In a semi-dystopian future where the world is at war, a TV show called The Compound puts 20 young men and women through a series of Survivor-like tasks, with Big Brother dynamics.
What I Liked
I gave this book to my brother-in-law for a new Christmas Eve tradition. I thought he would enjoy the cross-over stuff from the two shows. The mechanics of the game seem great, as each member tries to figure out how they want to play. Eventually, the dynamics stop being simply “fun” and the real emotions show through. And at least a couple of the roommates are a wee bit psycho.
What I Didn’t Like
I was hoping for more info about the outside world, what they were all “running” from, their backgrounds, and their motivations to join the show. And when it all comes to a head at the end, it seems weird that the show just keeps going.
Alex Rogan, earthling, has been recruited by the Star League to defend the frontier against Xur and the Kodan Armada.
What I Liked
It’s hard to separate out the novelization from the movie it is based on. The story works great — Alex’s initial life being “less than” what he wants, his accidental recruitment, his balking at fighting in the war (“Save the Whales, but not the universe?”) and his battle testing turning him into a starfighter.
What I Didn’t Like
The book does a rather poor job of Maggie, Centauri, the beta unit, and even Grig. They are all pale imitations of the characters that are in the movie, even with more room to flesh them out. A few key dialogue sequences were obviously edited in the final script as they snap on screen, and the alternate versions feel a bit flat.
A funeral home is doing above-average business, shipping a lot of dead bodies from Florida back to their home states. Something doesn’t smell right, so the company’s financial officer asks Archy to look into it.
What I Liked
It is very clear that the officer isn’t telling the whole truth about the source of angst, but Archy and his father think at first it will turn out to be nothing significant. Meanwhile, Binky convinces Archy to train him as a discreet detective, although Binky ends up swinging with some of the suspects, so the discreet part is gone. There is one character in the book, the wife of the CEO, who is dying of cancer and is absolutely delightful in every scene with Archy. She’s written in almost the same terms as Archy’s mom, and the affection shows.
What I Didn’t Like
There is a whole substory with the FBI to help with the investigation problem for other jurisdictions, but it rings false and unnecessary. Even the motive for what is going on seems light for the outcome.
Griswold Forsythe wants to know who is stealing valuables from around the family house.
What I Liked
Officially, Archy is there to catalog the books for insurance purposes. His real purpose — to catch a thief — is hidden. After you eliminate Griswold as a suspect, you have his wife Constance, daughter Geraldine, son and wife and granddaughter, a housekeeper, the housekeeper’s son, two maids, a chef, and a gardener. The fun is in finding out that each of them has at least one secret, sometimes several. The simple theft seems easy enough to solve, and then the stakes get raised with Griswold’s death. Was it the investigation into the thefts? Or something else…like money?
What I Didn’t Like
There is a mystery with a former polo player, some odd interactions within the family after a falling out, without much clear explanation of why the person is still around at first, and then even when revealed, it’s rather convoluted. The solution wasn’t particularly creative or interesting.
The Bottom Line
I would rather read some of the books he was cataloging
Sara Flores is living off the grid after a divorce, and gets to know an Indigenous neighbour who teaches her about wilderness and remote living. He seems like a pretty good friend until he performs a ritual one night as he’s dying and turns her into a werewolf without any warning or information.
What I Liked
The collection of eight shortstories gives the backstory of how Sara actually became a werewolf (no, she wasn’t bitten) and started figuring out how to use her newfound “gift” to help others.
I really liked “The Too-Smart Kid” who tried to get a job with some people who worked at a factory, only to accidentally trip over a drug operation. The “Werewolf at the Zoo” added some decent mythology to the story, with her communicating with a wolf. Similarly, “Werewolf Seeks Lupiti Wisdom” showed some of the backstory for the original werewolf and his links to his tribe.
The short novella, “Curiosity Kills”, was relatively fully fleshed out and had all the elements for a more fulsome story (her being “hired”, her getting involved, and her solving the case aggressively).
What I Didn’t Like
I felt the first story, “What Are Friends For”, was good but way too short. I would have liked to know more about her and Joe before the “hey-now-you’re-a-werewolf” moment, without those actual words telling her anything. But “A Wolf In Sheep’s Clothing” (running in the woods) and Choices (psycho friend of a friend) are not even really stories, just short vignettes with some extra exposition. Finally, there is a pretty good basis for a longer story in “Why I Need To Stay Away from Texas”, but it ends really abruptly and very oddly, where she suddenly has almost ninja / special forces abilities, but continues to talk about her not having any actual training. It didn’t quite work for me.
