Kickapoo walk

We had pleasant temperatures for the first time in seems like forever today and a beautiful sunny day.  I got out of work as quick as I could and hopped over to Kickapoo.  I walked approximately 2 miles on the Riverview loop in 38 minutes.  Two bits of nature that stood out from the trip: a doe with three fawns, and a group of about four turkeys (the kind with feathers) sharing the trail with me.  On the way home, there were more turkeys just outside the park, including some that crossed the road right in front of my car; the latter may be the closest I've been to a wild turkey.

( rambling about my health, cut for your protection )

( neti pot stuff and questions )

Book review: Dragon and Judge

Today's book review is Dragon and Judge by Timothy Zahn.

This book 5 in the Dragonback series, and none of it will make much sense if you haven't read at least the first one, Dragon and Thief.  And further, as the action gets hotter and starts to point to a conclusion of the series, the cliffhanger aspect is pretty bad.  I think it would be wise to say that not only should you not start with this volume, you should wait to read the series until it's all out.  (Unfortunately, the way the publishing industry works, you have to buy book now anyway, or you may not be able to when the last one is there.  Stupid publishing industry.)

The story is certainly getting more morally complex, and we're getting some character development, as well as some interesting development in the human/K'Da relationship.  Jack and the reader learn a fair bit about his back story.  There's some major shifting in the direction of the series story arc; hopefully I'm not saying too much to say that the overall quest, which seemed hopeless before this book, now looks merely difficult and dangerous.  As hard to swallow as the concept of the K'Da is, my inner 4 year old really wants one for a friend, so the thought that Jack and Draycos can save the race is a happy one.  There's a lot of action, and less deus ex machina stuff than some.  With all that positive stuff, it's certainly a stronger book than some of the previous volumes, but it's still not entirely satisfying; I think partly because Zahn works so hard to create a sense of breathless urgency that he leaves the reader a bit confused.

I think that boils down to an 8 out of 10.

( plot summary )