Reading for December, 2005

It was a busy month, but a good amount of time for reading, at the hospital, visiting relatives, and so on.
Fool’s Fate by Robin Hobb. Book three of the Tawny Man Trilogy. This was my least favorite of the FitzChivalry/Elderling novels, so much of the story is spent tying up loose ends, and the book lacks any real conflict on a scale equal to the previous books. The Tawny Man certainly didn’t need to be 2000+ pages to tell the story it told.

The Demolished Man by Alfred Bester. This novel won the first Hugo Award in 1953. An interesting book, which has some fun with typography.
The Big Time by Fritz Leiber. This novel won the Hugo Award in 1958. A short book with too many characters written in an unfriendly style.
A Case of Conscience by James Blish. This novel won the Hugo Award in 1959. Some nice elements, but underwritten (or overedited).
For Kicks by Dick Francis. A dangerously handsome horse breeder from Australia infiltrates a British horse doping operation.