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About this page

Reading is something I’m very passionate about, and this page is a testament to that. here you will find the most recent books that I’ve read. In the majority of cases there will be a review, and if not, at least a rating of the title in question.

I also write updates (usually quarterly) on the blog pages of this site, featuring some of the best reads of the period. If you are interested in those, you can check out the Books category of the Blog, which also has its own RSS feed for your literary consumption.

Navigation through my books is easy for screen-reader users - each separate book is a level 3 heading. Beneath each heading there may be 2 block-quoted texts; the first of which is a description of the book and the second my own thoughts. if there’s no book description or I’ve written no review, then the block quotes won’t appear.

Finally, before the dynamic portion of this page kicks into swing, I should point out a few things.

• Firstly, the entire power of this page stems from the people at GoodReads, which is an utterly fantastic website of which I am proud to be a member. If for some insane reason this page is’nt enough for yu, my Goodreads Profile has RSS feeds of my updates.
• Secondly, I read the majority of my books in text format with a screen reader. Sometimes I will use an audio book, but more often than not, I use text (on a variety of devices).

so with that out of the way, let us proceed to… the books.

Recently read

Past Imperative (Great Game, #1)
By Dave Duncan

Edward Exeter, seemingly a golden child of a golden age, has a past spattered with tragedy and blood. His present is marred by the outbreak of the Great War, and it is further stained by the death of his friend, Timothy Bodgley, in circumstances that leave Edward in hospital, implicated as Bodgley’s murderer. Strange chains of history and causality tighten on Edward’s life: He is the unwilling key figure in an otherworldly prediction of salvation and/or disaster, bound to break the prophecy or fulfill it.

I gave this a rating of 4 out of 5 stars. The average rating is 3.49. here’s what I thought of it:

"This is August Bank Holiday weekend, Inspector! England is closed."



what an absolutely delightful blend! A superb mix of the English crust with a world of Gods and miracles. The weaving back and forth between worlds zooms up the tension admirably, leaving one in turns desperately frustrated yet so eager to carry on.



"The universe ought to be more logical, and an armed geriatric nun was carrying things altogether too far."



There are echoes of the Seventh Sword series here, particularly in the ways of the Gods and in some of the supporting characters, but these worlds are very much their own and the gateways between them perilously thrilling. The build-up was handled very well, and if the ending did seem to come at something of a rush, it’s evident that there’s more to enjoy.

One Step from Earth
By Harry Harrison

I gave this a rating of 3 out of 5 stars. The average rating is 3.58. here’s what I thought of it:

Harrison is an odd one - some of his stuff I enjoy to the point of missing it when it’s not there and the rest is so humdrum to me that it may as well not be there at all. But He’s given me many an interesting yarn over the years, so I can’t complain.



Some of the stories in this volume worked better than others, I’d say. though the theme of matter transmission is an interesting one, the angles of approach were sometimes a little too wide for me to enjoy without the action-packed, fast-paced stories I’ve come to expect from my shorter volumes.



the ones I liked best were Pressure, Waiting Place, From Fanaticism or for Reward, and perhaps joint favourite with pressure, heavy Duty (just because of the twist).

The First Virtue (Star Trek the Next Generation: Double Helix, Book 6)
By Michael Jan Friedman

The final book in this great saga is set 30 years back in stardate 2350, when a young Captain Picard commands the USS "Stargazer" and first encounters the deadly foe that later threatens the existence of the Alpha Quadrant.

I gave this a rating of 4 out of 5 stars. The average rating is 3.36. here’s what I thought of it:

To complete a complementary series, we have a book that takes us back and back again, to well before the first title. to a time when Picard commanded the Stargazer, a time when jack Crusher was still alive, and to a time before Tuvok under the auspices of Janeway infiltrated the maquis cell headed by Chakotay.



