Sarah Chorn's Blog, page 42

Election Day: GO VOTE

I thought long and hard about putting a review up today, but then I figured that, at least in my neck of the woods, no one will really be thinking about books. We are voting in America, and it’s such a huge, important election. I’m for only thinking about voting today, so I’m not going to distract with a book review. Instead I’m going to give you some voting applicable links.

If you need to find your polling location, go here.

If you need to find out what’s on your local ballot, go here.

Protect Your Vote – Specific Resources for Marginalized Communities here.

Please, for the love of whatever you may or may not worship, if you are a citizen of the United States, PLEASE GO VOTE.

PLEASE.

GO VOTE.

STOP READING THIS AND GO VOTE.

Even White Trash Zombies Get the Blues – Diana Rowland

About the Book

Angel Crawford is finally starting to get used to life as a brain-eating zombie, but her problems are far from over. Her felony record is coming back to haunt her, more zombie hunters are popping up, and she’s beginning to wonder if her hunky cop-boyfriend is involved with the zombie mafia. Yeah, that’s right—the zombie mafia.

Throw in a secret lab and a lot of conspiracy, and Angel’s going to need all of her brainpower—and maybe a brain smoothie as well—in order to get through it without falling apart.

320 pages (paperback)

Published on July 3, 2012

Published by Daw

Author’s webpage

Buy the book

—

It’s no secret that I’m a huge fan of Diana Rowland’s White Trash Zombie series. It’s a series I never ever thought I’d start, but I downloaded the audiobook and it was amazing. It is, hands down, one of the best audiobooks I’ve ever listened to. Ever. If you want to listen to a fantastic, fun, well produced audiobook, then please get your hands on all the books in this series, because damn.

Even White Trash Zombies Get the Blues is the second book in this series. Angel Crawford is getting her feet under her, so to speak. She’s got a boyfriend, and things seem to be sorting out (with effort) with her father. Then, of course, in typical Angel fashion, she ends up in the middle of a whole bunch of stuff and rather alone with it all.

Angel is a strong protagonist who isn’t afraid to blaze her own trail or make her own way, which ends up being a strength but also kind of gets her into more trouble. Somehow everything ends up working against her. She’s out of her job, she’s in the newspapers, her and her boyfriend have some issues. She’s alone and in a mess, and investigating something that basically only she can see.

It’s, oddly enough, at this point, when Angel is losing just about everything and all alone, when I started really liking this book. Angel is a hell of a gal, and it’s impossible not to love her. She’s unique and strong, and her past is fantastic, but when she’s alone and really relying on herself and her own wit, she really shines. Angel works well with others, but she’s better alone. It’s when her voice is the strongest, when she seems to be more sure of herself and her place in the world.

Things are interesting in this novel. There’s a mafia that we are introduced to, and Angel seems to get ties to them. A bit of a backstory is developed for her cop boyfriend, which makes him a little more interesting and a little… gullible? Darker? I’m not sure where I’m going to put him, still. Then we’re introduced to a lab, which, as expected, is doing some studies that are a bit under the level. And Angel starts drawing conclusions, and things get pinned on her, and no one really believes her and things get going as she investigates.

And Angel eventually finds herself in some tight situations, and there’s an ending that I both expected but didn’t expect, and everything gets kind of neatly wrapped up while some ends are left open. All in all, I really enjoyed this book, but probably not as much as the first one. Some parts felt like they dragged on a bit too long, and others felt like they could have been a bit longer. In spite of that, I enjoyed how many layers the characters had added onto them. In a book already filled with some of the best developed characters I’ve run across in the books I’ve read, having even more intricacies added to them, and the world they live in, was marvelous.

The audiobook, as I mentioned above, was perfectly, superbly narrated and produced. I honestly can’t recommend it highly enough. I tried to read one of the books after I listened to the first book in this series and reading it just wasn’t working. This is one of those rare series that has made it impossible for me to read the book, and it’s also made me interested in zombies, which is something that I vowed I’d never be interested in.

Even White Trash Zombies Get the Blues is a great book, maybe some pacing issues, and the ending is a little predictable (but also unpredictable). This book really shines due to the development of characters, relationships, and the world Angel lives in. Situations get incredibly, painfully intense, but Rowland never loses her humor, and neither does Angel. It’s that ability to balance tension with humor, to make the darkest of situations manageable and even laughable, that makes this book so wonderful. It’s hopeful, an epic story of one woman’s drive to completely change her life and permanently alter her situation for the better, couched in this hilarious, adventurous, kick-ass, action packed story.

I honestly can’t recommend this series highly enough.

