Book Review: A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin

A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin

The book is called A Wizard of Earthsea and that’s exactly what it is about, no more and no less. It introduces Duny, a young boy who displays power that leads him to study with a local witch, draws the attention of a great mage, and then proceeds on to study to be a true wizard, but not before awakening a dark evil that will haunt him for many years.

This is the first book in Le Guin’s Earthsea saga. I’ve read other books that serve as an introduction to a main character and their world, but some of them have tried too hard to throw in extra details and events and characters to build that character and world. Le Guin skillfully weaves Duny’s life through a series of important moments and people in under 200 pages. I try to use the word “pithy” at least once a week, and it definitely suits the way Le Guin tells Duny’s story. Every character and plot device has a purpose in shaping the boy who will become one of the greatest mages known.

The dialogue is a bit unusual, but it works for the flow of the story. In fact, “flow” is another word I willuse to describe the book because everything moves smoothly, like a river flowing out to sea. Perhaps the title and the many journeys that Duny takes by boat have influenced that feeling, but that’s exactly what I imagined as I read through it. There were quiet, slow moving moments, like his time with the mage Ogion, or the more rushing moments of his battles with dragons and shadows. But everything stayed the course.

Duny himself is an interesting character. He begins as a typical young teenager full of curiosity and a thirst for knowledge, but we also see his strong sense of pride develop as his knowledge increases and we see the horrible results of that pride and how it all is integral to the wizard he’s meant to become.

A lot of fantasy books that exist within their own unique worlds preface with a map. This book doesn’t need one. There are a lot of places mentioned and visited in Duny’s travels, but I felt like I could create the map myself based on how clearly and concisely Le Guin took us from place to place. I also love the way magic works, with so much power placed on words – on names specifically.

4 of 5 stars

Book Review: Watchmen and Philosophy: A Rorschach Test by Mark D. White

Watchmen and Philosophy: A Rorschach Test edited by Mark D. White

This is my first venture into the Philosophy and Pop Culture series. I wasn't disappointed with most of what I'd read. I was a little hesitant to read this at first because I thought these essays might've been just slapped together to appeal to an audience, but it was much more than that.

The topics span a range of ideas in philosophical context including feminism, virtue, homosexuality. As with any book that has multiple writers, the essays themselves were hit or miss.I enjoyed most of the essays on Rorschach and Ozymandias. There was a great essay about The Comedian and Nite Owl. The essays centering around Mr. Manhattan were a little bland, though.

These essays posed great questions for discussion such as: Would superheroes work in a real life setting? Could we really trust them to be objective creatures who didn't give into personal biases? Or would they be whim to changing the rules to suit them since no ordinary man could challenge them and win?

I probably would've given it 4 stars, but I deducted for a couple of reasons.

First, the guy who wrote about homosexuality in Watchmen seemed like a poor candidate to touch on the subject. His view was very biased as a man who admitted that he was "sickened" by homosexuality and nothing about his argument was compelling. But he did manage to come off like that one guy who can't be racist because he has "black friends." Just replace "black friends" with "gay friends," and you have this guy. He tried to be objective, but it came off very forced.

Secondly, while I enjoyed the essays on Ozymandias and Rorschach--and not so much Dr. Manhattan, I wished it'd touched more on some of the other characters. Most of the book was dominated by those three with Rorschach being a character who had roused Kant in the writers. It would've been nice to read other ideas about the other characters and their actions beside what virtue Nite Owl's potbelly represents and a rambling essay about feminism that seemed to lose the plot.

Overall, a nice collection of essays. If you like Kant, you'll probably love this. He comes up fairly often. If you're looking for a well-rounded book that pays equal tribute to the characters, then you're not going to find it here.

Final Verdict:

3 of 5 stars

Interview with Jason M. Hough, Author of "The Darwin Elevator"

Hello all, today we have a very exciting interview with Jason M. Hough, author of the highly anticipated science fiction novel The Darwin Elevator, which comes out today!

Jason's excellent debut features a thrilling adventure set in a savage world decimated by an alien plague. Survivors have found refuge in Darwin, Australia, where a massive space elevator has become humanity's last hope. Be sure to check out out the book, available in bookstores now! Fellow co-blogger Wendy and I thoroughly enjoyed it (Mogsy's review; Wendy's review) and we hope you will too.

As a special treat, Jason and I opted for a more casual style for this interview, and we were able to have a nice chat about a great many things. Jason was kind enough to answer questions about his book, his experience with writing, NaNoWriMo, and thoughts on being an author. Couldn't have been a nicer guy, and I had a lot of fun! So it is with great honor and pleasure that I present to you, The BiblioSanctum's interview with Jason M. Hough, after the jump. Enjoy!

Comic Review: Princeless vol.2: Get Over Yourself by Jeremy Whitley and Emily C. Martin

Princeless Book Two: Get Over Yourself by Jeremy Whitley

Self-rescuing princess Adrienne continues her adventures with companions Bedelia, the half dwarf blacksmith and Sparky the dragon. Unable to rescue her youngest sister, Adrienne goes after the beautiful Angelica instead, only to find that Angelica may not want to be rescued. Meanwhile, their father has found the most deadly and unique bounty hunters in the land and tasks them with finding the knight whom he believes killed Adrienne.

As promised in our interview, this volume of Princeless is less preachy than the previous one. Where volume one struck out at the comic industry and sexism and prejudice as a whole, this one tones down that commentary a bit to focus on Adrienne’s adventures. It also takes an interesting turn with Adrienne discovering that her book learning and headstrong confidence has not prepared her for the world. She’s confronted with the fact that she might not be aware of everything she ought to be, and that just because she believes strongly in something, does not mean everyone else does.

Emily C. Martin takes over the artistic reigns on Princeless and does a great job at making everything just as bright and fun as the first volume.

I read this to my daughters, aged seven and five, who loved the first volume and laughed out loud with this one, too. The mysterious Black Knight plucked at their curiosity and the showdown with the various characters were exciting and funny. They especially liked the sisterly hugs that came with Angelica and Adrienne’s resolution and are eager to read more after that creepy cliffhanger ending! Our only complaint was that there was not enough Sparky!

