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Nov. 10th, 2012 09:03 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jtniehofNope, I didn't forget! Designing Great Beers, Old Man's War series, Revolution, The World God Only Knows II, Tex Murphy: Mean Streets.
Designing Great Beers (Ray Daniels): This is a fine book for beginning to intermediate brewers who want a reference for the characteristics of traditional styles. Part I covers ingredients and Part II tours the styles, including history, characteristics, suggested ingredients, and some words on technique. There are no recipes: this is for those who wish to formulate their own with some guidance. What is covered, is covered very well; the limitations come in the form of some odd omissions. Part I provides 120 pages of background on ingredients, measurements, and the like; another ten pages of technique would round things out. In particular, more on methods of water treatment and on mashing technique would complete the volume, particularly since several styles require particular mashes and/or water. It's a little odd to have to go elsewhere when so much else is covered. Part II could benefit from a little more Belgium. Lambics in particular are mentioned only in passing (in the fruit beers chapter!); this popular but difficult style deserves full treatment. Finally, this is now 12-16 years out of date; beer may not have changed much in that time, but the variety of ingredients available to the homebrewer has exploded. It is a shame that Randy Mosher's Brewer's Companion is twenty years old and very hard to find now, as it seems there is no modern replacement. If you're building a brewing bookshelf, I'd start with Designing Great Beers, then add Mosher's Radical Brewing and supplement with Brewer's Companion if you can find it. But you'll probably still be yearning for more information.
Old Man's War (John Scalzi): First read wasn't that long ago. The main thing that hit me on this second run-through was the very rapid shift in tone halfway through. The violence is just brutal and it's described without flinching, although also without lingering.
The Ghost Brigades (John Scalzi): Weaker than Old Man's War, partly because all the players are of the obnoxious super-pragmatic type, making me really start to hate the Colonial Union.
The Last Colony (John Scalzi): Solidly back in form. It's very hard to discuss this book without falling into spoilers; it takes several twists and every time I started to think "oh, it's going to be in the mold of this book", something upsets the apple-cart and we head off in another direction. Bringing John back as a main character helps, too; compared to the Ghost Brigades, his character has a background and perspective closer to most readers.
Questions for a Soldier (John Scalzi): I think I chose the right reading order: the shorts after Last Colony, and in their publication order (even though Questions was published before Ghost Brigades). Questions is by no means essential but it's a nice character sketch of John and gives a taste of public thought in the colonies.
The Sagan Diary (John Scalzi): I really enjoyed this. It's a completely different work from the rest of the series but essential to understanding Jane. A bit high on the navel-gazing scale, more poetry than prose, but there's only so much of her character than can be conveyed through action.
After the Coup (John Scalzi): Another random episode from the Old Man's war universe; enjoyable but completely isolated.
Zoe's Tale (John Scalzi): This is a tough one: it's a rewrite of The Last Colony from another POV, and of course I read it mere days afterward. Kept somewhat fresh by the pacing being completely different: some events that took chapters in The Last Colony blow by in a sentence, and vice-versa. It's really a worthy effort: these two books wouldn't have worked woven together, and Zoe's perspective is so different from John's that something would be missing from the universe without it.
Revolution: Gave up after three episodes. The premise seemed weak: "I've seen the Postman movie and want to make a TV show". And the characters were just aggressively stupid--not fallible-human stupid, but how-did-they-survive-this-long stupid.
The World God Only Knows II: In much the same vein as Season 1. Throughout the season the writers play with trying to get Keima to connect with the real world but those bits just aren't funny; if he actually changed, the series would turn horribly smarmy. There's some humour in the last major arc with the student teacher and the last episode has a bit of backhanded character growth, but otherwise this season's pretty flat. The whole show is mostly forgettable.
Tex Murphy: Mean Streets: That was pretty fun! Nothing terribly elaborate, it can be described as several minigames of what a glamorized PI does. A little questioning people (in no great detail, just " ask about Y"), a little rifling through file cabinets adventure-game fashion, a little gunplay. Breaking with adventure game tradition, there aren't inventory puzzles: if you have something useful, you'll automatically use it. And the gunplay's refreshingly simple: the goal is to get across the screen, not pile up bodies, so you're alternating ducking, running, and shooting. Simple gameplay but engaging, sort of like Carmen Sandiego without the CIA factbook and with more guns. Mostly forgiving: with the exception of the very end of the game, you die immediately upon doing something stupid rather than realizing you should have done something ages ago. Good jokes, too--the guy eating a red herring sandwich was a particular hoot. Held up well over time and available at GOG.
