Wulf C. Krueger

»Annie used to have a funny theory: we all have a Year Zero around which the calendars of our lives pivot. At some point you meet someone, and they become so important, so metamorphic, that ten, twenty, sixty-five years down the line you look back and realize that you could split your existence in two. Before they showed (BCE), and your Common Era. Your very own Gregorian calendar.«“[b:Love on the Brain 59571699 Love on the Brain Ali Hazelwood https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1657897729l/59571699.SY75.jpg 93021199]” by [a:Ali Hazelwood 21098177 Ali Hazelwood https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1611084228p2/21098177.jpg] is - for the time being - my gold standard for romance. It's the lovechild of romance and nerdiness; it's The Ultimate Nerdy Romance! Almost every sentence was pure joy to read!»I will slay a murder of dragons for you.”- “I looked it up,” Levi says from the doorjamb. “It's a thunder of dragons.”«Bee Königswasser meets her arch-nemesis from graduate school, Levi Ward, again when she's taking up a position as a co-lead with him on a NASA project. She has a lot of good reasons to believe Levi hates her but...Bee is obsessed with Marie Curie, he's a guy with a cat named Schrödinger. What could possibly go wrong?»Wouldn't you tell yourself that there's a reason this cluster of shit came about? Saturn ascending to the house of Sagittarius. Not enough lambs sacrificed to the Spaghetti Monster. Bad things come in threes. We're only humans. We're full of “whys,” drowning in “whys.” Every once in a while, we need a bit of “because,” and if it's not readily available, we make it up.«The answer is simple: Nothing - from the chapter names, e. g. “Raphe nuclei: Happiness” (Raphe nuclei quite literally make you happy!), to the scribble-inspired picture of dots, crosses and circles that lead into every chapter and made me happy on their own, to the intelligent writing, to the opinions expressed (“Anyway, Harry Potter is tainted forever [...]”). Ali Hazelwood gets it right on every single level.She makes liberal use of amusing pop culture references and Hazelwood's proverbial feather tickles not only my diaphragm but easily surpasses many other books.»Science, I tell myself in my inner Jeff Goldblum voice, finds a way.«On the other hand, I felt ashamed for my fellow men when Hazelwood so aptly wrote about women not only in STEM but in my profession, IT (Information Technology), as well:»As I wait for the crowd to disperse, I take stock of the room. Levi's team appears to be WurstFest™ material. The well-known Meatwave. A Dicksplosion in the Testosteroven. The good old Brodeo.«Many, if not, sadly, even most of us, are just like that and I'd like to apologise to every non-male co-worker whom I've not supported as I should have in such a situation. I know I could have done better and I promise I've been working on improving for years now and will keep trying.Apart from that, I couldn't help but relate to Bee in so many aspects... From her fear of spiders...»“It's just . . . animals are so cute. Except for spiders. But spiders are not really animals.”«... to actually thinking about appropriate collective nouns for the most majestic fictitious animals...»a murder of dragons.”- “Is that their collective noun?”“It should be.”«Hazelwood doesn't just achieve greatness by appealing to my inner nerd, though, but she has a whole lot of pretty good ideas like the “Year Zero” I quoted at the very beginning. She is deeply sympathetic to both Bee and Levi in all their respective glorious imperfections - from Bee's annoying assumptions born out of her past experiences to Levi's inability to actually declare his feelings. I love how natural those two feel.»“Oh.” I flush as vermillion as a cardinal male at the peak of mating season. My heart thrashes in my chest—also like a cardinal male at the peak of mating season. “Right.”«It's not just the primary characters Hazelwood gets right, though: Rocío, Bee's research assistant, a grumpy goth who falls hard for a blond, bubbly, pink-loving woman, coming fresh from a relationship with a guy and Bee not even blinking an eye...Annie, her former best friend, Guy... They all feel like real people. It's just plain great to read about them all.Even the smallest details...»Levi and I aren't going to have a ceremony until this summer. July 26, to be precise.«... are just plain perfect! (If you're reading this on Amazon, google “marie curie july 26”, if you're elsewhere just click here)This entire book is smart, clever, warm-hearted, intelligent, inclusive, liberal, progressive and all-around brilliant! If you're even the tiniest bit of a nerd, read it. If you're into romance, read it. Easiest and happiest five out five stars this year so far!Blog Facebook Twitter Instagram Pinterest Medium Matrix TumblrCeterum censeo Putin esse delendam

DNF at 58%... I really hoped I would like “[b:A Soldier's Quartet 59082674 A Soldier's Quartet Colin Baldwin https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1632761971l/59082674.SY75.jpg 93170965]” by [a:Colin Baldwin 21837511 Colin Baldwin https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1654332865p2/21837511.jpg] but it was not to be for a lot of reasons.First of all, we're jumping around in time as if we were Doctor Who's new companion - from 1918 to 2018 to 1914 and so on and on... This is not only confusing and exhausting, it actually wastes the chance to actually make us care about the German soldier Wolf who first dies and only later do we get insight into some of his life before. Also, the narration about Conrad's contemporary research into the letter doesn't really work for me: It's a thinly veiled memoir of Colin's endeavours and it feels entirely authentic (including some “classic” German habits and traditions) - but, to me, it's just not very interesting. A lot of it would totally work and amaze me if told briefly and anecdotally in person. Not so much as a book, though.There's also at least one instance in which a lot of story is told - only to be summarised immediately afterwards in a dialogue between Conrad and his neighbour Wally. This made no sense at all story-wise and intrinsically felt weird - would you make your neighbour summarise what you've told them over the fence for the last few weeks?At least part of the writing was (sometimes literally) extremely flowery and over the top:»Suddenly, the flowers reverted to the colours of war. He was infuriated by their trickery. They turned and took aim, delivering a crushing blow. He felt powerless to defend himself.«Last but not least, I really disagree with some fundamental assumptions, ideas and wording: Chapter ten is called “1914. Germany Enters The Great War”. No, Germany didn't enter it, Germany caused World War 1. They most likely didn't want the war but they knowingly accepted the risk of a global war and fought it as long as they possibly could.»It is my belief, the young men mentioned in this letter, and all soldiers who died in the war, have no voice in history. I now wish to give them a chance to speak.«And that's the second issue: No, I strongly disagree with that statement. Twice my country has tumbled the world into the horrors of global wars. Twice its young men fought for their respective leader and their country. They were proud to fight, in very many cases they volunteered to fight. In both world wars they fought, committed war crimes and so on.I'm saying: No, the German soldiers deserve no voice. They do not deserve the many memorials all over Germany either. What they did needs to be remembered, who they were may be forgotten. I'm stating this as one whose own grandfather died as a soldier in World War 2. His name shall be forgotten.There are some truths about Europe that I'd like to highlight, though:»When it's the language, culture and friendship that bind us, borders and walls become irrelevant.«That is absolutely true and with the Schengen Area, (most of) Europe has grown together like never before. For the purpose of travelling the borders are practically gone. I've travelled in Europe before the treaty of Schengen of 1995 and it was a dream come true when the borders peacefully fell away...»One blink of an eye and you wouldn't even know you've crossed a border!«Even after all these years whenever I cross the border into my beloved France, I cry because there's nothing that prevents me from visiting the country in friendship that my own Germany has fought against not even 80 years ago...(At least I cry if I even notice I crossed the border because in the border regions between the German state of Rhineland-Palate and French Alsace, there often simply is no discernible border!)So, all in all, I cannot help but rate this book at two out of five stars. I still encourage you to read this book if you're interested in World War 1 - my conviction is, of course, highly subjective and your mileage may differ.Nichts für ungut, Colin, and I hope we can stay friends!Blog Facebook Twitter Instagram Pinterest Medium Matrix TumblrCeterum censeo Putin esse delendam

