C.S. Daley's Blog, page 2

Three Parts Dead by Max Gladstone

It is really hard to do something completely fresh and original in fantasy for me these days. I have been reading fantasy for a long time. I read a lot of books. So when something jumps out at me as different I tend to take notice. Three Parts Dead is different. While on its surface it is an Urban Fantasy set in a world that looks a little like ours. Underneath it is a mash up of many different genres. By many different genres I am not frakking around. There is a bang up legal procedure that culminates in one of the most interesting court room dramas I have ever read.

I am not even sure I know how to describe this book. The main story revolves around the murder of a god and a young lawyer’s search for justice. There are gargoyles and vampires and magic (called the craft). The story is gritty and reads like a great mystery novel. The world building is fantastic and the characters pop off the page. I was a little sad to find out that this is a series that will not center around any one character, although I am hopeful that we will see a few of our favorites from book to book.

The writing is smooth and moves at a brisk pace. I like how Gladstone gives us a little bit of the world. Lets our assumptions take hold and then blows it up and goes somewhere surprising. The book had me constantly wondering where it was going next. It is a pretty rare book that does this to me. I don’t think I have read a more enjoyable book this last year. When I finished it was everything I could do to delay gratification and not jump into the next book. Three Parts Dead will keep you reading and smiling. You will love the world and how Gladstone peels it back a little at a time. I love that the book ends. Fantasy has become dominated by massive series. It was refreshing to get to the end of the novel and have a conclusion. Gladstone lets his writing and his world draw you into the series. Go buy this book right now and prepare to be entertained.

The Water Knife by Paolo Bacigalupi

The Water Knife is an interesting book. In part because many of the horrific events that occur because of the mega drought in the story don’t seem that far fetched. This book is rooted firmly in the pit of reality. The reality that humanity can prove that it sucks in so many vastly different ways that nothing surprises you. This is not a joyous book. There is no sudden uplifting of humanity. Nobody surprised me. I had little doubt believing that politicians would find a way to make a bad situation worse. No real heroes and lots of shades of grey. Don’t read this book if you are feeling depressed. I guarantee it will make it worse.

With that out of the way. Let me add the good news. It is a good book. Well written and thought out. A relentless plot that is constantly kicking you in the face. When you are done reading it you will feel a little drained and then immediately want everyone who is ignoring California’s current drought to read it.

I had a few parts of the book that I thought were a little unnecessary to the story. Honestly, the sex scenes felt a little out of place. They kind of zapped me out of a book I was really interested in. I have nothing against sex in books. It just didn’t do it for me in this story. Mileage will vary on that problem though. It certainly isn’t enough to stop you from reading it.

The book’s plot feels dangerously close to our currently reality. Water becomes scarce on the west coast of the United States and Mexico and suddenly it is every state for themselves and the most powerful people are those who can manipulate the water rights to their advantage. One of the best parts of the story is witnessing the monstrosity that California becomes. The book follows a few characters. They are all interesting and all extremely flawed. I like flawed characters though. There is a constant struggle of people trying to rise above the disaster around them. The book is so grounded in reality that watching them get squashed by the machine can be a little depressing. This is good science fiction and I hope it stays science fiction and not a startling accurate prediction of our future.

The Darwin Elevator by Jason M. Hough

I am swinging into full summer reading mode now. Action packed adventure stories are my friends. The Darwin Elevator has been sitting on my Kindle for some time now. I have so many books to read that it isn’t surprising that gems by authors I don’t know take me awhile to get to. Let me tell you people. This one was a gem. It hits the ground running and never takes its foot off the gas pedal. It has everything a good summer read should have. Lots of action. Great characters to root for. Bad guys you want to see get theirs and an intriguing mystery wrapped around a great science fiction novel.

The first of three books in the Dire Earth series. The book is easy on the eyes. It is a fast and fun read. I loved this story in particular. An alien civilization does a fly by and drops a space elevator into the middle of Darwin, Australia and then disappears. Mankind begins to reverse engineer the technology and before you know it we are building space stations connected to the elevator. The only problem is the elevator didn’t just bring technology. It brings an infection that turns anyone outside of the aura of the space elevator into a raving lunatic. Soon earth is a vast wasteland and the lone survivors are in Darwin and the space stations. Of course, there is also the looming mystery of where the hell did the aliens who dropped the elevator go and are they ever coming back.

Did I say I loved this book. I know I am getting a little redundant but really you should go read this. It reads like a cross between a space opera and a western. It has some of my favorite new characters in fiction. People you can really root for. The plot is great but Hough saves up some really nice twists. You think you know where it is going and the wham, left turn. Definitely a series I won’t be waiting long to read the next book. Mr. Hough is a now on my must read list. He should be on yours also.

