The next week or so is going to be fairly quiet on the blog as I finally have the time for a much-needed getaway. Will I be spending my time running around a field? Possibly. Will I spend it crawling through unfamiliar bookshops? Even more likely. The important thing is that things will be quiet here for a few days. If I’m smart (which is a doubtful proposition at the best of time) I’ll manage to schedule a few reviews. Failing that, I’m going to schedule this post so that I can maintain my unbroken chain of one post per week since starting At Boundary’s Edge. Yes, I really am that obsessive. So, without any further ado, here are three quick reviews of books I’ve been underwhelmed by recently

Star Trek: The Next Generation: Losing the Peace, by William Leisner

Continuing my nasty habit of pecking away at the post-Nemesis literary timeline in absolutely the wrong order, I come to this rather sombre piece. Set in the aftermath of the Destiny trilogy, it follows the Enterprise crew dealing with the new, post-war reality. There are some good elements here, and thematically it’s a strong novel, but it has the unfortunate focus of Beverly Crusher, who I have often found to be the weakest of the crew’s more familiar names. There’s also a lot of flashback material here, and it does grow repetitive after a while. To be fair to the book, it would likely have been a stronger reading experience if I were sticking to the publication order, as there are plenty of little references and asides to the rest of the Litverse. By no means the weakest Trek novel out there, but also some way off being among my favourites.

The Parafaith War, by L. E. Modesitt Jr

Modesitt is best known for his fantasy works, including the absolutely massive Saga of Recluce, which has more volumes than I can count. The Parafaith War is similarly chunky, but limited to just two books. Based on the first, I have little interest in reading the second. It’s hard to point to any particular thing is does wrong, but it has the feel of a fantasy story that’s been less-than-successfully transposed into space. Everything feels very stock and cliché, but there isn’t even the sense of fun and adventure that stock and cliché can still deliver. An incredibly underwhelming experience all round.

Old Man’s War #7: The Shattering Peace, by John Scalzi

Released nine years after the previous book, and a whopping nineteen years after the first Old Man’s War, I was hoping for a return to Scalzi’s slightly more serious earlier work after a recent run of books heavy on whimsy. I wasn’t entirely let down. This book does at least have a proper plotline and a sense of peril. However, Scalzi’s humour is still in force. Even dialled down as it is, it grates rather than amuses. Having fairly recently listened to the original book, I can say that the humour was always there, but I notice it more now. Or perhaps I just enjoy it less. The Shattering Peace wisely makes a decade-long jump since the events of the last book, and largely stands alone, but it does end up feeling lighter than its predecessors, despite the seriousness of the main plot. Based on this, I expect The Shattering Peace will end up being my last Scalzi purchase for the foreseeable future.

And with the reviewing over, I must bid you all adieu. I hope you’re all reading some good books during my brief absence, and will certainly be back with more nerdity towards the end of next week.