This post-young Repairman Jack, pre-The Tomb sets Jack's first months living in NYC. I read it eagerly, and found it a masterful piece of character bu...moreThis post-young Repairman Jack, pre-The Tomb sets Jack's first months living in NYC. I read it eagerly, and found it a masterful piece of character building, setting up, very convincingly, so many parts of Jack's later life and demeanor. Wilson is now a master of his trade, and the writing is very good.
However... nothing really happens, nothing gets resolved. I'm holding hope for the remaining books in the series, but I would recommend waiting until the whole series is out, and reading them in one go. This novel just doesn't stand up on its own.(less)
Not the most convincing of characters: Ismae, an unwanted child whose mother tried to abort her and ended up killing herself, grows to a teenager unde...moreNot the most convincing of characters: Ismae, an unwanted child whose mother tried to abort her and ended up killing herself, grows to a teenager under the abuse of her turnip-farming father. And then she gets smuggled away to a monastery where it turns out that children whose mothers die in childbirth get adopted by an ancient God of Death (now nominally a saint in the Catholic Church). She has the special ability to heal rapidly, as well as immunity to all poisons. So, after a couple years of training, she's sent out as an assassin for her convent, and then then quickly gets tugged into cutthroat courtly politics of late 15c Brittany.
And she convincingly plays her part as a minor noble, despite getting no education at all the first fourteen years of her life. At one point, her character refers very early on to nobles talking to each other "like characters playing in a masque". Where would her character have learned what a masque is?
One other unbelievable note: apparently in 15c France, people carry crossbows that are always drawn, so all you have to do is "slap a quarrel" in (quarrels are always slapped in, never simply placed in), and fire. And they're semi-automatic. At no point in this book, or in the sequel, does anyone ever crank or pull bowstring back into place. They simply slap another quarrel in and fire.
Anyway, there's a love angle that's completely obvious where the story is going 15 pages in... when she's forced to accompany a young handsome nobleman even though they both despise each other. There are some amusing lines now and then, usually in reference to assassination and death. A quick read, moderately enjoyable.
The novel starts with Joanna setting out to rectify the terrible mistake she made at the end of the first book, crossing back through the void alone t...moreThe novel starts with Joanna setting out to rectify the terrible mistake she made at the end of the first book, crossing back through the void alone to try to stop the Dark Mage from his plans that threaten both worlds. Darker than the first, and with a more affecting atmosphere of sadness and regret, a very taut plot, and a lot of uncertainty about if it's even capable to stop Suraklin. The final ending has a bid of an absurd turn, which even the characters recognize as absurd, but in all, it's a very satisfying book.(less)
Really more of a 3 1/2 star book: a somewhat disconnected look at the State Department's role in "rebuilding" Iraq in 2007-2010, when our government p...moreReally more of a 3 1/2 star book: a somewhat disconnected look at the State Department's role in "rebuilding" Iraq in 2007-2010, when our government poured billions and billions into ill-thought out programs and mostly put utter incompetents in charge of carrying them out. Many parts are laugh-out-loud funny (or, maybe not, depending on how you feel about your tax dollars utterly wasted). There's no real overarching theme or analysis except complete incompetence at the hands of our government. It's clear few if any nation building lessons were learned from Vietnam, even if we did learn combat lessons. Still, recommended as one of the first generation of books revealing what a debacle Iraq War II was.(less)
Loosely connected to Graceling, this introduces a new land in the same world where instead of talents, certain people (and animals) have the ability t...moreLoosely connected to Graceling, this introduces a new land in the same world where instead of talents, certain people (and animals) have the ability to read thoughts and force their will onto others (predator animals use it to convince prey to come running to them). It's really a bit of two stories in one, with no resolution to the first (the connection to Graceling), and a long meandering finish. (less)
After the somewhat mediocre previous Glass book, I decided I wasn't going to read any more of Snyder's books. But then I was in the bookstore and coul...moreAfter the somewhat mediocre previous Glass book, I decided I wasn't going to read any more of Snyder's books. But then I was in the bookstore and couldn't find anything else. Fortunately, this book has a lot of the magic of her first books, and chugs along at a much better pace than the fragmented first Opal book. The character development is believable and interesting, and sets up the story for a (hopefully) transformative final story.
