One Foot in the Grave (Night Huntress #2)

by Jeaniene Frost (Goodreads Author)

Now with government sanction.  Fast forwarding from the last book by 5 years, we catch up with Cat as she has become part of the government organization that took her in at the end of the last book, still pining for Bones. Which is good since Bones quickly shows up after searching for her the past couple of years (not buying her note that she left him).  She does have a strong support group, new friends and coworkers that very much like her (some a little too much) but other her work she doesn't have all that much else going on in her life.

We learn a little more about the quirks of the Vampire world, meet Cat's father (or sire depending on interpretation) and overall quickly move along on a whirlwind plot.  All of which leads full circle to the beginning of the book, and a suprise decision that shows that Cat is more than just a vengence demon out for blood against rouge vampires (talk about daddy issues).

The Ice Limit

The Ice Limit

by Douglas Preston, Lincoln Child

I was entertained. I know that sounds like damning with faint praise but this book was slightly out of my favorite genre (though they do throw a twist in the latter quarter of the novel).

Highly competent men undertaking near impossible tasks. And moving a meteorite halfway around the world from where it was buried near the Antarctic Circle, without the assistance or approval of the host nation, is quite the task. Particularly when the rock weighs more than 10,000 tons?

The characters where almost caricatures, not very deep with only a modicum of back story to provide motivations. But the story and the engineering (and chicanery required to pull it off under the noses of the local authorities) were interesting. I must say that I really didn't see them heading down the SF road at the end, but it was an interesting twist.

The Apocalypse Codex (Laundry Files #4)

by Charles Stross

More Bob? Yes please! Filled with loads of geeky references that had me grinning as I read them, the Laundry series is one in which I get really excited about a new book. And this one pays off.  Continuing right off the back of the last novel (like another series I like, the Joe Ledger series by Jonathan Maberry, Bob is having a right bad year.. Of course the implication in this series is that things are only going to get worse as the world steady heads toward Code Nightmare Green, which is basically the Apocalypse) Bob is continuing on his track up the management trail at the Laundry. After being selected for management training he is quickly detailed to a previously unknown organization, External Affairs.

Bob and the contractors that he is assigned as oversight have to deal with the latest problem that has concerned the denizens of Mahagony Row, a tele-evangalist who is getting far too cozy with the upper echelons of British Government.  So off to America (Colorado) they go. And not too shortly after that everything goes to shit. Turns out the preacher is being mislead and is working with the big scary things on the other plane and Bob and team have shown up near the end game.

A lot more of the underlying world is dribbled out in this book, giving us a better view of the how the Laundry fits into the world (hint, it isn't as important as it thinks it is...).


4/5 Stars

March to the Stars

March to the Stars (Empire of Man #3)

by David Weber, John Ringo

At long last, Prince Roger finally gets to the point where he can get to the starport and leave Marduk. But really, based on the previous books, did you think it was going to be that easy?

The defining plot turn of this series has been the steady movement of the Bronze Barbarians and their rapdily evolving charge, Prince Roger, from the frying pan into a much hotter fire. And boy, did they find the (quite literal) frying pan on the other end of the ocean. Rogers entourage has grown to include some of the notable allies that have decided to hitch their wagons to his rapidly moving star, so in the end Roger is sailing out of Kvern Cove with not just his human bodyguards but a number of Disporians and Vashin's as well.

After encountering great sea beasts and pirates, they finally run into the local culture, that it turns out, quite literally wants to kill and eat some of them as the price for passing through their territory. Fighting out of that, they find that they have picked up quite a pursing force as they find refuge with the mountain people.

The most anti climatic element of the story is the actual taking of the starport, which with the inside help from an IBI Agent is almost rushed over. But Roger and Company are not done, since in the end they must seize a starship.... Which of course, unknown until they actually board it, is staffed by a Saint Special Forces Unit (Greenpiece Brigade.... hehe).

This book also could just be called... "Slimies in Spaaaaacccceeeeee!"

Snuff

Snuff (Discworld #39)

by Terry Pratchett

39 books set in Discworld?! Quite a long trip from the original one that read so many years ago, about the carnivorous Luggage and the hapless Rincewald. But lord do I love this series.

Commander Vimes is a man in need of a vacation. Or at least, that is what everyone, in particular his wife, has decided for him. So via a strong conspiracy that goes all the way up to leader of Ankh-Morpork he is heading off for a vacation to the countryside estate of his wife. Accompanied by his wife, his child and his body servant he is forced out to an extended time of leisure. However, Sam is never off the clock. And then a Goblin is murdered in his area. Then, as things tend to do in Discworld, things get even more complicated.

I know the Discworld books aren't for everyone (there is just a bit too much tongue in cheek for "serious" fantasy fans) there is just something immensely enjoyable to escape to this fantastically weird and large world.

March Upcountry

March Upcountry (Empire of Man #1)

by David Weber, John Ringo

In a complete out of character thing for me this is one of the few books that I have read multiple times. Here you have a book written by my two favorite authors, combining Science Fiction with a smattering of fantasy and just plain gritty writing.

The book is a lot of plain old fun. Starting with the SF standard of an intergalactic empire engaged in a long term dispute with the significant opponents. That is where Prince Roger MacClintock comes into the scene. Spoiled, petulant and whiny, a clotheshorse fop who is stuck in the petulant teenage-mode of believing that the world has screwed him.  His mother, the empress, sends him off to an out of the way locale to basically get him out of her hair (and maybe protect him from palace intrigue).

