A self-published book by a first-time author, The Brand was the alternate pick for the Sword and Laser book club in April, 2014.
Let's start with the gA self-published book by a first-time author, The Brand was the alternate pick for the Sword and Laser book club in April, 2014.
Let's start with the good. This book had some really neat ideas. Ostensibly, it was a story of good vs. evil. The trick is figuring out who's "good" and who's "evil." The prime suspects for being "evil" are the daeryc, demons. While many of the daeryc in the book are unquestionably evil, there's Saryn, a daeryc who seems to be a bit more...under control. He finds himself in the presence of humans or norians fairly regularly, and doesn't kill them--as a matter of fact, it seems like he wants to work with them.
Then there are the norians. They are non-humans with blue skin and some seem to have magical capabilities that enable them to commune with elemental spirits. They use these abilities to fight off/kill the daeryc when a town or village comes under attack. They appear to have a government separate from a monarchy, though both seem to factor into norian politics. The norians who can communicate with elemental spirits are called Spirit Speakers. The norians are ostensibly "good" but they also seem to have a storied tension with humans. Reikah is a norian Spirit Speaker who wields earth powers. Her family--her brother--is looked down upon by the community (I honestly can't remember why) but he has still earned himself a spot high within the government. This makes them both outcasts from the "normal" norians but also not quite fully engaged with the monarchy/government. It makes them pseudo-outsiders in general. Reikah further breaks boundaries by befriending and working with a human Exorcist, Ciel.
The humans are also ostensibly "good" though the line can be blurred. Human magic wielders are Exorcists who also use elemental magic, channeled through a brand on their body, to fight/kill the daeryc. Ciel is the main character here, and her element seems to be electricity. The human governing body is a religious order of sorts, The Order. Humans also distrust norians, again going back to historical tension. Ciel is one of the last of the Exorcists, and there seems to be a changing of the guard, a fundamental shift going on in The Order. Ciel breaks the rules by befriending and working with Reikah. But she's also not "normal" even amongst humans, since she was an orphan brought into the system, and also has a friend who is half human, half norian (ostracized by both races). So while humans/Exorcists might be considered "good," The Order is definitely "evil" in its new form...
So there are a lot of good ideas going on here. This is why I'm giving the book 3 stars, and I admit I'm probably being forgiving because it's a first-time author and a self-published book.
The book badly needs a real editor. There are grammatical errors, spelling errors, and word choices that are frankly puzzling/awkward. Every time I came across a sentence fragment, I was reminded of how I (and most people talk). This book was written like an engineer would talk. There are some full sentences/ideas, but then there are some that are just fragments. It works when speaking, not as much in writing. When I would come across this, or an awkward word choice (for example, using the word "prolonged" to describe very long arms doesn't quite make sense), I'd get pulled out of the book.
Another problem that an editor could have fixed was that the book didn't flow well. There was a story line that seemed interesting with Saryn that fell off completely in the middle of the book. I'm sure the second book will bring it back up, but it seemed weird to spend the first half of the book with this idea and then have it go nowhere. There was a new character introduced at around the 61% mark. This character became somewhat critical to move the story, but felt like a weird leap from the first half of the book. Worst of all, the central plot line that seemed to run through the book wasn't wrapped up. It got kind of muddled without resolution near the end...and then a different plot line was started...and then the book ended. It really didn't make a lot of sense, and left me feeling a bit let down. I understand books that are setup books and needing to do world-building, but it's always a problem for me when books don't have some arc that comes to an end. The end here was not satisfying.
It will be interesting to see what happens in the 2nd book, whenever it is written. The note from the author in the end of the book makes it seem like it's a way off. If he ever decides to finish it, I'd be happy to beta-read for him. I like the ideas in this book, and think I could offer some help with the editing (even though I am an engineer, not a professional editor). ...more
An interesting look at the problems with Wall Street and high frequency trading/high frequency traders. Michael Lewis is one of the best non-fiction wAn interesting look at the problems with Wall Street and high frequency trading/high frequency traders. Michael Lewis is one of the best non-fiction writers out there. Unlike many others, his books don't get repetitive, and this book is no different. Lewis takes us into the world of high frequency traders by telling a story of an employee on Wall Street of the Royal Bank of Canada and some of the people he brought in as he uncovered what was literally breaking the stock market, something that seemed illegal--but because of the way the rules are written, it wasn't specifically illegal. I guess that's the American way, finding and exploiting loopholes?
In all, though I was depressed about the truths it uncovered, I enjoyed this book, as I do most books from Mr. Lewis. It was interesting, engaging, and informative. The biggest surprise? Goldman Sachs came out in the end as a sort of a good guy...who knew?...more
There were a lot of mixed feelings from the Sword & Laser book club Goodreads group about this book, the pick for April, 2014. Actually, to be fair, tThere were a lot of mixed feelings from the Sword & Laser book club Goodreads group about this book, the pick for April, 2014. Actually, to be fair, the feelings were mostly negative in the group. I don't know if knowing that as I started to read the book lowered my expectations, or maybe I'm just a bit more forgiving for first time authors...I thought this book was pretty okay for a first-timer and liked it reasonably well.
