Books - Book Aid
Until Justice is Done by Christine McGuire Court drama 8/10
Books By bookworm on 5/31/2007 2:29 PM
Christine McGuire’s Until Justice is Done [ISBN 0 7493 2040 0] is quite a slim book which is why I decided to take it away on an overnighter holiday, and a good choice it was. An excellent plot even though about a serial rapist which is becoming a little passé as everyone has this as a topic, but she manages to write a lively and readable book, even though the rock hard driven female attorney about to expire through stress can be annoying at times as she manages to be as clueless
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The Kremlin Device by Chris Ryan. Adventure/thriller 9/10
Books By bookworm on 5/30/2007 2:14 PM
As far as Chris Ryan is concerned I’m going to have to take back all my negative comments about Boys Own Adventures – because he writes them so very well. Chris Ryan’s The Kremlin Device [ISBN 0 09 191105 2] is well plotted, with a narrative expertly written for maximum suspense and action, and also with characters you know he knows well. From the opening chapter of his parachute drop right up to the sweaty end, it really paces along. His background is believably authentic –of course, especially the army stuff, and altogether is a good read.
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The Blood-Dimmed Tide by Rennie Airth, Crime/Police procedural 7/10
Books By bookworm on 5/29/2007 9:13 AM
Rennie Airth’s the Blood Dimmed Tide [ISBN 0 330-48472-9] is set in 1932, and has a pleasing, countryside context backing a quite chilling thriller, the plot is straightforward and the narrative nicely tucked in with the time and situation – no rushing about for the police in these times, and the characters believable
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The Precipice by Ben Bova. The Asteroid Wars:1 Science Fiction 5/10
Books By bookworm on 5/24/2007 8:16 AM
It appears that Ben Bova is one of the “masters” of Science Fiction given the plaudits of the jacket blurbs (though I note that some of the journals are obscure to say the least). This book The Precipice [ISBN 0 340 840090 0] – the first book of a series the Asteroid Wars, makes sure for me that there won’t be a second. The giants of early sci-fo, such as Asimov or Clarke, managed to be scientists AND writers. Ben Bova may well be a scientist, but I bet he never went to any classes for writing, and I wish he had.
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Atlantis by David Gibbins. Grail search type adventure 7/10
Books By bookworm on 5/23/2007 2:37 PM
David Gibbin’s adventure novel Atlantis [ISBN 0 7553 2422 6] is another of those irritatingly popular search-for-lost treasure-type books (no prizes in guessing what they’re looking for) with similar strengths and weaknesses to many of the others. The strengths are the inherent interest of the search – unravelling a deep long-term mystery, and lots of authentic historical background together with gung-ho action and baddies on the trail making considerable suspense. The weaknesses are
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Crow Lake by Mary Lawson. Literary fiction 8/10
Books By bookworm on 5/22/2007 8:25 AM
Mary Lawson’s literary fiction novel Crow Lake [Vintage books] is the archetypal Reading Club choice. Well written, a narrative with psychological depth, fascinating context [the wilds of Canada] and a readable story.
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Suite Francaise by Irene Nemirovsky. Literary Fiction 9/10
Books By bookworm on 5/21/2007 11:58 AM
This is a quite amazing book – Suite Francaise by Irene Nemirovsky [ISBN 978 0 099 48878 1] Irene Nemirovsky was a remarkable woman, a multilingual Russian Jew who was in France during its occupation and during this time she wrote the two sections of this book, before she was taken to Auschwitz where she died in 1942 – and this is one of the reasons this book is just so gripping. The book tells perceptively of the time when the Germans were about to move into Paris and there was a major outflow into the countryside –
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The Glory Boys by Gerald Seymour. Spy/terrorist thriller 8/10
Books By bookworm on 5/19/2007 1:22 PM
This boys own adventure stuff is not usually my kind of reading but The Glory Boys, spy/terrorist thriller by Gerald Seymour is very readable. It is realistically plotted, with a swift-moving narrative and though characterisations are not brilliant, Jimmy, the alcoholic crumpled secret service dial-an-assassin is very nicely portrayed.
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Promise me by Harlan Coben. Crime fiction/thriller 7/10
Books By bookworm on 5/17/2007 6:21 AM
Harlan Coben’s crime mystery fiction Promise me [ISBN 978 0 7528 7821 8] is superbly plotted –the mysterious disappearance of a girl starts the book and the step by step following her trail forms a suspenseful and readable book – with an excellent twist of an ending – which now we expect from this writer.
