Joshua Palmatier's Blog, page 42
February 5, 2013
Signal Boost: Redick's Last "Chathrand Voyage" Novel and McKenna's Newest Ebook Release!
I have a couple of signal boosts for the fantasy readers out there today.
First up, we have the newest and final book in Robert V.S. Redick’s Chathrand Voyage series called The Night of the Swarm. So for all of you readers who like the series to be finished before you start reading . . . you can now start this one! I am one of those readers, and I already own the other books in this series, so I’m excited this book is finally out.
Also out now is the ebook version of Juliet E. McKenna’s second novel The Swordsman’s Oath, which I read a while ago. Juliet wrote a blog post about the book and why she decided to write this second book in the Einarinn series from a different character’s perspective than the first. I recommend this series, and all of Juliet’s books.
First up, we have the newest and final book in Robert V.S. Redick’s Chathrand Voyage series called The Night of the Swarm. So for all of you readers who like the series to be finished before you start reading . . . you can now start this one! I am one of those readers, and I already own the other books in this series, so I’m excited this book is finally out.
Also out now is the ebook version of Juliet E. McKenna’s second novel The Swordsman’s Oath, which I read a while ago. Juliet wrote a blog post about the book and why she decided to write this second book in the Einarinn series from a different character’s perspective than the first. I recommend this series, and all of Juliet’s books.
February 2, 2013
Check out the new DAW Books for February!
I've posted the new releases from DAW for February over at the DAW Books blog (
dawbooks
)! We've got new books from Jennifer Roberson, Stephen Blackmoore, and Irene Radford. Plus, the paperback release of Kristen Britain's latest Green Rider novel. Swing on by and check them out, then head on over to the bookstore to pick them up!
dawbooks
)! We've got new books from Jennifer Roberson, Stephen Blackmoore, and Irene Radford. Plus, the paperback release of Kristen Britain's latest Green Rider novel. Swing on by and check them out, then head on over to the bookstore to pick them up!January 27, 2013
Book Review: "The Sapphire Sirens" by John Zakour
This is the seventh book in this series, and apparently it's going to be the last as well. Which is unfortunate, because I also thought it was the best book in the series. These are basically riffs off of the 50s pulp science fiction and detective fiction novels, hence the riffy covers. They're humorous, filled with action and over-the-top plots, people, and resolutions.
Zach is the last private detective left in the future and he's already saved the world numerous times. So when Kiana--a sapphire-haired siren from the hidden land of Lantis--shows up and wants him to solve the murder of her mother, it seems like a rather low-key case. But Zach doesn't have much choice in taking it on, since Kiana kidnaps him and takes him to Lantis, an island in the middle of the Pacific that's the home to 10,000 women who believe men have destroyed their own world and aren't doing much for Earth either, even though they are occasionally useful. Zach finds numerous suspects for Kiana's mother's murder . . . including Kiana herself. But of course, solving the murder is only part of Zach's problem, because at some point the future of the planet is going to come into question.
I really enjoyed this book. As I said earlier, this was by far the best book in the entire series. The plot starts of rather simple--solve a case of missing baseball memorabilia--and then escalates first to the murder, and then to a threat to the entire world. This book emphasized the detective aspect of the premise for the series, which is likely why I liked it so much. We get to see Zach actually work his way through finding the culprits, interviewing all of the suspects, finding out about the society and the potential killers, all while events begin building around him. It was a slower build to the action, but it worked much better. We also see Zach limited, since the kidnappers take away his gun GUS and most of his contacts outside of Lantis. He has to rely solely on himself and HARV, the computer hard-wired to his brain. This made it seem like Zach was actually in some danger while in Lantis. I thought Zach and HARV had much more character in this book as well. So the plot, the writing, the characters, everything was much more developed and thought out and it all just worked.
There was a rough spot toward the end, when the plot suddenly seems to shift from the resolution of the murder to something else. That shift was a jolt to me as a reader, and appeared to come out of nowhere, but after reading further I realized that it was SUPPOSED to be jolting, because it was part of the plot. Zach felt jolted by the sudden turn, and so the reader should as well. It actually lead into the final moments of the book, which was much more believable as a threat to the world than some of the previous plots. So even that little critique isn't really an issue. In previous books, I mentioned that there were numerous typos that should have been fixed in copy edits and apparently weren't and that these typos were extremely distracting because they were so numerous. There are some typos here, but not nearly as many as in previous books, so that wasn't an issue (much) here either.
