Waiting on Wednesday (65)

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating. So here's a thing I'm looking forward to: Centaur Rising, by Jane Yolen (Henry Holt & Co., 21 October 2014).

One night during the Perseid meteor shower, Arianne thinks she sees a shooting star land in the fields surrounding her family's horse farm. About a year later, one of their horses gives birth to a baby centaur. The family has enough attention already as Arianne's six-year-old brother was born with birth defects caused by an experimental drug - the last thing they need is more scrutiny. But their clients soon start growing suspicious. Just how long is it possible to keep a secret? And what will happen if the world finds out?

*****

I love Jane Yolen, and I'm happy to take a chance on anything she's written. That is all.

Waiting on Wednesday (64)

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating. So here's a thing I'm looking forward to: Rebellion: The History of England from James I to the Glorious Revolution, by Peter Ackroyd (Thomas Dunne Books, 21 October 2014).

From the accession of the thrillingly unappealing James VI & I, who though rather ghastly, was also extraordinarily eloquent, to his hapless heir, Charles I, whose taste in art was peerless, but whose political judgment was so fatally poor, to Oliver Cromwell, far from pretty, ruthless and, ultimately, as much of a despot as "that man of blood," the king he executed, Ackroyd tells the story of the turbulent seventeenth century, in which England suffered through three civil wars - two fought between Parliament and both Charles I and Charles II, and, finally, the "Glorious Rebellion of 1688," which saw Charles II's brother James deposed and sent into exile.

Civil War doesn't just give us the brutality of politics and war. It also gives us glimpses of the extraordinarily rich literature of the time - Jacobean tragedy, Shakespeare's late masterpieces, the sermons of Dr. Donne and Lancelot Andrewes, Milton, Hobbes - and of ordinary life, lived against a backdrop of constant disruption and uncertainty.

*****

I've quite enjoyed the first two volumes. My husband found the first one confusing, since it was organized more thematically than chronologically, but I was able to follow it just fine, and I really liked the discussion of ordinary life interspersed with the more usual chronicle of kings and wars. So I expect this one will be equally entertaining and informative.

Waiting on Wednesday (63)

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating. So here's a thing I'm looking forward to: Riders on the Storm, by Ed Gorman (Pegasus, 15 October 2014).

 

When we last saw Sam McCain he had been drafted to fight the war in Vietnam. But Sam's military career ended in boot camp when he was accidentally shot in the head and forced to spend three months in a military hospital to recover.

Sam returns to his hometown of Black River Falls, where he works as a lawyer (and part-time investigator) for the court of the snobbish but amusing Judge Esme Ann Whitney.
Two of Sam's oldest friends are caught up in this same battle. Veteran Steve Donovan brutally belittles and finally savagely beats his old friend veteran Will Cullen when Cullen announces he's joined the anti-war group.

When Cullen is found murdered, the obvious suspect is Steve Donovan, but Sam has serious doubts about the man's guilt. At least three people had reasons to murder Cullen, and Sam begins to suspect he'll discover even more as his investigation heats up.

***** 

I'm a little behind on this series, but I really enjoyed the early ones that I've read. It struck me at the time as an unusual setting for a historical mystery series: middle America in the 1950s and 60s. And the protagonist was goofy in an appealing way. I probably won't pick this one up the day it comes out, but it's going on the list of books I want to get around to soon.

Waiting on Wednesday (62)

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating. So here's a thing I'm looking forward to: The Three-Body Problem, by Liu Cixin (Tor Books, 14 October  11 November 2014).

Set against the backdrop of China's Cultural Revolution, a secret military project sends signals into space to establish contact with aliens. An alien civilization on the brink of destruction captures the signal and plans to invade Earth. Meanwhile, on Earth, different camps start forming, planning to either welcome the superior beings and help them take over a world seen as corrupt, or to fight against the invasion.  

*****

I am, of course, specifically looking forward to the English translation. I've read a lot of good things on various blogs about the current state of Chinese sf generally and about the brilliance of this book in particular, and I'm interested to see for myself what's going on here.