Reviews and Comments

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David Scrimshaw Locked account

DScrimshaw@bookwyrm.world

Joined 1 year, 11 months ago

An avid sci-fi and fantasy reader who sometimes does historical fiction or even mainstream.

You might notice that most of my reviews are 5 stars. That's because if I start reading a book that doesn't engage me, I stop reading it. Life is too short. I've realized that it's not fair to review a book I haven't read and nobody really needs to hear why I didn't get into a book especially when they might like it.

My goals with reviews are to be brief and give other potential readers an idea of why they might like the book. I leave it to the marketing people and other reviewers to describe the plots.

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reviewed Artificial Condition by Martha Wells (The Murderbot Diaries, #2)

Martha Wells, Martha Wells: Artificial Condition (EBook, 2018, Tordotcom)

It has a dark past—one in which a number of humans were killed. A past …

Review of 'Artificial Condition' on 'Storygraph'

This series is a real pleasure. The books are short and so they are fast reads. I'd recommend them to someone who likes old Star Trek shows but hasn't been into much science fiction they have read.

reviewed Artificial condition by Martha Wells (The Murderbot Diaries, #2)

Martha Wells, Martha Wells: Artificial condition (2018, Tordotcom Publishing)

It has a dark past - one in which a number of humans were killed. …

Review of 'Artificial condition' on 'Storygraph'

This series is a real pleasure. The books are short and so they are fast reads. I'd recommend them to someone who likes old Star Trek shows but hasn't been into much science fiction they have read.

reviewed Brief Cases (The Dresden Files, #15.1) by Jim Butcher

No cover

Jim Butcher: Brief Cases (The Dresden Files, #15.1) (2018)

Review of 'Brief Cases (The Dresden Files, #15.1)' on 'Storygraph'

There's not much point to my writing a review of this. If you're a Dresden fan, you'll read it. If you're not a Dresden fan, you probably don't want to start with a bunch of stories that fall after all sorts of things have happened to him.

reviewed Declare by Tim Powers

Tim Powers: Declare (2001, William Morrow)

As a young double agent infiltrating the Soviet spy network in Nazi-occupied Paris, Andrew Hale …

Review of 'Declare' on 'Storygraph'

I like John LeCarré spy novels and I like fantasy stories about djinis.

So I liked this novel.

And I particularly liked that Powers made his story fit the known facts about Kim Philby and other actual people he put in the story.

reviewed Persuader by Lee Child

Lee Child: Persuader (Paperback, 2009, Dell)

Jack Reacher.

The ultimate loner.

An elite ex-military cop who left the service …

Review of 'Persuader' on 'Storygraph'

In the opening chapter of this book, Reacher finds himself rescuing a student from a kidnapping and accidentally shooting a cop.

That can't be Reacher, I thought, maybe it's an impostor.

reviewed Wisdom in Nonsense by Heather O'Neill

No cover

Heather O'Neill, Kit Dobson: Wisdom in Nonsense (2018, University of Alberta Press)

Review of 'Wisdom in Nonsense' on 'Storygraph'

This fast-read is a delight.

It illuminates what's behind Heather O'Neill's books and it gives a great model for how we can write stories about our own lives.

reviewed Without Fail by Lee Child

Lee Child: Without Fail (2011, Bantam Books)

Skilled, cautious, and anonymous, Jack Reacher is perfect for the job: to assassinate the vice …

Review of 'Without Fail' on 'Storygraph'

I need to space out my Jack Reacher books. Reading them too close together puts me in a mental space where I think everyone I see is ready to do violence to me.

Unlike Jack Reacher, I'm not ready to handle it if they do. So the tension I feel probably doesn't do me any good.

reviewed Red Sister (Book of the Ancestor, #1) by Mark Lawrence (First Book of the Ancestor)

Mark Lawrence: Red Sister (Book of the Ancestor, #1) (2017)

"The international bestselling author of the Broken Empire and the Red Queen's War trilogies begins …

Review of 'Red Sister (Book of the Ancestor, #1)' on 'Storygraph'

I really enjoyed my time in this book and look forward to the sequels.

The child Nona is a compelling character and it's fun to read about a convent where novices are trained to be killers.