4 of 5 stars

Book Review: Emperor of Thorns by Mark Lawrence

Emperor of Thorns by Mark Lawrence

Expected Date of Publication: August 6, 2013

This was a book I received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review, so thank you to Ace books and Penguin for this most excellent reading opportunity. The cover of Emperor of Thorns proclaims, "All reigns must end..." and I have to say, the prospect of getting my hands on this third installment of The Broken Empire series and finding out what will become of Jorg Ancrath made this one of my most highly anticipated fantasy novels of 2013.

I was not disappointed at all. A caveat for this review, though: this being the final book of the trilogy, the following summary and my subsequent thoughts may contain possible minor spoilers for the two books that came before. In any case, Emperor of Thorns would not serve as a good starting point for someone new to this series; best to start with book one, Prince of Thorns, in order to watch the main character grow and develop throughout the course of these books. 

Indeed, Jorg Ancrath is twenty now; the boy prince has become a king, the ruler of seven nations. But where there is more, Jorg will always want it. He has set his eyes on becoming the emperor, a position decided only by vote during a truce period which comes every four years, when the rulers of a hundred fragmented kingdoms of the empire convene for an event called Congression. In the hundred years of the interregnum, however, no one candidate has managed to secure a majority of the vote. 

But Jorg has plans to change all that. On his journeys across the broken land, he has made even more discoveries about the mysterious Builders of their past, and he will use their secrets and technology to suit his purposes. And yet, equally as ambitious and bloodthirsty as Jorg is The Dead King, watching events unfold from beyond the veil. Jorg may take care to guard his fears and weaknesses, but the Dead King and his necromancers and army of lichkin are waiting, ready to strike at Jorg where he is most vulnerable.

As with the previous book King of Thorns, this one also takes us through different timelines in Jorg's life, with one thread following Jorg on his journey to Congression and the other focusing on events "Five Years Earlier." There are time-jumps aplenty, which makes rereading the first two novels a fine idea, but the author also includes a handy little refresher crash course before the prologue. Or you might be like me: whenever I came to a memory or flashback sequence in this book, I found it easy to figure out when and where in time I am using clues like which one of Jorg's companions or acquaintances are still alive! Those familiar with Jorg's character likely won't be surprised to hear you can form a rather complete history using the impressive trail of death and destruction he leaves behind, but more on that later.

Let me just say now that it has been a pleasure following Jorg on his anti-hero's journey, watching him mature from a boy to a man. But Jorg has never truly been young in the first place, not really; he's seen way too much death, betrayal, cruelty and brutality for that. Yes, he is a selfish, violent, deeply disturbed and deplorable character, but above all, he's also honest and unashamed of everything he is. That and the fact the only predictable thing about him is his unpredictability made him a very interesting character to follow.

Still, I suppose you could say I've never really felt connected to Jorg, because believe it or not, I actually find it very hard to relate to someone I honestly think is quite insane. And the years since the first book have in no way cooled his temper or impudence. However, in spite of it all, I still like him. I can't help but be drawn to this refreshingly original protagonist who calls himself a "broken boy" and wraps himself up in his anger to escape his past. So, can I really find it in myself to fault Jorg for going all Kill Bill Medieval-style on his enemies or anyone who even looks at him wrong? Not really, no.

The thing I love best about this series, though, is that nothing is as it seems. I've mentioned before in the past that the first two books contain relatively familiar fantasy ideas, except Mark Lawrence takes them all and spins them on their head. The third book is no different at all, and pretty much every chapter past the midway point contained something that made me stop reading, shake my head and go, "Whoa." There are just so many unexpected surprises, and even the setting itself is a twist, which I remember was a huge mind-blowing moment for me when I read the first book. Emperor of Thorns explores that setting a lot more, and we're seriously treading into genre-bending territory here.

And finally, WHAT AN ENDING. Needless to say, readers who have been following The Broken Empire up to this point will have no excuse to miss this. Even though Mark Lawrence wrote in his Afterthought that this will be the last book in this series, I don't find myself overly upset. I'm actually quite satisfied with how everything wrapped up. I am just grateful there is an ending, and to me, it was perfect.

4 of 5 stars

FanArt: Broody Moon

Broody Moon by *neondragon

from Martha Wells' The Cloud Roads

Book Review: Wounded Prey by Sean Lynch

Wounded Prey: Introducing Detectives Farrell and Kearns by Sean Lynch

With thanks to NetGalley and Angry Robot for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Vietnam War provided the perfect opportunity for Vernon Slocum to unleash all of his twisted, murderous rage on the world, a product of his abusive childhood. His skills as a Marine earned him many medals and his commanders and squadmates recognized him as a man who got the job done - and who could easily end them if they questioned his more depraved actions. But when Slocum returns to the real world 20 years later, his kidnapping and brutal murder of a young girl isn't going to go unnoticed.

The story jumps right in with Slocum's depravity - and the valiant, but ultimately failed attempt by rookie deputy Kevin Kearns to save the girl. The FBI turns their attention on Kearns, as does the small town, whose thirst for vengeance will see Kearns burned at the stake for daring to survive where a little girl didn't. Meanwhile, retired cop Bob Farrell recognizes Slocum's MO and is not going to let him slip away again.

This is an introduction to Kearns and Farrell's partnership and Lynch puts a unique spin on the old cop/green cop team up by binding them both so strongly together through the guilt of the little girl's death. Kearns isn't too happy with Farrell's methods, but considering his new scapegoat status and his desire to catch the bad guy, he hesitantly goes along with Farrell's less than legal methods.

Essentially, the two become vigilantes and I really liked the liberation it gives them - knowing the law and being able to slip over and under it without the use of a cape and tights. It also means that the two are as much criminals themselves, adding to the intensity of the hunt.

I really appreciated the authenticity of the characters and the situations. Lynch is clearly drawing on his career to pull together a dynamic and often gruesome story.

