Some Short Book Reviews

Here are some short reviews of books I've read recently. 

I've been a fan of Alastair Reynolds ever since his first novel, Revelation Space, came out in 2000. That novel ended up being the first in a series set in a future with slower-than-light-speed interstellar travel, strange and sometimes deadly aliens, and intelligent hyperpigs, all in a vivid setting with gothic and horror elements. Inhibitor Phase takes place near the end of the chronology given in the book's appendix and gives us a closer look at the Pattern Jugglers and their strange water world and the terrifying and implacable Inhibitors. I enjoyed the story but I wouldn't rank it as an essential read. My main gripe was the length; like many novels these days it would have benefitted from a serious trim. 

As a palate cleanser, I read John Scalzi's Starter Villain next. This is typical of most of Scalzi's books with lots of snappy dialog, interesting sfnal elements (the cats and the dolphins were my favourite things in the book), and a fast-paced plot that goes quickly enough that you don't stop to think how implausible it is. Scalzi has described this kind of book as a "popcorn novel" and that's a good description. I enjoyed it a lot and read it in a few days but I won't be going back to reread it. 

The last thing I read by Harry Turtledove quite a few years ago was his supervolcano trilogy in which Yellowstone pops its cork. His latest book, The Wages of Sin, is an alternate history in which AIDS is introduced into Europe in the early 1500s by an unfortunate pair of Portuguese traders and completely changes the course of history. In this world, women are sequestered much the same way they are in Taliban-controlled countries to prevent the spread of "the wasting", the Catholic church is the state religion, and the industrial revolution hasn't happened. The main characters, a doctor's daughter and a lawyer's son in 1850's England, have to navigate the tricky road to marriage without much experience of the other sex. It's not a deep book but the characters are interesting and likeable and the setting both familiar and strange. I hope there will be a sequel.

Next in the queue is Christopher Brown's Tropic of Kansas.