Jaye's Musings

This fun series of time-travelling (we don't call it time-travel) shenanigans has evolved into a series of some 10 books and several short stories that fit in between.

Series List

( In the words of the late British Historian, Arnold Toynbee, history is... )

It does suffer a little, as all long series tend to, with becoming a bit repetitive in the later books, but the humour, characters, and action manage to not make it dull. The later short stories diverge a little by focusing on more minor characters rather than Max, like Markham, Mrs. Mack and Enderby, and a trip to space. If I had one complaint, however, it would be the series villain, Clive Ronan. While he starts out as a really good villain, he should have been defeated long ago, but instead he just keeps coming back and is becoming more of a caricature and a new 'big bad' is needed (or even 'little bads' as St Mary's get into enough trouble on their own without a villain seeking to disrupt their plans!)

I give it 9/10

I've been doing quite well at getting through books this year. I'll review some of the others at some point, but I just finished a reread of Michael Crichton's "Timeline" last night and wanted to jot down some thoughts while it's still fresh.

I first read this around 2000, about three years before the movie starring, yes, Gerard Butler was released. I really liked the novel, a blend of two of my favourite genres, historical fiction and sci-fi. And I admit, I was so happy when I first heard that Gerry had been cast as my favourite character Andre Marek. But this is not a review on the movie or a comparison between the two as it's been a long time since I've watched it.

Generally speaking, I still really enjoyed the story with its blend of science and history, and well I am a sucker for a good time-travel yarn. Still, while it is still very enjoyable, and a book I will probably reread again at some point in the future, this time round I couldn't help but notice some of its problems. Of course, Crichton was one of the most popular authors and many of his books were blockbuster films ("Timeline" ironically was not one of these, and he apparently hated the film).

( The Bad )
( The Good )

Overall, like I said it is still a very enjoyable story with lots of excitement, tension, and set-action pieces, but I did realize a lot more of its faults this time around.


I give it 7/10

One of the things I want to do this year is keep a log of the books I read and movies I see, along with a brief review of them. I'm a little late starting, but I'll do what I remember.

( Book Review: 'A Rogues' Proposal' )



( Movie Reviews )

I haven't done a post where I've gone over my newest fandoms for a looonng time, and as I'm sitting her at the coffee shop waiting to head to the airport, and it's way to noisy to concentrate on writing...I might as well find something to occupy my journal.

BEING HUMAN (UK): Okay, so I've been a fan since the first season, and now that I can watch BBC iPlayer, I can now watch S4 the day after broadcast, I am more hooked than ever. To be honest, I wasn't sure how I would like this season with three lead cast members leaving the show, especially Aidan Turner who plays Mitchell, but I think that the PTB have done a good job of dealing with that. I even like the 'replacement' characters. Yes, they've set it up the same, but Tom and Hal are so totally different to George and Mitchell (despite being a werewolf and vampire, respectively) that the interactions are fresh and interesting. I love Annie always have, always will and I'm liking watching her grow as well as deal with her grief over her friends and forging new bonds (or not?) with her new housemates. There are plenty of interesting supporting characters as well, and I'm curious to see how they will develop and what side of good vs. evil they will fall on. The only weak spot that I can see is the baby, Eve and the whole "War Child" prophecy. I'm hoping they will do something completely surprising with it, and not turn it into a typical prophetic child trope.

SHERLOCK: I've only just started watching this, and only a couple of episodes at that...but it sucked me in immediately. It is just so clever (which I would expect from the subject) and an original take on ACD. While I don't find anything greatly physically attractive about Cumberbatch or Freeman, I absolutely love their chemistry together. They work so well together. It's unique and fun.

THE TUDORS: Yes, I'm late to this particular party, but hubby bought the complete series when he was deployed and we are slowly getting through them. I've never been a fan of the actual Tudors (Ricardian here!)...but with it's loose historical accuracy and great acting, I'm really enjoying it. Of course, watching JRM so much is hardly a bad thing...nor is Henry Cavill.

GAME OF THRONES: This really shows how bad I've been at updating my journal. LOL I had never heard of ISOIAF before hearing that Sean Bean was in the series. Hearing the premise, I got interested, and the local used bookshop here had the first novel. That first novel was quickly followed by the rest. And now I'm waiting impatiently for the DVDs and also the second season (which I'll miss the first ep as I'll be in Ireland!). As is typical for me, my favourites aren't the fandom favourites, and I find those that are annoying. I love Tyrion, hands down my favourite...he's a wonderful mix of grey that I love, and you can understand how he got to be like he is. Also those who I know I'll enjoy when I get to their chapters are Cersei, Petyr, Jamie, and Dany (although I hope she stops wasting time soon). Theon and Sansa are both growing on me slowly, and I do love seeing how they are going to develop. And while I'm sure that Jon Snow will be key to how this all plays out, in some way or another, I really hope not. I've been 'meh' over him since the start, and after everything that has happened (and still will happen?) it just seems all rather predictable. Please George R.R. Martin, surprise me like you have so often!