3.5 of 5 stars

Book Review: Blood & Beauty by Sarah Dunant

Blood & Beauty: The Borgias by Sarah Dunant

As you know, every once in a while I will find myself veering from my usual pattern of reading mostly sci-fi and fantasy and venture into the realm of historical fiction. I admittedly will do this for any interesting looking books about European royals or powerful families, especially those related to either the Tudors or the Borgias. Hence, this book.

Blood & Beauty focuses the Borgia family roughly between the years of 1492 when patriarch Rodrigo Borgia first began his papacy as Pope Alexander VI, and 1502 when his daughter Lucrezia Borgia married her third husband Alfonso d'Este, Duke of Ferrara. With scandals and rumors aplenty, this was an eventful decade for the notorious family, but also for the rest of Europe as well with their wars and ruthless politics.

First of all, I think that the author made a very brave choice when it came to using the third person omniscient point of view to narrate the story, even though there were both positive and negative sides to this. In getting to know the thoughts and feelings of all the characters in this novel, Sarah Dunant managed to convey the sweeping influence of the Borgias and acquaint us with practically everyone in the family. On the downside, because we don't get to focus on any one POV for long, the connections the reader has with the characters also feel impersonal and distant.

This last point wasn't much helped by the long sections of historical context and fact-dumping that were pervasive throughout the chapters, bogging down many parts of this book. This also made the novel feel more emphatic towards historical events rather than the characters, when I usually prefer it to be the other way around. On the other hand, this allowed us to see the bigger picture outside the personal dramas of the family, shedding light upon the political turmoil in other parts of Europe.

However, at times I felt like I was reading a dramatized history textbook. I would have preferred more emphasis on the characters; though, of all of them, Lucrezia did come across to me as the most well-rounded and fleshed-out Borgia. Still, Sarah Dunant pretty much played it safe with the rest when it comes to the exploration and interpretation of their personalities, and I wouldn't have minded if she'd pushed it a bit further. I'm usually okay when historical fiction writers take liberties, as long as those liberties aren't completely outlandish and are mentioned in an author's note.

Anyway, no doubt this period of time was very interesting when it came to the Borgias, but history does show us that the fun doesn't end there. It's why I was glad to hear that Sarah Dunant's already preparing a follow-up novel to this one. This is the first time I've read anything by her, and despite some minor issues I had with Blood & Beauty, I did enjoy it. I would be absolutely open to picking up the next book.

3 of 5 stars

Book Review: Beguilement by Lois McMaster Bujold

Beguilement by Lois McMaster Bujold

I recently read Bujold’s The Curse of Chalion which teased me with the romance between Cazaril and the young Beatriz. Beguilement, part one of the Sharing Knife series, served almost as a sequel to that romance for me, giving me all the sexual tension and adoration that were only hinted at in Chalion. The romance spawns from the unfortunate adventures of Fawn when she becomes entangled with a deadly Malice and works with the Lakewalker, Dag, to save the world from the blight of evil.

I love the whole concept of the Malices, creatures that feed on life and cannot be killed but by the Lakewalkers and their very special ground magic, bound to the bone sharing knives they carry for just such a purpose. I love the lore of the Malice and of the Lakewalkers and Dag’s history, much of which we learn through Fawn’s naïveté and her endless curiosity. The world Bujold created is fascinating and I really wanted more of it. But all I really got was the courtship of Dag and Fawn.

The romance and the questions end up taking up 80% of the story, with all the excitement and danger of the Malice more or less wrapped up in the first part. I don’t mind a story that focuses on a prolonged romance, and I enjoyed the character development that went along with it. But when they finally get it on, I expected the overlying plot of Malices and bandits to rear their ugly heads again.

Nope. We get to meet the parents! And plan weddings! Oh and deal with ex-boyfriends too!

I haven’t checked the blurb for Legacy , the sequel, but I half expect the plot to cover the honeymoon, birth of children, marital counselling, the messy divorce, custody battles…

2 of 5 stars

Book Review: The Crown Tower by Michael J. Sullivan

The Crown Tower by Michael J. Sullivan

Expected Date of Publication: August 6, 2013
 
A team, a partnership, working together...the Elves have word for it in the world of these books -- they call it "Riyria". If you've read Michael J. Sullivan's excellent Riyria Revelations series already, you'll know that Hadrian Blackwater and Royce Melborn weren't always the dynamic duo we know and love, and that they certainly didn't start off as friends. Now finally, with the story of The Crown Tower, we get to see how it all began.

I was honored to be able to read a pre-release copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you Orbit and NetGalley! Being quite the fan of Mr. Sullivan's Riyria books and given the fact that Hadrian and Royce's "origin story" was one that was hinted at throughout that entire series, being able to read this was one hell of a real treat. 

The great thing is, even though The Crown Tower can be considered a prequel of sorts, it can also be read as a one-shot. We are introduced to Hadrian, a jaded and young directionless soldier returning home from the wilds of Calis after hearing about his father's death. He agrees to meet with Arcadius, an old friend at the university who claims to have a message from Hadrian's father before he died. Arcadius, however, inexplicably pairs Hadrian up with Royce, a depraved thief whose mistrust of everything and everyone is akin to that of a dog that has been kicked too often. The two men are sent on an incomprehensible task to steal a book...which sounds simple enough, if only they can learn to work together without killing each other first.

For newcomers to the world and characters of Riyria, this book will be a great starting point. Returning fans will probably be even more thrilled, as it basically has all the details about Hadrian and Royce's first ever job together, and answers questions about how these two men -- who arguably are complete polar opposites of each other -- became a team. As an added bonus, we even get chapters focusing on Gwen, who ranks up there among my list of strongest female characters I've ever come across in fantasy fiction. 

These are characters I've come to know well, and it's just so great to be able to return to them again, even if it's going back in time. My only regret is that Gwen's sections feel a bit rushed and a little glossed over, though rationally I can kind of see why I found this to be the case. Her presence in this book is definitely required, but at the same time the main focus must remain on Hadrian and Royce's quest. My excitement levels and hopes are lifted, however, for The Rose and the Thorn which is the follow-up to this, and it looks like it'll have a lot more Gwen and maybe it'll mean a deeper and more prominent role for her to play.