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Archangel by Paul Watkins. Literary fiction 8/10
Books By bookworm on 5/16/2007 9:04 AM
I loved the atmosphere of Paul Watkin’s novel Archangel [ISBN 0 571 17717 4] even though the images are bleak and primeval: the story is powerful and interesting, and the characters, though not written with depth, show psychological shrewdness in their personas. It is set in North Maine, close to the Canadian border, amongst the bleak Algonquin wilderness, and evokes in us that mysterious uncertainty that large untamed areas call from us.
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Secret Smile by Nicci French. Thriller 7/10
Books By bookworm on 5/15/2007 12:04 PM
Nicci French’s novel Secret smile [ISBN 0 718 14519 4] is well written, as usual, with a quite relentless narrative which builds and builds suspense. It isn’t, however, a pleasant read and I found myself wishing I could get to the end quicker. It’s a book that makes you squirm – the portrait of obsession is so good – but its also unpleasant and makes the reader feel (at least me) feel uncomfortable – because it is really so believable.
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The distance between us by Maggie O’Farrell. Award winning literary fiction 8/10
Books By bookworm on 5/14/2007 12:01 PM
Maggie O’Farrell’s The distance between us [ISBN 0 7553 0266 4] won the 2005 Somerset Maugham Award and you’ll see why when you read it. Its one of those beautifully written double narratives of two separate people’s stories that you know will come together before the end. It’s a travel and romance between two folks who haven’t met yet , complicated identities (the novel calls them the hyphenated people – Italian American, Hong Kong British) and sisterly bonds
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Duplicate Keys by Jane Smiley. Psychological mystery thriller 9/10
Books By bookworm on 5/12/2007 12:35 PM
If you haven’t read Duplicate Keys by Jane Smiley [ISBN 0 00 654747 8] then you should just go out and get hold of it. It has a brilliant plot at its core, but the way the narrative is woven in time – with skirtings into the past and just past to mine around a situation from different viewpoints – enables the reader to consider and re-consider evidence and reasons for actions
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Undercurrents by Frances Fyfield. Psychological mystery/thriller 9/10
Books By bookworm on 5/11/2007 12:05 PM
Frances Fyfield’s novel undercurrents [ISBN 0 7515 3028 X] is an excellent read; not only is the plot intriguing, and the characterisations so beautifully observed, but the faded seaside out of season atmosphere recalls sights and sounds and smells (not so very attractive in some cases) so very cleverly. You can almost feel the rain and cutting blustery wind each time the characters step out of doors. The story is compelling and addictive to read,
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Black Waltz by Patricia Melo. Literary fiction Brazilian author. 8/10
Books By bookworm on 5/10/2007 3:31 PM
Patricia Melo’s Black Waltz [ISBN 0 7475 7372 7] is a skilfully written account of a relationship fracturing with increasingly unreasonable jealously. The marriage cracks and then starts to disintegrate and this is so skilfully built in the narrative that the pressure is cranked up a little at a time, until the reader cannot imagine how the author will resolve the conflict
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The Keeper by Sarah Langan. Supernatural thriller 1/10
Books By bookworm on 5/9/2007 12:03 PM
It’s not really Sarah Langan’s fault that her novel The Keeper [ISBN 0 7553 3371 3] is part of a genre I dislike (and I didn’t know this when I picked up the book). The plot is obscure (I still don’t know what it was all about and I did read most of it) the narrative is bleak and the misery relentless. A beautiful but deranged young girl, abused by her father, grows up into something that haunts the town.
