Eoghann Irving's Blog, page 15

Book Review: City of Stairs by Robert Jackson Bennett

If you’re looking for something a little different for your next fantasy read then you should check out City of Stairs by Robert Jackson Bennett. It’s not epic fantasy in the traditional sense nor is it the more modern grimdark fantasy. It eschews the common pseudo middle-ages time frame and sort-of european setting.

So What’s It All About?

Shara Thivani, a secret agent (of sorts) arrives in the city of Bulikov to investigate the murder of a noted historian.  But Shara is walking into a tense political situation. Bulikov is still recovering from the war that Shara’s country Saypur waged against “the Continent”.

A war in which the Continent’s Divinities and killed and most of the cities were damaged.  The citizens of Bulikov are no longer allowed to talk about or even know about their Divinities and the related history.  Bulikov is kept poor to ensure that it will not be a threat in the future, and that generates resentment. It’s not long before Shara digs up plots and mysteries that may threaten not just her but Bulikov and Saypur too.

What’s a Divinity?

Well, a god basically. The continent was ruled over by several gods. Beings of immense magical power who ostensibly protected, guided and shepherded their people. Each god represented different facets of life but at a point in the past they came together and as a result the Continent soon came to dominate the world, mistreating the people of Saypur in the process.

But it turns out it’s really not that simple. The book has a lot to say about people’s relationship with God(s) and how, perhaps, their own biases might change or drive the direction of a religion. The question of just how much the Divinities influenced the people of the continent and how much the reverse was true is addressed, but not fully answered.

Magic is fading on the continent and that fading is encouraged by Saypur who fears it. They are a science based culture and have made great strides but the return of a Divinity or even more minor magics could overthrow that fragile balance.

Magic in this book is  real sense of wonder stuff. Yes it can be triggered by certain rituals, but it isn’t well understood or controlled. It’s not just science by another name. It is powerful and dangerous and unpredictable, something is neglected far too often in modern fantasy.

Hate Breeds Hate

While the continent was on the ascent they treated Saypur badly. Now that the power resides in Saypur, the Continent is treated badly. The story is told very much from the point of view of a Saypuri sympathizer but one who has spent a long time away from her home and can see that the policies of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs aren’t working.

By keeping Bulikov poor and not allowing the citizens to even know the history of their Divinities they are storing up resentments that are bound to come out in an explosion eventually. The people of Saypur cannot forget what was done to them, nor can they forgive it. As a result they are committing similar crimes. It takes people acting out of good will to break that cycle.

Setting and Style

City of Stairs is written in the present tense which (and this is a personal bias) I find distracting.  To me it is mostly an unnecessary affectation that does not add anything to a story. There may be some exceptions to that, but it is rare. In this case I don’t think it added anything, but I also think the story is so good that it doesn’t matter.

The time period is unusual for fantasy books. It is neither the traditional middle-ages setting nor a steampunk setting.  Instead the technology level is I would guess somewhere pre-World War I. This creates an interesting dichotomy as we are at a point where magic is less effective at many things than science, even if it doesn’t have the same raw power available to it.

The story is told almost entirely from Shara’s point of view (two other characters get a brief look in) and interestingly almost all the characters we get to read about are not native to Bulikov. Really the only exception to that is Vohannes Votrov who while native is Saypur educated. I wonder if that was a deliberate decision on the author’s part. It does leave the citizens of Bulikov without a voice to properly represent them in the story.

Outsiders

All the key characters in City of Stairs are outsiders. Shara herself is unable to go home due to some sort of political incident she instigated many years ago, and having spent so many years away it is likely she would not fit in when she got home anyway.

Sigurd the former pirate and human killing machine is far from home and separated from his family, unable to return to them. He has essentially given up on life and gives service to Shara in return for her good treatment of him.

And then there is Vohannes Votrov, born in Bulikov to a very religious father but educated in Saypur and now a reformer. Vohannes cannot be who he really is while he lives in Bulikov because his own people would despise him. But he believes passionately that he must help his people and so he stays.

The City of Stairs

I couldn’t honestly describe Bulikov to you because I don’t read books that way. Most of the descriptions that authors put into books just slide in and out of my head without connecting. But, Bulikov lives in my head. I can picture it, I can feel it and it has substance.

The place has a depth that fantasy cities often fail to achieve. It has history and culture and presence. In many ways Bulikov is a character in the novel just as much as Shara.

Did You Like It?

I loved it, and Robert Jackson Bennett needs to hurry up and write the sequel. The story pulled me right in and I couldn’t wait to see how all the different elements played out.

