I’ve been forcibly unemployed for a while now, and as a consequence really, really bored. However, one of the things I’ve been doing is getting books out of the library and reading them, and it occurred to me that I could usefully alleviate some of the tedium by noting them as I go, and making some kind of notes about what I thought. I didn’t do much about this for a while, because I really didn’t have a good writing station, but seeing as I now do, let’s take this for a spin and see what happens. No doubt this is another of those projects I’ll pick up only to abandon soon after.

Simon Scarrow Under the Eagle

This is the first of the “Eagle” series by Simon Scarrow, which follows the fortunes of Legate (and, unknown to him, Emperor-to-be) Vespasian, Tribune Vitellus, Centurion Macro and Optio Cato, all of Rome’s Second Legion, part of the force invading Britain in 43 AD. I’ve come across the first three in reverse order, and finally got to meet everyone for the first time, and see the events that have shaped the later books, including the actual first moments of the invasion.

I really like these characters, especially Cato, formerly a slave in the Imperial household, freed on the condition he join the army. Immediately plucked out of the ranks to become Optio (essentially, Sergeant), and a fish out of water, he provides a nice contrast to the more conventially military Centurion Macro. They make a good fun team to do all the heroic action, while Vespasian and Vitellus provide all the political backstabbery you could want.

For what it’s worth: recommended.

Tom Bradby The Master of Rain

More historical fiction, this time set in 1920′s Shanghai. Basically, I picked this up because it was crime fiction in the same setting as part of the most famous Call of Cthulhu adventure ever, The Masks of Nyarlathotep. In case I ever get to run it, I thought it would be nice to get some idea of the atmosphere, from someone who’s already done all the research for me.

Our hero is Richard Field, newly arrived in Shanghai to be part of Special Branch, his job being ostensibly to help root out Bolshevism. Instead he gets involved in a murder case, and ends up discovering gangsters, corruption and danger.

It was a good fun read, although I was dreading the moment when he would suddenly discover everything he knew was wrong, and so forth. I think I’ve read a few too many novels recently where the main character is completely wrong for most of the book.

The look into Shanghai of 1926 was really fascinating, with the various non-Chinese citizens being literally above Chinese law, and the various factions and forces within the city jostling for control. Definitely a read for anyone interested in that area.

Conn Iggulder Wolf of the Plains

It doesn’t say “Part One of…” on the cover, but this does read as the start of a series. This is the story of Temujin, better known as Genghis Khan. This volume takes Mr. Khan from a teenage exile left to die on the unforgiving Steppes, to Khan of four of the warring Mongol tribes. Interestingly, this is all based on “The Secret History of Mongols”, the account of his beginnings comissioned by Genghis Khan himself. Conn Iggulder succeeds in bringing this legendary figure to life, giving a fascinating taste of the Mongol life, as well as a rip-roaring adventure tale.

Neil Gaiman (et. al.) The Sandman – Dream Country

A series of four “done in one” issues from Nail Gaiman’s epic Sandman comic series. I’ve read these before, but they are always good for another look. “A Dream of a Thousand Cats” remains one of my favourites, as does “Facade”, where we wonder whether being a superhero is all it’s cracked up to be.

Pretty much everybody except Mike Mignola Mike Mignola’s Hellboy: Weird Tales Volume Two

I must get hold of Volume one, as this collection of short tales featuring everybody’s favorite hammer-handed demonic fighter of evil is great fun. I especially liked being able to dip in and out without the need to invest in a long story – something I don’t always have the energy to do. “My Vacation in Hell” is one of my favourites, riffing off medieval depictions of hell filtered through Hellboy’s strangeness. Bonus feature: a full Lobster Johnson story!

Various Batman: Black and White Volume 1

Similar to the Hellboy volume above, this is a series of short comic stories by many, many people, linked only by the star, Batman, and the stark monochrome format. As with all anthologies, a mix of good and bad, with some interesting views on an iconic character. “Two of a Kind” by Bruce Timm is among the best because, well, it’s by Bruce Timm, of Batman: The Animated Series fame. I don’t know how much it will appeal to people who aren’t comics or Batman fans, but I liked it.

Kathy Reichs Bones to Ashes

The latest in Reichs’ very successful Tempe Brennan novels, where a forensic anthropologist, loosely based on Reichs herself, splits her time between South Carolina and Montreal, helping solve crimes by analysing the skeletons of bodies too far gone to be identified any other way.

If you’ve seen the “Bones” TV series, and were to pick up one of the books, you’d be in for a surprise. “Bones” is a strange CSI knock-off with improbable technology (I want an interactive facial reconstruction holo-tank!) and only slightly less improbable characters. The novels, on the other hand, are very carefully researched and have very real people in them. Temperance herself, rather than being some kind of Superwoman, has her own collection of flaws and problems, including a very pushy sister Harry and an ill-defined relationship with Detective Andrew Ryan, with whom she so often ends up working. She is a very likable character, especially as she seems so very real.

Reichs brings real detail to the unfamiliar (well, to me) setting, doing a great deal with the tension between the French and English speaking aspects of Canadian culture. The mystery is quite gripping and interesting, even if there is a bit too much expositiory text, as the Science is explained in some detail. Reichs does her best to lighten up these bits, though – a particular passage where Tempe doodles while someone explains diatoms and their significance is hilarious.

I really love these books, and I would really like someone to make a series based off the actual novels some day.