good reader gone bad

Good grief! Won’t farmboy, family and friends, ever get a chance to relax and have some fun? Troy Denning makes life miserable for Luke, Mara, Leia, Han and their kids. Bugs big and small, Dark Jedi, space dogfights, light saber duels, sexual tension, and two more books in the series to come. Included with this novel is Ylesia by Walter Jon Williams, a New Jedi Order short story previously released as an eBook.

Published in mass-market paperback by Del Rey. ISBN 0345463048

Michael Jan Friedman takes up Ripley’s tale following the events of Alien: Resurrection. Joined by Call, Johner, and Vreiss, Ripley takes on a mysterious organization whose agenda includes home delivery of Alien eggs. The books seems a little light. It’s a setup for more stories to follow and I think it would have made a better comic mini-series than a novel.

Published in mass-market paperback by Dark Horse Books. ISBN 1595820159

Sally Malcolm concludes the story she began in A Matter of Honor. This is an action-packed tale. The reader is rocked from heroic to horrific events. I was exhausted when I finished the book. I don’t think a televison episode could be made from this two-book series, but it works as a Stargate tale.

Published in mass-market paperback by Fandemonium Books. ISBN 0954734343

SG-1 discovers a brutal society with Aztec roots and learn much more about the origins of the Crystal Skull encountered in a previous mission. Sonny Whitelaw captures the essence of the SG-1 team and presents some entertaining science in the process.

Published in mass-market paperback by Fandemonium Books. ISBN 0954734335

Sally Malcolm begins an epic story about O’Neill’s quest to rescue SG-10, the team lost to a black hole. Unfortunately, the Kinahhi, an advanced race negotiating technology exchange with Earth, have unpleasant plans for SG-1 and Earth.

Published in mass-market paperback by Fandemonium Books. ISBN 0954734327

Julie Fortune contributes an account of SG-1’s first mission through the stargate. The highlight of this tale is a bloodthirsty, hot and sweaty Carter. What more could you ask for?

Published in mass-market paperback by Fandemonium Books. ISBN 0954734319

The cartoon Clone Wars adventures continue to be entertaining, both the stories and the art. Writers and artists include the Fillbach brothers, Justin Lambres, Rick Lacy, Ryan Kaufman, Haden Blackman, and Dan Jackson. Good for kids and adults.

Published in trade paperback by Dark Horse Books. ISBN 1593074026

Author Sabine C. Bauer fired up a new series of Stargate SG-1 adventures with this story about a peace mission with SG-1 caught between sworn enemies and barbaric rites. The story seems to be typical Stargate fare. The characters are sufficiently snarky to catch the flavor of the television series. I’ll keep on reading more books in the series.

Published in mass-market paperback by Fandemonium Books. ISBN 0954734300

Note: Fandemonium isn’t licensed to sell this series online in the US. I ordered from a UK bookseller.

In the wake of the Red Sox loss to the White Sox, I decided to revisit the past and read Bill Lee‘s autobiography, written with Dick Lally. Lee pitched for the Red Sox during the years that I became a baseball fan. This twenty-year old book is a breezy, amusing recollection of baseball in the seventies. Lee and Lally just wrote another book that will also go on my list of books to read.

Published in hardback by Viking Press. ISBN 0670767247

Andy Mangels and Michael A. Martin have moved onto my short list of Star Trek authors who can be counted on for a good read. This volume features the continuing adventures of Captain William Riker’s first command, the USS Titan and its diverse crew.

Published in mass-market paperback by Pocket. ISBN 0743496280