The best book of the 4 and jumped to my number 1 book published in 2017 (regardless when I read it of course); just an epic conclusion with everything one wants from sff...more
This is a review for the complete first series that takes place on Anyar and follows the destiny of Yozef Kolsko (formerly known on Earth as Joseph CoThis is a review for the complete first series that takes place on Anyar and follows the destiny of Yozef Kolsko (formerly known on Earth as Joseph Colsco) from his (litetally) naked arrival there (and the events leading to it which are in the usual vein, aliens under stealth observing Earth, accident caused by them leading to the destruction of a plane, a dying Colsco is saved and "rebuilt" but cannot be returned to Earth etc) to the end of the storyline on Anyar in which he becomes a major character.
The series has 4 volumes - Cast Under an Alien Sun, The Pen and the Sword, Heavier than a Mountain and Forged in Fire and they form a complete (very) long novel with a definite ending though of course, the story continues in more books.
The books generally start with a fast recap of what came before and a little more detail about that than in the previous volume, and they have a fairly large cast, though the action generally is presented from Yozef's perspective and from the perspective of the main antagonist, the Narthani general and colony governor Okan Akuyum, though there are many other pov's, not least, the one of Maera Keelan, the super-smart elder daughter of Caedellium clan leader Cullich (Keelan), who is the main (unofficial - as the society is fairly patriarchal, though not exclusively with many women in important roles) advisor of her father and from whose sons (once she is married of course) the new clan hetman is to be chosen (as Culich has 4 daughters), but the problem is that once she threw out a few potential suitors as dumb and conceited, nobody is brave enough to court her, while the younger daughters usually cannot marry first by tradition, so she needs an unusual husband...
Caedellium is an island the size of a large European country and divided into 21 clans which are fiercely independent, though due to the existence of an all-clan conclave do not generally war against each other (they actually do not have the term for war, just for battles and fights in their common language), but skirmish occasionally along the borders. The society and technology on Caedellium is about a mid-1700's one, though there are somewhat more advanced states on the continents of Anyar - there is no steam power or electricity, so all are still preindustrial with muskets, pikes and guns.
However, a few years previously, the Narthani empire - an aggressive empire descending from steppes people, who enslave and absorb anyone they can, put Caedellium in their sights as a base to attack some of their main enemies - pretty much all the other major countries of Anyar on a few but close landmasses (all are in one hemisphere, though the humans of Anyar have sailing ships capable of circumnavigating the globe, with the other hemisphere being all ocean), are now semi-allied against the Narthani who dominate the main landmass and are very brutal but have been checked by various alliances on each land border, so now look at invading the other smaller continents. Using the usual "pretend to come to trade" tactic, the Narthani were welcomed into the main island port of Preddi, capital of the clan with the same name, slowly expanding their presence there and fomenting attacks from the Preddi' stupid clan neighbors, the Eywell and Selfcell, which leade to the Preddi requesting Narthani help for defense, the Preddi being conquered and either enslaved or kept as workforce, while tens of thousands of Narthani civilian colonists were shipped in to populate the towns and farms of the Preddi, while the Eyewell and Selfcell saw the writing on the wall and accepted Narthani as overlords, with the Selfcell hetman appealing in vain for help to the all-clan alliance. And now, the Narthani are ready to start the full conquest, though they still have to proceed slowly since the conquest has been planned to be done "on the cheap", so slow and careful with relatively few soldiers and the goal of exploting the divisions of the clans...
But Yozef (as the natives pronounce his name) doesn't know anything when he washed out naked out of the sea on the fringes of the Keelan province in the village of Abersford and is taken in by Sistian and Diesa Beynom, Abbott and Abbess of St Sidryn's abbey, who nurse him to health, tutor him in the language and later help him integrate in the Abersford society and put his ideas in practice (on Earth, Joseph was a Chemistry PhD student who invented, with an upcoming patent and lucrative job offers) starting with ether for surgeries, to soaps, hard liquor and slowly much, much more.