A Crown for Cold Silver by Alex Marshall

I like the sub-genre of grimdark fantasy. Right now I don’t think anyone is doing a better job of it than Joe Abercrombie. I had heard a lot of early positive things about A Crown for Cold Silver. I was looking forward to getting my hands on it and seeing how it compares. The good news is the book is quite enjoyable and introduces some really interesting twists to the genre. The bad news is that it starts a little slow and the author made some stylistic choices that were a little rough for me.

The story starts many years after Cobalt Zosia and her five villains have conquered the Crimson Empire only to be overthrown themselves. Cobalt Zosia is believed dead and the five villains have scattered around the empire to lick their wounds. The only problem is someone claiming to be Zosia is stirring up the shit again. The five villains begin the long trek to find this new Zosia and see who the hell she is and what the fuck she is up to.

I liked the basic plot. It wasn’t anything particularity new to the genre but it did have some nice twists. One of the best parts of the book is how Alex Marshall plays with gender. That alone was almost worth reading the book. I was also a huge fan of the devils and loved that people ate bugs as their drug of choice. The story starts slow, but about 100 pages in Marshall starts applying gentle pressure to the accelerator and the book begins to build to a giant battle where nothing turns out the way you think it might.

The world building is great in the novel. It was definitely a playground I want to return to. Despite its length, I felt there were a lot of little mysteries left lying around. I can’t wait to see where they go in the next book. Marshall can also write a fight scene but remember this is grimdark so heads will be flying and curse words will be spewed. One of the most surprising aspects of the book for me was how funny it was. There were plenty of laugh out loud moments nestled in between all that blood.

There were a few things that worked against the story but they were not book killers for me. The world building and introduction of the characters in the beginning of the book was a tiny bit slow. I think some of the characters could have been introduced later or some of the world could have been left a mystery. There were some interesting style choices in the writing also. Some of the language felt like it was plucked right out of the real world. Sometimes this worked and sometimes it felt a little awkward. It’s hard to describe. It just seemed to pop off the page and make me think about it. It was distracting but it didn’t happen often. I also felt a few of the characters were a little been there done that. Marshall was clearly trying to bring something new to the table, which I believe he succeeded at many times. So whenever I ran into a character that felt fantasy 101 I was a little put off.

The small things did not stop me from enjoying it though. I will gladly pick up the second book (especially since this one basically left off with a giant cliff hanger). While not as good as Abercrombie or Scott Lynch it was worth the read. Block out some time and dig into this monster. Bring some safety goggles though, it gets a little messy.

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This book was a review copy provided by Orbit Books.

Shovel Ready by Adam Sternbergh

He was a garbageman. He was happily married. He would never be rich but his life was everything he had hoped it would be. Then the dirty bomb hit Times Square and his world exploded with it. Burning down everything he had. Killing everything he believed in. Now he is Spademan and he kills people for a living. Still taking out other people’s garbage.

Shovel Ready is a post apocalyptic New York. The world has gone to hell and the rich have fled to a virtual reality universe where they can ignore the horrors around them. New York has become a ghost town and Spademan wonders if it can get any worse. The answer is of course, yes. Hired to kill a young woman he is forced to finally face what he has become. He decides he doesn’t like what he has become.

In a story that moves at lightning speed you will find yourself sucked into the world of Spademan. I loved the writing in this book. Adam Sternbergh creates some wonderful characters and an interesting world. He combines it with an interesting writing style that makes the book thoroughly enjoyable. Sternbergh’s world is dark but the journey is well worth the ride.

Robert B. Parker’s Kickback by Ace Atkins

Anyone who knows me, knows how important Robert B. Parker was to my reading life. The Spenser novels made me a mystery reader. More importantly, they showed me what kind of mysteries I liked. I liked characters. I liked people that were flawed. I liked stories that showed real people, having real problems. I met Robert B. Parker a few times in my life. He signed a few hardbacks for me (which I still have). I didn’t get to talk for very long because the line was huge but I was humbled to be able to talk to him even if for just a moment. His death left a giant whole in the world of writers.

I was beyond skeptical when they announced that several writers would be picking up Mr. Parker’s big characters. While I liked some of his other series (his westerns in particular). I wasn’t a giant fan like I was of the Spenser novels. If I was being honest though, I hadn’t really enjoyed a Spenser novel completely in years. It wasn’t that they were terrible. They had just lost a lot of the shine. I read them all but when he passed away I was ready to shut the door and move on.

Then they announced that Ace Atkins would be writing the Spenser novels and I was intrigued. I had read him before and found him a very good writer. Before the first book came out I was hearing some rumblings that it was quite good. I reluctantly picked it up and read it. I was flabbergasted. It was incredibly good. Better than many of Mr. Parker’s last entries into the series. I felt like I was cheating on one of my favorite authors but I knew the truth. There was no use denying that Atkins had returned a sense of style and flare to Spenser. I was hooked.

