Very Short Novels and Free!

I found http://www.davidbdale.wordpress.com the other day. It is a site where no novel is longer than 299 words. Think about it, convey what you mean succinctly. That immediately leaves me out as verbosity is my trademark. Regardless, I joined the neighborhood. I read some posts and suggest that you too read them. In an age of escalating verbiage, this site is refreshing to read and enjoy. Now if we could just get computer programmers to realize less code rather than more is better.

The Shadow of the Lion by Mercedes Lackey, Eric Flint and Dave Freer

Mercedes Lackey ranks as one of my favorite authors as does Eric Flint. I never heard of Dave Freer until this book. Pseudo or alternative history is always fascinating. This story takes place in Venice, the city state, during the Holy Roman Empire time period of the 1530s in another or parallel universe. The intrigue and Machiavellian machinations are true to that time period. The use of magic is unique to the alternate world. A very rich, very involved plot with good characterizations keeps you glued to the book. The second book in the series is “This Rough Magic”. It is supposedly going to be a 5 book series the Heirs of Alexandria but the 2nd book was published in 2003 and there appears to have been no further work on the series. The book works well as a stand alone novel so don’t let the lack of a finished series stop you. Read this book, you will enjoy it.

Body of work of Mercedes Lackey
Body of work of Eric Flint
Body of work of Dave Freer


Review: http http://search.barnesandnoble.com/The-Shadow-of-the-Lion/Mercedes-Lackey/e/9780743435239/

Web Sites: Eric Flint http://www.ericflint.net/
Mercedes Lackey http://www.mercedeslackey.com/
David Freer http://www.doctormonkey.com/

The Book of Taltos by Steven Brust

Vlad Taltos, witch/sorcerer, assassin, gangster and statesmen is back. “The Book of Taltos”, contains two complete novels, “Taltos and Phoenix”. Vlad has some god fearing experiences and love life setbacks in these stories. The irreverent approach to life epitomizes this loveable villain. Once again, I highly recommend this book in the continuing saga of Vlad Taltos. Look for my blog on “The Book of Jhereg” for more details. Whatever else you read, get this series.

Body of work of Steven Brust


Link to a review on “The Book of Taltos”. http://www.sfsite.com/03b/bt124.htm

The Dragon in Lyonesse by Gordon Dickson

I’ve mentioned Gordon Dickson is one of my all time favorite authors in an early post. The versatility of the man is simply awesome. From hard scifi to fantasy is a leap many authors are unable to make successfully. This book is the eighth in a nine book series. They are all entertaining, sometimes simplistic, often humorous but always entertaining. The protagonist is a changeling, man to dragon version. The stories are all focused on his adventures in Arthurian times. They are an absolutely delightful read, don’t expect to be challenged or to find your thoughts provoked but do expect to be entertained.

Titles in the series in order of publication are:
Dragon & The George Dragon Series #1
Dragon Knight Dragon Series #2
Dragon on the Border Dragon Series #3
Dragon At War Dragon Series #4
Dragon Earl and Troll Dragon Series #5
Dragon and the Djinn Dragon Series #6
Dragon & The Gnarly King Dragon Series #7
Dragon and the Fair Maid of Kent Dragon Series #9

Body of work of Gordon Dickson

Overview of Dickson’s Work: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorsai

The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordon (or the never, ever ending story)

I started out loving this series. Perhaps infatuation is more accurate since I have long fallen out of love with it. Jordon tells a good story but he makes a tornado seem short of wind. I think I was 12 when I started reading it, seriously it probably just seems that way. I suspect if he ever wraps up the series it might be entertaining to read them sequentially without years in between. I have never been happy with how he ends each book and for awhile I couldn’t wait until the next one arrived. I have now given up, put them up on http://www.paperbackswap.com/ (even the unread ones) and moved on to authors who write as well or better but don’t leave me hanging for years. Yes, I realize I am no doubt being unfair, a novel is a work of art, creativity can’t be rushed, patience is a virtue, yadda, yadda yadda. I’m reflecting my feelings not necessarily the worlds. Note the differing opinions below. BTW I did like this particular cover, don’t know why.

Ok and now I just read that Jordan is deceased, that there was good reason for the length of time between his books and I am a jackass. Goes to show, he who shoots off his mouth, often shoots himself in the foot. I would like to apologize to his fans and his family for my gross insensitivity.

In continuing this post, I guess I am looking at the personal side of criticism. It never occurred to me to look at Jordan’s web site or read fan stuff, I don’t do that. My ego centric self just assumed that if a book wasn’t ready for me to read, it was a personal affront. That comes from seeing the world through the “what’s in it for me” glasses that seem so prevalent today. I like to think I am better than the run of the mill folk but obviously I am not. Thusly before I am hyper critical in the future about a body of work, I will endeavor to be better informed before I shoot off my mouth.

Body of work of Robert Jordan

Jordan’s web site: http://www.tor.com/jordan/index.html

Reviews: http://www.sffworld.com/brev/bi1232p8.html