but since they aren’t as powerful as he, they have to be more surreptitious.  Okay. And then what?  Seriously, this is Dracula we’re talking about.  One of the most fearsome ever created in literature so there should be some real page-turning danger present – we should be expecting the worst at any moment and that danger just isn’t here.

What IS here is some really fantastic art by Erica Henderson. Henderson captures the colors and the lines of the 70’s. I was eager to turn the page not for the story, but to see what beautiful looks would be next.  I was also tempted to break out an old black light to complete 70’s vibe.

I’m glad I checked this out and the art is a real treat, but as a complete package – art and story – this is a bit hollow.

Looking for a good book? Dracula, Motherf**ker!, a graphic novel by Alex de Campi and Erica Henderson is visually striking but lacks the grit and gristle of a good vampire story.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Edelweiss, in exchange for an honest review.

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Dracula, Motherf**ker!

author: Alex de Campi

artist: Erica Henderson

publisher: Image Comics

ISBN: 1534317007

hardcover, 72 pages

BARNUM – Robert Wilson

Posted by Daniel on February 8, 2021
Posted in: ENTERTAINMENT, NON-FICTION. Tagged: , , , . Leave a comment

Is there an American entertainer who’s had more written about him (or her) than Phineas Taylor Barnum? It’s been 130 years since Barnum died and still we are fascinated by this celebrated huckster.
P.T. Barnum was a man of action who took advantage of opportunities when they presented themselves and created opportunities when they didn’t. He was a businessman, a politician, a philanthropist. He was an advocate of temperance, black suffrage, and animal protections (despite [or perhaps because of] losing animals in fires in his circuses).
He was a colorful character, to be sure, and he was probably the first person to be a celebrity just by being a celebrity and also likely the first person to use social media (newspapers and magazines) effectively to draw attention to himself and his interests. I can only imagine what he might have done had he lived in this time with social media that can reach millions in a minute and more gullible ‘suckers’ than ever.
Plenty has been written about Barnum before (including by Barnum himself), but author Robert Wilson has done his research and presented a new look at this old huckster. We spend a a fair amount of time with his working relationship with Jenny Lind, “The Swedish Nightingale.” Wilson briefly brings up the question as to whether or not there was any romantic involvement between the two, but quickly dismisses the notion. Although less exciting from a reader perspective, it actually makes the most sense given what else we know about the man.
Prior to his working with the renowned singer, Ms. Lind, Barnum had a contracted business arrangement with Charley Stratton, aka General Tom Thumb – a dwarf with remarkable stage presence and wit. I learned quite a bit about this partnership.
It takes a little while to get to Barnum’s partnership with James Anthony Bailey, but we certainly get there, which is important since most people likely know the P.T. Barnum name because of the Barnum & Bailey Circus (which much later became The Ringling Brothers, Barnum & Bailey Circus).
This book is a great introduction to the world of Mr. P.T. Barnum and anyone interested in biographies, history, or entertainment is likely to find something to enjoy here. For those who already have a passing familiarity with Mr. Barnum, there are still things to learn, making this book worth reading.
Looking for a good book? Barnum, by Robert Wilson, is a very good modern introduction to one of the first, great self-promoters and businessmen.
I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

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Barnum: An American Life

author: Robert Wilson

publisher: Simon & Schuster

ISBN: 1501118625

hardcover, 352 pages

OLD NORSE FOR MODERN TIMES – Ian Stuart Sharpe

Posted by Daniel on February 5, 2021
Posted in: ENTERTAINMENT, HUMOR. Tagged: , , , . Leave a comment

I was interested in this book based on this description:

Never be lost for words again…with this book of lost words. Have you ever wanted to wield the silver tongue of Loki, or to hammer home your point like a Thundergod? Old Norse is the language of legends and the stuff of sagas, the inspiration for Tolkien and Marvel, for award-winning manga and epic videogames. It is the language of cleverly crafted kennings, blood-curdling curses, and pithy retorts to Ragnarök. Old Norse for Modern Times gives you the perfect phrase for every contemporary situation […] With over 500 phrases inside (plus the chance to add your own!) it is the perfect guide for Vikings fans, whether they are re-enactors, role-players, or simply in love with Ragnar.

What this doesn’t say is that this is a humor book and not an actual, useful language guide. (Okay … so I’m not sure how useful a language guide of an ancient language would be, but I think the description offers some suggestions.)

The book is filled with pre-defined phrases and since you’re not likely to go on a trip and need to communicate with some old Norse, the given phrases are geared more for fun with friends, such as:

I don’t believe in astrology. I am a Sagittarius, and we are skeptical. (Eigi trúa ek stjǫrnufrǿði þeiri, ek em bogmaðr ok vér erom engi auðtrúa flón.)

This looks like a job for Superman. (Mun verk þetta hæfa Ofrmenninu.)

Only dead fish follow the stream. (Aðeins dauðir fiskar fylgja árstraumi.)

You are the dancing queen. (Þér eruð dansdróttningin.)

Not sure how to read or pronounce this?  There’s a brief (not quite two page) Introduction which includes a simple pronunciation guide for three of the unique letter (Eth (uppercase: Ð, lowercase: ð); Thorn or þorn (Þ, þ);Æ (æ)).

I followed a link in my digital copy of the book and discovered that there’s a series of book by author Ian Stuart Sharpe (Ión Stívarður Skarpi) set in the ‘Vikingverse’ and clearly this is to serve as a sort of addendum to the other works (books and comic books) in the series. (Actually, some of those other works look more interesting to me.)

