Audiobook Review: Throne of Jade by Naomi Novik

Throne of Jade by Naomi Novik

Genre: Historical Fantasy

Series: Temeraire #2

Publisher: Del Rey

Publication Date: April 2006

Narrator: Simon Vance

Author Info: www.temeraire.org

Wendy's Rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

The way Novik winds dragons into history is already fascinating, but now we get to see them within an entirely new environment and culture.

Two important things I must establish before getting on with the actual review:

1. This is absolutely one of the best Simon Vance performances I have ever listened to. His Temeraire is not what I imagined when I read the first book myself, but it forever will be now. Vance expertly captured every nuance of the young dragon with Chinese roots.

2. This is what Temeraire looks like in my head. Deal with it.

As I discovered in reading the previous book in the Temeraire series, His Majesty's Dragon, this is not necessarily an action/adventure fantasy. Yes, there are skirmishes that Temeraire and the other dragons participate in and there are several other moments of action, but at the heart of this story is a beautiful friendship between man and beast - only, this beast is a massive, highly intelligent dragon.

Throne of Jade picks up right where the previous left off, with the Chinese demanding the return of their Celestial Dragon. Laurence risks the stockade with his adamant refusal to simply relinquish the dragon he has come to adore, much less lie to Temeraire as his superiors and the Chinese emissaries suggest. And Temeraire feels much the same way. But circumstances eventually force the pair into a seven month voyage from England to China in hopes of pleading their case before the Emperor himself.

The beauty of this series is in watching Temeraire grow and learn and watching Laurence grow and learn with him. If there was any doubt before, Laurence's friendship with the dragon has clearly moved well beyond that of master and pet to a very deep bond that is thoroughly tested as Temeraire learns more and more about his homeland of China. Not the least of which is the vast difference in the treatment of dragons. The way Novik winds dragons into history is already fascinating, but now we get to see them within an entirely new environment and culture.

The ending was a bit of a disappointment, but I am curious to see what Temeraire and Laurence will do with what they learn in China.

Story

Narration

Book Review: V-S Day by Allen Steele

V-S Day by Allen Steele

Genre: Science Fiction

Series: Stand alone

Publisher: Ace (February 4, 2014)

Author Information: Website

Mogsy's Rating: 4 of 5 stars

 

V-S Day is a bit of a departure from my usual reads, but I've made a resolution this year to tackle more books that are outside my comfort zone. And while I may not be a World War II buff, I do love novels of alternate history and have seen authors come up with some terrific ideas when it comes to this era and genre.

To tell the truth, I almost balked and ran after the first chapter. It wasn't WWII history that made me hesitate, but in fact it was the rocket science that intimidated me. To be fair, it doesnt take much to make me feel out of my depth; a few mentions of things like insulated hoses, radar arrays, and liquid oxygen and nitrogen tank pressurization and you'll find me starting to sweat. I can't help it, I just start to feel my attention waning whenever descriptions get the least bit technical. 

But then, things turned around completely. The book may have opened on the scene of a hectic space-plane launch in 1943, but suddenly with the next chapter we are looking in on a gathering of family and friends in the present day. As it turns out, this is a reunion party for a group of pretty important people, made up of the brilliant scientists who thwarted a Nazi plot to attack New York City in the war during the 1940s. Of course, due to its highly classified nature, no one had any idea about it. 

But now, journalist Douglas Walker is here to find the truth, interviewing the men about their time with Robert Goddard, inventor of the liquid-fuel rocket, and their project that changed the world. To counter the Nazi's development of a manned orbital spacecraft capable of traversing long distances to drop a bomb on the United States, Goddard and his team had to figure out a way to build their own spacecraft to take down the enemy's rocket. Thus, a race between two secret military projects was born. 

But before I go further into what I thought about this book, I have to say it was the espionage angle that finally got me on board. When rocket science fails to hook me, I can always count on the plot elements that have to do with spies and intelligence gathering to get me excited. And once that got me into the story, I just ate it right up and blew through the pages.

