Last autumn, Berlin celebrated the 25th anniversary of the opening of the Wall, and the peaceful collapse of the Communist order in eastern Germany. Eight Pieces of Empire: A 20-Year Journey Through the Soviet Collapse, by Lawrence Scott Sheets, reminds readers that in other places the end of Communism was not peaceful at all. The …
January 2015 archive
Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2015/01/09/eight-pieces-of-empire-by-lawrence-scott-sheets/
Jan 06 2015
The Cormorant (Miriam Black) by Chuck Wendig
The Cormorant is the third book in Chuck Wendig’s Miriam Black series. (The first two are Blackbirds and Mockingbird.) These books are intriguing and well-written, as well as entertaining as hell given that Miriam is prone to speaking her mind and she has an extensive vocabulary, as well as the power to tell when people …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2015/01/06/the-cormorant-miriam-black-by-chuck-wendig/
Jan 05 2015
The Peripheral by William Gibson
I adore William Gibson with a slightly unhealthy fierceness, akin to obsession. His Neuromancer was my first introduction to cyberpunk of any sort, and I knew I had found my tribe, or at least part of it. To read Neuromancer in 1984, before everyone had a desktop computer and AOL, was a complete nerdgasm for …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2015/01/05/the-peripheral-by-william-gibson/
Jan 04 2015
The Secret Life of Pronouns: What Our Words Say About Us by James W Pennebaker
Despite the unpromising beginning, The Secret Life Of Pronouns did turn out to be a fascinating look at how our personalities and circumstances influence the language we use, unconsciously betraying us to the canny observer. I especially liked how it tied into the website and the exercises there, with bonus points for the humor. A …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2015/01/04/the-secret-life-of-pronouns-what-our-words-say-about-us-by-james-w-pennebaker/
Jan 04 2015
The Book of Strange New Things: A Novel by Michel Faber
I admit that I was prepared to not like this book. It concerns a Christian pastor being sent to the first inhabitable planet found by humankind so that he can minister to the alien species already living there, but I quickly discovered that that was an extremely simplistic view of the story. What I had …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2015/01/04/the-book-of-strange-new-things-a-novel-by-michel-faber/
Jan 03 2015
Through the Valley of the Nest of Spiders by Samuel R. Delany
I bought this book blindly because of the title and the author. I have loved some of Samuel R. Delany’s past science fiction novels, and that’s how I thought of him – a Science Fiction writer and only a Science Fiction writer. Combine that with the title and I thought I couldn’t go wrong with …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2015/01/03/through-the-valley-of-the-nest-of-spiders-by-samuel-r-delany/
Jan 02 2015
Never Deal With a Dragon / Choose Your Enemies Carefully / Find Your Own Truth by Robert N. Charrette
For my first review for the Frumious Consortium, I’d like to start with a bang, a triple play. Three books at once, all part of a trilogy inscribed in the same universe, all by the same author, and all uncommonly uniform enough in style and execution as to try and pass a single review as …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2015/01/02/never-deal-with-a-dragon-choose-your-enemies-carefully-find-your-own-truth-robert-n-charrette/
Jan 02 2015
The Stolen: An American Faerie Tale by Bishop O’Connell
I’m not entirely sure why I picked this book up. I have an enormous To Be Read (TBR) pile that’s 400+ books and counting, and so when I finally get to a book, I often have trouble remembering how or when it got into the pile. In the spirit of trying to reconcile my need …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2015/01/02/the-stolen-an-american-faerie-tale-by-bishop-oconnell/
Jan 02 2015
Cold Days by Jim Butcher
One of the biggest issues with a SF/F series is in the area of character development and growth. While mysteries require no change to the characters themselves, a series has the difficult balancing act of maintaining accessibility for first time readers, while simultaneously rewarding fans with meaningful growth and character development. One of the tipping …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2015/01/02/cold-days-by-jim-butcher/
Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2015/01/02/taking-stock-of-2014/
Al Singh
Doug Merrill
Doreen Sheridan
John Pitzel
Lars N. Goldschlager
Laura Eilers
Professor X
Robert Maedgen
Sylvere Ap Leanan
The Shire