![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
wilderthanAzazel (Isaac Asimov)
I've only ever read Asimov's speculative fiction, so this book of short stories made a nice change. I knew from the introduction, which was quite friendly and warm, that I was going to enjoy the tone of it. They're quite satirical little stories, and every single one of them has a sting in the tale. The problem is that there's eighteen stories in the book, which is a bit much because it's a very set formula, but it's worth picking it up and reading one or two at a time. I'll probably keep my copy and dip back into it sometime, for a light fun read.
Asimov's characterisation of himself, and the way the other characters look on him, makes me laugh. In this collection, at least, he doesn't take himself too seriously at all.
Empire of Bones (Liz Williams)
I picked this up because it seemed a little different to your standard first contact speculative fiction, in that the main human characters are not American or European, but from the Indian subcontinent. Liz Williams is apparently British, so she isn't a part of the system she writes about, and it doesn't feel at all unfamiliar or different to me... Still very British in some ways, I think. Still, the setting is different and interesting for that.
The story itself isn't all that surprising, and the semi-hopeful end is very open, like there's a potential for a sequel. If there were, though, I wouldn't read it. I didn't feel passionately about the characters or their causes, and though some of the ideas were interesting and the aliens not just humans with blue skin or something, that wouldn't be enough of a draw.
Feet in Chains (Kate Roberts)
A very, very sombre read, and not easy, for all that it's quite short. It's about a Welsh family in the decades before the first world war, and the poverty they endure. Not just the outside pressures, but the snobbishness and selfishness of their own families, refusing to share money equally or take any responsibilities.
I got fond of the family, slowly, most of them. A lot of them don't get much description, and it focuses on a couple of them in more detail, but no one is really central, just the family as a unit.
Sad and hard to read, and not exciting at all, but still worth it.
Murder Must Advertise (Dorothy L. Sayers)
This book had the advantage of having a lot of Lord Peter in it, and a fair amount of Parker, and even a couple of glimpses of Parker's family. I always liked the idea of Parker and Lady Mary as a couple, so this was gratifying. It suffers from a lack of Harriet and Bunter, though.
The solutions are rather obvious, too, I think. I figured it all out quite early on. The thing that really struck me was the end -- with Mr Tallboy. That left me feeling a little quiet and stunned.
As usual, it's solid and entertaining, with a few bits that really shine.
The Nine Tailors (Dorothy L. Sayers)
The Nine Tailors is really atmospheric. More so than the other Wimsey books I can think of: there's a real sense of the surrounding countryside and the concerns of the people living there. I liked the detail about the bell ringing -- I didn't understand it, but it was interesting, and the idea of ringing the nine tailors for a dead man sort of stuck with me. It helps that a couple of people I follow on Twitter and Dreamwidth are bell ringers. I vaguely recognised some of the terms.
The mystery itself, I figured out relatively fast, by leaps of intuition rather than attention to detail. I knew that the bells had to have something to do with it beyond the obvious, and I knew that it was just too good to be true that Deacon had died and was so well out of the way.
This one has Lord Peter and Bunter, and even a spot of Parker, but no Lady Mary, and no Harriet Vane. Sigh.
I swear the surname 'Gotobed' pops up everywhere in detective novels and never anywhere else...
Gaudy Night (Dorothy L. Sayers)
Gaudy Night took me an awfully long time to read (in comparison to, say, The Nine Tailors). It had less Peter than I'd like, although Harriet's relationship with him develops most satisfactorily, and her character in general too, and it had no on screen Bunter, or Parker, or anyone like that. Some of the female academics were worth getting a little fond of, but not so much that I was bowled over by them.
The mystery itself, I actually spoilered myself on the criminal by the time I was one hundred pages in. Beware of wikipedia! Anyway, knowing what I knew, I could see the clues that lead there, but if I didn't, I don't know if I would have figured it out.
The whole plot rather seems to serve Harriet's character development and the development of her relationship with Lord Peter. On the other hand, there's some commentary about female academics and so on (that seems awfully outdated to a female academic at the end of her second year of university in this day and age), and the setting -- Oxford -- is lovely and the atmosphere well-rendered.
Busman's Honeymoon (Dorothy L. Sayers)
Busman's Honeymoon is much more about the characters than about the murder mystery. I don't recommend you read it without reading the rest of the series -- at least reading Strong Poison, Have His Carcase and Gaudy Night, to get to know Harriet and Peter and their romance.
There's some very fun banter, and some glorious romantic scenes, and a tad more of the story about Peter and Bunter. There was no sign of Lady Mary and Parker, really, which was disappointing, but the large quantities of Bunter rather made up for it.
For a reader who's in love with Lord Peter and Harriet Vane, this book is lovely. If you're just looking for a murder mystery, though, not this one.
