Jarvi strikes again, however Muti is to be preferred...
356941
For the people who can't get enough of decadent, hedonistic, fin-de-siecle sound orgies, Scriabin's symphonies will be right up your alley. As usual in the area of orchestral music, there are numerous versions to choose from for out of the way repertoire such as this. The biggest competitors to Neeme Jarvi are Riccardo Muti on EMI and Ashkenazy on Decca. Ashkenazy seems to occupy third place in the contest. The reason I choose Muti over Jarvi are several. First of all, Muti is simply a more talented conductor, more individualistic and able to take risks. Muti has a penchant for the Scriabin symphonies while Jarvi just seems like he's recorded pretty much everything ever composed and here he got around to Scriabin. Also, Muti has the lush, grand Philadelphia Orchestra at his disposal for the entire Scriabin cycle while Jarvi has the Chicago Symphony only for The Poem of Ecstacy. The other works are divided between the Royal Scottish National Orchestra and the Danish National Radio Symphony Orchestra. Not that they are bad by any means but the Philadelphia Orchestra is just superior in my view, especially for this decadent music. Beyond that, EMI gives Muti some of the best digital sound he ever received. Jarvi gets great sound too from Chandos but the orchestras are simply not as voluptuous sounding as the Philly players.

If you find this set for cheap, no reason not to pick it up but I just wanted listeners to know that Muti gives more expansive, luxurious performances and the climaxes on that set are overwhelming. The biggest difference is the 2nd symphony, Jarvi moves things along fairly fast while Muti gives this heady music air to breath and time to stretch it's legs. The Poem of Ecstasy scores a success for both conductors and yet the big, final climax in the Muti set is just that more intense. Check out my review of the Muti Scriabin cycle for further details.
231701
Maybe it's the problem that Paarfi describes in the Foreword, when he rants against the publisher for breaking his novel into three parts. Maybe it's the problem faced by any author in the second book of any trilogy: a bridge can only be so exciting. Or maybe it's because we know so much about how it will end; after all, it's Vlad Talos' workaday world. But whatever the reason, this is the weakest of the Dragaera books to date.
Now a weak Brust novel is head and shoulders above most fantasy writers' work. This is a lot of fun to read. But compared to the Machiavellian plot twists of Jhereg and Yendi, or the brilliant writing in The Phoenix Guards, well, this is just slightly pedestrian.
And that's for a Brust fan, familiar with previous (well, and subsequent) events. I think a reader new to Brust, or worse still, new to the Viscount Trilogy, would be completely bewildered. Who are all these people?
Especially compared to the most recent Vlad Taltos novel, Lord of Castle Black is a little weak. The Vlad Taltos series is very nearly as tightly linked as the Khaavren books, of which this is the fourth. In each of the Vlad Taltos books, by contrast, Brust has brought a startling new twist, a new and stunning revelation about the world or about his protagonist. Perhaps Vlad is inherently more interesting than any of the characters in the Khaavren series. Perhaps it's just that I can relate to a human (well, Easterner) better.
Still, as a setup for the third book this is a good read, and there is still a lot of ground to cover. Paarfi's writing is always good for a smile, and Mysteries continue to be Explained. Brust is far from the kind of self-indulgent piffle of, say, Robert Jordan. No, wait, that's too harsh. Brust is the polar opposite of Jordan. Whatever its limitations, it is very hard to put Lord of Castle Black down. Like all Brust books, it's a page turner and worth your time. Recommended.
1426860
Paavo Jarvi seems to be stepping outside of the composers his father, Neeme, favors, which is a good thing, but Paavo's conducting of Ravel is hardly impressive. Like his Debussy recording,&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Debussy-Pr-eacute-lude-agrave-l-apr-egrave-s-midi-d-un-faune-Nocturnes-Etc-Hybrid-SACD/dp/B0007QJ1KC/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Debussy: Pr&eacute;lude &agrave; l'apr&egrave;s-midi d'un faune; Nocturnes; Etc. [Hybrid SACD</a>], there is just something missing here. I can't hear one bit of passion coming from Jarvi. The Cincinatti Symphony Orchestra play well, but there's just not much fire here. Am I missing something? I don't think I am. I own almost every recording of Ravel's orchestral music available.