One of the main complaints in the S&L group was that it was quite violent, sometimes needlessly. I didn't really have a problem with the violence until I got to the end. There, it started feeling gratuitous. There was a torture scene at the end that was too much for me. It's interesting, I seem to have a real problem with violence in most books. I don't know if it's because I've been so much physically myself (in non-violent ways), that I can literally feel the pain of the characters, or what, but most books with lots of violence--and especially those with torture--I do poorly with. That is, except for fantasy novels. In fantasy novels, I can usually handle most of it. Sword fights, daggers, bows...I guess I've come to expect those things. I still have issues with torture scenes, though. In most other genres, the violence really turns me off.
In the S&L forums, this book has been compared to the A Song of Ice and Fire series. I can see the comparisons. The setting seems similar between the two worlds, a medieval time frame though the world of ASoIaF is much larger than the world in A Dance of Cloaks so far. The form of the chapters is similar between the two series, where each chapter is (mostly) one POV. There are a lot of characters in both, which can be confusing, especially at first. There are multiple plot lines in both, though again, ASoIaF takes the prize for that one. Finally, in both worlds, the reader shouldn't get too close to any one character, as many die...
At first, this seemed like it was going to be a typical fantasy novel in the form of "beaten down members of society versus the upper echelons." Really, though, the two main factions--the thieves' guilds and the "royals"--were both fighting against eachother and the lower members of society were forced to take sides, though neither option was good. Later in the book, it became clear that there was also a sort of religious war going on between the religion that searches for the good in people and the one that searches to restore order to the world. It also becomes clear that there is a sort of faction in this latter religion, too, that comes into play. In the end, the characters I thought I'd be rooting for turned out to be fairly unlikable, and I found myself surprised at who I ended up "rooting" for. Well, somewhat surprised...there was one character it was obvious was going to be important...
Some people didn't like the characters in this book. Indeed, many of them are pretty horrible people. But as characters, they were believable, mostly. Most of them were selfish, looking out only for themselves, not caring who they have to lie to/kill/etc in order to make it ahead in the world. Some characters, though, such as Alyssa, grew, and had motivations that made sense. She started as a naive heiress and in the end transformed into a bit of a warrior. The son of the "head thief" didn't do nearly as much growing (he made a lot of really stupid mistakes all throughout the book) but his motivations made sense. Even the faceless women, the "faceless" part of the religion for order, had motivations that made sense in the grand scheme (though I expect that those motivations will be better developed/discussed in future books).
The book kind of broke down at the end, just as the plans of multiple characters did. As the city turned to war, the writing became a bit more chaotic and the violence a bit more gratuitous. I think that the end could have been better paced, or maybe started earlier, so that the development of what was actually happening didn't feel so rushed.
To be clear, this is a pretty average fantasy book. It's probably not going to win any awards but it isn't a bad book--I've certainly read far worse, many of which have garnered a lot of praise. It's light, kind of like an action movie in a fantasy setting. But I'm ok with reading light books--it's why I have a category for them! It will be interesting to see what happens to each of the surviving characters in the next book. Obviously, there are two characters who will likely have the biggest role, but there are plenty of side characters left to see what unfolds...(view spoiler)[I only wish that Kayla hadn't been killed. I really liked her. (hide spoiler)]...more
Gooseberry Bluff Community College of Magic: The Thirteenth Rib (hereafter referred to as Gooseberry Bluff for the sake of saving my fingers!) is a book that had a lot of good ideas, but suffered a bit on execution. I was originally attracted to it because it seemed like a cross of modern urban fantasy with mystery--and in many respects, it was just that. The issues I had with it are more about how it wrapped up the various plot lines, and what was left to the imagination.
The premise is simple: Joy Wilkins is the new professor of history at Gooseberry Bluff Community College of Magic (GBCCoM), but she's also an undercover agent for the Federal Bureau of Magical Affairs (FBMA). Joy's job as an agent is made somewhat more difficult by the fact that she has face blindness; luckily, she is very good at reading auras, so her disability isn't the end of the world. Very few people (relatively speaking) are good at reading auras. She is assigned to GBCCoM ostensibly to investigate the disappearance of the previous history professor, Prof. Drake, and to investigate the source of demon trafficking within the school. There are some other side stories in the book, and some character- and world-development that is done through the course of the narrative.
The characters are rather interesting and varied. Schwartz emphasized diversity in his characters, something relatively few authors seem to feel comfortable with, and that's to his credit. The characters--whether they're the narrator (Joy, the face-blind African American woman who's also an agent in the FBMA), Andy (the transgender assistant who is biologically a male but self-identifies and dresses as a female and prefers to be referred to with feminine pronouns), the gay president of the college, the Indian FBMA case handler, or the (apparently stereotypical white male) FBMA case handler, to name a few--are all believable and deeply developed. On the one hand, it felt like Schwartz may have been trying "too hard" to be SO DIVERSE but on the other, the diversity and the character traits opened up by this diversity were well-handled; rarely did it seem like a character was diverse just to be diverse.
The world didn't need much development in general, given that the book takes place in modern-day "Gooseberry Bluff, MN" (a city on the St. Croix river). The rules for the various types of magic weren't particularly well-defined, but this book wasn't as much about the magic as it was about the mystery, so that can be forgiven. When needed, such as when explaining the demon-summoning, the rules were at least internally consistent.