Overall, a great book and a great read. Much more focus on the detective/mystery aspects, a much more believable plot that built to a great final threat to the world, and some great characterizations. Based on this book, I'm sad to see that there aren't any additional books planned in this series, although it is good to end on such a high note.
Zach is the last private detective left in the future and he's already saved the world numerous times. So when Kiana--a sapphire-haired siren from the hidden land of Lantis--shows up and wants him to solve the murder of her mother, it seems like a rather low-key case. But Zach doesn't have much choice in taking it on, since Kiana kidnaps him and takes him to Lantis, an island in the middle of the Pacific that's the home to 10,000 women who believe men have destroyed their own world and aren't doing much for Earth either, even though they are occasionally useful. Zach finds numerous suspects for Kiana's mother's murder . . . including Kiana herself. But of course, solving the murder is only part of Zach's problem, because at some point the future of the planet is going to come into question.
I really enjoyed this book. As I said earlier, this was by far the best book in the entire series. The plot starts of rather simple--solve a case of missing baseball memorabilia--and then escalates first to the murder, and then to a threat to the entire world. This book emphasized the detective aspect of the premise for the series, which is likely why I liked it so much. We get to see Zach actually work his way through finding the culprits, interviewing all of the suspects, finding out about the society and the potential killers, all while events begin building around him. It was a slower build to the action, but it worked much better. We also see Zach limited, since the kidnappers take away his gun GUS and most of his contacts outside of Lantis. He has to rely solely on himself and HARV, the computer hard-wired to his brain. This made it seem like Zach was actually in some danger while in Lantis. I thought Zach and HARV had much more character in this book as well. So the plot, the writing, the characters, everything was much more developed and thought out and it all just worked.
There was a rough spot toward the end, when the plot suddenly seems to shift from the resolution of the murder to something else. That shift was a jolt to me as a reader, and appeared to come out of nowhere, but after reading further I realized that it was SUPPOSED to be jolting, because it was part of the plot. Zach felt jolted by the sudden turn, and so the reader should as well. It actually lead into the final moments of the book, which was much more believable as a threat to the world than some of the previous plots. So even that little critique isn't really an issue. In previous books, I mentioned that there were numerous typos that should have been fixed in copy edits and apparently weren't and that these typos were extremely distracting because they were so numerous. There are some typos here, but not nearly as many as in previous books, so that wasn't an issue (much) here either.
Overall, a great book and a great read. Much more focus on the detective/mystery aspects, a much more believable plot that built to a great final threat to the world, and some great characterizations. Based on this book, I'm sad to see that there aren't any additional books planned in this series, although it is good to end on such a high note.
January 25, 2013
New Book Discussion!
And the latest book discussion is up at the DAW Books blog (
dawbooks
)! This is the last book for the January releases, the paperback version of Michelle West's Skirmish, the fourth book in her House War series. I'm not sure how many books are going to be in this series, which means I should probably start reading them as they come out, rather than waiting for the series to end (as I usually do for series). In any case, swing on by and check it out! Or leave a comment on what you thought of the book if you've already read it.
dawbooks
)! This is the last book for the January releases, the paperback version of Michelle West's Skirmish, the fourth book in her House War series. I'm not sure how many books are going to be in this series, which means I should probably start reading them as they come out, rather than waiting for the series to end (as I usually do for series). In any case, swing on by and check it out! Or leave a comment on what you thought of the book if you've already read it.January 23, 2013
Book Review: "The Flaxen Femme Fatale" by John Zakour
This is the sixth book in the series, and the fact that I'm still reading tells you something. The books are about "the last PI on Earth," set in a very tongue-in-cheek future with a definite old-style pulp/detective noir feel.
In this book, Zach, the last remaining private eye, is hired by the government to find and retrieve the "flaxen femme fatale," a genetically-engineered woman named Natasha. She's escaped from her training ground and the military fears her powers, which are extensive, and the fact that Natasha isn't really trained in how to control them. If she gets angry or annoyed or even peeved, her thoughts can kill. So Zach and his trusty holographic sidekick HARV (hardwired into his brain) and enthusiastic intelligent gun Gus head off to investigate and bring her back. But, of course, not everything is as it seems.
