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Old Man's War
by John Scalzi (Goodreads Author)

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Warm Bodies (Warm Bodies, #1)
by Isaac Marion (Goodreads Author)

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Bard's Oath
by Joanne Bertin

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Osama
by Lavie Tidhar

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Rapture (Bel Dame Apocrypha, #3)
by Kameron Hurley (Goodreads Author)

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Blood's Pride
by Evie Manieri (Goodreads Author)

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Ranting Dragon rated a book 4 of 5 stars

Ice Forged
by Gail Z. Martin (Goodreads Author)

read in February, 2013

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http://www.rantingdragon.com/review-o...

Ice Forged is the seventh novel by American author Gail Z. Martin, and her first one to take place outside of the Winter Kingdoms, the world of the Fallen Kings Cycle and the Chronicles of the Necromancer. It t...more

Ranting Dragon rated a book 4 of 5 stars

Star Wars: Scoundrels
by Timothy Zahn (Goodreads Author)

read in February, 2013

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I’ve read a lot of Star Wars books by a lot of authors. There are many I’ve enjoyed, but nearly all my favorites are by one author: Timothy Zahn. When I heard he was writing a new standalone novel, I immediatel...more http://www.rantingdragon.com/review-o...

I’ve read a lot of Star Wars books by a lot of authors. There are many I’ve enjoyed, but nearly all my favorites are by one author: Timothy Zahn. When I heard he was writing a new standalone novel, I immediately knew I would have to read it! And, as a bonus, this novel is all about everyone’s favorite scoundrel: Han Solo. Scoundrels is no standard Star Wars adventure, though; it has no Jedi, nobody using the Force, no lightsaber fights. Instead, it is a heist story set in the Star Wars Expanded Universe and inspired by Oceans 11.

Han Solo is deeply in debt to crime lord Jabba the Hutt. The reward money from destroying the Death Star at Yavin—with which he planned to pay off his debt—has been lost to pirates, and the bounty on his head is causing no end of problems. So when Han receives an unexpected job offer from a mysterious stranger, the payoff is enough to tempt this smuggler into branching out. Han himself might not have the skills necessary to pull off an elaborate heist and break into a heavily guarded safe, but he knows plenty of shady people who do!

Genuinely stands alone—ish
While I’m not sure what kind of person aside from a Star Wars fan would be reading this review or considering this book in the first place, it is readable as a standalone novel; you don’t even need to have seen the movies to make sense of it, though some of the more significant moments may lose some meaning. For the best reading experience, I do recommend familiarity with the original trilogy. And though no prior reading is really remotely necessary, a few other novels may help introduce or add background to some of the situations, characters, and organizations featured in this book: Shadows of the Empire by Steve Perry and the Thrawn trilogy (Heir to the Empire, Dark Force Rising, and The Last Command) by Timothy Zahn.

Star Wars: Scoundrels is set in the year 0 ABY (After Battle of Yavin), so in terms of internal chronology, it comes before those books I mentioned. Star Wars Expanded Universe books can usually be read in any order, whether it be publication chronology, internal chronology, or whatever other order or disorder you desire.

A varied cast
Whether this is your first or fiftieth experience reading a Star Wars novel, there will be both new and familiar faces. Anyone who knows Star Wars at all will know Han Solo, of course, and his co-pilot Chewbacca and frenemy Lando Calrissian. Those more familiar with the Expanded Universe will recognize Winter. Most of the characters Han pulls together for this heist, though, are completely new, and completely fascinating to learn about! There is a ship thief, an explosives expert, a ghost thief and her reluctant assistant—her twin sister. Of course, a few Rebels get involved, as well as an Imperial Intelligence agent.

Despite the array of new, unfamiliar characters, they’re all fleshed out beautifully. There’s more history between Han and Lando to enjoy, and each of the new characters gets their own slice of history as well. Some get more than others, but they all feel believable; they all live and breathe and contribute uniquely to the group. This was one of Scoundrels’ biggest strengths, in my opinion.

And a fascinating new setting
The “galaxy far, far away” has a plethora of varied and unique settings. In Scoundrels, we get to see Wukkar, a new planet with new customs, and we see it during the most interesting time of its year. The Festival of Four Honorings is being celebrated, providing a crazy, chaotic, colorful backdrop for the heist. To me, Star Wars has always been an interesting blend of science fiction and fantasy, a subgenre many like to call science fantasy. I felt that the combination of a high-tech heist with this festival, which has more of a magical fantasy feel, definitely contributed to this overall quality of Scoundrels.

Why should you read this book?
Timothy Zahn has done it again. If the Jedi are the coolest beings ever and you’re never happier than when you’re reading about the Force, Scoundrels might be a bit disappointing for you. However, if you love elaborate heists and consider criminals to be the best protagonists, you wouldn’t even have to be a Star Wars fan to appreciate this novel.(less)

Ranting Dragon rated a book 4 of 5 stars

Bitter Seeds (Milkweed Triptych, #1)
by Ian Tregillis (Goodreads Author)

read in February, 2013

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In 2010, Ian Tregillis took the SF/F world by storm with his stunning alternative World War II debut, Bitter Seeds. Tregillis received a large amount of attention because he was groomed under the tutelage of so...more http://www.rantingdragon.com/review-o...

In 2010, Ian Tregillis took the SF/F world by storm with his stunning alternative World War II debut, Bitter Seeds. Tregillis received a large amount of attention because he was groomed under the tutelage of some of fantasy’s greats, such as George R.R. Martin and Daniel Abraham. If his teachers were not enough to lure you in, its arresting hardcover of a woman holding a novel and trampling over a pile of skulls just might be. Given these pieces of information, you probably concluded that Bitter Seeds is a dark romp through the corridors of war and how it changes us, for better or for worse.

World War II rages on, and neither the United States nor Germany is willing to give up any ground. That is, until a brilliant German scientist cracks the genetic code and creates machines that allow humans to gain superpowers, to become the Übermenschen of Nietzsche-an fame. To combat this escalation of German power, Britain enlists the help of warlocks. In between these two powerhouses is a normal British operative who must figure out how to stop the magical Reich. The war is at its boiling point, and sacrifices will be necessary. Neither side will come out unscathed.

An old dog still has some new tricks
One of the interesting things Tregillis does is take fairly old powers and make them interesting again. For example, one character can turn invisible, which is a concept that has beaten readers across the head for ages, but Tregillis uses it in a novel way. In addition, Tregillis’s no-holds-barred approach to combat allows these powers to have new life. In war, there are no moral limits and thus, the characters beautifully exploit their powers to the fullest extent. This does not mean the characters can wantonly fling their powers about, however. They are intimately aware of the limits of their power and the fact that they are still mortal.

Now that is a character arc
Where the magic and technology is really intriguing, the characters are even more interesting. The British side is housed by a cadre of good-willed individuals who are trying to end the war to protect their country and loved ones. In their attempt to stop the war, the British have to make many sacrifices, drink in the proverbial abyss that war inevitably brings. The Germans do not fare much better since they are held back by the Reich’s bureaucracies and the taxing mental toll their superman status brings. All of these character changes come together to make quite an exciting read because it shows just how far a person is willing to go to win.

The authorial hand
As previously mentioned, this was Tregillis’s first novel, and it shows in a number of places. On the surface level, there are pacing issues and some seemingly silly tactics employed by the main characters. The grossest grievance I can level at Bitter Seeds is that, at times, Tregillis does not let the despair of war grow naturally. I completely understand that war is gritty, but Tregrillis seems to place the characters at just the right time to have the worst possible thing to occur to them. This really stretched my suspension of disbelief. Of course, these are just small grievances that I am sure will be buffed out in the next two novels.

Why should you read this book?
George R.R. Martin liked it—isn’t that enough for you? Well, of course not. You should read Bitter Seeds because of the brutal effect of this concocted mix of science, magic and grey characters. If you are looking for a new and exciting voice in fantasy and science-fiction or a voice that rings true on the tolls of war, then look no further than Ian Tregillis.(less)

Ranting Dragon rated a book 4 of 5 stars

Fragments (Partials, #2)
by Dan Wells (Goodreads Author)

read in February, 2013

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The Hunger Games is still huge, two years after the trilogy reached completion. So it’s no surprise that dystopian fiction is all the rage in the young adult market, with a number of strong contenders for reade...more http://www.rantingdragon.com/review-o...

The Hunger Games is still huge, two years after the trilogy reached completion. So it’s no surprise that dystopian fiction is all the rage in the young adult market, with a number of strong contenders for readers’ interests. Dan Well’s Partials series is one such, of which Fragments is the second installment.

In the late twenty-first century, the world is nigh unrecognizable. A war with genetically engineered soldiers, termed “Partials,” devastated the human race at the same time a virulent new plague, RM, ravaged the population. 35,000 humans now live on Long Island; as far as they know, they are the only humans left on Earth. To make matters worse, the survivors are all still carrying the deadly virus, which has killed every single infant born for over a decade. Kira Walker was only five when the old world fell apart, and she’s dedicated her training since to finding a cure for RM. The answer lies with the Partials, who are now facing their own extinction due to a built-in expiration date. It’s up to Kira to figure out how these two problems fit together and, at the same time, answer a growing list of questions about her own origins.

The stakes are high
In Partials, it was clear from the beginning that humanity was in dire straights. However, the stand-off with the Partials on the mainland of North America is concluded, the Partial Dr. Morgan tearing apart Long Island in search of Kira, hoping that Kira’s genetic oddities may solve the Partials from extinction. This has exacerbated the problems of human and Partials not being able to live without each other, but not being able to live with each either. However, Kira isn’t on Long Island, having left on a quest for answers in the ruins of the world that was. Instead, it is her old friend Marcus whose point of view is used to show the conflict on Long Island as it heats up.

To me, what’s happening on Long Island is almost incidental. The real meat of the book is Kira’s journey, first to Manhattan and then cross-country to Denver. Joining her are Samm and Heron, as well as a new companion, Afa. Where Partials was a bit more dystopian than post-apocalyptic, Fragments is the opposite. Kira is outside of her society now, and traveling through a world ravaged by the sudden disappearance of humans. Wells does a fantastic job of painting what the world would look like when Mother Nature starts to take the world back from human interference, and just how detrimental some of our activities are. Overall, this is a book about consequences, and how there may not be any good choices to make.

A marked improvement
While fellow reviewer Aaron loved Partials, I found it pandering and annoying. I will grant that a large part of my issue with Partials was that I did not agree with many of the pre-industrial elements of the society on Long Island. When I was constantly being thrown out of the book by how fast horse drawn wagons were zipping around the island, it was really hard to enjoy the story. Fragments breaks away from these annoyances for the most part, if only because most of the travel is not being described in distance over exact measurements of time. Marcus spends the book desperately trying to apply bandages in a war zone, and Kira is on a long distance trek where how far she travels in a day just isn’t that interesting or important. I also found Fragments to be paced better than its predecessor. The cast is smaller, and the relationships are more sharply defined. When, at the end of the book, Kira looks back on the decisions she made at the beginning of the book with regret, it’s because she’s matured and not because she’s had sudden insight into the fact that she may not be strictly human.

Why should you read this book?
Fragments lives up to the promise that Partials made but didn’t quite fulfill. It’s a tightly written adventure with lots of grey areas and very few black-and-whites. For fans of The Hunger Games or dystopian and post-apocalyptic literature in general, this is a fantastic choice for your next read. There’s lots of lovely twists and turns to savor, and the ending left me on the edge of my seat, wanting the final book right now! However, this is a young adult book, so there is a bit of dumb teenager floating around as well as the ubiquitous love triangle.(less)

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Ranting Dragon is currently reading Old Man's War 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
Mar 02, 2013 04:54am
Ranting Dragon is currently reading Warm Bodies (Warm Bodies, #1) by Isaac Marion (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
Mar 02, 2013 04:53am
Ranting Dragon is currently reading Bard's Oath by Joanne Bertin	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
Mar 02, 2013 04:52am
Ranting Dragon is currently reading Osama by Lavie Tidhar	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
Mar 02, 2013 04:51am
Ranting Dragon is currently reading Rapture (Bel Dame Apocrypha, #3) by Kameron Hurley (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
Mar 02, 2013 04:51am
Ranting Dragon is currently reading Blood's Pride by Evie Manieri (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
Mar 02, 2013 04:51am
Ranting Dragon rated a book 4 of 5 stars Ice Forged by Gail Z. Martin (Goodreads Author) read in February, 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
http://www.rantingdragon.com/review-o... Ice Forged is the seventh novel by American author Gail Z. Martin, and her first one to take place outside of the Winter Kingdoms, the world of the Fallen Kings Cycle and the Chronicles of the Necromancer. It t...more
Mar 02, 2013 04:34am · see review
Ranting Dragon rated a book 4 of 5 stars Star Wars: Scoundrels by Timothy Zahn (Goodreads Author) read in February, 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
http://www.rantingdragon.com/review-o... I’ve read a lot of Star Wars books by a lot of authors. There are many I’ve enjoyed, but nearly all my favorites are by one author: Timothy Zahn. When I heard he was writing a new standalone novel, I immediatel...more
Mar 02, 2013 04:33am · see review
Ranting Dragon rated a book 4 of 5 stars Bitter Seeds (Milkweed Triptych, #1) by Ian Tregillis (Goodreads Author) read in February, 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
http://www.rantingdragon.com/review-o... In 2010, Ian Tregillis took the SF/F world by storm with his stunning alternative World War II debut, Bitter Seeds. Tregillis received a large amount of attention because he was groomed under the tutelage of so...more
Mar 02, 2013 04:32am · see review
Ranting Dragon rated a book 4 of 5 stars Fragments (Partials, #2) by Dan Wells (Goodreads Author) read in February, 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
http://www.rantingdragon.com/review-o... The Hunger Games is still huge, two years after the trilogy reached completion. So it’s no surprise that dystopian fiction is all the rage in the young adult market, with a number of strong contenders for reade...more
Mar 02, 2013 04:31am · see review

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