Rogue Protocol - Martha Wells

Tor, 2018, 158 pages

ISBN: 978-1-250-19178-6

Read: June 2023, age 45

 

Murderbot Diaries, book 3

 

Tight, fun, but not a complete story - the first book was a fantastic, brief, complete story in not very many pages.  Even more than Artificial Condition, this feels like it should be a part of a novel, rather than a stand-alone novella. Fun. But not nearly as good as All Systems Red.

Rating: 4

The Beasts of Barrakhai - Mickey Zucker Reichert

Daw, 2001, 347 pages

ISBN: 07564-0040-6

Read: August 2023, age 45

Beasts of Barakhai, book 1 of 2

Maybe it's just that I don't find animals as magical as the author does (see: The Cool Stuff Theory of Literature), but this book really didn't land for me.  I didn't like the characters, and found the setting idea kind of interesting but poorly executed - not much about it hit me as 'cool'.  And all of this wasn't rescued by any kind of novel plot.  

 

It was a disappointing read, made even more disappointing since I remember highly enjoying this author's works in the (relatively distant) past.

 

Rating: 2

Academ's Fury - Jim Butcher (Audiobook)

Penguin Audio, 2008, 21 hours

Original Copyright 2006

Narrated by: Kate Reading

Listened to: July 2023, age 45

 

Codex Alera, book 2 

This one wasn't as good as I remembered it.  Isana is really a one-emotion wonder, and I'm getting tired of her constant anxiety.  There are other, smaller annoyances that didn't bother me much, before, but seem a bigger deal this time around.

 

I'm not sure if it's the audio presentation, or if the books just aren't quite as good on re-read.  Still a lot of fun.

Rating: 4

The Eternity Artifact - L. E. Modesitt, Jr.

Tor, 2005, 464 pages

ISBN: 0-765-35345-8

Read: July 2023, age 45

This one starts out as a BDO exploration story where which character is actually the protagonist is really quite unclear.  It doesn't end that way.  Sometimes when the book turns into something unexpected partway through, I feel cheated, but this isn't one of those times.  It was really well done.

Rating: 4

Beyond the Shadows - Brent Weeks (Audiobook)

Orbit, 2023, 18.9 Hours

Original copyright 2008

Read by: Simon Vance

Listened to: September 2023, age 45

 

The Night Angel Trilogy - book 3 

 

This one concludes the series.  It was a bit more epic in scope, a bit more annoying in places.  Still fun, and I still didn't particularly care for the audio treatment.

Rating: 3

Taming Demons for Beginners - Annette Marie (Audiobook)

Tantor Audio, 2019, 7.9 hours

Read by: Cris Dukehart

Listened to: June 2023, age 45

The Guild Codex: Demonized, book 1

A much slower start than the Tori books, and Robin isn't as energetic of a main character, but she certainly grew on me as the story went on.  This was a bit of a jump forward in The Guild Codex, but it's all that the library had.  

 

This is what eventually turned my off libraries back in the day - I just couldn't get the books that I wanted through them.  I'll have to get an Audible account or something - there are quite a few books that I want that I can't find.

 

Anyway, the story was lots of fun, and it'll be interesting to see how the different threads entwine in the series going forward.

 

Rating: 4

Furies of Calderon - Jim Butcher (Audiobook)

Penguin Audio, 2009, 20.0 hours

Read by: Kate Reading

Listened to:  June, 2023, age 45

Codex Alera, book 1

Really a lot of fun.  I liked it the first time, and this time was kind of like meeting up with old friends.  I remembered too much for it to be a cold read, but I had fun.

Rating 4