These books are essentially just fun reads. There's some nice laid back humor, a fast-paced adventure, with some snide little commentary about our world and our ideals thrown in for kicks along the way. Nothing serious is heavy handed; it's really all about the ride. The future world is just too over the top for anything else, really. This adventure wasn't as thrilling or perhaps as interesting as some of the past books in this series, but it was still engaging and at no point did I get bored enough to set the book aside. In fact, there were a few surprises, especially toward the end. (I can't really mention those surprises without spoiling some of the book though.)
I don't really have any complaints about the writing or the plot or the characters or anything like that. As I said, it was a fun ride and you can't take anything all that seriously. I do have an issue with the fact that this book has so many typos, such as missing words, words written written twice (yes, that was done on purpose), etc. I'd say that this book wasn't copy edited, or somehow the copy edits didn't make it into the final published version. I know from experience that you can't eliminate every typo, even during extensive copy edits, but the number of errors here was just too much, to the point where I got annoyed. Again, this has nothing to do with the quality of the writing or the story, but it does destroy a little bit of the fun of reading.
If you can read over those typos though, and enjoy the story, then the book is good. Not the best out of the series so far, but not the worst either, and it certainly didn't make me want to give up the series. In fact, I'm already reading the seventh book (and I can already tell that it's going to be better than this one).
In this book, Zach, the last remaining private eye, is hired by the government to find and retrieve the "flaxen femme fatale," a genetically-engineered woman named Natasha. She's escaped from her training ground and the military fears her powers, which are extensive, and the fact that Natasha isn't really trained in how to control them. If she gets angry or annoyed or even peeved, her thoughts can kill. So Zach and his trusty holographic sidekick HARV (hardwired into his brain) and enthusiastic intelligent gun Gus head off to investigate and bring her back. But, of course, not everything is as it seems.
These books are essentially just fun reads. There's some nice laid back humor, a fast-paced adventure, with some snide little commentary about our world and our ideals thrown in for kicks along the way. Nothing serious is heavy handed; it's really all about the ride. The future world is just too over the top for anything else, really. This adventure wasn't as thrilling or perhaps as interesting as some of the past books in this series, but it was still engaging and at no point did I get bored enough to set the book aside. In fact, there were a few surprises, especially toward the end. (I can't really mention those surprises without spoiling some of the book though.)
I don't really have any complaints about the writing or the plot or the characters or anything like that. As I said, it was a fun ride and you can't take anything all that seriously. I do have an issue with the fact that this book has so many typos, such as missing words, words written written twice (yes, that was done on purpose), etc. I'd say that this book wasn't copy edited, or somehow the copy edits didn't make it into the final published version. I know from experience that you can't eliminate every typo, even during extensive copy edits, but the number of errors here was just too much, to the point where I got annoyed. Again, this has nothing to do with the quality of the writing or the story, but it does destroy a little bit of the fun of reading.
If you can read over those typos though, and enjoy the story, then the book is good. Not the best out of the series so far, but not the worst either, and it certainly didn't make me want to give up the series. In fact, I'm already reading the seventh book (and I can already tell that it's going to be better than this one).
January 22, 2013
New Book Discussion!
I've just posted the latest book discussion for the January releases at the DAW Books blog (
dawbooks
)! We're talking about Saladin Ahmed's debut novel, Throne of the Crescent Moon, the first book in his Crescent Moon Kingdoms series. Swing on by and check it out, or leave a comment if you've already read the book.
dawbooks
)! We're talking about Saladin Ahmed's debut novel, Throne of the Crescent Moon, the first book in his Crescent Moon Kingdoms series. Swing on by and check it out, or leave a comment if you've already read the book.Book Discussion: "Throne of the Crescent Moon" by Saladin Ahmed
The next book discussion for the January releases is the paperback release of Saladin Ahmed, Throne of the Crescent Moon. This is the first book in the Crescent Moon Kingdoms series, and I've been anticipating its arrival. Who out there has already read it? What did you think?
As usual, the cover art and cover copy:
Cover Copy: From Saladin Ahmed, finalist for the Nebula and Campbell awards, comes one of the year's most anticipated fantasy debuts: Throne of the Crescent Moon, a fantasy adventure with all the magic of The Arabian Nights.