That said, the audio quality is top-notch, but this alone does not save this recording from mediocrity. Perhaps someone else will enjoy this recording, I just couldn't get into Jarvi's way with Ravel. I'll stick with Martinon, Boulez, Dutoit, and Tortelier.
1444479
I must confess that, although it is very well-written, I did not much enjoy this second instalment of John DeFilippiss saga which began in The Quest of the Thirteen. The previous book was much more upbeat as we followed the thirteen in their dangerous quest and, of course, it ended on a high, with the fulfilment of the quest and the accession to the throne of Grobius. We got to like and admire most of the thirteen participants and I was eagerly awaiting the next part of their story. Unfortunately this book is concerned with a willing sacrifice (in the Christian tradition) and the downfall of most of Grobiuss twelve followers. Human nature is shown at its most base and self-serving; the message for the earth and humankind is bleak.
2523834
Smelling money after Stieg Larsson's mega-hit the Millennium Trilogy, Larsson's estate and the publishers hired David Lagercrantz, best known for his best-selling biography of a Swedish soccer star. There's nothing like riding on the fame of your predecessor's trilogy.

Lagercrantz, who was born with a silver spoon in his mouth, is acknowledged to be a decent writer but is hampered here by three elements: 1) failure to build on the vigor of Larsson's writing and characters, particularly Lisbeth Salander who may be one of the most compelling characters in the thriller genre; 2) abrupt changes in direction that sometimes caused me to turn back to the previous page to orient myself; 3) a profusion of characters that flood across the pages. I often lost track of the names and flow of the narrative. Not a good sign.

The story has Millennium journalist Blomquist, in a funk because Millennium has lost its edge. He receives a call from a renowned scientist, Professor Balder, who wants to report some nefarious deeds in the scientific community. Balder's young son is an autistic mathematical savant who witnesses the murder of his father by a mysterious group with Russian connections. Blomquist learns that Balder had earlier met with Lisbeth Salander to discuss her hacking skills. Thus, Blomquist is put in touch with Salander. As the story unfolds, we learn that Salander's evil sister is part of the plot. We meet past characters and a profusion of new characters. Needless to say, Salander and Blomquist save the boy and solve the crime. The story closes with a hint that there is more to come. Who could doubt that?

The story is a thrilling reading experience, but it lost the vitality of Larsson's trilogy. Read it, but don't expect the power of the Millennium Trilogy.
119418
While I certainly enjoy the long-form series of Star Wars novels, such as the recently concluded "Fate of the Jedi", I do think there needs to be a balance.  Much like the Star Trek novels, there's room for continuity-laden continuations of the main timeline/narrative, and stand-alone novels set during a particular period or time.  When there are massive events taking place in the galaxy, one would expect that the consequences and shifts in the status quo will have a ripple effect on the smaller scale.

The recent novels by Paul Kemp have shown that the smaller scale approach has its place, and this stand-alone effort by Jeff Grubb follows a similar strategy.  In keeping with the recent releases spinning out of the Old Republic MMO, this novel is based on a role-playing module centered on the Hutts and an unusual Jedi named Mander Zuma.

Unlike many of the typical Jedi heroes, Zuma is primarily an archivist.  In other words, a glorified librarian.  An archivist who has undergone Jedi combat training, to be sure, but still, not one of the front line Jedi that we're used to seeing.  And since this is set between the founding of the Jedi Academy and the arrival of the Yuuzhan Vong, it's not a period when every Jedi would be tasked with preparing for civilization-ending conflicts.  Zuma definitely comes across as the kind of Jedi that has heard a lot about the galaxy, but hasn't quite experienced it for himself yet.

Zuma's apprentice dies under questionable circumstances, which leads Zuma on a hunt for the truth behind a particularly nasty kind of potent spice and the Hutts that produce and distribute it.  Very quickly, the novel turns into the Star Wars version of "The Godfather", which is far more interesting than one would initially think.  Hutt family politics are far from cordial, and Zuma finds himself in hot water time and again.

The plot never stalls, and the character interactions are top notch.  Zuma is a fully fledged character with a solid support team in Reen (his apprentice's sister) and Eddey (a deceptively quiet Bothan).  The Hutts are surprisingly unique, despite being saddled with the typical Star Wars homogenous species stereotype.

Grubb includes a character from the Corporate Sector Authority, which I barely remember from those early Brian Daley novels.  While the character added a nice bit of complication to the story, in terms of the challenges that Zuma had to overcome to resolve the Tempest situation, I couldn't help but wonder if I was forgetting details of those earlier appearances of the CSA that might have added another layer to the story.  I don't believe so, since the author placed the organization in context, but the thought did occur.