»“If I am so damaged that I would need to be reset, I would rather be decommissioned and my parts used to repair others.”«(Highly relatable; I'm an organ donor - what about you?)“[b:Bots of the Lost Ark 60791147 Bots of the Lost Ark Suzanne Palmer https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1649659279l/60791147.SY75.jpg 95860954]” by [a:Suzanne Palmer 5105382 Suzanne Palmer https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1533054488p2/5105382.jpg] was a fun read! In this sequel short story to the earlier “[b:The Secret Life of Bots 48764297 The Secret Life of Bots Suzanne Palmer https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1587570930l/48764297.SY75.jpg 74139779]” which took place 68 years earlier, the bots on the damaged spaceship “Ship” have gone haywire and Bot-9 returns to save the day.Some old acquaintances are back in new roles, the story is nice and amusing and the writing is good. Four stars out of five.Blog Facebook Twitter Instagram Pinterest Medium Matrix TumblrCeterum censeo Putin esse delendamMerged review:»“If I am so damaged that I would need to be reset, I would rather be decommissioned and my parts used to repair others.”«(Highly relatable; I'm an organ donor - what about you?)“[b:Bots of the Lost Ark 60791147 Bots of the Lost Ark Suzanne Palmer https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1649659279l/60791147.SY75.jpg 95860954]” by [a:Suzanne Palmer 5105382 Suzanne Palmer https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1533054488p2/5105382.jpg] was a fun read! In this sequel short story to the earlier “[b:The Secret Life of Bots 48764297 The Secret Life of Bots Suzanne Palmer https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1587570930l/48764297.SY75.jpg 74139779]” which took place 68 years earlier, the bots on the damaged spaceship “Ship” have gone haywire and Bot-9 returns to save the day.Some old acquaintances are back in new roles, the story is nice and amusing and the writing is good. Four stars out of five.Blog Facebook Twitter Instagram Pinterest Medium Matrix TumblrCeterum censeo Putin esse delendam

“[b:The Dance of the Serpents 52701230 The Dance of the Serpents (Frey & McGray, #6) Oscar de Muriel https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1585165515l/52701230.SY75.jpg 78584669]” is book six of [a:Oscar de Muriel's 8584678 Oscar de Muriel https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1515333621p2/8584678.jpg] “Frey & McGray” series. The series started out interesting enough with Frey being the rational investigator during superstitious times. McGray on the other hand always was basically seeing the “supernatural” all around him and in everything in their cases.There used to be kind of an equilibrium between both of them: It used to be unclear if there truly was a supernatural force involved or if everything was actually due to “natural causes”. We, the readers, could be the judge of that. This worked well enough for the first four books. Along came “[b:The Darker Arts 43821089 The Darker Arts (Frey & McGray, #5) Oscar de Muriel https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1558761089l/43821089.SY75.jpg 68192404]” in which Frey's no nonsense attitude became overwhelmingly dominant and McGray was pretty much demoted to an unhinged clown. cf. my review.This book reverses these roles to some extent: McGray's superstition - bordering on obsession - gets to dominate everything else. Probably because “The Dance of the Serpents” continues (and completely derails) the story told in the second book in which Frey and McGray unmasked a coven of witches... I for one only have some dim, fleeting memories of that book which I read more than five years ago but de Muriel doesn't care and simply assumes we're going to remember.Whereas in earlier instalments we had some subtlety and nuances, there's nothing of that left here. The action - while almost completely bland and uninspired - is fast-paced, almost non-stop. None of the former ambivalence between “magic”/superstition and the real world remains - possibly because there's no time to breathe and think. Even Frey falls prey to paranoia, e. g. thinking every single raven must be an agent of the witches...Even worse, for about 70% of the book, we have hardly any clue what this is about because until then it's kind of a vicious circle: Something bad happens, our heroes travel somewhere only half-knowing why at best. At or after their arrival something bad happens - again. And, again, they travel onwards, hardly knowing where and why.Once we finally get to know what this is all truly about, it turns out to be an uninspired convoluted mess of a story that hardly makes any sense at all, turns history into travesty and unnecessarily tries to turn Queen Victoria into some kind of deranged monster.I only finished this because I will read the final book in this series which was recently published and in which “All will be revealed...” according to the blurb and there are a few loose threads I want to see picked up. Afterwards, I'm most likely going to avoid Oscar de Muriel like the bubonic plague.I'm already worried how de Muriel will bring this formerly great series to the worst possible conclusion...Till then: One out of five stars for this botched effort.Blog Facebook Twitter Instagram Pinterest Medium Matrix TumblrCeterum censeo Putin esse delendam

»“Live with it? That's it? That's your answer? What kind of adult are you, anyway?”«(A teenaged young woman to Josie; representative of what I believed about adults at that age...)For a police procedural in its 15th instalment, “[b:Local Girl Missing 61846012 Local Girl Missing (Detective Josie Quinn, #15) Lisa Regan https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1659540842l/61846012.SY75.jpg 96442640]” by [a:Lisa Regan 6443334 Lisa Regan https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1589563239p2/6443334.jpg] is simply outstanding - inventive and imaginative and really, truly suspenseful and thrilling. I will not resort to that horrible “unword” about being unable to put down a book but this is what happened to me here. I actually completely drained my Kindle's battery and swore when it ran out of juice - during the final chapter, of course!Let's not get too much ahead of us just yet: As mentioned, this is yet another instalment of a series of police procedurals featuring Detective Josie Quinn from the fictitious small town of Denton, Pennsylvania.Co-starring are Josie's team consisting of her now-husband Noah, Gretchen, Mettner, their chief and others in “supporting roles”. While long-term Josie fans like myself will recognise and enjoy every old “acquaintance”, every important character is properly introduced (without boring the true connoisseur!) so that this book can actually be enjoyed as a stand-alone thriller or serve as a worthy entry to the entire series.On their return trip from their Honeymoon, Josie and Noah get “stuck” on the road due to intense fog (YAY!). Without warning, a girl sprints away to disappear without a trace...When they emerge from the car, carefully investigating, Noah and Josie find a ransacked car and a murderer straddling his victim...This is the immediate beginning of the book and it's suitably ominous. What follows is a complex and complicated investigation into a string of murders, afore-mentioned disappearance, the corruption of an architect and... others!There's not much “literary meat” on these thrillers but Lisa Regan writes very well, always has an interesting story to tell and as long as you enjoy the genre and are willing to suspend your disbelief just a little (!) I can guarantee that you won't be disappointed if you're new to this series.If - like me - you're a Josie aficionado you'll feel right at home and won't have any issues - as so often, we're dropped right into the “action” and every single character works as well as pretty much always! Your knowledge of the earlier instalments will greatly add to your enjoyment since there are quite a few references which you'll rejoice in remembering (but if you don't understand them, you lose nothing).Short interludes from a specific perspective break up the sometimes extremely exciting chapters, which are of perfect length (approx. 10 minutes of reading), and allow for the deep breath that is due.Lisa Regan, it seems to me, is at the top of her game with this book. If she can keep churning out book after book in this quality my basic reading fodder is secure for years to come!Easy five stars out of five!Blog Facebook Twitter Instagram Pinterest Medium Matrix TumblrCeterum censeo Putin esse delendam

“[b:The Night She Disappeared 55922299 The Night She Disappeared Lisa Jewell https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1628703473l/55922299.SY75.jpg 87068692]” by [a:Lisa Jewell 93504 Lisa Jewell https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1657723367p2/93504.jpg] was a truly suspenseful read! Tallulah, 19, mother to baby Noah, and her boyfriend Zach of the same age vanish without a trace. Left behind is Tallulah's mother Kim who takes care of Noah.In three narrated time strands we get to better understand what happened in the eponymous night - in one from Tallulah's point of view, in another from that of her mother Kim who cannot rest until her child is at least found and in the final strand we get to accompany mystery writer Sophie who literally unearths the key to the entire mystery...A mansion with a secret tunnel, a boarding school for “difficult” pupils, a new head teacher, an illustrious but shady prominent family - what could possibly go wrong in a novel with these ingredients!?And, in fact, almost nothing does: Every character feels real and convincing - up to and including the dog. The atmosphere shifts between village peace and harmony, the fore-boding and - in the present time - uninhabited mansion as well as Sophie's curiosity when she digs deeper into the mystery; they all work very well and made this book into one I didn't want to put down.There are a few loose ends, though, which I think would have been nice to get closure on - from the burnt odour in Sophie's cottage which we hear about several times but never get to the bottom of to the unresolved relationships issues between Sophie and Shaun to, last but not least, the strange behaviour of Megs, Zach's mother.All in all, a suspenseful mystery. Four out of five stars.Blog Facebook Twitter Instagram Pinterest Medium Matrix TumblrCeterum censeo Putin esse delendam