The thing I love about The Crown Tower is that it continues to read like all of the other Riyria novels in that they are fun, action-filled adventurous fantasy stories that have a traditional, straightforward and down-to-earth feel-good vibe. Hadrian and Royce are ever the source of good banter, even at this point where they still hate each other. 

The book also has a feel of a puzzle piece that simply "fits", falling into place and filling out the timeline of the Riyria books without feeling forced or tacked on, unlike certain prequels of certain franchises I won't deign to mention here. You can tell with The Crown Tower as with all the books in the Riyria Revelations that the author has a grand plan, that everything happens for a reason and the presentation of it all is smooth and logical. The point is, I think this book would be great for any fan of fantasy, but if you've also read and loved the Riyria Revelations, this is a MUST-read.

Final verdict:

4 of 5 stars

Book Review: The Drowning Girl by Caitlín R. Kiernan

The Drowning Girl by Caitlín R. Kiernan

This novel was our book club's choice for July, the theme of which was "Nominees for the 2012 Nebula Awards". Though this book hadn't been on my to-read list, nor had I a clue what it was going to be about, I'd looked forward to checking it out.

The Drowning Girl, described as dark fantasy and horror mixed with strong elements of magical realism, stars protagonist India Morgan Phelps, or Imp to those around her. Imp also has schizophrenia. As such, much of the novel's themes are centered around the nature of reality and human perception, exploring the duality of fact vs. fiction or truth vs. myth.

The book gets a bit difficult to describe beyond that, because of certain factors like the writing style or the jumble of ideas within. Imp, being an unreliable narrator, had much to do with this. Suffice to say, The Drowning Girl is a ghost story viewed through the lens of mental illness, and is a rather provocative yet critical look into our understanding of consciousness and perception.

The way this story is narrated, which I initially fretted over when I first heard about it, actually turned out to be much less distracting than I thought. I won't deny that at times it could be frustrating -- indeed, by design the book lacks "flow", and there were a couple chapters where I just wanted to grab my head and scream, "I just can't bloody do this anymore!"  Imp will also sometimes go on these long, rambling tangents and talk in circles. But still, it wasn't that bad. For the most part, I think I was able follow the main thread.

As a literary horror novel or ghost story, however, it was a very subdued haunting and in my opinion fell a bit flat. Reading this, I became so absorbed by the intricacies and inner workings of Imp's mind that everything else in the story became white noise, almost irrelevant. Which, I suppose one could argue, is the point. Whether or not it was what the author intended, I personally viewed this book as more of an in-depth character study of Imp rather than an actual tale of the paranormal.

In the end, I can't say this book was my cup of tea. In spite of that, however, I can recognize its literary merits, and not the very least of those is the the bold and disjointed way the author chose to tell the story. This stylistic choice which at times annoyed the hell out me is also at the same time what I felt was the book's greatest strength. From my time as an occupational therapy student working in an outpatient mental health clinic, one thing that's always stayed with me is the constant struggle people with schizophrenia have with the breakdown of thought processes and their connection to what can be perceived. Reading Imp's memoir brought me back to all the people I've met and worked with, and she feels very real in that sense. So while the writing style may be unconventional, it's also very realistic.

3 of 5 stars

Audiobook Review: You Only Live Twice by Ian Fleming

You Only Live Twice by Ian Fleming

My friend recently praised the audiobook narrations of Simon Vance. Unfortunately, my library's inventory is small and Overdrive Media only allows me to download MP3s to my Nexus, further limiting my options to only two James Bond novels narrated by Vance. Since I have been wanting to read Bond books, I figured why not.

Shortly into the reading, my friend asked me what I thought of Vance's performance. I informed her that there was no Simon Vance. There was only James Bond and Tiger Tanaka. Vance has definitely earned a place on my list of favourite audiobook narrators.

This is the twelfth Bond book, taking place shortly after the violent death of Bond's wife of only a few hours. Bond physically survived the explosion at the hands of Dr. Blofeld, but the emotional effects are obvious. M is uncertain of what to do with his formerly best agent, until one doctor determines that what Bond needs is an impossible mission. This leads Bond to Japan and a friendship with Tiger Tanaka.

This is the last Bond book published by Ian Fleming in his life time, and it differs significantly from the film. There are no spacejackings and nuclear weapons in the book, but there are ninjas.

The story takes place not long after Japan's defeat in WWII. The west is encroaching on the east, and not everyone is happy with subjugation. The samurai sense of honour remains. I enjoyed the insight into the Japanese culture, which was not as pretentious or derisive as it was in Michael Crichton's Rising Sun. The back-and-forth between Tanaka and Bond is amiable and respectful, even when they are being negative or insulting to each other's countries.

Bond's mission changes significantly when Tanaka asks him to deal with the "Castle of Death" that has been built on a Japanese island, where a wealthy foreigner is harbouring a collection of botanical death and luring in Japanese citizens. A lot of their discussions deal with their differing views on suicide and honour. Although Bond does not get heavily into his emotions over Tracy's death, there is a sense that the discussions about suicide and other aspects of Japan are definitely on Bond's mind. Or, perhaps I was just projecting, because I wanted a little more of Bond's internal struggle to come out. It does rear its head in the end, with good reason, but I wanted to see a bit more of his pain than Fleming allowed.

As this is a Bond book, there has to be a Bond Girl. In this case, it is Kissy Suzuki, a clam diver on the small island that becomes Bond's base of operations. Throughout the book, he has numerous encounters with women and the book comments on his lascivious thoughts, but I found it interesting that the woman who is clearly intended to be a love interest, is treated with the utmost respect by Bond. Several moments in Kissy's appearances were dedicated to Bond's utter appreciation of her as a woman. The descriptions spoke as much about her body as they did about how her body suited her abilities and demeanor.

There is not a lot of action in this book. In fact, M informs Bond at the beginning, that the mission requires his wits, more than anything. When the mission changes, Tanaka denies Bond's requests for the simplicity of guns, instead introducing him to ninjutsu and the art of stealth. I was a bit skeptical about this part, though I appreciated that Bond didn't simply learn how to ninja over night. Or at all, really.

