Ann's Mini-Reviews for March 2010

These are a round up of books I have read recently and have yet to work up into a full review. I may never do so Caveat lector etc.

• Force of Law by Jez Morrow
  

  Rating:  

  • The good
    • The story moves along at a cracking pace
    • decently written
    • If you can disengage your brain and you just want to read porn, it’s a pleasant read
  • The bad
    • The book is just a vehicle for lots and lots of sex
    • Implausible plot and stereotypical, unrealistic characterisations
    • Really offensive handling of safe sex issues
    • Really offensive conflation of sexual positions with personality
• All’s fair in love and advertising by Lenore Black
  

  Rating:  

  • The good
    • Occasionally amusing
    • decent craft
  • The bad
    • the characters are too obviously inspired by the Stargate Atlantic originals
    • Implausible plot and stereotypical, unrealistic characterisations
    • Really offensive handling of safe sex issues
    • Really offensive conflation of sexual positions with personality
• Chasing Carole, Barbara Washburn.
  

  Rating:  

  
  This was, strictly speaking, not a pleasure read as the author sent it to me for comment/review. It’s a het/ f/f story
  • The good
    A very interesting idea and some lovely writing. A nice snapshot of the glory days of Hollywood.
  • The bad
    I had issues with the story, and the story telling, as well as some technical issues which I detailed to the author in private. It wasn’t a subject matter that enthralled me particularly, so part of it was personal taste
• Breakfast with Scot, Michael Downing.
  

  Rating:  

  
  Not m/m, though it features a gay couple front and centre.
  • The good
    Very funny and sweet, with endearing characters (especially the kids), without being sickly
  • The bad
    Ed’s obsession with making Scot less girly verged on the phobic at times, and the promotion of chiropractic make me grit my teeth. Not enough not to reread this one, or not not recommend it, though. I really enjoyed it.
• Hero, Perry Moore
  

  Rating:  

  • The good
    I loved the entire idea, the characters, the set up. The main character, Thom, is entirely believable
  • The bad
    The league of ‘heroes’ were rather cardboard, and the ripoff of wellknown characters, while intentional, wasn’t always well done. There’s a lot jammed into the plot too, so it can get a little confusing. It also takes a while to get going, pace-wise. In the end, it’s well worth the wait.
• Tigers and Devils, Sean Kennedy
  

  Rating:  

  • The good
    M/m stories set in Australia that smell and sound authentic are rare and to be treasured. The characters are great, and Kennedy delivers some magnificently funny lines and pithy comments.
  • The bad
    It’s too long, and should have finished about a third of the book back before it does. The last part is angst for the sake of it, and for all the two lovers talk about communication, they get their knickers in a twist over some really stupid shit that three or four words would have sorted out. Stylistically, there are too many unnecessary speech tags and suffers from adverbitis. It’s an enjoyable read, and one I will reread, but needs a tougher editor.
    Also, I thought the ebook and print book were way overpriced direct from the publisher compared to others in the genre of this length (there are a lot of blank pages and padding, so the real length is less than stated. Shop around for better prices. Don’t buy from Dreamspinner direct!)
    ETA: Fictionwise currently has Sean’s two novels on sale for under $3.00 – a steal!
• Dash and Dingo by Catt Ford and Sean Kennedy
  

  Rating:  

  • The Good
    • Highly unusual story set in an place and time little explored in the m/m or romance genre, highlighting issues of social justice and conservation also rarely explored.
    • Attractive, credible characters and interesting plot, writing which was mostly pretty good.
    • An indigenous Australian has a non-trivial role, and shown in a mostly non-stereotyped, respectful fashion.
    • nice showing of how hunters become conservationists – exactly how it worked in many places, including India and America
    • if you want sex, there’s a lot of it, nicely written. The lovers are very sweet and tender with each other in a convincingly manly way
  • The Bad
    • I couldn’t believe the number of anachronisms and geographical errors in this, considering one author is Australian. It was really very distracting, and there is simply no excuse for this getting past the authors, let alone an editor.
    • the Aboriginal character, while shown sympathetically, is still something of a magical Negro type
    • OKHomo in 1934 Australia is pretty unlikely, given homosexuality was a serious crime back then, and Australia is still bloody homophobic
    • the motivation for the bad guy’s actions was feeble, and revealed unconvincingly
    • Wandering POV
    • The pacing was a little slow at times, and it felt a tad long. I enjoyed it, but could have enjoyed it more if these issues had been sorted out.
• Infected series, Andrea Speed
  

  Rating:  

  • The good
    Stunning work of the imagination, with vivid, fascinating characters and plots
  • The bad
    The Fiction press version needs an editor to pick up typos etc. Stories tend to end in info dumps, and a couple are too easily resolved. But overall, this is a fabulous, fascinating, and addictive series, that I can’t wait to read more of.
• The Voice, Jordan Castillo Price
  

  Rating:  

  • The good
    It’s Jordan. The writing rocks, natch.
  • The bad
    Too short, plot too contrived, and too easily resolved. The characters don’t really deal with the issues. Overpriced for what you get. Not a vintage
• Sympathy, Jordan Castillo Price
  

  Rating:  

  • The good
    As above
    
  • The bad
    Too short,little more than a snippet. Very overpriced for what you get.
• Napalm & Silly Putty, George Carlin. A collection of his ‘wit’
  

  Rating:  

  • The good
    When it’s good, it’s very good and very funny
    
  • The bad
    When it’s bad, it’s either WTF? or outright offensive. One to read in the loo, in snippets. It’s too much in one go.