Book capsules.

I've fallen about 3 books behind on my 'book a week' pace I set for myself. I could easily have kept up, just by reading faster books, but I decided that just racking up the numbers wasn't really the purpose -- which is to steadily read.

The last book I read in one day, the two books before that took three days a piece; the book before that took two weeks.

Ironically, this S.F. series I've embarked on is probably the least well-written and takes much longer to finish. A bit like a T.V. show that you get halfway through and realize it's not too good but you want to see to the finish. And sometimes, I'm just in the mood for sprawling space opera.

I don't remember when I last did reviews, so I'll start with the books I've read since mid-april or so.

The Devil's Eye, Jack McDevitt. To tell the truth, I had to dig up the book to remember its storyline. It's part of a series about an interstellar antiquities dealer, Alex Benedict and his beautiful assistant, Chase Kolpath, who have tendency to dig up ancient conspiracies and civilizations. I enjoy it, but obviously it doesn't stick.

Eifelheim, Michael Flynn. I guess if yo want to be nominated for a S.F. award, just set your novel in the Middle Ages... Interesting read, though I get impatient with medieval stuff, sometimes.

Night of Thunder, Stephen Hunter. Nearly my favorite thriller writer. Hunter used to be a movie critic with the Wash. Post, and he used to put down any super-hero type movie, which is interesting because his characters are nearly superhuman. Deadly fast and smart and tough.

Forest of Stars, Kevin J. Anderson. The space opera I was talking about. 600 pages, and paper thin characters and not much surprising. Some interesting concepts, but as with the first books, I'm not sure I'll continue. At least not right away.

The Defector, Danial Silva. Superagent Gabrial Allon, who Silva attributes just about every Isreali undercover success of the last 30 years....Fun and fast to read.

Lost City of Z, David Grann. Non-fiction book about the explorer Percy Fawcett who disappeared in the Amazon jungle in 1925 looking for, well essentially, El Dorado.

Indiana Jones lives! Great stuff.

It seems like much of the pulp fiction I read from the '40's and 50's were based on someone very much like Percy Fawcett (or his rival Hamilton Rice.)

Oh, and half the comics I currently read. You can just see the genesis of adventure stories: The Lost World, by Arthur Conan Doyle was directly based on Fawcett. Last year's UP, comes to mind.

Then, yesterday, I read The 47th Samurai, by Stephen Hunter. This guy is really good, and these thrillers have a propulsive quality that's hard to put down.

Not extensive reviews, I know. You guys don't pay me well enough for extensive reviews.....