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The Caller by Alex Barclay. Thriller 5/10
Books By bookworm on 5/8/2007 10:53 AM
Its unfortunate, but I have read The Caller by Alex Barclay [ISBN 978 0 00 719534 3] in the middle of a series of diabolical books, and it just seems to have joined them in my mind. This is written as a sequel to an earlier book where his family had been involved with the killer – and the emotions dragged their way through this novel – which is always very difficult not to seem contrived and in the way. Apart for that its just another gruesome serial killer
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Living Dangerously by Katie Fforde. Light humorous literary fiction/chick lit 6/10
Books By bookworm on 5/7/2007 10:02 AM
Katie Fforde’s novel Living Dangerously [ISBN 0 14 024330 5] was published in 1995, and already some of the attitudes are already beginning to look passé – the story about a 35 year old single woman, lefty, hippyish, working in a whole food café (for peanuts !) and though rubenesque very attractive to, but not interested in, men. I can hardly give the plot away if I say that the story
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Black Swan Green by David Mitchell. Literary fiction 6.5/10
Books By bookworm on 5/6/2007 3:18 PM
David Mitchell’s novel Black Swan Green [ISBN 978 0 340 82280] is covered with a load of amazingly good jacket crits, and, indeed, it is very well written. However, it is not clear exactly what kind of a book it is, you could say it’s a rite-of-passage-book about a teenager; or about family life in the 1980s, or an insight into the problems of stuttering for an adolescent, or a recreated pastiche of 1982, and its all of these, but it’s a lighter read than the crits suggest
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Panic by Jeff Abbott. Political conspiracy thriller 8/10
Books By bookworm on 5/3/2007 10:05 AM
Jeff Abbott’s novel Panic [ISBN 978 0 7515 3851] has got excellent reviews and I can see why – though the American thriller genre is becoming stranger and more OTT (America is portrayed by many writers in this genre to be a strange twisted place to the average Brit and becomes more and more foreign and paradoxically, less interesting to me). The plot is quite breathtakingly amazing – from the outset Panic is just that – a frenzied series of actions created by inexplicable external events
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Equinox by Michael White. Ancient secret societies strike again 6/10
Books By bookworm on 5/2/2007 5:41 PM
Michael White’s Equinox [ISBN 0 09 950523 1] is another one of those novels where ancient secret societies surface in the modern day because of the now possibility of gaining some wonderful prize triggered by events. This time it’s the old Philosopher’s stone ploy and the resurgence of alchemy in the heart of Oxford no less. I’m amused by the idea, but, in fact, the author is knowledgeable about the historical context, though I barely forgive him for the seriously patronising afterword where he “reveals the facts behind the fiction” which just takes stuff out of an encyclopaedia and reveals
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At Risk by Patricia Cornwell. Crime thriller 5/10
Books By bookworm on 4/30/2007 12:00 PM
At Risk by Patricia Cornwell [ISBN 978 0 7515 3871 7] does not (thank goodness) feature Kay Scarpetta (these Scarpetta novels petered off into the merely bizarre) but even though this is slightly better, its only a fair read up to her best. The plot is Okish but the characters are strangely wooden and unlikeable without having any of the benefits that unlikeable people can give to the narrative in energy and motive
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Blacklist by Sara Paretsky. Crime thriller 9/10
Books By bookworm on 4/29/2007 9:08 AM
I don’t know what sequence Blacklist [ISBN 0 141 01023 1] comes with Sara Paretsky’s series of crime novels featuring her wonderful investigator VI Warshawski, but this is a classic. The plot is tight and the background, as usual impeccable and interesting, the narrative gives up jewels page by page and yet the answers elude the reader for some time, but the chances for speculation are pleasurable.
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Piece of My Heart by Peter Robinson. Crime fiction 10/10
Books By bookworm on 4/27/2007 8:37 AM
Peter Robinson’s crime fiction novel Piece of my Heart [ISBN 978 0 340 83688 0] is the latest of his books, featuring Inspector Bank (a cop I’m not thrilled with ,but an excellent characterisation). The plot is clever and sneaky: the story unfolds in an alternating past-and-present narrative 1969 and present day, and though the reader knows they will eventually come together, there is great satisfaction in the way a master writer
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Tides of Light by Gregory Benford. Science Fiction 5/10
Books By bookworm on 4/25/2007 9:33 AM
Given the jacket blurbs “The best SF writer now writing” you could expect Gregory Benford’s Tides of Light [ISBN 0 575 04759 3] to be a good science fiction read – even a great read. I have not read science fiction in large quantities for over 20 years, but this does not touch the great SF writers. It is reminiscent of the quite awful HG Wells “The Men in the moon” (or something like that) with the strange beings lurking about underground apropos to very little at all. This book is a sequel to an earlier book I cannot comment on
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Thirteen Moons by Charles Frazier. Literary Fiction 9/10
Books By bookworm on 4/20/2007 1:26 PM
Charles Frazier – the author of Cold Mountain – has written a historical fiction book Thirteen Moons [CN 148395] with a background of the 19th century American landgrabs and the impact on the American Cherokee Indians as they are forced away from their lands. The story is a first person narrative and is touching and thought provoking revealing all kinds of insights into the plight of the poor – Indian, white or black – and their different kinds of slavery.
