99.
Title: [Pyramids]
Author: Terry Pratchett
Genre: Satiric Fantasy
Medium: Kindle
Acquisition: Purchased
Date Completed: November 29, 2016
Rating: ***

This rather plodding and repetitive novel follows Teppic, the prince and later kind of a strip of dessert kingdom known for building pyramids, never changing, and being the one division between two far larger and more prosperous countries. Following the request of his deceased wife, Teppic's father allows his son to attend the School for Assassins in Ankh Morpork, where wealthy citizens often send their children, as the school boasts an excellent and thorough education - for those who survive. After Teppic's final exam mystic events call him back to the country of his birth, which he recognizes as exceptionally backwards and uncomfortable, especially under the control of the head priest Dios, who resists change like the proverbial unmovable object.  Though Teppic may be sympathetic for his role as young leader with new ideas, facing the same obstacles as every other younger generation attempting to wrest control and inspire change from the last, his only interesting qualities come from his role as an assassin, which is far too limited. The book as a whole is entirely predictable, and not in an overly enjoyable way, with most of the interest being left behind once Teppic journeys home. I'm not sure if I dislike this book as much as I dislike the first two, but it's not one I'd want to return to a third time, and serves here as only a checked box in my determination to read all of Discworld in order. It still earns three stars for being a Pratchett, which means fantastic one-liners, and general superiority to others of the genre.

Feeling super cruddy, so after a morning of chores I finished this one in the bath.  And as soon as I drained the tub my partner came dashing in to tell me that a pipe has busted, pouring my bath water all over the bathroom below.

Sigh.

98.
Title: [Wyrd Sisters]
Author: Terry Pratchett
Genre: Satiric Fantasy
Medium: Kindle
Acquisition: Purchased
Date Completed: November 27, 2016
Rating: ****

It's particularly easy to describe the plot of Pratchett's Wyrd Sisters: it's Macbeth. Largely. With humor, big personalities, and a whole different kind of magic. Granny Weatherwax, Nanny Ogg, and Margrat are three Ramtops witches held together in a familiar but not always warm friendship that is inevitable when mixing big personalities and trying to introduce new ideas to traditionalists.  But when a king is murdered, and the land makes it clear that the new ruler is unacceptable, the makeshift coven works together to try to set things, if not to rights, at least back to a familiar peace.

A master of character-driven narratives, Pratchett gives readers a cast that is nearly uncanny - familiar, and yet apt to behave differently than one would expect. The hijinks are enjoyable, and the familiar story is made surprisingly cheerful and humorous for a plot of murder, intrigue, and madness.  While not my favorite, the witch books generally do not disappoint.

97.
Title: [Die Like an Eagle]
Author: Donna Andrews
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Medium: Kindle
Acquisition: Library Book
Date Completed: November 25, 2016
Rating: ****

It's time for Meg Langslow's twins to start baseball, and who else would step in as team mom, as Michael coaches the young Eagles? New to the league, Meg and Michael are quick to learn of the reigning terror of Biff Brown, whose Draconian mismanagement of the league and grounds has caused quite a bit of disquiet.  When Biff's brother ends up dead in a ball field outhouse everyone assumes the killer got the wrong guy - or that Biff himself may have done the deed.

In the past I've had some difficulty reconciling Meg's constant movements and subsequent detachment from her immediate family, from whom she spouses her identity derives. This book, though, does much better in establishing a sense of reality, improving the suspension of disbelief needed in fiction, and further humanizing many of the characters. Although the neighborhood is growing in a series already saturated with big personalities, many of Meg's family fall back to make room, and Andrews establishes a good balance of old and new characters without overwhelming the reader. The mystery, too, is very well paced, and offered some turns and developments I did not expect, even given my experience with the series. A fun mystery, and one I'd recommend for fans of the series.