My only other complaint comes from two particular moments when mission information is provided to Bond. I expected the information to be summarized, but instead it was listed off in great detail that caused me to tune out a bit. That said, I do now have a long, handy list of poisonous flora and their resulting effects. Just in case.

Story

3 of 5 stars

Narration

5 of 5 stars

Book Review: The Darwin Elevator by Jason M. Hough

The Darwin Elevator by Jason M. Hough

Skyler Luiken captains the Melville, a typical smuggler ship with a typical smuggler crew doing typical smuggler things. At least, that's how it seems, but from the first few moments spent with Skyler, it's obvious that he's anything but the typical cocky captain that we know from scifi classics like Star Wars and Firefly. In fact, Skyler's not a particularly good captain at all because he's too damn nice. Well, not so nice that he's annoying. No one likes *those* kind of nice people. But he's just nice enough to make his crew question his suitability for the role of captain after their original captain simply walked away. It's hard not to like Skyler. He's a good man trying to take care of his crew in a bad situation. I wanted to give him a hug and let him know it would be okay, but what I really appreciated about the character was the way Hough made him vulnerable, without tipping him into the realm of needing our pity. He's heroic, without having to go out of his way to prove himself a hero. Doing what has to be done simply comes natural to him, and he does it with awkward and charming competence.

Skyler and his crew happen to be immune to the plague that some mysterious aliens dropped on earth a while back, making them the ideal people to venture outside the Aura protecting Darwin, Australia, and into the plague infested wilds that aren't protected by the other "gift" the aliens left behind: Darwin's Elevator.

The mystery of the aliens and their purpose looms over the book the entire way through, reminding me of Arthur C. Clarke's Rendezvous with Rama . And then there is the result of the alien plague: subhumans. SUBs are devolved humans reduced to to the base needs of starving wild animals. The threat of SUBs is ever present, as is the mystery of the aliens, but I loved the way the book maintained the focus on humanity always being the greatest threat to humanity. Politics, ambition, greed, poverty. All the bad things that inspire people to do bad things.

Not that the SUBs and aliens aren't on the minds of many, particularly the scientists that hang out in orbit above the poverty of Darwin, mainly under the command of Neil Platz, a rich scientist who owns just about everything left in Darwin and above. I wasn't sure how Neil would play out his role. His motives and actions are questionable, but he isn't simply an evil rich man and I loved his relationship with Tania Sharma, even while knowing what he'd done in the past. In fact, I liked that the other antagonists, even the deplorable Russell Blackfield, are more than just caricatures of typical bad guys.

A few other things I really enjoyed:

- The science wasn't utterly dumbed down for my unsciencey mind, yet was still easy to follow.

- The way Hough used the rumours and speculation chaos can cause to motivate the characters in the climactic end.

- The Jacobites - I am wary of cults showing up in a story because religious zeal can take on too much of a life of its own. I loved the obviousness of a cult based on Jacob's Ladder forming out of the alien's device, but appreciated that they did not get a lot of air time.

This is the first in a trilogy, ending with a deepening of the mystery of the alien's purpose that practically forces you to read on!

With thanks to NetGalley and Del Rey Books for the opportunity to read an advanced reader copy! And to NaNoWriMo for providing the motivation for Jason M. Hough to get this incredible story out of his head and onto our bookshelf!

4 of 5 stars

Review Bites: The Walking Dead Edition

The Walking Dead, Vol. 1: Days Gone Bye by Robert Kirkman

 If you’re breathing, you’ve heard about The Walking Dead thanks to the critical success the television series has garnered. This book is basically about a group of survivors in Georgia trying to survive a zombie apocalypse. It focuses on the dynamics between the ever changing group as they try to survive their ordeal, not knowing where this path will ultimately lead them. Admittedly, I’m a little sick of zombies, and I have been for quite some time thanks to overexposure through books, games, and television/movies. However, every now and again, I’ll find something that’ll pique my interest in the genre, and I do love anything that explores characters and their machinations.

I’d been meaning to read this series for ages. However, I didn’t start reading this until the television show inspired me to get started. I think I didn’t rate this higher because my views of the comic have been tempered by the television series. It wasn’t a terrible comic. Far from it and I enjoyed it. The television series really added more depth of character while fattening up the story, of course. I loved how many of the scenes they did keep from this initial book. I just found that I thought the events in this book happened far quicker than I like because of the pacing I’d grown accustomed to with the television series, and the characters that I found compelling in the show felt very hollow here (ex: Carol and Shane). As I move forward with the series, my opinions may change, and I may be able to appreciate this without the television series looming over its shoulder.

Final Verdict: 

3 of 5 stars

The Walking Dead, Vol. 2: Miles Behind Us by Robert Kirkman

Volume two follows the survivors as they make the decision to leave the camp near Atlanta and find a more secure location. The group has decided that, with the removal of Shane (who they were starting to distrust anyway), Rick should be their new leader. He isn't asked if he wants this position. He's just informed by Dale that the other survivors have talked, and they're going to put this burden on Rick. Rick accepts the position without a fuss. He actually just says, "Okay then." No questioning as to why this should happen, just meek acceptance. This volume also introduces the Greene family, Tyreese, and Tyreese's daughter Julie (and her boyfriend, Chris).

I am really starting to regret not reading this series before watching the show. I'm typically able to separate comics books/books from their television/movie counterparts, but I think I've just been too spoiled by the show. I like these comics, but I'm not moved by them as I am the television show. As I said in my bite about the first volume, everything moves too fast. The story feels gutted to me because things are happening in such rapid succession. Where on the show certain events were built up, such as Rick increasingly becoming the leader of the group and eventually forming a Ricktatorship, the comic just seems to hands these events to the characters. However, I really do love seeing many of the scenes from the show in these books.

Final Verdict:

3 of 5 stars

The Walking Dead: Michonne Special by Robert Kirkman

Disclosure. I've only  read the first two volumes and, as of this writing, I'm reading the novel, The Walking Dead: Rise of the Governor. I figured it wouldn't hurt to read this because it was going to be all about Michonne's life before meeting up with Rick and the gang, and I wouldn't be lost. Right? Ha!