In the end, I actually came to follow the progress of the American program with much enjoyment, and in a way the rocket ship project itself became a central character, and -- believe it or not -- my fascination with it eventually overshadowed my interest in the human players. This was a rather new experience for me, where the scientists became almost the supporting cast, while the research and development of the spacecraft Lucky Linda actually took center stage. For someone who typically places a lot of emphasis on characters in a novel, I was surprisingly okay with this.

It also wasn't until later when I read the author's afterword that I found out, at one point, the story of V-S Day existed in the form of a screenplay. That actually made a lot of sense. Reading this book did make me feel uncannily like I was watching things play out in a movie or a series on TV, thanks in part to the flashback style and the way the events were told through the eyes of multiple major and minor characters. If anything though, I thought the chapters that gave us a glimpse into von Braun's program in Germany were the weakest, though I saw the need for them, since the reader has to know the progress of each side to get a sense of the urgency and what's at risk.

At its heart, V-S Day is a book about a very different space race in a time where rockets only existed in science fiction magazines or in the minds of those who dared to dream. I ended up enjoying this book quite a bit, and was glad I didn't let myself put this one down. The final revelation at the end was a nice touch. However, it was the climax that made it all worth it, with the tension culminating into a conclusion that made me understand the reason for all the build up. 

A review copy of this book was provided to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. My thanks to Ace Books

Book Review: The Doctor and the Dinosaurs by Mike Resnick

The Doctor and the Dinosaurs by Mike Resnick

Genre: Steampunk, Western

Series: Book 4 of Weird West Tales

Publisher: Pyr

Date of Publication: December 10, 2013

Author Information: Website | Twitter

Mogsy's Rating: 3 of 5 stars - "Meant to be sensational and a little over the top, and in that sense the book does its job and does it well. Fun and entertaining"

The Doctor and the Dinosaurs is my first venture into Mike Resnick's Weird West Tales, and actually my first exposure to the author, period. Like many kids growing up, I went through a phase in my childhood where I was just nuts for dinosaurs. I suppose a part of that love has stayed with me all this time, because when I saw the cover and description for this one I just couldn't resist.  

This is the fourth book of the series starring Doc Holliday of American Old West fame, but if I'm not mistaken, each installment can be read on its own. We seem to be catching our protagonist at a pretty bad time though, as the book opens on Doc bedridden and coughing out his lungs in a sanitarium, dying of the dastardly consumption. But then he is visited by the medicine man and great chief Geronimo, who grants him one more year of life in exchange for a favor. 

Doc Holliday is tasked to stop two paleontologists who have been carrying out their digs on sacred Comanche burial grounds in Wyoming. Sounds easy enough. But that was before Doc learned that the two scientists involved are none other than Edward Drinker Cope and Othniel Charles Marsh, two men who hate each others' guts and are locked in eternal competition. Time is running out and the Comanche medicine men have made things clear: stop desecrating their lands or they will unleash a horde of monsters, the kind our world has not seen in 65 million years.

A crazy blend of steampunk, fantasy, alternate history and western, this book was as much fun as I thought it would be! I've never had the pleasure of reading a "true" dime novel from the latter half of the 1800s, but I wouldn't be surprised if Mike Resnick is in some way emulating the spirit and style of the popular fiction in those days. As you would expect from the above synopsis, the book's story and characters are more sensational than deep, with an entertaining plot that contains more clever, snappy dialogue than exposition. Nevertheless, that's the kind of book it was intended to be. In that sense, it does the job and does it well.

This book was also such a treat for the part of me that still loves dinosaurs. We all know there's no shortage of stories about the Old West featuring famous gunfighters like Doc Holliday, Wild Bill Hickok, Wyatt Earp, Cole Younger, and the list goes on. But while this series also features an impressive list of shootists, I loved how this particular story directed its focus to another significant event that took place during America's Gilded Age -- the Great Dinosaur Rush. For one, the hatred between Cope and Marsh was so intense, their rivalry so frenzied, that the two men actually spawned a period in paleontological history known as the Bone Wars. It's fascinating stuff! I was happy to see a spotlight on this idea, and an entire story built around it.

Is The Doctor and the Dinosaurs a little over the top? Perhaps. But is it fun? Definitely. I picked up this book hoping for an afternoon of fun, light reading, and that's exactly what it delivered.

