Steve's Updates en-US Wed, 07 May 2025 09:42:49 -0700 60 Steve's Updates 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg ReadStatus9398069971 Wed, 07 May 2025 09:42:49 -0700 <![CDATA[Steve finished reading 'The Egypt Code']]> /review/show/153486002 The Egypt Code by Robert Bauval Steve finished reading The Egypt Code by Robert Bauval
]]> ReadStatus9398066838 Wed, 07 May 2025 09:41:48 -0700 <![CDATA[Steve finished reading 'Persuasion']]> /review/show/66318341 Persuasion by Jane Austen Steve finished reading Persuasion by Jane Austen
]]> Review153486002 Wed, 07 May 2025 09:41:40 -0700 <![CDATA[Steve added 'The Egypt Code']]> /review/show/153486002 The Egypt Code by Robert Bauval Steve gave 3 stars to The Egypt Code (Hardcover) by Robert Bauval
]]> Review66318341 Wed, 07 May 2025 09:41:32 -0700 <![CDATA[Steve added 'Persuasion']]> /review/show/66318341 Persuasion by Jane Austen Steve gave 5 stars to Persuasion (Paperback) by Jane Austen
]]> Review7550589730 Wed, 07 May 2025 09:33:38 -0700 <![CDATA[Steve added 'One Bad Apple']]> /review/show/7550589730 One Bad Apple by Sheila Connolly Steve gave 2 stars to One Bad Apple (Orchard, #1) by Sheila Connolly
Connolly does have a good readable style, but this was such a predictable bore. The plot is along the lines of a Murder She Wrote episode.

So the main character, Meg, in the end settles down in this sleepy little Massachusetts town. Over the course of the TWELVE books in this series see becomes the center of murder after murder.

TWELVE (12!) books! More power to Connolly. I guess this just isn't my cup of tea. ]]> Review7550548583 Wed, 07 May 2025 09:14:15 -0700 <![CDATA[Steve added 'The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet']]> /review/show/7550548583 The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers Steve gave 3 stars to The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet (Wayfarers, #1) by Becky Chambers
All-in-all this is a good read. There is some solid hard sci-fi tech and exploration of the physics of the universe. A good adventurous story that pulls you along. Also a good cast of characters, albeit a bit cartoonish. However, they serve the story well and she does develop some interesting back stories.

Chambers leans into some woke gender ideology by having the hero and lead problem-solvers be female characters. I understand that this appears to have been a requirement to have any chance of being published during that era (it was the same in movies and television). So to her credit the females do not feel totally forced. She does cause some confusion here with a non-gender character of weird biology whose pronouns change depending on biological cycles. The male captain feels like the one given a gender token role. To me, he is a bit forced as a reluctant leader. The other male tech works for one of the females but is somewhat extra-subservient to bolster the superiority of the female.

Anyway, within those constraints of gender ideology she does a fairly good job of building a working team.

She gets bogged down in some places with sequences that are drawn out too long in her effort to develop characters. These instances could have been done in a few pages instead of a lot of pages.

I can still recommend this as a good, quick read. You can skim some of it and not miss a thing. ]]> Review7146588511 Wed, 07 May 2025 09:04:31 -0700 <![CDATA[Steve added 'Theft of Fire']]> /review/show/7146588511 Theft of Fire by Devon Eriksen Steve gave 4 stars to Theft of Fire (Orbital Space #1) by Devon Eriksen
I thoroughly enjoyed this adventure. It is modern but has throw-backs to the feel and adventure of Arthur C Clark and golden-age sci-fi. Back to basics with a great premise of alien tech discovery with good mashup of AI technology, working-class spacefarers, genetic engineering, intrigue, politics, and personal relationships.

The characters are a bit two-dimensional but they do grow and develop somewhat.

A fantastic offering for a first novel! This is a fun read for any sci-fi fan. I look forward to the next installment.

]]> Review7359590934 Thu, 27 Feb 2025 06:39:54 -0800 <![CDATA[Steve added 'The Tranquility Alternative']]> /review/show/7359590934 The Tranquility Alternative by Allen M. Steele Steve gave 4 stars to The Tranquility Alternative (Paperback) by Allen M. Steele
Saw this book on the library shelf. I love everything I've read from Allen Steele, especially the Coyote series. So I picked it up. Haha I realize I had already read this book sometime before but never logged it in Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ! So I skimmed the book to refresh my memory.

I highly recommend this book if you are a fan of the golden era of Sci-Fi, authors like Heinlien and Bradbury.

I am not a fan of alternate history so I had to to get past that in this novel. It is about an expedition to the moon, however, space travel was established in the 1950s. We already had a space station ,"the wheel" in 1963. President McGovern served two terms. Other historical figures also played different roles than their real world counterparts. So get past that and lay those beliefs aside as merely the premise or backdrop. I have to do the same thing with a zombie apocalypse LOL.

This is a smart, taught espionage thriller. The characters are fully developed. The relationships an action have nice twists and turns. The discovery of the alternate and nefarious missions is well laid out. Lots of close calls. I won't say more but it is an enjoyable read. And the technology is fun as well.
]]> ReadStatus8828548931 Tue, 31 Dec 2024 16:55:08 -0800 <![CDATA[Steve wants to read 'Theft of Fire']]> /review/show/7146588511 Theft of Fire by Devon Eriksen Steve wants to read Theft of Fire by Devon Eriksen
]]> Rating797969071 Mon, 09 Dec 2024 17:19:06 -0800 <![CDATA[Steve Walker liked a review]]> /
Steve Walker liked Brian's review of A Psalm for the Wild-Built (Monk & Robot, #1):
A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers
"I gave up on this book after only two days. Every time the monk used a plural pronoun to describe itself, I wondered where the other people were. It destroyed the flow of the story to the point that it wasn't at all enjoyable. I know people are using alternate pronouns, and I don't mind them doing so, but I'm not going to subject myself to the cognitive dissonance it evokes. I have enough difficulty with the brain fog I have from multiple sclerosis to deal with it. After all, at 70-years-old, I have many many years of using standard English I'd have to overcome. I'd rather walk away than hurt someone by failing to use their preferred pronouns. "
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