Then things go wrong... The ship he is on is sabotaged, forcing it into a no-win scenario where they must drop Roger (and the Company of Marine Bodyguards, the Bronze Barbarians) off into the basically uncharted planet of Marduk.  Because the spaceport on the planet is presumed to be under the control of the enemy (the Saints, an empire run by eco-fascists) they must drop on the far side and make the long trek to take over the spaceport.

Marduk is murder on the Marines, hot, humid and full of lots of things that want to kill them.  Even after gaining some local support the Marines seem to be most effective at going from the frying pan into the fire, on a continuous basis.  Throughout the book (and subsequent books) Roger is slowly redeemed, mostly through the actions of Captain Pahner (head of the Marine Company) and the local who becomes bonded to him, Cord.

One note though.... John Ringo is murder on characters. Literally, since the one key thing when reading his books is that there is going to be a sizable death count on the good-guys team (normally an even bigger body count on the bad guys). David Weber has been known to kill characters as well but not with even a fraction compared to John.

Firestorm (Destroyermen #6)

by Taylor Anderson

Can things get worse? For the crew of Walker and her allies, the only answer is yes. Now solidly engaged in a two front war against opponents that individually outnumber the entire alliance, the scope of this story continues to grow (my biggest concern is that every books seems to be making the scope bigger! There really doesn't appear to be an end in sight).

Now forced to stave off an attack by the Holy Dominion while simultaneously continuing to strike at the Grik, the story is steadly expanding to a global scope. The focus of this book is the expansion of air. Both by the HD with their trained attack flying Grik and by the Grik themselves with the introduction of Zeppelins developed by the Japanese cruisermen.

The best part is the Captain Reddy finally gets to be reunited with his love, even if just for a little while.

Split Infinity (Apprentice Adept #1)

by Piers Anthony

SF can be tricky stuff, particularly when you start reaching for books that were printed more than a decade ago. Some books just age well, some just look like giant piles of stinking poo. Split Infinity, written more than 25 years ago, has aged well. The lumping together of Science Fiction and Fantasy can be frustrating to fans of one genre or the other, but this books manages to span the two genres.

We are introduced to Stile, who is a serf on the SF world of Proton. Due to a number of various issues he literally stumbles across to the Fantasy world of Phaze, where he uses the various skills he acquired on Proton, and a lucky dose of magic, to learn more about the world. Along the way we learn the back story of Stile, his training and history as well as more information about the Phaze. Stile is fantastically lucky with the ladies, he seems unable to enter situations where at least one woman doesn't become enamored with him. As well, Stiles also appears to be among the most powerful of Phaze, an Adept, with ready access to magic.

A great story as Stile meets unicorns, robots and werewolves and continues to "know thyself" as well as balance his life in both worlds.

Republic

Republic by Charles Sheehan-Miles

Civil war is not the way to go. Particularily if you are a small state, not prepared and have little support from anyone around you.

West Virginia in this tale has suffered an increasing number of indignities by the federal government. In this case a crony of the President closes the major employer in a small WV town and plans to move it overseas. After the people of the town reject that decision, even going to the point of breaking into the plant and pretending that things were okay, the favorite bogeyman of the far Right (and the far Left), DHS, storms the place and kills some of the occupiers.  Things go downhill from there....

The characters introduced are likable and, since most of them are military people, quite relateable to me. The author constructs situations where I as a Army NG Officer am forced to sit back and think what I would do in a similar situation (the most notable was the Army CPT intervenes when DHS agents randomly round up all middle-eastern males over 13 by kicking in doors and dragging them out).

Events slowly escalate to the point where WV makes the decision to secede and the author plays out the eventual result of that action (of a state poorly prepared, with little munitions and fuel, no real outside support, forces that are in shreds due to desertions due to torn loyalties, and facing the the Active Duty Armed Forces). A solid read that kept me turning the page to see how it played out.

Halfway to the Grave (Night Huntress #1)

Halfway to the Grave (Night Huntress #1) by Jeaniene Frost

This was a heck of a fun read. This book introduces Catherine Crawfield, a half-vampire Vampire hunter. While sometimes the vampire thing seems a bit played out, Cat is an interesting twist. The whole vampire mythology is pretty much mainline (super strength, ability to confuse minds, super-healing, and of course the whole blood sucking thing. The devil in these stories is in the details, like the fact that Vamp's are only susceptible to silver and wither away when killed.) the idea of the halfbreed is more open to interpretation.

Cat is the product of a vampire rape (which apparently has to occur in the short period of a less than a week from being turned) who is raised by her mother. At 16 she finally told how she came to being and is put on the path to staking every vampire she can get her hands on. The story finds us joining her at age 22, with quite a collection of vampires laying around her grandparents farm. Everything was going well until she picks up her next victim, Bones.

We learn more about Bones and his particular quest and, as so often happens in these sorts of tales,  eventually there develops a romantic interest. Luckily the seemingly required erotic bits are short and not too painful to listen to.

The events in the story quickly escalate and are well written. But the jewel of the story is Cat, quippy and fun to listen to (ala Buffy), which ensures that I will be taking on the next book shortly.

Rot & Ruin

Rot & Ruin by Jonathan Maberry.  So many of the zombie books are about the actual event. This book starts in the ruins, some 15 years after the event. Benny Imura is the main character as well as his brother Tom. Benny has grown up in the post-zombie world where Zombies and Zombie Hunters (like his brother) are playing cards and the slice of humanity of that we can see is huddled behind the fences. Only a few people, like his brother, go outside the fence into the Rot and Ruin.