I feel a bit like a philistine when it comes to “[b:Brokeback Mountain 1627 Brokeback Mountain Annie Proulx https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1442919969l/1627.SY75.jpg 1795113]”: The relationship between the two farm hands, Ennis and Jack, made sense to me and felt real. Sadly, both the story this short story tells as well as the style in which it is told, fall somewhat flat for me.[a:Annie Proulx 1262010 Annie Proulx https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1219720509p2/1262010.jpg] laconically and unemotionally narrates her story and while there are some powerful scenes (the shirts...), I cannot help but feel that some of this story's potential hasn't been fulfilled.I'm late to to read this, though: First published in 1997 and the narrated time starting quite a bit earlier, western societies at least are changing: We're still farther from true equality than I had would have hoped for but at least in my native Germany, we're making progress:With Nyke Slawik und Tessa Ganserer we have two openly transgender people elected to the German parliament, the Bundestag.And there are more members of the German parliament who give me hope that the times of “tire irons” are over. If you're interested, read about Armand Zorn, Lamya Kaddor, Kassem Taher Saleh, Muhanad Al-Halak, Serap Güler, Ates Gürpinar (and my apologies in advance to those people whose names I've missed!).Three out of five stars for this novella.Blog Facebook Twitter Instagram Pinterest Medium Matrix TumblrCeterum censeo Putin esse delendam

After landing her car in the ditch, Alexis Montgomery is “rescued” by Daniel Grant and introduced to the small rural town of Wakan. Alexis, 37, is a hot-shot emergency room physician from a dynasty of physicians who have traditionally been closely linked to the hospital at which Alexis herself works. Daniel, 28, on the other hand is from a founding family of Wakan and his family has always lived there and has risen to very local prominence. He runs a B&B in his ancestral home and lives in and above the mansion's garage with his dog and the carpentry pieces he works on as a hobby.Of course, after meeting each other, both Alexis and Daniel fall in love with each other and what follows is a nice ride through a plethora of large and small problems before the inevitable happy end. So far, so good...Sadly, there are a few issues: From the very beginning, Alexis finds issue after issue with actually having a real committed relationship with Daniel - the distance (he's a two-hour ride from where she lives), the age gap (nine years... Pfft!), the end of her previous relationship three months earlier and, worst of all, the economic difference between them which she turns into a “caste system”...»Only this time I'd been born too soon and into a different level of a caste system that he couldn't scale. It made me a little sad.«A caste system? That Daniel couldn't scale? That's the mindset of someone I'd really strongly dislike. This is reinforced by two of Alexis' girlfriends who are even worse than that.I do get [a:Abby Jimenez 18446724 Abby Jimenez https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1651706989p2/18446724.jpg] does this to be able to show a changed and rehabilitated Alexis in the great finale but I found myself strongly annoyed and put off by Alexis constantly making excuses why her relationship with Daniel is doomed anyway.My second major gripe is Alexis behaving like she's in her early twenties at best instead of being 37: »I'd get invited to holidays and celebrations with parents who wouldn't have him, so he couldn't come.«So because her retired parents from whom she's economically completely independent disapprove of having a relationship with someone “below” their “social sphere” Alexis actually wants to break things off with Daniel?Right now, I'm 46. I've been married for pretty much exactly half my life to the woman I love. Of whom my parents didn't approve for a decade or so. Who happened to live in another country. I married her regardless, we have three adult children now.I was infuriated by what my parents thought but, ultimately, I didn't care. I was prepared to cut them out of my life if I had to. Maybe you feel like Alexis does...»Or if my dad thinks I'm a complete waste of his DNA? I'm already the weakest link in Montgomery history. I have to give a fuck. I have no choice.”«You do not have to give a fuck. You do have a choice. You can decide to lead a happy life with whomever you love - regardless of age, gender, social “standing”, etc.. Yes, you can.»They made me feel like crap, actually.«If someone makes you feel like that, cut them out. Regardless of who they are. Even if they are your parents. It's not worth it and toxic people rarely change enough...These issues somewhat impaired my enjoyment of “[b:Part of Your World 58684524 Part of Your World Abby Jimenez https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1634649284l/58684524.SX50.jpg 90170665]” but all in all it was still a good, entertaining romance.Rounded-up four out of five stars.Blog Facebook Twitter Instagram Pinterest Medium Matrix TumblrCeterum censeo Putin esse delendam

In some aspects, “[b:Listen To Me 58885794 Listen To Me (Rizzoli & Isles, #13) Tess Gerritsen https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1634656796l/58885794.SY75.jpg 90963080]” is a departure from earlier books in the series: The story is told (mostly) alternatingly from the perspectives of the main characters: There's, of course, Jane Rizzoli, cop, married to Gabriel, mother to their daughter Regina. Another but rather disappointingly short and inconsequential major character is Maura Isles, Medical Examiner, but she's playing second fiddle to Angela Rizzoli, Jane's mother, who is also the local neighbourhood spy...»Yes, I've come to know them all a little better and they've come to know me, and even though we don't always see eye-to-eye, and we sometimes stop talking to one another and occasionally even try to kill one another, this is my neighborhood. Someone has to keep an eye on it.It might as well be me.«Finally, there's Amy's point of view which becomes increasingly important. Apart from those familiar faces, things seem to have changed over the past five years since the previous instalment. At least to me, all characters feel more like the great-but-different TV series: Everyone is more quirky and things are much less gritty than usual.Don't get me wrong: This isn't bad because I like both the TV series as well as these books, I've come to expect darker, grittier stories whereas this one does have a thrill at the end, it does feel more tame and there's more comic relief.Sadly, Kossack is mostly away to help his sister and, thus, most of the secondary characters like Frankie (Jane's brother) and others are mostly or completely missing. Only Frost is allowed to help.Still, it's a good, thrilling, suspenseful read which garners four out of five stars from me.Blog Facebook Twitter Instagram Pinterest Medium Matrix TumblrCeterum censeo Putin esse delendam

»I only need repent, they say, and I will go to heaven and live for evermore in the blessed company of the saints.And I would rather burn till time itself burns out.«(Same here!)“[b:Sword Song 1297150 Sword Song (The Saxon Stories, #4) Bernard Cornwell https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1630471317l/1297150.SY75.jpg 3186921]” is yet another great entry in this series! Uthred is supposed to capture Lundene - London - for King Alfred as a wedding present to Aethelflaed and Aethelred.Of course, Uthred prevails but only after a lot of water (and blood) runs down the Thames...At least, though, for a while Uthred can truthfully state »We were so happy.« - a very much deserved state of mind for both Gisela and him.We get to see some more humour in this book as well...»I killed that ship's crew to save myself having to kill hundreds of other Danes.”“The Lord Jesus would have wanted you to show mercy,” she said, her eyes wide.She is an idiot.«I would have immediately read on in Uthred's story but I don't want to burn out my reading interest in him so I've temporarily gone on a different reading path!Meanwhile, four stars out of five for this book!Blog Facebook Twitter Instagram Pinterest Medium Matrix TumblrCeterum censeo Putin esse delendam

»I had a taste for this kind of madness. In madness lies change, in change is opportunity, and in opportunity are riches.«I had every intention to temporarily remove myself from the amazing literary maelstrom this series has proven to be for me but, alas, when I looked through the books I actually intended to read right now, I kept feeling drawn to “[b:Lords of the North 68526 Lords of the North (The Saxon Stories, #3) Bernard Cornwell https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1440472759l/68526.SY75.jpg 891853]”, the third instalment in [a:Bernard Cornwell's 12542 Bernard Cornwell https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1504578807p2/12542.jpg] “Saxon Stories”.This time, we accompany Uthred to the north where he meets Guthred, another king who plays Uthred almost as well as Alfred does. We also see Uthred clash with his arch-enemy, Kjartan the Cruel, and the latter's son, Sven the One-Eyed.As usual Uthred keeps curious company: From Finnan whom Uthred meets in captivity (the one part of the book that didn't engage as much as the rest (just like in the TV series!)) to Sithric up to Saint Cuthbert himself and, quite literally, parts of Saint Oswald...Even though - to me at least - this is not the strongest book so far, I very much enjoyed it and found I simply had to start its successor, “[b:Sword Song 1297150 Sword Song (The Saxon Stories, #4) Bernard Cornwell https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1630471317l/1297150.SY75.jpg 3186921]” despite my continued best intention to quit this addiction! I can only encourage you, dear reader, to stop struggling against any similar reluctance right now and to get started on this great series! (Or, to quote another favourite: “Resistance is futile.”)Four out of five stars.Blog Facebook Twitter Instagram Pinterest Medium Matrix TumblrCeterum censeo Putin esse delendam

