This is an unholy cross between Sorcery and Cecilia and The Mirador, with little of the charm of either. The metal dragons of Volstov are on the cusp...moreThis is an unholy cross between Sorcery and Cecilia and The Mirador, with little of the charm of either. The metal dragons of Volstov are on the cusp of victory in the generations long battle against the Ke-Han. During a lull in the war, the magician Royston is exciled to his family's country estates, where he falls in love with the young tutor there. Their slow building romance was quite sweet, and I actually cared about it. Not so with the relationship between Rook, a dragon jockey, and (view spoiler)[his secret long lost brother (hide spoiler)] Thom. Because I never bought Rook as anything but a loud-mouthed jackass, I didn't care about his reunion with (view spoiler)[ his scholarly sibling. (hide spoiler)]
The other problem I had with this book was one of believability. It read like the authors *wanted* to write about sexy men in a baroquely steampunk society, but couldn't pull off the world-building or plot. Volstov is only faintly drawn, despite each of the characters going into rhapsodizes about the city, and Ke-Han is even vaguer. The plot itself is pretty flimsy, and the two sets of storylines (Royston and Hal; Rook and Thom) only come together for about three pages, and for no real reason. I was disappointed. (less)
I almost gave up on this book. The first fifty or so pages are a pedestrian, awkward attempt at a Regency society novel, with mentions of mysterious m...moreI almost gave up on this book. The first fifty or so pages are a pedestrian, awkward attempt at a Regency society novel, with mentions of mysterious magicians shoehorned in. The main character, Ivy, and her family are clearly the Bennets from Pride and Prejudice, right down to their grasping cousin Mr. Collins, er, Wyble. The Mr. Darcy stand-in, Mr. Rafferdy, disappointed. But then Rafferdy and Ivy's friendship blossomed, and against my will I found myself drawn into the story. I tore through the rest of it. It's an oddly disjointed novel. The first 200 pages are P&P, but the next 140 are a spooky retelling of Jane Eyre. Even the point-of-view switches to match JE's first person narrative. Some facets of the reworked story work better than the original, at least for a modern audience. The children, for instance, are far more lifelike than Mr.Rochester's ward. Mr. Quent is rather more reasonable than Mr.Rochester, if less gothically charismatic. Then, after the rush through Bronte, the story (and Ivy) is abruptly thrust back into the city. Without P&P to rely on, Ivy and Rafferdy's relationship feels more natural and less forced. There is, moreover, a great deal more magic and action in the last third.
There are two major problems with this book. First, the author's heavy debt to Austen and Bronte. Second, the plot is poorly put together. Beckett is setting us up for a series, or at the very least a sequel, and so he introduces far too many plot points. Eldyn Garritt is a completely unnecessary character. His plot is that he has dealings with one of the rebel leaders and is moreover learning illusion magic. However, the wyldmagic and the rebellion were already part of the Rafferdy/Ivy/Quent storylines; writing in another main character whose connection to the rest is extremely tenuous, and whose addition to the plot is extraneous, is just sloppy. The author threw too much into this novel. Hopefully he'll learn to pare it down in the sequel--and be a bit more original.
I enjoyed this book. In fact, I enjoyed it so much that I stayed up until 5am to finish it. Beckett's magic systems are heady and a touch disturbing; his characters are, if not original, at least well-drawn. I like that the people's rebellion is not a clear case of good vs. evil, and that no magick is without a hidden price. I look forward to the sequel, The House on Durrow Street.(less)
As a peasant girl, Green is sold by her father to become a courtesan in a far-off land. The opening is fantastic--lots of sensory details and thoughfu...moreAs a peasant girl, Green is sold by her father to become a courtesan in a far-off land. The opening is fantastic--lots of sensory details and thoughful world-building--and Green's courtesan training is earthy and believable. But once she leaves the walls of her training courtyard behind, the story breaks down. The plot meanders and circles, and Green's motivations are confused and often contradictory. (Mere pages after declaring that her mission in life is to prevent child-slavery, she angrily declares she doesn't care about saving anyone. One moment she can't wait to free her city--the next she's asking what's in it for her. She's young, but no person changes their mind so drastically, so often.) I don't really buy the conception of gender essentialism and sexuality that underpins much of this book. The ending is anticlimactic and awful. I'm giving this a few stars because the first half was enjoyable and the writing style pretty good. But Lake should learn how to write a *novel* before he attempts another one. (less)
After her mother's murder, Evie Walker left her small hometown and began writing comics. Her stories about a US military ops team are very popular, pa...moreAfter her mother's murder, Evie Walker left her small hometown and began writing comics. Her stories about a US military ops team are very popular, particularly since they feed into the culture of paranoia and armament that the US has become in the wake of repeated terrorist attacks. But when her father is dying of cancer, Evie returns to the home she left, and finds it is far larger than she remembers. Because underneath her house lies the Storeroom, the repository of mythic items from all ages and places. From the Golden Fleece to Cinderella's slipper, it's all in a Midwestern cellar guarded by a dying old man. Now Evie is the Storeroom's keeper, and she must protect it from the greed of all manner of monsters, fairies and gods. Her only ally is Sinon, the Greek soldier who convinced the Trojans to open their gates to the horse. For his lies, he was cursed with eternal life. After generations spent wandering the earth, his only goal is death--but in the meantime, he's willing to help Evie.