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Devoted Ladies by Molly Keane (writing as MJ Farrell) Literary Fiction 7/10
Books By bookworm on 4/18/2007 4:07 PM
Devoted Ladies by Molly Keane [ISBN 0 8608 466 0] does not particularly deserve such a high score for literary fiction per se, but for the historical interest and amusement it gave me. Written in 1934, Molly Keane wrote about the Anglo-Irish huntin’ shootin’ set – an upper class with little to recommend it – but this novel, with its two central characters as lesbians (with a gay manservant) must have been extraordinarily risqué for its time
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The American Boy by Andrew Taylor . Historical Fiction 8/10
Books By bookworm on 4/16/2007 7:48 PM
Andrew Taylor’s historical fiction novel The American Boy [ISBN0 00 710960 1] has an absorbing and evocative historical context, with a fair plot and steady narrative. The characters don’t have such a good feel – my background in history is not up to Andrew Taylor’s but I don’t feel the dialogue is particularly authentic, and the characters are rather Dickensian take-offs. The women are particularly wimpy.
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Missing Persons by Stephen White. Psychological thriller 8/10
Books By bookworm on 4/15/2007 4:42 PM
Stephen White’s thriller fiction novel Missing Persons [ISBN 0 7515 3628 8] has a good, authentic feel, is plotted well, and the narrative has enough twisting to keep up suspense, and not too clever to become confusing and boring (as they do sometimes). The central character, the psychologist, carries on from previous novels being agonising about client confidentiality, but nonetheless makes an intelligent and interesting first person narrative.
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The Office of the Dead by Andrew Taylor. Third of Literary Trilogy 9/10
Books By bookworm on 4/14/2007 9:01 AM
For me, this last in Andrew Taylor’s trilogy, The Office of the Dead [ISBN 0 00 649655 5] is the best of the three. It is set before the last book and gives insight into why the events in the last book actually happened. Its still probably better to read them in the order the author probably intended, though he says it doesn’t matter. The plot is sharp and unexpected, the narrative builds suspense
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The Judgement of Strangers by Andrew Taylor. Literary thriller trilogy 7/10
Books By bookworm on 4/11/2007 6:51 PM
The Judgement of Strangers by Andrew Taylor [ISBN 0 00 710510-x], is the second book of his psychological thriller trilogy. But, like the jacket explanation says, is only vaguely linked to the first one and chronologically is an earlier time (1970s). The plot is tighter in this one, and altogether is a much better read, for me, than the first.
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The Four Last Things by Andrew Taylor . Literary thriller 1st of trilogy 5/10
Books By bookworm on 4/9/2007 7:48 AM
The Four Last Things by Andrew Taylor [ISBN0 00 710511 8] is the first of his trilogy of linked psychological thrillers (though it is said that they can be read in any sequence). I found this novel edgy and unpleasant – the topic of the abduction of a young child is not one I’m comfortable with reading about (for pleasure I have to remind myself). Its not just the topic, but the plot is, what can I say, strange : messy and convoluted,
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Jigs and Reels by Joanne Harris. Literary Short Stories 6/10
Books By bookworm on 4/8/2007 7:19 AM
Joanne Harris (the author of Chocolat) has just published a book of short stories called Jigs and Reels [CN126448] and even the jacket blurbs have to search around for something definite to say about it. There are two “enjoyables” and another “one of Britain’s most popular novelists”. It is rather like that – you expect a great deal, and don’t really get it. The stories vary from the very weird
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Maggie’s Tree by Julie Walters. Literary Fiction 5/10
Books By bookworm on 4/6/2007 2:50 PM
I didn’t find Julie Walter’s first fiction Novel Maggie’s Tree [CN 148337] anywhere near as accomplished as her acting. The story is quite fractionated – bitty and fragile – and I found the subject matter – a woman’s mental disintegration - significantly depressing. The narrative is pretty slow and there are a number of perambulations around the lives of other characters that made me want to skip until the next bit of the “real” story appeared. This is really unfair to the author, but that’s how it was.
