82. Vulcan’s Soul III: Epiphany by Josepha Sherman and Susan Schwartz – This is the final book in this Star Trek trilogy. It’s a mostly satisfying climax to the series, although I found the end (the last 10-20 percent) to be rushed. I was left with many questions about the story, such as how the antagonists reached the point of being able to leave their homeland to seek their revenge, what happened to the DNA that was so carefully transported by the fleeing slaves from Remus, how the culture developed (even along broad lines), what the repercussions were of the cultural “epiphany” the title foreshadows. You know, things that make the story seem finished. And there was such detail and completeness to the first two books that I really noticed the lack thereof in the final book. (finished 9/5)
83. Reflections by Nora Roberts – Surprisingly engaging, this book is a fast read. It has the obligatory difficult romance, but Roberts is (as always) adept at bring some depth and real-life pathos in her characters’ lives. Not a literary meal, but a delightful, slightly indulgent dessert. (finished 9/8 )
84. Dreams by Nora Roberts – A fitting companion book to Reflections, this novel focuses on two secondary characters from that first work. It’s fast-paced and fiery, capturing the passion of the dance and of the dancers. You’ll like it. I know I did. (finished 9/8 )
85. Sentenced to Prism by Alan Dean Foster - Written in 1985, this novel is an interesting study in truly foreign xenobiology, in this case, a silicon and carbon planet, with life forms from both bases and a few hybrids. Foster keeps the focus on the main characters enough that the science doesn’t overwhelm the fiction, and his sense of humor is evident throughout. Still, it’s early Foster, relatively speaking, and doesn’t have the same je ne sais quoi as his later works. Enjoyable, but not stellar. Pun intended. (finished 9/12)
86. The Wise Woman by Philippa Gregory – Set in the 1500s (I think), the book is rich in details of life at varying social levels, although it seems like some of the characters bathed rather more frequently than I thought was common then. The main character becomes less and less sympathetic throughout the book, which makes her harder to relate to and the book harder to read. There are no “heros” you can truly root for in this book, which kept me more at a distance than I usually would be with a book this long (520 pgs). It’s not a bad book, don’t get me wrong, and it’s well written, but I ended up strangely unmoved by the denouement. (finished 9/17)
87. Orson Scott Card’s Intergalactic Medicine Show by Edmund R Schubert and Orson Scott Card – This collection of short fiction is pulled from the magazine by the same title, published as a stand-alone book to try to draw in readers for the ‘zine. And it works. I really liked this collection, especially the new stuff by OSC, of course. (finished 9/24)
88. Tersias the Oracle by G. P. Taylor – A young-adult book set in a London of a couple of hundred years ago (I’m guessing), the novel is a fantasy, relying on magic and not on science for its plot. There were more “main” characters than you’d expect in a book of only 262 pages and the action jumped among them frequently, which was a little confusing in spots. I wish the story had stuck with the title character more, as I found him to be surprisingly underdeveloped for a title character. Still, it’s a pretty good read and teens might really like it, too. (finished 9/28 )