“[b:The Pale Horseman 68528 The Pale Horseman (The Saxon Stories, #2) Bernard Cornwell https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1651524566l/68528.SX50.jpg 891875]”, book two in [a:Bernard Cornwell's 12542 Bernard Cornwell https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1504578807p2/12542.jpg] “Saxon Stories”, picks up right where we left Uthred in “[b:The Last Kingdom 68527 The Last Kingdom (The Saxon Stories, #1) Bernard Cornwell https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1407107780l/68527.SY75.jpg 881821]”. The Danes overrun Wessex and King Alfred has to hide in a swamp. And that's my one small gripe about this book: We get to know that swamp pretty damn well.Large parts of “Horseman” take place in the swamp and it's a bleak place.Apart from that there's everything the first book had: Action, battles, betrayal, politics!It adds new and exciting characters (Iseult!), places, intrigues and much more. At its core, “Horseman” is, fortunately, more of the same as “The Last Kingdom” and if you liked that one, it's highly likely you'll enjoy this one, too.Now, you'll have to excuse me again because right after the last page of this book, I started reading its successor and had a hard time making room for writing this!Four out of five stars!Blog Facebook Twitter Instagram Pinterest Medium Matrix TumblrCeterum censeo Putin esse delendam

First “Vikings” came along and rekindled my interest. Next I stumbled upon “The Last Kingdom” and I was done for - Uthred, a hero, between both worlds - Dane and West Saxon. A guy whose survival to old age tells us we can rest assured he will survive whatever fate (which is all!) throws in his way.Intelligence, courage, boldness, daring, audacity! All “mixed” into one man, one hero! Irresistible!Bloody battles, cunning, betrayal, you name it, it's all here. Written in long, flowing chapters including stirring descriptions of the land and its people.King Alfred of Wessex, pious yet clever, ensnaring Uthred into his service time after time.Raw, mediaeval and wild!Highly recommended to anyone liking historical fiction and can stomach a very “generous” share of violence.Five out of five stars and now please excuse me while I devour the next instalment.Blog Facebook Twitter Instagram Pinterest Medium Matrix TumblrCeterum censeo Putin esse delendam

Auf den Tag genau vor einem Jahr überschrieb ich meine Rezension von [b:Band 10 56230088 Bretonische Idylle (Kommissar Dupin, #10) Jean-Luc Bannalec https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1607513393l/56230088.SY75.jpg 87585764] mit den Worten “Nicht schlecht, aber das können Sie besser, Monsieur Bannalec!”.Und genau das hat [a:Monsieur Bannalec 5763576 Jean-Luc Bannalec https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] mit “[b:Bretonische Nächte 59902596 Bretonische Nächte (Kommissar Dupin, #11) Jean-Luc Bannalec https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1640089119l/59902596.SY75.jpg 94321103]” eindrucksvoll bewiesen; hat er es doch geschafft, einen neuen Höhepunkt dieser ohnehin sehr unterhaltsamen und spannenden Reihe abzuliefern.Dieses Mal geht es um den Tod von Kadeqs Tante, einen Angriff auf Kadeg selbst und weitere Morde! Natürlich läßt es sich Dupin keinesfalls nehmen, in einem solchen Fall zu ermitteln - auch wenn sich alles ein gutes Stück von Concarneau entfernt abspielt.In diesem wunderbaren Buch vereint sich für mich alles, was die Reihe um Dupin ausmacht: Genuß (beim Lesen, aber auch bei Speis' und Trank!)...»Das Beste war, den Teller am Ende mit einem Stück Baguette auszuwischen, auf dem sich die Reste der Mayonnaise mit den Aromen der Meeresfrüchte vermischten. Ein marines Elixier.«Eine wunderbare Sprache, die zeitweise geradezu poetisch wirkt...»Das Licht hatte jetzt schlagartig abgenommen, die Orange- und Rosatöne wurden ins All gesaugt, so wirkte es, in ein kaltes, wenn auch faszinierendes kristallines dunkles Blau.«... aber auch - wie das Sujet, das Bannalec so gut zu kennen scheint - mal spröde und wild, mal mitreißend und wortgewaltig sein kann.Immer aber sind Bannalecs Bücher gefüllt von feiner, aber - auf jeden Fall in diesem Band - nie überbordender Beschreibung von Landschaft im Allgemeinen über ihre Bewohner bis hin zu wichtigen Details des jeweiligen Themas. »Bald ging es den Hügel hoch. Er sah auf den Tacho. Hundertzwanzig. Auf einer winzigen Straße. Carman fuhr wie Dupin. Ein Fahrstil, mit dem Dupin prinzipiell kein Problem hatte, solange er selbst fuhr.«Ganz besonders “seine Bretonen” kennt der Autor und charakterisiert sie feinsinnig, intelligent und voller Wärme und Empathie. Dabei ist aber sein Dupin auch schon mal grob und sturköpfig, gleichzeitig aber intelligent und intuitiv - eine Kombination, von der diese Bücher leben und die die Geschichten so reizvoll macht.Hinzu kommt, daß sich die Dupin-Reihe einfach gut und flüssig lesen läßt. Selten ziehen sich die Dinge, aber erfreulicherweise sind es auch nur ganz selten die großen Zufälle, sondern die kleinen, letztlich nachvollziehbaren Details, die folgerichtig zur Lösung des Falles führen.Dabei gilt die Sympathie Dupins immer den Opfern und ihren Angehörigen und die Täter sind - nach Überführung - für ihn kaum noch relevant; seine Arbeit ist getan. Gleichzeitig aber ist Dupin einer jener Glücksfälle von Polizisten, die auch genauer hinsehen.Auch Neues bringen die “Bretonischen Nächte”: Nachdem Nevou - eine der beiden “Neuen” - bisher eher blaß und weitgehend “ungenutzt” blieb, spielt sie hier eine passende, originelle und nuancierte Rolle, was mir gut gefallen hat. War Nevou bisher eher schemenhaft geblieben, habe ich jetzt ein “Bild” von ihr und freue mich auf weitere literarische Begegnungen mit ihr.Last but not least schwingt bei den Dupin-Romanen aber auch immer eine “Basis-Note” mit, die Anstoß zum Nachdenken gibt - wenn man das möchte...»Das Haus eines Toten hatte etwas Tröstliches und Trauriges zugleich. War die verstorbene Person in ihm zwar präsent wie nirgendwo, hatte zugleich jedoch alles seinen Bezug und seinen Sinn verloren. Warum befand sich was an welchem Ort? Warum dieses Bild? Dieser Krimskrams? Diese eine aufbewahrte leere Weinflasche? Zu welchem Anlass war sie leer getrunken worden? Warum dieser eine gelbe Stuhl? Diese und Hunderte andere Dinge – alle waren auf die einzigartige Person bezogen, die sich ihre Welt erschaffen hatte. Mit Dingen, die Teil dieser Person geworden waren. Zur ihr gehörten. Nun waren sie einfach nur noch Dinge.«Dupin lesen, das ist nach nunmehr 11 Bänden schon beinahe ein jährliches Ritual. Eines, das ich sehr mag und ich bin mir ganz sicher, Dupin sähe sich da in schöner Einigkeit mit mir.»Dupin war eine Weile in sich versunken, dann hatte er Nolwenn angerufen.Riwal hatte sie bereits mit den wichtigsten Informationen versorgt, dennoch: Das Telefonat nach der Lösung eines Falls stellte ein festes Ritual dar. Und Rituale waren es, die Dupins Leben zusammenhielten und seine Arbeit prägten.«Dupin lesen; das ist auch ein bißchen nach Hause kommen und hoffen, die Grundfesten mögen unverändert sein:»Wie auch immer: Es war paradiesisch hier.Das Panorama, die Natur, das Licht, die Farben, das Meer, das man roch, im Mund schmeckte, der Wind. Nicht zuletzt die wundervolle Terrasse.«Fünf von fünf Sternen für ein glanzvolles literarisches Zuhause!Blog Facebook Twitter Instagram Pinterest Medium Matrix TumblrCeterum censeo Putin esse delendam