We learn in the previous title that Thul blames the Federation in general and picard more specifically for the death of his Son, Mendan, but the only details we have on that insident were that mendan died. not a great deal to go on, so this work steps up to the bar admirably and plugs the gap.



it’s odd how Picard has appeared throughout this series, but never as the focus. he stands out more in this title than many of the others, but the focus is yet on Crusher, Tuvok, and of course the thallonians responsible for the virus in the first place.



This book does well at finishing up, for although the how, what and wherefors of the virus are dealt with previously, the why, and all attendant motivating factors are somewhat glossed over. Of course that opens up the floor for this book, so I’m not complaining!



a very enjoyable series to read over a week or so, I must say. So a big thank you to all those authors for that.

Double or Nothing (Star Trek The Next Generation: Double Helix, Book 5)
By Peter David

Set in "current day, " the story finds Captain Picard joining forces with Captain Mackenzie Calhoun of The New Frontier to put an end to the mastermind behind the biological attacks on Alpha Quadrant.

I gave this a rating of 4 out of 5 stars. The average rating is 3.66. here’s what I thought of it:

In this fifth instalment of the series, Peter David takes the helm and guides us to a thrilling, climactic battle as The General’s plans for destroying all sentient life in the federation come to a head. The Double helix virus, so patiently tested, perfected and proliferated through four previous titles is finally ready to be used on something of a larger scale…



But, in typical fashion, Captain Mackenzie Calhoun is alive and kicking - and as luck (or at least a covert branch of Starfleet Intelligence) would have it he is sent into the boiling pot with the authority to do what he must to secure the future of the federation. of course it would be a little unfair to let mac have all the fun, so Picard is also undercover, trying to unravel the mystery of the virus from within.



Things go horribly wrong for all concerned, as they inevitably must, and David’s clearly not done with supporting characters as Sela’s "Fire At Will!" does not show Commander Riker’s future at its best. Clearly it’s a worthwhile effort though, you can see how it works - bring in the Romulan’s, bring in Sela. it’s naturally unfair to expect the crew of the Excalibur to be left out, so although Calhoun is off saving the universe, that proud vessel (with riker in command) also has its fair share of things to deal with.



We finally learn just how daring the scope of the virus is, of course - and what bigger target than the federation in its entirety? the question this book finally answers is simply this: can the virus be stopped? Or will the sixth and final entry in this most fascinating of series show a mop-up effort with the federation struggling to pull itself back from the brink of utter annihilation?

Quarantine (Star Trek The Next Generation: Double Helix, Book 4)
By John Vornholt

Maquis rebels Chakotay, Torres, Seska, and Tuvok fight through a Cardassian blockade to reach the beleaguered planet of Helena in the demilitarized zone and find that both refugees and Cardassians have been struck down by a mysterious plague.

I gave this a rating of 4 out of 5 stars. The average rating is 3.41. here’s what I thought of it:

"Meeting a Maquis captain isn’t usually considered a great honor."



This brilliantly written book charts another instance of the dreaded double helix disease from the unlikeliest of viewpoints - Chakotay, during his time with the maquis. Clearly, the bulk of this thing takes place before Voyager’s pilot, and all the usual suspects (Torres, Tuvok, Seska etc) are firmly in place. Seeing the Maquis on Humanitarian work not involving themselves is a far cry from their televised portrayal as well as their in-universe depiction from the federation. We also have Tom Riker, the duplicate of the Enterprise’s First Officer created in a transporter accident on Nervala IV. chakotay is quick to spot his potential (The DS9 Defiant incident springs to mind), and the whole crew are thrust into a nasty plague situation on a planet where mixed-breeds (such as Torres with her half-Human, half-Klingon physiology are considered almost royalty).



So sets the stage. The writing is very easy on the mind, the story flows very well indeed. With this and the previous we have departed from the medical a little, and it’s refreshing to see more action in different fields than just healing people, watching them become reinfected, and so forth. A change for the better, livening up the series and adding back that bit of zest that it didn’t quite manage to hold on to thus far.