 

 3 of 5 stars

 

A review copy of this book was provided to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.  

Book Review: Copperhead by Tina Connolly

Copperhead by Tina Connolly

Genre: Fantasy

Series: Book 2 of Ironskin

Publisher: Tor

Date of Publication: October 15, 2013

Author Information: Website | Twitter

Mogsy's Rating: 3.5 of 5 stars - "The story and world were both interesting, but I loved the characters most of all in this book about using one's wits and power to take a stand against the enemy and oppression."

Our book club came very close to reading Tina Connolly's Ironskin earlier this year, back when it was one of the choices in our theme for July, which was "2012 Nebula Awards Nominees". We ended up reading another book, but the description of Ironskin had stuck with me ever since. The idea of a gothic fantasy re-imagining of Jane Eyre was just too intriguing to ignore.

So when I received the sequel Copperhead for review, I saw it as the perfect opportunity to check out this author and series, especially after finding out it continues the story in Ironskin but shifts its focus to the protagonist's sister. This means a brand new chapter to this tale, told from the perspective of Helen Huntingdon. It has been six months since her sister Jane uncovered a nefarious fey plot to take over the city, and society is still recovering from the aftermath. It is too late for Helen, who has already traded her old face in for a beautiful fey-charmed one, and now has to wear an iron mask to protect herself and her identity from being possessed and erased by the bodiless fey.

Jane, however, is determined to help Helen and the other women of The Hundred (society's richest and most priviliged who have opted for fey faces) get their old faces back. As it turns out though, not everyone is so eager to give up their new beauty, and it is up to Helen to try to convince everyone to accept her sister's help. But then Jane goes missing during one of the face-switching procedures, and becomes implicated in a murder to boot. Helen begins her search for answers, leading her down the path towards a confrontation with Copperhead, a group that has risen in recent months with their aims to rid the world of everyone but humans -- even if it means destroying their allies the dwarvven.

What I liked most about this book are the characters. Helen's narration was perhaps the strongest point of the story, and I was sorry not to have gotten to know her before this in Ironskin, because it would have been interesting to see the growth and development of her character over the course of the two novels. Mind you, not that I was disappointed with what I got to see in this book; Helen is an impressive example of female strength, though she is not without her foibles, such as her impulsive nature and her streak of vanity. Reading about her led me to many questions -- the good kind, which reflected my desire to find out more. It made me think that perhaps I should pick up the first book to see how she ended up with her fey face in the first place, or to find out more about the events which led her to marry the aloof and temperamental Alistair. It was clear based on Helen's personality that she was never meant to be with a controlling husband like him, and I liked how she stood up to him in her own various ways, even when she couldn't defy him openly.

Beyond Helen, I also really liked a couple of the other characters. Jane, for example, takes on a supporting role in Copperhead, letting her sister shine instead. But she and Helen are so different, and once again I am curious to go back to the first book and find out more about their relationship. Jane spends much of this book in the background, but it was enough to make me want to get to know her better. Another character who stood out for me was Frye, the forward-thinking actress who is so funny, full of life and unbeholden to societal conventions. She wasn't featured in the book as much as Helen or Jane, but she quickly became a favorite.

On the downside, with so much context built around the characters, I did feel it overshadowed the setting and the world behind these books somewhat. The world building was admittedly a bit on the lighter side, not as robust as I would have liked. It took me a while to get a good feel for the fey threat, and I couldn't grasp the full extent of their impact with the limited information I was given about them and their origins. Despite including flashbacks and explanations, the world also never felt truly fleshed out for me. I was aware that the setting is that of a magical alternate Victorian-era England, but details about it were sparse, making it almost feel removed from everything else while events played out on the page. Perhaps the world building simply felt so much lighter because I'm comparing it to the character development, which I thought was given a lot more attention.

In the end though, this was a great story about an individual taking a stand, of using one's own wits and power to rally support against both a supernatural enemy in the form of the fey, as well as battle a more societal concern, that of oppression and control. I love these characters, and I look forward to checking out Ironskin at a later date so I can fill myself in on rest of the story.