The latest entry continues the trend. Kickback is a fairly straight forward story. A group of individuals are doing bad things. In this case, it is jailing teens in a money making scheme. A distraught mom comes to Spenser for help and he then doggedly pursues the bad guys until he annoys them so much they try to kill him. Spenser has always been very good at the annoying thing.

Atkins gives us everything we want. A very tight and action packed story. Great characters and great dialogue abound. Like all Spenser novels the story reads incredibly fast (I finished it on one sitting). It is deceptively good. The story just sneaks up on you and makes you care. Atkins has added a few new touches that Mr. Parker never really tried and they work well in here. When I finished the book I felt like I had consumed a great meal and washed it down with a beer. It was completely satisfying. I don’t know how Atkins has managed to capture the essence of what Spenser is and how Mr. Parker wrote him but he has. If you are looking for a great summer read to gobble up at the beach or the cabin or anywhere. Pick this book up (and any of the other Atkin’s Spenser novels). I eagerly await the next entry. Atkins is a magician and I am a willing astounded audience member.

Pacific Fire by Greg van Eekhout

I was a big fan of California Bones by Greg van Eekhout. I like when books bring something new and interesting to the fantasy world and California Bones had that by the bucket loads. The magic system of consuming bones (and other body parts) to draw power is still fascinating. Especially, considering that this includes humans. The story sprawls out over California but my favorite scenes are the ones in the reimagined canal filled Los Angeles.

This story starts 10 years after the conclusion of California Bones. Daniel is still on the run with Sam after the explosive conclusion of the last book. We get to meet lots of new characters (including a couple surprising ones) but my favorite is Em. I would read a whole book about her and her magically created sisters.

Greg van Eekhout is a wonderful writer and he continues to build on a world that I can’t get enough of. The story is brisk and full of action. The magic is fierce. Plus, there is a fire drake as the main part of the story. The only issue I have with this book is that it ended and there is only one book left in the series.

If you are looking for a fast paced action fantasy jump on board this train. Go pick up California Bones and Pacific Fire, you will thank me for it. Well, you will thank Greg van Eekhout first. Then maybe me.

The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman

I usually read Neil Gaiman novels right when they come out but for some reason this time I waited. I wanted to save it for a time that I knew I could use a little boost. A little word magic and imagination endorphins. I don’t know why this was the week but it was. All I can say is that Neil Gaiman has never failed me and this time was no exception.

I love the way Neil Gaiman writes. He puts together sentences that are just beautiful. His words just stick with me. I find myself thinking about his stories all day long. He is one of the few writers who I often reread paragraphs immediately after experiencing them the first time. It’s like reading music. The words have a rhythm and flow that just washes over your brain.

This book was equally sweet and creepy. At its heart it is a story of love and redemption. It is a dark fairy tale that spills out over the landscape of two families. A fairy tale with some really nasty creatures. I am always astounded how I can be reading a really loving sweet interaction between two characters only to have a horror spring up out of the landscape to swallow the scene whole.

This may be my favorite Neil Gaiman novel since Neverwhere. The story blows through your imagination and leaves you in a state of wonderment. I loved how it didn’t feel the need to answer all the questions. When you finish up that last page your brain will immediately start filling in the dark squishy parts. A true gift. A book that allows you to keep replaying it and digesting it. Poking at it and coming up with new ways to admire it.

Confessions of a Secret Shy Guy

When I tell people that I have overcome extreme shyness I am often met with looks of doubt. Not that people don’t believe that I have overcome it, just most people have a hard time thinking of me as shy. I get that. I have worked hard to beat my shyness. The truth is there have been several long periods of my life that my shyness locked me up so bad that the only friends I had were the ones I met in books.

I would often imagine myself as my favorite characters. I was James Bond or Menion Leah or Paul Atreides. My social awkwardness only got worse when I was sexually molested as a young teen. Now I had this secret that I couldn’t let out. I had this horror that was eating me alive. I already felt different and weird. The assault just multiplied all those complexities and emotions and issues by a million. It stole trust away from me. It stole safety. It crushed my ability to just be me. It filled me with an anger that tried to eat me alive.

As a young adult I turned to alcohol. Alcohol masked all of those problems. I felt it allowed me to talk to people. It allowed me to be funny and reckless. I asked a woman out on a date after going my entire high school career not going on one. No proms, no dances, no parties, I had completely isolated myself (I had some close friends who lived nearby but those were the only people I ever interacted with). I felt like alcohol was allowing me a chance to show people who I could be. I was wrong of course. Someone forgot to tell me that one shouldn’t trust ones brain under the influence of alcohol.

Parts of it were true. I had moments. The problem is that what I thought was funny was often just mean. What I thought was me being social was really me being a pain in the ass. My anger ratcheted up to new levels when I was drinking. Luckily, deep down inside me I knew I was a good person. I knew there was an interesting man struggling to get out. I had made some good friends who could see past all the anger. All the pain. Who knew I needed a little push. They convinced me to stop drinking. I went over 20 years before I ever had another drop of alcohol. I took my last sip before I was even legal to drink it. I wasn’t an alcoholic when I stopped (it was way to easy to quit) but I was getting there.

Every year since then has been a struggle to push myself outside my comfort zone. To set goals and make sure I follow through on them. I took my passions and began writing about them. Sharing them and talking to people about them. In college, I learned that it was really easy to meet people if I took some chances. Sometimes I failed miserably but I discovered that if I have a gift it is to let failure run off of me like water on a slide. I turned books, comics, and writing into my super power to overcome shyness. Talking about my favorite book was easy. Listening to other people tell me what they loved was easy. As the years rolled on I found that while I always felt uncomfortable I could work past it.

It isn’t as if shy guy is gone. He is always there. Slightly insecure. Always worried about what others might think. Afraid to take chances. A good example of this was a few years ago at WonderCon. I was hanging out with some people who I know unequivocally are my friends. These are people I can call when I need something. They decided they were going out to lunch. There were a few people in the group I did not know. I had not heard the words, “hey, you want to get lunch?” So I watched them walk away. I went back to my hotel room alone and angry at myself. Having the same old conversation. They didn’t want me there. I was intruding on their other friends’ time. It wasn’t true though. They had wondered why I didn’t go with them. The shy guy is important though because he should be listened to. It’s possible I was intruding. It could have been a special time. Shy guy should be listened to and evaluated. I am doing much better at this. I never take it personal when friends are busy. I am busy. I get it.

I majored in psychology in college. This was clearly an attempt on my part to understand myself better. To deal with the things that have always hung shackled around my neck. I have never regretted it. I still have issues that I am always working on. Depression is like a stalker always lurking in the shadows. I still feel incredibly awkward inside whenever I am around people. I do my best to not show it. It has paid off with a wonderful marriage and great friends. I put myself out there. Sometimes it doesn’t work out. Sometimes the shy guy wins. More often than not he doesn’t.

Half the World by Joe Abercrombie

“You are lucky, Thorn. You are very lucky.”

“Doubtless. Not every girl gets to be stabbed through the face.”

I should just drop the mic and end the review with those quotes because honestly if those lines don’t intrigue you then this is not the book for you. Half the World is the second book in the Shattered Sea trilogy. It is by Joe Abercrombie and anyone who knows me, knows that I think Abercrombie is one of the best writers out there right now. I hunger for Abercrombie books like a zombie needs a brain snack.

When Abercrombie said he was going to write a teen fantasy series I was a little apprehensive about how he would translate. One of my favorite things about him is he wallows in the muck. His books are grimy and violent and full of despicable people. He tends to write books with no clear heroes. He paints his world in shades of grey. Good people make mistakes and do horrible things. Bad people do heroic deeds. No one thinks they are the villain.

I was pleasantly surprised with Half a King (Shattered Sea Book 1) but not completely knocked out like I have been with Abercrombie’s adult books. While it was still violent and gritty (especially for a teen book) I just didn’t totally identify with Prince Yarvi. I was much more attached to the characters around him. Although, I loved the story and the twists the story took. One of my favorite books of last year, just not quite as good as I was hoping.

Half the World is a complete marvel. It was everything I had hoped the first book would be and more. Easily one of my favorite teen books I have ever read. This is an amazing thing to me. It is fairly rare that a second book dramatically improves a series. It is even rarer when the first book was a very solid entry.

The second book has most of the major players from the first back for another round of intrigue and betrayal. They are however not the main players. Abercrombie switches it up and this story follows two young fighters, Thorn and Brand, as they find their way in a world about to explode into violence. This is what made the book a treat. The story feels more intimate. I cared more about Thorn and Brand. Their friendship feels natural, despite how different they are as people. Plus, Thorn absolutely kicks ass. She is my new favorite character.

Thorn and Brand carry this book all the way through. The book is like a runaway freight train and they are running along the top of it trying to save themselves and everyone they care about. They are not perfect characters. Both of them are broken. Both of them want something they feel will carry them out of the pain they are in. They are both wrong. Their story is equal parts heartbreaking and heartwarming. Did I mention Thorn kicks ass?

Prince Yarvi is still a major player in this story. Now he is Minister Yarvi. He is the puppet master supreme. Constantly manipulating the world around him to get the result he thinks will save his people. It became apparent to me very quickly that I liked Yarvi a lot more in this book. I think he works much better slightly off to the left of the story. Always there. Always important but not the main focal point of the story. Although, he is the main cog in the wheel that drives the plot forward.

Half the World was my favorite read so far this year. I am eagerly awaiting the final book in the series. Honestly, I am not sure how it could be better than this book but I know Abercrombie’s skill as a writer will make the journey to find out a fun one.