Pyramids by Terry Pratchett
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Re-Read 4/28/24:

I think I said it pretty much straight in my previous review, but I really should mention that the totally un-elected sun will also rise.

And, truly, a kingdom always needs a camel much more than a king.

That being said, I just bumped my star rating up to a full 5 on this one. I guess the third one's the charm. Now, where can I find a GOOD carpet?



Original review:

I think I may have enjoyed this one a bit more the second time around, but not enough to change my rating. :) Indeed, I had a lot more fun with all the quantum irregularities surrounding the Pyramids out in the boonies of Discworld.

There's a lot of great ribbing for conspiracy theorists who go on and on about the dimensions of the real pyramids and the mystical importance, even going so far as to make these monuments (at least here) into time-recyclers. It's very funny and Death isn't pleased. Fortunately for Death, however, what he doesn't know won't kill him.

It was also rather funny seeing a "handmaid" who'd never "serviced" a king and an "assassin" who'd never killed anyone fumble around their conversations with one another.

But really, I think I had the most fun with the camels. They were a very nice touch. I always thought there was something of a math genius in all of them. Quantum accounting aside, I thought this was a very interesting and funny novel, giving us a nice background for the Assassin's guild while not precisely overburdening us (at all) with characters we'll grow to love later.

That being said, I had a good time and probably a bit more than the other one-off Discworld novels that came before it. :)

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I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream by Harlan Ellison
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Now that we have almost reached this stage of AI in our lives, it behooves us to revisit one of THE classics of short science fiction -- Harlan Ellison's sharp perfection of body horror and the glory of AM, the AI that killed almost all of humanity, leaving a bare handful behind to torture, endlessly.

Glorious. It also helps to listen to Harlan Ellison's own narration on youtube. So, soooooo much energy. :)

Right here.


But I should point out that I found a rare hint to AM's real genesis: Right here.

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Aftermarket Afterlife by Seanan McGuire
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I've read a number of the Ghost novels so I'm pretty confident when I say this was easily one of the roughest ones on me.

Mary, the ghost babysitter, has the front row to this action, and boy is there a lot of action... and tragedy. The family really goes through the ringer.

Yes. I mean about the dead. I'm still raging about it.

But Mary's role is strong, and she's so protective. So much to sacrifice...

Grumbles.

But still, this was a good story.

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Silence Fallen by Patricia Briggs
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Quite enjoyable UF romp. It takes us through Europe, with lying, thieving, and backpacking (or running naked) in a Vampire-heavy road trip novel with werewolves close behind.

I think I liked this one more than the few others that preceded it. There was just something about it that I liked more. Nothing that I could quite put my finger on, but in terms of enjoyment, it was pretty solid.



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Camouflage by Joe Haldeman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I can't say this was an extremely exciting SF thriller if we go by regular SF thriller standards, but it does hit some good notes when it comes to using many, many cross-sections of human behavior across many different periods of time.

This is lent a lot of leeway by the fact that we're following alien shapechangers, chameleons, who learn about and impersonate not just us, but all kinds of life on Earth for a very long time.

My impression is that this is a slightly-veiled look at ourselves, our many failings, sexual hangups, and inhumanity, and I'm right, but there IS a distinct espionage hunter/hunted vibe to it that rounds out the tale.

I've always been a fair fan of Haldeman, and while this isn't nearly as good as some of his more well-known novels, it was still pretty solid.



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The Only Pirate at the Party by Lindsey Stirling
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

To be entirely up front here... I didn't know anything about her, not her youtube performances or anything after... until I was well into this autobiography.

Now, why in the heck would I do this? Well, I was cajoled and heckled into joining a buddy read, so I thought: WHY NOT?

And I have, since I began reading, I BARELY squeezed in a listen or two to some of her work.

It's very performance arty, dance, violin, and costumes, with the focus on being perky and always on, with flashy lights and a Katy Perry ethic. Pretty okay stuff. It's the whole ball of modern performance art. The focus isn't so much on the music, but the whole experience. It has its good points. It's also not exactly my ball of wax.

Even so, this is a pretty okay biography with pretty standard things happening, including some eating issues, mental health issues, and a whole lot of trying to make oneself always look good for her audience.

And as far as that goes, it succeeds. Do I necessarily trust all that is presented here? No. Do I take it all with a grain of salt? Absolutely. It is pretty standard stuff, some joys, some failures, a bit of extras for the fans.

I'm probably 100% sure I would have gotten a lot more out of this if I had already been an uber-fan, but I wasn't. And there wasn't all that much else to hold me, either. Not a bad read, but it never really hooked me, either.

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Great Masters: Tchaikovsky - His Life and Music by Robert Greenberg
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Tchaikovsky!

Easily one of my most favorite musicians. More than practically any other classical musician, he by far had the most, best, most absolutely memorable works.

I just LIKED them all so much more than the rest, on the whole.

Sure, I liked some other musician's works better, but I liked no other musician's total body of works more than Tchaikovsky.

This lecture gives us all a pretty awesome overlook on WHY that might be the case. I mean, sure, Tchaikovsky's EQ just poured into his music, making it so lyrical and memorable -- not just Nutcracker Suite, but 1812, Swan Lake, all the Dances, the String, the Symphonies -- instantly recognizable and celebrated -- it is utterly amazing.

Those old Russians knew their shit.

But specifically, Tchaikovsky was a special case. Gay, and more afraid of being outed than anything else, drove himself to that peculiar bout of societal madness. And for all of his depression and wild fantasies, he poured it all into his music, into his art. And in this way, it's also SO very Russian.

Suffice to say, I am and will always remain a total fanboy of this guy's work. So expressive, melodic, speaking directly to the EQ of me, there are hardly any other artists who are able to plumb my emotional depths so consistently.

This is also a great lecture, too. :)

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