I usually pass short stories by anymore, even free ones, but I was in a downloading mood. This was free and was tagged with “artificial intelligence.” It didn't really work for the reason I downloaded it, but it was an okay short story.

A prospector named Rob Stabler is out working in the Asteroid Belt when he sees a flash of light. It might be a ship in trouble, so Stabler, as the closest prospector available, opts to go to it first while the other prospectors in the area join him ASAP.

I had hoped this would be a story about artificial intelligence, but it wasn't. Stabler brought up “Turings” occasionally. One of the other prospectors married his, but Stabler had no such feelings for Mona, his own ship's onboard Turing. Mona had a speaking role, but she and Stabler don't really chitchat, and her being an AI wasn't hugely important.

This sci-fi Christmas story was actually more about alien life. It got a bit too cutesie for me (seriously, Stabler, that's what you're going to call it?), and I couldn't help but wonder what was going to happen later. The cynical part of me doubted that it would be anything good, but the story itself would probably best be called heartwarming.

I never really know what to say about short stories. It was okay, and Healy's descriptions of Stabler's life were pretty good. The image I had in my head was actually a lot like the life of a trucker – lonely, smelly, and cramped, with something that reminded me of CB radio allowing for a loose connection between the nearby prospectors.

 

(Original review posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.)

The big boss passed this one on, and, you know, Holmes is cool.  I definitely was not feeling this author, though.  The documentary history was great, and I loved the stories about his wife and his mistress.  The language of the commentary made my skin crawl, though.  Just, the adjectives.  THE ADJECTIVES!!!  

 

Too much.

 

Then, I give this book to this guy I like, and, of all the books I give him to read, he reads this one and likes it.  Doh.

Clockwork Chloe - Ian Thomas Healy 1,5star

Action! Writing Better Action Using Cine... Post-Review Update:It's been a while since I first read and reviewed this book, and now I'm increasing its rating to FIVE stars. Why? Well, every time I write an action scene I think about this book. I think it makes me better. And that's deserving of full marks.

I found this useful, but it didn't blow me away. I'm giving it four stars because it gave me something invaluable: confidence. I can write good action scenes. And it got me thinking about what I'm trying to accomplish with my action scenes and how I should put the various parts of the scene together to accomplish that.

All of this book was useful. But in my opinion, the most useful aspect of this book didn't get enough attention. It was thrown in toward the end in a section designed to provide additional tips. I'm talking about pacing. Throughout the book, the author told me about stunts, which make up engagements, which make up sequences, and he described various kinds of engagements and what to think about for each kind of engagement. All this was very informative and increased my confidence level by giving me a frame of reference.

But how do I write a stunt? That's the building block of an action scene. All through the book, I kept thinking, "Okay, but how?"

I think my action scenes tend to be too mechanical--probably a downside of my being a patent attorney during the day. So how do I write action scenes that flow and excite? The author finally got into this issue while wrapping things up at the end of the book. And what he had to say about pacing was invaluable. But I wanted him to say more, and I wanted him to say it sooner.

So if you decide to read this book, and I absolutely recommend it, then I suggest you skip to the end and read the pacing section first.