I was also a bit disappointed in the resolution of the central mystery.  Perhaps it's just from reading/watching too many stories of this type over the years, but I figured out who the Spice Lord was relatively early in the proceedings.  It didn't necessarily take away from the ending very much, since events flow very quickly towards the end, but like any mystery, certain things seem perfunctory once you've figured out what the characters still don't know.

All told, though, it was a very quick and pleasant read.  For a tale that features none of the characters familiar to most Star Wars fans, takes place in a very small subset of the overall Star Wars universe, and focuses on implementation of a specific fictional sub-genre, it is very accessible.

Anyone picking this up should be prepared to accept that the size of the book is not indicative of the size of the story; as per the current PR push, there is a substantial amount of preview/sampler material in the back of the book.  My digital version ended at a little over 60%, so adjust expectations accordingly.
115318
J2 set a new standard for game versatility.  It had racing, shooting, action platform, puzzle, jetboarding, and strategy.  Every kind of gameplay was represented and that was what made it stand out.  J3 on the other hand is 75% racing.  Since I'm not a huge racing fan, it hurts the game a little for me.

Don't get me wrong.  The game is fun, and judging it on its merits alone, it deserves 4 stars.  But I had expectations that simply were not met.  J3 is a victim of its amazing predecessor.

The storyline isn't as strong either, and the final revelation about the Precursors, while cute doesn't fit with elements of the previous games.  But that's not important, and if the game was more fun, I'd easily forgive the story problems.

I do recommend it.  If you like racing, you'll probably enjoy it.  If you don't, you'll probably still enjoy it, though not as much.  But it's just a bit of a letdown.
828298
Ms Jennsen manages to pack an impressive amount (galactic and otherwise) into the 366 pages of Sidespace and, perhaps inevitably, the book doesnt flow quite as smoothly as the Aurora Rising trilogy. With Alex and Caleb exploring what lies beyond the Metis portal  and with absolutely no contact with their own galaxy  we effectively end up with two skilfully written and highly imaginative, but virtually separate, stories. After a lot of soul-searching and angst that four-star rating, when set against the extremely high standards of those earlier books, became almost inevitable.

The first three worlds Alex and Caleb encounter contain non-humanoid intelligence; one is friendly, two are aggressive and, as they leave the system, they're left with a suspicion the Metigens might have been responsible.

As the relationship between Earth Alliance and Senecan Federation deteriorates, Ms Jennsen demonstrates a delightfully dry opinion about the behaviour of politicians. And, although the Artificials played a major role in defeating the Metigens, the politicians are now determined to control, or perhaps eliminate, them.

Good night and thank you

Theres also an intriguing, but all-too-brief, mention of a fourth dimension thats unmeasured and unrecognised except by Artificials. It can, however, be experienced by their linked human colleagues and will, no doubt, resurface in the latter part of the trilogy.

Whilst more political shenanigans are taking place on Earth and Seneca, Alex and Caleb find themselves exploring a three-planet system populated by advanced aliens. Although outwardly benevolent, the aliens prove to be both violent and primitive. The links to the Metigens  involving anti-matter bombs  are, this time, blatant.

Elsewhere in the cosmos the ethereal Mesme finds herself in trouble with the Conclave; in Hyperions view she has loosed a chaotic unstable variable (= Alex and Caleb) which will destroy everything. Although something is clearly about to happen Ms Jennsen keeps the details enigmatically vague.

Im sure the remaining parts of the trilogy  Dissonance and Abysm  will resolve these issues  although perhaps, just perhaps, well have to wait until the Aurora Resonant trilogy is published
4719467
I have to admit to being biased towards the performer. Any baroque release by Rachel Podger is to be eagerly anticipated. She continues to be at the top of her game in terms of stylish performance, musicianship, energy and elan. The musicians she chooses to record with --whether its her own Brecon group, the Arte dei Suonatori, or the Holland Baroque Society used here--all are first rate. Their enthusiasm imbues these performances. And we really did need a refreshed interpretation of Op. 9 ("La Cetra").

That being said, there is a limit to how much the skill and enthusiasm of performers can overcome the source material. This is another personal bias--and I won't claim otherwise--but there are more interesting and inspiring Vivaldi opuses than Op. 9, and which would better reward a new approach.

So I'd say this:

1.) For those of you who are collecting as "Vivaldi completists", this new set is undoubtedly worthwhile; and I echo the views of other reviewers that it's likely a "buy it now" decision.

2.) For those who are somewhat newer to Vivaldi's complete oeuvre, and are trying to avoid "death by 4 seasons" by hearing something different, I'd start elsewhere.