The biggest issue I had with the book is that it had a lot of plot lines, and they weren't all wrapped up particularly well. In addition, perhaps because of all the parallel plot points, the wrap-up to the main story line felt rushed. Some of the plot lines were: -The main plot line, Joy trying to solve the disappearance of her predecessor at the school and the demon-trafficking -Related sub-plots of assassination attempts and trying to determine why Joy's FBMA case manager is trying to keep her off the job -The president of GBCCoM's time away from the school -A romantic relationship between two other professors at the school -A student (Margaret) who is very strong, magically-speaking, but very novice -Another professor at the GBCCoM trying to bring back her sister's soul
In the end, the main plot line was wrapped up but the sub-plots weren't particularly discussed. I was left thinking that the case manager is just a jerk (he was certainly painted that way), but a lot of time was devoted to him. The main plot line was wrapped up, though with a lot of things falling into place "at the right moment" or Joy "figuring it out" suddenly at the end. The other plot lines were not specifically wrapped up--in fact, one of them was left wide open (the last one I listed). It seems like Schwartz spent so much time doing the world-building, that by the time he needed to wrap up the story, it felt rushed. I wasn't exactly sure how Joy connected the dots or what exactly happened.
The narration by Janina Edwards was pretty good. There were a few times when I had to back up my recording and re-listen to a few sentences, but I think that was more attributed to awkward phrasing or unusual words than the actual narration. When I closed my eyes, I could see a confident African American woman as Joy--I actually had the picture of my 7th grade reading teacher in my head (thank you, Mrs. Barrett!). If you're one who likes to listen at greater than normal speed (1.25x, 1.5x, 2x), you might have a hard time--I did. But the book was short enough that I didn't mind listening at 1 or 1.25x speed.
It will be interesting to see what (if anything) else Schwartz does with this world. I would like to know how some of the other plot lines wrap up, and why Margaret seemed so "important" in this book. I would hope, though, that in future books, less time is spent on world-building and more time is spent telling the story evenly, so that it doesn't need to end up rushed as this one did at the end. ...more
A cute story based in a world and with characters I'm unfamiliar with. It kinda plays on the warning against cowardice and greed, but in an amusing waA cute story based in a world and with characters I'm unfamiliar with. It kinda plays on the warning against cowardice and greed, but in an amusing way. I think I would have enjoyed it more if I'd had more familiarity with Riyria and the two main characters, though it whets my appetite to read Theft of Swords, which I have in audio......more
I never watched Veronica Mars when it first aired. It started as I was finishing graduate school, and the last thing I wanted was to re-experienceI never watched Veronica Mars when it first aired. It started as I was finishing graduate school, and the last thing I wanted was to re-experience my school years. Recently, though, I was turned onto watching it. I'm not sure what sparked my interest, generally speaking, but one weekend I gave the first 2 episodes a go...and then I was hooked. Over the course of a month and a half or so, I watched the entire 3-season run and the movie (verdict: season 1 was the best, season 2 wasn't far behind it, and season 3 was by far the "worst" but it still wasn't the worst thing I've ever watched..., the movie was alright though I don't know that I like the character arc that Mars took). So it seemed fitting that I would spend an Audible credit on the book.
All in all, the book was fan-service. It was a decent enough mystery, and truth-to-tell, I hope that Rob Thomas and his co-writer put together another one or two. Kristen Bell's narration was perfect for the book, and it was a fun romp to spend time with characters I grew to love with the show--Mars, her dad, Mac, and Wallace. While I hope that the character develops a little more (and perhaps changes...), I'd like to see what else is going on in the armpit known as Neptune. I'd totally read another book in the series.
This may not have been the book to read while trying to sleep, but both mysteries were fun and intriguing, just like the ones on the show were. There was also some development of the characters from the show. Mac, who worked briefly for Kane Software, has become a technical advisor and sort of assistant to Mars Investigations. Wallace is a health teacher (?) at Neptune High and is the JV basketball coach. Logan is still in the Navy, and is still dating Veronica. Keith is still recovering from the accident he was in at the end of the VM movie. Neptune's sheriff is as useless and corrupt as ever.
This mystery was about the disappearance of two girls from the same party. Sheriff Lamb is as useless as ever, and the disappearances are a scar on Neptune's reputation during that time of year that beach towns make a lot of money--Spring Break. The Chamber of Commerce hires Veronica to find the girls. Veronica's endeavors take her through a number of seedy places, including some parties run by family members of a Mexican cartel. In the end. of course, she solves both cases, with no help from Sheriff Lamb....more
I don't have much to say about this one. I had long been interested in reading it, and voted for it every time it came up (and lost) in the Sword and I don't have much to say about this one. I had long been interested in reading it, and voted for it every time it came up (and lost) in the Sword and Laser polls for the next group pick. This time, for the March, 2014 pick, I voted for it again and it won. I guess I'm glad I read it, but at the end, the book wasn't for me. I've been waffling on whether to give it 2 stars or 3 and settled on 3 because 2 seemed too negative. Since I don't have too much to say, I guess I'll break from my typical format and put down the highlights of my thoughts...
