Lacking Natural Simplicity

The Ionian Mission, by Patrick O'Brian; first published by William Collins Sons and Co Ltd, 1981; Norton, 1991. Aubrey has “come it the Nelson bridge at last”, something which must have pleased him, once he recovered from his dismay.

The Hero, by John Ringo and Michael Z. Williamson; Baen, 2004. Competent military SF, set in the same universe but (several hundred?) years after Ringo's Hell's Faire.

Hell's Faire, by John Ringo; Baen, May 2003. Lots of fun; it was worth re-reading.

Wren to the Rescue, by Sherwood Smith, copyright 1990; Firebird, an imprint of Penguin Group, 2004. Crown Duel by Smith was excellent, and this one is too, though in a different way. Firebird, judging by the list (opposite the title page) of other books they're publishing, is looking to reprint a bunch of good books, including some of Lloyd Alexander's Westmark books; I wish them every success. I wonder if they're focusing on young adult books?

Glory Lane, by Alan Dean Foster, copyright 1987; Ace, August 1987. Amusing in some respects, but one of Foster's lesser efforts.

The Surgeon's Mate, by Patrick O'Brian, copyright 1981; First published in 1980 by William Collins Sons & Co Ltd; W.W. Norton and Company, Inc, 1992. After facing the apparent diminution of the affections that have driven him for years, Stephen Maturin finds that they have not diminished, rather that they have been muted for a time, and is given the strongest possible evidence that his affections are returned in a measure greater than he could have hoped for, with the long-sought but previously unlikely outcome. Strongly recommended, but it's necessary to have read a number of other books in the series for the full effect, perhaps most importantly Post Captain.

The Fortune of War, by Patrick O'Brian, copyright 1979; first published by William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd, 1979; W.W. Norton & Company, 1991. Captivity in the U.S.A. with intrigue and the contemplation of the decay of affections, followed by escape and the taking of the USN Chesapeake. One of the most emotionally involving books in the series, leavened with interludes of intense action and despair.

The Mote in God's Eye, by Larry Niven, copyright 1974; Timescape, Pocket Books, Simon and Schuster, 1974. Still fun to read.

Queen's Gambit Declined, by Melinda M. Snodgrass, copyright 1989; Questar, Popular Library, Warner Books. An antifantasy, and very good.

The Opal-Eyed Fan, by Andre Norton, copyright 1977; E.P. Dutton, 1977. This is one of Norton's historicals, and is set on one of the Florida Keys in the middle 1800s. I like Norton's science fiction better, but the historicals are good.

Darkness Weaves, by Karl Edward Wagner, copyright 1978; Warner 1983. Wagner's Kane is sought out by a maimed sorceress to help her rebel against and conquer an island empire.

When the Legends Die, by Hal Borland, copyright 1963; narrated by Norman Dietz; Recorded Books, Inc., 1991. I read this book when I was a young teenager. When I listened to it this time (in my car, mostly going to and from work), I was struck again by how the new medium presented it a-new to my mind, striking afresh into my thoughts.

Rupert of Hentzau, by Anthony Hope; first published in Great Britian by J.W. Arrowsmith in 1898; published in one volume with The Prisoner of Zenda by Penguin Books, 2000. I've read The Prisoner of Zenda several times, read new interpretations of it by George MacDonald Fraser and others, and seen at least a couple of movie versions of it, but I'd never read its sequel, Rupert of Hentzau. It apparently wasn't as popular as the original, and has been criticised as too complicated and not active enough, and I can understand why. However, it's still a worthwhile read on its own merits, and it does serve to complete the story that The Prisoner of Zenda left open.