This book has too many ideas, and doesn't expand on any of them for long enough. (view spoiler)[Evie realizing that Hera is operating like a terrorist, and that this is her chance to get closure/vengeance for her mother's murder by a human terrorist, would have worked a lot better if there'd been more lead-in to it. As it is, the emotional content of the scene felt like it came out of nowhere. The apocalyptic ending was pretty abrupt as well. (hide spoiler)] Evie and Sinon's love affair ramps up ludicrously swiftly. Most annoying of all, however, were the sections of Evie's comic book script. Characters tell her its brilliant, and she was awarded a medal for it, but the script itself is terrible. Not only is it clunky and obvious, but the script takes up a huge portion of the book that would be better served by getting more of Sinon's tale, or anecdotes about how other mythic items got into the Storeroom.
Discord's Apple is disorganized and unpolished, obviously a beginner's attempt at a book. But I'd rather read a book with a lot of poorly-executed ideas than a book of cliches, so I'm glad I read this one.(less)
Soren's position at the Darest court is a joke. She was proclaimed Champion of the Rose, the protector of the Rathen kings--but there have been no Rat...moreSoren's position at the Darest court is a joke. She was proclaimed Champion of the Rose, the protector of the Rathen kings--but there have been no Rathen kings in Darest for two hundred years. Her status as ignored non-entity abruptly changes when a blooming rose appears in the palace's magical garden, signaling the birth of a Rathen heir. Soren knows that the regents of Darest will do anything to maintain their position, and she needs to get to the heir before their agents do. (view spoiler)[But when Soren tracks down the heir, she finds not a baby, but a full-grown man. Strake was lost in time in the fae woods during a hunting party hundreds of years ago. Although he was just a minor prince in his own time, now he is the land's last hope. (hide spoiler)] Because the myths are right--only Rathen rule can avert the terrible doom that afflicts all of Darest.
Soren and (view spoiler)[Strake have an uneasy relationship, made harder by the Rose that twines through them. The first Rathen ruler created the Rose as a protection for the Rathens that would follow, but over the centuries it has gradually transformed from tool into something almost sentient. To protect the Rathen bloodline, it mind-controls Strake and Soren into sex, leaving her pregnant and each of them deeply traumatized and bitter about the other. The rape is utterly without details (in fact, I didn't realize what had happened until several pages later), but the characters deal with the emotional and physical aftereffects for the rest of the novel.
The Rose has other powers, too. With its magic, Soren is the only human who can sense the physical presence of the doom that stalks Darest. She, Strake, and the former regent's heir Aristide, work to halt Darest's decline and forstall the lethal magic that seeks Strake's death. They are beset with intrigue from neighboring countries and internal jockeying for power.
I liked Soren, although I wished I had a harder handle on her characterization. I think the trouble is that I'm used to characters falling into a category: scholarly, battle-hungry, fascinated by magic, family-oriented. Soren isn't particularly bookish, doesn't have combat training or inclination, can't do magic...mostly she rides her horse, works, and worries about Strake. Her internal workings are clear to the reader, but her outward seeming remained a bit opaque. Strake is pretty straightforward: smart, a bit snarly, dealing with a great deal of shock and trauma. Their romance comes kinda out of no-where, and was the only thing I didn't like about the book. The minor characters have charm and verve of their own--I was an avowed fan of Aspen from the very first. Aristide is the character I was most drawn to. He's so self-contained and perfect that the court calls him the Diamond, and stories of how he deals with those who cross him are legendary. At the start of the story I assumed he would be the villain, but his role is far more interesting. (hide spoiler)]
I really loved the magic in this book. It has a sort of dream-logic to it, and has an understated power, the kind where you only realize how impossible something is when you glance at it a second time. There's one scene, when Soren meets the fairy queen, that was particularly astounding. And I really liked that the story deals with the dark sides to ordained rule and magical tools in a really thoughtful manner.
Oh! And I nearly forgot to mention, because it's so casual and unremarked, that this is a completely queer universe. Everyone has lovers of either sex (although some people seem to have preferences) without it even needing a name, triads are as legal a relationship as couples, and both genders are perfectly equal in status and in roles. Love it!