As Yozef finally comes to term with his new life and becomes quite content and ready to live as a dutiful Caedellium man, expand his businesses, the Narthani start their next phase of invasions with pirate attacks (led by paid mercenary pirates from across the sea for deniability) and to no reader's surprise one of the targets is St Sydrin and Abersford in general... And so it goes for 4 not to be put down volumes until the conclusion of the storyline; much will happen of course but I recommend to read the books and find out what.
The style is straightforward, but the books general read fast and easy, no clunky prose and overmuch info-dumps (there are some by necessity, but they get fewer as the series advances); the characters are very intriguing and the storyline which alternates between action and the life of Yozef 9obviously they will converge eventually) is extraordinarily captivating.
Highly, highly recommended - one of the best series I've read in recent times...more
After a tetralogy about Josef Kolsko and a mixed bag of stories, the 6th Anyar book starts a new series which will bring more Amerykans in focus - we After a tetralogy about Josef Kolsko and a mixed bag of stories, the 6th Anyar book starts a new series which will bring more Amerykans in focus - we already know a little about Mark Kaldwell from a short story in Tales of Anyar which takes place more than mid-point through Passages. Passages brings some older threads back into play, but overall it lacks the spark that made the first 4 books so awesome; I get why Mark's experience has to be different than Jozef's and the irony here works ok (Jozef just wants to live a quiet life, Mark wants to change the world and get rich and famous and destiny switches their roles so to speak...), but it also makes for a less satisfying storyline overall; the last part is excellent though, both a travelogue of the world, action, and surprises, so Passages becomes there the not-to-be-put-down novel that the first 4 books were.
Overall - slow and fairly mediocre start and middle, much improved last part and hopefully with the great (though expected) ending we get back to what made the first teratology so awesome (my review of it linked below
The fifth installment of the Destiny's Crucible is a collection of tales that take place mostly on Anyar (one on earth, two in indeterminate places), The fifth installment of the Destiny's Crucible is a collection of tales that take place mostly on Anyar (one on earth, two in indeterminate places), most being expansions of some episodes from volume 4, a few continuations beyond the last volume, showing the return of general Akuyun to Narthon and Yozef Kolsko's next projects, while one of them is about the hero of book 6, Mark (C)Kaldwell, who was on a neighboring plane seat to Joseph Colsco in the fateful trip, story that is included in Passages too. I enjoyed the most the Kolsko and Akuyun stories, while the Kaldwell one is better read in the novel imho as it spoils the first half or so of that to some extent, with the rest ok but less interesting imho.
Overall, a transition book and worth reading for fans of the series, but not the place to start
An excellent book about the advent of European modernity (mostly arts, literature, but also science and politics) through the intertwined lives of theAn excellent book about the advent of European modernity (mostly arts, literature, but also science and politics) through the intertwined lives of the diva Pauline Viardot and her "co-husband" the famed Russian writer and progressive nobleman who was at the forefront of the abolition of serfdom and of the integration of the Russian culture (including music and painting, not only litearture and theater) within the European canon, Ivan Turgenev. As it superposed to a large extent with the awesome novel/historical reconstruction The Edge of the Nest by C. Cruise (https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... and a top 10 book of mine from 2015), I was spoiled to a large extent about the main protagonists, but the reconstruction itself is just superb and the author's erudition and prose that made his books about the Russian Revolution and Russain Culture such successes, shine here too.
One of the best history books I've read recently - very engaging style and an interesting structure following the main events of the period through thOne of the best history books I've read recently - very engaging style and an interesting structure following the main events of the period through the activities of quite a few characters of which some of the most notable are the principled non-tipper (starting in New York 1917), the impatient revolutionary (starting in Zurich 1917), the Georgian bank-robber (just released from Siberia and going back to Petrograd 1917) and the mangy field-runner (starting in the trenches of the western front), but with many, many others and it obviously ends in 1924 with the (un)heroic death and the start of the public afterlife of the impatient revolutionary, the beginning of the domination of the bank-robber and the marginalization of the non-tipper (which as we know ended with an ice-pick to the head in Mexico) and the release of the mangy field-runner from an ultimately short (just under a year out of a 5 year sentence) but productive stay in prison where he wrote his soon to be very successful book about his struggle...