The nuances are very good, the depth of characterisation incredible and the chance to see familiar faces in an unfamiliar time and place is well worth the read. So many wonderful connections are possible with novels, the whole Tom versus Will Riker thing, for instance. it only got an episode on the show, but here the man is panned out in much more detail and the time between his appearances catalogued with gratifying detail.



The next story is written by Peter David, I note with anticipation. Another miracle worker with supporting characters and an exquisite craftsman in his own right (with New Frontier). Will we find out who "The General" is after all? will the good guys eventually find a way to stop these plagues, once and for ever? Will we ever know why they were started? Time will tell. Time and two more books…

Red Sector (Star Trek The Next Generation: Double Helix, Book 3)
By Diane Carey

Like the biological weapons they employ, a sinister conspiracy has spread across the Delta Quadrant and across many years of Starfleet History. Now the mysterious menace surfaces again — to strike at the heart of the Romulan Empire.

An artificial virus has infected the entire Romulan ruling family. Ambassador Spock must put aside his efforts at unification to summon his old friend, Dr. Leonard McCoy, who discovers that the only hope for a cure lies with a long lost Romulan heir whose blood and tissues have not been contaminated by the virus. But can the heir be found before the collapse of a ruling dynasty throws the entire Empire into chaos?

I gave this a rating of 4 out of 5 stars. The average rating is 3.43. here’s what I thought of it:

"I don’t mind being dead, but being dead for nothing stinks."



So says then Ensign Eric Stiles, unlikeliest of heroes. Eric was sent into a volatile political mess to evacuate an ambassador and an embassy no longer welcome. Things turned rough, and Eric winds up a prisoner with none but a Romulan companion, who despite all the odds, turns out to be one of the best things for him. The two make quite a team.



"Look what you and I have done here, with tricks and dirt and screwdrivers. I explain what I’m doing, and you provide the leap of imagination that sends us to the next step."



Erric and Zevon part ways when Eric is rescued, but when the deadly manufactured plague strikes once more - this time at the Royal family of the Romulan Star Empire, Eric remembers that Zevon had royal blood too - presumably safe from infection due to his political incarceration.



And the race is on, of course - to save as many of the Romulans as possible, to find an uncontaminated source of blood in a still locked-down sector of space, and to see if the strain of time and detention can still bind people in friendship, when years of imprisonment had bonded them closer than anyone could have guessed.



I have a love-hate relationship with Carey, I think - I either really enjoy the works or I hate them. more to the former than the latter and this no exception, the story was action-packed and the nuances brilliantly handled. I love the grunt side of trek; the opening scene where the transport and fighters land is superb, the chatter between the crew reminded me quite vividly of Robert A. Heinlein’s Space cadet - what was his name, Dodson? matthew Dodson, I think. The sort of camaraderie between mat and his mates was quite evident in this scene, and the CST duty with the Lafayette held some of that same magic.



"The cough made him seem perfectly mortal and gave Stiles a bit of comfort that otherwise might’ve slipped on past him."



Then there’s the hero worship of legends Spock and McCoy - not just familiar faces to us, of course, but legends to the youth of the next generation as well. We know both these men are alive and active in Canon, but it does take a special blend of writing to make them come alive in the 24th century, surrounded by the contrivances of an era for which they aren’t generally associated. Reading, it really does feel like the young men in the story appreciate Spock and co as much as we do.



"For a brief moment Beverly Crusher stood in awe of this elegant race, so Vulcan in their stature, so human in their passion."



and the final layer of complexity to draw your attention to is the portrayal of the Romulans, of course - proud yet vulnerable, embroiled in a political nightmare and ravaged by disease.



The first 2 novels in this series had a feeling of build-up but lacked much in the way of making us feel that the universe was about to end. This one would happily sit in as a standalone, yet adds that little bit extra to the disease story. because there’s so much else happening, the fact that the virus isn’t as centre-stage as it has been isn’t a problem, in fact it’s something of a plus because it gives us other things to focus on. Still, the virus is the arc - so on we go.