What I liked: The concept of re-sleeving and the morality associated with doing so The concept of permanent death as punishment The idea of being able to transfer a being into 2 bodies simultaneously
What I didn't like: The noir aspects - there were a lot of cliches that i'd expect from an old black and white murder mystery...kinda overdone The frenetic writing. Lots of threads, random characters, and the character finding things out and then going back to explain. I felt stupid reading this book. The violence. Way too much violence for me. The sex didn't stand out one way or the other, but the violence really made me shudder and have to put down the book
In the end, the book seemed kind of generic. An interesting idea with some nifty concepts brought up but too violent for me and the writing style isn't one I'm a fan of. I've heard the 2nd book in the Kovacs series is pretty different. Maybe one day I'll give it a try, but the writing style may make it a non-starter......more
Audiobook from C&S Press Narrated by Jack Nolan Length: 7.5 hours
In some way, this was a really odd book for me to read. The main character is named KriAudiobook from C&S Press Narrated by Jack Nolan Length: 7.5 hours
In some way, this was a really odd book for me to read. The main character is named Kristin (based on the description at Audible, it's even spelled like I spell my name). She works on a space ship as a systems engineer. I work on satellites as a systems engineer. And, honestly, her description is really similar to mine when I was in my early 20's. So it was seriously trippy to read this at times.
A New Beginning is set in the near-ish future, a future where space travel is common place, as is living in space aboard ships or other space stations. On Earth, it's a rather bleaker picture of the world today. Corporations have taken over the world, bought out most of the politicians. It's a society, world-wide, where the class gap is as wide is it can be and only those born into or who marry into privilege have assurance of a "normal" life. The rest are sold into indentured service to pay of their debts, whatever they are; for main character Kristin, this is the price of her college education. It's also a future where faster-than-light travel has been made possible, but communication--visual and audio (in the form of communiques between spacecraft)--is limited to light speed. I'm not quite sure how that is possible, to be honest, but it sets up some interesting potential so I decided not to worry about it...
As the story starts, a newly formed "Federation," comprised of those living and working on the ships and stations, those without ties to Earth, decide to break ties with Earth, form their own...well, federation. Think of it like Star Trek. Where once they were tied to Earth, they now consider themselves independent entities, willing and happy to trade with Earth, but not bound by any of their laws--or taxes. This has important ramifications for Kristin Hayes, whose indentured service was just sold from an Earth corporation to a ship in the Federation. She left behind a life of debt and slavery (including sexual slavery) on Earth and, upon joining the ship, was freed. The Federation, her ship The Valiant Lad, bought her indenture contract (along with that of others) and gave her the option to return to Earth as a free woman or to join the Federation, join the ship's crew. Kristin decided to join the ship's crew and for the first time in her life, have a real job, earn real wages, and be allowed to be a "normal" person.
Kristin's story comprises most of the book. There are two story lines (that are sort of broken into 3 in places), one of the Federation officers who are actually coordinating the secession from Earth, and Kristin's story line, telling of her life, both on and off the ship. Kristin's story is about 2/3 of this book, though I suspect that this is the first in a series and provides decent setup for the rest of the series. Kristin acclimates to life on the ship slowly, but without much adversity. If anything, it seems that everything is just too easy. She finds friends, support, a job she can do...which is interesting, given the description of how the space-ers grow up and are educated compared with how Earth-ers are raised. Growing up in space seems a lot more intense, it seems that anybody from Earth would be at a significant disadvantage. When the Federation makes new laws, allowing families to be on ships and for crew to "fraternize," she enters into a relationship with a crew mate fairly easily, despite her emotional scars. Kristin decides that she should use this opportunity to earn money (and save it) so that she can get her sister and her father off Earth, to help them avoid the troubles she had. One way she earns money is by selling her journal as a book; the journal she wrote of what her life was like on Earth as a child and then as an indentured servant for one of the corporations. It became an overnight success (almost literally) and made her into a celebrity. As I said, the only "trouble" I really had with this part of the book is how easy everything was. Kristin had a few small stumbling blocks to overcome, but the narrative made it sound like they were easily triumphed over, so overall she didn't face much adversity.
Similarly, the second story line--comprising a third or less of the book--seemed....easy. The main thrust is told from two viewpoints, one of the ship captain (Marshall?) who announced the secession, and one of another ship captain (Matthews? A woman, in either event, which was nice) who oversaw some of the battles between the Earth ships and the Federation ships. This is where I think the book truly had a miss. It was odd enough that it was all too easy--the battles were short, sweet, and rarely with any Federation losses--but there was an opportunity for Brummer to capitalize on some interesting tactics, an opportunity lost in this book. As I mentioned earlier in the review, technology has evolved to a point where faster-than-light travel is possible (and used) but faster-than-light communication is not. This means that when battling on a large scale, your information is only as good as your distance (in light years/hours) from the source. This was touched on briefly in Kristin's narrative. One of her co-workers mentioned that for spare money, he makes games to teach kids about battle tactics and the math used in FTL travel and war. He mentioned that all kids who grow up in space have to learn this, and have to use it...but then, nobody did. In all of the battles, it seemed like the information at hand was "good enough" and that the Federation mostly won without issue. While the battle scenes were mercifully short (nothing drives me up a wall than too much detail on weaponry or super-detailed tactics), they were almost too dry. It seemed, once again, too easy.