Definitely would be interested to a sequel (or more) as outside of the above, we also meet (and here noting only the surviving characters by 1924 as there were also notable characters like Rosa Luxemburg and Woodrow Wilson that passed away like the impatient revolutionary within our period) Hemingway, Freud, Einstein, Mussolini, the Kaiser, Mustafa Kemal, Andre Breton, William du Bois, Marcus Garvey, Henry Ford, Winston Churchill, Charles de Gaulle, Eamon de Valera, Clare Sheridan, Nadya Ulyanova, Josephine Baker so a reconstruction of their and others that come to the fore activities in the next 15 years say would make for great reading too.
Excellent (and reading like a novel for most of the book) book about the Crusades with vignette-like stories that present all the larger than life chaExcellent (and reading like a novel for most of the book) book about the Crusades with vignette-like stories that present all the larger than life characters (popes and preachers, scholars, warriors, emperors, sultans, queens and princesses) of the relatively familiar tale though here it encompasses the whole range from the Holy Land, to Sicily and the Islands of the Mediterranean to Spain and Portugal, but also the Crusade against the Cathars and the ones in the Baltic area. While fairly long as a book, it still reads fast as the period covering some 3 centuries is full to the brim with events. With an epilogue leading to the present, I felt that the only major weakness of the book is not to put the Crusades into the larger historical context of the struggle for domination of the Middle East and more generally of the Mediterranean basin - one could argue that the first Crusade started under Alexander or maybe even under Darius and Xerxes going the other way and so it went with the Muslim conquests from the 7th century on and the Byzantine and later Western counterattack (which is the subject of this book) only a part of the story. On the other hand I liked that the author kept away from easy ideological judgements and emphasized that the religious part while essential at the start, got more and more diluted as times passed by and while he jumped from the 15th century to the present, the anti-Habsurg alliance of France and the Ottoman Empire from Francis and Suleiman to essentially the late 19th century would have made that point very clearly.
Overall a great read and highly recommended...more
I really liked the writing in this one and some of the characters were interesting, but the world-building felt constricted and there was way too muchI really liked the writing in this one and some of the characters were interesting, but the world-building felt constricted and there was way too much magic or maybe better put, magical, all-powerful beings for my taste. Still, a strong narrative kept me turning the pages somewhat to my surprise and I definitely plan to keep an eye for the next book if only to see where it goes as the ending is quite interesting. ...more
This was an excellent book and quite better than I expected; due to the vastness of its subject (the Sun King's reign lasted 72 years and for 50+ of tThis was an excellent book and quite better than I expected; due to the vastness of its subject (the Sun King's reign lasted 72 years and for 50+ of them he was in true control at least in so far the administrative and technological development of the era allowed it) the book feels rushed here and there and I would have liked more on the crucial mid 1670'd to the mid 1680's in which he transformed from a young, bright, warlike but enlightened monarch to the one who persecuted, murdered and expelled the Huguenots and the Jansenists, impoverished his people who died in mass famines due to relentless war against almost all of Europ, war in which the armies under close control of the king burnt and pillaged their way through Western Germany, Northern Italy and Belgium - which was quite shocking for the day as after the 30 Year war, the rulers of Europe felt that war should be limited and even in the invasion of Holland in the early 1670's the king was much milder - and also which invited brutal retaliation when the fortunes of war turned against France.
Written with skill and reading almost like a novel, while pointing out various things connecting the era of Louis the XiV to today (not only Versailles which is the obvious inheritance of the modern era, but also the fact that the borders of France which were much enlarged under his reign remained pretty much the same until today with the exceptions of a few Belgian towns lost in the Spanish succession war and a few others), I really liked this one and highly recommend it...more
One of the best fantasy debuts I've read in a while. The writing style takes a little to get used to as it is more old fashioned and closer to Dumas sOne of the best fantasy debuts I've read in a while. The writing style takes a little to get used to as it is more old fashioned and closer to Dumas say than to modern top class fantasy and same with the naming conventions and more generally the universe of the novel which is complex and with a long history which bears a lot on the novel - while the list of characters and the glossary at the end are really useful, they do have some spoilers so it may be better to just keep reading as things will make sense eventually. However, the depth of the universe, the very interesting characters (heroes, villains, major and minor), the action that keeps one guessing (and the quite high body count of characters for that matter) and more generally the narrative force of this novel is such that once one starts understanding what it is all about and gets a feel for the setting, it is really hard to put it down.
