Feedback by Peter Cawdron

Synopsis: There are two stories going on in this book.  One takes place 20 years in the past where a UFO crashes off the coast of North Korea.  The other takes place in present time about a boy trying to get by in New York City.  The two stories eventually combine themselves into a tale of alien interstellar time travel.

My review: I am not normally a huge science fiction fan but this book was good.  The science fiction part does not really come into play too much until the end.  Let me clarify, this entire book is about UFO's, time travel, and space but it's also kind of a love story.  I could not put this book down.  As I was reading one day, my wife commented on just how many pages I read from one day to the next, easily 200 pages.  I thoroughly enjoyed this book from beginning to end.  I loved the characters and especially how they all came together in the end.  A well written, enjoyable story to say the least.  Thank you Peter.

I feel like Peter Cawdron was a rocket scientist in another life or something, he knows so much about space and science, it amazes me.  For all I know he is a scientist now and writes in his personal time.  Maybe he is from the future and knew I would love this book and write it for me.  Could be true?  Unfortunately I don't know much about him but I do have all his books and I will definitely keep reading them.  Plus he is from Australia, maybe on my next trip back we can sit down and talk about some of this time travel business...

My rating: 8
Pages: 392
Author website: http://thinkingscifi.wordpress.com/

The Serpent of Venice by Christopher Moore

Synopsis:  After the death of his wife, Pocket the Fool, is kidnapped, imprisoned (well walled up in a dungeon, brick by brick) and left for dead.  With the help of some kind of sea monster he is released and seeks revenge on the people that did this to him and killed his bride.  We meet a slew of characters Iago, Rodrigo, Bassiano, and a list of other names that end in O, as the book says.  He must work with Jessica, a wannabe pirate daughter of a Jewish Venetian moneylender named Shylock to plot against the O ending names and avenge his wife and attempted murder plot.

My review:  Okay book, but not nearly as good as Fool, or some of his other works.  I am glad that I read Fool again to remind me of several of the characters, like Jeff his pet monkey, Drool his fool apprentice and the Ghost Cordelia.  There is quite a bit going on in this book and I did not find it as cohesive as some of his others.

I feel a bit torn, I am disappointed that I am a little disappointed in this book.  I had the highest of expectations and feel a bit let down.  Don't get me wrong, I will probably end up reading this book again at some point in the future because that is just what I do with Christopher Moore books but the book was just okay to me.  Maybe once I reread it since I already know the story, some of the plots and subplots will become more clear.  Christopher Moore is still my favorite author and I will still wait in line to meet him and I will still read anything he puts in print.

My rating:  6
Pages:  316
Author website:  http://www.chrismoore.com/