But Benny faces the coming of age rite that once you hit 15 you have to find a job. And Benny is finding that he is either ill-suited for most the jobs or he sees no future in some of them (slinging dead zombies into the burn pit all day long? I can see why). So as a last resort he turns to his brother Tom. As with a lot of siblings, there is tension, and Benny blames his brother for his parents passing away, thinking him a coward compared to the more boisterous zombie hunters. Everything starts going wrong after he discovers the the ultra-rare trading card, "The Lost Girl," which serves as the focal point for the rest of the book.

As to the rest? Read it and find out. Jonathan Maberry is a top-notch storyteller who spins excellent action sequences and keeps the story moving along. So come along  and enjoy the ride.

Freehold

Freehold by Michael Z. Williamson. I am at heart a libertarian, but in all fairness this book is sorta like libertarian porn. Because libertarian societies have difficulties coexisting with non-libertarian societies (we have a lot of people in current society who take and don't give, and any change from that will not be peaceful) Michael simplifies things and allows a libertarian society to come about with the introduction of star travel.  

Basically a bunch of like minded libertarians founded Freehold and let it grow into the society we see in the first 2/3's of the book. But then the libertarian's favorite bad guy, the UN (the biggest, most bureaucratic and ineffective government out there) comes in and messes things up. 

The whole story is told from the perspective of Kendra Pacelli, a member of the UN Peacekeeping Force who is set up and forced to flee to Freehold. She is slowly introduced to the Freehold society (and by proxy the reader, of whom some of these concepts is quite foreign) and to it's military.

It really is a fun read and is a nice dream.

The Man with the Iron Heart

The Man with the Iron Heart by Harry Turtledove. I wanted to like this book more, as I I have read a lot of his other works and enjoyed them a lot. Really, I did. But unlike a lot of Turledove's books this one felt really heavy handed in the manner in which he overlaid post WW2 Germanywith contemporary events. 

With the non-death of Reinhard Heydrich the Allies encounters a true opposition in post-defeat Germany. Heydrich has had 3 years to prepare for the downfall and subsequent resistance inside Germany. And to anyone who has followed the news in the past decade, every tool that Al Quada has deployed is in the arsenal of Heydrich's Werewolves. Suicide truck bombs, suicide bombers, IED's, other traps  and even the kidnapping and execution of service members (caught on camera of course).

Maybe this book works for other people but I personally am exhausted from our own War against Terror that uses the same tactics, reading about them set into 1945-48 just felt like a chore. 

The War With Earth

The War With Earth by Leo Frankowski is classic style SF. I grew up on the likes of the Stainless Steel Rat, with a super competent main character (and often a loving wife) outwitting the rest of society. This story is right off that block, with main character being a Soldier in charge of a super battle tank that is powered with by a sentient AI. Working with his wife and other members of his command staff his team thwart both the public (by protecting the secrets of the Kabushian Expeditionary Force) and the Earth invaders.

Things come awfully easily to Mickolai. The opposition is shown as dreadfully incompetent (let's face it, competent can be a pain) and with the aid of the AI's very few things slow him and his team down for long. A neat part of this book is the concept of Dreamworld, where a user linked to the computer can experience things at multiples (17-30 times) real life. Makes basic training or even earning a PhD possible in very short time.

All in all a fun fast read.

Married

On July 14 I married the lovely Hannah (aka Cupcake Girl) here in Arlington at the Ft. Myer Old Post Chapel:

True to her alias, we even visited a couple of the local Cupcake shops. We stopped by Georgetown cupcake (Preordering so we could skip the massive line). They were nice enough to also give us a dozen cupcakes.
We also stopped by Baked and Wired (my personal gtown favorite):

then walked over

And visited Sprinkles

And because she worked there for 3 years, we also stopped by cakelove:

Then it was off to the reception at the Shearaton Pentagon City, where we were blessed by a rainbow:

And then partied the night away with good food, drink, and tasty desserts surrounded by friends and family.

So much fun, that you didn't want it to end, but in some ways you did because the moment you stopped you realized how absolutely tired you were.

Assassin's Code

Zombies, werewolves, secret societies (ala Illuminate), super-virus's and even a dragon (all of course with a mostly super-science edge, not paranormal). So the one obvious missing item in our paranormal ecology is vampires, so this book deals it out in spades. As I have read the books in this series the one thing I kept thinking is that the only person who seems to be having a worse day would have been Jack Bauer from the TV series 24. Then I remember the first line above and I am going to have to have to declare that Joe is definitely having a worse time that Jack.

Assassin's Code kept me alive, as I listened to it on a long drive where I was quite tired, but there was no way that I was going to fall asleep and miss what happened next. As it often happens in this series it starts of strong and keeps up the action (with one exception, the interludes to the historical events that provide some of the back story on the organizations) to the explosive crescendo at the end.

Joe, Ghost and Echo Team are in Iran, rescuing some wayward hikers that have been kidnapped by the Iranian's. On their way out they Joe is isolated and forced, by a mysterious sniper team, to meet with the head of Iran's Intelligence organization who provides some specific information (and some generic background stuff) about 7 (big, multi-megaton) nuclear weapons that are being staged around the Middle East as well as possibly in the US.

So without rest Joe and the DMS are thrown into a desperate search to find and disarm those weapons. Along the way we run into the Red Order (a secret order of Vampire Assassin's), a secret anti-vampire organization and even the Holy Inquisition. It even incorporates one of the historical question marks that have confounded scholars for decades, the Voynich Manuscript. This really is some great fun and anytime you stop for that book reading interruption thing called life you feel the twitchy need to get back to it ASAP.

Monster

A. Lee Martinez is a hard author to categorize. I think the closest author to describe him would be a (slightly) less off the wall Terry Pratchett. Definitely a fun read.