»Between my hex and the otso's, bad things were going to happen.«Phew... After book-long battles, drawn-out, long-winded end-of-the-world scenarios in the last few books, we're back to Harry Dresden, Resident Wizard but also Private Investigator of and in Chicago respectively.This is a short novella in which Harry gets hired to get someone to end a frivolous lawsuit. While this is a long string of delivering and receiving favours, it's much more like the Harry Dresden of old - funny, good-natured, self-deprecating.I hope this is an indication of things to come!Four stars out of five.Blog Facebook Twitter Instagram Pinterest Medium Matrix TumblrCeterum censeo Putin esse delendam

I definitely did not enjoy reading “[b:Winterset Hollow 58934632 Winterset Hollow Jonathan Edward Durham https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1630955865l/58934632.SX50.jpg 92874648]”. [a:Jonathan Edward Durham 21791156 Jonathan Edward Durham https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1631055667p2/21791156.jpg] tells the story of a group of admirer's of a children's novel about anthropomorphised animals with a dark horror twist... The protagonists “damaged” Eamon, “dumb but kind” Mark and “smart and comforting” Caroline visit their idol's lonely island - and that is where the cookie already starts crumbling: Lots of people visit said island every single year, lots of people vanish without a trace - and there are no investigations, no tabloids reporting on it; nothing...Ok, so let's suspend some disbelief - and meet an anthropomorphised rabbit, frog, fox, and bear. Who all speak English (apart from the bear). And throw parties and a lot more...Disbelief is wearing thinner... When those animals start murdering the “guests” and a hunt for our three heroes embarks, things get rough: There's lots of violence, brutality and a casual cruelty to it all that made me feel deeply uncomfortable. From outright gore (unquotable...) to pure horror which the author seems to subscribe to enthusiastically:»His death was nothing like it was supposed to be ... nothing like anything they'd ever watched on the silver screen or seen scratched out in big, bright colors in a comic book. It was anything but immediate and [he] fought it the whole way, his limbs flailing and his throat pumping out the most horrid, confused moans that any of them had ever heard. It was all so ghastly that [it] proved to be the most palatable part of his last moments. Even the scent of him soiling himself as his life wriggled from his clutch was far more bitter. It was all so incorrect ... and each of them knew they would never be able to wash away its stain.«Describing the death of a human being like that - to me - is exceptionally disgusting and only justifiable in very few cases. A fictional novel is not one of them.Denis Scheck, a German literary critic, has coined a very fitting word for large parts of what this book consists of: “Gewaltpornographie” (violence porn).Even if all of this was an allegory on colonisation (which does make some sense) it would only make limited sense because those suffering under the yoke of their oppressors are by no means better than them. I felt no sympathy for any of the characters; I just despised them to different degrees.Sadly, the writing is very heavy-handed, flowery and stilted as well. The author seems to be trying to emulate older (outdated) literary styles (the Brothers Grimm come to mind) in a modern setting which simply doesn't work very well.Durham also takes generous helpings from cheap thrillers: The murderer always comes back at least once, sometimes even twice or thrice! At this point, my disbelief was entirely gone and my eyes started hurting from all the rolling they did...Towards the end the madness at least grows some method and while still completely icky, the book comes to a somewhat satisfying conclusion.Three stars out of five because there are some redeeming aspects for this book. Blog Facebook Twitter Instagram Pinterest Medium Matrix TumblrCeterum censeo Putin esse delendam

Puh... [b:Affenhitze 60565109 Affenhitze Kluftingers neuer Fall (Kommissar Kluftinger, #12) Volker Klüpfel https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1646639410l/60565109.SY75.jpg 95459128]? Eher eine Affenschande, was [a:Klüpfel 781404 Volker Klüpfel https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1408515194p2/781404.jpg] und [a:Kobr 781403 Michael Kobr https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1408515293p2/781403.jpg] da - schon wieder - abliefern.Kluftinger, der früher zwar mit Fug und Recht als “exzentrisch” gelten durfte, ist spätestens seit diesem Band nur noch eine Karikatur seiner selbst. Er ist eigentlich durchgängig nur noch der “Depp vom Dienst”, der für den Flohmarkt haufenweise Schrott anschafft (und dem damit wider aller Realität und Vernunft auch noch Erfolg angeschrieben wird), sich auf den “Sozialmedien” (ein echter Brüller, Ihr Super-Autoren!) anmeldet und auch dort zur Lachnummer wird und der inzwischen seine Kolleg_innen nicht nur mal piesackt, sondern ganz schlicht und ergreifend Mobbing betreibt.Der Klamauk schlägt wieder gnadenlos zu...»Er meint uns alle, bedank dich«, quäkte plötzlich Maiers Stimme aus dem Knopf in seinem Ohr.»Halt du dich da raus«, zischte Kluftinger zurück.»Wie bitte?« Die lächelnde Miene des Ministerpräsidenten zeigte zum ersten Mal Risse.«... und auch der Pippie-Kacka-Humor der beiden alternden Provinz-Autoren ist zum Fremdschämen. Nichts scheint diesen beiden “Udo”s noch zu peinlich, kein Dialog zu lebensfremd, kein Spannertum (mit und ohne Drohne) zu unwichtig, um es nicht Kluftinger auch noch anzudichten. Er ist ein ekelhafter älterer Herr geworden.Unendlich viele lose Enden, Old-Boys-Club-Mentalität...»Meine lieben Zuhörer ... und -seher. Und die dazugehörigen -innen.«... wiederum Alltags-Rassismus...»Na ja, ich mein, ihr Araber, euch liegt das ja sozusagen ... also, nicht, dass ich da irgendwelche Klischees ...«... urkomische COVID-19-Schenkelklopfer (ist ja niemand daran gestorben...)...»Wenigstens nicht Corona«, sagte Kluftinger leise, woraufhin die anderen ihn stirnrunzelnd ansahen.»Wegen der Biersorte, meinst du?«, fragte Hefele verwundert.»Nein, ich mein wegen ... ach wurscht, vergesst es.«Last but not least, das widerliche Anbiedern an die Stammtische, weil das Autoren-Duo seine ignorante Borniertheit inzwischen zügellos auslebt:»Den Gedanken, bei der Auswahl des Geschlechts aus Spaß die neue Möglichkeit Divers anzuklicken, verwarf er aufgrund der zu erwartenden Verwicklungen gleich wieder.«Da möchte ich Klüpfel und Kobr aus vollem Herzen mit den unsterblichen Worte von “Tic Tac Toe” zurufen: “Ich Find Dich ...”Ein Stern von fünf, weil es ein Buch ist. Sorry, Klufti, aber ich bin raus. Das tue ich mir nicht mehr an.Blog Facebook Twitter Instagram Pinterest Medium Matrix Tumblr PlurkCeterum censeo Putin esse delendam

