Highlights and Lowlights - August 2024

Highlights and Lowlights - August 2024
Books are rated using a very primitive rating system:
“+” are good, and more “+” are better
“-”  are not good, and more “-”  are worse
I’m happy to answer questions about anything here.
Highlights - The Sagara and the Andrews. I think these folks simply write stuff that I like.
Lowlights - Kinship with the Stars - Poul Anderson (collection)
Here’s a quick summary of what’s more in-depth below:
( ++ ) The Man in the Maze - Silverberg
( ++ - - ) Kinship with the Stars - Anderson (collection)
( +++ ) Sweep of the Blade - Andrews [Innkeeper Chronicles #4]
( ++ 1/2 ) Majestrum - Hughes [Henghis Hapthorn]
( ++ 1/2 - ) Winter’s Gifts - Aaronovitch [Rivers of London novella]
( +++ ) Cast in Oblivion - Sagara [Elantra #14]
( ++ 1/2 ) A Fire in the Sun - Effinger [Marid Audran #2]
Now Reading:
Long work - The Stainless Steel Rat - Harrison
Collection - The Best Time Travel Stories Of All Time ed. by Malzberg
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August 2024
( ++ ) The Man in the Maze - Silverberg
Good - certainly better than I expected. Dick Muller had a legendary career as an interstellar explorer, but when he became the first human to interact with an alien species, the aliens alter him in such a way that he became emotionally repulsive to any and all humans within 10 feet of his presence ... and the closer they come the worse it gets for them.  When he successfully finds his way to the center sector of the maze, he plans to live there alone for the rest of his life. But when an alien threat to humanity’s very existence is found, the powers that be decide that only Muller can prevent humanity being wiped out. But he’ll need to be convinced to help.
( ++ - - ) Kinship with the Stars - Anderson (collection)
Here’s the isfdb listing  for this collection:
https://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/pl.cgi?19574
Published in 1991, this is a truly mixed bag of stories that — with one exception — were published between 1951-1962, chosen because Poul felt these stories were slipping off the radar. (The exception is Uncleftish Beholding, published in 1989.) Well, to this humble reader, there were good reasons many of these were slipping off the radar, and rarely anthologized elsewhere. All of the stories come with interesting short intros from Poul. The two Wing Alak stories (but not the third??? There were only three written! C’mon Poul) were interesting in that they feature a galactic patrol that addresses crises on numerous different planets and functions under a Prime Directive ... but which were written in 1953 and 1956, many years before Star Trek: TOS hit the scene.
( +++ ) Sweep of the Blade - Andrews [Innkeeper Chronicles #4]
Fun! This one is 100% focused on Dina’s sister Maud and her daughter Helen, and it takes place on vampire Arland’s home world. I was a little bummed to have no Dina, no Inns, and no Earth, but this is a very enjoyable entry in the series. Arland has proposed marriage to Maud, and she has deferred, pending a visit to his home world. Maud has to (re-)navigate vampire politics and aggression while making sure she & Helen stay safe. Arland’s family is very unhappy with Maud’s deferral and they test the heck out of her, in ways only these vampires can. In parallel, Maud uncovers a serious threat to Arland’s entire home world, and things race ahead from there.
( ++ 1/2 ) Majestrum - Hughes [Henghis Hapthorn]
Henghis Hapthorn is Old Earth’s foremost “discriminator” (i.e. investigator), using a sharp intellect, astute powers of observation, and the best technology of the age to aid his case-solving. When the harrowing (but otherwise successful) outcome of a previous case transforms his almost-AI aide into a living creature, and also transforms his intuitional self into a separate being inside his head, Henghis realizes that the rational universe is giving way to an emerging magical one - where his intuitional alter-ego will shine, but where he, the rational one, will fall into the background. The two cases he finds himself on (one from the Archon himself) are part and parcel of this universe transition, and Henghis gets pulled into it quite deeply. Hughes’ writing in the Archonate universe reminds me greatly of Vance’s Gaean Reach. Very enjoyable.
( ++ 1/2 - ) Winter’s Gifts - Aaronovitch [Rivers of London novella]
This is very good and fits well with the rest of the series. This one takes place entirely in Wisconsin, with protagonist American FBI agent Kimberly Reynolds. Some highly unusual Wisconsin weather, coupled with a phone call from a former FBI agent, lead Kimberly to Wisconsin to see what’s up. The more threads she pulls on, the more things unravel, until she starts to make the right connections and conclusions. (The minus is because Aaronovitch lays on the “American” pretty thick in places, and too often it’s simply off; it also runs in jarring contrast to the numerous British-isms throughout the book.)
( +++ ) Cast in Oblivion - Sagara [Elantra #14]
Very good, as is typical in this series. Some very important things get resolved, but which also open doors to some very interesting new issues. The first half is taken up with The Consort coming to dinner at Kaylin’s home, and the second half is taken up with the results of the many conversations and plans that happen during that evening.
( ++ 1/2 ) A Fire in the Sun - Effinger [Marid Audran #2]
It had been so so long since I read the first one that it took me a while to get into this one. It’s very good. It picks up very shortly after the first one leaves off, with Marid embedded with the police, alienated from his friends, and still using moddies, daddies, and drugs. The lead cop assigns Marid to partner with a good cop (both a good person, and good at his job), they slowly become friendly, and shortly after that the book really takes off. In parallel, Marid is on quite a personal journey, generally becoming a better and better person.
Now Reading:
Long work - The Stainless Steel Rat - Harrison
Collection - The Best Time Travel Stories Of All Time (ed. by Malzberg)
Tony