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The Hard Way by Lee Child . Thriller 7/10
Books By bookworm on 4/5/2007 3:14 PM
Lee Child’s crime fiction novel The Hard Way [ISBN 978 0 553 81587 0] features his tough guy hero Jack Reacher – who gets tougher and harder each book he writes. He is so invincible that you have to feel some soft of satisfaction knowing he will always win, and the baddies will always lose in a spectacular way. This book is no different, though
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Never Count out the Dead by Boston Teral. Scary thriller 10/10
Books By bookworm on 4/3/2007 8:44 AM
I have read Boston Teran’s thriller Never count out the Dead [ISBN 0 330 49104 0] before and I thought it was brilliant then, at a re-read I appreciate the excellence of the writing even more. The plot is so very clever – political intrigue, personal vendetta, botched cover-ups – are all there, and the writing is immediate and gripping. I have to say that this book has the very scariest female character I have ever seen in fiction, even thinking about her now makes me hope that there’s no equivalent in real
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Human Traces by Sebastian Faulks. Literary Fiction 7/10
Books By bookworm on 4/1/2007 8:12 AM
Sebastian Faulks literary fiction novel Human Traces [ISBN 978-0-099-45826-5] is reminiscent of the book I read a day or so ago – The Interpretation of murder – in that the subject matter – early psychiatry – was the same – and the viewpoints and polemic similar. The story, I felt, was rather stretched, and though well-written it wasn’t as well researched as it could have been - I did find the background stuff (supposed to be late 19th and early 20th century) contained a number of anachronisms
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The Interpretation of Murder by Jed Rubenfeld. Literary/Historical Mystery Fiction 8/10
Books By bookworm on 3/30/2007 12:23 PM
Jed Rubenfled’s historical mystery fiction novel The Interpretation of Murder [ISBN 978 0 7553 3142 0] is a quite amazing book in many different ways. Firstly, the historical background of early 20th century New York is fascinating – including the amusing social divisions – and equally well researched is the background to the story – Freud’s lecture visit (with Jung) to the states in 1909, which the author has cunningly contrived to write into a murder mystery. The psychoanalytic discourse is reassuringly authentic, but can be tedious when
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The Two Minute Rule by Robert Crais. Crime fiction 8/10
Books By bookworm on 3/29/2007 3:15 PM
Robert Crais’ latest crime fiction novel The Two Minute Rule [ISBN 978 0 7528 7957 4] is not an Elvis Cole, but a gritty interesting and well-written table-turner where a newly released ex-con sets out to find a murderer. The plot is not all that complex, but the questions at the heart of it sets up a suspenseful narrative that builds and builds throughout the book – it only fails to get a 10/10 because he uses a couple of plot devices I find slightly cheating –and allows him to squirrel away key information until the end and then it looks a bit staged
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The Skin Gods by Richard Montanari. Thriller 8/10
Books By bookworm on 3/28/2007 10:28 AM
Richard Montanari’s novel The Skin Gods [ISBN 978 0 099 48689 3] is a dense book in many ways. It is not just that it’s a substantial read, but the plot is a complex mix of several stories which you feel may or may not come together. The narrative keeps moving forward all the time, but often adds only a sliver of information to the story out of context as each sub-story moves at the same pace. There are scads of red herrings and the reader can’t be sure which part of the plot each may well be connected with. The complexity is clever, and keeps you guessing.
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Darkness and Light by John Harvey. Crime thriller 7/10
Books By bookworm on 3/24/2007 4:10 PM
John Harvey’s Darkness and Light [ISBN 978 0 099 48995 5] is a well-written crime thriller, though the plot mechanism is so obvious that it begins to be hackneyed when you spot it. The crimes throw up suspects from the outset, each one is offered as a possibility, all but one are red herrings, but throughout the book you are invited to match the possibles against a flashback narrative of a young boy at a psychiatrist who is obviously our culprit
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Skylight Confessions by Alice Hoffman. Literary Fiction 10/10
Books By bookworm on 3/23/2007 4:01 PM
Alice Hoffman’s Skylight Confessions [CN 149600] is not my usual style of book. Its got an ethereal, ghostly feel, and though the story is simple (it could be told in a couple of sentences or so) the narrative is gripping and powerful and I confess I cried in several places. (This has not happened since the Kite Runner – but its not even as desperately sad as that was, its just so well written you are dragged into the story until you care what happens.)
