Thoughts and Images

  Book: Penitent Author: Dan Abnett Pages: 346 Hard Core Scale: 3/4 Normal Scale: 8/10 Publish Date: 2020 About: The second in the Bequin trilogy. Bequin must decide which of the two inquisitors she must serve under, Ravenor or Eisenhorn. Or will she find a third path serving other masters in the growing conflict of Queen Mab in covering the secrets of the Yellow King so many have come to the world to seek and fight over. Review: It is like Abnett woke up and Covid got his mind in gear. This book is back to Abnett at his best. His flow, sensory, imagery, all brings the work to life. Just some really strange, but infrequent frame issues that are rather amateurish (not sure why he makes those mistakes). Again, much like the first one I would enjoy it far more if it was not a 40k book, but its own thing. I am not a 40k lore encyclopedia, but Abnett again seems to curve the bullet in believably here in concern of deeper 40k lore with special things being too special.  ...

  Book: Starborn and Godsons Author: Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle, Steven Barnes Pages: 385 Hard Core Scale: 2.5/4 (I did not want to pull this trigger) Normal Scale: 8/10 Publish Date: 2020 About: The human colony of Avalon carries onward. With the technology lost in the Grendel wars the colony will slide into barbarism. Yet, their failing computer system detects a interstellar object on its way: Point of origin Sol. What do these new colonists bring and what other horrors and mysteries await Beowulf's children. Review: Another long overdue end. The first in this trilogy, "Legacy of Heorot," written in 1987. It is a very enjoyable work which I have read several times. This technically is the last book “written by Jerry.” The old game is who writes what? Apparently Steven has been doing the leg work tutored and critiqued by these masters of Science Fiction. Jerry’s thoughts added in his final years. Often I wonder at the thoughts of such supposed great...