The first five chapters are available to sample on goodreads or the author's website, but beware: they so intrigued me that I bought this book, and I am so frugal I buy a book once every five years. It is quickly, dangerously, enthralling. (less)
My favorite Brite novel, and the one with the best characterization. A young man returns to the home where his father went homicidally insane years ag...moreMy favorite Brite novel, and the one with the best characterization. A young man returns to the home where his father went homicidally insane years ago. While there, he meets and falls in love with a hacker on the run. Is their love enough to combat the sinister madness of the house?(less)
This is the co-winner of the Tiptree this year, so I expected a lot more from it. The book is set in a world very similar to our own, except with more...moreThis is the co-winner of the Tiptree this year, so I expected a lot more from it. The book is set in a world very similar to our own, except with more nuclear explosions and a population of conjoined twins large enough to have their own lobby groups. Nora is uncomfortable sharing her body with her conjoined (but perpetually unconscious) twin, Blanche, so she resolves to get Blanche surgically removed. I really love the idea of having two brains and thus, two personalities and two sexualities to a body, but the book doesn’t explore this. Instead, it focuses on Nora’s childhood in the desert, where she had quirky, twisted adventures in the radioactive dunes. By the end, Nora and the novel have lost all touch with reality—which is fun except for the fact that it’s completely unreadable. This book is the written equivalent of the last twenty minutes of “2001”—I’m sure *something* “deep” is going on, but I’m not sure what and mostly I just feel bored and nauseated. I actually feel insulted that Jackson expected readers to slog through hundreds of pages of self-congratulatory cleverness, with no discernable plot and unlikeable, unrealistic characters.(less)
This is the eighth book about Sookie Stackhouse, psychic barmaid, and it shows. There is a lot of history and a whole mess of background characters an...moreThis is the eighth book about Sookie Stackhouse, psychic barmaid, and it shows. There is a lot of history and a whole mess of background characters and ex-love interests clogging up the works. But the premise that made these books so popular holds true. Sookie remains a good, though far from perfect, person, and I enjoy reading her adventures from her kind-hearted but slightly catty point of view. Although Sookie's mind-reading gives her an edge in many situations, she's wildly underpowered compared to the rest of the supernatural creatures she rubs elbows with. Sookie worries about the violence and manipulation that comes with being friends with vamps and weres, but her loyalty toward her friends always pulls her back into dangerous situations.
Overall, the plot is wobbly and far from air-tight. Both the weres and the vampires are involved in bloody struggles for power, but each conflict fizzles, with little build or climax. This book is mostly about wrapping up old plot threads.(less)
Really fantastic, imaginative adventure set in something a bit like America's Wild West of old. Like many Westerns, the main characters are damaged pe...moreReally fantastic, imaginative adventure set in something a bit like America's Wild West of old. Like many Westerns, the main characters are damaged people in pursuit of their own interests, demonstrating occasional bursts of heroism. But unlike most Westerns, people are queer, female, and not necessarily white. And of course, there is the magic: the Line, with their noise-bombs that tear at the mind and their sentient engines; and the Agents of the Gun, whose weapons confer superhuman power but can also control the minds of their possessors; and the indescribable magics of the First Folk, to whom names are anathema. The characters are interesting, the adventure thrilling, and the world absolutely enthralling.
Marla Mason has a problem. She may be the most powerful sorcerer in her city, but she has only days until a rival deletes her from existance. She and...moreMarla Mason has a problem. She may be the most powerful sorcerer in her city, but she has only days until a rival deletes her from existance. She and her faithful sidekick Rondeau (actually a parasitic spirit riding a chance-met human) travel to San Francisco to use the Cornerstone, a block of incredibly powerful magic. Getting the Cornerstone will be difficult--suriving San Francisco may be impossible. Sorcerers, gods, and technomages stand in Marla's way, and a fanatical priest of Tlaltecuhtli seeks to destroy the world. This was an odd book, because the story begins very much in media res. Marla is far from a blank slate or a new to sorcery, and she's had years to build up allies and mortal enemies. The backstories were written a little clunkily, but I was glad to see them--I love complications and contradictions. Although the story takes place exclusively in San Francisco, Marla and Rondeau's reactions to another city tell the reader a great deal about their own city, Felport. The magics are ingenious and often inventive: one sorcerer lives on a train perpetually going widdershins, another operates under the principle that reality is a computer simulation of the past. Although the writing is a little rough, the action is exciting and Marla a great protagonist. Anyone who enjoyed early Laurell K Hamilton or Kelly Armstrong should give this book a try. (Note: this is not in the least paranormal romance.) It can be found online and free at: http://a1018.g.akamai.net/f/1018/1902...(less)
This book looks like a romance version of The Assassin's Apprentice. It is set in a thinly veiled version of the late 16th century (pretty much the on...moreThis book looks like a romance version of The Assassin's Apprentice. It is set in a thinly veiled version of the late 16th century (pretty much the only difference are the names--the redheaded, married to her country, virgin queen of a misty island is named "Lorraine," for instance) and follows the hidden struggle for supremacy. The main character is the secret, bastard daughter of "Lorraine" and her spymaster. Belinda spends the entirety of the book manipulating, killing, and spying in the courts of Europe. I expected it to be total trash. Imagine my surprise when I found the main character to be surprisingly sensible and cool headed, impatient with her flashes of loneliness or sympathy. After years of pretending to be various peasants (and how refreshing, to see a spy who hides her pride and takes any dirty job), Belinda is unexpectedly thrust into the spotlight when she catches the eye of a prince. While using him to get closer to his mother's papers, Belinda and Prince Javier come to a startling realization: they share a witchy power. Their relationship deepens, but staying in one, high profile place is dangerous for Belinda. Her various plots and personas accumulate and might be about to catch up with her...