»And I have a wife to make the decisions that complete my wardrobe, to pick out things like sandals and socks. So I never have to worry about it again.«Those who know me a little better know that I fell in love with Linux some 27 years ago. In March 1995 IBM OS/2 Warp was replaced by (I think) DLD - the Deutsche Linux-Distribution - and I was... free. »As I read and started to understand Unix, I got a big enthusiastic jolt. Frankly, it's never subsided. (I hope you can say the same about something.)«How could I not admire the person who started it all - Linus Torvalds. Torvalds is just a few years older than me and I was delighted and highly amused to find him very relatable in the first half of the book. Be it then...»It probably won't surprise anyone that some of my earliest and happiest memories involve playing with my grandfather's old electronic calculator.«(In my case, it was a programmable calculator which I got from Josef who was never shy to help with my computer needs!)... or be it now...»When I'm sitting in front of the computer, I get really upset and irritable if somebody disturbs me. Tove could elaborate on this point.«... my wife also would have a lot to tell you about disturbing me while at my computer. The entire first half in which Linus remembers his childhood and youth is amusing, engagingly written (despite Linus clearly not being an author) and - to me - highly enjoyable.I had some issues with David Diamond's parts: Diamond is a journalist who increasingly writes from the perspective of a friend. He gets too close to his subject and his parts are weak. They emphasise Diamond's lack of distance to Torvalds and show that closeness doesn't necessarily lead to better results.Nevertheless, Torvald's parts were so good I thought I had a five-star read in front of me after a string of ok'ish books.Sadly, the brilliant first half was followed by a woefully outdated (the book was first published in 2001, my edition is from 2002) and slightly preachy second half: While Linus Torvalds is undoubtedly brilliant at what he does, he's neither a great writer nor a great philosopher. (At least not in my book.)Nokia is still the biggest thing in cell phones, the Palm Pilot is the next big thing and Linus talks about the meaning of life (“Survive, socialise, have fun!”). Quite a few times entire sentences get repeated (“shoulders of giants”, anyone?) and Linus drones on and on about the merits and demerits of people in open source and intellectual property (an entire chapter...).At times, Linus becomes preachy and acknowledges it (»Okay. You're right, I should stop preaching.«) instead of fixing it.On the other hand, years before Android (2008) Linus had the right idea:»And where is Linux itself, and open source generally, in all this? You won't even know. It will be inside those Sony machines. You'll never see it, you'll never know it, but it's there, making it all run. It will be in that cell phone, which is at the same time acting as your very own personal communications hub for the rest of your electronic widgets when you're away from your wireless local area network.You'll see. It's only a matter of time. And money.«So when Torvalds talks about his profession, he's just as one might imagine him to be. It's massively felt that this book has remained in relative obscurity for the last 20 years and has never been updated to the developments of the last two decades - an age or two in information technology.And yet: If you read this without expectation and “Just for Fun”, you might at least enjoy part of this amazing ride.I'm looking forward to one day reading Walter Isaacson's take on Linus Torvalds.Till then I'll leave with three star out of five and this final piece of wisdom by Linus:»Linux has instead brought people both the entertainment of an intellectual challenge and the social motivations associated with being part of creating it all. We may not have seen each other face-to-face very much, but email was much more than just a dry exchange of information. Bonds of friendship and other social ties can form over email.This probably also means that if and when we ever meet another intelligent life form in this universe, their first words are not likely to be “Take me to our leader.” They're more likely to say “Party on, dude!”Of course, I might be wrong.«Blog Facebook Twitter Instagram Pinterest Medium Matrix Tumblr PlurkCeterum censeo Putin esse delendam

Kennt Ihr noch diese wunderbare Kolumne “Was wurde eigentlich aus?” und dann folgte eine Idee oder ein Mensch? Auf dieses Buch bezogen, müßte jetzt ein knappes “Totgeschrieben!” folgen.Dann gibt's noch diesen merkwürdigen Beziehungsstatus “Es ist kompliziert” - und damit hätte ich die beiden Hauptprobleme, die ich mit diesem Buch habe, auf zwei kurze, knappe Punkte gebracht.Beginnen wir aber am Anfang: Wir befinden uns am Ende des 21. Jahrhunderts. Der Klima-Wandel hat Teile der Welt unbewohnbar gemacht, einige Inseln, etc. sind untergegangen. Die Menschheit ist beträchtlich geschrumpft, dafür aber der Klima-Wandel zumindest verlangsamt. Doch das ist nicht etwa das direkte Verdienst der Menschheit, sondern vielmehr dasjenige einer künstlichen Intelligenz namens Æther, die das Problem des Klima-Wandels durchdenken und lösen sollte. Das hat sie auch getan, eine unbequeme Lösung vorgeschlagen und dann lieber gleich etwas anderes gemacht...In diesem dystopischen Szenario treffen wir auf Galahad Singh, einen Quästor (Privatdetektiv hätte es auch getan, aber das war wohl zu einfach...), der im Auftrag des “Kiesel-Kaisers” (nur ein Deutscher kann sich diese Bezeichnung ausdenken) eine vermisste Programmiererin suchen soll. Dabei kommt Galahad, Erbe eines Industriemagnaten, einer globalen Verschwörung auf die Spur, schlägt sich mit Schwert-schwingenden Hologrammen, Deathern, Crashern, Körper-klauenden Monstern und Agenten, einer künstlichen Intelligenz, Todes-Schleifen und vielem mehr auseinander.Æther, Quästor, Deather, Crasher, Techno-Geschwafel - all das ist schlicht unnötig kompliziert und liest sich anstrengend. Erschwert wird dies durch sprachliche Perversionen wie geschriebenen “Dialekt”:»Is ne KI, Meister. Sicher is da gar nix.« oder auch »Die Analysemonitore sind alle fratze.«Super! Auch “schön”: Mal anglisiert der Autor und schreibt von “Stripper-Goggles” (blenden holografische Elemente aus. Bekleidung, Du Ferkel, trägt man noch!), dann aber auch gern wieder das eklig eingedeutschte “Unterseher”. Gleichfalls verunglimpft sich die Menschheit auch in über siebzig Jahren noch mit so originellen Schimpfworten wie “Hohlkopf” respektive “Schwammkopf” - einem Autor, der so tief in die Sci-Fi-Klamottenkiste greift, sollte doch besseres einfallen?!Über weite Strecken begleiten wir Galahad und seinen möglicherweise non-binären Love-Interest, Special Agent in Charge Fran Bittner, auf ausufernden Erkundungstouren, durch endlose Red-Herrings, buchstäblich über Felder, Auen und Rennpisten und überall hin - nur nicht an den wirklichen Ort des Geschehens.Auch neigt Galahad zu tollkühner Dummheit: Wohlwissend, daß es sich zwangsläufig um eine Falle handeln muß, läuft er buchstäblich sehenden Auges in selbige. Als er dann die Falle mit letzter Sicherheit erkennt, steckt er seinen Kopf noch tiefer in die Schlinge - und wird prompt - Deus ex machina - auf ebenso unwahrscheinliche Weise gerettet.Und weil nicht nur der Esel auf's Eis geht, wenn es ihm zu wohl wird, begibt sich unser Autor in die Sci-Fi-Geschichte und recycelt ungelenk Elemente aus “Dune”, “The Expanse” und weiteren Meilensteinen. Nicht so zwar, daß man ihm eines Plagiats bezichtigen könnte, aber doch gut erkennbar.Am recht abrupten Schluß gibt es noch den einen oder anderen “Twist”, die aber alle so vorhersehbar, teils abgeschmackt sind, daß sie es auch nicht mehr rausreißen können.Von all dem abgesehen: Was Æther sich da ausgedacht und umgesetzt hat, ist so brillant, daß in Wahrheit keine Regierung dieser Erde dagegen vorgehen würde. Im Gegenteil: Man würde stillschweigend wegsehen und - falls es doch rauskommt - die KI zum Sündenbock machen. Insofern ist schon die Prämisse problematisch.Außerdem: Eine superintelligente KI? Das kann nur auf eine Weise enden, nämlich so wie im heutigen XKCD:Drei von fünf Sternen für ein kompliziertes, anstrengendes, überlanges Buch.Blog Facebook Twitter Instagram Ceterum censeo Putin esse delendamMerged review:Kennt Ihr noch diese wunderbare Kolumne “Was wurde eigentlich aus?” und dann folgte eine Idee oder ein Mensch? Auf dieses Buch bezogen, müßte jetzt ein knappes “Totgeschrieben!” folgen.Dann gibt's noch diesen merkwürdigen Beziehungsstatus “Es ist kompliziert” - und damit hätte ich die beiden Hauptprobleme, die ich mit diesem Buch habe, auf zwei kurze, knappe Punkte gebracht.Beginnen wir aber am Anfang: Wir befinden uns am Ende des 21. Jahrhunderts. Der Klima-Wandel hat Teile der Welt unbewohnbar gemacht, einige Inseln, etc. sind untergegangen. Die Menschheit ist beträchtlich geschrumpft, dafür aber der Klima-Wandel zumindest verlangsamt. Doch das ist nicht etwa das direkte Verdienst der Menschheit, sondern vielmehr dasjenige einer künstlichen Intelligenz namens Æther, die das Problem des Klima-Wandels durchdenken und lösen sollte. Das hat sie auch getan, eine unbequeme Lösung vorgeschlagen und dann lieber gleich etwas anderes gemacht...In diesem dystopischen Szenario treffen wir auf Galahad Singh, einen Quästor (Privatdetektiv hätte es auch getan, aber das war wohl zu einfach...), der im Auftrag des “Kiesel-Kaisers” (nur ein Deutscher kann sich diese Bezeichnung ausdenken) eine vermisste Programmiererin suchen soll. Dabei kommt Galahad, Erbe eines Industriemagnaten, einer globalen Verschwörung auf die Spur, schlägt sich mit Schwert-schwingenden Hologrammen, Deathern, Crashern, Körper-klauenden Monstern und Agenten, einer künstlichen Intelligenz, Todes-Schleifen und vielem mehr auseinander.Æther, Quästor, Deather, Crasher, Techno-Geschwafel - all das ist schlicht unnötig kompliziert und liest sich anstrengend. Erschwert wird dies durch sprachliche Perversionen wie geschriebenen “Dialekt”:»Is ne KI, Meister. Sicher is da gar nix.« oder auch »Die Analysemonitore sind alle fratze.«Super! Auch “schön”: Mal anglisiert der Autor und schreibt von “Stripper-Goggles” (blenden holografische Elemente aus. Bekleidung, Du Ferkel, trägt man noch!), dann aber auch gern wieder das eklig eingedeutschte “Unterseher”. Gleichfalls verunglimpft sich die Menschheit auch in über siebzig Jahren noch mit so originellen Schimpfworten wie “Hohlkopf” respektive “Schwammkopf” - einem Autor, der so tief in die Sci-Fi-Klamottenkiste greift, sollte doch besseres einfallen?!Über weite Strecken begleiten wir Galahad und seinen möglicherweise non-binären Love-Interest, Special Agent in Charge Fran Bittner, auf ausufernden Erkundungstouren, durch endlose Red-Herrings, buchstäblich über Felder, Auen und Rennpisten und überall hin - nur nicht an den wirklichen Ort des Geschehens.Auch neigt Galahad zu tollkühner Dummheit: Wohlwissend, daß es sich zwangsläufig um eine Falle handeln muß, läuft er buchstäblich sehenden Auges in selbige. Als er dann die Falle mit letzter Sicherheit erkennt, steckt er seinen Kopf noch tiefer in die Schlinge - und wird prompt - Deus ex machina - auf ebenso unwahrscheinliche Weise gerettet.Und weil nicht nur der Esel auf's Eis geht, wenn es ihm zu wohl wird, begibt sich unser Autor in die Sci-Fi-Geschichte und recycelt ungelenk Elemente aus “Dune”, “The Expanse” und weiteren Meilensteinen. Nicht so zwar, daß man ihm eines Plagiats bezichtigen könnte, aber doch gut erkennbar.Am recht abrupten Schluß gibt es noch den einen oder anderen “Twist”, die aber alle so vorhersehbar, teils abgeschmackt sind, daß sie es auch nicht mehr rausreißen können.Von all dem abgesehen: Was Æther sich da ausgedacht und umgesetzt hat, ist so brillant, daß in Wahrheit keine Regierung dieser Erde dagegen vorgehen würde. Im Gegenteil: Man würde stillschweigend wegsehen und - falls es doch rauskommt - die KI zum Sündenbock machen. Insofern ist schon die Prämisse problematisch.Außerdem: Eine superintelligente KI? Das kann nur auf eine Weise enden, nämlich so wie im heutigen XKCD:Drei von fünf Sternen für ein kompliziertes, anstrengendes, überlanges Buch.Blog Facebook Twitter Instagram Ceterum censeo Putin esse delendam