Some of the issues with the battle scenes might have been owed to the narration. The narration, while mostly fine, was just that, fine. Nolan didn't add much excitement or change in tone for any of the scenes. He didn't use different voices for the characters (except maybe some of the characters on the primary Federation ship--the Freedom?--they sounded like they were lifted from the scenes in Star Trek). The recording itself occasionally echoed or sounded like it was recorded with an unfiltered microphone. It often sounded like there was a low-level hiss in the background, or air flowing. This was noticeable when I used earphones and in my car audio and was occasionally distracting.
All in all, the book wasn't a bad entry novel for a first-time author, though the science fiction elements were more window dressing than actual story components. I suspect some of the audio issues were due to it not being one of the larger publication houses, and that's OK. I would recommend this book to someone looking for some light science fiction that frankly isn't much of a downer (because let's be honest, a lot of it can be extremely depressing). It will be interesting to see where Brummer goes with this universe. If all the novels end up having this same tone/lack of adversity, it could get boring, but for a first-in-a-series by a new author, it was pretty alright....more
I don't know what to say about this book. It very obviously wasn't for me. It was obtuse. It regularly put me to sleep, even though it was only ~130 pI don't know what to say about this book. It very obviously wasn't for me. It was obtuse. It regularly put me to sleep, even though it was only ~130 pages long. The best part of the book was the introduction written by Neil Gaiman, and even then....I felt like he set the book up to fail. Because what he painted was not what this book was. It was myth, metaphor, an attempt at telling a story but telling it in a way that was purposely confusing. I dunno, I guess I'm not smart enough to get it. I recognized classic characters from various myths around the world, but I still couldn't wrap my head around it. I hope the next S&L pick is better, this wasn't a great start to 2014....more
Short story to whet the appetite for Reckoners #2, Firefight.
I liked the ability of the bad guy in this one, the ability to clone himself (as if by mShort story to whet the appetite for Reckoners #2, Firefight.
I liked the ability of the bad guy in this one, the ability to clone himself (as if by mitosis, one might say...) and use his copies as decoys but also amplifiers and such.
It was short and sweet and enjoyable enough. And still David needs to learn to not be an idiot......more
The latest Andy Carpenter book is, in my opinion, a return to form for David Rosenfelt. Where the last few books have had some over-the-top insanity, The latest Andy Carpenter book is, in my opinion, a return to form for David Rosenfelt. Where the last few books have had some over-the-top insanity, using recent (real world) terror events and outlandish plot devices, this was somewhat more sedate, but in a good way. This time around, Andy's detective friend Pete Stanton is accused of murdering a friend and being a drug dealer, and it's up to Andy and the team to defend him. As usual, in the process, they (mostly Andy this time) figure out who set Pete up and why without the insane theatrics of recent books in the series. Sure, there were crazy courtroom antics and some tense investigative moments, but in the end, justice prevails.
I love these books for how fun and light they are. It was a nice diversion from real life and I devoured the audiobook in a couple of nights of listening (and a couple lunches). If you've been frustrated by recent Any Carpenter books, you'll be happy to see a return to the "old" style of book. Andy, even though he's a fictional character, is probably the only New York sports fan I'd want to watch a game with. ;)...more
This book did a lot of things right and one small thing wrong, making this book feel a little slower at times...though admittedly, the craziness of woThis book did a lot of things right and one small thing wrong, making this book feel a little slower at times...though admittedly, the craziness of work may have also contributed to that problem. At the end of the day, I still really enjoyed the bulk of the book, but it had potential to be a 5-star story.
The Broken Eye picks up literally where The Blinding Knife left off, though since that was a small bit of a cliffhanger, I won't mention it here. Where the two previous books took place mostly at the Chromeria and in the surroundings of The Jaspers, this book was geographically more spread out. The reader gets to see more of the world that Weeks created, with both Kip and Gavin spending significant amounts of time in places other than The Jaspers. While these previous "main characters" are off doing other things, Tia and Karris rise to the occasion to keep the reader in the loop with what's going on at the Chromeria. Because Tia and Karris aren't involved in the direct running of the Chromeria,the reader gets to see more of the world, things that we haven't seen in the previous books. It also allows Tia and Karris to come to the forefront as strong female characters--different characters from each other, but strong. The story took some twists and turns along the way and absolutely gutted me a few times, like any good book should do.
