So, I'll update my latest completion and what I'm starting next and also continue with my look at the Science Fiction novel. So, off we go... into the wild blue yonder...
Just Finished
"The Death of Kings is the 5th (and I thought final) book in English author, Rennie Airth's, John Madden historical mystery series. It seems that there will now be a new book in the series out in 2020. Oh well.
John Madden is a retired Scotland Yard inspector living an idyllic life in the English countryside with his beautiful wife, Helen, the local doctor. Madden is brought out of retirement (sort of) by his old boss, Angus Sinclair, also retired and living next door, and suffering from a bad case of gout. In his past Sinclair had investigated the murder of a young woman attending a house party of a wealthy businessman at his estate. A potential suspect had confessed to the murder and been executed. Ten years later, possible evidence is sent to the local cop who had investigated the murder as well, that might exonerate the accused.
Scotland Yard is reluctant to re-open the investigation but are prepared to let Madden do some initial investigation to see if there is further evidence to do so. Inspector Billy Styles, who had worked on a previous case with Madden, is assigned as a liaison and to help as well. As Madden begins to look into the old case, further evidence will appear that forces the Yard to expand its investigation. Detective Inspector Lily Poole and DS Jack Cross join the investigation.
The investigation revolves around the party and the people who either attended it or worked there. Madden develops a close relationship with the son of Jack Jessup, the wealthy businessman, Richard, who took over the business when his father resigned. As the investigation progresses, we are teased with an intro to a Chinese Triad who are heading to London for some reason. There are two main suspects; a friend of Richard Jessup, a rich gadabout, and a Chinese criminal, who had attended the party with the young woman who was murdered.
The journey we follow during the investigation is nicely constructed. We also get to spend time with Madden's daughter who is helping him close down the home of an aunt who had passed away and also is used as a sounding board during the investigation. The characters are all interesting; it's nice getting back together with Styles and Lily Poole and Angus. It's an enjoyable story but I have to say that I figured it out before the end. I was going to say that it's satisfying to scrub another series off my growing list of series but I guess I'll have to enjoy the next one too. (3.5 stars)"
Currently Reading
"In the final installment of John P. Marquand’s classic espionage series, Mr. Moto returns—15 years after his previous adventure.
After serving his country as a paratrooper in World War II, Jack Rhyce takes on an even more dangerous mission when he becomes a secret agent in the early years of the Cold War. Now he and fellow spy Ruth Bogart have been dispatched to Tokyo to foil an assassination attempt on a leading liberal politician. Murder is only the first part of this nefarious Communist plot; the ultimate objective is to stir up anti-American sentiment in a country that has formed close bonds with its former adversary in the West.
Undercover as do-gooders employed by the Asia Friendship League, Jack and Ruth are met at the airport by Mr. Moto, a would-be tour guide who offers to make their stay more hospitable. The American spies immediately suspect that there is more to Mr. Moto than meets the eye. But whose side is he on? To stop the cunning mastermind behind the sinister scheme, Jack and Ruth will have to learn the secrets of post-war Japan as quickly as possible. The mysterious Mr. Moto might just be their greatest ally, or their worst enemy."
The Science Fiction Novel - Piers Anthony Dillingham Jacob.
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| Piers Anthony |
From 1956 - 2013, Anthony published 166 works and is the only author to have a published novel starting with every letter of the alphabet. He has written countless series; the Xanth books (47 novels), the Incarnations of Immortality (8 books of which I have read the 1st 7), the Apprentice Adept (7 books of which I have read the 1st 4), etc. I have to get back to the remaining books in the last two and maybe will get more into the Xanth books as well.
The photo illustrates the 7 books I've read so far -
1) On a Pale Horse (1983)
2) Bearing an Hourglass (1984)
3) With a Tangled Skein (1985)
4) Wielding a Red Sword (1986)
5) Being a Green Mother (1987)
6) For Love of Evil (1988)
7) And Eternity (1989)
and the newest book
8) Under a Velvet Cloak (2007)
I'd call this series fantasy. In each, the main character takes over the role of one of the subject Incarnations of Immortality, a combination of Greek or Christian gods; Death, Time, one of the 3 aspects of Fate, War, Gaea (Nature), Evil, Eternity. In the final book, it seems we follow the incarnation of Night. It's been a long time since I read this series but I was immediately drawn into this fascinating world, enjoying as each person adjusted to their new life as an Immortal and tried to battle Evil. I also enjoyed the chapter at the end where Piers Anthony discussed his life, his motivations for his writing, what book(s) he was working on, all fascinating.
b. Apprentice Adept (1980 - 1990). There are 7 books in this series. I'll look at the books I've completed thus far and also provide the synopsis of the next one, which is sitting on my book shelf.
"On the technological, decadent world of Proton, someone was trying to destroy Stile, serf and master Gamesman. His only escape lay in Phaze, a world totally ruled by magic. Soon he learned that his alternate self had already been murdered, and that he was next. On Proton, his fate depended on winning the great Games. On Phaze, he must master magic to survive. And if he used any magic at all, his friends were determined to kill him at once!" (3 stars)
"In Book Two of the epic adventure that began in SPLIT INFINITY, Stile discovers life on Proton and Phaze is getting more difficult. On Proton he's a serf trying to prove his right to exist by competing in the Great Games. And on Phaze, where only magic worked, he was the Blue Adept trying to master the powers of sorcery. On both worlds, someone was trying to assassinate him. And as if that weren't enough, he has to win the love of Lady Blue, fight a dragon, discover the ultimate weapon, and of course, seek out the all-powerful Citizen who was trying to kill him!" (3 stars)
"Stile had problems on two different worlds. On Proton he was threatened with murder, and on Phaze, an alternate world ruled by magic, he had to master magic, fight a dragon, win the friendship of a lady unicorn, locate his enemy among the paranoid Adepts and return out of Phaze to win the Great Games on Proton. After that, he was ready to face the real problems!" (3 stars)
"Two worlds--the scientific Proton, and the magical Phaze--exist side-by-side. Now, Mach has crossed from Proton to Phaze, switching places with his counterpart Bane. And both must learn to survive in environments alien to their own nature." (3 stars)
"Proton and Phaze, parallel worlds of science and magic, are ripe with the seeds of revolution. Mach, a brave and sensitive robot from Proton, and his alternate self, magical Bane from Phaze, hold the power to link the two warring systems – or destroy them entirely. Both are prepared to save their worlds. But neither Mach nor Bane had anticipated the dangers of forbidden love ... with members of the opposite realm!"
The remaining books in this series are -
6) Unicorn Point (1989)
7) Phaze Doubt (1990)
The complete listing of Piers Anthony's works can be found at this link.
I hope your week is off to a great start. See you tomorrow.
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