This is fine as a novelty or humor book, but it’s not particularly practical and you have to really want to say some of these phrases in your D&D or other RPG games to want to add this to your collection.

Svo segi ég, bókagagnrýnandi.

Looking for a good book? Old Norse for Modern Times by Ian Stuart Sharpe is a fun book but has some pretty limited uses.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

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Old Norse for Modern Times 

author: Ian Stuart Sharpe

publisher: Outland Entertainment

ISBN: 1947659863

hardcover, 102 pages

MAYHEM IN MARGAUX – Jean-Pierre Alaux & Noël Balen

Posted by Daniel on February 3, 2021
Posted in: MYSTERY. Tagged: , . Leave a comment

Summer in Bordeaux and a heat wave is destroying the grape crop so the vintners are already on edge when a car accident brings in the Winemaker Detective and his assistant Virgil, drawing some unwanted attention to some personal, dirty secrets behind some of the most prestigious wines in all of France.

This is the sixth book in The Winemaker Detective Mysteries series, though it’s only the second book of the series that I’ve read. The idea of mysteries, using vineyards and wine as the backdrop, seemed really clever.

I didn’t enjoy the first book I read, but this one was easier for me to get in to and follow.  Still, it didn’t have a deep draw and I had to really focus my attention and force myself to finish it.

The book is quite short – only 164 pages, making it more of a novelette than a novel – and yet we get introduced to characters, an incident, an investigation, and a resolution.  Clearly we don’t spend a lot of time setting up the story. We jump in and wait for the big personality to arrive to carry the book.

Through the years of reading and reviewing I’ve come to learn that I do not enjoy most cozy mysteries.  The cozier, the worse for my tastes and this was about as cozy as you can get.

I think that this book relies on the reader to be familiar with the Detective Winemaker, and to enjoy his method of detecting.  I am neither and really found the book slow (slow? with only 164 pages?). It seems contrary but the book needed more. More development of the characters. More development of the story. More time to follow our hero and his efforts to solving the crime.

This leads to the question: Why do we read mysteries?  Everyone has their own reason but for me it’s to enjoy a story and a mystery, specifically, to have a challenge for myself as well. This just doesn’t quite cut it, though fans of ‘cozies’ may really like this.

Looking for a good book? Mayhem in Margaux, by Jean-Pierre Alaux & Noël Balen, is a cozy mystery set in French wine country.  It’s a fast read, which fans of the form may find appealing, but the book could have used a bit more body.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Edelweiss, in exchange for an honest review.

* * * * * *

Mayhem in Margaux

authors: Jean-Pierre Alaux & Noël Balen

series: Winemaker Detective Mysteries #5

publisher: Le French Book (NY)

ISBN: 1939474388

paperback, 164 pages

ONE GIANT LEAP – Charles Fishman

Posted by Daniel on February 1, 2021
Posted in: NON-FICTION, Uncategorized. Tagged: , . Leave a comment

We recently celebrated the 50th anniversary of the first Apollo moon landing. For those who missed it, there was plenty of buzz surrounding the event, with a release of high-definition video footage as feature-length documentary film, and plenty of books about the historic event. I followed much of it, read many of the books, and so I didn’t think I was going to learn many new things about the Apollo program with this book, but I wanted to read it because the event was memorable for me.

I was wrong. I learned a lot.

I didn’t know that there had been another spacecraft (not of U.S. origin) orbiting the moon when Armstrong, Aldrin, and Collins were in orbit and the lunar module was about to make a descent.

I didn’t know who manufactured the spacesuits used for the first lunar expedition (and how they were chosen).

I didn’t know that a 25 year-old student with a notebook of handwritten notes had the power to abort the mission in the very last seconds and was asked if they needed to abort.

These are just a couple of items that come in the early pages of the book. Author Charles Fishman touches on many subjects, but gets pretty in-depth on a few, such as President Kennedy’s thoughts and support for the Apollo program, and some of the mechanics of how the venture was put together.

Because computers and computer technology are so prevalent today (how many teens don’t have a cell phone?) there are generations of people out there who don’t remember or don’t know that computers in 1968 were the size of warehouses. The process of designing a spaceship and lunar landing module, with all the necessary parts, for a mission that really our best scientists only had theories as to what was needed, is just incredible. The story of the computer – trimming down a warehouse sized device to a cubic foot, with the power to plot and re-calculate course adjustments and fuel burn (today’s counter-top microwave has more computing power than the Apollo space flight onboard computer) was quite fascinating.

I’m of the right age to really appreciate this book. A child of the 60’s, I can still remember where I was and my reactions to watching the grainy, black and white footage of Neil Armstrong landing on the moon and the interminable wait for him to go out and walk around. Learning more about all that had to happen to make this momentous event, is a treat.

For my children, who grew up in an age when man had already been to the moon, where we’ve retired space shuttles, and we have SpaceX and re-useable booster rockets, and are planning a mission to Mars – this seems like antique mechanics and about as much fun as reading ancient history in school.

But this is a book I would recommend and a book I will reference when talking about NASA and space and our future exploring the solar system and beyond.

Looking for a good book? Charles Fishman’s One Giant Leap is an excellent resource and history of how we got to the moon.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

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One Giant Leap: The Impossible Mission That Flew Us to the Moon

author: Charles Fishman

publisher: Simon & Schuster

ISBN: 1501106295

hardcover, 480 pages