Polite Dissent

I managed to catch up on a great deal of reading while on vacations. No medical journals, no comic books — just traditional books — of both the honest pleasure and guilty-pleasure variety.

• My Name is Legion by Roger Zelazny.
  An old science-fiction gem by Zelazny, this book is a collection of three novelette-length stories featuring a hero who has dropped out of the over-computerized future society and become an investigator for hire.
• To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis.
  A fun book that takes on time travel, cats, dogs and Victorian England. Some of the plot point are a little to obvious (did anyone not know where the cat was — or who Mr. C would end up being?), but half the fun is seeing how Willis works these points into the seamless narrative.
• The Big U by Neal Stephenson.
  Stephenson’s first novel, hard to find, but worth reading. Not as dense as some of his recent novels, but the multilayered plot is undeniably his. Snow Crash is still my favorite.
• The DaVinci Code
  Digital Fortress
  Deception Point by Dan Brown
  After reading these books, and previously having read Angels & Demons, Iam convinced that Dan Brown has only written one book — he’s just written it four times: An intellectual is asked for assistance on a dramatic problem and then finds himself (or herself) in the middle of an intricate scheme. The love interest, another brilliant intellectual, also becomes embroiled in the plot. The antagonist controlling the entire conspiracy, originally hidden from view, is revealed to be a close friend or mentor who is not really evil, just misguided.
• The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove
  The Stupidest Angel by Christopher Moore
  Two short novels involving the California town of Pine Cove. Despite some memorable characters (particularly Sheriff Theo Crowe and ex-scream queen Molly Michon) and a few laugh out loud moments, these books pale beside Moore’s better novels (in particular I like Coyote Blue and Bloodsucking Fiends: A Love Story).
• The Dain Curse
  The Glass Key by Dashiell Hammett
  Two crime noir classics. The Dain Curse reminded me a great deal of Wilkie Collins’s The Moonstone because of the faint supernatural overtones. The politics and political machine featured in The Glass Key dates the book a little, but the intrigue is still quite clever.
• Back Story by Robert Parker
  You can never go wrong with Spencer and Hawk.