Desolation Island by Patrick O'Brian

First sentence:

"The breakfast-parlour was the most cheerful room in Ashgrove Cottage, and although the builders had ruined the garden with heaps of sand an unslaked lime and bricks, and although the damp walls of the new wing in which this parlour stood still smelt of plaster, the sun poured in, blazing on the covered silver dishes and lighting the face of Sophie Aubrey as she sat there waiting for her husband."

Description:

"Commissioned to rescue Governor Bligh of Bounty fame, Captain Jack Aubrey and his friend and surgeon Stephen Maturin sail the Leopard to Australia with a hold full of convicts. Among them is a beautiful and dangerous spy -- and a treacherous disease that decimates the crew. With a Dutch man-of-war to windward, the under-manned, outgunned Leopard sails for her life into a freezing waters of the Antarctic, where, in moutainous seas, the Dutchman closes." -- from the back cover

My thoughts:

I liked this nautical adventure featuring Captain Jack Aubrey and Dr. Stephen Maturin. There were lots of edge-of-the seat moments as the Leopard had to flee the Dutch ship and later find a place to land for repairs. I look forward to reading the next book in the series, The Fortune of War.

Date read: 12/8/2008
Book #: 88
Series: Aubrey/Maturin #5
Challenges: Celebrate the Author Challenge, Fall into Reading Challenge 2008
Rating: 3*/5 = good
Genre: Nautical Adventure

ISBN-10: 039330812X
ISBN-13: 9780393308129
Publisher: W. W. Norton
Year: 1978
# of Pages: 325
Binding: Trade Paperback
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Fall Into Reading Challenge

Time for another seasonal challenge! Fall into Reading Challenge, created by Callapidder Days, runs from September 23rd to December 21st. The goal? Read or finish any number of books that you choose. So...here's my list (in no particular order):

• Keri Arthur. Full Moon Rising -- finished 10/5/2007
  
• Khaled Hosseini. A Thousand Splendid Suns -- finished 10/11/2007
  
• Kage Baker. Mother Aegypt and Other Stories -- finished 10/13/2007
  
• Mary Brown. Dragonne's Eg -- finished 10/24/2007
  
• Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. Riptide -- finished 10/28/2007
  
• Louis L'Amour. The Haunted Mesa -- finished 11/13/2007
  
• Robert A. Heinlein. The Puppet Masters -- finished 12/1/2007
  
• China Mieville. Perdido Street Station
  -- finished 12/20/2007
  

Perdido Street Station by China Miéville

First sentence:

"Veldt to scrub to fields to farms to these first tumbling houses that rise from the earth."

Description:

"Beneath the towering bleached ribs of a dead, ancient beast lies New Crobuzon, a squalid city where humans, Re-mades, and arcane races live in perpetual fear of Parliament and its brutal militia. The air and rivers are thick with factory pollutants and the strange effluents of alchemy, and the ghettos contain a vast mix of workers, artists, spies, junkies, and whores. In New Crobuzon, the unsavory deal is stranger to none -- not even to Isaac, a brilliant scientist with a penchant for Crisis Theory.

Isaac has spent a lifetime quietly carrying out his unique research. But when a half-bird, half-human creature known as the Garuda comes to him from afar, Isaac is faced with challenges he has never before fathomed. Though the Garuda's request is scientifically daunting, Isaac is sparked by his own curiosity and an uncanny reverence for this curious stranger.

While Isaac's experiments for the Garuda turn into an obsession, one of his lab specimens demands attention: a brilliantly colored caterpillar that feeds on nothing but a hallucinatory drug and grows larger -- and more consuming -- by the day. What finally emerges from the silken cocoon will permeate every fiber of New Crobuzon -- and not even the Ambassador of Hell will challenge the malignant terror it invokes..."

My thoughts:

I have to admit I was nervous about approaching this book again. I had started reading it years ago, but didn't get far. This time, I kept going, and I'm glad I did. Perdido Street Station is a intensely descriptive book filled with so much detail about New Crobuzon and its inhabitants. Woven throughout is the story of Isaac and his quest to help Yagharek fly and what that quest ultimately leads to. It'll be a while before the images of this book leave me and I look forward to reading the next book in the series, The Scar.

Date read: 12/20/2007
Book #: 109
Challenges: Unread Authors Challenge; Fall into Reading Challenge; Book Awards Challenge
Series: New Crobuzon, #1
Awards: Arthur C. Clark Award (2001); British Fantasy Society (2001)
Rating: 4* = great
Genre: Urban Fantasy

ISBN-10: 0345459407
ISBN-13: 9780345459404
Publisher: Del Rey
Year: 2003
# of Pages: 623
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
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The Puppet Masters by Robert A. Heinlein

First sentence:

"Were they truly intelligent?"

Description:

"Earth was being invaded by aliens and the top security agencies were helpless: the aliens were controlling the mind of every person they encountered. So it was up to Sam Cavanaugh, secret agent for a powerful and deadly spy network, to find a way to stop them--which meant he had to be invaded himself!"

My thoughts:

This was a good story featuring alien invasion mixed with espionage. I liked the characters Sam, Mary and the Old Man.

