Book Review: “Dragonseye” by Anne McCaffrey

This book by Anne McCaffrey is set on Pern just before the start of the Second Pass. A number of minor plotlines are woven together. Lord Chalkin of Bitra Hold doesn’t believe, and doesn’t want to believe that Thread is about to fall. Iantine is an aspiring artist looking to begin his career. Debera leaves her family to Impress a green dragon at Telgar Weyr, which is lead by K’vin and Zulaya. Clisser is leading the College into the new pass and trying to preserve what must be preserved. Lord Paulin of Fort heads the Council as most of Pern prepares to meet Thread.

By the end of the book Chalkin has been impeached and exiled. Iantine has gained a reputation as a skilled portraitist and won the heart of Debera. The Eye, Finger, and Star rocks have been designed, and their placement on each Weyr has been established. This quote from the end of the book pretty well sums up the emotion, “What a time to be alive…”

All in all the action is simple and the physical challenges rather easily overcome for the protagonists. The politicking and personal interactions on the other hand…

It is an enjoyable story with only one obvious anachronism. It is said that the AIVIS turned itself off, despite that event not happening for another 2000 Turns.

Book Review: “Murrow: his life and times” by A.M Specter

This 700 page book focuses on Edward Roscoe Murrow, the radio and tv newsman. It begins with a brief sketch of Murrow’s parents and grandparents. The book goes through his childhood, his years working for the International Institute of Education, and then through his many years working for CBS.

It’s a fascinating book full of interesting details, from the importance of his college speech prof, to the way McCarthy threatened him. I’d say more but then I’d be going on for quite a while.

Well worth reading.

Poem for the day

At bedtime

Weariness leans on tired eyes,
the soft bed hints on sweet delights,
the moon softly lights the way.

Dreams their perfumed smokes unfurl,
adding to the weight, whispering of joy.

Poem for the day

Rainstorm

Sweet the soothing sound of rain
brushing, brushing across the wall
divine whisper of nature's shower,
making clean the trees.

Scent of clean washed grass,
mingled with watered stone,
speaks of newborn days
and the goodness of the morn.

Poem for the day

I'm going to see whether I can do a poem a day, and how long if I can at all. Here is the first poem.

Rainstorm

Down they fall,
Those soldiers grim and cold,
Giving no battle cry.
Lashing out against the foe before them

The dust and dirt against the surge
With knowing hope give way
And all can hear the thundering charge

The victory then comes with peace
And sweetened scents in train
Though soon, all too soon,
The foe returns again.

Book Review: “Oathblood” by Mercedes Lackey

This book is a collection of short stories about the adventures of Tarma and Kethry. They aren’t in anything like a chronological order, nor are they in order of publishing. Two of them, Turnabout and Keys, are almost exactly the same as chapters in “Oathbound”. Each of the stories has an introduction briefly laying out why Mercedes Lackey wrote the story.

All in all it is an enjoyable anthology. It’s pretty standard 80s and 90s fantasy stories, but they’re well written, engaging, and the characters don’t take themselves too seriously.

Book Review: “Elvenborn” by Andre Norton and Mercedes Lackey

This is the third novel in the Halfblood Chronicles series. It is set in a realm where Elves came from another world and conquered the humans they found in their new world. The dragons also came from elsewhere, but they usually restricted themselves to spying and the occasional prank. This story follows a character that is new to the series, Kyrtian V’dyll Lord Prastaran. His family is unusual in the fact that they have never made the humans on their estate into slaves, and he is unusual because he studies tactics and military strategies. The story revolves around him as he gets pulled into the politics of the Elven Lords by his cousin, who hates Kyrtian, and his skill as a strategist and tactician. It ends with Kyrtian extricating himself, somewhat, from the dangers of political involvement, and assisting Leshana and the Wizards in their efforts to change the way humans are treated by most of the elves.

Leshana, the Elvenbane, and title character from the first book plays a significantly smaller role in this book. The same is true of Keman, Lorryn, Mero, and the others that were important in previous books.

This is a good book, and works just fine as a stand alone novel. It follows on the events in the previous novels, but the important points are all explained when they come up.