Jeremy

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Jeremy rated a book 4 of 5 stars

NOS4A2
by Joe Hill

read in June, 2013

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From Reading Realms: http://www.readingrealms.com/2013/06/...

First off, a confession: I'm not a big Stephen King fan, I've only read a few of his books and short stories. As for his son, Joe Hill, this is the first of his work I've tried out.

Another...more

Jeremy rated a book 4 of 5 stars

Promise of Blood (The Powder Mage, #1)
by Brian McClellan (Goodreads Author)

read in May, 2013

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Promise of Blood focuses mainly on three point-of-views throughout the story. Tamas, the field marshal of the 'Powder Mages' you see pictured on the cover, his son Taniel, a skilled powder mage under his command but with a tense relationship with his...more Promise of Blood focuses mainly on three point-of-views throughout the story. Tamas, the field marshal of the 'Powder Mages' you see pictured on the cover, his son Taniel, a skilled powder mage under his command but with a tense relationship with his father, and Adamat, an investigator hired by Tamas. There is one additional POV that gets a much smaller part of the story, Nila, a laundress that watched over one of the heirs of the former king, but her story
seems like it is only just getting started and I'd expect to see more of her in the following novels. Taniel's former lover, Vlora, another powder mage, seems fit for a major role as well, despite not getting much time in the book and overall, McClellan has no shortage of interesting characters.

From the cover, you might assume the story is about Tamas overthrowing a kingdom, but it actually begins after he has already taken over. This puts him in a much more challenging role as a warrior trying to govern a city instead of just trying to fight someone, though he finds out there is no shortage of people willing to bring a battle to him. The novel gradually builds, focusing at first on Tamas' challenges with the city after taking over, dealing with rebels and a tense population at first, but more and more of the larger picture is revealed to Tamas and the reader as the story progresses. Though I try to avoid spoilers when possible, so won't offer many specifics, it should be said that as that focus shifts, the tone of the story shifts with it. From that more grounded story, to one that focuses on old legends, magic and gods. The story isn't just about a new age as guns and industry grow in the world, as is it about the legends of a world of ancient fantasy not being so easily dismissed.

Adamat, his investigator, offers a different perspective on the story than what we get from Tamas and his son Taniel. Adamat, a much weaker character than many of the other players in the story, relies more on his experience and intelligence than on power and is one of the more relatable characters of the story, but Taniel is probably the main 'heroic adventurer' of the novel. If Adamat is Tamas' investigator, Taniel is his hunter, sent to kill some of the traditional royal mages that escaped his purge at the beginning of the novel. As Tamas and Adamat slowly discover more and more of what is really going on in the world, Taniel is thrust into it head first as powerful magic and old gods take over the plot and he is forced to fight against powers beyond anything he imagined possible.

Various forms of magic play a major role in the story. Powder Mages, or Marked, can magically control the black powder used to fire flintlock weapons, setting it off with their own power, taking some into their own bodies to enhance their strength and senses, and more. This puts them at odds with the more traditional mages, Privileged, who use their own gifts and rune covered gloves to control the 'Else', the source of magic. The relationship between Marked and Privileged plays a major role in the dynamic of the world. Lesser magically gifted characters also exist, with simple abilities like perfect memories, the ability to go without sleep, etc., referred to as Knacked. As the story gets deeper, more powerful sorcerers of an older age are also revealed. With old gods and ancient mages at the forefront by the end, the worry could be losing the story in the sometimes outlandish aspects of fantasy and high magic, but in Promise, McClellan manages to keep it grounded, mostly thanks to his excellent work with the characters.

BOTTOM LINE:

Due to McClellan being a student of Brandon Sanderson, the desire to compare their work is there, and though the quality of his work is comparable, I found it more similar in feel to work from Brent Weeks myself. From the other flintlock fantasy stories I've read, this also rates among the best, and probably does such a good job of mixing the more modern flintlock age with fantasy that it barely feels like it should be labeled as a sub-genre. His character work shines through whatever category the book might fall in and makes this one of the best debuts in recent years, as well as places it among the best novels this year.

Originally published at my book review blog: ReadingRealms(dot)com(less)

Jeremy wants to read

Redshirts
by John Scalzi (Goodreads Author)

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Jeremy rated a book 4 of 5 stars

The Tattered Banner by Duncan M. Hamilton

The Tattered Banner (Society of the Sword, #1)
by Duncan M. Hamilton (Goodreads Author)

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From my blog @ Reading Realms:

The book follows one character, Soren, through a pivotal slice of his life as he is plucked off the streets by a nobleman hoping to pull a diamond out of the rough. Though the book is in third person, for the most part,...more From my blog @ Reading Realms:

The book follows one character, Soren, through a pivotal slice of his life as he is plucked off the streets by a nobleman hoping to pull a diamond out of the rough. Though the book is in third person, for the most part, you experience the world from Soren out, with Hamilton's world growing as Soren becomes more worldly. This writing style offered readers the experience you can get from reading urban fantasy, but with a more classic fantasy feel. It fit well with the fast paced tale. We follow Soren from the streets, into the academy where he begins to learn swordsmanship, and then into a variety of adventures of ups and downs.

