David Scrimshaw reviewed Side Jobs by Jim Butcher
Review of 'Side Jobs' on 'Storygraph'
4 stars
A fine collection.
But not where you should start reading Dresden stories.
User Profile
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.
This link opens in a pop-up window
David Scrimshaw's books
User Activity
RSS feed Back
David Scrimshaw reviewed Red Sister (Book of the Ancestor, #1) by Mark Lawrence (First Book of the Ancestor)
"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'
5 stars
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.
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.
David Scrimshaw reviewed Prince of Thorns by Mark Lawrence
After witnessing the murder of his mother and brother and leading a band of bloodthirsty …
Review of 'Prince of Thorns' on 'Storygraph'
4 stars
This is pretty good dark fantasy.
But, unlike me, you might want to start it after the sequels are published.
David Scrimshaw reviewed Echo Burning by Lee Child
Ex-military cop Jack Reacher returns in this latest in the award-winning series critics call "spectacular" …
Review of 'Echo Burning' on 'Storygraph'
4 stars
This one gets delightfully twisted.
David Scrimshaw reviewed Declare by Tim Powers
Review of 'Declare' on 'Storygraph'
4 stars
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.
David Scrimshaw reviewed Declare by Tim Powers
As a young double agent infiltrating the Soviet spy network in Nazi-occupied Paris, Andrew Hale …
Review of 'Declare' on 'Storygraph'
4 stars
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.
Review of 'Brief Cases (The Dresden Files, #15.1)' on 'Storygraph'
4 stars
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.
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.
David Scrimshaw reviewed Running blind by Lee Child
Jack Reacher is back, dragged into what looks like a series of grisly serial murders …
Review of 'Running blind' on 'Storygraph'
4 stars
It seems like Reacher has met a killer who is too clever for him.
David Scrimshaw reviewed Some of the Kinder Planets by Tim Wynne-Jones
A collection of nine stories by the popular Canadian author, including "The Night of the …
Review of 'Some of the Kinder Planets' on 'Storygraph'
5 stars
After reading book after book with lots of violence, this collection of stories about offbeat kids was just what I needed.
David Scrimshaw reviewed Without Fail (Jack Reacher) by Lee Child (Jack Reacher (6))
Skilled, cautious, and anonymous, Jack Reacher is perfect for the job: to assassinate the vice …
Review of 'Without Fail (Jack Reacher)' on 'Storygraph'
4 stars
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.
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.
David Scrimshaw reviewed Tripwire by Lee Child
Ex-military policeman Jack Reacher is lying low in Key West, digging up swimming pools by …
Review of 'Tripwire' on 'Storygraph'
5 stars
I was happy to see that on this, Jack Reacher doesn't get sucked into a murderous plot because he's in the wrong place at the wrong time. Instead, it's because someone went looking for him.
And Jack Reacher is one big and tough guy. I cannot understand how they have Tom Cruise playing him in movies.
I was happy to see that on this, Jack Reacher doesn't get sucked into a murderous plot because he's in the wrong place at the wrong time. Instead, it's because someone went looking for him.
And Jack Reacher is one big and tough guy. I cannot understand how they have Tom Cruise playing him in movies.
David Scrimshaw reviewed Four Roads Cross by Max Gladstone (Craft sequence)
"The great city of Alt Coulumb is in crisis. The moon goddess Seril, long thought …
Review of 'Four Roads Cross' on 'Storygraph'
5 stars
This one carries on in Alt Coulomb with most of the characters from Three Parts Dead.
Very pleasing.
David Scrimshaw reviewed The Gum Thief by Douglas Coupland
Over the course of several months, two retail workers at an office supply superstore--Roger, a …
Review of 'The Gum Thief' on 'Storygraph'
4 stars
This book has a novel inside a novel and then... there's a novel inside the novel that is inside the novel!
I don't really know if that's a good thing. I was not very interested in the third level down. I cared about the characters in the main novel. Maybe it was deliberate that I wouldn't care so much the further levels down.
The main novel characters know each other from the Staples they work at. That was definitely fun.
And I'm happy to report that this book was in my big pile of books to read and now I can put it in one of the nearby little free libraries.
This book has a novel inside a novel and then... there's a novel inside the novel that is inside the novel!
I don't really know if that's a good thing. I was not very interested in the third level down. I cared about the characters in the main novel. Maybe it was deliberate that I wouldn't care so much the further levels down.
The main novel characters know each other from the Staples they work at. That was definitely fun.
And I'm happy to report that this book was in my big pile of books to read and now I can put it in one of the nearby little free libraries.
David Scrimshaw reviewed Blackfish City by Sam J. Miller
After the climate wars, a floating city is constructed in the Arctic Circle, a remarkable …
Review of 'Blackfish City' on 'Storygraph'
4 stars
This was fun. Reminiscent of Neal Stephenson.
No talking cats or mice, but people bonded with animals. If there's a sequel, we can hope someone to bond with a cat or a rodent.
This was fun. Reminiscent of Neal Stephenson.
No talking cats or mice, but people bonded with animals. If there's a sequel, we can hope someone to bond with a cat or a rodent.
David Scrimshaw reviewed Sourdough: A Novel by Robin Sloan
Lois Clary is a software engineer at General Dexterity, a San Francisco robotics company with …
Review of 'Sourdough: A Novel' on 'Storygraph'
4 stars
Kind of a weird story.
But it made me want to eat sourdough bread. And I am not a bread guy.