Designing Great Beers (Ray Daniels): This is a fine book for beginning to intermediate brewers who want a reference for the characteristics of traditional styles. Part I covers ingredients and Part II tours the styles, including history, characteristics, suggested ingredients, and some words on technique. There are no recipes: this is for those who wish to formulate their own with some guidance. What is covered, is covered very well; the limitations come in the form of some odd omissions. Part I provides 120 pages of background on ingredients, measurements, and the like; another ten pages of technique would round things out. In particular, more on methods of water treatment and on mashing technique would complete the volume, particularly since several styles require particular mashes and/or water. It's a little odd to have to go elsewhere when so much else is covered. Part II could benefit from a little more Belgium. Lambics in particular are mentioned only in passing (in the fruit beers chapter!); this popular but difficult style deserves full treatment. Finally, this is now 12-16 years out of date; beer may not have changed much in that time, but the variety of ingredients available to the homebrewer has exploded. It is a shame that Randy Mosher's Brewer's Companion is twenty years old and very hard to find now, as it seems there is no modern replacement. If you're building a brewing bookshelf, I'd start with Designing Great Beers, then add Mosher's Radical Brewing and supplement with Brewer's Companion if you can find it. But you'll probably still be yearning for more information.
Old Man's War (John Scalzi): First read wasn't that long ago. The main thing that hit me on this second run-through was the very rapid shift in tone halfway through. The violence is just brutal and it's described without flinching, although also without lingering.
The Ghost Brigades (John Scalzi): Weaker than Old Man's War, partly because all the players are of the obnoxious super-pragmatic type, making me really start to hate the Colonial Union.
The Last Colony (John Scalzi): Solidly back in form. It's very hard to discuss this book without falling into spoilers; it takes several twists and every time I started to think "oh, it's going to be in the mold of this book", something upsets the apple-cart and we head off in another direction. Bringing John back as a main character helps, too; compared to the Ghost Brigades, his character has a background and perspective closer to most readers.
Questions for a Soldier (John Scalzi): I think I chose the right reading order: the shorts after Last Colony, and in their publication order (even though Questions was published before Ghost Brigades). Questions is by no means essential but it's a nice character sketch of John and gives a taste of public thought in the colonies.
The Sagan Diary (John Scalzi): I really enjoyed this. It's a completely different work from the rest of the series but essential to understanding Jane. A bit high on the navel-gazing scale, more poetry than prose, but there's only so much of her character than can be conveyed through action.
After the Coup (John Scalzi): Another random episode from the Old Man's war universe; enjoyable but completely isolated.
Zoe's Tale (John Scalzi): This is a tough one: it's a rewrite of The Last Colony from another POV, and of course I read it mere days afterward. Kept somewhat fresh by the pacing being completely different: some events that took chapters in The Last Colony blow by in a sentence, and vice-versa. It's really a worthy effort: these two books wouldn't have worked woven together, and Zoe's perspective is so different from John's that something would be missing from the universe without it.
Revolution: Gave up after three episodes. The premise seemed weak: "I've seen the Postman movie and want to make a TV show". And the characters were just aggressively stupid--not fallible-human stupid, but how-did-they-survive-this-long stupid.
The World God Only Knows II: In much the same vein as Season 1. Throughout the season the writers play with trying to get Keima to connect with the real world but those bits just aren't funny; if he actually changed, the series would turn horribly smarmy. There's some humour in the last major arc with the student teacher and the last episode has a bit of backhanded character growth, but otherwise this season's pretty flat. The whole show is mostly forgettable.
Tex Murphy: Mean Streets: That was pretty fun! Nothing terribly elaborate, it can be described as several minigames of what a glamorized PI does. A little questioning people (in no great detail, just " ask about Y"), a little rifling through file cabinets adventure-game fashion, a little gunplay. Breaking with adventure game tradition, there aren't inventory puzzles: if you have something useful, you'll automatically use it. And the gunplay's refreshingly simple: the goal is to get across the screen, not pile up bodies, so you're alternating ducking, running, and shooting. Simple gameplay but engaging, sort of like Carmen Sandiego without the CIA factbook and with more guns. Mostly forgiving: with the exception of the very end of the game, you die immediately upon doing something stupid rather than realizing you should have done something ages ago. Good jokes, too--the guy eating a red herring sandwich was a particular hoot. Held up well over time and available at GOG.