Kat Hooper

Kat Hooper made a comment on her review of The Blue Blazes (Mookie Pearl, #1)

"Jason wrote: "I love Chuck Wendig! Spot on review..."
That was my first Wendig book. I will read more, for sure."

Kat Hooper made a comment on her review of The Guiding Nose of Ulfant Banderoz

"Scott wrote: "Oh! I have been wanting to do a re-read of Vance's amazing Dying Earth for some time now, and when I unwittingly happened upon the hardc...more "

Kat Hooper rated a book 3 of 5 stars

Tricked (The Iron Druid Chronicles, #4)
by Kevin Hearne (Goodreads Author)

read in June, 2013

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3.5 stars
Originally posted at FanLit:
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Atticus O’Sullivan, the 2000 year old druid who looks like he’s 22, has just pissed off a bunch of Old Norse gods (for details, read Hammered) and now he must go into hiding...more 3.5 stars
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Atticus O’Sullivan, the 2000 year old druid who looks like he’s 22, has just pissed off a bunch of Old Norse gods (for details, read Hammered) and now he must go into hiding. It’s a good time for that because what he really wants to do is spend the next 12 years training his gorgeous and smart apprentice, Granuaile. Fortunately his werewolf lawyer can fix up some new identities, but first he has to fake his own death so the gods will stop hunting him, and then he needs to do a favor for Coyote, the Navajo trickster god.

Of course, this doesn’t go as easily as he hopes. The favor that wily Coyote demands involves befriending an elemental that Atticus doesn’t know, transferring a vein of gold to a Native American reservation, sabotaging a coal mining company, fighting off some scary skinwalkers, and battling some “locusts of unusual size.” And he’s also a little worried about the new vampires who’ve moved into the Phoenix area after his friend Leif was injured in Asgard.

During all the mayhem we learn a little more about Atticus’s past — there’s a lot of it, so Hearne doles it out a little at a time in each novel. Specifically, in Tricked we learn about why he came to the New World, how he killed Bigfoot in the Florida Everglades, and how some of his charms and tattoos work. We also learn more about who Coyote is and where he came from.

Readers will be happy to know that Oberon and Granuaile are back in Tricked. They stayed home during the outing to Asgard in Hammered. Granuaile is looking pretty and acting sassy, and Oberon, everyone’s favorite Irish Wolfhound, plays a prominent role in Tricked and earns a lot of sausage and bacon snacks. Both of these characters provide plenty of comic relief.

I’ve been listening to the audiobook versions of THE IRON DRUID CHRONICLES. Mostly I love Luke Daniels’ narration, though this time I think he went a little overboard with Oberon. A lot of the time he ended up sounding like Scooby Doo. I forgive him.

If you’re new to THE IRON DRUID CHRONICLES, I recommend starting at the beginning with Hounded. This is a great series; it’s got a perfect pace, charming characters, pleasing prose, and just the right amount of humor. At the end of Tricked it feels like a major change is coming as Atticus and Granuaile are finally (we assume) able to settle down to get Granuaile trained. The next novel, Trapped (that’s an ominous title, isn’t it?), takes place 12 years later but there’s a novella called Two Ravens and One Crow which takes place between Tricked and Trapped which fans will not want to miss.(less)

Kat Hooper rated a book 1 of 5 stars

Extinction (Star Force, #2)
by B.V. Larson

read in June, 2013

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Originally posted at FanLit.

Extinction is the second novel in B.V. Larson’s STAR FORCE series about professor Kyle Riggs who was picked up by an alien spaceship and now captains a fleet of ships that are protecting earth from other aliens. I called t...more

Kat Hooper rated a book 2 of 5 stars

Citadel (Troy Rising, #2)
by John Ringo

read in May, 2013

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Originally posted at FanLit:
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Citadel is the second in John Ringo’s TROY RISING series. The first book, Live Free or Die, had an interesting plot that was totally derailed by John Ringo’s intrusive and ugly polit...more Originally posted at FanLit:
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Citadel is the second in John Ringo’s TROY RISING series. The first book, Live Free or Die, had an interesting plot that was totally derailed by John Ringo’s intrusive and ugly political views which seem closer to neo-Nazism than anything else. So why did I read Citadel? Only because the audiobook publisher sent me a free copy and, out of a sense of completion, I wanted to review it for FanLit. I was prepared to hate it.