Tim und die Politik - nicht immer eine gelungene Mischung. In diesem Fall aber gilt es zu bedenken, daß “[b:König Ottokars Zepter 1286009 König Ottokars Zepter (Tim und Struppi, #8) Hergé https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327839223l/1286009.SX50.jpg 2809246]” im Original zwischen dem 8. August 1938 und dem 10. August 1939 erschien.Jetzt greifen wir zurück in diese dunkle Epoche deutscher Geschichte: Der von Hitler-Deutschland sogenannte “Anschluss Österreichs” fand am 12./13. März 1938 statt. Am 15. März 1939 ließ Hitler die Tschechoslowakei besetzen. Der mit Hitler verbündete faschistische Diktator Mussolini fiel am 7. April 1939 wiederum mit italienischen Truppen in Albanien ein.Unter den Eindrücken dieser Ereignisse also verfaßt [a:Hergé 2802356 Hergé https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1595847562p2/2802356.jpg] diesen Band und verbindet Elemente all dieser weltpolitischen Katastrophen zu einer spannenden Geschichte, in der Tim und Struppi eine Staatsstreich und den “Anschluß” des fiktiven Syldavien an das Nachbarland Bordurien verhindern müssen.In zahlreichen Etappen kann Tim seinen Häschern immer wieder: Gegen Ende mit einer vom feindlichen Nachbarland gestohlenen Messerschmitt mit Flugzeugkokarde, die trotz anderer Form ein wenig an das deutsche “Schwarze Kreuz” erinnert, das die deutsche Bundeswehr (leider) bis heute verwendet...Detailreich gezeichnet und - auch in der deutschen Übersetzung - gelungen getextet, ist dieser Band wieder gut rezipierbar und angesichts seiner geschichtlichen Einbettung noch immer interessant und dennoch auch sehr unterhaltsam. Enthält dieser Band neben dem Syldawischen Pelikan doch auch eine wunderbare Schlüsselszene, in der ein Tri-gespaltener Struppi vor einer äußerst schwierigen Entscheidung steht...Natürlich sind auch Schulze und Schultze wieder dabei und Bianca Castafiore hat - buchstäblich - ihren ersten Auftritt.Für Hergé wurde das Happy-End dieses Bandes leider nicht wahr: Exakt drei Wochen und einen Tag nach Abschluß der Veröffentlichung, am 1. September 1939, überfällt Hitler Polen und löst damit den Zweiten Weltkrieg aus. Hergé wird eingezogen und kämpft bis Mai 1940 für Belgien und wird danach aus der Armee entlassen.Trotz seiner Kritik gegenüber dem Nationalsozialismus und dem Faschismus und einem Rückzug zu eher fantastischen Themen während des Krieges, kann sich Hergé jedoch nicht ganz vor Vereinnahmung schützen und wirkt leider auch zeitweise an anti-semitischen Machwerken mit. Nie wieder wird Hergé danach politisch nennenswert in Erscheinung treten.Insgesamt ein interessanter, unterhaltsamer Band - allerdings war die Recherche zu dieser Rezension kaum weniger spannend! Vier von fünf Sternen.Blog Facebook Twitter Instagram Ceterum censeo Putin esse delendam

From a story point of view [a:Harrow's 9823112 Alix E. Harrow https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1605188394p2/9823112.jpg] second “Fractured Fable“, “[b:A Mirror Mended 58724595 A Mirror Mended (Fractured Fables, #2) Alix E. Harrow https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1631108011l/58724595.SY75.jpg 92420574]”, starts right after “[b:A Spindle Splintered 56179356 A Spindle Splintered (Fractured Fables, #1) Alix E. Harrow https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1611862560l/56179356.SY75.jpg 74636201]” with Zinnia Gray, our protagonist, still trying to fix happily-ever-afters for a lot of Sleeping Beauties.That's where my issues start: Why Zinnia again? Why not create a new character? Zinnia's story arc was complete after “Spindle” and in my opinion, it would have made a lot more sense to create a fresh new character for this book.In fact, there's a lot that gets repeated here: Zinnia still “falls” through the multiverse with the evil queen from Snow White, Eva, she intends to help. Sadly, while “Spindle” was a modern retelling of the old fairy tale, “Mirror” features some of Snow White's characters and ideas but at no point is it any kind of retelling. It's much more of a complicated series of events that somehow occur - sometimes all too conveniently - without much influence from either Zinnia or Eva.There are also a great many references to the first book that serve no real purpose, remain mostly obscure and, sometimes, completely unexplained. Since there's no real plot to this book, much of what we get to read feels forced and contrived: Eva gets to redeem herself and changes her character - but hardly convincingly. She's pretty much bribed into being a good queen by Zinnia and also likely motivated by the sexual tension between both of them but there's no real catharsis.Maybe I'm mis-remembering it but I also felt that “Spindle” had less “young adult vibes”. While that was certainly the target group, I (far beyond young adult age) still enjoyed it. “Mirror” feels much more “young” and naïve at that. It even shows when Zinnia complains about the “spoken” exclamation or question marks which even get spelled out:»Another, while her eyes bore into mine and my brain produces nothing but strings of panicked question marks (?????????). I try very hard not to look at her mirror.«All in all, while not being outright bad, this book pales in comparison to its predecessor.Two out of five stars.Blog Facebook Twitter Instagram Ceterum censeo Putin esse delendam