Date read: 12/1/2007
Book #: 105
Chalenges: Book to Movie Challenge, Fall into Reading Challenge
Rating: 3* = good
Genre: SF

ISBN-10: 0345330145
ISBN-13: 9780345330147
Publisher: Del Rey
Year: 1986
# of Pages: 347
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
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The Haunted Mesa by Louis L'Amour

First sentence:

"It was night, and he was alone upon the desert."

Description:

"The Navajo called them the Anasazi: an enigmatic race of southwestern cliff dwellers. For centuries, the sudden disappearance of this proud and noble people has baffled historians. Summoned to a dark desert plateau by a desperate letter form an old friend, renowned investigator Mike Raglan is drawn into a world of mystery, violence, and explosive revaltion. Crossing the border beyond the laws of man and nature, he will learn the astonishing legacy of the Anasazi -- but not without a price. Set in the contemporary Southwest, The Haunted Mesa draws on Louis L'Amour's extensive knowledge of Indian lore and mysticism. In this extraordinary book L'Amour tells a tale of epic adventure that takes his readers across the most extraordinary frontier they have ever encountered."

My thoughts:

This book was a good mix of western and science fiction as it looked at southwest Native American culture and offered a parallel world explanation on the disappearance of the Anasazi people. I liked the characters and the story, but I sometimes found the plot repetitive, especially Mike's indecision about what he should do. I also would have liked more storyline set in the other world.

Date read: 11/13/2007
Book #: 98
Rating: 3* = good
Genre: Western/SF

ISBN-10: 0553051822
ISBN-13: 978-0553051827
Publisher: Bantam
Year: 1987
# of Pages: 357
Binding: Hardcover
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Riptide by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child

First sentence:

"On an afternoon in June 1790, a Maine cod fisherman named Simon Rutter became caught in a storm and a strong riptide."

Description:

"For generations, treasure hunters have tried to unlock the deadly puzzle known as the Water Pit: a labyrinth of shafts and tunnels that honeycombs the heart of a small island off the coast of Maine. Reputed to be the hiding place of pirate treasure, the Water Pit possesses an inexplicable ability to kill those who venture into it, from professionals to innocent explorers. But now one man has made a startling discovery: The Water Pit is actually a carefully designed fortress, conceived for pirates by a renowned seventeenth-century architect who hid his plans in code. Unlocking the code will break the curse of the Water Pit. Or will it? The most comprehensive, high-tech expedition ever assembled has come to Maine and to Dr. Malin Hatch, owner of the island. While the treasure hunters have their reasons for mounting this assault--$2 billion in gold--Hatch has his own motives to join them. For Hatch, whose brother died on Ragged Island thirty years before, the only escape from the curse is through the black swirling waters and bloodstained chambers of the Pit. With more computing power than a small university, the recovery team slowly chips away at the mystery. But as the seekers try to conquer the Pit, men begin to die. Hatch is confronted with his childhood memories of the tragedy even as he is drawn into a complex relationship with a beautiful French diver. All the while, the last, secret chamber of the Pit waits to unleash the most lethal mystery of all. . . ."

My thoughts:

I enjoyed this thriller set off the coast of Maine. It had pirate lore, secret codes, booby traps - and a sense of impending doom as both the weather and the dangers of the pit's contents become more dangerous by the day.

Date read: 10/28/2007
Book #: 95
Rating: 3* = good
Genre: Thriller

ISBN-10: 0446607177
ISBN-13: 9780446607179
Publisher: Warner Books
Year: 1999
# of Pages: 496
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
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Dragonne's Eg by Mary Brown

First sentence:

"'Please, Miss! Ern's 'avin' a fit again...'"

Description:

"Life was hard for Sophie: tragically orphaned not so long ago, she eked out a living as a teacher in a poor-house school in a Dickensian London slum. Then her life was turned upside down when she was informed that a previously unsuspected uncle, now deceased, had left her a handsome legacy - which she could redeem only after fulfilling a Last Request: to return a dragon's egg to its rightful place in the uncharted wastes of Central Asia.

And so she begins her reverse quest, accompanied by a unicorn figurine that turns into a living, speaking know-it-all when no one is looking, a telepathic cat who wants nothing so much as three willing kisses from her sweet lips (so that he can, he says - but who would believe a tomcat on such a matter? - turn back into a prince), a feckless law clerk who doesn't want to be there, and an itinerant Irish would-be adventurer who should be anywhere else. On her journey, Sophie will learn that all of them, even the unicorn, will need more help then they can give - and that healing theme of their life's sorrows is as much part of the deal as dealing with that damned egg.

In the course of her journey, she will be betrayed by a treacherous guide, captured by fierce Mongols, caught in an avalanche, and lost in an underground maze, all while the clock keeps ticking toward a deadline, after which the egg will die, her heritage be lost, and the arduous journey, incredible hardships, and terrible danger will have been for nothing..."