 3.5 of 5 stars

A review copy of this book was provided to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Book Review: The Coldest War by Ian Tregillis

The Coldest War by Ian Tregillis

Genre: Science Fiction Fantasy

Series: Book 2 of The Milkweed Triptych

Publisher: Tor Books

Date of Publication: July 17, 2012

Author Information: Website | Twitter


Wow, did that seriously just happen?! Those were the words running through my head when I reached the very end of this book. Just when I thought this series couldn't get any crazier with its genre-bending goodness, it decides to throw me for another loop (which in the context of talking about this book is a rather clever pun, now that I think about it. I'm just a little miffed now because I can't explain it without spoiling anything!) The way I see it, as far as those shocking "I-NEED-to-know-what-happens-next" cliffhangers go, Ian Tregillis just raised the freakin' bar.

If I had to go back and talk about the first book of The Milkweed Triptych, Bitter Seeds (see my review here), I'd probably describe it as an alternate history World War II novel with both fantasy and science fiction elements, mostly due to its main premise involving Nazi Germany's lab-raised soldiers with superpowers versus the British's warlocks and their demons. This second book still has all of that, except it takes place some twenty years later, and even though the war is over, Great Britain now finds itself locked in a precarious power struggle with the USSR.

Now Project Milkweed is threatened when they find out that Britain's warlocks, the country's greatest defense in keeping their enemy at bay, are being killed off by an unknown assassin. Meanwhile, a pair of super-soldier siblings who fought for the Nazis in WWII escape their Soviet prison and make their way to England. One of them is Gretel, the psychopath pre-cog who is still obsessed with manipulating the life of British agent Raybould Marsh. Even after more than two decades, she is still pulling the strings, nudging the future towards her own mysterious agenda.

By all accounts, I should have liked this book more, and I think I would have if it weren't so utterly bleak. I know "Super soldiers vs. Warlocks" sounds like an interesting and unbelievably fun premise -- which it most certainly is, don't get me wrong -- but part of me is still having trouble getting over how dark this series can be sometimes. While I'm no stranger to dark fiction with dreary themes, there's just something about these books that unsettle the heck out of me and chill me to the bone.

I suppose depending on who you are, that can be seen as a good or bad thing. For example, in Bitter Seeds, I found that the disturbing ideas in the first book really worked in giving the story the hard edge it needed. I was able to transform those feelings of dread into suspenseful anticipation which kept me turning the pages, and also because I felt pity for the poor characters who have had such terrible things happen to them or are forced to make these awful decisions.

Unfortunately, my sympathy for the characters ran out and was largely absent for the most part in The Coldest War. The main players were mostly the same, but in the twenty-two years since the events of the last book, many things have happened to turn even the "good guys" into pretty despicable people in my eyes. While the main antagonist Gretel is still as evil as ever, I nevertheless had a difficult time bringing myself to muster up any enthusiasm to root for Marsh or Will this time around. There are no truly upstanding characters in this book, which normally isn't a problem for me; I find I can be drawn to even the most morally corrupted of characters if they are written well, but I honestly couldn't find anyone particularly likeable in this book, with the possible exception of Klaus, Gretel's brother.

Story-wise, though, I am absolutely floored. The ending alone was probably worth all the frustrating moments the characters put me through, not to mention the next book presents the perfect opportunity for many of them to redeem themselves. That last line in the epilogue has got to be the most effective two words in the history of book endings. I can't wait to pick up the third book for the finale, I MUST find out how it all ends.

3 of 5 stars

Book Review: Glamour in Glass by Mary Robinette Kowal

Glamour in Glass by Mary Robinette Kowal

I think 2013 has seen me branching out into more sub-genres of fantasy than any other year, thanks to participating in events like the Worlds Without End's Women of Genre Fiction Reading Challenge. Once, Mary Robinette Kowal fell into the category of "An author I've never read before, but would really like to" and so the book I chose for the challenge was 2012 Nebula Award nominated Glamour in Glass.

Someone once told me that when writing a review, it helps to think about what makes a book different and why readers should care. For this one, the thing that struck me right away was the setting. But while I may have read fantasy fiction aplenty that takes place in this time period, this is the first time I've actually ventured into something with strong elements of Regency romance, complete with the stylistic conventions that bring to mind the works of Jane Austen. This is also the first time I've ever heard the term "Fantasy of manners". Hooray for discovering new things!