Unfortunately, the book wasn't as tight as previous books in the series. Some scenes felt a little too long, a little drawn out, a fight went on a little longer than it should have--and that was the only negative I found in the book. I'm not sure if there was a rush with editing, or perhaps Weeks is given a little more leeway because of the success he's had with other books in the series, but there were definitely points where the story dragged where it didn't need to, something that I'm not used to in this series. Originally, this series was to a be a trilogy, and I can't help but wonder if the promise of a 4th book made Weeks feel like he needed to "pad the book out." A bit disappointing, but still, with everything that happened in this book, I can't wait to see how the series finishes....more
As with The Black Prism, I really enjoyed this book. The reason that one got 4 stars and this got 3 was mostly because it felt like the battle at the As with The Black Prism, I really enjoyed this book. The reason that one got 4 stars and this got 3 was mostly because it felt like the battle at the end dragged on a bit. In fairness, this might not have been the fault of the book itself as much as it was the fault of my job. I went on a whirlwind trip to Germany, traveling for 34 hours for a 9 hour meeting. I read/listened to a lot of the end of this while on the plane or during downtime at the hotel. The other "downer" of this book is that it doesn't end quite as cleanly as the first book did. Where the first book was a complete story with things left unfinished but easy enough to let alone if you decided you only wanted to read the 1 book, the second book ended with some characters in odd places and a big question of "what next?!?!" Luckily, the next book comes out on Tuesday. ;)
The Blinding Knife picks up where The Black Prism left off with Kip, Gavin, Karris, and Liv. In this book, we learn more about the knife that Kip's mom passed onto him with her dying breaths and more about the color-based magic system, including finding out that there are more colors than ROYGBIV. We also learn more about the disease that is afflicting Gavin. If I had one complaint about the plot, it would be (view spoiler)[that Gavin/Dazen kills the real Gavin. This is disappointing because so much time was spent discussing the Gavin/Dazen duality and the prison that Gavin (actually Dazen) created for Dazen (actually Gavin), including Dazen's escape attempts (hide spoiler)]. After so much development, it seemed like a dropped topic. Why spend all that time just to end it suddenly?
In all, I can't wait til Tuesday (8/26) to see what happens next. I have suspicions but am especially intrigued by what happened with the knife in the final chapters of the book. I also want to see what happens with Liv....more
Odd Thomas (the character and the book) was...well, odd. Part horror, part mystery-ish, part setup for future books in the series, it had a lot going Odd Thomas (the character and the book) was...well, odd. Part horror, part mystery-ish, part setup for future books in the series, it had a lot going on. Not all of it felt essential, at least for now. It definitely felt like sections of this book were setup for later in the series, further character development. Odd Thomas (the character) can sense and communicate with dead people. He also seems to have a 6th sense about impending deaths/horrific activities. This leads him to determining that trouble's brewing in his small SoCal town....trouble he eventually finds and must contend with.
Some of this book felt like leaps of faith (how Odd Thomas got to one of the people being a bad guy, for example), and some of it felt rather boring/unnecessary (such as the bits with his mom and his dad), but all in all it was an OK book. I probably won't read the rest of the books in the series....more
I enjoyed this second book in the Temeraire series. It had a lot in common with the first book, His Majesty's Dragon, in that Laurence was at times toI enjoyed this second book in the Temeraire series. It had a lot in common with the first book, His Majesty's Dragon, in that Laurence was at times too perfect, and things worked out for him "just so" a bit too neatly. The story isn't particularly deep, but that's ok, it was still fun to read and get lost in the world of the early 1800's when Napoleon was on a quest for world domination and the English were trying to stop him--with dragons. This time, we took a trip to China and didn't see much of the war, though. In the first book, it was revealed that Temeraire is an Imperial Dragon, an extremely rare breed from China. He was intended as a gift from the Chinese to Napoleon, though it isn't revealed until almost the end of this book why that was the case. Therefore, when Laurence's ship "won" Temereraire's egg, it angered the Chinese. This was the story of how Laurence and Temeraire had to travel to China to prove that they were worthy of staying together and to hopefully get to stay together.
About 3/4 of the book was the journey to China, which wasn't without excitement. Honestly, even without the drama of the conflict between the Chinese who want Temeraire and Laurence, any sea voyage at that time would have a lot of potential for excitement...but this time, because the Chinese were theoretically fighting with the English, or at least were add odds with them while on the ship, there was extra drama. Once they get to China, the story picks up a bit, and a lot of things happen. In the end, not all of it made sense. There was one of the Chinese men who fooled everybody while on the boat, they thought he spoke no English. But when they get to China, it was revealed that he spoke English quite well...what were his motives for hiding that? What role was he filling? He ended up helping the English side, though, when this was revealed, so maybe he wasn't all bad? The reason for this was never really brought up or addressed.
In the end, the book provided a great distraction from real life and was always something fun to get back into. Really, who can go wrong with dragons? I probably won't jump into the next book (Black Powder War) right away, but it's good knowing that it's in my library for when I'm ready to jump back into the dragon world. :)...more
Audiobook from Brilliance Audio Narrated by Luke Daniels Length: ~3.5 hours
Note: This book is available individually (as I listened to it) or as a part Audiobook from Brilliance Audio Narrated by Luke Daniels Length: ~3.5 hours
As with The Lion in Chains, this story is a "sidequest" in the Foreworld Saga, basically a side story to the main-line books intended to give readers more information on certain characters. Unfortunately, unlike The Lion in Chains, even after I finished the book, I wasn't 100% certain where this fit within the grand scheme of the world. The main characters in this story were not in the main Mongoliad books, and without taking some time to look at the print/ebook versions of this and the other books, I'm not sure I could draw a straight-line reference. I'm equally uncertain as to when, relatively speaking, this book takes place (relative to the events in The Mongoliad: Book One).