Monster is about, appropriately, the main character of this book. He is not in fact a monster, but he catches them (basically like animal control for the city). In this world magic is all around us, but only a select few can see it (and most forget/justify it away shortly thereafter.. think the adults in Sunnydale (Buffy)). Monster is not having a good life (living on the edge of poverty with a demon girlfriend) and his life gets more complicated when he meets Judy.

Judy has called animal control because a yeti is eating all the ice cream at the supermarket she is working at. While shortly forgetting that incident, she continues to run into Monster as more and more supernatural animals keep showing up around her. And then the plot gets really complicated....

Fun read but it can drag a little bit in the middle. I have enjoyed some of his other works more than this one...

Angels of Vengeance

Angels of Vengeance by John Birmingham.
The first book was the hook for me, with the sudden disappearance of pretty much everyone inside the continental US (and implied death). Because of the timing that the author choose(2003), a lot of America's military muscle was already outside the US so that makes things slightly less catastrophic. And I kept on following things into the second book as the second order effects of the disappearance and then beginnings of reclamation of the now deserted US began (as well as the global chaos that came, nuclear war in the middle east and India/Pakistan regions).

This book picks up not too much afterward, now focusing more on the politics of the new America and her reduced role in the world. Overall it was a fairly standard action/spy novel with the unique catastrophic event background. I really only read this out of the fascination of how the author would continue to spin world events and to see what would happen to the now familiar characters. It was a fun book but I feel that this book neatly wraps up at least the characters lives in a fashion that even if there is another book, the odds of me continuing are pretty low.

Moon Called

Moon Called, Mercy Thompson Book 1 by Patricia Briggs

It is kind of refreshing to have the main character not be a vampire or werewolf. I think I picked this book up on sale as I normally am not a big fan stories with a lot of were in them, but the world itself made up for things and I would definitely give it another whirl.

Magic is out of the bag in this world. Some parts of the magical world are out in the open (even to the point that the US Government, in a case of not learning from the past, has created reservations for them) while most of the supernatural world is still in the closet. Mercy is one of the closeted ones, sitting in almost her own category, a "Walker" who is able to turn into a coyote. Her history of being adopted by a werewolf pack due in part to the similarity of her ability makes her an expert on werewolves, but still an outsider.

Mercy runs an auto repair shop in Washington state. With clients who include a vampire, former bosses who are gremlins and the Alpha of a werewolf clan living right next to her. While raised in a werewolf pack, she has nothing to do with them until events drag her deep into pack business. All because of the act of kindness of taking in a young, newly turned and unaffiliated werewolf boy who she meets through her shop. 

Well scripted actions scenes, a very well thought out world and interesting characters made this a fortuitous accidental buy.

Zombie Fallout: Zombie Fallout, Book 1

I love me some zombies. And I always appreciate the hangman's humor in any "The End of the World as we know it" type of story as I am pretty sure that is how I would handle it.

I really do like the narrative voice of the main character, Michael Talbot. As a military guy I can relate, and the really funny bit is that Mike is a zombie fan in the novel. So unlike some stories where apparently all the characters are dumbfounded that zombies exist, with no knowledge of the lore and stories that surround them (no modern novel should have character that are too shocked by zombies, they are too prevalent in US pop culture). Mike even experiences the moment of giddy, "It's real! It is really happening" before the reality hits him and it becomes "It's real?!? It is really happening.......  crap. We are screwed."

Overall the story flows pretty well, from the initial outbreak (damn flu shots....) to the desperate battle to protect his family. It does introduce some likable or interesting characters, but given this is a zombie story do not get too attached to any of them. The author does decide to bring in a mystical capability on both one of the characters and on at least a few of the zombies that made some of the story a stretch, but overall it didn't hurt the story too much (though it made for a some convenient outs for the near terminal situations that author painted the characters into).

Fun read, and also funny. Given the title it sounds like there may be some more story left from the remaining characters so I would be interested to see where this may go.

Rising Tides: Destroyermen, Book 5

Rising Tides: Destroyermen, Book 5 by Taylor Anderson is a solid book. But it feels like you are treading water, because overall the story is taking its sweet time in developing. I still have high hopes and at this point I am quite invested in the characters in series and am curious how things will progress.

This really felt like a development book, setting up the next couple of books for some bang up, drag out fights. Not to say that the book is totally devoid of action, but the biggest danger in this book really came from nature (rouge waves, volcano's) and not from the Grik or to a lesser degree the New Dominion.

The fun (but sometimes dragging part) of this story is that there are number of diverse story lines all running concurrently. CPT Reddy and the Walker visiting New Britain, Sandra and the Princess still shipwrecked, the recovery of the ship full of P-40E's, the attempts to recover S-19, and the ongoing campaign against the Grik. Add in the nature of slow travel and sheer size of the Pacific and things are going to slow down.

That said, I will buying the next novel shortly. Great writing style and even when it is slow it is still a great read with engaging characters and societies.

Distant Thunders

Distant Thunder, Book 4 of the Destroyermen Series by Taylor Anderson

Taylor Anderson continues to deliver in the Destroymen series.The concept of the obsolete Pacific fleet destroyer that were basically target practice in WWII being such a huge force for good in this parallel world that it gets sucked into is quite interesting. With the world there much more hostile than the world we are from, with the Grik on one side, a world that seems intent on eating you (the pirannah-like fish and the larger mountain fish) and only one real ally, the Lemurians you would think that the prospects for the Americans to be pretty grim.