It wasn't until after I picked up Glamour in Glass that I discovered it was actually the second book of a sequence called the Glamourist Histories. Normally, I dislike reading books in a series out of order, more out of a fear that I'd get lost than anything. That's why I was happy to learn that you don't have to read the first book Shades of Milk and Honey to follow the story and understand what's going on. The magic system in this book, called Glamour weaving and described with textile-related metaphors, was sufficiently explained and the general idea of it is easy to pick up. I also quickly got that our main characters, Jane and Vincent, were newly married since the last book, and now they're looking forward to settling down to a life of nuptial bliss and doing Glamour together.

However, at the start of this book is also the period following the abdication of Napoleon. While Jane and Vincent are on their honeymoon in Belgium, the deposed emperor escapes exile and makes his return to France, leaving the newlyweds with no easy way to return to England. 

Certainly, this book was somewhat of a departure from the kind of fantasy I usually read and the experience was very new and different for me. The language and characters' mannerisms are definitely in keeping with the time period, which I have to admit was delightful and yet frustrating at the same time. Mostly, the frustrations come from the narrator Jane and the way she dwells on issues for a long time and perceives every little indignity as a personal slight to her, especially those pertaining to marriage and her husband.

I find this still bothers me even when taking into account the era in which these books take place, a time when men and women's statuses vastly differ, so I'm not holding that against Jane. Instead, my dissatisfaction of her character stems from from her relationship with Vincent and how often their marriage feels "off". First of all, a big chunk of the novel's conflict is the result of a breakdown of communication between the two of them. I've seen this trope commonly used in romances, but I'm personally not a fan of it.

Also, despite being madly in love, the two of them don't seem to know each other very well. Awkwardly, Jane is still constantly discovering new things about her husband that surprises her or makes her doubt him, and I also found myself questioning why she so often feels the need to seek permission or approval from him for every little decision. I have to assume their courtship mustn't have lasted very long, but perhaps this is where I need to pick up Shades of Milk and Honey to find out. 

Speaking of the first book, I do intend to go back and read it. Despite my problems with the main character, I thought this book was well-written and contains interesting ideas. I can't really talk about some of the issues in it without giving away too many spoilers, but suffice to say the emotional reactions of the characters are very well-described, deep, and most importantly, realistic and believable. I also love the idea of Glamour magic, which is just abstract enough to give one the sense that it's so much more than can be put into words. I'm looking forward to learning more details about Glamour in the first book, as well as in future installments of this series.

3.5 of 5 stars

 

Book Review: Bitter Seeds by Ian Tregillis

Bitter Seeds by Ian Tregillis

This book could have been a story arc in a comic book, and I mean that in a good way. In fact, I'm thinking that could be why I liked this book so much. You have British warlocks versus Nazi Germany's engineered super soldiers in an alternate history of World War II.

At this point in the story, the U.S. is still out of the picture and the Soviet Union only gets involved later in the book. The British have discovered that Nazi scientists have been developed a technology to create a group of "supermen" -- there's a guy who can manipulate fire, a woman who can turn invisible, another dude who can walk through solid matter, etc. The British know they're screwed unless they come up with something fast, so they end up recruiting a bunch of their warlocks to counter the enemy.

But the story is a lot darker than it sounds, or at least that's how I felt. There are parts that were really emotionally disturbing and/or upsetting to me; the whole book just has this heavy, gloomy vibe surrounding it, which isn't uncommon for books that explore the theme of whether the ends justify the means -- because there's a catch to the warlocks' power. Apparently, it comes only from a group of omnipotent extra-planar beings called the Eidolons, demon-like creatures who demand a "blood price" for their services.

Not to mention that the book's main antagonist, the Nazi's super-soldier pre-cog named Gretel is one crazy scary bitch. She's even crazier and scarier than the Nazi's mad scientist. The people on her own side are afraid of her. Heck, her own brother thinks she's nutters. And yet, her personality is handled just subtly enough so the reader doesn't simply brush her off as just another cookie-cutter psycho supervillain. Personally, I found her fascinating in a creepy, discomforting sort of way, because you're left wondering what could anyone with the perfect ability to see the future and manipulate events possibly have planned for the world? It hurts my head just to work out the paradoxes, and quite frankly I don't really want to think about it at all.

