Vacation Reading

I read a pile of books during my vacation - large stacks of good books are more important for a nice vacation than a great beach. Not all I read was good, but I did enjoy a bunch of them.

• Joe Abercrombie - Last Argument Of Kings. The third volume in this series; I really liked it because it is truly dark fantasy. Rather like KJ Parker, it is gritty and dark mixed with black humor; Joe Abercrombie's characters feel more personal whereas KJ Parker can be more distant.


• Matthew Hughes - Template. The latest book by Hughes; his books always feel like mature Jack Vance to me; I hope he will continue to write a great many of them.


• Sherwood Smith - Inda. At the start of this, I feared it would be too much like Ender's Game with swords. The book improves quickly, though, involving war and interpersonal rivalry. It's a pity the politics are somewhat simplistic. I'm currently reading the second book even though it feels like more of the same.

I tried Michael Cisco's "The Tyrant" but couldn't get through the first few chapters. Instead I read a few Harry Bosch novels lying around the resort. I also read Jeri Smith-Ready's "Wicked Game" but was somewhat underwhelmed. I'll try again with her next book.