A bargain between the faerie and human worlds has gone wrong, wreaking havoc among the faeries. Mallory and Ryland, a fey brother and sister, are disp...moreA bargain between the faerie and human worlds has gone wrong, wreaking havoc among the faeries. Mallory and Ryland, a fey brother and sister, are dispatched by the faerie queen to the human world in a last-ditch effort to salvage the situation. Their mission: to masquerade as humans in order to manipulate Phoebe, a descendant of the original human bargain-maker, into fulfilling the the terms of the pact.
There are familiar paranormal elements here (faeries--yeah, OK), and familiar romance elements as well: good girl falls for bad boy who treats her like dirt yet it takes her the whole book to figure out that he's a jerk and she should kick him to the curb. Werlin does provide an internally consistent framework for this scenario, since the reader knows that Phoebe is under Ryland's magical influence; every now and then she stumbles to the verge of realizing it, only to have Ryland tighten his grip. Ryland's cold manipulation is also effectively contrasted with the guilt and conflict felt by Mallory--who, tasked to beguile Phoebe, has herself been beguiled, and has come to feel genuine friendship for her human target.
But what really elevates Extraordinary above the ordinary run of paranormal novels is the detailed, sensitive characterizations. Phoebe's conflict, her confusion, her search to define herself, are all achingly real, and her inner voice rings absolutely true--even if her ultimate realization seems a little forced, and you occasionally want to yell "Wake up! He's using you!" Mallory's conflict is poignantly portrayed. Even nasty Ryland has motivations that we can ultimately understand--as do the faeries, whose callous abuse of Phoebe is an act not just of cruelty but of desperation. And the ending is perfect: gripping, surprising, triumphant, and a little sad.
I really enjoyed this book, and will seek out others by the author.(less)
The Dome is the last community of human survivors on an asteroid-devastated Earth, which is now the province of savage Shredders and lethal Dust. Or s...moreThe Dome is the last community of human survivors on an asteroid-devastated Earth, which is now the province of savage Shredders and lethal Dust. Or so say the privileged elite who run the Dome. But when orphaned, 16-year-old Glory--whose power to kill with a glance makes her one of the Deviants who are feared and hated by the Dome's inhabitants--is forced to run for her life to protect her crippled brother, she discovers that the world, and the Dome, are nothing like she has been taught to believe.
The repressive society that brainwashes its members in order to perpetuate its survival is a familiar dystopian trope. Familiar also is Glory's first-person present-tense narrative voice, and the love triangle that presents her with two toothsome potential boyfriends (each, of course, with a dark side). DEVIANTS doesn't feel derivative, however, due to McGowan's solid writing, well-drawn characters, and clever worldbuilding. The deteriorating Dome--where the bulk of the population ekes out a hardscrabble existence, with all the necessities of life in short supply, while the elites live in secret luxury--is vividly portrayed; its terminology and organization subtly reveal its origins as some kind of end-of-the-world corporate refuge, though so much time has passed since the original disaster that none of its inhabitants remember this (except maybe the privileged few who run things). Glory is brave, resourceful, and believably conflicted, making hard decisions because there's no one else to make them, risking everything to protect and care for her brother and to hide her own secret Deviancy.
There's plenty of action, mystery, and suspense, but also quieter moments for reflection and insight--a nice contrast to some other dystopians, where non-stop action eventually exhausts the reader's attention (not to mention his/her suspension of disbelief).
DEVIANTS finishes on a satisfying note. But it's the first of a trilogy, and the conclusion leaves many mysteries unresolved, and Glory poised at the edge of a new and dangerous quest. I'm looking forward to the next installment of this promising series.(less)
Although the Sherlock Holmes analog character has been overdone, I mostly enjoyed this Holmesian mystery-thriller, even though it's overwritten at tim...moreAlthough the Sherlock Holmes analog character has been overdone, I mostly enjoyed this Holmesian mystery-thriller, even though it's overwritten at times, goes on a bit too long at the end, and places the female lead in disappointingly predictable jeopardy. The author's research is clearly very thorough, and he does a good job of creating a convincing historical setting without calling attention to the fact that he's teaching you something. Especially interesting was the way the Salem witch trials were worked into the story, providing an intriguing new (well, new to me) angle on that slice of history. (less)
There's not a lot new in the concept or the plot. It's also not entirely clear whether the writer intends it to be an alternate history of sorts, with...moreThere's not a lot new in the concept or the plot. It's also not entirely clear whether the writer intends it to be an alternate history of sorts, with his fictional Citadel standing in for the Catholic Church--I suspect he does, but if so he doesn't go far enough.