ONCE UPON A TIME: I heard a lot of people talking about this, and when it came on here, I checked it out. First network US show I've really got into for a long time, and what's more, hubby enjoys it as well. Rumplestiltskin makes it (okay, long time Robert Carlyle fan here, since Begbie and the guy he played on "Cracker" whose name eludes me right now), and I love the Queen/Mayor. But the best thing about the show is seeing the "before and after" of the fairy tale character and their real world counterpart. Sometimes it's a little predictable, but I like figuring out who is who. Also, Nick Lea was in last night's episode here! And although I'm not a big fan of the actress, Emma Swan is a strong female character and carries the show well.

( And a fandom that I've fallen out of love with )

While I was spending six long hours waiting for #1 son to go through all his processing for the USAF, I was just waiting for him. I didn't get around to writing anything, despite having my notebook as it was just too noisy. TV on (tuned to Fox News, no less), and constant chatter from several different conversations around me, so I gave up on that pretty quickly.

But I had a book with me...in fact two books, but I never got to the other as I was quickly engrossed in the first, getting 200 pages in with ease.

"Ghengis: Lord of the Bow" by Conn Iggulden. And it's a novel about, well, Ghengis Khan obviously, and his campaign into China with his Mongol horde. The very basics are historical, but much of the characterisation and supporting characters are fiction. Still, that doesn't spoil the story. It's a quick and pleasurable read with plenty of action and interesting characters, including the Khan, and his brothers. And needless to say it has my Hunnish muses very much interested. And it really provoked a hankering in Hsu for the Steppes days of pillaging, burning and raping. A very fun read with Himself adding his own commentary.

While I was offline, I managed to do quite a bit of reading, and I thought I should finally get around to putting some of my thoughts about them.

Trainspotting by Irvine Welsh

Now, I've seen the film version of this years ago, and that has more of a fluid narrative than the book which is more a serious of interlinked scenes. Even so, it was still really good. The hardest thing about it is the dialect, as it is all in dialect and needs to be read quite attentively to understand what is being said, but it gave the right flavour to the book...and that is from someone who doesn't care for reading it. If anything, though, I didn't find it as hard hitting as the film. Perhaps because I'd already seen in and was expecting the worst scenes and could visualize them as from the film, still it had a lesser impact on me. 8 out of 10

The Religion by Tim Willocks

Excellent. I bought this on my last trip to England as part of a 3 for 2 deal, and picked it up because it looked an interesting third book to make up my pile. It turned out to be the best of the lot. It's the story of the Turkish siege of Malta in 1565, and is mostly told through the point of view of Matthias Tannhauser (and yes I can see GB playing him!) an adventurer and former Jannisary, who is now enlisted to help the last of the Hospitalliers defend Malta. At the same time he is hired by Contessa Carla La Penautier, to find her bastard son who she was forced to give up at birth. It contains a lovely blend of historical detail as well as romance with some great sex scenes for a mainstream novel, and there is more than a hint of slash. The battle scenes are excellently written, and on par with Bernard Cornwell, but with a lot more blood and gore. The Religion is apparently the first of a planned trilogy, so I'm going to keep my eyes open for more. 10 out of 10.

Attila by William Napier

If it has the name Attila on it, I'll read it, even if I end up grouching my way through it because of all the inaccuracies. This one wasn't too bad. It tells the life of a young Attila who was a hostage at the Imperial Roman court (a few writing have placed him as such, but there is no great evidence). He becomes the enemy of Placidia Galla, at that time the Emperor's sister and as the Visigoths march on Rome, she plans to assassinate Attila and blame in on the Goths. Instead, Attila escapes and has to make his across Italy and the Alps back to his homeland in Pannonia. This would have been a good story as glimpses of the man Attila will become grow more and more evident as the novel goes on, but where it falls down is the historical inaccuracies for which Napier has just pulled out of the air. Such as Orestes, who is a Roman slave boy that Attila meets and takes into servitude with the Huns, where the real Orestes was a Greek mercenary whose father was a Roman officer at Aquinicum. There was also the secondary story of a Roman guard who returns to his Britannia homeland, and while the two plots come together at the end, it is really superfluous. Again, this is the first of a planned trilogy. 6 out of 10.

Attila: The Scourge of God by Ross Laidlaw

Compared to this one, the above book is brilliant. In fact, I threw this book down in disgust about a third of the way through, and I'm not sure I'll pick it up again, despite my keenness on Attila. Where the other had inaccuracies this had moments of pure WTF!? The early part of the book centres on Aetius and his rival Boniface. The author seems more interested, though, in recording every Latin place name that his characters go through and then skims over important battles. I had enough though, when the banished Aetius finds shelter with the Huns and Attila, still a prince, is depicted as a benevolent ruler to be with plans to turn the Huns into a kinder, gentler tribe by doing away with certain barbaric punishments, and it is Aetius who persuades him not to. WTF!? A generous 3 out of 10.