Books Read in 2009

Well, the resolution was 100 books and the result was only 58. That's only a little better than 1 per week. I'll keep the resolution for 2010, but the real resolution is to add two of my own novels to the bookshelf. Wish me luck!

Sandman Slim - Richard Kadrey

In a magic experiment gone awry, James Stark was dropped into hell, where Lucifer and his minions took great interest in a living human and had him fight in the arena for eleven years. After killing his Hellion keeper, Stark returned to L.A. to kill Mason, the magician and former friend that sent him to hell. Stark finds himself involved with a video store employee, several other magicians, an angel, and Homeland Security as they collectively try to save the world from Mason and the Kissi, a demon-like tribe. This book is humorous, and reads like Christopher Moore or Mike Carey. I'd definitely recommend this book!

A Darkness at Sethanon - Raymond E. Feist

In what will probably be the final book of 2009 for me, we find a good finish to a pretty enjoyable series. The main series wraps up in a satisfying fashion, yet leaves a few things open ended to allow for further series and a universe rich enough that many other stories could arise. At the time that this series was written, it would have ranked up there with the top of fantasy epic stories. While still good, I'm not sure how well it would have fared if released today against the Jordans, Martins, and Ericksons who have taken epic fantasy too a whole new level. By all means read this series as it is quite enjoyable and all four (or three whichever edition you find) books are easy reads and worth the minimal effort.

Clean Code - Robert C. Martin

I don't tend to read a ton of books that pertain to my profession. In the software development field, technology moves along at such a fast pace that most tech books are outdated almost before they hit the shelves. The books I do enjoy in this genre are those that espouse some theory, techniques or ideas that are timeless and are applicable despite the technology. This is one of those such books. Every developer should read this one. Most of the concepts inside are common sense ideas, but ones that you may not realize are important. Definitely one that will gain a space on my shelf and which I shall refer back to from time to time as a refresher or to clarify some position. Great stuff, if you develop software, buy this book.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - J.K. Rowling

The series keeps getting better and better as we move on. The Half-Blood Prince was a great book and sets up the finale very well. The novels have been growing darker as Potter ages and this is no different. Since I'm probably one of the few that are just now working through the series nor do I want to give any spoilers to those rare ones who haven't yet, I won't go into plot details, other than to say if you haven't seen the movie yet, there are a few twists you won't see coming. I still think that some things are not as they seem, but we will have to wait to find out.

Speaking of the movie, this was by far the worse movie of the bunch and now that I've read the book, my opinion of the movie has only been confirmed. The movie strays from the book in a number of ways leaving out details and changing enough to be annoying (though really nothing that is critical to plot). The ending of the movie is just a small fraction of the great ending of the book. I recommend seeing the movie only after reading the book and even then only view it for completeness with the rest of the movies.

Silverthorn - Raymond E. Feist

Well you can definitely tell this is a middle book. Nothing is really resolved and the story seems to be just stuck in there to get from book 1 to book 3. Having said that. This is a good story and I enjoyed it. It also did its job as a middle book, to setup the finale and make the reader wanting more. Looking forward to reading the final book in this trilogy. One thing I've noticed in this book and in the previous ones are the many editing mistakes that are left in the book. At times it seems the first draft was printed. Hasn't distracted from the story yet, but I'm not really anal about those type of things, so if you are be forewarned. Nevertheless, great book and series.

Waiter Rant - Steve Dublanica

The back of this book states that 80% of customers in restaurants are nice people looking for something to eat, but the other 20% are "socially maladjusted psychopaths." I bought this book looking for stories about the latter, a voyeuristic glimpse at the kitchen and dining room. This book is actually quite book, and although it does have some stories about bad customer behavior, much of the book features the author's own introspection on life. After leaving the seminary before graduation, the writer entered the restaurant business as a temporary measure, but never left. This book does make you think about the people that miss every holiday and weekend party so they can serve us dinner, and is a decent read.

Evil at Heart - Chelsea Cain

Well, this is book three in the saga of Archie Sheridan, the damaged cop, and Gretchen Lowell, the serial killer that made him that way. Like book two, the characters just feel a bit tired, and although there is an interesting plot twist, it becomes predictable pretty early on. As in the past books, there's an underground of people that worship Gretchen as a serial killer, and in this book, they move to action with a bit of surgery practiced on themselves and others. Of course, some are blaming Gretchen since she's on the run again, and of course Archie is once again smitten with the mere thought of Gretchen. I am pretty much over these characters - let's move on.

Magician: Master - Raymond E. Feist

What a great book and a great series. I've really enjoyed this saga so far and am realizing that Feist ranks up there with some of the masters of epic fantasy. The characters seem rich and I've invested myself in them. I found myself sitting at the edge of my seat at times and I was really able to put myself into the story...this doesn't happen often to me and I'm not sure what it is that draws me in so much, but I'm hoping the rest of the books in the series continues this well.

His Father's Son - Bentley Little

Disappointing. Bentley Little has a knack for surrealism, and some of his books (e.g., "The Store") are fantastic novels that focus on an everyday thing or event spiraling into an abyss. This book is NOT an example of the author's best work. Steve Nye is an everyman that receives a call at work one day that his father has been committed after unexpectedly attacking his mother, and as Steve visits his dad in the hospital, dad whispers "I killed her." The novel gets pretty fragile at this point as Steve decides that dad was a mass murderer, and Steve opts to continue in his dad's footsteps by killing a bunch of people. Unfortunately, the decisions are usually arrived to in the scope of a day or two, and just don't make sense, even if Little is trying to show that the character is falling into madness. The saving grace is that Nye is a budding horror author, so the reader is treated to several of Little's short stories within this book. Pick up one of Little's "The" novels, but skip this one.

The Paris Vendetta - Steve Berry

I have been a fan of this author since his first book several years ago. In this tome, Cotton Malone once again emerges from retirement rather abruptly as his book shop is broken into by a young American Secret Service agent, who is expressing concerns of a financial conspiracy that seems to be supported by immediate gunplay. Meanwhile, the Paris Club is being formed by the extremely wealthy to prey upon forced instability in the markets, and a secret cache of Napoleonic treasure is being sought. Cotton's friend Thorvaldsen, a billionaire himself, joins the Paris Club to maneuver against the man responsible for the murder of Thorvaldsen's son. Once again, Berry has written a book with a lot going on, and has done so very, very well. I highly recommend this, and every book, by this author!

Magician: Apprentice - Raymond E. Feist

This was a fun book. I've got quite a few Feist sitting on my shelf mostly because it felt right. I always felt Raymond Feist seemed to rank up their with the greats of epic quest Fantasy with the likes of Weis and Hickman, Brooks and Jordan in terms of pure enjoyment but I since I had never read him, I didn't have any proof. Well now I do, at least from this first volume, I can say I enjoyed this as much as any of the other epics.

Here we have the typical rise from obscurity and poverty to power in the kingdom mostly through circumstance and the awakening of a hidden and misunderstood power, fighting against an evil and vicious foe. This is just the beginning volume of the Riftwar saga, in fact it's the first half of the first volume as it was split for publishing in the US, but if this book is any indication of the rest of the trilogy then I have something to look forward to.

On the downside; this is not deep, the twists and turns so far you can see from a mile away, and you can see some of the newness that comes with being the first work of an author (this is a strength as much as a weakness).

I'm already moved on to book two (or book 1b if you will) and am looking forward to the journey.