The ending is at a good stopping point and while the next two novels in the universe that are to be released soon happen some centuries before during the colonization of the southern continent by the more advanced technologically northern continent, I definitely plan to read them when they are released while the planned direct sequel of this has become a hugely awaited book (in the timeline of the novel, it is the other way around as now the southern states are more powerful and only a failing treaty keeps them from invading the north, though war in between them also brews and the old age "magic" of the now mostly absorbed southern natives is making an unwelcome at least for the rulers, re-apparition)
I also would recommend exploring the author's page where there are some more details about the world.
Overall highly recommended and a top 5 novel of the year for me....more
This is a novella set in the magic/demons etc universe (sort of, as details sometimes vary, but with Saloninus, Invisible Sun etc) of the author and iThis is a novella set in the magic/demons etc universe (sort of, as details sometimes vary, but with Saloninus, Invisible Sun etc) of the author and it is one of the best of its sort - I generally prefer the smaller scale pieces in this universe, but Prosper's Demon which touches on the bigger scale issues (for example, we find out that there are some 70K odd demons per religious authority, but any demon hunter/exorciser will generally encounter only a few as they tend to stay local) manages to stay interesting and believable until the end, while keeping one turning pages to see what happens next and posing some interesting questions (eg is it better to have 1000 years (say - a long period on an order of magnitude greater than any human life if you want) of relative peace and prosperity followed by the brutal destruction of society or 1000 years of strife that keep going etc...) all written in the usual unreliable first-person narration of a very unlikable but compelling narrator that is the trademark of the author especially in his short pieces.
Put in some art, science, engineering, and a huge sculpture and overall an extremely satisfying novella up to its explosive climax. Highly recommended...more
A surprisingly fast and fun read that hooked me into the series which has 5 volumes to date - the title was something out of classic sf and the book tA surprisingly fast and fun read that hooked me into the series which has 5 volumes to date - the title was something out of classic sf and the book tries to be a modern version of such with a super-competent (actually even superhuman) hero narrating in the first person in a lively, engaging style; you get everything one expects in such - from war in the board room to the real deal with gunships and the like (as here the fights are with weapons but with corporate takeovers too), the smart, funny (and decently rich of course as this universe is not one for the poor) love interest with a secret, the nasty, to be squashed like a bug business/love interest rival who of course is just a front for the real villains, the friend who may not be a friend etc etc. A good stopping point.
Highly recommended for a fast diverting and entertaining novel with book 2 on deck so to speak...more
An excellent novel - I got it absolutely by chance as it featured in the Amazon prime email with the selection for the beginning of the month free priAn excellent novel - I got it absolutely by chance as it featured in the Amazon prime email with the selection for the beginning of the month free prime book (which I generally ignore as I already have enough books on deck so to speak...), but the title, synopsis, and cover of this one attracted my attention and then I saw some very enthusiastic reviews, so I decided to give it a try and while the first few pages are kind of boring and almost made me put it aside, I did my usual routine on promising books that do not hook me early and started browsing every few pages at random and immediately the novel hooked me with the first story of the doctor and from then on it indeed became a novel not to be put down unless there is no other choice and I finished it in two sittings.
The narration mostly alternates between the Inspector General Park Yerim investigating the supposed mutiny on Aldrin and various characters recounting their most memorable past experiences with the presumed leader of the mutiny, Aldrin's captain Nicolau Aames though it eventually gets to the present, the events leading here and their resolution. I definitely do not want to spoil anything more since except for the ending which is sort of telegraphed maybe 50 pages before, the book keeps throwing surprises and hard science sf at the reader in a way I haven't seen in a while, way that reminded me why I love sf and at least used to read 100 novels in the genre a year a while ago. The only weakness (except for the boring first few pages) is the somewhat telegraphed ending, though it definitely was a cool and appropriate one and as the novel is advertised as a first volume (though it is self-contained) I definitely hope there will be more in this milieu and I would eagerly get them asap this time considering how impressive The Last dance was.