Start, instead, by purchasing the Op 4 ("Stravaganza") done in 2003 by Rachel Podger and Arte dei Suonatori. This too, was in need of "dusting off;" a decade ago Podger's performances lifted the music to a new height and demonstrated how much more there was to the underlying material than many had realized.

<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Vivaldi-La-Stravaganza/dp/B00008IUW2/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Vivaldi: La Stravaganza</a>

So, my two personal biases get me to an average score of 4 stars: 5 stars for the performances, which are everything I've come to expect from Podger; 3 stars for the "Red Priest's" Op 9. I just don't think opus 9 has enough going for it, even with Podger et al's valiant attempts to reinvigorate it. (can they please invigorate op. 7, 11 or 12?)

But, also a strong encouragement to Vivaldi newcomers to boldly seek out other parts of his recorded edition, because Podger, Fabio Biondi, Giulio Carmignola (and others) have done so much to elevate our understanding over the past decade.

See also these:

<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Vivaldi-L-Estro-Armonico-12-Concertos/dp/B000007TKK/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Vivaldi: L'Estro Armonico - 12 Concertos</a>
<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Vivaldi-Il-cimento-dell-armonia-e-dell-inventione-Europa-Galante-Biondi/dp/B00005IA1S/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Vivaldi - Il cimento dell'armonia e dell'inventione / Europa Galante, Biondi</a>
<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Vivaldi-Concerti-per-mandolini/dp/B00005UV9F/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Vivaldi: Concerti per mandolini</a>

<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Antonio-Vivaldi-Late-Violin-Concertos-RV177-RV222-RV273-RV295-RV375-RV191-Giuliano-Carmignola-Venice-Baroque-Orchestra-Andrea-Marcon/dp/B00005NF01/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Antonio Vivaldi: Late Violin Concertos (RV177 / RV222 / RV273 / RV295 / RV375 / RV191) - Giuliano Carmignola / Venice Baroque Orchestra / Andrea Marcon</a>

<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Late-Vivaldi-Concertos-RV386-RV235-RV296-RV258-RV389-RV251-Giuliano-Carmignola-Venice-Baroque-Orchestra-Andrea-Marcon/dp/B00006L3PG/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Late Vivaldi Concertos: RV386 / RV235 / RV296 / RV258 / RV389 / RV251 - Giuliano Carmignola / Venice Baroque Orchestra / Andrea Marcon</a>

<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Vivaldi-Concertos-for-Two-Violins/dp/B0019RQTUS/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Vivaldi: Concertos for Two Violins</a>

And for Podger doing Bach:

<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Bach-Violin-Concertos/dp/B003X06BFW/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Bach: Violin Concertos</a>
3488584
Prologue: Tana French is one of my favorite writers. She's created a little universe of interesting characters that solve crimes in Dublin. Not only can she tell a fantastic tale, BUT she realizes that the supporting characters in one story have their OWN stories to tell and their OWN set of interesting supporting characters.

The Review: Arnaldur Indridason is also one of my favorite writers. He's created a little universe of interesting characters that collaborate to solve crimes in Iceland. However, the comparsion stops there.  A large part of what I like about Indridason's police procedurals is how the characters interact with each other, and how their off-duty lives provide a little side color to enhance the main story of each novel.

Either Indridason disagrees with that assessment (which would be his right; it IS, after all, his universe!), or he does not see a problem with deviating from it. Unfortunately, after having read Outrage (Elnborg's star turn) and now, Black Skies, in which Sigurdur li claims the spotlight, I take issue with it. Indridison's strength is the interaction of his protagonists.  Focusing on one at a time detracts from his universe, rather than heightening it.

I enjoyed this book more than the previous Outrage, as Sigurdur's backstory was more interesting to me than was Elinborg's. As usual, the culprit's identity eluded me until near (or in this case, at) the reveal.

Mr. Indridison, I encourage you to remember that you are writing an ensemble cast. It may be clich, but the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Please keep the entire squad together in future books.  (And since there are at least 3 more that I haven't read yet, including one not yet translated into English, I can only hope that you've reached a similar conclusion on your own.)

RATING: 3 1/2 stars, rounded down to 3 stars.
3473770
This volume from Penguin Classics contains two Icelandic sagas, Gisli Sursson's Saga and The Saga of the People of Eyri. The stories form a nice set, since the events of the first lead to the events of the second (though not in the style of a modern sequel).