The title doesn't really make much sense, though. The sea glass subplot pops up after about 200 pages, then gets quickly dismissed. I assume it'll make more of an appearance in the final volume.(less)
A bit of a disappointment... I probably would have given it 2 stars except it redeemed itself in the last 60 pages with a tight section in the mythica...moreA bit of a disappointment... I probably would have given it 2 stars except it redeemed itself in the last 60 pages with a tight section in the mythical Chinese underworld/afterlife. The problems of the earlier book are amplified here. The cast of characters is greatly increased, and it switches back and forth between the viewpoints of too many people. Character development is slowed as a consequence, and not nearly as interesting as the first volume. Subsequent books, I'll probably wait for the paperback to come out.(less)
Top notch sequel to the earlier Skin Hunger. Sadima's story is far better told than in the first book, and moves through the years closer to Hahp's. R...moreTop notch sequel to the earlier Skin Hunger. Sadima's story is far better told than in the first book, and moves through the years closer to Hahp's. Really looking forward to the final story. Here's a middle book in a trilogy that doesn't suffer from middle book syndrome. The story really develops well, and keeps the reader interested.(less)
Better than the last couple RJ novels. The series is getting a bit long in the tooth, but Wilson can still sometimes pull off some very effective narr...moreBetter than the last couple RJ novels. The series is getting a bit long in the tooth, but Wilson can still sometimes pull off some very effective narratives--fast, compelling, exciting. This one centers around conspiracies going back to 9/11--and, of course, these aren't the conspiracies everyone thinks of, but the result of ancient powers and unspeakable evil. The series is getting very close to the end...(less)
One of the most fun food books I've ever read; mamster's sparkling humor and wit are what really make this fun. I don't have kids, but I almost wish I...moreOne of the most fun food books I've ever read; mamster's sparkling humor and wit are what really make this fun. I don't have kids, but I almost wish I did so I could try to raise an adventuresome eater. After I finished, I tried to convince my cats to try some new foods, but they just turned their noses up everything, except the fancy bacon.(less)
There are some nice things about Storm Glass--very likely and interesting characters, like the first one, reminding me somewhat of Patricia Wrede, or...moreThere are some nice things about Storm Glass--very likely and interesting characters, like the first one, reminding me somewhat of Patricia Wrede, or maybe Patricia Briggs; the magic system is reasonably interesting, too. But this novel feels fairly formulaic. I had a difficult time following the last 100 pages or so. It just misses the "spark" of the earlier novels. (less)
I hadn't realized I didn't put this book down as read already. A strong story of wizardry and treachery, with lots of excellent development of several...moreI hadn't realized I didn't put this book down as read already. A strong story of wizardry and treachery, with lots of excellent development of several major characters. This leaves one strongly looking forward to further books in the series. I can't recall any other series that stayed this strong after so many books.(less)
Eh, ok modern vampires-in-real-world novel. This is my third Acevedo novel--all picked up at Half-Price Books. No way I'd pay cover price for these. F...moreEh, ok modern vampires-in-real-world novel. This is my third Acevedo novel--all picked up at Half-Price Books. No way I'd pay cover price for these. Felix Gomez is a reasonably well-drawn character. He's got all the appropriate snark. The plots are over the top, of course--evidence from the titles. The sexual content is not nearly as great as is implied by the titles. Fine by me. I would have just flipped past those pages, probably.
The zombies of this novel are almost genuinely scary, in fact, in a couple scenes. Gomez's detective skills, though, show little promise, apart from his skill in hypnotising any human, at will, by looking at them eye-to-eye. Not that that is in the least useful here. In the end, he just gets kidnapped by the villain, after discovering basically NOTHING about the villain or his motives. After that, it's all just gimme--the villain reveals all his plans and motivations in a long (almost) monologue, none of which was even hinted at before. As a detective novel, it deserves zero stars.
I wouldn't recommend it to anyone looking for anything more than a very quick, irreverent afternoon read. But if approached from that angle, it satisfies its very limited purpose. Not worth keeping, either. I left it in the kitchen at work with a sign that read "free book". (less)
Latest were-coyote story from the always-dependable Briggs, who has just made the jump to hardback (yay for her!). A mysterious ghost mixes with intri...moreLatest were-coyote story from the always-dependable Briggs, who has just made the jump to hardback (yay for her!). A mysterious ghost mixes with intrigue with the local vampire clan. It lacks some of the character-driven plots of the earlier books, apart from the growing relationship with Adam. Generally, a fast fun read.(less)
Inferior sequel to Inferno, after a 30+ year wait. Hell is basically a literalist, vaguely-libertarian nightmare, the attempt to escape it rather dull...moreInferior sequel to Inferno, after a 30+ year wait. Hell is basically a literalist, vaguely-libertarian nightmare, the attempt to escape it rather dull and one-dimensional compared to the original.(less)
The first book in the new series, Cry Wolf, left me a bit cold. The sequel is much better, and shows off Patricia Briggs' talent well, with very inter...moreThe first book in the new series, Cry Wolf, left me a bit cold. The sequel is much better, and shows off Patricia Briggs' talent well, with very interesting characters with complex relationships, set in a well-plotted story.
Anna's status as Omega becomes quite important during a gathering of alpha wolves from across America and Europe... far more so than in the first book, her unique position in werewolf culture and society is on display. Meanwhile, a pack of vampires target her for kidnapping, to disrupt the proceedings. A very tight last 50 pages and an unexpected twist make for a clean finish.
It does ramble around a bit getting to the last bit of the story, but Briggs' ability to create believable relationships between disparate characters keep things interesting.
Briggs' Mercedes & Omega books are among the top supernatural fantasies out there currently. Recommended.(less)
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