The Crescent Moon Kingdoms, home to djenn and ghuls, holy warriors and heretics, are at the boiling point of a power struggle between the iron-fisted Khalif and the mysterious master thief known as the Falcon Prince. In the midst of this brewing rebellion a series of brutal supernatural murders strikes at the heart of the Kingdoms. It is up to a handful of heroes to learn the truth behind these killings:
Doctor Adoulla Makhslood, "the last real ghul hunter in the great city of Dhamsawaat," just wants a quiet cup of tea. Three score and more years old, he has grown weary of hunting monsters and saving lives, and is more than ready to retire from his dangerous and demanding vocation. But when an old flame's family is murdered, Adoulla is drawn back to the hunter's path.
Raseed bas Raseed, Adoulla's young assistant, is a hidebound holy warrior whose prowess is matched only by his piety. But even as Raseed's sword is tested by ghuls and manjackals, his soul is tested when he and Adoulla cross paths with the tribeswoman Zamia.
Zamia Badawi, Protector of the Band, has been gifted with the near-mythical power of the lionshape, but shunned by her people for daring to take up a man's title. She lives only to avenge her father's death. Until she learns that Adoulla and his allies also hunt her father's killer. Until she meets Raseed.
When they learn that the murders and the Falcon Prince's brewing revolution are connected, the companions must race against time--and struggle against their own misgivings--to save the life of a vicious despot. In so doing they discover a plot for the Throne of the Crescent Moon that threatens to turn Dhamsawaat, and the world itself, into a blood-soaked ruin.
As usual, the cover art and cover copy:
Cover Copy: From Saladin Ahmed, finalist for the Nebula and Campbell awards, comes one of the year's most anticipated fantasy debuts: Throne of the Crescent Moon, a fantasy adventure with all the magic of The Arabian Nights.
The Crescent Moon Kingdoms, home to djenn and ghuls, holy warriors and heretics, are at the boiling point of a power struggle between the iron-fisted Khalif and the mysterious master thief known as the Falcon Prince. In the midst of this brewing rebellion a series of brutal supernatural murders strikes at the heart of the Kingdoms. It is up to a handful of heroes to learn the truth behind these killings:
Doctor Adoulla Makhslood, "the last real ghul hunter in the great city of Dhamsawaat," just wants a quiet cup of tea. Three score and more years old, he has grown weary of hunting monsters and saving lives, and is more than ready to retire from his dangerous and demanding vocation. But when an old flame's family is murdered, Adoulla is drawn back to the hunter's path.
Raseed bas Raseed, Adoulla's young assistant, is a hidebound holy warrior whose prowess is matched only by his piety. But even as Raseed's sword is tested by ghuls and manjackals, his soul is tested when he and Adoulla cross paths with the tribeswoman Zamia.
Zamia Badawi, Protector of the Band, has been gifted with the near-mythical power of the lionshape, but shunned by her people for daring to take up a man's title. She lives only to avenge her father's death. Until she learns that Adoulla and his allies also hunt her father's killer. Until she meets Raseed.
When they learn that the murders and the Falcon Prince's brewing revolution are connected, the companions must race against time--and struggle against their own misgivings--to save the life of a vicious despot. In so doing they discover a plot for the Throne of the Crescent Moon that threatens to turn Dhamsawaat, and the world itself, into a blood-soaked ruin.
January 20, 2013
New Book Discussion!
I've posted the newest book discussion up at the DAW Books blog (
dawbooks
). We're discussing Diana Rowland's latest Kara Gillian book Touch of the Demon, the fifth book in the series. I enjoyed Diana's White Trash Zombie series, but haven't started this series yet. Swing on by and check it out!
dawbooks
). We're discussing Diana Rowland's latest Kara Gillian book Touch of the Demon, the fifth book in the series. I enjoyed Diana's White Trash Zombie series, but haven't started this series yet. Swing on by and check it out!January 15, 2013
New Book Discussion!
I've posted the latest book discussion at the DAW Books blog (
dawbooks
)! We're discussing Battle by Michelle West, the fifth book in her House War series. Swing on by and check it out!
dawbooks
)! We're discussing Battle by Michelle West, the fifth book in her House War series. Swing on by and check it out!January 12, 2013
Book Review: TRAPPED by Kevin Hearne
Trapped is the fifth book in the Iron Druid Chronicles by Kevin Hearne. I read the first book in the series and was floored. It was fast-paced, humorous, and the Iron Druid concept was cool and something different for the urban fantasy field. The other books in the series were up and down, but all entertaining. This one is no exception.
