AH books I haven't read

[Melvin Loh]

I haven't read certain AH texts which I've seen advertised on other websites, such as THE YEARS OF RICE AND SALT and H. Beam Piper's books. Could anybody brief me on these books and how good they are ?

[Prunesquallor]

The Kim Stanley Robinson you can live without. Frankly, as other people have remarked, it's more like a series of sketches for stories than a story. I only got to the end by skipping. H Beam Piper's Paratime sequence is worth a look. It's the not uncommon theme of a police force trying to protect the integrity of varying time lines. The main book in it, LORD KALVAN OF OTHERWHEN/ GUNPOWDER GOD, is the old chesnut of a modern man transported to an ATL whose technology is a couple of hundred years behind our one and how he rises to power. But it's an enjoyable read. Though if you want ATL police forces the best remains (in my opinion) Poul Anderson's early collection, GUARDIANS OF TIME.