Fortunately, Tyler Vernon the Nazi is only a secondary character in Citadel. The plot mostly follows two new recruits who are joining Earth’s space defenses on Troy, the hollowed-out asteroid that Vernon built as a battle station. Dana is a pilot who’s got some mad flying skills. Butch is a welder. Interestingly, to me at least, Butch was trained in my hometown on Florida’s “Space Coast,” so Ringo won me over a little when we spent some time there and he accurately portrayed the area.

Most of the story tells of the mundane events of life aboard Troy for Dana and Butch. They spend time welding, flying, swimming, shopping, eating, and getting tattoos. They are likable characters, but they just aren’t very interesting and they don’t even have a good sense of humor to make the dull parts more lively. Things finally pick up when the aliens called the Rangoras decide to make war on the Earth’s allies, the Glatun. Then we actually get to see Troy in action, and that’s kind of cool.

Fortunately, since there is less of Tyler Vernon in this book, there is less of his politics, but it does at times rear its ugly head — jibes at the president and the French, for example, and long discussions of what America’s role in the war should be. There are also several instances of John Ringo’s annoying habit of describing the breast size of every female we meet (usually using the word “stacked”). And then that stupid thing about the blondes in heat. It seems that now blonde women are constantly pregnant because they can’t control themselves. What, they’ve never heard of a condom? There are a few things like this that just make no sense and seem like Ringo’s personal wish fulfillment. I won’t even mention the sister porn. Yuck.

So, overall, Citadel was not as exciting as Live Free or Die, but it toned down the obnoxious politics. The trade-off makes this a less annoying book, but still not a good one. I can’t recommend this series, but if you want to try it, I suggest the audiobooks narrated by Mark Boyett. He does a good job with what he’s given.(less)

Kat Hooper made a comment on her review of Victorious (The Lost Fleet, #6)

"Well that's too bad because I have those and plan to read them, too, eventually.... I hope I'll like the characters, at least."

Kat Hooper rated a book 4 of 5 stars

The Blue Blazes (Mookie Pearl, #1)
by Chuck Wendig (Goodreads Author)

read in June, 2013

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Originally posted at FanLit:
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Mookie Pearl is a big ugly brute who works for the boss of New York City’s criminal underworld. Mostly he’s called on to be a thug — it’s the thing he does best. One of his specific...more Originally posted at FanLit:
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Mookie Pearl is a big ugly brute who works for the boss of New York City’s criminal underworld. Mostly he’s called on to be a thug — it’s the thing he does best. One of his specific jobs is to manage (i.e., cajole, threaten, beat up) a team of workers who descend into the underground to collect the blue powdery drug that allows its users to see the supernatural creatures who have lived among us ever since some New York City miners accidentally blew open a portal to Hell while tunneling under the streets.

Things are never really safe in Mookie’s line of work, but everything suddenly comes to a head when the boss announces that he’s dying and leaving his son Casimir in charge of his criminal empire. When all the gangs in the city sense an imminent power void, and when his own immature teenage daughter makes a play designed to get revenge on the daddy who was never there for her, Mookie’s normally dangerous life gets even deadlier.

Even though he’s a big scary thug, you just can’t help but love Mookie Pearl. He’s got a soft spot for his daughter, his ex-wife and his friends, and he’ll absolutely melt over a plate of perfectly executed charcuterie. You get the feeling that in another world Mookie might have made a good accountant or IT technician if, because of his size, he hadn’t caught the eye of a crime boss. You get the feeling that Mookie regrets what he’s become and realizes it was all his own fault. I was surprised to find myself rooting for Mookie, even against his own daughter. Wendig also made me care for some of his other colorful characters, particularly Mookie’s lesbian butcher and a gang of 1980’s style roller derby girls. Nora, Mookie’s daughter, is a little too emo, but this works well with the story and I’m guessing that she’ll be more tolerable in future installments of the MOOKIE PEARL series.

I tend to enjoy stories that are set underground, so it’s not surprising that I found Wendig’s supernatural world fun to explore. The portal-to-hell device is certainly not original, but it’s still fun, especially when it’s located directly under the streets of New York City where evil monsters can find their way to the surface. Necessary information about the underworld is relayed with chapter-opening journal entries written by a deceased “cartographer” of the underworld. This serves to keep Mookie’s story moving quickly. At a couple of points the plot goes a little over-the-top, bordering on farcical, but Wendig always brings it back under control.