And in case from my descriptions you’ve got the impression this is a dry and analytical story le me point out that there’s some mysteries to solve, magic, gods and a fair amount of violence along the way.

Buy, Borrow or Read

If you like fantasy at all then buy it.

City of Stairs

by Robert Jackson Bennett [Broadway Books]

Price:
$10.06
£6.45
CDN$ 13.00
EUR 14,49
EUR 10,90

TV Review: Marvel’s Daredevil S01E09 through S01E13

This review is going to be a little different to my usual style. Normally I keep it pretty light on the spoilers and talk in generalities. In this case though I’m reviewing the last 5 episodes of Daredevil season 1 and I’ve posted two previous reviews. You already know I like it and think you should watch it.

Let’s talk specifics.

The Origin of The Kingpin

While we do get most of the elements of Daredevil’s origin revealed to us over the course of the season, the show isn’t really telling his origin. Matt Murdock has already decided he wants to be Daredevil and how he wants to behave.  Yes he is tempted, but at a fundamental level the Daredevil we see in episode 1 is the Daredevil in episode 13.

That is not the case for Wilson Fisk.

At the beginning of the series Fisk is not the Kingpin. He’s an influential crime lord but he’s heavily dependent on the other crime lords to enact his plan. He also believes that what he is doing is for the good of the city. By the end he openly acknowledges that he is the “ill intent” not the Samaritan.

A large part of Fisk’s growth comes from his love for Vanessa. We don’t really get much insight into what makes Vanessa tick or why she is so happy to be with Fisk even though she knows exactly what he is but we do see how she is able to shore up his weakness and urge him onwards. Fisk’s early uncertainty and loneliness stems from his abusive childhood. We see that in the way his temper gets the better of him and he lashes out, losing control

He kills his father in part because of what he was doing to his mother, but not out of selflessness, because of how he feels. It’s the same reason he kills Ben Urich and Leyland Owsley. Vanessa though seems to give him direction and purpose. At the end Fisk is the Kingpin, sitting in jail maybe but plotting revenge.

The Killing of Ben Urich

I’m not often surprised by tv shows or movies. Surprise isn’t actually a good thing. Generally speaking if they’re doing their job well and you are looking for it you should be able to see everything slide into place for the next logical step. A good tv show shouldn’t be surprising my by concealing things, so much as distracting me and pulling me so deep into the story that I’m not thinking about plot structures and story arcs.

Killing Ben Urich flat out surprised me. Looking back it’s entirely consistent with the way the Kingpin had been portrayed, but it’s Ben Urich and as a fan of the comics I know that character has been around for decades and is one of the most prominent secondary characters in the entire Marvel Universe. I never saw that one coming.

From a story perspective it certainly made for a strong cliffhanger and lots of emotional resonance because Urich is such a great character and he’d been built up to be so sympathetic over the course of the season. Now that they’ve announced a second season though, I think they made a mistake killing him off.

Matt Murdock’s Women

It has been noted in some reviews that the women in this show aren’t treated as well as the men. It’s true, they’re not, although if you read the source material they’ve actually done a fair amount to shore up the female characters.

Partly that’s because the show is called Daredevil. Murdock is the central character and as such he gets the pivotal moments and the bulk of the cool moments. That’s what happens when you’re the protagonist. Similarly, Wilson Fisk is the antagonist.

However, I don’t think things are as one-sided as some have made them out to be. Sure Claire is treated rather badly by Matt, but not only does she call him out on it, she leaves him.

Karen Page has a season long story-arc which puts her in conflict not just with the Kingpin but also with Matt at times.  And, yes, on occasion she is rescued by Daredevil, but at least twice she is also responsible for saving her own life and in one case for killing the Kingpin’s key man. This is not a weak character.

On the other side of things we have Vanessa who is clearly entirely in control of her life and who builds Fisk into something far more dangerous than he was previously. She is no ignorant dupe or vapid gold digger. And then there’s Madame Gao, the only crime lord other than Fisk to survive the series. She’s something far more powerful than she seems and is able to defeat Daredevil with a single blow.

Where Next?

Well the immediate next is AKA Jessica Jones, but it doesn’t look like there’s any direct tie ins to that at this point. There are hints between Stick and Madame Gao of a connection between Daredevil and the future Iron Fist show. And of course we know that Daredevil himself (if no the supporting cast) will be back in the Defenders mini-series.

