Raymond's Reviews #66

%T The Shadow Shaia
%A Alexis Gilliland
%I Del Rey
%D June 1990
%O paperback, US$3.45
%P 213
%G 0-345-36115-6

This sequel to Wizenbeak has the originality and quirkiness of that book, but unfortunately not much life of its own. Mostly we just get to watch the plot wheels of various characters' machinations go grind, grind, grind. Still, if you liked Gilliland's how-Machiavellian-can-we-get-this-chapter style in the first book you'll probably enjoy this one as well.

%T The White Regiment
%A John Dalmas
%I Baen
%D June 1990
%O paperback, US$3.95
%P 406
%G 0-671-69880-X

This sequel to the popular The Regiment is more of the author's standard noodling about superior warrior-mystics. The good news is it's a better-written and saner book than his last, The Lizard War (RR#10). The bad news is that none of it will come as any surprise to longtime Dalmas readers. Sigh...if only he'd find something new to obsess about...

%T The Swordbearer
%A Glen Cook
%I TOR
%D June 1990
%O paperback, US$3.95
%G 0-812-50307-4

I guess this is Glen Cook's answer to the Elric novels -- wimpy protagonist with huge soul-drinking black sword, etc. etc. Yawn. It reads as though Cook got as bored while writing it as I did reading it -- things just sort of ratcheta-ratcheta-ratcheta along stumbling over familiar furniture, in a world like a tired cross between the Dread Empire and Black Company books. I rather like Cook's style ordinarily but this outing is a definite dud.

%T Killer
%A David Drake & Karl Edward Wagner
%I TOR
%D June 1990
%O paperback, US$3.95
%P 270
%G 0-812-50984-6

Grue, blood, guts and gore. These are a few of David Drake's favorite things, and they are served up in abundance in this tense tale of Romans hunting a deadly alien predator. The book is well-written but as nasty as a slasher movie, rated B for barfbag. If you like this sort of thing I don't want to know you.

%S Death Dealer
%T Plague of Knives
%V #4
%A James Silke
%I TOR
%D June 1990
%O paperback, US$3.95
%P 311
%G 0-812-50332-5

Yet another formula sword-and-sorcery series. Just what we needed -- this one, fer cripes' sake, based on a painting (one which also has the distinction of having inspired a D&D character class all by itself). The writing isn't too bad as these things go but you've seen all the props and characters and most of the plot elements before.