More frustratingly, I found myself lost while listening to this story. As happened other times during my reading of the Mongoliad main-series books, it was easy to get confused as to which character was which and who was who. If I haven't said it before, this is a series begging for a good wiki with a character roster, and possibly a map. While these things may show up in a print/ebook edition, they were not easy to find on the web for quick perusal while listening (at least, I couldn't easily find anything). The overall thrust is that it's a story about a former knight, abandoned for dead when his order was defeated, who has turned into "The Beast of Calatrava," basically a disfigured killer, killing to protect his property and the people (generally) of Iberia, no matter their creed. In parallel, the Templars have arrived in Iberia on a crusade, and brought with them some other soldiers, including some monks, on the search for a legendary weapon. Much of the book is dedicated to The Beast's personal demons and the growing tension in the "Christian Army" that includes the Templars, monks, and other religious figures, and moves these characters around like chess pieces in seemingly unrelated matches. In the last 30 minutes or so of the audiobook, the story lines somewhat converge, and the ending comes more or less as might be expected.
I don't know what to say about this story. It really seemed to wander, and was hard to follow along. While I was somewhat used to this in the main Foreworld books, I was able to accept temporary confusion, knowing it would get brought together later, and that my persistence would pay dividends. In this story, with everything being self-contained, that payoff wasn't there, and in the grand scheme, I'm not sure why much other than the last 30 minutes of the story made any difference...and, since this story doesn't relate directly to the main-line books, it didn't feel like it made "sense" in the bigger picture. Without the tie-in to the larger world, this could have been any story set in the same world, so therefore didn't feel as satisfying.
It will be interesting to see how the final book in SideQuest Adventures No. 1 plays out, whether it will be more like the first story (which was great) or this one (which was unsatisfying)....more
Audiobook from Brilliance Audio Narrated by Mary Robinette Kowal Length: ~2.25 hours
Note: This book is available individually (as I listened to it) or aAudiobook from Brilliance Audio Narrated by Mary Robinette Kowal Length: ~2.25 hours
As with The Lion in Chains and The Beast of Calatrava: A Foreworld Sidequest, this story is a "sidequest" in the Foreworld Saga, basically a side story to the main-line books intended to give readers more information on certain characters. As with The Beast of Calatrava: A Foreworld Sidequest, this story seemed to be farther removed from the main crusades in The Mongoliad world, taking place in the north sort of near where the Shield Brethren have their main training facility, though one of the characters, Halldor, may have been a minor character in the main series (his name was familiar, at least).
This short story explores the mysterious "Vor," the somewhat mystical "force" that overtakes many of the Shield Brethren when they fight. In this story, we see that this force, which is often mentioned in reference to the visions that some of them have (notably, Percival), can also afflict female warriors, and that it is also attributed to feats of amazing bravery and strength, that it is what enables the Shield Brethren to be victorious even against crazy odds. The main character in this story is a young woman, Sigrid, the daughter of the land owner where the story occurs. She has trained as a Shield Maiden, though still lives on her father's lands, hasn't been allowed (by her father) to join any of the local skirmishes, even though she's taken a vow to be a Shield Maiden. Things change, however, when her people find themselves under attack by some Danes, where Sigrid's ability in battle helps win the day--plays a key role in the victory, in fact. Suddenly, her family, her people, and Sigrid herself, must come to terms with what she is and what she can do. This story was refreshing in that it was primarily about a female warrior, though some of the reactions from the other characters were all too familiar.
Narrated by Mary Robinette Kowal, it was fitting to have a female voice narrate the story of the female warrior. Kowal's narration was quite good, far superior to the narrator in Siege Perilous (the only other Mongoliad-world story I've listened to not narrated by Luke Daniels). That said, sometimes the pronunciation was odd, for places or things mentioned in this book and in others. For example, the island where the Shield Brethren do their initiation was pronounced by Kowal as "Tear's Hammer" where Daniels pronounced it "Tear-shamar). This sometimes made it confusing to keep the entire world in my head as I listened, but did not detract from the overall story.
All in all, it was a nice diversion for a Saturday afternoon....more
Audiobook from Brilliance Audio Narrated by Luke Daniels Length: 2 hours
Note: This book is available individually (as I listened to it) or as a part of Audiobook from Brilliance Audio Narrated by Luke Daniels Length: 2 hours
This story is a "sidequest" in the Foreworld Saga, basically a side story to the main-line books intended to give readers more information on certain characters. The events in this book are well before the events in The Mongoliad: Book One and provide some background on Ferrenantus, one of the Knights Brethren who features prominently in the main Foreworld books as the leader of the Knights Brethren involved in defeating the Kahn of Kahns. The events in this book may actually form some of the basis for a flashback Ferrenantus has in Katabasis.
Set in the late 1100's, The Lion in Chains tells the story of Richard the Lionheart's capture by then Holy Roman Emperor Henry VI. There is tension between England and the Holy Roman Empire, and even some of King Richard's subjects are frustrated with his peace deal with Saladin. Henry VI comes to the great fortune of having King Richard more or less fall into his lap, so he captures him and holds him for a large ransom. There is a game of chess going on, though, and Henry VI has plans to get the ransom through unofficial channels, though Richard expects this and maneuvers to stop the trickery. King Richard uses his "serving man," Ferrenantus, and Maria, a woman sent to Richard by his wife, to thwart Henry's plans.