But they’ve announced a Daredevil Season 2 now, so how will that work? Elektra got a brief and indirect mention, do they introduce her (and by extension Bullseye)? Or do we perhaps get The Owl (obviously not Leyland Owsley but maybe his son)?

Book Review: Cursed by Benedict Jacka

The second Alex Verus novel continues in the vein of the first. Which is to say that comparisons between this urban fantasy series and Jim Butcher’s Dresden novels are inevitable and in some cases obvious. That’s not entirely fair because Verus is a very different character to Dresden but, as my father likes to tell me, life isn’t fair.

One of the challenges with reviewing series books is coming up with something new to say. Unless the author doe something radically different, the people who liked the first book will like the second, and those who didn’t, won’t. Benedict Jacka isn’t breaking new ground here, but he’s executing well.

What’s It All About?

Having set up the basic premise in the first book and established where Verus fits in this world as well as giving him an apprentice in the form of Luna, Jacka shakes the tree a bit to see what will fall out. Luna is tempted with the possibility of an escape from her curse, something that Alex has been unable to offer, as well as a romantic entanglement while Verus finds himself and his increased notoriety attracting all sorts of attention from other mages.

There are three major strands to the plot, each of which inevitably twists and threads itself together as things progress. Luna’s new friend comes into possession of the “Monkey’s Paw”, a potent magical artifact that can grant wishes… at a price. Meanwhile Alex rescues a damsel in distress who may be a little bit more than that. And finally there’s the matter of a newly discovered ritual that can extract magic from magical creatures and give it to a mage.

More Thinking Than Doing

One of the things that distinguishes Alex Verus from similar characters is that he tends to think and plan rather than act. It’s a habit that stems directly from his powers, both their limitations and their function. At one point during the book Verus is accused of being exceptionally cold. That’s not really the case, but he’s a thinker and a planner so he may seem that way.

That same tendency exacerbates the tension between Alex and his apprentice Luna. She is frustrated by the slow and methodical approach he takes and wants quick results. But Verus has, through his powers, has seen the consequences of hasty actions frequently in the form of his own death.

When The Good Is Worse Than The Bad

Verus is an unaligned mage who was formerly apprentice to a dark mage, but now mostly sides with the light mages. Except. Turns out that a lot of light mages are kind of dark themselves. And Verus has a habit of working with other dark mages when their interests coincide.

So who exactly are the good guys here? Even Verus himself has a dark side and is prepared to take some drastic measures if he thinks he needs to . This is something that was established in the first book and it’s spelled out even more obviously this time round. Dark and Light are labels, but they aren’t synonymous with good and bad.

There are other good mages, out there, but it does seem like they’re a minority and not the real power of the council. I have a feeling that’s something that will be explored further in the rest of the series too. We’ve had several glimpses now of the power structure of mages but there are a lot of details still to be filled in.

Limiting Powers

While some of the mages have obvious physical powers like ice and fire, Verus power is more complex. His ability to see the future gives him huge potential power not to mention the ability to solve a lot of mysteries before they’ve really got going. So Benedict Jacka spends a good portion of time establishing limiting factors that stop Verus from knowing everything. And it works, there aren’t any points where I feel like the author is cheating either to give Alex information he shouldn’t have or to stop him knowing something he should know.

There are similar issues with Luna’s curse too. Since that manipulates luck its nature is particularly vague. I don’t think Jacka is quite so successful here. Luna’s protection from bad luck makes sense, but how exactly the curse distinguishes between random bad luck and deliberate attacks is something I don’t quite get.

Did You Like It?

Yes, I like the tone of the book (which is quite like Dresden though with less pop culture references) and find myself rather fond of Verus as a character. The story flowed along quickly and entertainingly, at this point I think Jacka probably has me for the whole series.

Buy, Borrow or Skip?

I’m saying buy for this one.

Cursed (Alex Verus)

by Benedict Jacka [Ace]

Price:
$7.98
£0.43
CDN$ 8.54
EUR 7,86
EUR 7,86

Dragon Hoard Part 11: Siege

This is post #11 of 11 in the series “Dragon Hoard”

Mammon stared at me from Lee Anne’s body, waiting for my answer.  Part of me wanted to leave, wanted to run from the casino. I was face to face with an aspect of what many believe to be a prince of Hell. To say I was overmatched would have been overstating my abilities.

But, I couldn’t leave. I didn’t know what Mammon had planned, but the casual possession of Lee Anne made it obvious that she and the other guests at the casino would suffer. I wracked my brain for some way to fight back. And then it came to me, if I couldn’t strike a big blow, strike a small one.