What I liked best about The Blue Blazes was Chuck Wendig’s writing style. His sentences are short and razor sharp, his imagery is vivid, his dialogue is spot-on, his occasional use of humor is pleasing, and he writes the most wonderful metaphors and similes. I actually heard myself sigh in pleasure at a couple of his gruesome similes, just like Mookie moaning over his charcuterie. Here’s what Mookie sees when, under the influence of the Blue Blazes, he visits Mr. Smiley:

What he sees instead, what the Blue Blazes shows him, is a man whose face is a nearly perfect mix of serpent and human… The eyes are wide coppery diamonds whose irises shift and warp like you’re staring through a child’s kaleidoscope. The mouth, still smiling for he is always oh, so very happy, ill conceals not just a pair of curved fangs but rather a whole maw of them. A wet pink tongue, not forked but thin and prehensile, slides over them like a slug over piano keys.

That’s so bad it’s good!

The Blue Blazes is fast-moving, violent, and dark, but Wendig’s style and the feeling that Mookie Pearl might really be a softie gives this novel a spark that makes it feel less grim than it is. I listened to Patrick Lawlor read the audio version produced by Brilliance Audio. This was a great way to read The Blue Blazes and I look forward to listening to the second MOOKIE PEARL book, too.(less)

Kat Hooper rated a book 3 of 5 stars

Victorious (The Lost Fleet, #6)
by Jack Campbell

read in May, 2013

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Originally posted at FanLit:
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Victorious is the sixth and last book in Jack Campbell’s original LOST FLEET series. (If you haven’t read the previous books, you’ll want to read them before reading this review.)

Cap...more Originally posted at FanLit:
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Victorious is the sixth and last book in Jack Campbell’s original LOST FLEET series. (If you haven’t read the previous books, you’ll want to read them before reading this review.)

Captain Black Jack Geary and the Alliance fleet have finally arrived, battered and bruised, to their home in the Alliance system and Geary’s feet touch ground for the first time in 100 years. Not surprisingly, the Alliance senate is leery of Geary (ugh, that rhyme!) and suspect that he may be planning a coup. But all he wants to do is deliver the ominous news from space about the aliens who’ve been driving the Syndic-Alliance war all this time. Surely they have bad intentions toward the human races they’ve been manipulating.

So, after only a brief respite, Captain Geary, Tanya Desjani, Victoria Rione, and many of the other officers of the Alliance fleet, head back out in space to end the war with the Syndics and then to deal with an alien race that they know almost nothing about. This time many of their crew are newbies who are ill-prepared for war and who don’t understand the new ways that Geary has brought to the military. (Or, I should say, the old ways that Geary has brought back to the military.) Geary can’t completely trust them, but he can’t afford to offend them either. There’s a sensitive balance.

Well, from the title of the book, we all know how it’s going to end, but the journey is what we’re interested in. How can Geary end the war? What are the aliens like and what do they want? Can he stop them? Is Michael Geary still alive, and if so does his survival depend on what Black Jack does? What about Victoria Rione’s missing husband? Will Geary and Tanya end up together? Will Geary be able to have a relationship with his grandniece? Some of these questions will be answered in Victorious, some I suspect are answered in the spin-off series, and some we may never know…

I’ll wrap up my review of the LOST FLEET series by summing up my main impressions. This is an engaging story with a great protagonist, a few likeable secondary characters (though they are not as interesting or as well fleshed out as Black Jack Geary is), an exciting but often repetitive plot that occasionally strays into unbelievable territory when our characters are able to anticipate the enemies’ plans, and a touch of appealing humor. It would have benefitted by having is length reduced by about a third. I slightly resent that I had to shell out money for six books when I feel like it should have been only four books long, but based on reviews at Amazon and Goodreads, most readers were happy to do so.

I read the audio version of THE LOST FLEET which was produced by Brilliance Audio and wonderfully narrated by Christian Rummel. One thing I have neglected to mention in my previous reviews are Jack Campbell’s (John G. Hemry’s) delightful introductions to the book. These are short information-filled pieces in which he may answer a question from a reader which gives us insight into some aspect of his creation of the story. Often he compares his created world with his experience or knowledge of the modern American military. For example, in the introduction to Victorious, he mentions that readers have asked why his spaceships don’t have back-up power generators and then goes on to explain how and why they’re often not included in current designs for military equipment. I enjoyed these little nuggets of information. If you’re going to read THE LOST FLEET, I highly recommend the audio version.(less)

Kat Hooper rated a book 2 of 5 stars

Live Free or Die (Troy Rising, #1)
by John Ringo

read in May, 2013

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Originally posted at FanLit: http://www.fantasyliterature.com/revi...