Still, it's pretty good light reading, well-paced and reasonably well written, with the plot coupons kept to a minimum. A good airport or beach book to occupy a few hours. (less)
I won't even attempt to summarize the complicated premise of EMBASSYTOWN. The novel is a bit slow to start, and the characters aren't deeply drawn--es...moreI won't even attempt to summarize the complicated premise of EMBASSYTOWN. The novel is a bit slow to start, and the characters aren't deeply drawn--especially the protagonist, who is more a narrative device than a real character (rather like the vestigial narrators in some 19th century Russian novels, who serve principally as camera eyes to reveal the doings of others). I also have some misgivings about the premise--for instance, if the Ariekei's unique language doesn't allow for abstraction, how could they ever have conceived of the need for similes?
But these are quibbles. Overall, EMBASSYTOWN is a beautifully written, profoundly original, intellectually challenging, and completely immersive novel that demonstrates yet again that China Mieville is one of the finest writers currently working in any genre.
I was strongly reminded of Ursula Le Guin's THE DISPOSSESSED--not because of any similarities of style or content, but because EMBASSYTOWN too is a novel built around an intellectual exercise--in this case, the nature of language and the way in which language shapes, and limits, thought, cognition, and culture. But while THE DISPOSSESSED, fascinating as it is, never quite lets you forget that it's a thought experiment, EMBASSYTOWN ultimately reaches beyond the dry territory of intellectual exercise, and achieves true tragic scope.
I don't often give five stars, but EMBASSYTOWN merits them and more. Also recommended: Mieville's THE CITY AND THE CITY--also an intellectual exercise that breaks through its rigor to seize hold of the emotions and haunt the reader long after it's finished. (less)
Seventeen-year-old Felicita, a sheltered aristocrat, flees the rigid traditions and stifling conventions of he...moreA haunting YA fantasy by a debut author.
Seventeen-year-old Felicita, a sheltered aristocrat, flees the rigid traditions and stifling conventions of her caste, taking refuge in the slums and falling in with a rag-tag band of outcasts, grifters, and revolutionaries. Struggling to adjust to her new life, she plunges headlong into a dangerous infatuation, and is swept up in events she doesn't understand. By the time she realizes the true nature of what she's become part of, it's too late to escape.
This is a pretty familiar plot line. But Hellisen keeps it fresh with a determined and realistically conflicted heroine, interesting characters, and truly stellar world building. Atmospheric descriptions and lyrical prose bring the seaside city of Pelimburg--populated by humans, selkies and vampires (who aren't like any other vampires you've met), animated by strange magics, riven by class struggle--to vibrant life. You can practically hear the gulls and smell the ocean. There's a lot of backstory to this complex and alien world, and Hellison unfolds it in a masterful way through the action of the story and Felicita's own self-reflection. There's never an infodump (as a fantasy writer myself, I know how difficult that is to achieve).
The novel does meander a bit in the middle, bogging down in Felicita's exploration of her new relationships with two very different, but equally unusual, young men. Overall, though, I found this a really rewarding read. The ending is open enough to allow for a sequel. I look forward to it.(less)
Really 3.5 stars, but I rounded up because of the quality of the writing.
A circus of dreams, open only during the hours of darkness. An ancient duel b...moreReally 3.5 stars, but I rounded up because of the quality of the writing.
A circus of dreams, open only during the hours of darkness. An ancient duel between two powerful sorcerers, enacted by proxy through a succession of students who are never allowed to understand why they are competing, or for what. A love story as doomed as it is inevitable. Lovely writing, sumptuous imagery, ingenious and exotic magics. All the ingredients, it would seem, for a truly extraordinary book.
And yet, though this is a novel of wonderful parts, somehow the whole didn't add up for me. Perhaps because the cool present-tense narration is distancing, making it difficult to engage with the characters. Perhaps because the multiple points of view--including the reader's, in a guided tour of the circus--are too diffuse, and these different story threads are knotted up too slowly. Perhaps because there's so much imagery that--especially toward the end of the book where the tension should be unbearable--it becomes digressive. The circus is meant to be a character as much as any of the human protagonists, and the images are endlessly inventive and wonderful--but they slow the progression of the plot and ultimately have a flattening effect.
And yet THE NIGHT CIRCUS is a beautifully written book, the product of a gorgeous imagination. It's flawed but lovely. I'll be on board for the author's next novel.
If you liked THE NIGHT CIRCUS, or if, like me, you felt it fell somewhat short, try Robertson Davies, especially the Deptford Trilogy.(less)
Sexy teenage zombies? Yeah, I was skeptical too. But in Dearly, Departed Lia Habel just about made me believe it.
This is a fun adventure/romance with...moreSexy teenage zombies? Yeah, I was skeptical too. But in Dearly, Departed Lia Habel just about made me believe it.