Like I said, there were parts of this book that really disturbed and upset me, but not in the way that would make me want to put it down. Most of the time, it was the penetrating feeling of dread that hit me as I was reading, the anticipation of impending disaster or of waiting for the other shoe to drop. It's a good, suspenseful fear, and I suppose it speaks well of the author that he was able to make me feel this way, because it doesn't normally happen unless I get emotionally invested in the story or the characters. 

I don't want to make this book sound all doom and gloom, though. It's beautifully written and Ian Tregillis has clearly done his homework on the historical period. Despite the occult paranormal and science fiction elements, you get a highly realistic sense of the war setting. The main characters are also very well done; we see the story play out through three main narratives -- Marsh the British agent, Will the warlock, and Klaus the Nazi super soldier -- and between them I got a pretty clear picture of what's happening on all sides.

It's probably true that the ideas in this novel aren't completely original; you can probably recognize elements of them from other works, but the way Tregillis has mashed them together and the context he uses made this a really intriguing read. I'm really looking forward to picking up the rest of the series if it means I'll be getting more of that good stuff.

Science fiction fans with an inclination towards alternate history should definitely check this out, especially if you have an interest in the WWII era.

Final verdict:

4 of 5 stars

Book Review: The Boleyn King by Laura Andersen

The Boleyn King by Laura Andersen

First my sincere thanks to the author, publisher and LibraryThing because I received my copy of The Boleyn King from one of their Early Reviewers giveaways. I really enjoyed this book for a number of reasons, and not for the very least because I love historical novels or the fact it has "Boleyn" in the title. Within the genre, books involving European monarchies are usually among my favorites and it's always hard to resist any story involving the lives of Henry VIII and his wives, so you can imagine how my interest was immediately piqued.

Except with this book, there's a twist. Whether or not that's good or bad will depend on what kind of historical fiction reader you are. For myself, I typically don't mind reading historical novels that include a fantasy element or touch of something different, so in a way this was right up my alley. In the case of The Boleyn King, the thing to know is that it is an alternate history, a re-imagined account of what might have happened if certain events hadn't played out the way they had.

In fact, I thought the main idea behind the book was quite an interesting and very creative one. It basically asks: What if Anne Boleyn did not miscarry in 1536, but actually gave birth to a son, the male heir Henry VIII so desperately wanted? The boy grows up to be Henry IX, also known as William. Though he is young, all signs are pointing to William becoming a good and competent king, but his reign is put to the test when conspiracy invades his court and war with the French looms on the horizon. Despite being watched over by Anne and her brother the regent Lord Rochford, William only trusts three people in his life: his older sister Elizabeth, his best friend Dominic, and his mother's young ward Minuette.

This is not your typical historical novel. The setting as well as some of the characters are real, but that's pretty much where it ends. It's not so much a book depicting actual events or the perspectives of historical persons than it is one giant "What if?" scenario, so the author has a lot of freedom to do some very neat things with the story and characters without the usual constraints, and her re-imagined history and characterization of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn's son is a very intriguing one. 

It also made me realize the story has so much potential. The Boleyn King is only the first book of a trilogy, so I'm looking forward to seeing what else has been planned for the setting and characters, especially if Laura Andersen decides to give more involvement to actual historical persons and events. So far, much of the plot has been given to romance, but there's also the mystery, intrigue and politics that she established and I would very much love to see that those aspects get as much attention as the relationship details in future books. Since I think this is shaping up to be a historical romance series, I think the author struck a very good balance. Like I said, the idea has so much potential, and while I enjoy the romantic drama, I just wouldn't want to see it overshadow everything else she has set up here.

I think the untapped potential also exists for the characters. Right now, my feelings for them are somewhat mixed. The story is told through the perspectives of the "Four Stars": William, Elizabeth, Dominic, and Minuette. I like William, though I think his characterization could stand to go a bit further than just your teenage king full of youthful arrogance and bravado who longs to prove himself, but I have a feeling that will develop more as his character matures in future books. Dominic feels like the familiar romantic young adult hero, whose honor and pride prevents him from telling the woman he loves how he feels, which leads to a lot of brooding and pining on his part. I might have been more frustrated with the slew of relationship conflicts that arise from this, if I hadn't been so busy sympathizing with him the whole time.