Vectors: Double Helix #2 (Star Trek: The Next Generation)
By Dean Wesley Smith

Dr. Katherine Pulaski of the U.S.S. Enterprise is on Terok Nor studying a virus that’s killing off the Bajoran labor force. She must find a cure before ailing ruler Gul Dukat is forced to take the ultimate precaution and destroy the entire planet of Bajor. Set during Star Trek: The Next Generation’s third season.

I gave this a rating of 3 out of 5 stars. The average rating is 3.47. here’s what I thought of it:

"we can assume that this plague is related to the one we dealt with on Archaria III, It almost seems like a second trial of an experiment. the stakes were escalated. There were three species involved. There was a new method of delivery." Beverly Crusher.



So, here we are again, people dying all over the place. This time it’s Bajorans and Cardassians, perhaps this plague being one of the few things they’ve ever had in common.



The book is set mostly on Deep space nine, though before it was abandoned by the Cardassians, so naturally it’s still called Terok Nor. Our central heroes don’t take centre stage in this one - the protagonists are mostly extras, with the exception of Nurse Ogawa and Katherine Pulaski. of course old favourites are there (the Enterprise crew, Kira, odo etc), but it really is Pulaski’s show.



What a well done show it is, as well - backstory for her thrown in so smoothly that next time I see her onscreen I’ll think of her ex-husband, without remembering he isn’t canon. There was clearly attention to detail from the screen, as well - vis data and Pulaski, which I always appreciate in a novel.



My one quibble is that it’s very much a same old story. Plague, possible cure, not a proper cure, scratch heads (and ears), proper cure. Hurrah! seen this before on Archaria, didn’t wee, folks? yes, and no, is the answer to that one. As crusher said, the stakes were escalated. One can only assume that the mysterious General of whom we hear vague hints about but don’t actually meet is up to his old tricks again.



From this latest instalment we can surmise that the General’s genetics are increasing in complexity and that next time, it won’t be so easy to solve the problem. This book could have gone a little faster, had a little more punch, but as a ‘general’ rule it portrays the insidious progression of a set of experiments quite well, giving us a glimpse into the Cardassian occupation of bajor en-route. Where we go next - well: i’ll find out soon enough.

Infection (Star Trek The Next Generation: Double Helix, Book 1)
By John Gregory Betancourt

A hidden enemy has waged war on the Alpha Quadrant, with weapons. Captain Jean-Luc Picard and his U.S.S. Enterprise crew, in the first year of their mission, are dispatched to Archaria III to deliver aid to the virus-plagued planet. But when crew members succumb to the disease they must race to find a cure.

I gave this a rating of 3 out of 5 stars. The average rating is 3.26. here’s what I thought of it:

The first in a series spanning 6 books and perhaps as many authors, Infection throws us right into an epidemic of interesting proportions; very genetically specific ones. i won’t go into too many details of the plot, but will note that sometimes this book felt like a trial run itself.



"The big question is motive, It can’t be

racial purity. It can’t be the Purity League. In fact, Starfleet has

only been able to come up with one possible motive… Practice."

Captain Picard.



Apart from that, there was a lot of well-executed character interaction. The whole Riker in a beard thing was quite prescient, for instance. Worf and yar were explored well, though not to the detriment of the story; onscreen events (such as Farpoint) were brought in, giving us more of an idea of when this book takes place than just a stardate.



I can’t quite see jean-luc Picard as an Old Spacedog, I must admit, and Crusher’s leaping to conclusions is perhaps a little out of character (though her impetuosity is well-known). There’s a lot that goes completely over our heads, of course - the shady General, the net result of the plague, and so forth. presumably because there are more books in the series, and revealing all now would spoil the rest.



To sum, a bit short, then, with the action squeezed in but exciting, with the ending feeling perhaps a little forced. The characterisation was well done - even to the slight lack of gelling which characterise later episodes and novels - a hallmark of early TNG, I believe. the writing style will almost certainly vary from title to title, as they are written by different authors. Something to look forward to: keeps a series rolling on.