Humans were alarmed when the first aliens that arrived to introduce themselves to Earth set up a hypergate that immediately connected Earth with all the outside universe. We were no...more Originally posted at FanLit: http://www.fantasyliterature.com/revi...

Humans were alarmed when the first aliens that arrived to introduce themselves to Earth set up a hypergate that immediately connected Earth with all the outside universe. We were no longer alone. At least the Glatun were friendly aliens.

Tyler Vernon, a smart hard-working guy who chops wood for a living, decides to take this opportunity to improve his fortune. He finds a product that our new alien friends love and begins a business empire. Soon he’s the richest man on Earth, and that means he’s got a lot of influence on how things get done. When another alien race, the Horvath, come through the gate, declare themselves Earth’s “protectors” and start demanding tribute, Tyler is the only human who seems ready to take them on.

Live Free or Die, the first in John Ringo’s TROY RISING series, starts strong. Tyler is, at first, a likeable entrepreneur whose clever business plans are fun to read about. I enjoyed watching him begin to trade with the aliens (although I thought they weren’t alien enough) and build his empire. Some of this was amusing and some was just silly, but it was clever and fun.

But once Tyler gets rich and powerful and starts throwing his weight around, he becomes egotistical, dogmatic and obnoxious. Suddenly (or maybe I just didn’t notice it earlier) he begins espousing John Ringo’s political and economic philosophies. It’s clear that Ringo is a libertarian (or possibly a right-wing conservative) and he definitely wants us to know it. His politics is not my problem — I lean toward the conservative/libertarian side of the spectrum myself. The problem is two-fold.

First, I never want to read someone’s political or religious treatise in my fiction. That’s not what I read fiction for. It completely throws me out of the story when I can see the author back there behind the words waving his arms around and telling me what I ought to think. I don’t mind so much if the author is talking about something beautiful — transcendent religious experience, redemption, freedom, etc, but not when the point is simply to promote one’s own views while belittling people with different views. It’s like those obnoxious Facebook friends who never post anything but links to posts about how right their political views are and how wrong and stupid everyone with the opposite view is. This is ugly no matter what side of the political spectrum you’re on. There is a lot of this in Live Free or Die.

Second (and most bothersome), Tyler Vernon’s claptrap isn’t just the typical small-government /family values philosophy that are at the core of American conservatism today.

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Kat Hooper rated a book 3 of 5 stars

Rocket Ship Galileo
by Robert A. Heinlein

read in May, 2013

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Originally reviewed at FanLit:
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When I was a kid I loved the “Heinlein Juveniles.” Rocket Ship Galileo, Heinlein’s first Juvenile, is one I missed back then. It won’t hold up well today (actually, it wouldn’t hav...more Originally reviewed at FanLit:
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When I was a kid I loved the “Heinlein Juveniles.” Rocket Ship Galileo, Heinlein’s first Juvenile, is one I missed back then. It won’t hold up well today (actually, it wouldn’t have held up well when I was reading Heinlein Juveniles in the 1980s) but sometimes it’s fun to read these old science fiction stories for kids and I did have fun recently reading Rocket Ship Galileo even though I am very much aware of its flaws. Let’s remember that it was published in 1947, just after World War II and well before we managed to put a man on the moon.

Ross, Art, and Morrie (I love those retro names!) are three teenage boys who love science and each have special geeky skills. When Morrie’s uncle, a Nobel Prize-winning nuclear physicist, discovers that the boys are building a rocket ship, he gives them some funds and a little help and off they all go to the moon. When they get there they discover that they’re not the first ones there. The humans who’ve covertly come before have dangerous plans. Can the boys stop them before the bad guys destroy the Earth?

Okay, that’s just fun, right? In the year 2013 it’s impossible to take Rocket Ship Galileo seriously. I don’t know if they did back in 1947. I suspect not because I doubt anyone thought it was possible to build a space ship in your backyard or to mail order space suits and asbestos shoes. Still, boys can dream, and Rocket Ship Galileo is definitely an exciting dream, especially when you get to not only fly to the moon, but kill Nazis and save the Earth on top of it all. Too cool!