Possession is actually quite difficult. As well as having enough power to possess the victim in the first place you also have to overcome any resistance from that victim. Which means that if you know that someone has been possessed and you know who or what is possessing them, it’s really easy to cut the possessor off.

I allowed myself a grim smile as I broke Mammon’s connection with Lee Anne and her body slumped to the floor. The demon was still free to attack the casino, but at least I didn’t have to listen to him any more.

Picking Lee Anne up and carrying her back to the main floor was rather more challenging.

Drago was still firmly in control when I got there. The casino was eerily quiet, even the slot machines were silent.  The guests just sort of sat or stood, gazing into space or wandering aimlessly. It was as though all of their willpower had been drained away.  But the effort he was exerting showed in the sweat that lined his brow.

“Doug.” He greeted me and it seemed like maybe his accent had slipped a bit. “Do you have the information I need?”

“Maybe.” I said as  I laid Lee Anne down on the floor. I took a moment to get my breath back before I continued. “It seems Mammon has taken an interest in your little enterprise. Why would that be?”

“Mammon.” Drago said the name like a curse, his jaw clenched. If he had heard my question, he chose to ignore it. “But how?”

“How what?” I furrowed my brow in confusion.

“How is a demon able to exert power in this dimension?”

“And how is he able to maintain a connection apparently indefinitely?” I nodded my understanding.

“Indeed. We are not dealing with a mere fraction of Mammon’s power. It’s as though someone has invited him into this world. Surely no one would be that stupid, would they wizard?” Suddenly I was the center of Drago’s attention. He eyes narrowed with suspicion as he stared at me.

“Oh people can be plenty stupid.” I said, trying to keep my voice light. “What are you suggesting?”

“I know about you Doug. Bad things happen around you.” Drago’s eyes burned into me, unblinking.  His resources were substantial and I wondered just how much he knew.

“I stop the bad things.” I said. The anger now obvious in my voice giving me the strength to meet his gazes without flinching. “Do you really want to test me right now?”

It was a huge gamble. Drago had already shown he had far more power than I would ever be able to muster. But he was also already fighting one battle, and you don’t get to be as old as I suspected he was without being able to think strategically.

He didn’t back down, but eventually he nodded and the expression on his face softened. I unclenched my hands, my shoulder muscles still knotted with tension.

“I agree though, that someone is helping Mammon.” I offered. “And the way he has laid siege to the building, I think it’s someone inside the casino.”

Drago nodded again, but he didn’t say anything. I could feel the energy building in the air around him, how much longer could he last without releasing some of it.

“Where’s Cassandra?” I asked, doing my best to sound no more than curious. It didn’t work, his eyes fixed on me again.

“She has work to do.” Drago said.

I considered challenging him further. It was already obvious to me that Cassandra knew a lot more than either of them were admitting to. She was also a lot more than just an assistant. What I didn’t know was if she was really working for Drago, herself or some third party.

“Perhaps,” I said, choosing my words with great care. “She could assist us here?”

Drago glared at me for a moment, unused to being told what to do, then barked a short laugh. “Perhaps she could at that. She will be here momentarily.”

I tried to hide my surprise that he could or would use a mental summons in such a casual fashion, but I don’t think I fooled Drago for a second.

“If I had the right materials, I could maybe construct a barrier.” I said.

“But you don’t, or you would have already done so. If I could locate the source of the attack, I could retaliate.”

“But you can’t, or you would have already done so.” I muttered. He glared at me.

“It pays to be humble Wizard.” His voice had the tone of a lecturing teacher. I couldn’t help but laugh. Lectured on humbleness by a dragon was something I could put on my resume.

Before the situation could deteriorate any further Cassandra arrived. She seemed as calm and polished as the first time I had met her. Which, under the circumstances, was quite impressive.

“Mr. Brodie.” She greeted me.

“You don’t happen to have any mercury on you, do you?” I asked. She gave me a quizzical look, but shook her head. “It was a long shot.”

“Well Doug, here we all are. What do you plan to do.” Drago asked, his voice held a tone of challenge. What were we going to do? I still didn’t have a clear plan?

A moan from Lee Anne dragged my attention away. She was waking up. Why was she waking up? With the demon no longer in possession of her body, my charm should keep her unconscious indefinitely.

And yet, it was unmistakable. She groaned again and stirred then opened her eyes. Someone, Mammon perhaps, was interfering with my magic.