But Captain Reddy and his crew continue to persevere. Even in the face of interaction with the New Britain Imperial Navy and the increasing threat of the Grik don't seem to keep them down. The action is pretty non-stop, with a lot of story lines going on at the same time. The main focus is on the developing relationship and exploration of the New Britain (and the associated "Company" (Far East India Trading Company basically) which is the power that is manipulating the throne) given that they have the Princess Rebecca in their protection. While CPT Reddy is away an agent of the Company kidnaps Rebecca, her protector Dennis Silva as well as Reddy's fiance are kidnapped.

A lot of this book was build-up. Exploring the development of additional technologies and critical repairs that  hopefully will pay off in the future novels. In addition to the Grik menace, the less than friendly Imperials there is also hints of another set of humans located in the America's that may present another threat in the future. Lots of space for these threads to continue to develop. I already picked up the next book in the series because I am excited to see how it develops.

It's all about the content

In recent years (and moreso lately) the so called "serious" readers have shown themselves to be extremely shallow. While I as a lowly SF and Fantasy reader have always been looked down with on disdain (because of course SF&F cannot be real or serious...), there is now 2 categories of readers that now rate lower than the hard copy SF&F (and all the other categories that the literati choose not to label real books) readers, digital and audio consumers of fictional media (as opposed to the hard copy consumers of fictional media).

Digital reading is the effective future of all significant reading in the country. The explosion of e-readers and tablets in the past 3 years has caused a radical shift in how readers now consume their fiction. But the die hard's argue that reading is not just about reading, but the feel and texture of flipping a page and smelling the book. To that I say BS. I have been reading electronically for over a decade (all the way back to using my palm pilot to read books from my favorite publisher, Baen) and all it has done is make reading more convenient. In my pocket or bag instead of having a handful (or less) of books I can have them all in one convenient package. One in which I can place bookmarks, share passages and easily conduct searches for particular items. But making reading easier doesn't seem to be a factor to those who fetishize the physical consumption of media via an anachronistic manner, and who choose to mock and revile those who choose to embrace the new system (in part driven by fear as they see a system that has been around for all of recorded history).

And then there is the lowest of the low. Audiobook listeners (or readers IMNSHO). While I do agree that there is one concept in audiobooks that needs to be destroyed, the evil abridged book. This is quite an acceptable means for a reader to consume (which of course is completely not different than reading) a story. Let's face it, we all have seem people reading in places where it was really against their interests to do so (walking, in dangerous environments), and this is the completely acceptable medium to reclaim that time while remaining situationally aware (I run all the time listening to audio books, but I never have it too loud and I always retain my most important sense, sight because of the audiobook). But apparently books must be relegated every sense to the serious book person, and somehow having the words delivered to your ears lessen the message. We will just pat them on the head and enjoy the boon of technology.

Sorry physical media consumers (aka "serious" readers). You have, as we say in the government world, become OBE (Obsolete By Events). Enjoy your rapidly diminishing world as the rest of us continue to get our horizons broadened. How you get the content in the end is irrelevant, all that matters is that you are getting the content.

Invincible: The Lost Fleet: Beyond the Frontier, Book 2

I love military SF. The series of books by Jack Campbell that detail the adventures of now Admiral Jack Geary are like crack to me. Well written and carefully planned out, they show the breadth and depth of military operations as well as the human side of the force. The author doesn't cheat to make sure that battles are too easy, and every victory comes with a price.

After defeating the Syndicate in the first series, John and his fleet are sent out to explore and obtain more information about the Enigma race that was driving the actions of the Syndicate. And in the events of the first book of this new series he learns more about the Enigma's and is driven to encounter even more alien races.

The fun part of this series is that John Geary is never left in a comfortable place. After being frozen a hundred years the society that he returned to was quite alien to him, and just as he was becoming comfortable he is now forced to contend with the truly alien aliens. I cannot wait until the next book!

Vampire Academy

Vampires go to school?  Who knew?

The story begins with the characters, Lissa - a Moroi (living vampire) princess - and Rose - Lissa's Dhampir (half-human, half-vampire) protector already on the run. Shortly thereafter they are captured and returned to St. Vladimir's, a school where the young Moroi and Dhampir are trained.

In a twist from traditional mythology there are 2 types of vampires, the Moroi who live lives like humans (except for the requirement to take in blood as well as food and sensitivity to light) and the more traditional Strigoi (the dead). Richelle Mead builds up a very engaging world for her characters to inhabit, having to spend a moderate amount of time actually expanding this world during the story.

Most of the action (in true YA style) is built around the interactions between the main characters and the other students at the Academy. Both of reintegration and the invariable clique building (imagine if your High School had both commoners and various nobles attending it. It makes the jocks vs nerds stuff look tame, in particular since everyone there either knows magic or is insanely strong/fast). There is an overarching storyline that keeps the plot moving.

Much darker than most books of this genre, with more action and topics that you don't normally see (talk of suicide, drinking, sex).

Looking forward to the next book in this series.

The King of Plagues

The third of the Joe Ledger books by Jonathan Mayberry. This has been one of my favorite series that I have encountered lately, tightly written and completely engrossing. A delightful blend of SF, horror and action with a bit of detective work mixed in, it is sometimes hard to figure out where this book will lead you.

Joe is both the luckiest and unluckiest Department of Military Sciences employees. Lucky to be alive, but cursed with some of the worst events to occur during his watch. He has encountered zombies, genetic super-monsters, and had his girlfriend die in his arms. And this has all happened in less than a year. The novel picks up several months after the events of the Dragon Factory (there is a short story out there that details him working with his new furry partner Ghost taking down the man who killed Grace). It begins with the destruction of the London (gigantic London Hospital) in a massive terrorist event and it only gets worse.