Belinda is a particularly interesting character because of her troubled interaction with power. Having spent the first twenty-two years as unthinkingly obedient and subservient, it is a true reversal for Belinda to not only order her own servants, but to control the minds of those around her, as well. Her sexual appetites awaken, and she begins struggling to maintain a properly humble facade. I was intrigued by Murphey's gender politics (which are very much to the forefront of this book) and by the galloping pace of the plot. I read this in a single sitting.(less)
If you're going through puberty and feeling weird, this is a great book to read. With enough vampires, gay sex, incest and goth clubbing to satisfy an...moreIf you're going through puberty and feeling weird, this is a great book to read. With enough vampires, gay sex, incest and goth clubbing to satisfy any young misunderstood oddball (and truthfully, I have never been in a single goth club that played "Bela Lugosi's Dead" even once, let alone every night), this is a fun piece of wish-fulfillment. Dark, twisted, unbelieavable and not particularly sophisticated, I'd recommend this to anyone wearing Crow makeup in a rural town in the midwest.(less)
In Companion to Wolves, Bear and Monette presented a dark and grim twist on the classic fantasy trope of telepathic bonds with animals. Men were force...moreIn Companion to Wolves, Bear and Monette presented a dark and grim twist on the classic fantasy trope of telepathic bonds with animals. Men were forced to give up their expected lives and occupations when one of the gigantic wolves chose them, and lived instead the fierce but short lives of troll-fighters. In Companion to Wolves, (view spoiler)[the troll queen was finally destroyed, which will probably eradicate trolls from Iskyrne forever. (hide spoiler)] In this sequel, the men are left with the question of what to do with themselves once their original reason for existing is gone. Even as they struggle with this question, a new threat appears: the endless armies of the Rhean.
The story is told through the eyes of Skjaldwulf and Vethulf, who must share both the title of wolf-jarl and Isoflr's bed. A completely boring subplot about the aelfs is told via Brokklfr, who never seems to do anything; even his romance with Kari goes nowhere. And really, that's the basic problem with this book: it's all either clean-up of problems from the last book or set-up for the next book. There are a couple skirmishes, but it's all pretty low-key. Even the emotions and characters feel tamped down. All the pov characters talked and thought in similar ways, so I had a hard time keeping Skjaldwulf and Vethulf apart, even though supposedly they're completely different. (My other character related problem was that the wolves and the humans have similar naming conventions, so it was sometimes hard to remember which species someone belonged to.) The only character I was interested in was Fargrimr, who was born female but raised to be the male heir. The idea of a "sworn-man" is intriguing, but Fargrimr himself felt a bit like Aragorn back when he was Strider, and I super loved him.
I'll read the next book in the series, because I'm already tense about the clash between the wolfthreats and the pseudo-Roman armies. But the characters and their interactions aren't interesting me; I hope Monette and Bear put a little more work into them.(less)
A decade after WWI, the remnants of a magicians' lodge sworn to defend against evil has fallen on hard times. Mitch and Jerry were physically injured,...moreA decade after WWI, the remnants of a magicians' lodge sworn to defend against evil has fallen on hard times. Mitch and Jerry were physically injured, and the loss of their beloved leader has left them adrift. But when an archaeological dig frees an ancient evil, they must once more oppose it.
Very historically accurate, but astonishingly slow and tedious. If the portions of this book that related to the evil and the lodge's efforts against it were excised, the book would probably only be about 20 pages shorter, if that. The vast majority of this book consists of Alma, Mitch, Jerry and Lewis eating, dressing, or traveling. Loooong stretches of them piloting various aircraft. Entire chapters about their efforts to get a nice dress for Alma. Meanwhile, a demon is jumping bodies all over the world, but don't let that get in the way of the characters' ruminations over coffee! If this book had a drinking game, you'd die of alcohol poisoning from the number of times Jerry says "Oh, I should research a way to defeat this demon" and the other lodge members say "oh no, you're too tired, go to sleep." They never do anything! They just get on various conveyances (a plane! a train! a dirigible!), and then at the end they stumble upon a deus ex machina (literally) to solve their problems.
Very frustrating. I would have felt more kindly about the slow plot if the characters and their interactions were strong, but they just repeat the same thoughts and feelings over and over.
The sentences themselves are well crafted, and I was impressed by the authors' knowledge of the 1920s and aircraft. But there was nothing here to hold my interest.(less)
I’ve been disappointed with Baker’s work of late (will her Company series never get to the climax? Argh!), and the first two-thirds of this book did l...moreI’ve been disappointed with Baker’s work of late (will her Company series never get to the climax? Argh!), and the first two-thirds of this book did little to help. She created a rich, detailed, and varied world to play in, peopled with the highly-capitalist, pagan Children of the Sun (complete with fertility festivals and the ritual saying, “Joyous couplings!’), the vegan, holier-than-thou Yendri, and assorted demons, gods and saints. The first two adventures are nothing special, although they’re amusing and involve novel twists to classic fantasy tropes. And then, in the third and last adventure, Lord Ermenwyr gets his ex-assassin, now-hotelier friend Smith into trouble *again*, but this time the consequences are incredible. Suddenly throwaway details like parentage and gardening assume huge importance. Genocide is contemplated. Armies are gathered, and religious sects revealed. The Anvil of the World is not an excellent novel; the first part is too pedestrian for that. But the finale is so excellent, so poignant and well-written, that it saves the initial hundred pages from inconsequence and turns them into a necessary prelude to a fantastic climax.(less)
This is the sequel to Melusine. Renegade wizard Felix Harrowgate has regained his sanity but is hated, feared and scoffed at across two continents be...moreThis is the sequel to Melusine. Renegade wizard Felix Harrowgate has regained his sanity but is hated, feared and scoffed at across two continents because of his dark past, madness and most recent betrayal, in which he inadvertantly broke the Virtu, the magical core of the Mirador. With his half-brother Mildmay in tow, Felix treks back to the Mirador, where he intends to fix the Virtu.