Soren's story in this first volume takes years to play out, so the pace stays brisk covering both major moments and character growth well. Where a story might normally take chapters, if not a whole book, to play out a battle or small war, The Tattered Banner often takes you directly to the heart of the matter, instead, finding it's suspense elsewhere. This works well to keep the reader on his or her toes, breaking up the usual manner a story flows and offering small surprises as one adventure wraps and another begins. It is not in the battles, the schooling, or other unique moments of his life that the plot is built on, but instead of the schemes going on behind the scenes that Soren is often oblivious to at his young age. It's not a great mystery to the reader, as I would suspect most would put together what is happening far before Soren's revelation. There is a certain knowing sadness as you watch Soren used as little more than a tool without realizing it until it's too late.

Soren, although physically powerful as he grows into his role, is a flawed young man. His decisions are almost always understandable given his lack of experience with the world and his own concerns. You feel a bond with the character that books told in first person narrative offer, without having to be told every single thought running through his mind, allowing you to figure that out simply because you know and understand the character.

As for the world the story is set in, it slowly grows with the character. Initially you know only the city, or even just a piece of the city and learn more about the neighboring kingdoms and conflicts as the story moves along. Magic is rare in the book, outright outlawed in the city of Ostenheim where much of the story takes place. Soren, however, possesses something called the Gift, an ability he barely understands even by the end of the book. This Gift is something that the swordsmen who used to work for the now-extinct mages generations ago possessed, giving them greater strength and speed when needed, but at a cost. Much like the hints you get of the world outside of Soren's knowledge, the history of magic and his abilities will probably continue to develop as the saga unfolds, but offers you a glimpse that there is a much more fleshed out world beyond what Soren knows and the reader initially sees.

As you begin to reach the end of this first volume, it hardly seems like there is enough book left to give you everything you want. Much of the bigger pieces of the plot and world will, of course, play out in future volumes, but Hamilton's jumps from one moment to the next offer much more story than the last handful of pages would make it seem. The tone the book ends on my be surprising compared to what we often see at the end of a first book, but it definitely leaves the reader hungry for more, while wrapping up an era of Soren's life. I look forward to the next volume and hope that Hamilton's story-telling style continues into the future of his Society of the Sword saga.(less)

Jeremy and 324 other people liked Patrick's review of Steelheart (Reckoners, #1):

" I got a chance to read an early version of this a little while ago. Needless to say, I jumped at it.

The reason for this is that so far, I haven't read a book by Brandon Sanderson that I haven't loved. That means it's quite likely that I'll get a... " Read more of this review »

Jeremy voted for Red Country in Best Fantasy in the Semifinal Round of the 2012 Goodreads Choice Awards.

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Mistborn: The Final Empire (Mistborn, #1)
by Brandon Sanderson (Goodreads Author)

read in June, 2012

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Jeremy is now friends with Ross Evans
Jun 13, 2013 07:16am · like
Jeremy rated a book 4 of 5 stars NOS4A2 by Joe Hill 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
From Reading Realms: http://www.readingrealms.com/2013/06/... First off, a confession: I'm not a big Stephen King fan, I've only read a few of his books and short stories. As for his son, Joe Hill, this is the first of his work I've tried out. Another...more
Jun 09, 2013 09:25am · see review
Jeremy rated a book 4 of 5 stars Promise of Blood (The Powder Mage, #1) by Brian McClellan (Goodreads Author) 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
Promise of Blood focuses mainly on three point-of-views throughout the story. Tamas, the field marshal of the 'Powder Mages' you see pictured on the cover, his son Taniel, a skilled powder mage under his command but with a tense relationship with his...more
May 09, 2013 09:21am · see review
Jeremy wants to read Redshirts by John Scalzi (Goodreads Author)	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
Apr 16, 2013 11:13pm
Jeremy rated a book 4 of 5 stars The Tattered Banner (Society of the Sword, #1) by Duncan M. Hamilton (Goodreads Author)	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
From my blog @ Reading Realms: The book follows one character, Soren, through a pivotal slice of his life as he is plucked off the streets by a nobleman hoping to pull a diamond out of the rough. Though the book is in third person, for the most part,...more
Apr 16, 2013 11:13pm · see review
Jeremy and 324 other people liked Patrick's review of Steelheart (Reckoners, #1): " I got a chance to read an early version of this a little while ago. Needless to say, I jumped at it. The reason for this is that so far, I haven't read a book by Brandon Sanderson that I haven't loved. That means it's quite likely that I'll get a... " Read more of this review »
Mar 03, 2013 11:51am · see review
Jeremy voted for Red Country in Best Fantasy in the Semifinal Round of the 2012 Goodreads Choice Awards. cast your vote
Nov 13, 2012 08:22pm · like
Jeremy joined the group Reddit
Nov 12, 2012 02:26pm · like
Jeremy added Mistborn: The Final Empire (Mistborn, #1) by Brandon Sanderson (Goodreads Author) read in June, 2012	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
Jun 19, 2012 01:40pm

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