Through the course of the rather short story, we meet not only Ferrentantus and Maria, but also Rutgar, another Knight Brethren who is in The Mongoliad, and Robin Hood and his band of men. There is humor, there are a couple battles/skirmishes, and of course, there is intrigue in the story. All in all, the short tale gives us a glimpse into what made Ferrenantus the character he was in the main Foreworld books and a bit of fan service with the Robin Hood aspect of the story. This book wouldn't stand well on its own, but having read the main books in the Foreworld Saga, it was an entertaining diversion for an afternoon (well, part of an afternoon--after all, it WAS only 2 hours long).
Luke Daniels' narration was a welcome return after the disappointing narration of the 5th book, Siege Perilous. His reading made it easy to listen to and pulled me into the world. Even his female voices weren't over-the-top but still made it obvious who was speaking. With most of the other books in the series narrated by him, it felt "normal" and somewhat comforting to have him read this one, too.
In the end, it was a cute story that provided some interesting background to the main Foreworld story line. I definitely recommend this book to those who have read the other books in the Foreworld Saga, and possibly to others who might be interested but would like to "sample" the work and world before diving in headlong....more
I have a complicated history with this book. I originally bought the paperback version of the book in the early 2000's when it was listed on a list ofI have a complicated history with this book. I originally bought the paperback version of the book in the early 2000's when it was listed on a list of "Top 100 Sci Fi and Fantasy Books Everybody Must Read" type things. I never got to the book, probably because I abandoned the list after being annoyed by Hyperion (which I later read with the Sword and Laser book club and loved) and A Princess of Mars (which I never went back to), both which were high on the list.
According to my Audible history, I bought it again in 2010. I don't remember if that's when I tried to listen to it, but I believe it was sometime around then. I remember being in an airport waiting for a plane to go see my sister in Indiana and getting a phone call from work about an issue there. Whether I got distracted by the work issue or just couldn't get into the narration by Harlan Ellison, I never got past the first chapter or so.
Late in 2013, someone posted a thread in the S&L Goodreads group asking "why" someone should read the Earthsea books. Maybe that's what lead to it being selected for the February, 2014 Sword and Laser book pick, maybe it was just that we were severely deficient in Ursula K. Le Guin reading, despite her being considered a master in the craft. I went back to Audible and found that there was a new version, a version narrated by Rob Inglis (who also read The Hobbit and the other Lord of the Rings books), this time compatible with WhisperSync for Voice. It seemed like the world was trying to really get me to FINALLY read this book...so I did.
And I don't get the hype. The book was OK, but nothing I'll ever put on a list of "favorites." The characters--even the main character, Ged--were fairly flat. Ged was the "most developed," but really all you needed to know about him is that his pride often got the best of him, and it became obvious early on that this was going to be a book about him learning (or not) to keep his pride in check. The supporting cast could have been anybody. The character I felt the most connection to was his pet, which was something that sounded like "otter" in the narration but I'm too lazy to go look in the book and see what it really was. The story-telling was equally flat. It felt more like a recitation of events, even when narrated by Inglis (who, admittedly, can sometimes be hard for me to understand as he has a bit of an accent, but most often reminds me of another narrator, Gerard Doyle, who I think of almost as a grandfather reading me to bed). The story plodded on, from event to event, with a rather disappointing climax followed by a very quick end (though by the time I finally got to that point in the book, I was ready to be done, so it was probably for the best). Most interesting in the book was Le Guin's development of the magical rules. She went into great detail plotting out the rules for the magic, the balance that must exist. I'm not sure how big the "true name" idea was before Le Guin wrote this book; it's certainly prevalent in current works (including The Name of the Wind and the others in the series by Patrick Rothfuss...he must have been heavily influenced by this book), but I suspect that a lot of my current favorite writers were inspired by her rules for magic.
I know I'm being a bit harsh on the book. I understand that it was written in a different time, and written for a young adult audience, and was one of Le Guin's first books. I have heard, mostly from the Sword and Laser Goodreads group, that her subsequent Earthsea books were better, as she developed both as a writer and became more comfortable in this world. That said, right now, I'm not itching to jump into those books. I don't rule it out as a possibility for the future, but for now, I'm content having read this classic fantasy novel and don't feel a need to read more....more
A relatively short book, Nine Princes in Amber proves why Zelazny is a master of the craft. The book started with a scene I've definitely read before A relatively short book, Nine Princes in Amber proves why Zelazny is a master of the craft. The book started with a scene I've definitely read before in some other book--only in that book, the doctor holding the patient against their will was a female, and I half-wondered if I'd actually read this book before and just didn't remember. But as the story went on, setting up a world, Amber, and its reverse, Rebma, I realized that I'd definitely never been there before. This book doesn't have the traditional book ending--while it came to an ending, it is obviously not the end that most people would look for. It even was semi-predictable...I figured out how Corwin would "escape" long before he ever got caught...but still, I really enjoyed the book and want to read more. The narrator was pretty good, too, if a bit overdramatic at times. Now I just need more time so that I can read the others in the Amber series, to see how the hero eventually gets his due......more
terpkristin
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Books:
2014
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