The new villains of the series (looking to see more) appear to the be the un-before mentioned Seven Kings, which now includes a familiar villain as well. And their plot is devious.

Later in the novel Joe links up with Echo team, his psychologist buddy and a new female character on this wild ride. I cannot wait to crack open the next book!

Zombies: The Recent Dead

I like Zombies. I like Short Stories. Zombie short stories? Sure, why not? Yeah, I picked this book up because I love zombie/post apocalyptic novels and feel that sometimes all you need is a short concise story. I wanted to like it, but......

This book lurked in my list for a long time. I would read a story (I really only found one I tolerated) and then put it off to the side, coming back every so often to bite a small chunk off, get bored and then put it aside again. So I would say I slogged through this book. And this is short story compilation, it shouldn't be like this, where every bite was just not satisfying, but it was. But I rarely give up (from determination or hope, but I rarely quit anything once I started it, be it real life or reading) so I finally finished it (3 months later!).

I will say that the last story was one of the best, so it didn't finish on a truly sour note. But the best thing about this book? That I don't feel compelled to read it any more.

Way Station

Way Station by Clifford D. Simak. This was a throwback novel. Classic SF of the style that I haven't read in almost 20 years (I trend more toward military SF and urban fantasy). It definitely required a context switch but it is interesting to stretch my normal bound.

Enoch Wallace is a Civil War veteran who is living in the contemporary times(circa 1963 for the novel) and has finally attracted the attention of the government due to his lack of aging. Shortly after the the war he is offered the chance to become a station master in an chain of FTL transfer stations for travelers. He effectively is a hermit who has little interaction with society but talks with all the travelers who comes through.

Enoch only ages when he leaves his house, so he is aging at less than 1/24 normal, which is what finally draws the governments attention. There are a couple of threads that combine for a burst of activity toward the end and are fairly well wrapped up by the action. The writing has aged fairly well, and there is even concepts that are quite familiar as SF to modern readers (VR shooting range, aliens not so perfect). It does have some of the common threads of SF of the time (humans bad and immature, aliens superior) that does leave it feeling dated though.

I never read this author before and I found it quite entertaining to be exposed to him, definitely a good insightful book. I can definitely see why it won the Hugo for Best Novel in 1964. And I really cannot help but include this classic cover....

Soon I Will Be Invincible

Superhero's and Evil Scientists? Yes please!
This book provides the inner monologue of Doctor Impossible (DI for short), the villian, and Fatale, a rookie hero, during the latest of DI evil schemes to, what else could it be, take over the world!

There is a lot of the back story of both characters, which provides the overall background of this super-powered world (with Aliens, Faery, magic and evil scientists) providing both their origin story and the story of most of the characters as well as some of the Super organizations. Fatale, for example, is asked to joined the re-formed Champions organization which has its "Superman" powered character at the core, Corefire. And of course the impetus of  reforming the Champions is that Corefire has gone missing and Doctor Horrible, his arch-nemisis, is suspected even though he is residing in prison.

Briskly placed with appropriate background, this is a great read for fans of the superhero genre.

Iron Sunrise

So I am trying a new trend. I like to read (and yes, listen... I lurve me some audiobooks. I find it recovers a lot of "lost" time and allows a certain level of safety. It pretty much is the main reason I don't mind running (and anything that makes exercise more enjoyable is a good thing)). And I think that there is value in writing about what I have read. So my goal now is to do at least a mini-book report on the latest item on the pile.

Iron Sunrise is the latest on my read list. Charles Stross is a relatively recent find for me, but after reading his truly awesome Laundry series I made it a point to go back and explore some of his other works. Iron Sunrise is actually a sequel (though the author has said that there will be no more books in this universe) to Singularity Sky. It brings back the two main characters from that story, Rachel and her now husband, and introduces a who new spread of characters (slowly weaving the seemingly unrelated plots together). The world of these novels is quite interesting, as it is affected by the post-Singularity intelligence Eschaton, which upon reaching consciousness immediately flung 90% of the Earths inhabitants onto planets up to thousands of light years (and correspondingly that far back in time).

Humans being humans, we don't quite get along with each other, and the story begins with the planet of Moscow dying due to the sun exploding, and the retaliatory fleet (which can take decades to arrive) is launched at their competitor New Dresden. Of course the story isn't simply the mission to hunt down the Moscow Ambassadors who can recall the retaliation fleet, in a race against time as the Ambassadors are slowly being murdered, because as you would expect that is just the first layer of a multi-level plot that will keep you entertained through out the book.

Overall this is a great book. Enhanced if you read Singularity Sky but with enough exposition to allow you to jump in if you have not.

Dirty Secret

For a guy whose blog name is "Media Addict" I have a dirty secret...  While I watch a lot of shows that are "critically acclaimed"/shows that people who say they "don't watch tv and yet they still watch these so called good shows..

I
Love
Bad
Sitcoms.......
Yes, I am that guy who watches Whitney, Two Broke Girls and Rules of Engagement (even Two and Half Men). And I like them! I really do laugh at a lot of the jokes, I like simple humor at times.  Maybe it is a nostalgia thing for the shows I watched when I was younger. Because as my fiance can attest, I can call the plot of these shows a mile away (even for other shows she has accused me of pre-watching them I am so good at calling the plot points) but there is just something comforting about them.

So while I know some reviews cannot understand who is watching these shows, there are people like myself (who loves the smarter shows as well (Arrested Development, Modern Family)) that are bumping up the numbers....

Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10 Miler

Anytime when you find yourself already providing excuses you know you are not going to set a PR....
While I had been building up the mileage in the past 6 weeks, I was still woefully under the recommended mileage (my longest run, 9 days prior, was 5.75 miles). And the past week was a total rest week as my back killed my training runs in the middle of the week from Monday on (as a side note, getting older sucks). 

But I finished in a respectable time (104 minutes, right around 10:24 pace) aided by the fact that the weather was fantastic and from that I always do better in a crowd. I was under 10 minute miles for the first 6 miles, but then switched to a run .4, walk .1 (worse in the last mile  (basically .2run, .1walk)as my knee was giving me issues).

The finishers medal is pretty cool and the technical t-shirt I upgraded to is really neat.

Now for some more training to get me ready for the GW Parkway 10 Miler, where I plan to do a bit better.

Mismatch

I have been back in the States for the last 3 weeks and I really am loving it. My fiance. Friends and family that are right around the corner, not thousands of miles and hours away. Internet that works and is cheap. Cell phones and reliable connectivity. Choices when it comes to TV, and none of those annoying AFN commercials.

After being home for a little while I can see how so many service members returning from a war zone often feel so detached (I think it affects me far less as my deployment, which was at main FOB, it was at a major FOB, that never got attacked. So other than the distant explosions and gunfire, helicopters coming in and out at all times, the occasional desperate plea for blood donor's as a serious casualty came in, and the daily update of SIGACTS (SIGnificant ACTionS) in our AOR (Area of Responsibility) the war wasn't as real as it could be compared to the Joe in the truly remote FOB's. Heck I only wore my body armor 5-6 times the entire time I was there and only put my magazine in my weapon 3 times.). Every day in a war zone there is a sense of impending danger and there is never any question that there is a war going on (any significant thing I did was predicated in making sure that the Soldiers out there were not impacted or hindered in any way by things we did, and we would expend all efforts to make sure that they always had secure communications available).

But you get home and suddenly you are back in the minutia of everyday civilian life (this is sharper for those of in the Guard and Reserve, since they make it a point to transition us out as quickly as possible. The Active Duty guys are still in that regimented military environment that eases the transition). Most of the people around you have no understanding of the what it means to be in a war zone, and most seem blissfully ignorant of the events that happen in Afghanistan (maybe they are vaguely aware of significant events like large attacks and maybe vaguely aware of the current number of casualties). Because of the way that I get my news I hear most of the major events but I cannot imagine that everyone's news-feeds are tailored like mine are. And luckily I am not a person who finds danger exciting (I find it more of something to be endured, and to be removed ASAP).

While it is barely a twinge for me (easily assuaged by all the conveniences at the top of the post. It really helps that I am a homebody who really loves being at home.) I can really see why a lot of my fellow vet's (wow, first time I have referred to myself as a vet) have trouble readjusting.

Home

I got back on the 7th!  After a brief visit to demob down in MS (it was only 3-4 days, quite impressive).  The real question is, who looks happier in this picture, me or my fiance?

6 months, 15,000 miles.  I went from 4 ribbons to 9 (added an ARCOM (Army Commendation) and NATO Medal, as well as an Afghan Campaign Medal, Overseas Service Ribbon, and an Army Reserve Medal).  Plus I am officially no longer a "slick sleeve" (term for anyone without a SSI-FWTS (Shoulder Sleeve Insignia, Former War Time Service) on your right shoulder).

My unit deployed with 175 people and we came back with 175 people with no injuries.  We ran operations in Zabul, with one American Battalion, 2 Romanian Battalions, an ADT (Agricultural Development Team) and a PRT (Provincial Reconstruction Team).

Back to work in another 2 weeks.  Figured I would take a full 4 weeks off.

Red Moon

One of the few advantages of being out here in the boonies of Afghanistan is that it is near ideal for looking at the sky. My base operates in a blackout mode in the evenings, so there is minimal light pollution. When the Moon is not there the majesty of the night sky are impressive ("My God, the sky, it's full of stars!"). As a night shift worker I am pretty in touch with the moon (I often walk around 3 weeks of 4 without any light, operating by the light of the moon, at least when it is there) so last night when I walked outside I immediately wondered where the heck my night light was.  Then I remember we were schedules for a Lunar Eclipse and found the moon.

It actually turned red!!!

So cool.

Gotta find the cool moments in even the less than ideal conditions...

Fair disclosure, I picked these pictures off my unit's PAO drive.  The pics are often aggregated there.

Crawling

It is amazing how in the real world that time seems to fly by.  I know that normally I find myself turning around and being amazed that yet again it was a drill weekend (a good way to mark the month since that used to my definition of a busy week... doing my normal job, heading off to packed drill weekends and then heading into work on Monday.  That was all before I encountered the 12 hours, 7 days a week schedule). 

We are scheduled to return from our deployment early.  We kind of lucked out, in that the Army decided to replace us early (now I know what a placeholder feels like).  We are already deep into planning for the RIP (Relief In Place), pretty much we have almost been doing that preparation since we conducted out TOA (Transfer Of Authority) and took this place over.  I know that lots of us already have the visions of our reunions dancing around in heads, it serves as a wonderful motivator. 

We all have a countdown somewhere in proximity to us (most of us use a computer program, some clever people even have a drawing with a number of Lobsters (we have it every Fiday), one each for the remaining weeks).  I am already planning my downtime after deployment (I envision taking 2-3 weeks off).  Or as a I have described it, #OccupyMyCouch. 