Now that Felix is sane again, the reader can get a much better grip on his personality. I find him to be a very dynamic and exciting character, especially in contrast to Mildmay, who mostly just sounds like Eeyore. (I like the brother equally, but I am getting tired of the setup of: Felix does something thoughtlessly cruel or mercilessly expedient. Mildmay is thus forced into physical or mental pain. All the characters pity Mildmay. Mildmay says, "no no, I deserve it and besides, I love Felix so." Repeat ad nauseum.) As in Melusine, the plot progresses in fits and starts; there are long periods where nothing happens followed by GHOULS ATTACK or PRISON BREAK! Some parts I slogged through, while others I couldn't read fast enough. I look forward to the next book.(less)
**spoiler alert** Kidnapping! Stolen diamonds! Suicide! Secret bastards! Secrets in attics! And yet, terribly dull. There is absolutely no point to th...more**spoiler alert** Kidnapping! Stolen diamonds! Suicide! Secret bastards! Secrets in attics! And yet, terribly dull. There is absolutely no point to this book, which supposedly continues the story of Catherine de Bourgh and her relations and hangers-on. I say supposedly because not only was this book dull, but *none* of the characters match their namesakes in Pride and Prejudice. Maria Lucas, who was last a shy girl overawed by Rosings, is now a sparkling wit akin to Elizabeth Bennet. Anne de Bourgh, latterly an ill, silent enigma, runs around befriending gay painters and doing heavy garden work with her illegitimate half-brother--wait, no, half-sister! Oh the unnecessary plot twists. The new characters are even worse, because they serve no purpose at all. Why does Aiken pay so much attention to the Delaval siblings (carbon copies of the Crawfords in Mansfield Park) if absolutely nothing happens due to them? Catherine's brother has Lady Catherine kidnapped so he can search Rosings' attic--and finds his old poems. Idiocy! There is no emotional weight to this story. The various revelations and shocking events go by without any of the characters appearing in the least surprised, let alone affected. A frustrating novel.(less)
Ironside follows shortly after the events of Tithe and Valiant. Roiben was a loyal knight of the Seelie Queen, even after she sent him to serve her si...moreIronside follows shortly after the events of Tithe and Valiant. Roiben was a loyal knight of the Seelie Queen, even after she sent him to serve her sister, the Queen of the Unseelie Court. After countless years of torment and cruelty, he brought about the Unseelie Queen's death and now presides over her court. At his coronation, he sets an impossible quest for his lover, the pixie Kaye, to keep her safe from the war between the courts. Of course Kaye will have none of this romantic nonsense, and pledges to fulfill his quest. Meanwhile, Kaye's bff Corny is dealing with the rage and self-loathing left behind by his enthrallment and his sister's death.
This book feels so genuine. The characters are each and every one of them fully fleshed out--Corny is particularly real. The fey courts and the human world (aka "Ironside") are described with a precise poetry. Unlike Emma Bull's War for the Oaks or say, Poppy Z Brite's Lost Souls, the descriptions of the fey and the punked out humans never feel like wish-fulfillment. The entire book is about negotiation, re-negotiating power, trying to come to terms with an untenable situation and new, uncomfortable knowledge about oneself. I loved it! I read the entire book in about an hour.(less)
Matthew Swift wakes up on the floor of his apartment--two years after he was brutally murdered. Now he has no money, no clothes, and an otherworldly p...moreMatthew Swift wakes up on the floor of his apartment--two years after he was brutally murdered. Now he has no money, no clothes, and an otherworldly presence in his head. Luckily, Matthew Swift is not your typical Londoner--he is an urban sorcerer, and he has a few tricks up his sleeves... I loved loved LOVED the magic systems in this book. This book is one of the few with thoughtful, exciting, non-traditional magic--others that spring to mind are Hellblazer, Night Watch, Neverwhere, and the Books of Magic. Another thing that surprised me was how much I liked Matthew. Unlike pretty much every urban magician I can think of (I'm looking at you, Dresden and Constantine), he's not a jaded asshole. He has a sense of wonder and delight in his city that translates to the reader. The battles are exciting, the characters interesting, and if the climactic battle is a little less climactic than I expected, well, it was still an enthralling read. I recommend this to anyone looking for an urban fantasy fix!(less)
Fifth in the Mercy Thompson series. Mercy's life is finally settling down: her PTSD is settling down, her relationship with Adam feels more solid than...moreFifth in the Mercy Thompson series. Mercy's life is finally settling down: her PTSD is settling down, her relationship with Adam feels more solid than ever, and no supernatural problems seem to be brewing. But then her oldest friend and first love, Samuel, tries to commit suicide. Mercy is running out of time to convince him to live, but simultaneously, powerful fae come looking for a book of legends she borrowed.
This is possibly my favorite Mercy book yet. I like the way Briggs writes the fae, as beings that are older and more alien than they look. Because of her shapeshifting ability, Mercy can smell through glamors; the difference between what she sees and what she knows is real is disturbing and fascinating. I liked that someone actually distanced herself from Mercy because of Mercy's dangerous lifestyle, and the tone of the book made me think she was right to do so. So often I read about humans getting caught up in these supernatural games and becoming collateral damage, and I'm glad someone finally caught on. And impressively, this book actually made me care about pack politics. The scenes in the dojo with Mary Jo had my heart in my throat.