Next: Part 12 — Going for Gold

Dragon Hoard is a weekly serial sequel to The Wolves of West Virginia, which is available on Kindle.

The Wolves of West Virginia: An Urban Fantasy Novella (The Case Files of Douglas Brodie Book 1)

by Eoghann Irving [-]

Price:
-
-
-
-
-

Vilde and the Sword of Ice Part 3

This is post #3 of 3 in the series “Vilde and the Sword of Ice”

This is the third part of my three part swords and sorcery story. The first of what I hope will be a series of stories. I’m releasing it early to anyone who has subscribed to my free newsletter. You can find a subscription form at the bottom of this post.

Part 3

Captain Tukka let his sword dangle at his side while he waited for Vilde’s response. She already knew from his actions earlier that he had no concern about killing her or anyone else who got between him and the treasure, but how was he in a one on one fight?

Vilde stretched out a hand and grasped the Sword of Ice. The metal hilt was cold in her bare hand but not enough to make her let go. She raised it, marvelling again at how light and balanced the blade felt. The sword was bigger than she was used to and normally that would have been a problem, but not with this weapon.

“Have it your way girl.” Tukka grinned, taking some sort of pleasure in the opportunity to attack her. He ran towards her and she waited patiently, her body falling into a familiar stance. The look of surprise on Tukka’s face as she easily parried his first swing made her laugh out loud. Angered he struck again, a wild blow that she barely had to deflect.

It had been months since Vilde had been able to practice with a sword, the ship was too small a space to do that sort of thing in private, but her limbs knew what to do. She was also tired and hungry. Tukka meanwhile, once his initial careless anger had subsided, proved to be a capable swordsman. Not good enough to hurt her, but too good to easily defeat.

The following content is protected. Please enter the password provided to you via the mailing list to access it.

Dragon Hoard Part 10: An Exercise of Will

This is post #10 of 10 in the series “Dragon Hoard”

Unencumbered by my body at its limited senses I was better able to grasp the scale of the threat against the casino. Then tension and anger growing throughout the building felt like a headache building deep inside my skull.

I still wasn’t able to locate a definitive source though. The power was not native to this realm, but there had to be a loci somewhere that was focussing it. I tried to apply some simple calming to the energy flow of the casino, but the torrent of negative energies simply swept what little I could muster away.

My next thought was to perhaps divert some of this energy elsewhere and disperse it through a wider population. Risky, but it would buy me some time at least. Except that I couldn’t. The casino was sealed in some way, magic was pouring in from another dimension, but within this dimension nothing was getting in or out. All my attempts to divert the greed and anger bounced off an invisible barrier and back into the seething mass off the casino guests.

The strain of trying to filter and control this much negative energy made my head pulse like it was going to explode. That sort of pain made it hard to concentrate. I clenched my fists, my nails digging into the palms of my hands in an attempt to refocus. I didn’t want my essence swept away by this torrent of hunger and greed. But I was getting desperate. I didn’t have the power to sweep aside this attack and I didn’t have the time to chip away at it. More and more fights were breaking out, everything I could see was turning red. I pushed down the panicky feeling that was building in the pit of my stomach.

And then something happened, a small area of blue forming out on the casino floor. I wondered at first how someone was managing to resist the waves of negative emotion pouring into the building, but then that blue area grew outwards widening slowly into a circle. Someone was fighting back and they were winning.

It took me a moment to realize that Sante Drago had stepped into the fray. I knew dragons were creatures of powerful magic, but I hadn’t understood what that meant. Somehow he was calming the people around him, expanding his sphere of influence ever wider as he resisted the torrent of hunger and greed.

I moved closer, making sure to stay clear of whatever Drago was doing, but close enough to observe. When I realized, I almost laughed out loud. It was simple and brilliant at the same time. Dragons are creatures of greed and lust. Right now, the casino was a feast for this dragon and he was eating it up.

As the blue sphere spread, the red subsided. For a moment, I thought Drago was going to be able to fight off this threat single handed, then I looked at him.  A proper look. Not at what he was doing, but at what it was doing to him. Even a dragon must have limits and Drago was channeling incredible amounts of power, but there was still nowhere for it to go and his body couldn’t absorb it all. It was like studying a battery that was being charged too fast. I wondered how long he would be able to keep this up.

It might not be a solution, but Drago’s intervention had bought me some time and an idea. If I could get home and get my hands on some additional supplies I might be able to set up my own barrier against this attacker. Also not a permanent solution, but a way to shield innocent people caught in the middle of what looked increasingly like turf warfare.