My thoughts:

This was a good mix of historical fiction and fantasy set in the late 19th century. I liked the characters Sophie, Toby and Ky-Lin. The only downside was that I sometimes got annoyed at Sophie when she seemed to forget about the magic she learned and would think that she was dreaming. Now, to find the first three books of the Pigs Don't Fly series: The Unlikely Ones, Pigs Don't Fly and Master of Many Treasures.

Date read: 10/24/2007
Book #: 93
Series: Pigs Don't Fly #4
Rating: 3* = good
Genre: Fantasy

ISBN-10: 0671578103
ISBN-13: 9780671578107
Publisher: Baen
Year: 1999
# of Pages: 339
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
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Mother Aegypt and Other Stories by Kage Baker

First sentence:

"The young man opened his eyes."

Description:

A brand new short story collection from Kage Baker, including an original novella set in her ongoing series of The Company, "Mother Aegypt".

Contents:

• Leaving His Cares Behind Him
• The Briscian Saint
• Desolation Rose
• Miss Yahoo Has Her Say
• What The Tyger Told Her
• Nightmare Mountain
• Merry Christmas from Navarro Lodge, 1928
• Her Father's Eyes
• Two Old Men
• The Summer People
• How They Tried to Talk Indian Tony Down
• Pueblo, Colorado Has the Answers
• Mother Aegypt

My thoughts:

I enjoyed this anthology of fantasy and science fiction stories. I especially liked "Nightmare Mountain" (myths of Eros and Psyche combined with an eccentric Californian), "Merry Christmas from Navarro Lodge, 1928" (changing the future from the past), and "Pueblo, Colorado Has the Answers" (alien manifestations and a time bubble).

Date read: 10/13/2007
Book #: 91
Rating: 3* = good
Genre: Fantasy/SF

ISBN-10: 1597800570
ISBN-13: 9781597800570
Publisher: Night Shade Books
Year: 2004
# of Pages: 249
Binding: Hardcover
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A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

First sentence:

"Mariam was five years old the first time she heard the word harami."

Description:

"Born a generation apart and with very different ideas about love and family, Mariam and Laila are two women brought jarringly together by war, by loss and by fate. As they endure the ever escalating dangers around them-in their home as well as in the streets of Kabul-they come to form a bond that makes them both sisters and mother-daughter to each other, and that will ultimately alter the course not just of their own lives but of the next generation. With heart-wrenching power and suspense, Hosseini shows how a woman's love for her family can move her to shocking and heroic acts of self-sacrifice, and that in the end it is love, or even the memory of love, that is often the key to survival.

A stunning accomplishment, A Thousand Splendid Suns is a haunting, heartbreaking, compelling story of an unforgiving time, an unlikely friendship, and an indestructible love. "

My thoughts:

A beautifully written book that's both moving and bittersweet. Hosseini shows the reader how the Soviet occupation, the tribal conflicts and the Taliban rule of Afghanistan affected the people on a daily level through the lives of Mariam and Laila.

Date read: 10/11/2007
Book #: 90
Rating: 4* = great
Genre: Fiction

ISBN-10: 0670064912
ISBN-13: 9780670064915
Publisher: Riverhead Hardcover
Year: 2007
# of Pages: 367
Binding: Hardcover
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Full Moon Rising by Keri Arthur

First sentence:

"The night was quiet."

Description:

"In this exciting debut, author Keri Arthur explodes onto the supernatural scene with a sexy, sensuous tale of intrigue and suspense set in a world where legends walk and the shady paths of the underworld are far more sinister than anyone envisioned.

A rare hybrid of vampire and werewolf, Riley Jenson and her twin brother, Rhoan, work for Melbourne’s Directorate of Other Races, an organization created to police the supernatural races–and protect humans from their depredations. While Rhoan is an exalted guardian, a.k.a. assassin, Riley is merely an office worker–until her brother goes missing on one of his missions. The timing couldn’t be worse. More werewolf than vampire, Riley is vulnerable to the moon heat, the weeklong period before the full moon, when her need to mate becomes all-consuming.…

Luckily Riley has two willing partners to satisfy her every need. But she will have to control her urges if she’s going to find her brother….Easier said than done as the city pulses with frenzied desire, and Riley is confronted with a very powerful–and delectably naked–vamp who raises her temperature like never before.

In matters carnal, Riley has met her match. But in matters criminal, she must follow her instincts not only to find her brother but to stop an unholy harvest. For someone is doing some shifty cloning in an attempt to produce the ultimate warrior–by tapping into the genome of nonhumans like Rhoan. Now Riley knows just how dangerous the world is for her kind–and just how much it needs her."

My thoughts:

This was a good mix of paranormal mystery and romance. At times I worried that Riley's urges would hinder her, but she was able to use them to her advantage or resist them when she needed to. I also liked many of the characters, specifically Riley, Quinn, Rhoan, Jack and Liander. I look forward to reading the next book in the series, Kissing Sin.

Date read: 10/5/2007
Book #: 89
Rating: 3*/5 = good
Series: Riley Jenson, Guardian, #1
Genre: Paranormal Romance

ISBN-10: 0553588451
ISBN-13: 9780553588453
Publisher: Dell
Year: 2006
# of Pages: 372
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
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