The story begins with Michonne running home from work during the start of the zombie apocalypse. We meet her boyfriend and his idiot best friend (who inadvertently doomed the both of them). We learn that she turned them into her pet zombies to help her bypass the walkers. We learn that she talks to them to remind herself of who they were before turning and to have someone to talk, but that's about it. After that, I'm guessing the rest of her story coincides with one of the comics in the main arc because she saves Otis and is granted admission into the prison. I don't think it's really accurate to say that this is a Michonne special since so few pages were actually dedicated to her actual personal story. It wasn't poorly written, but just disappointing and misleading.

Final Verdict: 

2.5 of 5 stars

Comic Review: Locke & Key vol.1: Welcome to Lovecraft by Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez

Locke and Key, Vol. 1: Welcome to Lovecraft by Joe Hill

I grabbed the hardcover copies of these books the moment I saw them and warned the librarian that they would look lovely on my bookshelf. She politely reminded me that she has my address on file. I’ve heard good things about this series from friends, but I had no idea how good. In fact, I intended to wait until I’d finished all five volumes before completing a proper review, but after finishing volume one last night, all I could think was “ffffuuuuuuuuuuhhh...”

Fortunately, I’m of sounder mind today and can explain why I’m giving this entire series five stars before I am even finished with it.

Volume one introduces the Locke family, with particular focus on the kids, Ty, Kinsey and little Bode. Their lives are destroyed by the brutal murder of their father and rape of their mother by two extremely troubled youths. In the aftermath, they move to the old Locke homestead, Keyhouse, in hopes of recovering some vague semblance of normality.

First of all, I have to speak about the art. This is a violent, brutal, frightening story that could easily have been depicted with much darker imagery typically attributed to the genre. However, Rodriguez’s more cartoony characters and bright colours make everything all the creepier once things really get going. Similar to Japanese manga, the large eyes of the characters can express a lot of emotion within a still image and intense emotional facial expressions and body language (or lack there of) are very important to all of the scenes.

There is also a great sense of stillness. Some of the panels repeat themselves, sometimes with minute changes, but always with a sense of time passing by slowly while the character contemplates the situation. I love that more than two entire pages were spent with Ty at the funeral home following his father’s death. A complaint I have with a lot of comics I’ve read lately is that they jump through the story. There seems to be so much more story they should be telling between each panel, but because of page constraints, they have to skip panels to get to the point. Locke & Key gets to the point without ever losing a panel along the way. I give credit to both artist and writer for this, as presumably Rodriguez is working under Hill’s instructions and clearly, Hill understands the show-don’t-just-tell power of the medium.

So the story goes, Keyhouse is an unusual place. Early in 6yo Bode’s exploration, he discovers a strange key and, when inserted into the back door, it causes him to die when he steps outside, becoming a ghost that’s able to move around the house at will, then return to his body with no harm done. As the story progresses, we learn that there are several other keys (beautifully front and centre on the covers of each volume) and that their father knew about the house’s secrets, but hid the keys for a reason. It is also implied that grown ups tend to forget the importance of such things, so its up to Bode to discover the secrets – especially if he wants to help the mysterious echo at the bottom of the well…

The story focuses mainly on the children, often times with their individual point of views encompassing an entire issue. Each copes differently with the loss of their father and their actions during the assault. Hill and Rodriguez delve deep into the exploration of their emotions, demanding that you feel for them and worry about their well being. The weight of Ty’s guilt is almost palpable and Kinsey’s angst is far more than just whiny, selfish teen mourning. And Bode’s innocent exploration leads to some of the creepiest and intense moments of all.

By the end of volume one, with the mystery box wide open and my compassion for the Locke children firmly established, it was only my responsible adultness that prevented me from staying up all night to read the other volumes in a single, spine-tingling go.

5 of 5 stars

Book Review: Warbound by Larry Correia

Warbound by Larry Correia

Expected Date of Publication: August 6, 2013

Thank you to Netgalley and Baen for providing me with an e-ARC of Warbound in exchange for an honest review. This is the third book of bestselling author Larry Correia's Grimnoir Chronicles series, and because I had such a blast with the two previous books, I just couldn't wait to get my hands on this one and find out the conclusion! 

As you can probably guess, I highly recommend the rest of the novels in this series, Hard Magic and Spellbound -- definitely read those first if you are interested in tackling the third installment. This being a sequel, the usual caveats will apply for this review regarding possible minor spoilers for the books that came before.

It is the 1930s in a world where a portion of the population possess magical abilities. Naming these people "Actives", the American government is seeking a way to keep track of and control them, while the magical community and certain special interest groups fight back. One of these groups is the Grimnoir, a secret society of Actives who have dedicated themselves to protecting their own people from anti-Active violence as well as the world from magical threats.

In the course of their war against the Japanese Imperium, the Grimnoir have discovered the source of humanity's magic actually comes from a cosmic creature dubbed the Pathfinder. It is a predator which devours magic, leaving whole worlds destroyed in its wake. Jake Sullivan, a Knight of the Grimnoir now leads a team to stop the Pathfinder, to prevent Earth from being its next victim. Faye Vierra, the young farm girl from Oklahoma with a sweetness and naivete which belies the fact she is the most powerful Active in the world is perhaps the Grimnoir's only chance to succeed -- but she is missing and on the run, hiding a dangerous secret of her own.

As with the two previous books in this series, I had myself a heck of a time trying to categorize or describe this novel. It is undoubtedly an urban fantasy, and also has elements of historical fiction and alternate history and even steampunk. The Grimnoir Chronicles is fun and full of action, but unlike Correia's other series Monster Hunter International (which I also adore) it feels darker and a little more serious to me, thanks also to the few nods given to the genre of Noir fiction.

On some level, I also can't help but think of these books as "Superhero fiction". The characters in the Grimnoir are certainly not superheroes in the traditional sense, but it's hard to read the blurb to these novels and not picture the X-Men and remember some of the comic series' story arcs. The Actives' struggles with discrimination, government control and the mistrust and fear of the populace certainly bring to my mind the Marvel mutants' plight, and the Grimnoir society's noble goals are similar to those of the X-Men for sure. Some of the Actives' powers which comes from magic are even analogous to X-Men powers, like the manipulation of weather, elements like ice and fire, teleportation, telekinesis, etc. Despite all this, I'm still reluctant to call this series "superhero fiction", but I'm guessing those who are fans of superheroes or comics will feel right at home with the Grimnoir books. After all, I did.