96.
Title: [Sourcery]
Author: Terry Pratchett
Genre: Satiric Fantasy
Medium: Kindle
Acquisition: Purchased
Date Completed: November 23, 2016
Rating: ***

<>Here we go again...
Everyone knows that Wizards must avoid relations with women ... unless they're cooking their food or working stains out of their laundry, of course. But some years ago a wizard fell in love, was booted from Unseen University, and proceeded to father eight sons.
And thus Coin, the first sourcerer in thousands of years, is born, and the magic of Discworld threatens to return to its earlier state.

A third Rincewind novel, this follows his adventures with new but not entirely unfamiliar company, as propelling forces, including his own conscience, lead him in an awkward attempt to save the Disc from the disaster of the previous Mage wars. Like other Rincewind novels, and perhaps Wizard novels in general, the novel fell a bit flat for me. Though the humor is better than the earliest books, I think I just can't find interest in people Wizards behaving stupidly, even when they demonstrate their own better knowledge.

The rising action, climax, and conclusion are all resoundingly familiar, following the same pattern as the other Rincewind novels, and collectively showing very little development in character or narrative complexity. Unless one is a strong fan of Rincewind or Disc wizards generally, I wouldn't enthusiastically recommend this installment.

94.
Title: [Equal Rites]
Author: Terry Pratchett
Genre: Satiric Fantasy
Medium: Kindle
Acquisition: Purchased
Date Completed: November 16, 2016
Rating: ****

The Eighth Son of an Eighth Son is destined to become a wizard, and a dying wizard may choose, as he nears death, to pass on his magical lineage to another when such a one is born. Equal Rites opens with a wizard traveling with just such a behest in mind, approaching a blacksmith as the blacksmith's wife is busy bringing their eighth child into the world. Thinking that it wouldn't be such a bad thing to have a wizard in the family, the blacksmith doesn't hesitate to drag the midwife out with her bundle the moment the child is born, and neither man listens as she protests the rites of magical staff passage to the infant, followed by the wizard's immediate and expected demise.  And thus the first female wizard is made, Granny Weatherwax is quick to retort, huffing at the mess these men have made.

At a time and place where witches are (women) useful members of society, curing ills, serving as midwives, and generally seeing to the natural order of things, and wizards are (men) magical intellectuals fretting about ceremonies and dinners and copious amounts of tobacco, a young girl starts to shake things up. Caring for her, Granny Weatherwax at first takes on the girl to train her as a witch, but as her powers grow Granny sees that Unseen University, the school of wizardry, is really the one place for her to learn to control her powers.

Equal Rites is the first book in the series to introduce Discworld Witches, Granny Weatherwax specifically, and the small communities of the Ramtops. It tackles gendered professionalism and education with wit and understanding, and establishes immediately and lastingly one of the biggest personalities of the series, who will continue to be a favorite throughout the sub-genre of Witch novels. With each novel the Discworld becomes more refined and just a tad sharper, and as the novels focus on characterization the charm of the canon is quickly developed.  A great read.

95.
Title: [Mort]
Author: Terry Pratchett
Genre: Satiric Fantasy
Medium: Kindle
Acquisition: Purchased
Date Completed: November 17, 2016
Rating: *****

On a cold night in a small town Death approaches the last remaining boy seeking an apprenticeship, just moments before the hiring day concludes.  Seeing the  ANTHROPOMORPHIC PERSONIFICATION as he truly is, the boy Mort nonetheless accepts the offered indenture, as his father less-clearly agrees to allow his son to accept an apprenticeship as a mortician. Flying away on Death's magnificent horse Binky, Mort sets off on an adventure that takes him from AnkhMorpork to Klatch to Death's own realm, learning the scythe, shoveling horse manure, and generally bickering with Death's adopted human daughter, Ysabel.  Hijinks, adventure, and general comedy ensue.