My mind snapped back into my body and I opened my eyes. It was disorienting to suddenly be assaulted by the every day noise  of the people the casino, not to mention the stale smell of smoke that was everywhere in the building. I stood, paused for a moment as the world swayed around me and then half ran, half staggered towards the nearest exit.

Sticking to the service tunnels I was able to avoid people and reached the exit in minutes. I wasn’t sure how long I had before Drago’s power was overloaded, but I wanted to be back here when it happened.

I reached out to push the door open and stopped. I could feel the barrier around the casino through my fingertips. The door would open for me of course, but once I was out, I might not be able to get back in. There was no way to know for sure without leaving. But if I did that I might be losing any chance of stopping what was happening. Of course, my plan to stop this relied on me leaving.

“Why aren’t you leaving.” I spun round in astonishment. The voice was Lee Anne’s and she ought to still be unconscious. In a way, she was.

Lee Anne was standing staring at me, but she wasn’t in control of her body right now. Whatever possessed her now  was reasoned and calculating, not just a force of greed and hunger.

“Why do you want me to leave?” I countered. Not Lee Anne gave me a smile that didn’t reach her eyes.

“If you leave, you won’t have to die.” She said. It wasn’t a threat. That’s what made it so terrifying.

“I don’t have to die anyway.” I pointed out. “Right now it seems like the dragon has you on the ropes.”

Not Lee Anne laughed and any shred of hope I had that Drago could prevail vanished. “Let the lizard use up his meager stores. Soon he will have to give me what I really want.”

“And what is that again?”

“Leave wizard.”

“I can’t do that. You’re hurting my friend.”

“I can hurt her more.” For a brief moment real anger twisted up Not Lee Anne’s face. “Choose wizard.” She stared at me and I felt myself drawn in.

I squeezed my eyes shut, shaking my head to clear my mind from the mesmeric effects. I hoped I had blocked the demon in time before he was able to get his claws into my mind, but a name echoed in my head. Now I had the answer that Sante Drago was looking for. But I wasn’t sure it would help him.

Mammon had claimed the casino for his own and I didn’t know how to stop him.

Next: Part 11 - Siege

Dragon Hoard is a weekly serial sequel to The Wolves of West Virginia, which is available on Kindle.

The Wolves of West Virginia: An Urban Fantasy Novella (The Case Files of Douglas Brodie Book 1)

by Eoghann Irving [-]

Price:
-
-
-
-
-

TV Review: Marvel’s Daredevil S01E05 — S01E08

So in my initial review of Marvel’s Daredevil (because all Marvel tv shows apparently must be called Marvel’s xxx) I think I made it pretty clear that I was really enjoying the show. If you’re looking for a synopsis of this review it would be: Still enjoying it!

But the show is evolving and I think I have some additional thoughts to offer on it, so this won’t simply be a recap of the episode nor a repeat of my last review.

What Happened to the Lawyering?

In the first couple of episodes Daredevil leant on some familiar tropes to establish the setting and the type of show it was going to be. Not least of which was the fact that Matt and Foggy are lawyers so we got courtroom drama.

But in fact very little of the show is given over to the courtroom and most episodes go buy without any legal activity at all. In fact the show seems to be working hard to avoid having a “format.”  Only three characters seem to show up in every episode (Matt, Foggy and Karen), others show up when needed. The show follows these characters and their activities wherever that leads them.

I must admit that I’d actually like to see a little bit more of Matt and Foggy as lawyers and perhaps that’s something that will come back in again in the last few episodes, but I also like the fact that this is a serial, not a series and it’s more concerned about telling a story than producing any sort of stand alone episodes.

There’s no way, for example, that you could watch this show out of order. It just wouldn’t make sense. Most episodes pick up shortly after the last one ends and they usually tie in to the same plot threads.

Deepening Characters

While the plot itself is unspooling slowly, the real benefit to this storytelling method is the way the characters are being explored. Matt Murdock is repeatedly challenged about his behavior and the contradictions inherent in being a lawyer by day and vigilante by night. Again and again people like Wilson Fisk tell him that he’s not so different from them, and he has a hard time denying it.

The show is fond of flashbacks, as most modern shows seem to be. I don’t particularly care for a reliance on that technique, but Daredevil does it quite well and doesn’t let it dominate the episode (with perhaps a couple of exceptions). As the primary character Matt gets some exploration every episode, but episode 7 “Stick” is of particular note as we finally get the key back story about the way Matt develops his skills. Stick’s single minded focus on “the battle” makes a great contrast to Matt’s more connected lifestyle.