This is a fun adventure/romance with an intriguingly unusual take on the zombie theme. Yes, there's a zombie plague, with hordes of ravening flesh-eaters--but some zombies wake up with their minds intact and are able to refrain from gobbling flesh. Of course they require a lot of medical and mechanical intervention by sympathetic living people to keep them from, well, rotting away--Habel comes up with some ingenious steampunkish scenarios for zombie maintenance--but otherwise they can live pretty much like normal people.
This YA debut novel is well-plotted and paced, with exciting action scenes and a host of appealing characters (and, of course, some pretty horrible bad guys). The romance between the living heroine and the zombie hero develops believably, even if it sidesteps a number of important questions (um, sex? He's dead, after all). The story is told from multiple first-person points of view--and that's my only major quibble, because the narrative voices really aren't distinct from one another (always a danger with this sort of narrative structure). If I stopped reading in the middle of a chapter, I often had to check the chapter heading to see whose head I was in.
Overall, an extremely promising start to a cool new series. I can't wait for the next installment.(less)
I love C.J. Sansom's Matthew Shardlake Tudor mysteries, and this latest installment, which sets a story of murder, identity theft, ambition, and betra...moreI love C.J. Sansom's Matthew Shardlake Tudor mysteries, and this latest installment, which sets a story of murder, identity theft, ambition, and betrayal in the context of Henry VIII's disastrous final war with France, doesn't disappoint. Sansom has a gift for combining the sweep of a historical epic with the suspense of the best murder mysteries, keeping readers guessing all the way through. The apparent leisureliness of the narrative is an illusion; Sansom builds tremendous suspense, manipulating multiple plot threads toward a resolution that always surprises but inevitably makes perfect sense. The characters are memorable, the psychology acute. This is one of those books that I was sorry to finish. (less)
A coming-of-age novel that’s a bit slow to start, but ultimately engrossing.
What stands out for me aren’t so much the characters–protagonists Nailer a...moreA coming-of-age novel that’s a bit slow to start, but ultimately engrossing.
What stands out for me aren’t so much the characters–protagonists Nailer and Nita are complex and believable, but many of the supporting characters are sketchily drawn–or the plot, which has a familiar shape–shipwrecked rich girl rescued by gutter rat, flight from bad people wanting to use rich girl as pawn, a big fight, a hairsbreadth rescue–but the meticulously detailed, multi-layered post-climate change world in which the action takes place.
Bacigalupi presents a scenario in which our own “Accelerated Age” and the damage it wrought is just a memory, and a new society has grown up in and around its relics and submerged former metropolitan areas. From the hardscrabble coastal region where Nailer and his crew dismantle the rusted hulks of supertankers for salvage, to the drowned city of Orleans II, to the clipper ships that, in a world of water, are once again a main route of commerce, it’s a vivid, convincing, and frighteningly plausible vision of the future. And yet, much as the culture and the landscapes have changed, much remains the same: human nature, both good and bad, and the eternal exploitation of the weak by the strong.
I was reminded of George Turner’s wonderful and unjustly forgotten 1987 novel Drowning Towers (originally published as The Sea and Summer), which posited a similar worldwide economic and climate transformation long before climate change became inevitable, rather than merely probable.(less)
I've gotten out of the habit of reading Fat Fantasy--the storylines/worlds/characters often seem too familiar, and it often feels like too much effort...moreI've gotten out of the habit of reading Fat Fantasy--the storylines/worlds/characters often seem too familiar, and it often feels like too much effort to trudge through hundreds of pages only to wind up a third of the way (or less) through the story.