Again I will not go into specifics, as it is possible for the bad guys to utilize that information to time their attacks to take advantage of of the inevitable turbulance that occurs when one group replaces another.

I can already visualize finally seeing my fiance, family and friends again (and maybe drinking that celebratory beer).

Thankful

Even over here, in the poor embattled dump that is this corner of Asia, I am am still a thankful man.  I am thankful that thus far no one in my unit has been killed or injured.  That I will be heading home soon. That my fiance, family and friends are so supportive of me while I am here.

I definitely am thankful for technology.  I know that life would be far more stressful for me if it wasn't for email, VOIP (thanks Google for the free phone calls!!) and Skype (thanks to you for the free video calls!!).  Being this far away from everything (and pretty much everyone) would have been far more depressing.

I am definitely thankful for Sandy, the local feral cat who has made my lonely night shift far more tolerable.  She often wanders in, nudges my leg and falls asleep near me.

I have been lucky enough to be born in the best country in the world, have awesome parents, siblings and a beautiful Fiance.  I really like my job (yep, even the Army one on occasion) and get paid well to do it.  I truly am a lucky and thankful guy. 

Veteran's Day

I think this will be the first Veteran's Day where I finally deserve the label.  I joined 6.5 years ago and only now that I am on this deployment do I feel right applying that label to myself. And even then I know that my service is different.  My battlefield is sitting at my desk, making sure that the Soldiers get the best possible support that they can get.  There isn't the sleep deprivation, crappy conditions that other, more front-line military personnel encounter.  I have same day laundry service, a warm 2 person bedroom, Internet access and (surprisingly) good food.

Though unlike y'all back in the States, Veteran's is just another day for those of us over here. We are doing a 11.11 mile team relay (which I am not doing, couldn't get a team together and I am not running another 10+ miles around this base) but that is about all.  The pace of operations doesn't slack and unless it is a scheduled downtime there is no time off to mark the holiday.  No special meal deals for Veterans over here, just the same old chow.  I know next year it will maybe mean a bit more than just another day off, but this time around it is just another day to endure before we head home.

Deployment is a Blur...

Working 12 hours a day (all through the night) 7 days a week makes everything a blur. The weeks are represented by the significant events (either personal, work or significant events).

Like the time that insurgents ran a VBIED against one of the nearby FOBs, big enough that even though the site is more than 2 miles away it sounded like it was hitting my own FOB (no one was killed in that attack).

Or the fact that my Brothers Wife finally delivered my new niece (I have 4 brothers, we are not quite sure how to deal with a little girl).

But the most notable memories are the ones where I head outside the wire.So far I have been have outside the wire twice with our ANSF (Afghan National Security Forces, that includes their Army, Border Patrol, and Police). They are advised mostly by the Romanians (which makes sense since their technology level and tactics are better suited to Russian styles and technology) via the OMLT system.  I visited the main Army base for the province, seeing how their maintainence works and in general meeting their personnel.

The second trip was more important for me, as we headed to Alexander's Castle (according to local lore the Castle was built by Alexander the Great.  While that claim is uncertain and unvalidated, it is a key point for the city of Qalat and has been for centuries (for the British, the Russians and now to a latter degree American, though we have no personnel stationed here). We got to meet the Communication Company that is located at the Castle and is the center hub for ANA communications in the region.  I was struck by how professional and dedicated to serving their country, they really were proud to serve the Afghan people and of their accomplishments to date. We had tea (so makes one very Afghan experience) and then also took in the sights at the Castle (the views were awesome, the commanding views makes it very clear why this is such a key terrain point. While taking in the view I also got another very Afghan experience, as we saw an IED go off in the distance.

Outside of that trip my time passes by in dribs and drabs.  Working out, sleeping, the weekly Lobster and Steak meal..  I have watched more TV than I have ever watched during my time here, as I work I often have a show running in the background.

In some ways technology is great as it allows you to be aware of everything that is happening back home, but it also can leave you frustrated since you can so easily see everything and yet know that it is so far away....

Army Ten Miler Shadow Run in Afghanistan

Above is the field of runners at FOB Lagman, Afghanistan who decide to join our fellows back in the Arlington & DC who ran the Army Ten Miler on Sunday, Oct 9. We of course started 8.5 hours earlier than our peers. One cool thing to note in the second picture is that the First Sergeant of our unit is carrying the guidon of the HHC. He actually ran the entire 10 miles with it, finishing just a little bit behind me.


The ATM here was probably one of the toughest races that I have run. The altitude was still a factor because even though I have been here for 2 months there are still moments for all of us that we find ourselves catching our breathe. We are a little over 1 mile above sea level here. And running past the burn pit plus all the dust doesn't help (there was a lot of dust in the air today). The terrain was the biggest factor, there were tons of hill on our run, most of the path was on unleveled ground (think 15-20% grade) and those parts that weren't gravel (and by gravel I mean the fist sized ones, not the nice marble sized ones. I call them ankle breakers) were either packed dirt or moondust (really fine sand that drifts). I finished in just a bit over 2 hours, definitely not one of my better runs (but good for the conditions).

It was definitely a nice bit of solidarity and a little reminder of home (and I will appreciate the fact that most races will seem like cake after this.

9/11 from Afghanistan

10 years ago I was just waking up when I turned on the TV.

Today I wake up, wearing the uniform of the United States Army, working my shift while keeping the communication systems up the Coalition Units for a province in Southern Afghanistan.

What a difference 10 years can make... From standing by idly watching the news break to serving in the country that harbored those very attackers (I was going to say originated but we all know that country is our "ally" Saudi Arabia), helping to keep a fragile bit of stability together even for a little bit.