The character of Death, not unlike Granny Weatherwax of the last, is a great favorite of the series, here growing from his earlier abrupt appearances into a distant yet invested figure at once separate from humanity, and yet occasionally curious about the human condition. Taking on an apprentice sets him adrift, and as Mort struggles to find his dead-sea-legs, in the business, Death finds himself with time off for the first time, and tries to figure out what all the hullabaloo of life is really about.

This is the first of my re-reads as I work though Discworld in order of publication, and I was just as charmed the second time as the first. Death is likely my favorite character in the series, so it was a relief to come to the character I know, as opposed to the far more aggressive figure in the early Rincewind novels.

93.
Title: [The Light Fantastic]
Author: Terry Pratchett
Genre: Satiric Fantasy
Medium: Kindle
Acquisition: Purchased
Date Completed: November 13, 2016
Rating: ***

In the first Discworld novel, The Colour of Magic, readers are introduced to Rincewind, a failed wizard whose head holds a spell so frightening that all of the other spells he attempts to learn are too frightened to be remembered. This one of Eight Great Spells serves as a major catalyst for The Light Fantastic, which sees Rincewind on his return journey with companion-tourist Twoflower, as a blazing read star appears and frightens the inhabitants of their space-swimming world.

Rincewind is not one of my favorite characters, but the cast that Pratchett builds is already beginning to resemble the Discworld inhabitants I know and love so much - most notably, Cohen the barbarian. With strong pacing and good comic timing, The Light Fantastic is already a narrative improvement over the first, and shows the promise that the series will develop by its end.

92.
Title: [The Long Halloween]
Author: Jeph Loeb
Genre: Comic
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Library Book
Date Completed: November 8, 2016
Rating: ****

The Long Halloween tell the story of a mob-drenched Gotham City, and Batman's tenuous relationship with Gordon and Dent as the triad attempts to subvert the control of professional criminals. But when these criminals start dying by assassination, the media dubbing the serial killer "Holiday" for his/her preferred time of executions, doubt begins to creep in, and even the more colorful rogues of Gotham show interest in putting things to rights. The primary characters of interest here are the mobsters and Dent, the focus being the struggles against principles and necessitous action carrying the narrative through, with only brief interventions of the cowled hero in a well-paced examination of right versus wrong. The success of the book hinges on its careful pacing and strong characterization, ultimately rendering the book a success for its development of the Batman canon, and resistance to relying on the ex machina of the titular character.

91.
Title: [The Colour of Magic]
Author: Terry Pratchett
Genre: Satiric Fantasy
Medium: Kindle
Acquisition: Purchased
Date Completed: November 7, 2016
Rating: ***

The Colour of Magic, first in Terry Pratchett's Discworld series, introduces readers to A'tuin, AnkhMorpork, and a genre for which Pratchett will come to be known, mixing fantastic elements with wit, charm, and cultural awareness to create a space that is both humorously foreign and delightfully familiar. In this the first, AnkhMorpork is introduced to something entirely new - a tourist, who has purposefully left his prosperous continent in order to experience "everything" the twin cities have to offer, and beyond. Having the fortunate misfortune of giving this poor sap a linguistic hand at a tavern, Rincewind is consequently charged with protecting the tourist by the Patrician himself, and what follows is a series of struggles from cultural and personality clashes. The joyful absurdity that is the Luggage makes its first appearance, and Twoflower and Rincewind are engaging protagonists different enough to inspire the narrative, but not so dissimilar that it's unclear how they could come to be companions. Ultimately, though, this is not the Discworld I know and love - having read The Truth first, many many years ago, and enjoying all of the later novels, returning to the first (for the first time) was a bit jarring, as the book lacks the polish and charm of the later productions. Little is seen of AnkMorpork proper, there's too much going on in the plot with too great reliance on magic to move from space to space and, most tragically, Death is not the character he comes to be.

If this had been the first Pratchett I had read I don't know that I would have continued; it's very much a first-novel, and as a reader who doesn't actually favor fantasy I don't know that it holds much for me. However, as an actual fan it's interesting to go back to a beginning of which I was unaware. And so begins my project of reading the entire run, in order.