Highly, highly recommended and a top 10 of the year...more
Novella set in the author's standard pseudo-Byzantine world with the Robur as the barbarians here not the Aram Vei etc; the synopsis gives a good ideaNovella set in the author's standard pseudo-Byzantine world with the Robur as the barbarians here not the Aram Vei etc; the synopsis gives a good idea about the subject and there are some historical parallels to actual Byzantine history; a first-person narration, wry, less cynical than usual and with the expected twists from the author, though for once nothing really surprised me here. While Purple and Black is still the best in the novellas of this type, this one is entertaining and I read it in one standing as it's another one of the author's that cannot be put down until the end.
As a small preview, this is how the narration starts:
"I’ve done some truly appalling things in my life. I’m bitterly ashamed of them now. Saying I did them all for the best—and saying, those things weren’t my idea, other people made me do them, is just as bad; admitting that I’m a spineless coward as well as morally bankrupt. I’m a mess, and no good nohow. I can say all that and get away with it; you can’t. Don’t even think about it. If you were to repeat what I’ve just told you word for word, let alone paraphrase it or add a few rhetorical flourishes of your own, they’d have you up for high treason and stretch your neck."...more
Erudite but written in a popular style that the author is known for (and sometimes these aspects clash and some awkwardness ensues but one can easily Erudite but written in a popular style that the author is known for (and sometimes these aspects clash and some awkwardness ensues but one can easily forgive and forget it), though in some ways it points out the obvious in less ideological style that similar other books (whether pro or against Christianity and its influence today). I think that the early parts that really show the huge difference in outlook we have vs say (what we still consider our cultural ancestors, the Greeks and the pre-Christian Romans) are the strongest parts of the book.
After that, the author chooses historical moments he believes illuminate best the evolution of Christianity and while some succeed better, some less so, the book starts having a scattered feel and sometimes bogs down into minutia, sometimes (at least i feel) it forces its interpretation to fit the theme of the book sort of ignoring the time in-between the moments - it is almost like Augustine (4th century) is followed by say Pope Gregory without too much about Justinian's era ( as another and arguably the major weakness of the book is in ignoring Eastern Christianity and forgetting how Constantinople was so much a counterpoise to Rome for 1000 years) for example.
Overall, definitely recommended but based on some very enthusiastic reviews (which in hindsight probably reflect the lack of previous exposure to these types of ideas for the respective readers) I expected more. ...more
The direct continuation of A Demon in Silver - similarly to book 1, new characters are introduced and old reappear in vignette-style narrative though The direct continuation of A Demon in Silver - similarly to book 1, new characters are introduced and old reappear in vignette-style narrative though here I felt it was more coherent overall; the drawback was the more familiar subject (magic war, super-powerful evil one bent on world conquest etc) rather than the discovery one of the first volume; overall a good continuation and with a decent stopping point, but the series is clearly not done...more
Excellent stuff - dark fantasy with an ironical bordering o0n cynical take and reminding me of Kj parker's awesome books where the main characters, noExcellent stuff - dark fantasy with an ironical bordering o0n cynical take and reminding me of Kj parker's awesome books where the main characters, not heroes or heroines as they are at best ambivalent, try against the odds, but rather than in the usual fantasy winning, they more often than not fail...
If there is one niggle for this book and its sequel which I just started, is the character transition as here it sometimes feels too abrupt, making the book read like a collection of linked vignettes or if you want short stories set in the same milieu, than a novel
Overall though, excellent stuff you like your fantasy dark, grimy and without heroes or heroines to magically save the day...more
Very disappointing - loved the author's historical thrillers set in Eastern Europe and was looking forward to this, but it didn't engage me in the leaVery disappointing - loved the author's historical thrillers set in Eastern Europe and was looking forward to this, but it didn't engage me in the least - from the first page where the main villain appears (indirectly true but still with a huge villain hat), to the very "flighty" prose, nothing really worked out - the fact that the subject seemed so cool and interesting and my previous experience with the author kept me reading as otherwise, this wasn't the best reading experience to put it mildly...more
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