Other than the outlandishness of it all, the main problem with Rocket Ship Galileo is all the teachy technobabble. Some of it is real science, some of it is made up (I hope kids can tell this apart), most of it is dated, and a lot of it is boring because it’s delivered in Uncle Cargraves’ lessons or the boys recitation of what they’ve previously learned. Heinlein has an issue with this in his adult novels, too. If the lessons don’t turn kids off they might enjoy experiencing the fantasies of teenage boys in the 1940s.

The audiobook I listened to was narrated by Spider Robinson who has the tone just right. When he narrates the boys’ parts he sounds appropriately wide-eyed, innocent, and geeky. Golly, Mr. Robinson, great job!(less)

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Kat Hooper made a comment on her review of The Blue Blazes (Mookie Pearl, #1) "Jason wrote: "I love Chuck Wendig! Spot on review..." That was my first Wendig book. I will read more, for sure."
4 hours, 2 min ago · see review
Kat Hooper made a comment on her review of The Guiding Nose of Ulfant Banderoz "Scott wrote: "Oh! I have been wanting to do a re-read of Vance's amazing Dying Earth for some time now, and when I unwittingly happened upon the hardc...more "
4 hours, 3 min ago · see review
Kat Hooper rated a book 3 of 5 stars Tricked (The Iron Druid Chronicles, #4) by Kevin Hearne (Goodreads Author) read in June, 2013	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
3.5 stars Originally posted at FanLit: http://www.fantasyliterature.com/revi... Atticus O’Sullivan, the 2000 year old druid who looks like he’s 22, has just pissed off a bunch of Old Norse gods (for details, read Hammered) and now he must go into hiding...more
9 hours, 51 min ago · see review
Kat Hooper rated a book 1 of 5 stars Extinction (Star Force, #2) by B.V. Larson read in June, 2013	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Originally posted at FanLit. Extinction is the second novel in B.V. Larson’s STAR FORCE series about professor Kyle Riggs who was picked up by an alien spaceship and now captains a fleet of ships that are protecting earth from other aliens. I called t...more
10 hours, 0 min ago · see review
Kat Hooper rated a book 2 of 5 stars Citadel (Troy Rising, #2) by John Ringo read in May, 2013	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Originally posted at FanLit: http://www.fantasyliterature.com/revi... Citadel is the second in John Ringo’s TROY RISING series. The first book, Live Free or Die, had an interesting plot that was totally derailed by John Ringo’s intrusive and ugly polit...more
10 hours, 12 min ago · see review
Kat Hooper made a comment on her review of Victorious (The Lost Fleet, #6) "Well that's too bad because I have those and plan to read them, too, eventually.... I hope I'll like the characters, at least."
10 hours, 14 min ago · see review
Kat Hooper rated a book 4 of 5 stars The Blue Blazes (Mookie Pearl, #1) by Chuck Wendig (Goodreads Author) read in June, 2013	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Originally posted at FanLit: http://www.fantasyliterature.com/revi... Mookie Pearl is a big ugly brute who works for the boss of New York City’s criminal underworld. Mostly he’s called on to be a thug — it’s the thing he does best. One of his specific...more
10 hours, 25 min ago · see review
Kat Hooper rated a book 3 of 5 stars Victorious (The Lost Fleet, #6) by Jack Campbell read in May, 2013	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Originally posted at FanLit: http://www.fantasyliterature.com/revi... Victorious is the sixth and last book in Jack Campbell’s original LOST FLEET series. (If you haven’t read the previous books, you’ll want to read them before reading this review.) Cap...more
10 hours, 30 min ago · see review
Kat Hooper rated a book 2 of 5 stars Live Free or Die (Troy Rising, #1) by John Ringo read in May, 2013	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Originally posted at FanLit: http://www.fantasyliterature.com/revi... Humans were alarmed when the first aliens that arrived to introduce themselves to Earth set up a hypergate that immediately connected Earth with all the outside universe. We were no...more
11 hours, 31 min ago · see review
Kat Hooper rated a book 3 of 5 stars Rocket Ship Galileo by Robert A. Heinlein read in May, 2013	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Originally reviewed at FanLit: http://www.fantasyliterature.com/revi... When I was a kid I loved the “Heinlein Juveniles.” Rocket Ship Galileo, Heinlein’s first Juvenile, is one I missed back then. It won’t hold up well today (actually, it wouldn’t hav...more
11 hours, 34 min ago · see review

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