I’m really enjoying this series, more than any other fantasy novels I’m currently plowing through other than, possibly, A Song of Ice and Fire. And in...moreI’m really enjoying this series, more than any other fantasy novels I’m currently plowing through other than, possibly, A Song of Ice and Fire. And in this volume, with all his world-building out of the way, Tchaikovsky definitely sets out for GRR Martin territory. Like Martin, he balances dozens of characters and plotlines, each with their own motivations and impact on the thrust of the novel as a whole. And also like Martin, he avoids painting anyone as completely good or completely evil (with one or two exceptions). Unlike Martin, Tchaikovsky never makes you wonder which side of the conflict you’re supposed to be rooting for, but he goes to great lengths to humanize (insectize?) the antagonists so you can at least understand the “bad guys” point of view. (As I may have commented in my review of vol.1, the use of insect metaphors for the different races and applying them to the characters’ overall psychology is fascinating and very original.)
Also, and I’m really glad for this, Tchaikovsky continues to explore the effect of warfare on the state of technology. Despite the fact that magic exists, the victories and defeats of the competing forces hinge on technological advancement as much as on tactics and individual heroism. I especially appreciate the way that Tchaikovsky handles his technology – it’s not the same as in our own world, but it follows basic rules of logic and design and avoids the overall silliness that plagues much of Steampunk.
If the book has a weakness, it’s the lack of a strong central narrative. The first part of the book drags somewhat, and it’s not until halfway through that the fog of multiple plotlines crystallizes into a strong focus on the war to save the Lowlands from the Empire. Until then, it’s just a bunch of competing personal interests with the war as a backdrop, none of which seem strong enough to carry the weight of the story themselves. Then again, I guess that’s the whole point the author was trying to make.(less)
Here I am again with another completely unbiased 5-star review of an anthology that just happens to contain one of my own stories (in this case, a lit...moreHere I am again with another completely unbiased 5-star review of an anthology that just happens to contain one of my own stories (in this case, a little piece called "Jumping the Rails").
A few of my favorites, though:
"Grass Elephant" - another extremely engaging story from M. Keaton set in the wilds of Africa.
"Cicada Summer" - Jon Klement's heartwarming tale of childhood and alien invasion.
"The Big Golden Apple" - by Cindy MacLeod, set in a steampunk Manhattan with a surprising connection to our own.
On the whole, an even stronger collection than Dreams volume one. Looking forward to volume three!
This was an amazing debut, and I in no way expected to enjoy it as much as I did. It was certainly the most fun fantasy novel I've read in a long time...moreThis was an amazing debut, and I in no way expected to enjoy it as much as I did. It was certainly the most fun fantasy novel I've read in a long time. It's a comparison not many will make, but this book made me feel the same as when I first read Weis & Hickman's DragonLance novels back in the 80s, before elves, dwarves, and D&D character classes became worn out cliches. The world of Shadows of the Apt does have the feel of a gaming universe, complete with its own races and classes, but the ones here are so original and unique that the whole book feels fresh.
What might put some readers off is that all the races are based on insects - the villains are Wasps, the heroes are mostly Beetles and Ants, with the occasional elf-like Mantis or Moth thrown in for good effect. They're not bugs, of course, simply humanoids who share certain characteristics with those species.
A big bonus for me is that Tchaikovsky addresses one of my personal pet peeves about the fantasy genre - the lack of technology. Fantasy was trapped in the mid-to-late middle ages for most of the 20th Century. Even in a world where magic works, though, people will eventually discover things like gunpowder, alarm clocks, and flushing toilets. The world of the Apt is a magic-based world just on the cusp of a technological revolution, and part of the struggle is between the races who embrace technology and those who can't comprehend it. Good stuff.