The Icelandic sagas are some of my favorite stories for the simple reason that they waste no time in setting up the action and bringing it to an end, and are almost invariably exciting. They are spare, fast-moving stories that, at the same time, manage to be incredibly complex. In the case of both of these stories, rivals, intrigue, and betrayal play major roles throughout.

Gisli Sursson's Saga: Gisli Sursson belongs to the first generations of Iceland's inhabitants. Iceland was undiscovered and uncolonized until the 9th century, when the ever-wandering Vikings found it and began to populate it. Gisli Sursson, in avenging the death of his brother, is declared to have been outside the protection of the law in his manner of vengeance and outlawed. Bork, a distant relative, takes up the chase, hiring bounty hunters to help track Gisli down. Gisli survives--through many, many outbreaks of violence--thirteen years in the wilderness. Along the way he is sheltered in a valley guarded by a giant, encounters ghosts (which have corporeal substance in Icelandic lore and have to be "killed" again), and, with the help of his wife, seems only one step ahead of Bork's men. The final showdown between him and his pursuers on a jagged mountaintop is a thrilling climax more exciting than many modern novels I've read.

The Saga of the People of Eyri: Not as compelling as Gisli's story, but still endlessly fascinating, this saga deals with a locality rather than a specific person, though the saga gives a lot of attention to Snorri the Godi, who was young boy at the time of Gisli's death and witnessed his own mother attempting to kill Bork. Snorri, as a godi, is heavily involved in the politics and legal confusions of the era, and does his share of killing and cheating death. Like I and another reviewer have said, The Saga of the People of Eyri isn't as fulfilling as Gisli Sursson's Saga (though it does have plenty of excitement) and a bit anticlimactic, but it's still good reading because it ties in to another saga available from Penguin, The Saga of Grettir the Strong, which is every bit as good as Gisli Sursson's.

The notes are minimal, which is not a problem, and the introductions and a few appendices may help acquaint beginners with Icelandic and Norse culture and the world of the sagas.

I highly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in medieval Europe, Iceland, Norse culture, mythology, or to anyone just looking for an quick but exciting story to read at night.
4173488
After reading most of Modesitt's&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Saga-of-Recluce/dp/0812505182/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Saga of Recluce</a>, I thought I would check out some of his science fiction.  The Ecolitan Matter series had received good marks, so when I found this omnibus edition with the first two books, I decided to give it a try.  Both books are heavy on philosophy and light on action, and have both positive and negative aspects.  The major focus of these books is in examining the justification of extreme violence in the name of survival and freedom.  A heavy topic.

In THE ECOLITAN OPERATION (published 1989), the story follows Major Jimjoy Earl Wright III, a brilliant and ruthless Imperial special operative, through a series of worldview-changing events, where his victory-at-any-cost methods get him on the wrong side of his own government. Unfortunately for the government, they choose to take a rather indirect approach to handling Jimjoy's termination, and he is able to overcome impossible odds to not only survive, but to take out a sizeable portion of the Empire's forces in doing so. Jimjoy ends up befriending (and eventually joining) a group of ideological independents known as the Ecolitans. This is an exciting story whose central character, while like-able, is hard not to condemn for his wholesale killing of mostly-innocent people. [3-stars]

In THE ECOLOGIC SECESSION (published in 1990), Jimjoy has taken on a new identity as James Joyson Whaler II, Professor at the Ecologic Institute.  He proceeds to convince his new allies that the Empire will not abide their independence, and that they need to take the fight to the giant.  JJ spends most of this book arguing for drastic action to be taken against the Empire, and ends up encouraging the development of weapons of mass destruction to be used on Old Earth.  A love story blossoms here as well, between JJ and another Ecolitan with a troubled past.  This softens the main character, but doesn't sway his hard-line view of the world nor dissuade his view of Victory at Any Cost.  This second book was predictable and repetitive, hammering on the same issues continually. [2-stars]

Some aspects of these novels were familiar from the Recluce saga. The heavy reliance on textual sound effects, something Modesitt has toned down in his more recent work, was very much on display here. "Whzzz", "Thrum", "Crrrump" give reading this book (and many of his other books) the feeling of a Batman comic book. And your eyes can't help noticing a "AAAAAIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEE!!!" on the next page, giving good warning to what should be a shocking surprise. Another familiar aspect was the near-total absence of what the characters are thinking. Modesitt feels very little need to reveal the minds of his characters, so you mostly just watch JJ creatively solve complex problems without understanding what he is doing or why. This was something I had found annoying about some of the Recluce books, and I found it annoying here too. I would much rather feel like I understood a character's intentions before the act is done. And the same goes for his motivations and feelings. On the other hand, a very positive aspect of THE ECOLITAN OPERATION and THE ECOLOGIC SECESSION was the use of cool and feasible-seeming technology. From weapons to clothing to space flight, the tech here was right on, and inclines me to seek out more Modesitt SF.