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Brightness Falls by Jay McInerney. Literary Fiction 7/10
Books By bookworm on 3/22/2007 11:04 AM
Jay McInerney’s novel Brightness Falls [CN 5900] is one of those American almost riches to almost rags sagas full of angst and self-absorption. The plot is therefore simple, and the narrative predictable, even the underhand business dealings are no surprise. The characters are thoroughly drawn, (though American characters of this type get more and more foreign, I feel) and their foibles and views explored. The book is undoubtedly well written, which is why, even though it’s a long book, I did get to the end with only the minimal of skipping.
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Night Windows by Jonathan Smith. Thriller 6/10
Books By bookworm on 3/21/2007 11:00 AM
Jonathan Smith’s thriller Night Windows [ISBN 0 349 11893 0] gets some really good jacket crits – “an excellent and subtle novelist” “ a brilliant novel with a stunningly logical pay-off”, but I don’t think its quite so good. The plot is quite simple and revealed tediously – a double life or a doppleganger – and this is good as far as it goes, but the original character is quite stolid and boring – yes, I know this is to set against his shadow, but it doesn’t keep you on your seat, particularly. The writing is good, and. OK, subtle, but it’s only a fair read.
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Saving Fish from Drowning by Amy Tan. Literary Fiction 9/10
Books By bookworm on 3/19/2007 9:01 AM
Amy Tan’s Saving fish from Drowning [ISBN 0 00 721616 5] is a deceptively light comedy, that has great depths to its underlying psychology, detailed observations and empathic views of difference. The plot is engaging and the narrative voice (of a dead person’s spirit) sets just the right viewpoint and tone for this amusing. ironic, multiculturally-playful, thought provoking novel.
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Twisted by Jeffrey Deaver. Crime fiction short stories 10/10
Books By bookworm on 3/18/2007 7:34 PM
Twisted, Jeffrey Deaver’s collection of short stories [ISBN 0 340 83389 0] is a delight of well-written superbly plotted and suspenseful stories. Though short stories are not my usual preferred medium, these are the very best of the genre. Each one delivers major twists on what is expected – as he says in his introduction, all rules for full-scale novels are off, and he can change the goalposts and expectations. There is a new Lincoln Rhyme short story – good it is too, and a plethora of seriously clever, intelligent other stories you should not miss.
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The Associate by Philip Margolin. Crime thriller 6/10
Books By bookworm on 3/16/2007 1:28 PM
Philip Margolin’s crime fiction novel The Associate [ISBN 0 7515 3243 6] is reminiscent of Scott Turow (without the overwhelming detail) and is a reasonable enough read. The plot is somewhat implausible, however, it starts off well and then goes off at a tangent for a long period and never really tightens up again. The narrative keeps going with some pace, and the characterisations are good enough for light fiction, but it isn’t as good as I expected it to be at the outset.
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The Grave Tattoo by Val McDermid. Crime fiction 7/10
Books By bookworm on 3/15/2007 5:39 PM
No question about it, Val McDermid writes well. The Grave Tattoo, her latest [ISBN 978 0 00 714287 3] is not her best (I still like the Wire in the Blood) but a workpersonlike crime novel with sufficient twists and interesting background to keep you reading. The plot features the identification of a mummified body in the Lake District, and the narrative slowly uncovers happenings in the past and the present that lead to violence. Characters are OK, but not overly memorable (I’ve forgotten a couple of names already).
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The Remedy by Michelle Lovric. Orange Long-list historical fiction 7/10
Books By bookworm on 3/14/2007 11:26 AM
Michelle Lovric’s The Remedy [ISBN 1 84408 137 0] is historical fiction set in the late 19th century partly in London and partly in Venice. It has a quite simple plot and plot devices of dual narratives and misunderstandings, and though the historical details and context are undoubtedly authentic there is just too much of it. By this I mean, it appears that activities that happened in the two places from 1890 to 1900 were all crammed into a narrative spanning a few months
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Omega by Jack McDevitt. Science fiction 5/10
Books By bookworm on 3/13/2007 2:37 PM
The jacket blurb of Jack McDevitt’s Omega [ISBN 0 441 01210 8] hails him as “the logical heir to Isaac Asimov and Arthur C Clarke”, but don’t believe it. Clarke, perhaps, as he was never much good at the literary part – his ideas fine but the delivery boring. Omega is not good on either, particularly. This book is part of a saga, and I think I’m glad this is my first exposure to it. The plot is the size of the cosmos and suffers from a canvas moving apart at red-shift speeds
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