Magdiel Alonso Santos Alonso Santos itibaren Bagri, Rajasthan 311603, Barato
**A little over three stars.** “Dirk Moeller didn’t know if he could fart his way into a major diplomatic incident. But he was ready to find out.“ My introduction to Scalzi was Agent to the Stars. The curious pairing of a slick Hollywood agent with a gelatinous alien life form made for fascinating, funny reading. It also made me hate the man. You see, Agent to the Stars was written as a "practice book." Scalzi decided to try his hand at writing a novel simply to discover if he could create something of that length and depth of plot. The resultant book had a great premise, enjoyable characters and fluid pacing. The Android’s Dream bears certain similarities. Filled with quirky characters and loopy twists, it displays Scalzi’s aptitude for weird situations and strange modes of thought. Beginning with an interplanetary diplomatic disaster, the book incorporates government conspiracies, artificial intelligence, animal husbandry, prophetic poems, sex scandals…most anything you can think of has its place in the snafu that occurs between Earth and the representatives from Nidu. Caught up in all this is Harry Creek. He’s the government’s go-to guy when it comes to issuing bad news. He also happens to be a brilliant, resourceful war veteran who knows how to fly under the radar. Tapped to find a lost sheep, Creek’s existence quickly devolves to life on the run as he attempts to stay one step ahead of assassins and fanatics. The dialogue is snarky and utterly droll--which I love. The action sequences are exciting with an edge of the ludicrous. The overall plot focuses on both big political machinations and personal trials, with well-placed, well-crafted info dumps--just enough information to understand the world, but not so much that passages become bogged down with details. With all of these positives, why on earth did it take me a month to finish? I’m not quite sure. There was something indefinably off about the pacing, plus I couldn’t get fully invested in the maneuverings of the government officials. Also, this edition was riddled with typos: misplaced/repeated words and transposed letters irked me just enough to pull me out of the story for a moment. Still, Scalzi impresses me with his off-beat humor and imaginative details. My mixed feelings on this book won’t prevent me from picking up his other titles.
Absolutely great nuts and bolts advice for anyone who wants to write mystery novels.This book is actually edited by Sue Grafton, and is a compilation of chapters by such notable mystery authors as Lawrence Block, Jonathan Kellerman, Sara Paretsky, and Ann Rule. The chapters run the how-to gamut from character development, to pacing, to writing convincing dialogue. There are "specialty" chapters on such sub-genres as Amateur Sleuth, True Crime, Legal Thrillers, Historical Mysteries, etc. Read this with a pencil... there's too much treasure here NOT to underline!
Spider’s Revenge is the fifth book in Jennifer Estep’s Elemental Assassin series. The main protagonist is Gin Blanco, a semi-retired assassin with the ability to use the elements as weapons, known as the elusive Spider. Gin owns a BBQ joint and moonlights as an assassin whose objective is to take down the nasty Mab Monroe, the mob boss of the Ashland underworld and the one who made Gin an orphan at thirteen by killing her parents and youngest sister. The fifth book is what I call the Return of the Jedi book. It brings everything to an explosive conclusion because this is where Gin and Mab finally come face to face with one another. Gin comes across as a solitary character, but through the course of the past four books, that has changed. Gin has an extended family and friends. Gin is now in a relationship with Owen, a rich business man with a shady past who understand her and accepts her for all that she is. Gin has come to the conclusion how important Owen is to her. Finn, who’s Gin’s brother in her heart but not of her blood, is her ultimate backup and has a James Bond type of appeal to him (Plus an addiction to hickory coffee). Flynn is a character full of possibilities, especially when he sets his sights on Bria Snow, a detective and Gin’s missing sister. There’s just enough sparks between these two and a nice conclusion to their attraction, where you can’t help but want to see more of. I’m hoping Bria and Finn will have their own book, or at least a short story. The title says it all with this latest by Jennifer Estep. A major story arc has finished here but some things remain open. The fighting scenes are some of the best Jennifer has written and there are a few surprises ad twists. I feel this is the best book in this series and I can’t wait to see what’s left for Gin and her crew, especially in regards to Gin’s unfinished business with her former lover, Donovan Caine, who may or may not appear in the next book. If you haven’t read Jennifer Estep’s Elemental Assassin series, what are you waiting for? Spider’s Revenge has the best of everything from a heroine with major balls and a romance I’ve become addicted to. Team Owen and Gin for the win!