The Ecololitan Matter series continues with&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/The-Ecologic-Envoy/dp/0812545842/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">The Ecologic Envoy</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/The-Ecolitan-Enigma-Ecolitan-Matter/dp/B003J5UHUG/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">The Ecolitan Enigma (Ecolitan Matter)</a>, collected together in the omnibus, ASIN:0765308983 Ecolitan Prime]].
3558817
As someone who love Ledisi's voice I will say that the problem that I have had with her last couple of cds/ albums is that she doesn't feel like she has to give her fans what we want.  She wants to do abstract music and that is not what garnered her the legion of fans.  I fell in love with her R&B and Jazz type ballads and uptempo songs. Abstract is for other artists who do not possess the vocal range and ability that she has.
1436834
I have all their cds, and Kveikur and Valtari are just Not like the others.  I feel like there was a peak when Jonsi's solo album Go came out, and Riceboy Sleeps was heavenly mood music.  We still put in Valtari and listen to half of it, but we are just not so crazy about this one, like they are much more courageous artists than this, they're just "in a process" or something.  That was my experience.
3497152
Kemi Vita is much more passionate on this outing; all the growling guitars on Spin Moon Magic got a little monotonous. At times, she's all over the place, like Siouxsie Banshee. Elsewhere, she sounds very Bjork-like. Unfortunately, she still doesn't carry any memorable tunes (with one huge exception).

If you're nutty enough to buy an album for one track (like me), then number 7 will redeem you. "The Dreamside" is a beautiful song.

"Travel" has Kemi doing a duet at a welcome change of tempo. If the vocals get a little murky, the bell-like guitar notes create a lovely, undulating melody. "Women's Chant" is suitably ominous---like a medieval twist on Switchblade Symphony.

I can't call this the best darkwave out there. But for you fellow writers and comic book artists, it's good background for those darkly creative times. Good enough to take a chance on their next album.
4166140
john darnielle, my second favorite person in all of music next to stephen malkmus (sorry john), cannot write a bad song, it's just not within his capabilities as a performer. while this set of raw, guitar-only, tape-hissy tunes isn't quite as memorable or poignant as his two previous efforts--to me at least--there are a few songs that stand out as career highlights: "best ever death metal band," "jenny", and "faultlines" are excellent examples of darnielle's acerbic wit, as well as his devastatingly accurate portrayals of relationships in distress. stand-outs "the mess inside" and "source decay" are two of his finest story-songs.

 here's hoping this won't go down as john's last direct-to-boombox recording. some things just sound right, you know?
796695
The Monorhans, a sapient species spawned as one more accidental consequence of activity by "exploring" Nacene (remember what those explorers unintentionally did to Ocampa?), are down to one vast shipload of survivors. Their star system exists apart from the rest of our universe, and Acting Captain Chakotay needs to get Voyager out of Monorhan space before the forces destroying it finish their work. Of course he wants to save those survivors. He must find a way to recover the ship's holographic Doctor, or do without a competent medic for the rest of Voyager's lifetime-long homeward journey; and he wants - almost above all else - to see Captain Janeway back in her command chair. That's another reason for needing the Doctor returned from whatever Q or Nacene dimension has snatched him, because Janeway lies comatose - to all intents and purposes, already dead - after aiding a Monorhan escape to the Nacenes' Exosia. And that's just part of the plot setup that author Jarman inherits, and resolves, in Evolution's pages...whew.

I applaud Jarman's knowledge of the Voyager characters and their history, and I'm sure many fans will read this tale with delight as she works to make its events provide background for the series' subsequent episodes. Personally I found it less enjoyable than the trilogy's first two installments, though, because I buy a Voyager novel expecting plenty of Janeway. This time I got almost none. Also, I was thoroughly annoyed by what felt to me like a clumsy attempt to explain my favorite Trek captain's behavior later on the Voyager time line.

That's the book's only misstep, though, and other readers may not react to it as I did. Jarman is a fine writer, and - despite my personal disappointment with her handling of Kathryn Janeway - she pulls the trilogy's many plot threads together very competently indeed.