My only caveat about this book is that Samuel's suicidal depression is solved in a fairly ridiculous manner: (view spoiler)[he finds a fae woman he loved years ago, who he has never ever mentioned, and his lurve of her makes him want to live (hide spoiler)]. Sorry, but that's not how depression works. But despite this misstep, I look forward to the next book in the series.(less)
Multi-dimensional barriers slam down on Earth, splitting the planet into discrete, nigh-impenetrable cages. Nations, geography, and civilizations as w...moreMulti-dimensional barriers slam down on Earth, splitting the planet into discrete, nigh-impenetrable cages. Nations, geography, and civilizations as we know it crumble, replaced by gang-run city-states. But out of this chaos and violence also come chimeric healers known as Vermittler, who have the ability to create safe passages through the Barrier. One healer, Celestina, uses these passages and crafts a Treaty between different realms--but on the very day the Treaty is signed, she is assassinated. In the wake of her death, a number of individuals each struggle in the newly connected world. Aaron, a movie producer/gang lord who (view spoiler)[skin-switched into a white man after being a brutalized black woman (hide spoiler)], and has never come to terms with his past. Lawanda, who has purposefully reclaimed an ethnicity and culture everyone else would like to forget, who is nominated as a Treaty Ambassador to harm the Treaty but proves to be its greatest advocate. The Major, torn between the mind-bombs placed in his head by his superiors and his love of Lawanda. Ellina, Celestina's apprentice who seeks to finish what she started. And Ray, an actor in Aaron's latest project; no one is sure whether he's just acting like a hero, or actually is one--not even himself. Their struggle to reconcile the Barrier with Earth, and the fractered pieces of Earth with itself, progress through tangled schemes, vision quests and flash-backs.
As a story it is exuberant, irrepressable, far-reaching, very smart and knowledgable but simultanously unashamed of believing whole-heartedly in mystical koans. The characters have a tendency to communicate in epigraphs that don't quite connect with each other, and it took a while for me to get the hang of what is going on. There's a lot of magic floating around, and none of it is explained. But there's so much energy and power and feeling to this tale that I couldn't quite give up on it, even though I had no idea what was going on for the first quarter of the book. (less)
The Demon's Lexicon introduced us to Alan and Nick Ryves, brothers who had been on the run from power-hungry magicians all their lives. The Demon's Co...moreThe Demon's Lexicon introduced us to Alan and Nick Ryves, brothers who had been on the run from power-hungry magicians all their lives. The Demon's Covenant brought their friends Mae and Jamie to the fore, one of whom was tempted by magic, the other by the Goblin Market. And in The Demon's Surrender, the best dancer of the Goblin Market, Sin Davies, takes center stage. Despite numerous truces, victories, set-backs, and maneuvers, the war between ordinary humans, magicians, and demons has never ended. But in this book, a wobbly resolution is achieved between them.
This book is, as all of Brennan's Demon books have been, exceedingly clever and twisty. My one problem with it is that although I like all the characters, I don't buy any of the romances--especially not (view spoiler)[Sin and Alan's. (hide spoiler)] I can see what they like in each other, but it seems like their romance developed very quickly, despite taking up a large part of this book. I really enjoyed this book, but I think less time spent on the ever-shifting love quadrangles between Alan&Mae&Nick&Sin and more time on plot would have made it even better.(less)
On a hardscrabble alien world populated with what humanity becomes in the far future, a long holy war rages. Both sides have drafted all their men for...moreOn a hardscrabble alien world populated with what humanity becomes in the far future, a long holy war rages. Both sides have drafted all their men for so many generations that the societies left behind have become nearly matriarchal, populated by females, boys, and the very old or damaged men who survived their war service. Their planet is nealry deadly for humanity, and over the years its colonists have made all sorts of adjustments. Now they scrape themselves regularly for cancers the way modern people go in for dental cleanings, and reattach body parts as a matter of course.
In this strange and brutal place we are introduced to Nyx, a woman who has lost her faith on the battlefield but can't let go of her own version of honor. On the very first page, Nyx sells her womb for cash, then loses it all gambling on a pretty boxer. The upside is, she gets to bed the boxer. (view spoiler)[The really badass part is that she bet on the boxer knowing she'd probably lose, and knowing that her bet would be a good in with a depressed losing boxer, who might then take her home. After sleeping with the boxer, Nyx creeps out of bed, kills the boxer's sleeping brother, and collects his head for its bounty. And then the plot starts. (hide spoiler)] After falling out with her bounty hunting sisters, Nyx gets herself a new crew: a mediocre magician, a refugee shifter, an ex-convict, and a half-breed comm tech. None of them are particularly good or well-respected, but they're bound together by Nyx's unstoppable will. Times are hard, and although they're stacking bodies like firewood in the freezer, the bounty hunts never pay quite enough. Then they get a new hunt: to find an alien gene scientist who's lost somewhere in enemy territory. The stakes have never been higher, because whoever has the alien will probably win the war.