I've been a Bruno fan since the first book in the series and really enjoyed [a:Martin Walker's 90593 Martin Walker https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1314386346p2/90593.jpg] congenial blend of mystery, world politics, joie de vivre and common-sense policing in a rural French environment. At times, especially in [b:books 12 40813143 The Body in the Castle Well (Bruno, Chief of Police #12) Martin Walker https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1558424432l/40813143.SY75.jpg 63566063] and [b:13 52865436 The Shooting at Chateau Rock (Bruno, Chief of Police #13) Martin Walker https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1591355305l/52865436.SX50.jpg 73283119], Walker overdid certain of those aspects: Were it cooking or politics, those books were annoying to read.Now, with [b:To Kill a Troubadour 58467284 To Kill a Troubadour (Bruno, Chief of Police #15) Martin Walker https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1634737832l/58467284.SY75.jpg 91786130] we're at book 15 and Walker has fully regained his literary balance: Bruno is investigating a case of looming terrorism with a connection to the very real struggle of Catalonia (a region in Spain with minor partls in France) for independence.Then there's Florence's (a series regular) ex-husband out on parole and other minor issues Bruno has to take care of. All our literary friends are with us again as well: The Baron, Isabelle, Gilles, Pamela, Bruno's mayor and so on.In this newest instalment - written in 2021, please keep that in mind! -, though, Walker has obviously gained an uncanny prophetic ability...»Bruno stood in his garden beneath the stars, Balzac patiently sitting beside him, and watched the big car leave, thinking about the difference between him and his friend. Bruno had been through the military and J-J had not, and in that way he resembled most of the new generations of French people who were younger than Bruno. That was fine, and Bruno understood the idealism that lay behind the idea that the new Europe had grown beyond war. But the bright and peaceful new world that had followed the Cold War had changed, become darker, and brought back some of the old fears. It was not simply the new challenges of terrorism but the old and traditional forces of national ambition. As the new Russia flexed its military muscle and used new technologies to interfere in Western elections and to poison its social media, and used nerve agents to kill defectors in England, could Europe still hope to continue in its placid, pacifist ways?«I was intellectually part of this bright, peaceful new world. I believed in change through trade. As we all know, taught by aggressive imperialist, fascist Russia, this was not to be...Don't be discouraged to read this book right now - this wouldn't be a proper Bruno if there wasn't a lot of bright light and fun:»Was it not Charles de Gaulle who observed that England was an old Norman colony which had not turned out well?' Bruno asked.‘No, it was Georges Clemenceau,' the Mayor replied firmly, looking at Bruno with a touch of suspicion. ‘You're not trying to tease me, are you?'‘Heaven forbid, Monsieur le Maire,' Bruno replied, grinning. ‘I'm simply reminding you what an industrious pupil you have.«Speaking of one major evil playing a role in this book, I must not neglect to mention the second one, hardly less corrupt and evil, namely, the churches. When asked for help in a very serious matter, the local priest replies very realistically:»‘Of course I'm on her side, Bruno, as far as I can be given my duty to the teachings of the Church. On that there can be no compromise.'«The eloquent metaphorical narration style is engaging and stylistically appropriate:»Inevitably, it was Pamela who won the final point to clinch the match, leaping like a panther to jump on a scooped return that bounced high. She smashed it down so hard that the ball rose like a rocket and soared high over the netting at the far end of the court.«Walker also expertly but unobtrusively spins real historical figures into this fascinating tale. It's never overbearing, though, but fits perfectly into the setting. Thus, basically everything is fine in Bruno's and Walker's Périgord.The slight downside of this book is the ending which is a bit abrupt. An additional final chapter to wrap things up would have been highly appreciated.If you like Bruno, though, read this!»Our European history and culture have long been more closely entwined than we tend to think.«Vive L'Europe!Four out of five stars.Blog Facebook Twitter Instagram Ceterum censeo Putin esse delendam

All too often, in a series of books when a writer has found their cast of characters, their setting, etc. everything becomes routine and instalment after instalment gets chucked out but there's hardly ever anything new. Each new book is a variation of its predecessors.Thankfully, [a:Lisa Regan 6443334 Lisa Regan https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1589563239p2/6443334.jpg] miraculously doesn't fall prey to this effect in her long-running Josie Quinn series. Each new book presents us with interesting new aspects, engaging stories and empathic investigators.In “[b:Watch Her Disappear 60181686 Watch Her Disappear (Detective Josie Quinn #14) Lisa Regan https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1645045404l/60181686.SY75.jpg 94918297]” Josie investigates the case of a formerly missing girl who's found dead at the prom of a school she didn't attend. While looking into the murder, Chief Chitwood is reminded of a similar (and very personal...) case from his distant past...As so often in Regan's books, there are major revelations about one of the police investigators involved in the current case. Fittingly, for this book Regan chose Chief Chitwood to take the centre stage.Since Regan has long-since found her own style of storytelling and language, there are no surprises in either department - the book is suspenseful and exciting as ever. You'll never find groundbreaking new thoughts in these books but if you like just one, you're likely to enjoy them all.You can read this as a stand-alone novel even though you will miss out on a few interactions between the investigators.The Josie Quinn mysteries have become a go-to for interesting, engaging, suspenseful mystery thrillers and I'm already looking forward to the next one! Five out of five stars.Blog Facebook Twitter Instagram Ceterum censeo Putin esse delendam

»“You came for me first,” she said. “Not the pizza.”«I'm exclusively referring to [a:Jim Butcher's 10746 Jim Butcher https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1400640324p2/10746.jpg] short story “Little Things” from the “[b:Heroic Hearts 58734999 Heroic Hearts Jim Butcher https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1636747653l/58734999.SY75.jpg 85291724]” anthology. This is simply because I only got it to read that one story - and it was worth it.Told from the viewpoint of “Major General Toot-Toot Minimus, sprite in service to Sir Harry Dresden [...] and captain of his personal guard”, this is set pretty much immediately after the events of “[b:Battle Ground 23106013 Battle Ground (The Dresden Files, #17) Jim Butcher https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1587778549l/23106013.SY75.jpg 42654036]”...An attempt on Harry's life is made and Toot-Toot valiantly takes charge! I've like the little folk from the very beginning and now they finally and very much deservedly get their very own story.Five out of five stars for a highly amusing short story from the Dresden universe.Blog Facebook Twitter Instagram Ceterum censeo Putin esse delendam

A nice albeit very short short story featuring [a:Michael J. Sullivan's 2063919 Michael J. Sullivan https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1433443335p2/2063919.jpg] Hadrian and Royce (Riyria). It is part of the Riyria Chronicles. There's so little actual story, I won't summarise it here. Suffice it to say you won't be disappointed even though there's a slight deja-vu feeling...Thankfully, the “[b:Heroes Wanted 49013656 Heroes Wanted A Fantasy Anthology Laura M. Hughes https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1575091464l/49013656.SX50.jpg 74436003]” anthology which it is part of can be gotten for free from Amazon fairly often and so you have nothing to lose. Four out of five stars for a happy reunion with Riyria!Blog Facebook Twitter Instagram Ceterum censeo Putin esse delendam