Speaking of powers, I'm amazed that even now in the third book we're still being introduced to new types of Actives. Of most interest to me is the "Alienist" whom Jake Sullivan recruits for his team in his war against the Pathfinder. Again, I liken the plot of these novels to those story arcs in a comic book, and in a good way, because one of the coolest thing about this series for me has always been the Grimnoir characters' use of their magic, working together and applying the almost limitless possibilities against their foes.

One of the downsides though, that in feeling like superhero archetypes, the characters also come off a bit like caricatures and underdeveloped. After three books, characters like Sullivan and Faye still feel predictable and flat like templates. Toru, the Iron Guard who had decided to join the Grimnoir in destroying the Pathfinder, is the worst when it comes to this. It always irks me somewhat when an entire group of people is painted with the same personalities, characteristics and cultural values, and I see now that Toru and the whole Imperium does not stray from the mold.

There's also a lot going on in this novel, which can be good and bad. Because of the breakneck pace of this novel and all the things happening, my face was constantly buried in this book, that's for sure. But with several plot threads going forward at the same time (there are at least four, including dealing with the government, Faye's own struggle with her destiny as Spellbound, Jake Sullivan bringing the fight to the Pathfinder, and ending the Imperium threat) there may have been too much to cover, and the last 10% of the book felt really rushed, like it was eager to wrap everything up. This also made it so that several of those characters like Francis and Dan and Jane and Hammer that I liked so much in the previous books had much less screen time in this one.

All in all, I thought this was a great conclusion even if it wasn't entirely satisfying, but I still think very highly of the Grimnoir Chronicles as a whole. If you're looking for something fun and action-filled in the urban fantasy genre with great world building that's also really cool but a bit different from the norm, I can't recommend this series enough.

Final verdict:

3 of 5 stars

Book Review: The Book of Lost Fragrances by M.J. Rose

The Book of Lost Fragrances by M.J. Rose

A few months ago, I was fortunate enough to receive a copy of Seduction by M.J. Rose to read and review, and I found I really enjoyed it. The novel was actually the fifth installment in a series called The Reincarnationist, and even though each book can be read as a one-shot, I'd learned that the protagonist Jac L'Etoile actually first appeared in the previous book. Long story short, I was intrigued enough by her character after reading Seduction that I was motivated to pick up its predecessor, and that's how I came to read The Book of Lost Fragrances.

I went backwards in the reading order, so here we're given a formal introduction of Jac L'Etoile and her brother Robbie, heirs to a preeminent French perfume company. Haunted by memories of her mother's suicide, however, Jac moves to America to become a TV host of a show about mythology, leaving her sibling to take care of the family business.

Like all the other books in the series, this one explores themes around the idea of reincarnation and other paranormal occurrences. While going through the old archives, Robbie stumbles across a collection of ancient pottery shards and a family secret about a scent rumored to enable a person to remember past lives. Robbie has big plans for the discovery, but there are others who would do anything to stop them from happening. When Robbie goes missing, leaving the dead body of a stranger at the scene of the crime, Jac and her former lover Griffin North are drawn into the search, becoming embroiled in politics, suspense, passion, and a mystery that goes back thousands of years.

The first thing I gleaned about this book is that it suffers from a problem I also noticed in its sequel, except to a greater degree -- the fact that there's so much going on! We have multiple plot threads and multiple character points-of-view, and when some of these character perspectives are also past reincarnations, it just makes this book feel even more complicated and jumbled. In addition to Jac, Robbie and Griffin, we also have the story lines about the Panchen Lama, the members of the Chinese mafia, the Parisian police, flashback sequences involving a L'Etoile ancestor and his lover, flashback sequences about an affair in ancient Egypt involving Cleopatra's perfume maker, sections about Jac's past and her psychological disorder, sections focusing on Jac's doctor Malachai...I think I've caught most of them, but it's possible I still missed some.

Despite being called "A Novel of Suspense", I didn't find this to be very suspenseful at all, and I have a feeling this is because all the plot threads going on might have "watered" it down a little. I once saw an interview with M.J. Rose in which she said that booksellers often have trouble categorizing her books, and I can see why this would be the case since this series appears to cross multiple genres, including suspense, fantasy, romance, historical fiction, mystery and paranormal. I loved Seduction because it managed to incorporate all these genre elements and still made it work, but I didn't think it did so much in The Book of Lost Fragrances. 

In some ways, the writing and characters feel completely different when I compare the two books, almost like they were written by two separate people. TBoLF felt awkward whereas Seduction was incredible; it's like the latter was a more refined and improved presentation of all the ideas put forth in the former. Perhaps it was because of all the subjects crammed into this novel, ranging from ancient Egypt to Chinese politics to Tibetan Buddhism, and how some of the character perspectives jump all over the place in history. The author tried to weave it all together, but it didn't end up very well. The last few chapters of the book started to fizzle out after what I suppose was the climax, because it still had to wrap up all the other story lines. 

Also, Robbie and Griffin had little to no presence in Seduction, which might be another reason why I liked that book so much more. I found both their characters extremely unlikeable in TBoLF; Robbie was more like a stubborn child than a grown man in many ways, and Griffin made for a very frustrating and unsympathetic romantic interest. I have to say though, M.J. Rose can write one hell of a love scene. That one torrid and intense chapter notwithstanding, I still couldn't really get into the Jac/Griffin relationship at all, and that was even with the "eternal love" and "soulmates" angle the book was emphasizing.

Anyway, my opinion would be to save this one, and pick up Seduction instead if you can. And one final note: I half read this and half listened to the audiobook. If I could do it again, I wouldn't have opted for the Whispersync bundle. Phil Gigante is a narrator I've listened to and enjoyed for many books in the past, but I admit was a little surprised he was chosen for this one, since it doesn't seem like a book suited for his voice. He also mispronounces a lot of French words, which was a pretty big distraction.