Second only to Murdock in character depth is Wilson Fisk (so brilliantly played by Vincent D’Onofrio). Still not outright called the Kingpin in the show (although he as been called the “King in his castle”), Fisk is a more vulnerable version of that villain than we see in the comics. He is brutal and prone to fits of rage but firmly believes he is doing the right thing.

D’Onofrio somehow manages to show how dangerous this man is while at the same time giving the viewer the sense that Fisk is uncertain and scared. The whole thing really comes together in episode 8 when we get flashbacks to Fisk’s childhood and we realize that part of him is still that fat, abused child. That he has never fully grown up, never escaped his abusive father.

Even Foggy Nelson gets to show a little depth. He was the character I was most concerned about when I started watching the show. In the early episodes he was a shallow and clownish stereotype, but even he has been given a chance to grow. He shows his compassion and bravery in these episodes as well as an unrequited love for Karen Page.

Speaking of Karen, she is the character who, at the moment, has grown the least in this show. She is by and large what she was in the first couple of episodes. The actress Deborah Ann Wolf does a phenomenal job capturing the mannerisms of someone who is simultaneously brave and angry and very frightened, but I don’t feel we’ve been given the same insight into her that we’ve had for the others. Not yet at least.

Do You Still Like It?

Yup, liking it even more as the episodes go past and the characters become more complex. With 5 episodes left I suppose it’s possible they could screw this up, but it seems unlikely now.

Watch it Now, Watch it Later or Skip?

Watch it now or at the earliest opportunity. Sure it’s going to be available on Netflix for a long time, but you’ll be missing out if you don’t watch this soon.

Book Review: The Hob’s Bargain by Patricia Briggs

Patricia Briggs’ fourth book departs from her previous Sianim series of novels and presents a stand alone tale set in a new fantasy world. Eschewing the trappings of standard fantasy, Briggs this time presents us with a world inhabited by creatures that bear a close relation to those in many real world folk tales. The result is a world that feels at once familiar and different.

When wild magic begins to re-awaken and her village is threatened both by human raiders and strange fairy creatures that the villagers don’t understand, Aren of Fallbrook asks the Hob for help. The hob, a magical humanoid creature who serves the local mountain, offers to help defend the village of Fallbrook, but there is a price and it’s a price that Aren will have to pay.

This may be the most polished of Briggs books that I’ve reviewed so far. While she has always been good about giving us central characters with depth, her secondary characters have tended to be paper thin. This time out though even the minor characters seem to have a personality and each of them has their own aims as the story progresses.

The romance here (and like her previous works this is definitely a romance book) is very subdued. While it is a central part of the plot, neither of the characters involved could be described as actively courting or flirting with each other. Instead we are presented with two people who over time come to accept and admire each other. It’s a pleasantly different approach to the usual romance plot.

While reading the book though, I couldn’t help but think that the story was just meandering along. The character of Aren is understandably directionless early in the book, but even after she finds her purpose and focus, she remains a very passive character.

While I can understand a person like that (I’m probably quite passive myself in many ways), it doesn’t make for a particularly compelling heroine. And that’s a real shame because the character is very likeable. But her passivity seems to infect the story and when I arrived at the conclusion of the book my reaction was surprise because it didn’t feel as though the story was quite finished.

The final confrontation seemed almost forced, coming out of nowhere and tidily wrapping up several plot elements all in one single encounter.

But once again, I am quibbling. The book was a thoroughly entertaining read and I suspect my biggest disappointment on reaching the end was simply that there’s wasn’t more to read.

The Hob's Bargain

by Patricia Briggs [Ace]

Price:
$7.99
£5.42
CDN$ 8.54
EUR 7,86
EUR 6,00

Book Review: Ancillary Justice by Anne Leckie

I spent most of the time reading Ancillary Justice trying to work out why I didn’t like this book more. After all if I was grading on a checklist this would score really well. But of course you can’t apply a checklist to taste.

Ancillary Justice is the first of a science fiction trilogy that has received considerable critical acclaim and it’s not hard to see why. It has a grand space opera setting, there’s a “big science idea” at the heart of it and there’s even some rather clever sociological elements in play. But while I can objectively see all that, I never warmed to the story or the characters and it felt like a slog to read to the end.

What’s It All About?

So the viewpoint character is Breq, the last remaining Ancillary (think avatar) of a spaceship’s artificial intelligence. Breq looks human, but she isn’t. She served the Radchaai empire for many years both as a spaceship and (through multiple ancillaries) as a soldier. Now she is alone and looking for revenge.

