Monthly Archives: April 2011

Bamboo and Blood: An Inspector O Novel, James Church (Thomas Dunne Books)

Posted on April 28, 2011 by Thomas Evans

Bamboo and Blood is an excellent stand alone mystery that continues the tales of the sarcastic and skeptical North Korean Policeman, Inspector O. Indeed, I almost gave it an alpha rating, but I suspect it might not appeal to those who don’t like the genre. I highly recommend this novel to anyone who likes Espionage, Mysteries or is just curious about the complex politics of North Korea. ?For full review go to http://www.sophyanempire.wordpress.com Continue reading →

Posted in Espionage, Mystery, Political Drama, Series, Strong Characters, Thoughtful | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The Player of Games, Iain M. Banks (Orbit, 1988)

Posted on April 21, 2011 by Thomas Evans

The Player of Games is the second book in Iain M. Banks’ Culture Universe. Though it is a completely stand-alone novel, it builds upon the ideas introduced in Consider Phlebas and illustrates them through flowing language and contrast. In it, Jernau Morat Gurgeh is the greatest game player the Culture has to offer. When the nefarious Special Circumstances branch of Culture’s Contact wing ask him to play a game unlike any other, however, he will need all of his skills and more. The stakes are high for if he wins, he will rule the Empire of Azad, but if he loses he could well die. Read the full review at http://www.sophyanempire.wordpress.com Continue reading →

Posted in Espionage, Identity, New Space Opera, Political Drama, Post Modern, Science Fiction, Series, Spy Thriller, Strong Characters, Thoughtful, Ultratech, Unique or Imaginative World | Tagged , , , , , , | 6 Comments

The Orc King, Transitions Book One, R. A. Salvatore (Wizard’s of the Coast, 2008) {Random House Audio, 2009; Narrator: Mark Bramhall}

Posted on April 14, 2011 by Thomas Evans

The Orc King has a very shaky start that undermines the rest of the plot, but remains an enjoyable high fantasy page turner regardless. R. A. Salvatore’s most recent addition to the 20 some odd Drizzt Do’Urden saga, is sub-titled Book One In the Transistions series, but cannot truly be enjoyed without reading at least a few of the preceding Drizzt stories. Still, to fans this is an excellent addition. Sadly, it does suffers from classic High Fantasy novel clichés. Nevertheless, Salvatore excellent character development pulls you through and turns it into a good story. (For full review see http://www.sophyanempire.wordpress.com) Continue reading →

Posted in Fantasy, High Fantasy, Post Modern, Ripping Yarn, Series | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Adventures in Time and Space with Max Merriwell, Pat Murphy (TOR, 2001){ Blackstone Audio, 2004; Narrator: Johanna Ward}

Posted on April 7, 2011 by Thomas Evans

Adventures in Time and Space with Max Merriwell was a fun read that ties together other books by the same author under different pen-names. In some ways, the book was little more than an intellectual game played by the author, but in others it proved to be an enjoyable book that explored concepts of identity.

Continue reading →

Posted in Fantasy, Identity, Mystery, Romance | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment