Sarah Chorn's Blog, page 33

#SPFBO 2017 Finalist | Chaos Trims My Beard – Brett Herman

About the Book

Edwayn Sattler is a half-dwarf with a beard and a dead end job. One night when serving drinks to the city’s rich and famous, a fiery playboy loses control of his magic and goes on a burning rampage. After some ill-advised heroics aided by the magic that lives in Edwayn’s beard, he finds himself unemployed and socially exiled. With no other job or friends to fall back to, he signs on with an inscrutable ratman sporting a badge and a fetching hat, and together they dive beard and whiskers first into a magical murder conspiracy that threatens to consume the city.

Armed with sub-par wits, a dry sense of humor, and a handful of magical tricks, Edwayn encounters conflagrating cops, smooth-talking trolls, shadowy corporate enforcers, and an air-headed vixen with a fatalistic streak. When his easy-going life spirals into a thrilling, darkly hilarious tale of intrigue and deception, Edwayn will find out just how close this newfound chaos will trim his beard.

462 pages

Published on March 23, 2017

Author’s webpage

Buy the book 

This is an SPFBO finalist.

— 

Chaos Trims My Beard is one of those books that really has the potential to scratch a very specific itch, if you’re in the mood for it. If you’re not in the mood for this sort of thing, it will probably fall flat to you. Therefore, my advice to potential readers: Go into this one when you’re in the mood for some noir-style humor.

Chaos Trims My Beard is interesting, for a number of reasons. First, it takes place in a sort of steampunk future, a city full of skyrises and what have you, which is really unique when you take into consideration all of the epic fantasy trope races that are in the book. Elves, dwarves, orcs, and etc. They are all here, and they are all exactly what you’d expect them to be. That being said, each trope that is played within this book has a unique twist to it, which keeps these tropes from feeling tired.

If you haven’t gathered yet, Chaos Trims My Beard is a fun fantasy, rather than an epic, serious fantasy. It did have some serious undertones, but by and large, this book set out to have fun with time-tested tropes, and it does it well, pushing and prodding right where it needs to.

This book, as I mentioned, has a noir bend. Told in the first-person point of view, readers get to experience events through one Edwayn Sattler, a half-dwarf that is down on his luck. The book starts out with a fairly easy clip, but things get going pretty fast and soon the plot really took off like it was on fire. There really isn’t a dull moment here, and that’s a good thing. With plenty of laugh out loud moments, this book hooked me pretty fast and had me enthralled almost from page one.

Some of the characters fell a little flat. All of them had a place and point in the book, and some of them felt more essential to drive the plot forward than others. However, I felt like Herman struggled a bit with fleshing out some of the secondary characters. Another point, while I really did like Edwayn Sattler, and he was exactly what the book needed, he felt a little flat to me. And, in truth, I felt like just about every character was a little flat. It didn’t really distract from the enjoyment of the book, I did feel like maybe the tropes were paid for a bit with the character development.

The ending of the book was probably the part where I struggled the most. There were so many revelations, and they were happening so fast that I often felt a little overwhelmed by it. I did feel like the constant revelations and “Ah ha!” moments in the end really did overwhelm the book itself. It was too much, all at once, and I found myself rather confused at certain points, and this did push me out of the book, and directly impact my overall enjoyment.

On an editorial aside, this book really could have used a good copy edit. There were a lot of grammar and spelling/typo issues that distracted me. I think a nice polish would have helped quite a bit.

So, Chaos Trims My Beard was a hell of a lot of fun, with some pacing issues, and characters that didn’t really grip me that much. The world building was really fantastic, though. I loved the twists on tropes and the sheer fun of the book itself. It was absolutely worth the read, and I would recommend it for others.

3/5 stars

5/10 (SPFBO rating)

#SPFBO 2017 Finalist | Tiger Lily – K. Bird Lincoln

About the Book

Lily isn’t supposed to hunt game in the Daimyo’s woods. She’s just the cook’s daughter. It isn’t her place to talk to nobility. And she definitely isn’t supposed to sing the forbidden old, Jindo religion songs.

But Lily was born in the year of the Tiger, and can’t ever be like other village girls. In the woods snaring rabbits one day, she finds instead the Daimyo’s son, Ashikaga, wounded, in the gooseberry brush. When the Pretender Emperor’s men arrive to kill Ashikaga, Lily, desperate, sings a forbidden Jindo song.

The song wakes a powerful spirit – as well as Ashikaga’s interest. The prickly lord has hidden secrets of his own and a burning desire to prove himself to his father. He will stop at nothing to defeat his father’s greatest enemy.

All Lily wants to do is take care of her sisters. But the Pretender-Emperor’s forces are drawing near, and now the Daimyo’s son knows she communes with Jindo gods. She wants to trust Ashikaga when he swears he will not tell her secret, but he is a noble – and Lily only a peasant. Lily’s heart is leading her down a dangerous path. She may have to defy her father, Ashikaga, and even the spirits themselves in order to defeat the Pretender-Emperor’s magic and keep safe all that she loves.

277 pages

Published on April 26, 2012

Author’s webpage

Buy the book

This is an SPFBO finalist.

—

I’ve put off reviewing this book. I’m just going to say that up front. I really struggled with this one, which disappointed me immensely because I was so set to love it. A gender-bending, LGBT romance set in the Far East? Hell yes. Sign me up. So, when this book, which is shorter than 300 pages, felt like I was trying to read War and Peace or something, I really felt a stab of guilt and disappointment.

Now, before I continue on, I need to put up my timeless disclaimer. I do not set the standard for what a good book is. I am not here to tell you if a book is good or bad. I’m here to tell you if I enjoy the books I read and why/why not. Just because I don’t (or do) like something, does not mean that it’s not worth trying out, and it does not mean that you can’t feel completely different than me.

I’m saying that because, while I really struggled with this book, I can see how it would really appeal to certain readers. In fact, I’ve already recommended it to two friends of mine, who I’m pretty sure will dig it. So, understand, I think this is one of those books you’ll either love or hate. There seems to be very little gray area or middle ground on this one, and that’s okay.

Anyway, the magic system and cultural influence were very well done. Everyone is born in a certain year, and the animal that year has a strong influence on the character themselves. That’s really interesting. There’s samurai and songs, and power, political issues, and yes, gender-bending. Though, to be honest I think it’s more than gender bending and solidly LGBT. All of that is really awesome, and incredibly well thought out and developed. Added to that, some absolutely superb writing, very polished prose, and you’ve really got a recipe for something great. There aren’t enough fantasy books set in the Far East and not nearly enough that fall in the LGBT area. Representation is important, and I think it deserves to be celebrated.

With all that said, there’s huge potential for this book to really break through the crust and hit an audience that really wants something exactly like this and make a big splash. But…

The problem is the protagonist. Told in the first-person POV, this book is one where the reader experiences all of this through Lily’s experiences. She, from what I can gather, has some anxiety issues? Maybe depression as well? I’m not sure. The problem isn’t the fact that she’s anxious or depressed. That’s fine, and I tend to love characters who gnaw holes in their souls, but Lily’s constant inner monologue, this never-ending woe-is-me diatribe, and oppressive worries (yes, oppressive. They bogged down the plot and impacted my interest level quite a bit), and then worrying about her worries just did me in.

It was too much.

Anxiety and depression are part of life, and I love characters who reflect that, but in the end,  I just really felt like all her worry and anxiety was more navel-gazing and gratuitous than anything else, and man did it make 277 pages feel like 2077. It distracted from the character development until I just lost interest. So, a vibrant world full of possibility, fantastic cultural development, and characters that, let me be honest here, I really couldn’t stand.

I’m sorry. I hate writing reviews like this, but there you go. That being said, if you’re into deep dives into a protagonist’s mind, and Far East cultures, interesting magic systems, and some gender-bending, then look up this book, because it might be the exact thing you’re looking for.

 

2/5 stars

3.5/10 (SPFBO rating)

#SPFBO 2017| The Way Into Chaos – Harry Connolly

About the Book

The Great Way is an epic fantasy trilogy about a supernatural invasion that destroys an empire.

The city of Peradain is the heart of an empire built with steel, spears, and a monopoly on magic… until, in a single day, it falls, overthrown by a swarm of supernatural creatures of incredible power and ferocity. Neither soldier nor spell caster can stand against them.

The empire’s armies are crushed, its people scattered, its king and queen killed. Freed for the first time in generations, city-states scramble to seize neighboring territories and capture imperial spell casters. But as the creatures spread across the land, these formerly conquered peoples discover they are not prepared to face the enemy that destroyed an empire.

Can the last Peradaini prince, pursued by the beasts that killed his parents, cross battle-torn lands to retrieve a spell that might—just might—turn the battle against this new enemy?

424 pages

Published on December 18, 2014

Author’s webpage

Buy the book

This is a finalist in the SPFBO 2017.

—

The Way Into Chaos is one of those epic fantasy books that fans of epic fantasy are sure to love. It pretty much ticks off everything you want to have ticked off in your fantasy. War? Magic? Monsters? Complex plots? Twists? Turns? Yes, friends, this book has it all.

One benefit of this book is that the story is told through two points of view, rather than the sprawling host that most epic fantasy books contain. This allows readers to really get into the heads of our two viewpoint characters. The characters really do shine. In fact, I felt like they were the strongest part of the book. Truly fleshed out POV characters can make or break a book for me, and while I did favor one person over another (really, that’s just human nature), both characters were superb.

Secondary characters are a diverse chunk of people, with various backgrounds and opinions. They are, likewise, fleshed out almost as well as the POV characters, which was a delightful surprise for me. This gave the book a sense of layers and made it obvious that Connolly took time to make sure that all the levels and layers of his book were thought out and detailed in the way he intended them to be. He took care with who he put in his world, and the people he wanted to use as the vehicles his story is told through, and it showed.

The plot is perhaps the one area where I have something to complain about. The start of the conflict is really abrupt and felt very much like BAM: HERE IT IS to me, with very little buildup. On the plus side, that makes the book start fast. Events happen at a rapid pace, and it takes very little time for the plot to really hook the reader and pull them in, on the negative side, I felt like there was very little buildup, and very little time for me to wrap my mind around the introduction to the book before things were just taking off.

I also felt, occasionally, that the plot was a little unbalanced. Some chapters would really hook me, and everything felt wonderfully paced. Others felt slow, and I had a hard time keeping my attention on them. Those chapters weren’t numerous, but they did exist. Basically, some parts of this book lagged, maybe were longer and larger than they should have been.

The world building really did delight me, from the magic system to the conflict itself, to the societies and governmental systems, cultural nuances and the like. I really did enjoy this journey through Connolly’s mind, and I’m really glad I took it. I love his attention to detail, not just with his characters, as mentioned above, but with his world as a whole. This book had layers, and levity as well as darkness, and all of it was balanced very well in a world that just fit the story being told.

The Way into Chaos does feel kind of like a prologue. There is a story here, and it’s contained within the novel itself, but this book isn’t a stand-alone. This is a book that is obviously setting the reader up for whatever happens next. Is that a bad thing? No, but it’s something readers might want to be aware of. This isn’t a one-off. This is a book that will demand its readers to continue on. Consider it an investment. If you’re willing to invest your time in it, you’ll find yourself richly rewarded. I really enjoyed the hell out of this book.

3.5/5 stars

(7/10 SPFBO scale – why haven’t I don’t this on my SPFBO reviews before?)

#SPFBO 2017 Finalist | Devil’s Night Dawning – Damien Black

About the Book

As a kingdom teeters on the brink of war, two witch hunters fight to stop a warlock before he unleashes an ancient evil…

For centuries, the Argolian Order has protected the mortal vale from the dark forces of the Other Side. Now the barrier between worlds is breaking down, and two monks must survive a civil war before they can stop the wizard responsible.

When Adelko is assigned to legendary exorcist and witch hunter Horskram, he expects an adventurous life. Death by adventure isn’t what he had in mind – but it seems the only outcome when they learn of a sorcerous theft that threatens the world.

The thief wants to silence them – permanently. And so Horskram and Adelko flee from one danger to another as the Jarl of Thule leads a rebel army against the King of Northalde, plunging the realm into conflict.

And on the Other Side, demonkind reawakens…

The Broken Stone Chronicle is a riveting tale of war, quest, magic and horror for fans of medieval fantasy, sword and sorcery, dark fantasy and epic fantasy. Buy a copy now!

650 pages

Published on July 26, 2016

Author’s webpage

Buy the book

This book is an SPFBO finalist.

—

 Devil’s Night Dawning is one hell of a book. It sort of blew me away in a lot of respects, but it left me wanting a bit more in others. That being said, I really enjoyed this book and ended up with a healthy respect for the author after reading it.

First of all, I should address the world building and history.

This book is absolutely jam-packed with both. I mean, wow. A lot of the elements in this book are obviously influenced by our own world. The main religion, for example, has obvious Christian influences. Black must have done an absolute ton of research before writing this book. It’s absolutely overflowing in details and a lush history that makes this world feel shockingly real.

I love stuff like that. I love the effort and the details that Black poured into this book. It’s obvious in the story he’s telling that he really cares about what he’s writing, and he’s put in a hell of a lot of effort. This level of world building can rival that of many of my favorite epic fantasy authors.

The downside of all of this is sometimes the book felt a little infodumpish. The absolute magnitude of the worldbuilding and history poured into this book occasionally felt dry, and sometimes I thought it overwhelmed the plot. So, it was stunningly well done, and something I seriously admired, but I also do feel like too much of a good thing can still be too much.

The writing is superb. There was a lot of effort put into the prose, and the editing was superb as well. This is one of those self-published books where I can tell that it was not only a labor of love, but the author wasn’t willing to release it into the world until he had it as perfect as he could absolutely get it. I really respect that, and that attention to detail was really what made me a fan of this book

The plot itself left me… I don’t know. I mean, I liked it, but…

Let me explain.

Devil’s Night Dawning has a Christian-influenced religion. There are priests that do uncomfortable things. Knights that act super knightly. It’s set in a European-esque world, and there’s a noblewoman escaping an arranged marriage. That’s all very interesting but, to be honest with you, I’m kind of tired of those tropes. I’m more excited about the books that branch out of these western settings, and step away from western-influenced religion, and deal with people who aren’t highly placed and mighty due to that.

There’s nothing wrong with any of this, mind you. Different people like different things. I don’t mind tropes here or there in the books I read, but all of those tropes packed into one book felt like it was just too much. For such fantastic writing, stunning worldbulding, incredible attention to detail, and absolutely realistic history, the plot itself left me a little underwhelmed. I mean, it was good, but I did very much feel like the book was a bit unbalanced.

The first half of the book was more interesting than the second. The first half dealt more with the religion, exorcisms, demons and all that fun stuff. The second half was more about the knights and nobility and I felt that it lagged quite a bit behind the first half, in both pacing and my personal interest level (sorry).

Is it a bad book? Hell no. It’s absolutely worth your time reading. I could learn a lot from Black just by reading this book and absorbing his worldbuilding, prose, and history. In the end, however, I felt like this book was a bit off balance.

This is classic epic fantasy, and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. Sometimes I’m in the mood for this kind of thing. However, I guess I just was hoping the author might push his boundaries a little bit more than he actually did. That being said, I loved reading this book, and I’m incredibly glad I did. I’m pretty sure you should read it too, especially if you want to enjoy some fantastic classic epic fantasy.

 

3.5/5 stars

#SPFBO 2017 Finalist | Where Loyalties Lie – Rob J. Hayes

About the Book

Everybody knows Captain Drake Morass is only out for himself.

As the fires of a dying city burn on a distant shore, Drake sees an opportunity to unite the other pirate Captains under his flag and claim a crown for himself. If he is to succeed, he will need allies and the Oracle named Keelin Stillwater, the best swordsman in the isles, as his right hand.

With enemy ships sailing his waters and setting fire to his cities, and the sinister Tanner Black threatening to steal the throne before Drake even has a chance to sit upon it, Drake Morass must somehow convince the other Captains that his best interests are also theirs.

Where Loyalties Lie is the first book in the Best Laid Plans duology and is set in the same world as The Ties That Bind trilogy, continuing Captain Drake Morass’ story where the trilogy left off.

371 pages (paperback)

Published on May 26, 2017

Author’s webpage

Buy the book

This book is an SPFBO finalist.

—

Folks, I’m going to let you in on a secret. I freaking hate books that take place on boats, or on large bodies of water. I mean, I know most people see the word “pirate” and come running, but in my case, I generally run away. I really, really dislike this setting. I don’t even know why. This and zombies are my own personal “hell no” as far as tropes go.

So, going into Where Loyalties Lie, I had to sort of pep talk myself. “Sarah, yes, this book is basically grimdark on the ocean, but YOU CAN DO IT.” I also knew that this book would have to be seriously good to get me to overlook my instant and intense loathing of the open water/boat setting.

I’m saying this to put my review in context. Instantly, from the second I saw the cover of this book, I knew this sucker would have one hell of an uphill battle on my site.

Now, on a character level, this book absolutely rocks. It’s full of characters that have the very real potential to steal the show. Each one is just as interesting as the last, and they work well to round out the story. They also show how each person is really out for their own reasons. In this way, they are totally representative of the pirate life. Some of them fall on the better side of that gray moral swath that defines so much grimdark. Others fall a bit on the darker side. There are men and women, people who come from all sorts of backgrounds and walks of life. The sea connects them, but they are very much out there for their own reasons.

The characters really make the story come to life. A few of them stuck out to me more than others. Drake, for example, has a bloodthirsty streak which really worked for me. Keelin also jumped off the page, but for very different reasons. He is driven by his past, and I really loved how Hayes rolled out his story slowly, in ways that didn’t feel like they stood apart from the story but like his story was an integral part of the story that held all these different moving parts together. Keelin is, in some ways, misunderstood. He’s a character that had a lot of depth, and I found myself surprised by him.

This is one of those books that has so much going on inside of it, you wonder how the author managed to fit it all in there. There are a ton of epic battles, lots of action. There’s some romance as well, and a ton of unexpected twists and turns. Yes, this book takes place on the sea, in boats, with pirates – all those things I hate so intensely – but I really got sucked into it because of the characters, and the individual stories they were telling.

Yes, friends, I actually like a book that contains boats. Wonders never cease.

Now, I will say that I felt like the start was slow. It took me some time before I felt really invested in what the book was about. Once things take off, they really get going at a relentless pace. While I do love the characters, I feel like some of them took a while for me to really get to know, or care about. That being said, once that time was invested in them, I became addicted to them, and how Hayes crafted these people.

So basically, this book might take some time for you to feel like it gets rolling. However, it’s time well spent, because once that time is invested, you won’t be able to put this book down.

As a summary, whether or not you have weird boat/pirate issues like I do, this is a grimdark book that will make grimdark fans incredibly happy. And, hold on to your hats, people, but I actually want to read more.

 

4/5 stars

Space Opera – Catherynne Valente

About the Book

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy meets Eurovision in an over-the-top science fiction spectacle from bestselling author Catherynne Valente has galaxies competing for glory in a universe-wide musical contest—where the stakes are as high as the fate of planet Earth.

A century ago, the Sentience Wars tore the galaxy apart and nearly ended the entire concept of intelligent space-faring life. In the aftermath, a curious tradition was invented—something to cheer up everyone who was left and bring the shattered worlds together in the spirit of peace, unity, and understanding.

Once every cycle, the civilizations gather for Galactivision—part gladiatorial contest, part beauty pageant, part concert extravaganza, and part continuation of the wars of the past. Instead of competing in orbital combat, the powerful species that survived face off in a competition of song, dance, or whatever can be physically performed in an intergalactic talent show. The stakes are high for this new game, and everyone is forced to compete.

This year, though, humankind has discovered the enormous universe. And while they expected to discover a grand drama of diplomacy, gunships, wormholes, and stoic councils of aliens, they have instead found glitter, lipstick, and electric guitars. Mankind will not get to fight for its destiny—they must sing.

A band of human musicians, dancers, and roadies have been chosen to represent Earth on the greatest stage in the galaxy. And the fate of their species lies in their ability to rock.

Published on April 10, 2018

Published by Saga Press

Author’s website

Buy the book

This book was procured via Netgalley.

—

Friends, I want you all to do me a solid right now. Stop reading my website. Shut down Twitter. Stop stalking people on Facebook. Put on your shoes, get your wallet, and go to the closest bookstore. When you get there, grab a copy of Space Opera. Hell, grab two copies. No, grab the whole damn shelf of them.

You’ll thank me. I promise you.

Space Opera is unlike anything I’ve ever read before, and in this case, it’s a good thing.

First of all, we need to talk about Valente’s writing style. People, I’m going to lay this out for you without any exaggeration. Valente is one of the best writers out there. Period. End of discussion. I listen to her novella Six-Gun Snow White one to two times a year, just because the writing is that good. And everything that I love so much about that book, is carried into this one.

I think the best way to describe Valente’s writing, in this book and in her other work, is to say that it is relentless. She doesn’t stop. She hits you with how amazing she is, how talented she is, and she just doesn’t stop hitting. During Space Opera, I found myself putting the book down every few paragraphs and just absorbing. She makes connections and comparisons I’d never dream of making. She’s funny, witty, full of charming and overt humor, with an undertone of cynicism that just works on every possible level for me.

Straight up, Valente could write a shopping list, and I’d probably read it, and love it. Her writing is just that good. There are a few authors that do the world a service by writing, and she is absolutely one of them.

So, Space Opera. It’s weird. It’s quirky. It starts and doesn’t stop. There is a rock star who is glittered and bejeweled so much I could practically see the shine on the pages. He was an absolutely perfect main character of the sort who jumps out of the book and wraps around you. His life experiences are unique and just as quirky as the plot of the book itself. There’s a host of secondary characters that are just as flashy in their own ways. There is constant understated humor throughout the story as well. It’s delightful.

Then we get to the Metagalactic Grand Prix, which is sort of a beauty contest mixed with a talent show and some other things. The Metagalactic Grand Prix was created as an alternative to the constant infighting amongst sentient species in the galaxy. In Space Opera, Earth is entering its first Metagalactic Grand Prix contest. We are learning that we aren’t alone in the universe. While humans expect the typical that you’d expect from first contact – guns, diplomacy, beings that are smarter than we are, etc, we are instead thrust into this realm of the fantastic, where everything is bedazzled and the war is fought on stage.

People. This contest makes me seriously wish that this sort of thing was true.

Mix into this the “first contact” story, a creature that’s a sort of fish/flamingo hybrid, your glamorous protagonists and Valente’s writing and….

Well, honestly I’m kind of pissed that the book ended.

This has been the best book I’ve read in a very long time. It’s funny, and stunningly well written, with Valente’s relentless style and forward motion, you can’t help but be swept up in Space Opera.

I haven’t checked if it’s on audible or not, but I really think the only thing that would make this book better is an audio version of it, read by some English narrator.

 

5/5 stars

#SPFBO 2017 Finalist | Pilgrimage to Skara – Jonathan S. Pembroke

About the Book

It has been nearly two decades since Pell Wendt abandoned the power and prestige of Collum. Ruled by the semi-divine Ajudicar, the city had been his home all his life, but no longer. Spurned by the woman he loved, the former pathfinder, adventurer and criminal walked away from his life of escorting promising youngsters to the shrines of power, and retreated to his farm in the Sogras, to live a life of bitter and brooding rejection.

Now, House Kettiburg has reached out with a an offer he can’t refuse: a pilgrimage to Skara, a mythical and dangerous shrine far out in the barbarous Outlands, for the supplicant Keilie – the daughter of the very woman who rejected him.

Trapped by the love his heart cannot deny, Wendt agrees to the pilgrimage and finds himself embroiled in intrigue and betrayal, with far-reaching implications for himself, Keilie, and the tattered remains of the human race.

289 pages (kindle)

Published on July 28, 2016

Buy the Book

This book is a finalist in the SPFBO.

—

This book has been hugely polarizing so far, and unfortunately, I’m one of those people who is going to probably land on the wrong side of this debate. Pilgrimage to Skara just missed the mark for me. Maybe I read it when I was in the wrong mood. Maybe this is one of those books that just didn’t jive with me for whatever reason. You can’t win ’em all.

First, I should say I love gritty, raw, dark books. Hell, I had my book, which is currently in submission, rejected by a publisher due to too much “casual savagery.” And I’m PROUD of that. Guys, grimdark, dark in general, really does not bother me in the least. It takes a hell of a lot to make me think, “maybe this is too dark.” It’s not the dark elements of this book that bug me.

If you go for this book, you should probably be a member of my tribe. This isn’t a light and fluffy story. It’s dark. It has dark themes, dark discussions, dark things happen, and they happen unapologetically. Some situations will make readers uncomfortable, and that’s okay. Life doesn’t need to be flowers and chocolates.

With that being said, you’re probably wondering what about this book didn’t really do it for me, and I’ll have to sum it up with the execution.

Events pretty much start out with a bang. Things get going pretty instantly. The main character is an ornery bastard, and that’s okay, but his eyeballing his companion, his sexual comments and the like kind of rubbed me wrong. I don’t mind being uncomfortable, but occasionally I felt like this dude’s comportment gravitated into gratuitous.

I enjoyed the worldbuilding, and I liked how things unrolled as the group traveled. This is a journey/epic quest book, and I’m kind of over this sort of thing for now, so this aspect of the book just missed the mark for me due to me being in a different spot with the books I read right now. Not a mark for or against the book itself. I liked the monsters, I really enjoyed the understated magic system. There’s a lot of mystery surrounding the magic, and how it impacts people, the world, etc. That was very well done.

I also love the fact that Wendt is an old gunslinger, literally. The Old West feel to the world building was refreshing. I really do enjoy that sort of thing.

A lot of the things that happen are talked about, but they happen offstage. You know they happened because the events enter conversations. Again, this is a plus or minus. There is plenty of action in this book. Things happen. Battles are fought. Lives are in danger, but it seems like a lot of meat never really enters the frame, if that makes sense.

I did feel like the characters lacked development, likewise for the elements of the story itself. For example, it’s fine for Wendt to be a grumpy, horny bastard, but if that’s all there is to him, he stops interesting me. And it seems like a handful of the characters sort of flirt with that one-note territory. Maybe I’m just picky. However, it did make this book feel lopsided. Lots of very cool ideas, diminished a bit by some uneven execution, and characters that just, I don’t know, almost tried too hard and ended up being too much.

The plot was pretty simple, easy to follow, but predictable. I was never really surprised by anything that happened. Readers are told a lot of what goes on, as I’ve mentioned above, rather than allowed to experience it, and that really made me feel almost no emotional investment in what is happening. Parts of this book felt pulpy. There were some typos, some grammar errors.

So, Pilgrimage to Skara.

This was a book that had some great ideas, and some lopsided execution. It’s worth reading if you’re into grimdark, but honestly, it left me rather underwhelmed.

2/5 stars

 

Trigger warning: I should mention that rape makes an appearance/is talked about in this book, and that can be a trigger to potential readers.

#SPFBO 2017 Finalist | The War of Undoing – Alex Perry

About the Book

‘My name is Tay Raining, and this is my brother Ellstone. I wonder if you’ve heard of us … I have a birthmark shaped like a question mark on my hand, I think it might mean something but I’m not sure what. My brother is probably important too, though I can’t imagine how. I’m rambling now, sorry. The point is … the point is, we are the Rainings, and we’re here to save you.’

War is brewing in Kyland, as the shadowy, spell-weaving vumas rebel against the human government, but both sides have secret weapons at their disposal. The humans’ secret weapon: a plan that could be the undoing of the world. The vumas’ secret weapon: three young humans abandoned in the smog-shrouded town of Tarot – Tay, Ellstone and Miller Raining. The Rainings could be the key to winning the war, but first they’ll need to work out whose side they are really on…

The War of Undoing takes readers on an exciting journey into a world on the brink of tearing itself apart. It is the first book in the Kyland Falls fantasy series, and is Alex Perry’s debut novel.

Published on April 7, 2015

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This book is a finalist in the SPFBO 2017.

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The War of Undoing is one of those books that left me kind of divided.

This is an epic fantasy saga that tells the story of three impoverished, unchaperoned kids in a world that’s pretty divided between humans and vuma, magic and science, and culture clashes that come along with all of that. It’s pretty thought provoking, and the setup was well done.

The War of Undoing is told from four perspectives. That’s fine, but where this might lose some readers is that each of the perspectives is doing in first-person. On the one hand, this really allows readers to get into the heads of the characters, to really understand who they are, as well as their thoughts and motivations. On the other hand, first person POVs can turn off some readers, so be aware of that before you dive on in.

This book is highly character driven, which you probably expect from the first-person perspectives. This was another positive/negative aspect for me. The characters themselves, and feeling particularly attached to them is what really made me care about the world that was being built, and the various conflicts that were coming at me as the story progressed. On the flip side, I felt less invested in the world than I probably should have, and some characters enchanted me less than others, which made me sort of gloss over some parts of the book. That’s a gamble that authors take when writing a character-driven book. If the characters don’t compel the reader, then parts of the book will drag.

The pacing was kind of wonky. The War of Undoing is a slow burn book. It starts slow, and takes its time developing into something else entirely. This is absolutely epic fantasy, but it takes a little while to understand where the epic part of the equation fits. If you aren’t willing to invest in a slow start, this book might turn you off before you get to the good stuff. And there is good stuff, it just takes time to get there.

I loved the writing. I worry with multiple first person POVs that the different voices will sort of blend together to the point where it’s hard to tell the characters apart. At the start of the book, I felt a little bit of this problem, but as the book progressed and the author really got comfortable with the story they were telling, each voice became distinct and each character became their own creation. Aside from that, the writing itself really helped with the world development and the overall feel of the book as a whole. I really loved the atmosphere that the authors prose developed, and layered throughout the text.

One thing I absolutely loved about this book was the secondary world created. It’s not really the sort of epic fantasy that I typically read about. There’s talk about trains, and banks, and wars, and social systems in place for people who fall in the cracks, like the three siblings we’re introduced to from the start. It’s a world that feels on the cusp of change, whether industrially, or governmentally or in other ways, and that teetering aspect of the world building is probably what captivated me more than any other part of the book. The interesting time/place feel, and the subtle development of complex conflicts woven throughout the book that served to build up the plot and characters was nothing short of fantastic.

So, was this a good book? Absolutely. I enjoyed it. While some of the characters worked for me more than others, I enjoyed their perspectives. I think this is a story that was told the right way to make it more powerful for readers. Yes, it takes some work to get to the good parts, the start is slow, and some of the pacing at various points noticeably lagged, but the heart of the book is very good.

I will caution readers, because I don’t think this is a book everyone will like. I mean, what book is? However, if first person POVs turn you off, or if you aren’t in the mood to invest some effort in a slow start, then you might want to pass over this one. If those things don’t turn you off, then give this book a try. It is well worth your time.

 

3.5/5 stars

#SPFBO Finalist | The Crimson Queen – Alec Hutson

About the Book

Long ago the world fell into twilight, when the great empires of old consumed each other in sorcerous cataclysms. In the south the Star Towers fell, swallowed by the sea, while the black glaciers descended upon the northern holdfasts, entombing the cities of Min-Ceruth in ice and sorcery. Then from the ancient empire of Menekar the paladins of Ama came, putting every surviving sorcerer to the sword and cleansing their taint from the land for the radiant glory of their lord.

The pulse of magic slowed, fading like the heartbeat of a dying man.

But after a thousand years it has begun to quicken again.

In a small fishing village a boy with strange powers comes of age…

A young queen rises in the west, fanning the long-smoldering embers of magic into a blaze once more…

Something of great importance is stolen – or freed – from the mysterious Empire of Swords and Flowers…

And the immortals who survived the ancient cataclysms bestir themselves, casting about for why the world is suddenly changing…

The first book in The Raveling, a new epic fantasy saga


422 page (kindle)

Published on December 3, 2016

Author’s website

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This book is a finalist in the SPFBO.

Wow, it’s been quite a year. I can’t believe it’s been over two months since I’ve had time to write a review. Here’s the thing, I’ve been editing. I’ve been up to my eyes in it, in fact, so I just haven’t had time. And when I haven’t been editing, I’ve been writing my own books and sending them off to my agent to torture him with. Poor guy.

Anyway, Alec Hutson, this kind soul, send me an audible credit for his book. The glory of audiobooks is, I listen to them all the time. When I’m doing all the things I do in my daily life that don’t require me to write or edit, I’m plugged into audiobooks. So, as a general rule, dear reader, if you don’t want to wait a generation for me to get through your book and to review it, if audiobooks are an option, that’s the one you want to peg me with.

So, The Crimson Queen.

This is one of the finalists in the SPFBO, and it was one that I was super excited to read/listen to. The audiobook is superbly done. The narrator does a great job at switching between voices without sounding ridiculous. The flow is perfect and there are no incredibly awkward pauses in the text. It was really, really easy for me to turn this audiobook on, and just roll with it for hours.

The Crimson Queen is epic fantasy of the classic Eddings, and Williams variety. There are basically a bunch of people trying to figure out what is going on, and trying to iron out which side of what conflict they are on. There is a lot going on here, a lot of high adventure, and a lot of personal growth as some of the perspectives come in the form of young adults.

The world building is lavish and very well done. I absolutely adored the sense of religion and tradition that was steeped into just about everything. I could really tell that Hutson put a lot of thought into not just his world, but why things were the way they were, and what happened in the past to bring these beliefs about. This was felt instantly from the get-go, as gods and magic, misunderstandings, tradition, and prejudice make an appearance early on, with a huge impact. Nothing is simple here. It all has historical precedence, which impacts personal lives, and makes the book all that much more interesting.

In its heart, this is a coming of age tale about a boy who grew up in a nothing-important fishing village with a mysterious power. Things start happening that are changing the status quo. Immortals are aging and a mysterious queen is rising up doing mysterious things and this boy is in the middle of all of it trying to figure out how he fits. Now, this is essentially a “chosen one” scenario, and yes, the “chosen one” thing is a trope, but hear me out here. Tropes aren’t always a bad thing. Tropes are tropes because they work, and when they are done right, they work really well and the fact that it’s a trope doesn’t matter.

In my humble opinion, dear reader, that’s where this book fits. Yes, it’s a chosen one tale about a boy coming out of nowhere with all sorts of special things about him, but damn if it didn’t captivate me. I loved the characters, but more importantly, I loved how they fit into this spellbinding world that Hutson has created. It worked, folks. It really, really worked.

The writing is wonderful. This book was edited quite well, and the author put a lot of attention to detail, word choice, flow and all that. This was not a book where the author said, “okay, so how can I say this thing that takes five words to say with about fifty instead?” No. Hutson makes each word matter, and this really impacted the book, as it made the whole thing feel a lot tighter and more professional to me.

If there was a drawback, it was the fact that sometimes I felt things were a bit uneven. Some scenes felt too long, some too short. Some predictability was thrown in for good measure, but those really are small potatoes. I enjoyed the hell out of this book, and I think it deserves to be noticed as a worthy title to put on high fantasy bookshelves.

So, bravo to Hutson for writing a book that was absolutely delightful to listen to, in just about every respect.

 

4/5 stars

 

Twitter Firestorms and My Response to a Threat

I’ve got things to say. Head’s up, I’m pissed, so this will probably contain four-letter words and the general tone is, admittedly, quite salty. You’ve been warned. Also, this will be long, so if you decide to proceed, get comfortable first.

A few days ago (Monday, Jan. 15, to be exact), I came home from work. I caught up on my email and made my typical online rounds before I set myself up to do some editing. Well, when I went over on Twitter, I saw a few genre authors of the male persuasion (I’d say a handful of them) sharing a Venn diagram, which you’ve probably seen if you’ve been on Twitter. My first reaction was my typical one when I see something that baffles me. I basically rolled my eyes and moved on. Then, within about five minutes two of my female genre author friends sent me private messages linking to two different tweets, from two different male genre authors containing the graph. They were both outraged, and their basic messages to me were, “I’m so fed up with this shit.”

You know what? So am I.

At that point, I decided to take a closer look, and I saw what they were so upset about. Long story short, that’s when I nabbed the graph and said, “Folks, you do know that more than one female fantasy author exists, right?”

And thus a Twitter storm was born.

Generally, I make a pretty focused effort on staying clear of drama, and I didn’t think through my reaction. It was just that: a reaction. I saw that image passed around, and then I had irate author friends I admire and respect angrily venting me about it (rightfully so) and I just reacted. You know, people react to shit. That’s what we do.

Now, Monday kept going. I’m busy. I worked the day job, then I had to work the freelance editing job. I’ve got two deadlines heading my direction with the intensity of freight trains, and I poured myself into my editing work. I lost the thread of this internet thing. I turned off twitter and focused on my clients. I knew the graph was turning into a Thing, but I don’t think I realized just how big of a Thing it was. Guys, I’m just me. I run an easy to overlook reviewer website on this dusty corner of the internet. I’m used to saying things and being seen by like twenty people. I am no Chuck Wendig. I do not speak and know my voice will reach tons of people.

So about 9 pm rolls around, and a friend of mine had done some good ol’ fashioned googling about the graph. She discovered that it originated in 2015, created by a friend of mine, Mark Lawrence. Mark apparently created this graph as a reaction to another graph, and he’d asked twitter/various online outlets for suggested authors to put on it. Then, he makes a specific note in his post that he wants more female authors to put on the list.

Context helps, and this is the one mistake I made. I should have done the research before I tweeted the graph. That’s my bad. I’ve admitted that just about all over the internet, and I’ve tweeted and posted the links adding context to the graph all over the place.

I will not, however, say that tweeting the graph was a mistake, because it wasn’t, and I stand by doing it. That absolutely is a hill I am willing to die on. I will get into why in a minute.

By the time I checked back into the online stuff, it was late at night, and I had this added context, but I realized it was pretty pointless to delete my original tweet because it had taken on a life of its own, as these things do.

Fast forward to Tuesday afternoon. Around 1 pm my time I got a private message on Facebook from someone I’m not friends with, who had a cartoon avatar and a profile that is just about as private as you can get. This individual called me an ignorant bitch and basically discussed how “liberal bitches” like myself are destroying literature as we know it.

I kind of snorted and ignored it because, whatever. Dude can be pissed, that’s his prerogative. I don’t feed trolls, so I didn’t reply.

Then about twenty minutes later I got another message of a similar vein from a gentleman that is in two of the genre groups I was also in on Facebook. His was a bit angrier, and at that point, my email dinged.

So I head over to my email, and I had a message sitting there from an email account that was (no joke) JohnDoe(insert a string of numbers here) at Hotmail dot com. He didn’t leave a name, but his message basically said what the others said. I’m an ignorant bitch and it’s “libtards” like myself who are destroying the world as we know it. He knows that I have a family that I care about things, and maybe he needs to destroy the things I love to teach me my lesson.

At this point, I decided to circle my wagon of one (wow, this is a terrible analogy) around myself. I left both of those genre groups on facebook because I worried that people were tracking me through them or something weird. I tinkered with my Facebook privacy settings, purged some people from my friends list, deleted twitter from my phone and logged out of it, and decided to give myself time to think.

John Doe sent me three other messages, each a bit more graphic than the last.

John Doe, you can go ahead and fuck yourself.

I talked about this a little on Twitter last night, but I’ve stayed pretty silent other than that. I’ve been pretty overwhelmed by the supportive outpouring of both friends and strangers, and I completely appreciate that.

Now, I’m going to talk about the graph itself, and various reasons/ramblings/whatever that I feel needs to be said.

I said above that tweeting that graph wasn’t a mistake. Now, not having the context of its creation was, but the graph itself exists. I have no idea how lifecycles of the internet work. I don’t know why a graph created in 2015 was resurrected on Twitter on Monday in 2018. I certainly didn’t do it. While people are poo-pooing my lack of research (and yes, that was a problem on my end. I’m salty, but I am sorry I didn’t do due diligence.), I can point the finger to all those male genre authors who tweeted the graph before I did, and ask why the hell didn’t any of them research it? So as long as that’s the fault in this situation, I think it can rest on more than just my shoulders.

Secondly, people have a right to react to stuff. You, I, your neighbor, Donald Trump, the Dalai Lama, we all have our own right to see stuff and react to it. That’s part of what comes with having a brain. Now, regardless of the fact that this graph is three years old, it gained traction, and it gained it fast.

Why?

Because this three-year-old graph still resonates in our community today, because the issue of representation is (drum roll, please) STILL AN ISSUE. Seeing a list of popular white dude fantasy authors…. And Robin Hobb, a woman who has a notoriously gender-neutral pseudonym, isn’t really that abnormal to many of us. We’ve been inundated by What to Read While You Wait for Game of Thrones lists, populated by mostly white, male genre authors, for example.

If this graphic didn’t represent a feeling that is deeply seated and simmering in our genre community, it wouldn’t have gained the traction it did. So, should I have figured out the back story before I tweeted? Sure, but if this diagram didn’t represent a problem that was just as valid in 2015 as it is today, then it would have fallen flat instead of becoming a firestorm. If representation and diversity wasn’t still an issue we need to fight for and address in our community, then this diagram wouldn’t have mattered. As it is, perhaps it’s three years old, but it’s representative of a larger conversation that we need to have, and I, for one, am glad that I could play some small part of raising that conversation to the forefront in this genre that I love so much.

And aside from all of this, can we step back a moment and think about how wacked it is that someone asked for fantasy author suggestions, and the ones they got were all white guys….and Robin Hobb? I mean, really, just bask in that, and while you’re basking, please realize that this isn’t a phenomenon relegated to 2015. It happens on Best Of and Year End lists all the time. It also highlights why this graph struck such a raw nerve with so many of us.

Not only was it almost completely devoid of women, but it lacks people of color, LGBTQ, disabled authors, and whatever other kinds of non-white-dude-authors you really can shake a stick at. For a community as (often) forward thinking and diverse as ours, this is unacceptable. So yes, it was created in 2015, but it’s still relevant today, and it deserves a meaningful conversation. As someone on Twitter said, you can’t make a rainbow with just one color. This genre isn’t owned by white male authors, and if that fact ruffles the feathers of John Doe and his ilk, well, that’s too damn bad, isn’t it?

To summarize: Sorry for not doing the research. I’m not sorry for passing on the graph. And go fuck yourself John Doe.

Now, on to another point: This whole threatening someone who you don’t agree with nonsense.

So, I say, “Folks, you do know that more than one female fantasy author exists, right?” and I’m getting threatened, but the dudes who passed this diagram around before I ever got my hands on it are okay? I’m just trying to understand the standard here.

I mean, lack of context or not, and my admitted fault with not doing research aside, does anyone really ever deserve threats? (In case you’re wondering, the answer here is NO.)

And what am I supposed to say in response here? “Dear John Doe, I’m terribly sorry that I had the audacity to point out the fact that women write stuff and that we deserve recognition for doing so?” What is the proper way for me to apologize to dear old John, a man who is too scared to use his own name to threaten people? Should I bow and scrape?

Are you kidding me?

Because, brass taxes here, folks, I’m not sorry for pointing out that women write, and I’m not sorry that there is a firestorm on Twitter right now demanding that women get their due. We can go ahead and put that in bold and underline it a few times, just for extra effect. No amount of internet threats from a troll hiding behind a keyboard is going to change the simple fact that women do stuff, and we deserve to be recognized for that stuff we do.

The internet is a powerful place. It can connect and educate people in wonderful ways, but it can also make us forget that there are PEOPLE on the other side of that screen. People with families and friends and lives outside of Twitter. It’s easy to say hateful, hurtful things online, harder to say it to someone’s face.

I got a private message today from someone in the community who I will not name to preserve her anonymity. She said she’s been getting threatening email, texts, and phone calls for months now. She said that no one has come to her door yet, and finished by pointing out that it’s one thing to say these things from behind a screen, and another to do it to someone’s face. She isn’t afraid.

And I’ve decided I’m not going to be afraid, either, and I’m not going to hide.

We forget that people exist on the other side of these screens we are glued to.

Nobody deserves to be threatened for having an opinion. Nobody deserves to be threatened, period. End of discussion.

Now, I fully expect this to blow over within the next few days. By Monday no one will remember this happened and I’ll go back to being the person who says things to twenty people who listen.

In the meantime, this is what happened, my reactions to it, and my insights.

And fuck you, John Doe.