From: Mylee Ejercito 
Date: Thu, 26 Nov 1998 18:14:32 -0500 (EST)
Subject: Book reviews

        Hi!  I stumbled on your book reviews page by doing a search on
Hyperion.  A friend recommended it and I borrowed it from the library.
I'd actually borrowed it previously, but due to the perversity of human
nature, I never got around to reading it.  You're right -- the more it's
recommended, the less likely the recommendee is to read it.  I finally
started reading it last night and ended up finishing it and not getting
any sleep and I was frustrated because the book ended the way it did.  I
was trying to see if I could get s sneak peek at what Fall of Hyperion was
like, since today's Thanksgiving and the library is closed.  The best tale
by far in Hyperion was the priest's.  The consul's story seemed a little
strange to me, but then again, that could be because it was already 6 AM
and I hadn't had any sleep.  It was also obvious that he was going to be
the Ouster spy.

        I read SF, but I've mostly been reading what I call chick-SF --
Anne McCaffrey, Mercedes Lackey, Marion Zimmer Bradley....  The
first DragonRiders trilogy is written in a somewhat different style
compared to her later books.  The dragons appeal to female readers because
the they are basically winged horses who know and understand you so
perfectly, you'll never be alone.  The human-dragon bond just screams of
commitment.  No offense to anyone.  The one good thing that's fairly
unique in Pern is that there is no supervillain.  The enemy is inanimate.
All of McCaffrey's books have strong female protagonists.  The Rowan _is_
good, Damia is a somewhat weaker version of the Rowan, and the next two
books are pretty much just about the recurring threat of the Hive.  The
Crystal Singer series is strong, and the first two B&B Ship books are
good.  Don't bother with the Acorna and Freedom series unless you're a
real McCaffrey fan.

        Mercedes Lackey's books are enjoyable, but they are definitely
geared towards female readers.  There are several books about elves in the
city, which were interesting but not gripping.  The Bardic Voices series
(I think that's what they're called) aren't that good.  The first book,
the Lark and the Wren, is good, but the rest just rehashes the same theme.
I read all the Valdemar books, mainly because I suffer from series
addiction -- once I begin it, I'm compelled to read all of it.  If you're
into sentient animals, read it.  Otherwise, I'd say skip the series except
for the Magic Trilogy, which has more depth than the rest of the books,
plus it doesn't end with the heroes living happily ever after.

        I have to admit that though I read quite a few Darkover books by
MZB, it didn't really grab my attention and imagination.  I've heard many
good things about the Mists of Avalon, and someday, I'll get around to
actually reading it.  She has another woman's perspective book about
Cassandra and the fall of Troy -- I can't remember the title offhand.  It
was interesting, but it took me a while to get through it.

        I've also heard that the first couple of books of Jennifer
Roberson's Chronicles of Cheysuli are good, but the rest kinda peters out.
The Sword books are great though -- Sword Dancer, Sword Singer, Sword
Maker, Sword Breaker.  Plenty of plot twists, but not too many that the
reader feels cheated.  I read these about six years ago, and recently, I
found out that there is a recently released fifth book, as well as a sixth
book that will come out in '99.  She also has a book called Lady of the
Forest which deals with the Robin Hood legend from Marian's perspective,
and it's very good.  There's a definite historic feel to it.

        Patricia McKillip's Forgotten Beasts of Eld is very good, and so
is Sheri Tepper's Family Tree.  The Family Tree is somewhat confusing at
the beginning because you alternate between the present and the future,
but it comes together about midway through the book, and there are some
very good plot twists.  Tepper's Shadow's End was also good, but I have to
admit that I could not get through Jillian Star-Eyed (or something like
that).  So far, the stories I've read from her have dealt with nature
having her revenge on humans for screwing up the environment.

        Charles deLint!  You could say that he writes modern fairy tales,
but that doesn't adequately describe his work.  Memory and Dream is very
high on my list.  If an artist puts enough of himself (or herself in this
case) in his painting, the figures in his painting take on a life of their
own.  It's very well written and mostly character-driven.  Spiritwalk
comes after Moonheart, but you can read it without reading the other.
It's an odd mix of European and Native American folklore but it works
well. The stories about Jacky Rowan (a modern retelling of Jack the GiantKiller)
aren't as good, but Someplace to Fly is excellent.  I didn't see deLint on
your list... I certainly recommend him, especially Memory and Dream.  His
books are somewhat introspective.  The main characters are certainly very
3-dimensional.

        I recently read Kirinyaga, by Mike Resnick.  Excellent.  It's
actually more like a collection of sequential short stories about a group
of Kikuyus (a Kenyan tribe) who immigrate to a new planet to create
their own Utopia by going back to the old ways.  Unfortunately, society
keeps changing and though Utopia may be achieved, it cannot be maintained.

        I've heard many good things about Tad Williams but the length of
his books have been putting me off.  (Same reason why I refuse to read
Jordan.) Once I get into a series, I need to get through them as soon as
possible, and I just don't have the time for it right now.  Maybe I'll get
it this winter break, when I finally have time to do some relaxing.

        Okay, this email has gone on for too long.  I need to stop
procrastinating and get back to my paper regarding pre- and postsynaptic
facilitation in Aplysia.  Sounds like a thrilling topic, doesn't it?

        Great website.  Love to link it to my page when I finally get
around to finishing it....


Mylee Ejercito