Vacation Books
One of the things that I love about vacation is the additional time I spend reading. I'm less likely to fall into my standard trap of turning on the television to watch a movie and since I usually don't travel with a computer am not tempted by Netflix. Some unexpected delays on my return flight gave me a chance to finish the couple of books that had been sitting around my desk at home that I brought with me and also start on the Millennium series that was recommended to me again by others on the trip.
The Traveler by John Twelve Hawks
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
At times the story felt formulaic but blended the elements enough to elevate it to a good read. The realm traveling Travelers intrigued me the most and kept my interest throughout the book, but I would have liked to get more of a hint about their bigger picture before diving into the other books of the trilogy. Otherwise the book is fairly adventure driven with the standard cast of overly expert protectors and overly confident antagonists.
The Prefect by Alastair Reynolds
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
An engaging story that weaves in elements from other books set in Revelation Space while exploring the lives of Prefects patrolling the Glitter Band. The story builds on technologies and settings previously described while introducing an investigation of a serious crime, new weapons and creatures, and ties together previously unrelated events. A great addition to the Revelation Space universe.
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
A mesmerizing investigation story with some of the more interesting and flawed characters I've read. At times the story digresses, which while helping to define the characters, I found distracting the from main storyline. It's possible these events are explored more in the later books of the trilogy but as such made me feel the story was incomplete.