The Jaguar Knights (King’s Blades, #6)
By Dave Duncan

Acclaimed fantasy author Dave Duncan returns to Chivial and the dashing King’s Blades — the greatest swordsmen in the world — with a new epic adventure of sword fights, magic, romance, and a Blade unlike any other.

Sir Wolf is not your typical King’s Blade. Sure, he’s smart, athletic, a good dresser, and a phenomenal swordsman. But he hasn’t been named the King’s Killer for nothing, and after years of dark secrets and painful loyalties to a king he cannot respect, all he wants is to be left alone.

But when unknown assailants storm a royal fortress and carry off a former royal mistress, Wolf is dispatched posthaste to investigate. Who were these strangers, what were their motives, and who — or what — was their sinister cat-faced leader? Burdened by the need to comfort his impetuous younger brother, Sir Lynx — the only Blade ever to lose his ward and live — and shadowed by a secretive Inquisitor with her own agenda, Wolf struggles to solve a mystery that threatens the kingdom of Chivial itself. His quest will lead him into lands of danger and discovery unlike any the Blades have ever seen, and to an answer beyond his wildest nightmares.

I gave this a rating of 4 out of 5 stars. The average rating is 3.37. here’s what I thought of it:

What an ending. Someone else reviewed and said this one wasn’t up to the same standard as the others; I can see why. it is different. But even so, there’s a great story there, and anything set in this world with these characters is quite impressive.

Impossible Odds (King’s Blades, #5)
By Dave Duncan

The Blades are back! Once again acclaimed fantasist Dave Duncan leads us past the imposing gates of Ironhall — training ground for elite warrior swordsmen unequaled in any time or realm — to witness the astonishing ascendance of three most unlikely heroes.

Deposed by a foul usurper, the Grand Duke Rubin is on the run and in desperate need of protection. While the King has decreed that new Blades will be magically bound to the guard, not one of the rough youths being readied at Ironhall yet possesses the seasoning and maturity to accept such an assignment. Left with no choice, the Grand Master approaches two with an offer of early bonding and probable death: Ranter, strong but arrogant, dense, and rude, and Ringwood, eager and impetuous, who might make a fine Blade — someday. Since they will need much help — and luck — to survive what better, more skilled Blades have not, a third is enlisted into their threadbare ranks: the candidate Bellman, who, though barred from the Blades by injury, may have some small talent for espionage.

Joining the Duke’s entourage along with a courageous and prescient White Sister named True, the trio of would-be champions begins an astonishing journey filled with trials and horrors, intending to restore a rightful ruler to the throne or die in the process. But before them waits an army of the dead — a dark fraternity of shadowmen, savage and unstoppable, who slaughter in the service of a despicable fiend driven by greed and the blackest of hearts. And the Duke, whom the Blades must protect to the last drop of their lifeblood, is not the liege they imagined — but rather the guardian of strange and twisted secrets … and a hidden identity thatthreatens to plunge their noble enterprise into total confusion and even graver peril.

I gave this a rating of 5 out of 5 stars. The average rating is 3.70. here’s what I thought of it:

So I asked for a look into hither too shadowy corners of this most magnificently crafted of universes, did I? yes, I most certainly did, see my thoughts on Paragon Lost. that told the story of Sir Beaumont and Tasha, the then future Queen of Chivial.



This work introduces us to the Duchy of Krupina, opening the doors for more political skullduggery. The Krupinese, or some of them at least, seem to have embraced conjuration as Chivial embraces Blades — and battle is joined.



not war, that’s far too boorish for the story of a few individuals, be they notable or otherwise. This, an astonishing tale of murder and treachery, of bamboozlement and sorcery and of bluff, counter bluff and shadow - this is the story of Grand Duchess Johanna of krupina. Nobody is ever as they seem, of course, and characters are revealed to be most assuredly what they aren’t right to the very end.



There’s much of the Blade’s bindings here too, for Ironhall is lacking when the Blade’s of this story are bound, and so neither have completed their training. Fallibility, saving graces and walking dead litter the pages. Five down, one to go.