Elizabeth is my favorite, but I noticed that in this book she is very similar to a lot of the other depictions of her in historical fiction -- serious, austere, and collected. Now, I can understand why the author would do that for a someone like, say, Anne Boleyn, who is often characterized as sharp and crafty because of her reputation, so it's just going with the grain by portraying her like that too. But in an alternate history where King Henry VIII gets his son by Anne, I figured that spending her life growing up alongside a boisterous little brother who is heir apparent might have had a greater effect on Elizabeth's personality. 

Once again I'm just contemplating at the potential for something more, but it's really not that big a deal since I still really enjoyed Elizabeth's character overall. In contrast, I did not care for Minuette at all. She's a little too idealized for my tastes, a bit too perfect. It seems everyone loves her sweet, kind nature, no one at court is immune to her charms, the men in the book are tripping over themselves and each other for her affections, and all of them are like, "What would we ever do without our darling Minuette?" Her character was too much for me, too many pros, not enough cons, and I just would prefer it if she'd been a little more balanced. 

The way things are going though, I think the characters will probably grow on me in the next book, because I already know I'll be picking it up when it comes out. This was a very creative idea for a historical novel and I'm really curious to see what it'll lead to and how far it will go. Alternate history stories are often filled with imagination and wishful thinking, but I find pondering "what could have been" can also be quite entertaining and a lot of fun.

The estimated release date for The Boleyn King is May 14, 2013. 

Final verdict:

 4 of 5 stars

Comic Review: East of West #1 by Jonathan Hickman

East of West #1 by Jonathan Hickman

This comic starts as an alternate retelling of US history that deviates during the Civil War.

Two new leaders rose up out of that conflict, a Native American chief who becomes chief of chiefs, gaining control of all the tribes and forming The Endless Indian Nation. A former soldier named Elijah deserts the union and becomes a prophet. Soon the war escalates with attacks from the Nation and the religious, causing the it to linger on for 20 years until a comet hits the United States. Out of that event, seven territories come into being and form peace (that's probably tenuous and rife with old hostilities if I'm to judge by later panels).

Running parallel to this is a story about the four horsemen of the Apocalypse, except there are only three. War, famine, and conquest (who has replaced pestilence, I suppose) have been reborn as children who are continuing their mission with the added goal of finding Death who was not reborn alongside them. Their mission isn't quite clear to readers yet, Some readers may know the biblical significance, but we don't know how that'll play out in this story just yet. Childish glee mixed with malicious intent makes them very unsettling. The only thing we know for sure at this point is that they must find Death.

I would be lying to you if I said this makes a ton of sense at this point. It's Jonathan Hickman. I'm sure it's not supposed to make any sense right now. Hickman has a way of leaving his readers a little boggled at first, but you can always tell he's setting you up for some incredible. Even with the slight fog, the story is engaging. Hickman has combined elements of history, sci-fi, the supernatural, and fantasy with a heavy dose of the old west, giving reads an unusual blend of ingredients that are delectable together. An innocuous motorcycle turns into a metal grasshopper, saloons that appear as they would in 1800s, end time prophecies with visions and words shared among many no matter their race or affiliations--all these things ask you to continue this journey into the strange.

You want to know more about what's going on, how this alternate United States works. Some elements are cleared up by the end of the book, but then, you're left with even more questions. I want to know more about the different territories, but I am a little apprehensive about how it might be handled, especially since one of the territories is "The Confederacy, " and that could get prickly. The art is beautifully done by Dragotta, nothing short of phenomenal to be honest. The landscapes and people are darkly gorgeous. There's nothing "stock" about the art presented. Dragotta managed to pull so much uniqueness from the story presented.

My interest is piqued. I'm not sure where this story is going at this point, but I am certain that I want to follow it.

Story:

3.5 of 5 stars

Art:

4.5 of 5 stars

Final Verdict:

4 of 5 stars