I've only ever read Asimov's speculative fiction, so this book of short stories made a nice change. I knew from the introduction, which was quite friendly and warm, that I was going to enjoy the tone of it. They're quite satirical little stories, and every single one of them has a sting in the tale. The problem is that there's eighteen stories in the book, which is a bit much because it's a very set formula, but it's worth picking it up and reading one or two at a time. I'll probably keep my copy and dip back into it sometime, for a light fun read.
Asimov's characterisation of himself, and the way the other characters look on him, makes me laugh. In this collection, at least, he doesn't take himself too seriously at all.
Empire of Bones (Liz Williams)
I picked this up because it seemed a little different to your standard first contact speculative fiction, in that the main human characters are not American or European, but from the Indian subcontinent. Liz Williams is apparently British, so she isn't a part of the system she writes about, and it doesn't feel at all unfamiliar or different to me... Still very British in some ways, I think. Still, the setting is different and interesting for that.
The story itself isn't all that surprising, and the semi-hopeful end is very open, like there's a potential for a sequel. If there were, though, I wouldn't read it. I didn't feel passionately about the characters or their causes, and though some of the ideas were interesting and the aliens not just humans with blue skin or something, that wouldn't be enough of a draw.
Feet in Chains (Kate Roberts)
A very, very sombre read, and not easy, for all that it's quite short. It's about a Welsh family in the decades before the first world war, and the poverty they endure. Not just the outside pressures, but the snobbishness and selfishness of their own families, refusing to share money equally or take any responsibilities.
I got fond of the family, slowly, most of them. A lot of them don't get much description, and it focuses on a couple of them in more detail, but no one is really central, just the family as a unit.
Sad and hard to read, and not exciting at all, but still worth it.
Murder Must Advertise (Dorothy L. Sayers)
This book had the advantage of having a lot of Lord Peter in it, and a fair amount of Parker, and even a couple of glimpses of Parker's family. I always liked the idea of Parker and Lady Mary as a couple, so this was gratifying. It suffers from a lack of Harriet and Bunter, though.
The solutions are rather obvious, too, I think. I figured it all out quite early on. The thing that really struck me was the end -- with Mr Tallboy. That left me feeling a little quiet and stunned.
As usual, it's solid and entertaining, with a few bits that really shine.
The Nine Tailors (Dorothy L. Sayers)
The Nine Tailors is really atmospheric. More so than the other Wimsey books I can think of: there's a real sense of the surrounding countryside and the concerns of the people living there. I liked the detail about the bell ringing -- I didn't understand it, but it was interesting, and the idea of ringing the nine tailors for a dead man sort of stuck with me. It helps that a couple of people I follow on Twitter and Dreamwidth are bell ringers. I vaguely recognised some of the terms.
The mystery itself, I figured out relatively fast, by leaps of intuition rather than attention to detail. I knew that the bells had to have something to do with it beyond the obvious, and I knew that it was just too good to be true that Deacon had died and was so well out of the way.
This one has Lord Peter and Bunter, and even a spot of Parker, but no Lady Mary, and no Harriet Vane. Sigh.
I swear the surname 'Gotobed' pops up everywhere in detective novels and never anywhere else...
Gaudy Night (Dorothy L. Sayers)
Gaudy Night took me an awfully long time to read (in comparison to, say, The Nine Tailors). It had less Peter than I'd like, although Harriet's relationship with him develops most satisfactorily, and her character in general too, and it had no on screen Bunter, or Parker, or anyone like that. Some of the female academics were worth getting a little fond of, but not so much that I was bowled over by them.
The mystery itself, I actually spoilered myself on the criminal by the time I was one hundred pages in. Beware of wikipedia! Anyway, knowing what I knew, I could see the clues that lead there, but if I didn't, I don't know if I would have figured it out.
The whole plot rather seems to serve Harriet's character development and the development of her relationship with Lord Peter. On the other hand, there's some commentary about female academics and so on (that seems awfully outdated to a female academic at the end of her second year of university in this day and age), and the setting -- Oxford -- is lovely and the atmosphere well-rendered.
Busman's Honeymoon (Dorothy L. Sayers)
Busman's Honeymoon is much more about the characters than about the murder mystery. I don't recommend you read it without reading the rest of the series -- at least reading Strong Poison, Have His Carcase and Gaudy Night, to get to know Harriet and Peter and their romance.
There's some very fun banter, and some glorious romantic scenes, and a tad more of the story about Peter and Bunter. There was no sign of Lady Mary and Parker, really, which was disappointing, but the large quantities of Bunter rather made up for it.
For a reader who's in love with Lord Peter and Harriet Vane, this book is lovely. If you're just looking for a murder mystery, though, not this one.