Although the plot is fast-paced, action-heavy and twisty, it's really secondary to seeing inside the characters' heads, most particularly Nyx and her bug-magician, Rhys. Nyx drinks whiskey like water, has sex with anyone she pleases, and gave up on god (or felt given up) years ago. Rhys is a refugee from the country she nearly died fighting, and is so pious he can hardly bear to pray in the presence of women. They're drawn to each other without knowing why or how, but refuse to acknowledge how much they need each other, not even to themselves. The unresolved tension between them didn't really work for me: neither of them respects or seems sexually attracted to the other, and they don't talk much, so we the reader are just told repeatedly that they feel things for each other, and that Rhys is known as her shadow. But as individual characters, they're each very well-drawn, complicated people.
The 'verse Hurley has created here is novel, populated by pitiless, practical people. It's not a pleasant read, really, but it's certainly an interesting one. (less)
Sexy, rich aristocrat Andrew Carrington decides to marry any woman who will bear him an heir and tolerate his homosexuality. In a single day, he meets...moreSexy, rich aristocrat Andrew Carrington decides to marry any woman who will bear him an heir and tolerate his homosexuality. In a single day, he meets and marries Phyllida, a pretty young country virgin. A truly stupid amount of misunderstandings ensue. The plot is unbelievable and the dialog silly and homogenized, but what really annoyed me was that I didn't like any of the characters. I'd assumed I'd like at least Andrew, who is supposed to be sarcastic and wry, but is actually thick-headed, easily enraged, and gets off on calling every one of this sexual partners "slut" repeatedly. Ugh. Herendeen clearly did not spend a lot of time or effort on this book.(less)
This book is actually three novellas: that of a poet who may or may not tangle him or herself up with vampire(s), that of an abused peasant girl who r...moreThis book is actually three novellas: that of a poet who may or may not tangle him or herself up with vampire(s), that of an abused peasant girl who runs away to Paradys and becomes nun by day, bullyboy by night, and a writer who investigates the strange deaths of two beauties in a single house. In all three tales, gender is fluid, sexualities are twisted, and inexplicable shadows loom.
I would rate the stories higher, but I found the writing almost impenetrable. I still don't know what the first tale was about, or how it was resolved. Here's a taste of Lee's style: "And rising and sinking in the billows of shadow, the light was cleaved to crimson, crimson through and through, a dye never to be washed out, through the wounds of a redeemer might wash away all sins and stains. Crimson, crimson, the caves, the river, flowers and fruit and crystal and blood. Crimson the benediction; the waves, crimson, that never ended and were never begun, and were never begun or ended." Very poetic but not particularly helpful in terms of exposition.(less)
The book begins with "The Tale of the Shoe," told by Cinderella. Her fairy godmother gives her everything she needs to dance with a prince--but in the...moreThe book begins with "The Tale of the Shoe," told by Cinderella. Her fairy godmother gives her everything she needs to dance with a prince--but in the end, she realizes she'd rather have the fairy godmother. At Cinderella's urging, the godmother tells her own story, which prompts the next story, and so on. Each short tale is inspired by a fairy tale; each is told by a woman (although some have become birds and horses and witches since then). Some are more revolutionary than ohers: Hansel and Gretel's is great, but Donkeyskin's is almost the same as the original. Donkeyskin's tale is also part of the problem, because the ending of each of these is just a bit too happy for me. Each princess and serving girl comes to contentment in the end, generally with each other. I'd have liked to see a little more dialog and negotiation between each pair (and some pairings are a bit too cross-generational for me, like Snow White and her stepmother, or Rapunzel and her adopted mother), but ah well. It's still a nice change from usual trope in which being queer means you die or go mad.
Donoghue's descriptions are sublime, but don't overtake her stories. Probably my favorite of them all is "The Tale of the Kiss," told by the witch from the Little Mermaid story. I love the idea of magic as a social construct!(less)
The sequel to New Amsterdam, although it says so nowhere in the book. I read this without having read its predecessor (dear publishers: PLEASE label s...moreThe sequel to New Amsterdam, although it says so nowhere in the book. I read this without having read its predecessor (dear publishers: PLEASE label sequels), but I got a handle on the characters, their relationships, and the world pretty quickly. I like this best of everything I've read by Bear. It's significantly less hackneyed than her short stories. The dialog is still a little off, but the world building is quite good. Bear also has a talent for likable characters; this world is populated by several, not least Ruth Gell, one of the Prussian army's Sturmwolves.
Years after New Amsterdam, wampyr Sebastian and his elderly scholarly friends Phoebe and Abigail return to England. But it is not an England as we know it--the presence of magic has changed history. America is only just becoming a nation, and England has fallen to the Nazis. English schoolchildren are taught to Prussian values. Among those schoolchildren is Ruth, a pretty teenager with two secrets: one, she is Jewish and two, she is desperately in love with her schoolmate Adele. Less secret is this: Ruth, like her classmates, is being turned into a werewolf. Can our heroes save the children from becoming Nazi weapons--especially since the children don't want to be saved?(less)
Astrid Llewellyn was raised by a mother obsessed with unicorns. But to hear her tell it, unicorns aren't the fluffy, innocent creatures of myth, but s...moreAstrid Llewellyn was raised by a mother obsessed with unicorns. But to hear her tell it, unicorns aren't the fluffy, innocent creatures of myth, but savage, blood-thirsty monsters. And to everyone's surprise, it turns out Astrid's mother was right. The unicorns' last hidden preserve has been lost, and now they're out into the world again. And they're hungry for fresh meat.
