I got some reading in!

Blackcollar: The Judas Solution 

Capsule Review:

Follows on from Blackcollar and Blackcollar:Backlash Mission and provides (perhaps) a wrap up for the series. Without spoiling the story, the Blackcollars are at their usual shenanigans again - guerilla warfare, midirection, tactical actions that support inobvious strategic ends, etc. The ending is vaguely bittersweet and it does provide what could be a warp on the series and the conflict between the Human and the Ryquil if the author wants this to be the last book. I enjoyed it, but it was exactly what I was expecting and you need to read the others books first.

Cobra Alliance: Cobra War: Book I 

Capsule Review:

Follows on from Cobra, Cobra Strike, Cobra Bargain (the first trilogy, available together ) with a story of a new generation of Cobras from the Cobra Worlds (Aventine particularly). It invokes the character of Jasmine "Jin" Moreau Broom from Cobra Bargain and sets her off on a cryptic secret mission. At this point, she's an older lady with some of the early onset of the problems that beset the Cobras due to all of their implants. The story traces that mission and the outcomes as a whole new arc (for the new trilogy) unfolds, involving Jin, her husband, her offspring, and some old familiar faces along with many new ones. Another interesting yarn, if you liked the other three in the series.

Cobra Guardian: Cobra War, Book 2

Capsule Review:

Technically, this one doesn't count as reading because I heard it as an audible.com audiobook on my iPod. I must say, for eyes that have been strained by lengthy times in front of the computer, the audiobook is a nice touch. OTOH, I think it adds 25-50% to the reading time for a book. OTGH, this means that you could be doing other things while you listen to it. I will be buying the book in paperback just to have the complete set to loan out or reread, but the audiobook is a good thing to have too. 


This follows up on Cobra Alliance and follows more of the happenings to Jin, her husband and some of the offspring. It follows activities on Caelian and Aventine with a Quasama tie-in and sets the stage for the third book in the series, coming January 2012, called Cobra Gamble which will supposedly tie up this trilogy. I enjoyed this book although I will note this is more of the same sort of writing and stories from the first three books so one knew what one was getting. 

The narrator of the audiobook was okay (its a hard task to do well and alien voices always will be problematic) so I could listen to it easily enough - far easier than my lastest Han Solo book from audible.com.  I understand as the reader, you want to help the listener feel the book, but that effort should be a light touch and I found this was true with this narrator, but not with the one reading the Han Solo book (rather too emphatic for my tastes, although it did integrate some musical soundtracking if I recall which wasn't a bad idea).