My only quibble, and it's a minor one, is that the author seems to like his own characters a little too much: he isn't as overtly cruel to them as he should be. Much of this novel sets up plot lines and conflicts for future volumes, though, so hopefully he'll ratchet up the pain and personal cost to his characters as the series progresses.(less)
I hate to give a low review to a graphic novel with art this gorgeous, but I'm afraid I have to. My advice - find a copy at a bookstore and flip throu...moreI hate to give a low review to a graphic novel with art this gorgeous, but I'm afraid I have to. My advice - find a copy at a bookstore and flip through it slowly, because the artwork is breathtaking. Just be sure that when you do, you don't read any of the text boxes or dialog balloons, because the writing is so very, very awful.
If you pick up 50s and 60s American comics, you may notice that often the writers didn't trust the illustrators to tell their story, so they put enough description in the text to let you know what was going on if you couldn't figure it out from looking at the pictures. Since Jacques Tardi was both writer and artist, I can't figure why he didn't trust his gorgeous pictures to tell his story, but the text is so horribly overwritten that it sinks the entire graphic novel like an iceberg. The dialog is so flat and wooden as to make Stan Lee's seem naturalistic.
I don't know - maybe it all sounds better in French.(less)
I know that a lot of people like this book. I wanted to like it too. I started out liking it, then about fifty pages in I realized I'd been tricked in...moreI know that a lot of people like this book. I wanted to like it too. I started out liking it, then about fifty pages in I realized I'd been tricked into reading a paranormal romance novel. Normally I'd have quit right there, but my book group is discussing Greyfriar this month, so I made myself finish it. Around the halfway point, I got over my ire and started enjoying the book for what it was, and not what I'd hoped it would be when I started. I'm glad I did, too - the climax of the book is really well done and sets a good hook for volume 2.
So what do I have against paranormal romance? Well, in this case... It starts off well with a human Princess under attack and on the run from an army of vampires. And let me say, I like these vampires. They're inhuman, alien monsters, with a psychology quite different from that of mere mortals. The world-building, what there is of it, is intriguing and drags you into the novel. And then...
The Princess is rescued by a Dashing Rogue who turns out to be... wait for it... a Prince in disguise. If you suddenly ask yourself, "What is this, a Disney movie?" you might understand how I feel. You might also suspect that you can predict every single story beat from that point on by applying the "beautiful, conflicted princess meets handsome superman with a dark secret" formula, and you'd be right.
I could go on about a few other pet peeves that Greyfriar rubs the wrong way, such as making every single character who isn't royalty a cardboard cutout, etc. but I won't. I know there's an audience out there for this sort of thing, but I'm not in it. I would, however, recommend this novel to any paranormal romance fan who wanted to sample something a little edgier than the normal bodice-ripper.(less)
By Jove, I love Mark Hodder. Once again he's set the bar that all other steampunk ought to be measured by. One - he knows his history. Two - he knows...moreBy Jove, I love Mark Hodder. Once again he's set the bar that all other steampunk ought to be measured by. One - he knows his history. Two - he knows how to spin a fantastic adventure. Three - he's completely nuts. Gone are the exploding werewolves of the first book in this series, only to be replaced by a behemoth, flesh-eating rabblerouser, ghosts made of steam, and unfailingly polite zombies.
This book starts off at a slower burn than the first installment, but rises through several how-do-they-get-out-of-this scenarios to a battle scene that forever puts to shame the zombie wars of Boneshaker. The Clockwork Man of the title is something of a fake-out, since the action instead centers around the Tichbourne Claimant, a madman posing as the long lost heir to a family fortune. Along the way, Hodder acknowledges that the laws of nature in a steampunk story aren't quite the same as in the real world, then goes the extra mile to provide a perfectly good explanation.
So why not five stars? The characters still lack any real depth beyond what's needed to propel the action, and Hodder still seems to be unaware that the female sex exists aside from the occasional housemaid. To be fair, one of the main antagonists this time around is a woman, but she's little more than a cackling lunatic who's only there to give Sir Richard Francis Burton someone to face off against.
