From Newsgroup: rec.arts.sf.written

Highlights and Lowlights - August-September 2025

Books are rated using a very primitive rating system:
rCL+rCY are good, and more rCL+rCY are better
rCL-rCY are not good, and more rCL-rCY are worse

IrCOm happy to answer questions about anything here.

August and September were very different months from what I expected.
Not much reading happened. I truly donrCOt know that October looks any different - guess werCOll see.

Highlight: Bridge of Birds - Hughart (re-read)

Lowlight: no lowlights this time, though I will say Station Eleven was dull.

September 2025
( ++++ ) Bridge of Birds - Hughart [Re-read Project #3]

August 2025
( ++ 1/2 ) Burn For Me - Andrews [Hidden Legacy #1]
[non-fiction] YesStories: Yes In Their Own Words - Morse
( ++ 1/2 ) Necrobane - Ford [Warden #2]
( + 1/2 ) Station Eleven - Mandel

Now Reading:
Long work - I donrCOt know
Collection - A Logic Named Joe - Leinster

===========================================
September 2025
( ++++ ) Bridge of Birds - Hughart [Master Li and Number Ten Ox #1;
Re-read Project #3]
Oh, this was excellent. Again. And the best part was that I remembered
almost nothing from the first time I read it, maybe 25-30 years ago.
This is probably not for everybody, but Hughart hits all the right notes
in this novel set in rCLAn Ancient China That Never WasrCY. His faux-Chinese voice, folklore, and style are wonderful. If you are interested, I
recommend checking out the bookrCOs Wikipedia page and reading the first
two paragraphs (only) about the Plot.

Here's one paragraph from p.217 (out of 278):
<Master Li speaking to Henpecked Ho, as they and Number Ten Ox have been captured and being detained in an underground dungeon>:
"Ho, Ox and I are wrapped in so many chains that we can't move, you are attached to the wall by a leg chain, this dungeon is solid rock, the
torture chamber is crammed with soldiers, we are eleven stories beneath
the earth, and each landing is guarded by more soldiers. The palace is swarming with the army of the Ancestress, the army of Duke Ch'in is
camped outside the walls, and Ox and I must escape from here
immediately. Unless you look forward to being drawn and quartered, I
suggest that you accompany us."
"I think that's a splendid idea," said Henpecked Ho.

August 2025
( ++ 1/2 ) Burn For Me - Andrews [Hidden Legacy #1]
This is standard good quality stuff from the Andrews writing team, but
itrCOs the first time I can say that one of their settings is not what IrCOm looking to read, so I probably wonrCOt continue with the series.

Nevada BaylorrCOs father has passed away, and she has taken over the
family P.I./Detective Agency with help from some family members,
including three younger siblings & cousins. Nevada has some magical
skill, but itrCOs not clear to her what the extent of those skills are,
nor how strong they are. The agency is barely staying afloat, and
because of that Her agencyrCOs some legal obligations to a much larger
firm, but they have been leaving her alone. Until now. She gets
strong-armed into taking a no-win job involving a way-too-powerful mage (called a rCLPrimerCY in this setting). A different Prime gets involved due
to one of his cousinsrCO involvement, and these two work sort-of-together
to solve everything while having their own issues with each other.

[non-fiction] YesStories: Yes In Their Own Words - Morse
A friend of mine knows I enjoy the band, and asked if I had this book.
Turns out itrCOs the only Yes-themed book I do have, and I acquired it so
long ago, I donrCOt remember when/why. Anyhow, his questions led me to
quickly re-read it. <shrug> ItrCOs fine for this sort of thing.

( ++ 1/2 ) Necrobane - Ford [Warden #2]
Entertaining. Picks up immediately after #1, with Aelis needing to
address the cliffhanger. With 3 other characters, we learn much more
about them, as well as about this world, and its magic. Not at all deep
or profound, but definitely enjoyable. ThererCOs a slow rCLepiloguerCY feel to the last 1/4 of the book, and right before the end there is a
significant development that will require Aelis to leave Lone Pine for a while.

( + 1/2 ) Station Eleven - Mandel
Meh. A pretty typical/ordinary post-apocalypse story, set in current
times, during and immediately after a superflu wipes out 99.9% of
humanity. This is a character-driven localized tale which follows a
small number of characters in separate circumstances, but who
(unbeknownst to them) have a common person/thread who ran through their
lives pre-collapse. Kind of dull, actually.