Leckie tells the story using a combination of scenes from the present day and flashbacks to before the spaceship Justice of Toren was destroyed and in doing so sets up a mystery over what actually happened to the ship and why. We are introduced not just to Breq but also to other Radchaai including Seivarden (a former ship’s captain who has become addicted to drugs) and  Anaander Mianaai (the many bodied Lord of the Radch).

I’m not a fan of the constant flashbacks that are currently popular in fiction.  I may well be in the minority on that, but I just find them artificial and distracting. So a heavy reliance on that structure didn’t exactly endear the book to me.

What’s With All The Shes?

Anne Leckie pulls a somewhat unusual literary trick in this book. Radchaai society doesn’t have gendered pronouns and as a result Breq refers to everyone as she. It’s very cleverly done and you get some interesting situations where by default you have pictured a woman, only to discover from a casual reference that the character may actually be male.

If the aim was to portray a society that was significantly different to those around us, then Leckie succeeded admirably. If there was a deeper purpose to it, I’m afraid it went over my head. It certainly didn’t seem to serve any purpose in the plot.

The rest of the world building is more pedestrian to my eyes. As I mentioned it’s heavy going in the first half of the book with a lot of infodumps to explain why Radchaai society is the way it is and how it works. It’s all quite well thought out but at times reads like a history text.

Alienation

As I noted Breq is not human and to make matters worse for her, she is no longer the multiple that she used to be. Her understanding of humans is based largely on sensory data but combined with a rather weak grasp of psychology. Perhaps this is why she always seems so detached from the things going on around her.

At no point during the book did I get a sense of strong emotions from the character. She is not a passive observer, quite the contrary she is the catalyst for major events, I just didn’t buy into her motivations. She is so luke warm about everything , including her own impending death at one point, that I don’t find the events triggering her quest for revenge credible.

The other characters are more sketched than drawn in. I suspect this is deliberate as an illustration of Breq’s isolation from people, but the end result is that I don’t care about them any more than I do about Breq. I don’t know what they want or why they are doing what they are doing.

Really the only thing that kept my attention was the mystery of who, what and why combined with gentle curiosity about the multiple bodies of  Anaander Mianaai. There are some very interesting ideas about the effect of having multiples that are just barely touched on in this book and I think there’s an intention to parallel Breq who no longer has multiples with the Lord of the Radch, but if so it’s never made explicit.

Did You Like It?

No, I found Breq herself cold and just didn’t care what happened to her. None of the other characters really spoke to me either. The early worldbuilding segments were heavy going and while the pace picked up in the second half the writing kept me at a distance. In the end, I just didn’t care and I don’t see myself picking up the next two books.

Perhaps I’m missing some brilliant insight or maybe other people find the character of Breq more appealing. But what I got from it was some clever ideas and clever only gets you so far. The plot is fine but unexceptional and I’m just left wondering what all the fuss was about.

Buy, Borrow or Skip?

Borrow it. The book has a lot of good qualities and it is worth at least trying to see if it appeals more to you than it does to me.

Ancillary Justice (Imperial Radch)

by Ann Leckie [Orbit]

Price:
$9.94
£3.48
CDN$ 13.00
EUR 15,38
EUR 15,60

Vilde and the Sword of Ice Part 2

This is post #2 of 2 in the series “Vilde and the Sword of Ice”

This is the second part of my three part swords and sorcery story. The first of what I hope will be a series of stories. I’m releasing it early to anyone who has subscribed to my free newsletter. You can find a subscription form at the bottom of this post.

Part 2

The air in the ice caverns was cool but still. Vilde heard screams coming from outside as she hurried deeper into the tunnels. She cursed and stumbled as her foot slid on a smooth patch of ice, sending her tumbling onto her back. She landed hard and winced as the pain lanced up her back.

The screams from outside had stopped and she considered for a moment going back. Then she heard voices and footsteps. Scrambling back to her feet she headed down the tunnel again.  Protected from the wind, her body began to warm up and she wished she could take off some of the layers of fur she wore, but didn’t want to leave a trail for anyone to follow.  She settled for pulling down her hood and letting the cool air brush against her face.

The tunnel grew darker with every step she took but she resisted the temptation to pull out her glow gem to light the way. She couldn’t hear any voices now, but light would travel a long way in the dark.  She headed on down the tunnel at a more cautious pace until it split into two.

The following content is protected. Please enter the password provided to you via the mailing list to access it.