• Hunter's Prayer, by Lilith Saintcrow, copyright 2008; Orbit/Hachette Book Group USA; First Edition: September 2008; ISBN-10: 0-316-00176-7, ISBN-13: 978-0-316-00176-2.

  The second in Saintcrow's new series. Enjoyed it too.

• Spook Country, by William Gibson, copyright 2007 by William Gibson Ent. Ltd.; The Berkley Publishing Group/The Penguin Group/Penguin Group (USA) Inc.; Berkley trade paperback edition June 2008, 1st printing; ISBN-13: 978-0-424-22141-9.

  Good. Moving further away from the science fiction aspect of his early works, but retaining that disquieting sense of social dissociation.

• The Sinister Pig, by Tony Hillerman, copyright 2003; HarperTorch/HaperCollinsPublisher; first paperback printing November 2004, 12th printing; ISBN-10: 0-06-109878-7, ISBN-13: 978-0-06-109878-9.

• The Wailing Wind, by Tony Hillerman, copyright 2002; HarperTorch/HarperCollinsPublisher; 16th printing; ISBN-10: 0-06-109879-5, ISBN-13: 97800-06-109879-6.

  Hillerman has been writing these mysteries for over 35 years. I must enjoy them, if I'm up at 2:19 reading them.

• Night Shift, by Lilith Saintcrow, copyright 2008; Orbit/Hachette Book Group USA; First Edition: July 2008, 2nd printing; ISBN-10: 0-316-00178-3, ISBN-13: 978—0-316-00178-6.

  The first in a new series by Saintcrow, in a slightly different world, so far as I can tell. I enjoyed it.

• The Adventures of Luther Arkwright, by Bryan Talbot, copyright 1990, 1991, 1997, 2007; introduction copyright 1997 Michael Moorcock; all other material, unless otherwise specified, copyright 2007 Dark Horse Comics Inc; Dark Horse Books/Dark Horse Comics, Inc., Second Edition: 2007, 1st printing; ISBN: 978-1=59307-725-9.

  I can see why Moorcock likes this. I found it very dense in places, but worth it.

• Cry Wolf, “An Alpha and Omega Novel”, by Patricia Briggs, copyright 2008 by Hurog, Inc.; Ace/The Berkley Publishing Group/The Penguin Group/Penguin Group (USA) Inc.; Ace mass market edition August 2008, 1st printing; ISBN-13: 978-0-441-01615-0.

  This is a spin-off from Brigg's Mercy Thompson series, and judging from the “An Alpha and Omega Novel” it's the start of a new series. I'll be looking for further volumes.

• Jhegaala, by Steven Brust, copyright 2008; Tor/Tom Doherty Associates, LLC; First Edition: July 2008, 1st printing; ISBN-13: 978-0-7653-0147-5; ISBN-10: 0-7653-0147-4.

  Visiting with an old friend is always a treat. I think I've reread the whole “Vlad Taltos” series and all the “Khaavren Romances” and Brokedown Palace within the last couple of years. (I ought ought check.) It's interesting to see how varied the “Taltos” novels are, despite having one main character, how consistent the voice of the “Khaavren Romances” is, and how different from the others Brokedown Palace is. If I ever get my library out of boxes I really need to reread all his other books.

  The “Vlad Taltos” books are good individually, but even better as a whole, much like Kenneth Bulmer's “Dray Prescot” books.

• The Harlequin, copyright 2007 by Laurell K. Hamilton; Jove Books/The Berkely Publishing Group/The Pengiun Group, May 2008; ISBN 978-0-515-14461-1.

  Another entry in Hamilton's “Anita Blake” series. Still worth reading.

• Bad Dreams, by Kim Newman, copyright 1990, Carroll & Graf Publishers, Inc; 1995.

  An interesting take on vampires, and an interesting relfection of London at a certain time.

I recently decided that I need to read Heinlein's juvenile novels. I'd read some of them in my youth (thanks to the Weston and Clarksburg public libraries), but not all, and I wondered how they would stand up in the 21st century to my middle-aged eyes, and how interesting they might be to younger eyes as well. (I'll have to wait a bit to see the later, though.)

Luckily, inexpensive compilations published by the Science Fiction Bookclub are easily available from online sellers, and I got four volumes that include all the juveniles, as well as Starship Troopers. Four Frontiers is the first of them.

• Four Frontiers, by Robert A. Heinlein; First Science Fiction Book Club printing: June 2005. Published by arrangement with “The Robert A. & Virginia Heinlein Prize Trust” and “The Robert A. & Virginia Heinlein Library Foundation”, and Tor Books, and The Berkley Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc. ISBN 0-7394-5345-9.

  • Rocket Ship Galileo, copyright 1947 by Robert A. Heinlein, copyright renewed 1974 by Robert A. Heinlein, Copyright 1988 by the Robert A. & Virginia Heinlein Library Foundation.

    I had never read this one. As you might expect, the earliest is the roughest, and probably the least interesting to current crop of juveniles. It's still a fun adventure story, though current social mores would have made it impossible.

  • Space Cadet, copyright 1948 by Robert A. Heinlein, copyright renewed 1975 by Robert A. Heinlein, Copyright 1988 by the Robert A. & Virginia Heinlein Library Foundation.

    I can't remember reading this one, but may have. It's interesting how much of this is about learning to deal with others, which moves from dealing with other cadets to, eventually, dealing with aliens. Knowledge, brains, and morals win out over brains, money, and greed.

  • Red Planet, copyright 1949 by Robert A. Heinlein, copyright renewed 1976 by Robert A. Heinlein, Copyright 2003 by the Robert A. & Virginia Heinlein Library Foundation.

    I'm almost positive that I'd read this one, but if so I'd forgotten how subversive it was. And I love the skating, for some reason. (I don't skate myself.)

  • Farmer in the Sky, copyright 1950 by Robert A. Heinlein, copyright renewed 1977 by Robert A. Heinlein, Copyright 2003 by the Robert A. & Virginia Heinlein Library Foundation.

    This situation on earth in this one, sadly, looks more and more likely.

There's a fair amount of discussion of the actual technology of space travel and related planetary science in these first four books, and that's probably what has aged the worst. The adventures are still fun, and I think an open-minded juvenile could still enjoy them.