Final verdict:

2 of 5 stars

Cover Lover: Aetherial Tales

In my most recent exploration of BookCloseOuts, the Aetherial Tales series by Freda Warrington was recommended to me. I immediately fell in love with the beautiful cover art and the reviews for the series convinced me that the story was well worth the purchase.

 

 

Review Bites: DNF

I make a point of finishing every book I pick up. There have been some that I haven't made it through in the past, but since founding a book club and working on this site, I've felt compelled to make sure I get through every book, even if it sometimes means skimming pages of the less enjoyable ones.

But lately, I've had a few that, even after a significant chunk of pages under my belt, have failed to pull me in. I'm certainly not alone on this. Goodreads recently polled members on their "did not finish" reading habits. You can see the results here. It's not uncommon for books to start slow and end extremely well, but in these cases, my problem has been as much with style as with content. The content might become more interesting later on, but can I endure the style for 200+ more pages?

Reading is supposed to be an enjoyable hobby. If the thought of picking up that book on my currently-reading shelf is weighing on me, it means I have to reconsider my life choices. My to-read mountain is filled with lots of other books that are demanding my attention, so why should I waste my time on books that are not pleasing me?

The particular books in question are all critically acclaimed, but acclaim does not mean they are for everyone and no one should ever feel obliged to finish, much less like a book just because the rest of the world does. I'd intended these books to be part of my Women of Genre Fiction Reading Challenge, but I'd rather free up their slots for more enjoyable reads.

These three books all have one thing in common though: They are unique entries into their genres - in fact, their individuality might even transcend their respective genres and for that, I can appreciate the acclaim they receive. But at the end of the day, they just aren't for me. As LeVar Burton says, "Reading is a trip," but these aren't trips I really want to take.

The Drowning Girl by Caitlin R. Kiernan

This is actually the book that made me decide to write this post and create a DNF shelf on Goodreads. A recent Nebula Awards nominee, it won the vote as this month's read for my bookclub. While I like the concept of a haunted schizophrenic girl and the way art and fairy tales play so heavily in her memoiors of her own madness, I just could not take the writing. I didn't even mind the moments where Imp seems to stop and instruct herself. I just didn't enjoy the meandering, long paragraphs of her stream of consciousness.

This book is heading to my library for donation. hopefully someone else will find and enjoy it far more than I did.

Zoo City by Lauren Beukes

This is as far away from urban fantasy as you can get, which is what made it appeal to me. Zinzi December lives in Zoo City, a slum for criminals, easily identified by the animal familiars emotionally/psychologically bonded to them. The creatures are manifestations of their guilt, though not necessarily their culpability. Somewhere along the way, we eventually learn that Zinzi's sloth is the result of her guilt over her brother's death that she did not seem to have caused, which makes it a little difficult to understand why she was imprisoned in the first place.

Zinzi has a talent for finding lost things but the first client in the story ends up brutally murdered and Zinzi is suspected. Only, that is not the main story line. In fact, the story walks away from this entirely and I had to go back to see if I actually had skimmed pages without intending to. But nope. Apparently, we've moved on to Zinzi finding a lost pop star despite her usual refusal to track people.

Where things go from there, well, I'm curious, but not enough to continue for now. I also have issue with the writing style, which contains a lot of local (Johannesburg) vernacular that is difficult to comprehend as the context rarely offers clarity beyond a word being an obvious insult, in some cases.

The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood

Reading The Handmaid's Tale in highschool and recently rereading and loving it made me want to finally try out one of Atwood's other books. Unfortunately, this one resulted in disappointment. I actually did finish The Blind Assassin, but I did skim a lot of pages. Or, I should say, I loved The Blind Assassin, but I skimmed the pages that weren't telling that story. This is a story within a story and I loved how everything tied together, but got tired of the monologues surrounding the story of the blind boy and tongueless girl. I just wanted to read about the latter!

An All New Red Sonja by Gail Simone

I love the movie Red Sonja. It’s a hunt-through-bargain-bins treasure that has been with me since the ‘80s, yet I’ve never read or even been inspired to read the comics. Until I learned that Gail Simone was going to be penning this issue (Does she have a thing for redheads?). This means no more excuses not to read about the metal bikini adventures of Red Sonja. It’s only fair, after recently checking out the other pulp fiction warrior princess, Dejah Thoris.

The book was introduced this Wednesday with six fantastic covers by female talents in the industry. These are my favourites, by Fiona Staples, Amanda Conner and Jenny Frison:

In a recent ComiXology interview, Gail Simone explained that this reboot presents a Sonja that is no longer the ice queen of the past. She’s still the woman that will kneel to no one, but earn her respect, and she will keep her promises. Save her from a captivity of fighting for her life everyday, then she’ll be willing to train your kingdom to defend themselves against a pending attack from a deadly enemy.

In her re-introduction, the deadly swordswoman is clearly deadly, her sword poking menacingly from the ground, but she is also clearly drunk, something that the previously stodgy Sonja would likely never have allowed. Her stupor is interrupted by would-be thieves and the predictable display of her prowess, in spite of her condition is revealed. It’s a fantastic scene though, perfectly hinted at in the second cover above, by Amanda Conner. At the end of issue one, we also get a look of this scene through the revelation of Gail Simone’s writing process for the first few pages.

Now that I’ve checked out both pulp princesses, the differences between them really are striking to me. Despite the similarities in barely there metal costumes, Red Sonja has always worn hers with far more nobility than Dejah Thoris ever thought she did. The new Dejah Thoris comics seem to have tried to make her more of a warrior woman, but they still rely on the damsel in distress/every male wants to get with her storyline. Sonja has always denied men, believing them unworthy of her time. In the reboot, she seems to be less about the misandry, but she remains a woman that I can respect. As in, metal bikini and deadly sword aside, her demeanour is of a person who takes and gives no quarter, demands respect and expects you to earn hers. Just because she has impressive cleavage (which is praised by her admiring twin acolytes) and is comfortable with her body and blade, doesn’t mean it’s there for anyone else’s purposes but her own.

3.5 of 5 stars