Luckily, it turns out that Astrid really has inherited unicorn hunting abilities. She and a small group of other young women band together. But their funds are low, public opinion on them is split (because despite their best efforts, the unicorn attack rate continues to rise) and none of them are completely committed to the painful and short life of a hunter.
Astrid wants to be a doctor someday, but she's also one of the few people who can defeat or even control unicorns. She feels a duty to postpone her education and personal ambitions in order to find a solution to the unicorn problem, but it's a struggle. I like Astrid--her interest in medicine feels genuine, not just a slapped-on bit of characterization, and her moral quandries were actually difficult decisions. The combat scenes are exciting but easy to understand, and the supporting cast is unique and interesting. But overall, the first half of the book is pretty pedestrian.
Then Astrid gets hurt. (view spoiler)[In fact, she's injured so badly that only the superpowers hunters get from being in the presence of unicorns give her even a semblance of her former self. Astrid's dream of becoming a doctor is shattered--and so is her ability to be a hunter. Without those two facets, Astrid is at a lost to how to think of herself, or what to do with her life. Astrid is eventually offered a potential cure, but (in an incredibly gutsy and morally righteous move) doesn't take it. Instead, she travels the world returning the cure to those it was stolen from, so they can choose what to do with it. (hide spoiler)] The last third of the book is shattering but excellent.(less)
Helen lives a predictable, pleasant life, until suddenly a stranger turns up and tells her that her brother is sick--is, in fact, dying of AIDS in a n...moreHelen lives a predictable, pleasant life, until suddenly a stranger turns up and tells her that her brother is sick--is, in fact, dying of AIDS in a nearby hospital. Declan wants to stay in their grandmother's cottage while he recuperates from his latest hospital stay. His sister, mother, and grandmother are thus thrown together in a small sea-shore cottage, forced into close quarters after a decade of estrangement. Two of his friends come to keep him company and look after his health, causing further moments of awkwardness.
Basically, six adults hang around a cottage for a few days, constantly splitting off to have one-on-one conversations with each other about the others, and about the past. Helen resents her mother who resents her own mother, and they all talk and think about it endlessly. Maybe these ruminations on what to do when you don't like or emotionally trust your family would feel more poignant or important if I identified with them more. As it was, it was all just really boring. Helen would walk along the shore, think about how cold the water looked, how strong and enduring the cliffs looked, and then come to some minor realization about her feelings for her mother. "I resented her for not being around when my father died," she realizes wonderingly. Rinse, repeat. Thrilling stuff.
My boredom with the complete lack of plot or conflict might have been alleviated if the characters read more believably. But alas, they're written, particularly Declan, Lily, and Dora, with broad strokes mixed with minutia. By the end of the book I knew that Declan liked self-service restaurants as a child, disliked carrots, and feared escalators, but I still had no idea what he did for a living, how he'd made the friends he did, or even his hobbies. It felt like his sole purpose in the story was to suffer and force Helen and their mother to have uncomfortable emotional moments together. He never felt like a person in his own right.
Although I felt Tóibín relied too heavily on the sea and the lighthouse as metaphors, without doing any heavy lifting of his own, some of the writing is lovely. But some is just crap. An example:
She put the car into gear and drove it slowly to the barrier. 'You need fifty pence. Do you have a fifty-pence piece?' she asked her mother. Her mother searched through her bag and found a purse with loose change. She handed Helen a fifty-pence piece and Helen opened the window and put it in the slot. The barrier lifted. 'We should have gone to the other car park,' Helen said. 'You don't have to pay there.'
I assume he's trying to say something about the mundane details of survival persisting despite looming tragedy, but dear god is it boring to read.(less)
Generations after the Sharers refused to accept Valen control, there is a new struggle for freedom on Shora. Centuries ago, the Sharers allowed the El...moreGenerations after the Sharers refused to accept Valen control, there is a new struggle for freedom on Shora. Centuries ago, the Sharers allowed the Elysians to settle on their world and learn lifeshaping from them. The Elysians chose to exchange their own ability to bear children for near-immortality. Over the course of the book, they come into conflict with many different societies. Having more money than they could ever use, they grant huge assistance loans to the L'lii, who could never repay them. The Urulan are a warlike, very sexist people who bred with their simian slaves over the years, and are as against the Elysians' use of simian embryos for lab experiments as the Elysians abhor the Urulans' sexism and agression. And the Elysians' own utopia turns against them, when their own nano-servors achieve sentience and demand rights. Negotiating between and around all of these conflicts is a immigrant family from Bronze Sky, who have their own blind spots and cultural assumptions. And threading through it all is the shared text of The Web, a philosophical treatise written shortly after A Door Into Ocean.
The book is slightly over-ambitious: many of the plot threads are dropped for the climactic show-down between nanon-servors and the Elysians, and there are a few too many characters to keep track of. But I love the philosophical discussions and problems posed by this book, and the wide array of mind sets, societies, and lifestyles that make it up. It's all so fascinating! I love how non-traditional this book is; it never does what I think it will.(less)
Wealhtheow
>
Books:
queer-characters
(195)
×
Loading...