So I wasn't planning on reading this book at all, and probably never would have if I hadn't been stuck in a situation where there was nothing else to do. Well, within ten pages I was hooked. Solid world building and plotting anchor the story, but what raises this book above the ordinary run of Fat Fantasy is the fully-realized characters and Sanderson's expert pacing, as well as the hints of the larger saga (I have a feeling this will run well beyond a trilogy) parceled out at exactly the right intervals. I was sorry to finish (and at 800+ pages, that's saying something) and can't wait for the next installment.(less)
A riveting series that's among the best to come out of the YA dystopian trend. This dark, gripping and exciting saga of societal breakdown and civil w...moreA riveting series that's among the best to come out of the YA dystopian trend. This dark, gripping and exciting saga of societal breakdown and civil war on a recently-colonized planet poses troubling moral questions and offers no easy answers, with all the characters embodying a mix of good and bad, and even the best of them compromising themselves with bad or ambiguous choices. Expert pacing, superior writing and world building, and a unique narrative voice (as opposed to the depressingly common I'm-trying-really-hard-to-create-a-unique-narrative-voice-cause-that's-what-editors-want-but-I'm-not-quite-a-good-enough-writer-to-pull-it-off) propel the story. I can't wait to read the final installment. (less)
A supernatural thriller set in an obscure corner of Indiana, where mineral springs briefly (during Prohibition) supported a thriving casino and resort...moreA supernatural thriller set in an obscure corner of Indiana, where mineral springs briefly (during Prohibition) supported a thriving casino and resort community. The plot is no great shakes--a troubled man with a latent psychic gift sees visions of an evil force that has awakened after years of dormancy; yeah, been there, read that--but the writing is gripping and the setting--which features sulfuric mineral springs, resort hotels that rival the finest in Europe, an amazing and mostly forgotten slice of history, and a strange river flowing mostly underground--is interestingly surreal. All the locations are real--I've visited the architecturally astonishing West Baden Springs Hotel, where much of the action takes place. It's cool to be able to visualize a setting so clearly.(less)
A dark, atmospheric Midwestern Gothic about the destructive force of family secrets, told in spare prose and multiple, rapidly-shifting points of view...moreA dark, atmospheric Midwestern Gothic about the destructive force of family secrets, told in spare prose and multiple, rapidly-shifting points of view. I initially found the slow start and the shifting POVs off-putting, but once I settled into the story and the style, I found this really compelling. (less)
I don't often give five stars to a book, but this spare, moving exploration of prejudice, loneliness, and friendship lost and then regained truly dese...moreI don't often give five stars to a book, but this spare, moving exploration of prejudice, loneliness, and friendship lost and then regained truly deserves the rating. It's framed as a murder mystery, and does a good job of building thriller-style suspense--but it's really about the consequences of tragedy, long after the fact. The characters are unforgettable, the Mississippi setting steamy and vivid, and the ending will make you cry. Just a wonderful, wonderful book.(less)
This fantasy about gods imprisoned on the earth in the aftermath of a Gods' War employs a lot of romance conventions (the dangerous, brooding hero; th...moreThis fantasy about gods imprisoned on the earth in the aftermath of a Gods' War employs a lot of romance conventions (the dangerous, brooding hero; the feisty heroine out of her element in the mysterious mansion--or in this case, palace), but manages to transcend them with interesting mythology, strong characterizations, and evocative writing. I'm definitely on board for the next installment.(less)
I made it all the way through this book, though nearly every time I put it down I resolved not to pick it up again. It's an intriguing narrative by tw...moreI made it all the way through this book, though nearly every time I put it down I resolved not to pick it up again. It's an intriguing narrative by two equally unreliable narrators, but the author's smug writing style and the many only marginally convincing plot contrivances really put me off. In the end, the "so what" factor was just too high, but I'm giving it three stars because "I didn't like it" is not the same as "bad."(less)
Very absorbing, as are all Elizabeth George books, with a complex mystery woven of multiple apparently unrelated threads, all of which come together n...moreVery absorbing, as are all Elizabeth George books, with a complex mystery woven of multiple apparently unrelated threads, all of which come together near-flawlessly at the end. I did guess the true identity of one of the characters about a third of the way through, but I suspect I was meant to. The thing about Elizabeth George, though, is that her books never feel effortless. You can always sense the careful, controlled writer pulling the strings. (less)
First, a disclaimer: I'm Ann's friend and colleague, and I haven't just read "The Price of Freedom," I witnessed its creation. But I'm speaking as a r...moreFirst, a disclaimer: I'm Ann's friend and colleague, and I haven't just read "The Price of Freedom," I witnessed its creation. But I'm speaking as a reader, not a friend, when I say this is a terrific book.
"The Price of Freedom" covers an earlier period of Jack Sparrow's life--before the first of the POTC movies--and tells the story of how he became a pirate. Ann's an experienced tie-in writer, and she has a unique knack for capturing the heart and soul of familiar characters (there's a reason she's a New York Times best-selling author). Jack, Barbossa, and others come to vivid life on the page, and fans of the movies will be able to see and hear them as they read. Fans will especially enjoy exploring different aspects of Jack's character, and learning about his life in Shipwreck Cove...and what happened to make him leave it.
But make no mistake--this isn't just a novel for POTC fans. It's a complete stand-alone swashbuckling adventure, with mysterious treasure hunts, exciting battle scenes, exotic magics, menacing villains, a touch of romance, enough authentic nautical detail to satisfy even the most die-hard Patrick O'Brian fan, and, of course, pirates. There's humor, suspense, and a serious treatment of the issue of man's inhumanity to man. In other words--something for everyone. You don't need to have seen the POTC movies--or even to have heard of them--to enjoy and appreciate this wonderful novel.
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