Still, that sounds like I'm complaining when I'm really not. If you're at all interested in steampunk, read the Burton & Swinburne series before dipping your toes anywhere else. Commercial over. 'Nuff said.(less)
Not so long ago, Cherie Priest's Boneshaker made a bid for "definitive Steampunk novel." While it was a valiant attempt, I think the crown should trul...moreNot so long ago, Cherie Priest's Boneshaker made a bid for "definitive Steampunk novel." While it was a valiant attempt, I think the crown should truly go to Mark Hodder's Spring Heeled Jack. Based in an alternate Victorian England, but using a cavalcade of real historical figures for its dramatis personae, Hodder mixes historical fact, steampunk technology, Victorian mores, a 19th Century urban legend, and one of the maddest takes on time travel ever.
The protagonist is Sir Richard Burton, who accomplished so much in his real life that were a fiction writer to make him up, he would come across as unbelievable. After a series of attacks in London's East End by spontaneously combustible werewolves, and a personal encounter with the demonic character of the title, Burton is appointed "King's Agent" - kind of a 19th Century James Bond. He teams up with several others, most notably the rakish poet Algernon Swinburne, to investigate the case, which leads to the startling possibility that his entire world only exists because of a single instance of history being changed.
The book's one flaw is that aside from Burton the characters are a little thin. That suits the novel's pulpy nature, however, and the fact that the book never takes itself too seriously. (Go back and re-read the phrase "spontaneously combusting werewolves" if you don't believe me.) For all its muck and horror, there's an underlying silliness to the Victorian era that most writers never seem to face up to. Hodder uses it all to good effect.(less)
First, let me recuse myself from giving anything like an unbiased review of this collection. Full disclosure: it includes my story "Dead Man's Hand,"...moreFirst, let me recuse myself from giving anything like an unbiased review of this collection. Full disclosure: it includes my story "Dead Man's Hand," which the editor (Kimberly Richardson) assures me has creeped people out.
However, I'd like to give a shout-out to a few of my other favorite stories from the collection: "Black Rhino" by M. Keaton, "Five Copper Bowls" by Dale Carothers, "Harry Was One of Us" by Sara M. Harvey, and "Phoenix" by H. David Blaylock. All the stories were unique and creative variations on the steampunk theme, and the collection as a whole is a warm, welcome bundle of sheer pulpy goodness.
You have to stand in awe of the way Cherie Priest managed to tap into the pop culture zeitgeist with her steampunk zombie pulp-fest. Anyone who thinks...moreYou have to stand in awe of the way Cherie Priest managed to tap into the pop culture zeitgeist with her steampunk zombie pulp-fest. Anyone who thinks she was simply following these trends doesn't appreciate exactly how long it takes to get a book from idea to the shelf. It feels as if Priest was trying to write the definitive steampunk novel, with solid, logical reasons for all of the standard trappings: goggles, airships, advanced weaponry, and mad science. It will be interesting to see where she goes with the series. Boneshaker loses a little bit of steam (heh) in the middle, but picks up again toward the end to a satisfying conclusion.
There are only two quibbles that I have with the story: One, Priest postulates an entire society of people living "on the edge" in a zombie-infested Seattle, but she never (to my mind) gives a pressing reason why any of these people would choose to remain. They're not trapped, since there is commerce with the outside world. Supposedly this society exists because the zombie-gas that caused the problem in the first place can be refined into a narcotic, but if they're staying in Seattle for the money, what do they plan to spend it on?
Two- I don't really feel that Priest did right by her villain, Minnericht. He stays in the shadows for most of the novel, and when he finally does appear on the scene, he breathes a burst of new life into the story. Unfortunately, the mystery of Minnericht's identity is revealed a little too easily, and the way that it happens effectively emasculates him as an antagonist.
Nevertheless, the final chapters in particular are beautifully written, and I'm looking forward to seeing where the story goes in volume 2.(less)
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