In this book, we skip twelve years, to the end of Granuaile's training, Atticus' apprentice. She's ready to be bound to the earth. But Atticus discovers that he has to bind her on the European plate, and someone has managed to block all of his access to Europe except for an area around Olympus. At the same time, someone appears to have revealed the fact that he isn't dead, as nearly everyone believed, and once that secret's out, Atticus has numerous gods out to kill him. The fact that he has to bind Granuaile somewhere near Mount Olympus suddenly feels like a trap.
This book was again a fun romp as Atticus attempts to bind Granuaile, his trusty wolfhound Oberon helping them out, while dodging attacks from all of those out to get him. There's plenty of action, lots of magic, and some significant character development between Atticus and Granuaile as the book progresses. I didn't mind the twelve year shift in time, established in the previous book, although you don't really get a strong sense that that much time has passed at all, since none of the major characters really age at all, and of course the gods don't age either. So the twelve years is sort of shrugged aside. The best part of the book was the relationships between Atticus, Ganuaile, and Oberon.
The main reason I didn't give this book higher marks is because the conflict lacked any real strong focus, and most of those plotlines are left open at the end of the book. He has Bacchus after him, Loki, vampires, and dark elves. All of them have good reasons for wanting him dead, mostly reasons brought on by Atticus himself. We learn fairly early on that someone has orchestrated some of the attacks, but we never learn who in this book. Only one of the plotlines is really resolved, the rest put on hold, and even the one that's resolved sort of comes out of the blue. And the plot thread that ends the book is mentioned once early on and then left alone until the very end. And that plot thread appears to have been developed mostly in the "between" novella Two Ravens and One Crow only available in ebook format (which means I haven't read it).
So, all of this together made the book feel unfocused and unfinished. The more significant plot threads are left dangling and the ones resolved felt minor. And the book more or less ends on a cliffhanger, with an attack. Thus, the book is a bit unsatisfying overall. I still enjoyed it, and it moved some of the plot threads forward, but it still felt like a transition or set-up book, not a single story in itself. I'll be reading the next novel, of course. But I'm hoping it has a more satisfactory ending than this one.
In this book, we skip twelve years, to the end of Granuaile's training, Atticus' apprentice. She's ready to be bound to the earth. But Atticus discovers that he has to bind her on the European plate, and someone has managed to block all of his access to Europe except for an area around Olympus. At the same time, someone appears to have revealed the fact that he isn't dead, as nearly everyone believed, and once that secret's out, Atticus has numerous gods out to kill him. The fact that he has to bind Granuaile somewhere near Mount Olympus suddenly feels like a trap.
This book was again a fun romp as Atticus attempts to bind Granuaile, his trusty wolfhound Oberon helping them out, while dodging attacks from all of those out to get him. There's plenty of action, lots of magic, and some significant character development between Atticus and Granuaile as the book progresses. I didn't mind the twelve year shift in time, established in the previous book, although you don't really get a strong sense that that much time has passed at all, since none of the major characters really age at all, and of course the gods don't age either. So the twelve years is sort of shrugged aside. The best part of the book was the relationships between Atticus, Ganuaile, and Oberon.
The main reason I didn't give this book higher marks is because the conflict lacked any real strong focus, and most of those plotlines are left open at the end of the book. He has Bacchus after him, Loki, vampires, and dark elves. All of them have good reasons for wanting him dead, mostly reasons brought on by Atticus himself. We learn fairly early on that someone has orchestrated some of the attacks, but we never learn who in this book. Only one of the plotlines is really resolved, the rest put on hold, and even the one that's resolved sort of comes out of the blue. And the plot thread that ends the book is mentioned once early on and then left alone until the very end. And that plot thread appears to have been developed mostly in the "between" novella Two Ravens and One Crow only available in ebook format (which means I haven't read it).
So, all of this together made the book feel unfocused and unfinished. The more significant plot threads are left dangling and the ones resolved felt minor. And the book more or less ends on a cliffhanger, with an attack. Thus, the book is a bit unsatisfying overall. I still enjoyed it, and it moved some of the plot threads forward, but it still felt like a transition or set-up book, not a single story in itself. I'll be reading the next novel, of course. But I'm hoping it has a more satisfactory ending than this one.