90.
Title: [Bodies]
Author: Si Spencer, et al.
Genre: Comic
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Purchased
Date Completed: November 4, 2016
Rating: ***

At four points in time, but presumably the same space, a mutilated body is found, and an unusual murder investigation begins. Thrice, the detectives in charge demonstrate integrity which positively marks them, and once the very deviance of the detective generates strong interest in the reader. As the audience skips from point to point, seeing the parallels lost to the characters in the story, they are treated to sympathetic and interesting characters, fantastic and varied artwork, and an engaging pace which builds and threads from four corners all to a central point. Unfortunately, once that point is reached the strength of the text dissolves, along with any semblance of originality, and not even the compelling protagonists can pull it through. Taking strong cues from the ridiculous moves and conclusion of From Hell, which is similarly smart and interesting until taking this turn for the worst, the narrative dissolves into the ridiculous, and is so close to Alan Moore's take on Jack the Ripper that its adaptation walks the line of direct mimicry. Those who enjoyed the conclusion of From Hell would likely enjoy Bodies just as much, and I'd encourage them to do so. For others, I'd say that the early development and artwork are reason enough to pick it up, but would caution anyone from growing too invested in the book's conclusion.

85.
Title: [Dark Night]
Author: Paul Dini
Genre: Graphic memoir
Medium: Hardback
Acquisition: purchased
Date Completed: October 2016
Rating: **

To call this a "True Batman Story" is figurative, and does the job of disguising the genre through the application of the author's profession. The book describes, as promised, a dark night, and the author's brutal and violent beating that left him physically devastated and emotionally crippled. The author, it happens, was a writer for the then-running Batman cartoon, and in his ennui he struggles with why his favorite fictional property "wasn't there." In his own mind, the author retreats to a society of cartoon and comic characters, using dialogue to try to work through his own psychological trauma and depression. The characters appear, but are not themselves, looming familiarly but unfamiliarity, as they are imagined by one of their authors, but represented for his sole purpose.

His experience is a terrible one, and the therapeutic power of the creation of the book is undeniable. He writes that he hopes his story may give others hope, who may identify with his life or experience. As a reader who does not, I felt badly for his experience, but found the book as a whole indulgent and of little personal value.

86.
Title: [Fashioning Gothic Bodies]
Author: Catherine Spooner
Genre: Fashion and Literary Theory
Medium: Hardback
Acquisition: Library
Date Completed: October 2016
Rating: *****

As amazing as I find this book, I won't be able to properly review it until long after my comprehensive exam (in which it features heavily) ... which begins tomorrow.

87.
Title: [Dress Culture in Late Victorian Women's Fiction]
Author: Christine Bayles Kortsch
Genre: Fashion, Gender, and Literary Theory
Medium: Hardback
Acquisition: Library
Date Completed: October 2016
Rating: *****

Equally as amazing as Spooner, equally as important, with the same looming deadline that leaves me unable to write anything but my exam answers.

88.
Title: [Hidden Destiny]
Author: Carrie Ann Ryan
Genre: Supernatural Romance
Medium: Kindle E-book
Acquisition: Purchased
Date Completed: November 2, 2016
Rating: ***

Still in social and intellectual recovery from October, I said to a friend on Wednesday that "what I really need is a smutty novel and a bath bomb."  And then I immediately looked up a series I had read once-upon-a-time, and had a relaxing soak.

 
89.
Title: [Tattered Loyalties]
Author: Carrie Ann Ryan
Genre: Supernatural Romance
Medium: Kindle E-book
Acquisition: Purchased
Date Completed: November 3, 2016
Rating: ***

And then, even though the last one wasn't really that great, I downloaded another, which kept me occupied while I stood in line for early voting.


Tonight I'm working on the introduction of my dissertation prospectus, and then plan to treat myself to [Bodies], which arrived today, and looks to be very promising.