Realized I had read 6 more books since starting the post on the last seven.
Hodgell, P.C.
Seeker's Bane
2nd in Kencyrath series
Baen ebook
5/12/11
This series is enjoyable, but somewhat confusing as there are time sequence changes, and location changes unpredictably. The Kencyrath are not native to the world of Rathskellian, they are world travelers who move from world to world at the direction of their gods. They don't interact much with the natives, they have staked out their own territory. The primary character is Jame, sister to the High Lord of the Kencyrath. She is the personification of one segment of the triune god, that of Nemesis. Her brother represents another segment -- the Creator. The world of Rathskellian has its own elemental beings, Earth Mother, Fire, Water, and Air.
It's complicated, but fun.
Cook, Dawn
The Decoy Princess
1st in Princess series
5/14/11
Tess discoveres she is not the princess she thought she was. Instead, she was adopted at birth to be risen by the King and Queen while their real daughter is being raised in a convent to avoid assassins. The prince who has come to marry the princess is really a evil and ambitious second son who kills the king and queen and tries to take over the country. Tess escapes with her bodyguard and becomes his apprentice, to save the kingdom.
Newman, Sharan
The Difficult Saint
6th or so in Catherine LeVenduer series
5/17/11
I read this several years ago. Hadn't seen any in this series for several years and found them on Amazon. Catherine's sister marries a German lord, sight unseen. When he is poisoned shortly after their marriage, she is accused of his murder. Catherine and her family travel to her to solve the mystery. This is set against the backdrop of the beginning of the second Crusade, and Jews are in a precarious position. Catherine and her family are Christian, but her father was born Jewish and they have many Jewish friends. The historic detail is very interesting, and the mystery is intriging.
Bishop, Anne
Shalador's Lady
Black Jewels series, sequel to The Shadow Queen
5/19/11
Persons with magic have jewels, color of jewel determines strength of magic. Queens rule the land, aided by their court. Lady Cassidy has been hired to be the queen for a region that is in need of a change. One member of her court is attracted to a different queen and splits the land. All's well that ends well.
Hodgell, P.C
Bound in Blood
3rd in Kencyrath series
5/19/11
Continues to be confusing and fun. The trinity is still not complete at the end of this book, so presumably there is one more.
Stephenson, Neal
Cryptonomicon
5/24/11
Many books start slow, then get moving as you get into it. This was rather the reverse. It would have been vastly improved by paring its 1100+ pages by at least 600. It has two parallel time tracks, the present (in 1999) and World War 2. There is generally one set of characters in the present -- a small high tech firm involved in data encryption. In the World War 2 time frame there are several parallel sets of characters, including a collegue of Alan Turing. The first part of the book is very interesting, especially the discussions of the early computer development. But it really drags on much longer than needed.