Now Reading:
Long work - I donrCOt know
Collection - A Logic Named Joe - Leinster

Tony
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From Newsgroup: rec.arts.sf.written

On 1/10/25 09:11, Tony Nance wrote:
lots of snippage for brevity

Highlight: Bridge of Birds - Hughart (re-read)

snip

( ++++ ) Bridge of Birds - [Master Li and Number Ten Ox #1; Re-
read Project #3]
Oh, this was excellent. Again. And the best part was that I remembered
almost nothing from the first time I read it, maybe 25-30 years ago.
This is probably not for everybody, but Hughart hits all the right notes
in this novel set in rCLAn Ancient China That Never WasrCY. His faux-Chinese voice, folklore, and style are wonderful. If you are interested, I
recommend checking out the bookrCOs Wikipedia page and reading the first
two paragraphs (only) about the Plot.

snip

I endorse that recommendation. Though I was disappointed with _The Story
of Stone_ which I couldn't maintain interest in and did not finish.
The comedy of _Bridge of Birds_ is enchanting as well as humourous in
the author's unique, (to me), way. I am now tempted to read it again.
Read 11 years ago. I still remember quite a bit, probably a lot less
than half but there are gems hard to forget.

[non-fiction] YesStories: Yes In Their Own Words - Morse
A friend of mine knows I enjoy the band, and asked if I had this book.
Turns out itrCOs the only Yes-themed book I do have, and I acquired it so long ago, I donrCOt remember when/why. Anyhow, his questions led me to quickly re-read it. <shrug>-a ItrCOs fine for this sort of thing.

Close to the Edge and Starship Troopers were my favourites for years. I probably play their sea shanty album* _Tales from Topograhic Oceans_
more now as background. I have never had much interest in the performer
or author so would not read such a book.

* For those that know it not: :-)
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From Newsgroup: rec.arts.sf.written

On 9/30/2025 3:11 PM, Tony Nance wrote:

Highlights and Lowlights - August-September 2025

August 2025

( ++ 1/2 ) Burn For Me - Andrews [Hidden Legacy #1]
This is standard good quality stuff from the Andrews writing team, but itrCOs the first time I can say that one of their settings is not what IrCOm looking to read, so I probably wonrCOt continue with the series.

Nevada BaylorrCOs father has passed away, and she has taken over the
family P.I./Detective Agency with help from some family members,
including three younger siblings & cousins. Nevada has some magical
skill, but itrCOs not clear to her what the extent of those skills are,
nor how strong they are. The agency is barely staying afloat, and
because of that Her agencyrCOs some legal obligations to a much larger
firm, but they have been leaving her alone. Until now. She gets strong- armed into taking a no-win job involving a way-too-powerful mage (called
a rCLPrimerCY in this setting). A different Prime gets involved due to one of his cousinsrCO involvement, and these two work sort-of-together to
solve everything while having their own issues with each other.

...

Whoa, I am rereading "Burn For Me" now. I binge read the entire series
a year ago. First off, the series is set in Houston so it feels very
familiar to me. Second, I love paranormal that is not horror (dark
fantasy).

Here is my review from July 24, 2024:

"Burn for Me (Hidden Legacy, 1)" by Ilona Andrews
https://www.amazon.com/Burn-Hidden-Legacy-Ilona-Andrews/dp/0062289233/

Book number one of a six book paranormal romance fantasy series. I read
the well printed and well bound MMPB published by Avon in 2014 that I
just bought new from Amazon. I have ordered the other five books in the series.

Totally cool start to a new series for me. This makes the fourth series
that I have read from Ilona Andrews, a husband and wife writing team.

The Hidden Legacy Universe is a complex place. The Osiris serum that
induced magical powers in humans was released to the general public in
1863 and the world was never the same. The serum was banned after a
while but the world was irreparably changed. Families starting breeding children for strength in magical powers with breathtaking results. Magic
users are segregated into five ranks: Minor, Average, Notable,
Significant, and Prime.

The most feared mage is the pyrotechnic (fire). Adam Pierce is a Prime
and a fire mage. And he is certifiably crazy but his mother loves him
anyway. Even when he kills a security guard while robbing a bank.

Nevada Baylor runs a very small detective agency in Houston, Texas ( ! )
that works on scammers and divorce cases. She is a 25 year old hidden truthseeker, she can unerringly tell lies from truths and can sometimes
force people to emit truths. Her mother and father started the
detective agency but there is a huge mortgage to a Prime Family that
funded the effort to try to save her father from cancer. Now the Prime
Family wants them to find Adam Pierce and deliver him to his family, undamaged.

Mad Rogan is a Prime telekinetic and a noted combat veteran, famous for destroying a village in the Mexican war. And Mad Rogan wants Adam
Pierce too, undamaged is not a priority.

The authors have a very active website at:
https://ilona-andrews.com/

My rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Amazon rating: 4.7 out of 5 stars (15,154 reviews)

Lynn

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