Reviewed on January 16, 2008 »
Is this really science fiction? Unclear. Bit of sci fi, bit of fantasy…but that’s often the case with the works of Diana Wynne Jones! Regardless, this book is awesome.
Arguably, it’s also written for the junior-high to high school age crowd, but that’s what I was when I first read it, so I’ve got a strong streak of nostalgia preying on me in this review.
Ah yes, the books I loved to read while ignoring the people who wanted to beat me up… 
The protagonist is a 13-year-old boy (consistent with other books written for this age group), who comes home one afternoon to find “the Goon” sitting in his living room demanding several pages of nonsense written by his father. This, of course, makes little sense, but it gradually becomes apparent that there is a whole society of arrogant and somewhat childish wizards* who are desperately interested in acquiring this nonsense.
So it becomes more than a little necessary to discover why — since it appears that jobs, eating and staying warm seem to be part of what is on the line.
This may sound a little silly. And perhaps it is. But isn’t that an important part of what makes a story unique and interesting?
* “Wizard” is never really how I’ve imagined them. They certainly don’t come attired in robes and pointy hats (well, most of them.) However, I am struggling to come up with any better term.
Reviewed on January 14, 2008 »
Tad Williams’ “Otherland” series is a brilliant four-volume set which takes place primarily in a realm of virtual reality. It’s practically like a role-playing game which takes place in virtual reality: except that the events and challenges (and risks!) are real.
The series is about a disparate group of individuals who, by means best left undescribed, end up trapped in this virtual reality universe in which they need to accomplish a variety of goals (also best left undescribed.)
In many ways, it reminds me of Dungeons and Dragons, the tv cartoon from the 80’s, in that respect. The actual content is, of course, significantly different, but does contain definite homage to the world of video games and role-playing.
Tad Williams, in general, is one of my favorite authors in the whole realm of modern genre fiction. You can’t really go too far wrong with anything he’s written — although I have to confess I’ve never read his first book, Tailchaser’s Song.
Of course, after writing this, I immediately picked up “Tailchaser’s Song,” so that may change soon.
Reviewed on November 24, 2007 »
Man, this is a fun story. Now, this blog is likely to have a bit of a tendency toward praising the books I’m reviewing, but this isn’t that surprising…given that I’m primarily reviewing books I already own, and haven’t gotten rid of.
Anyhow, with that minor disclaimer out of the way, let’s get down to business!
Jinx on a Terran Inheritance (and it’s sequels) make up a really fun trilogy. The plot is this: Hobart Floyt, a minor bureaucrat on an Earth devastated by interstellar combat and an amateur genealogist, suddenly finds himself and inheritor (actually, an Inheritor) of an unknown inheritance from a man I’ll describe as an interstellar tyrant. The Earth bureaucracy, rather shy of interstellar travel (more than a little bit xenophobic) allow him to travel largely out of pure greed, wanting to have access to his inheritance.
The politics surrounding the nature of his inheritance and the reasons for the inheritance are highly significant…but also provide rather a lot of information about the overall plot for the trilogy which is probably left absent in these comments.
At any rate, the story is well worth reading, and I recommend it!
Filed under Reviews by Joe