 

4/5 stars

Today I’m over on Our Words….

Today you can find me on Our Words. I wrote a thing called Dehumanizing the Disabled.

You can read more here.

The Diabolic – S.J. Kincaid

About the Book

A Diabolic is ruthless. A Diabolic is powerful. A Diabolic has a single task: Kill in order to protect the person you’ve been created for.

Nemesis is a Diabolic, a humanoid teenager created to protect a galactic senator’s daughter, Sidonia. The two have grown up side by side, but are in no way sisters. Nemesis is expected to give her life for Sidonia, and she would do so gladly. She would also take as many lives as necessary to keep Sidonia safe.

When the power-mad Emperor learns Sidonia’s father is participating in a rebellion, he summons Sidonia to the Galactic court. She is to serve as a hostage. Now, there is only one way for Nemesis to protect Sidonia. She must become her. Nemesis travels to the court disguised as Sidonia—a killing machine masquerading in a world of corrupt politicians and two-faced senators’ children. It’s a nest of vipers with threats on every side, but Nemesis must keep her true abilities a secret or risk everything.

As the Empire begins to fracture and rebellion looms closer, Nemesis learns there is something more to her than just deadly force. She finds a humanity truer than what she encounters from most humans. Amidst all the danger, action, and intrigue, her humanity just might be the thing that saves her life—and the empire.

416 pages (hardcover)

Published on November 1, 2016

Published by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Adults

Author’s website

Buy the book

This book was sent by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

—

Somehow I found myself on the reviewer list for a bunch of YA books. That’s not a bad thing, and I’m actually really enjoying the change in pace, but it has surprised me because that’s not something I’ve really expected. However, it’s nice to read something different.

One of the common themes in these books is the question of humanity. Just what does it take to make someone human? It’s a question that we start asking in various ways at a very young age, and I think we keep asking it into adulthood. It never really goes away. And this question has been attacked in different ways in all of the YA books I’ve read so far, this one being no exception.

The Diabolic is set in a far future universe where an empire spans a galaxy, and the emperor is at the center of it all pulling the strings. The two young women who really set the book on its course are among the royal class…kind of. Sidonia is the daughter of a nobleman. The emperor finds out her father is in league with a rebellion, and he requests Sidonia to be sent to his palace as a glorified hostage to ensure his good behavior.

Enter Nemesis, our protagonist throughout the novel. She’s a Diabolic, a created being with super strength, no fear, and her only sense of loyalty was planted by a lab, and it is to Sidonia and only Sidonia. She’s a cold-blooded killer, and it’s decided to that to save Sidonia, she will alter her appearance and take her place at the emperor’s court.

So here we have it. Sidonia stays safely at home, protected and obscure, and Nemesis has to basically undergo a crash course on how to be human. And things happen. Nemesis has a hard time rationalizing human behavior, she has a hard time fitting in. She makes mistakes and stands out in unexpected ways, especially to fellow diabolicals, who know something is off about her, but they can’t place what it is.

She tries hard, but the emperor and his family are rather mad and they do some pretty brutal things. The story is rather compelling, and this far-future empire galaxy is really compelling, but I had a hard time believing all the details. For example, science is shunned, and so is learning, but they attend a ball in zero-g and I have a very, very hard time believing that this shunned science isn’t understood and explored at least enough to make that possible, or space flight, or anything else. There is a huge wave of deaths and absolutely no retaliation. People who had disappeared very conveniently reappear. The ending is far too tidy and not a little bit predictable.

So yes, this book has issues, but at its core it’s a story about one girl who was raised to believe she’s less than human, and ends up finding her humanity through a series of unfortunate, uncomfortable events. Are there issues? Yes. But the writing is well done, and the perspective of Nemesis was impressive. Her struggle to rationalize what was drilled into her, verses how she can be is quite well done, and that’s really the heart of the book. Basically I can sum this up as, the heart of the book was very well done. The details, the periphery was a bit messy, but the story of Nemesis and her becoming was very, very well done.

The characters are young adults, but some of the themes are adult – there are allegations of sexual abuse, murder, some torture and the like. It’s never gratuitous, but it could trigger some people so be aware of that. I think this makes a good crossover book, and will likely appeal to older teens and adults alike.

The Diabolic was an interesting premise. It’s well written, and set in a far future world that obviously had some thought put into it. There is a ton of tension, and characters you can root for. Yes, there are issues, but the core of the story is solid, and compelling. This is a book that is worth checking out.

 

3/5 stars

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet on Our Words

Hey all. If you’re interested in reading my review of this book, click on this link!

Updates and Macro (not really) Monday

I’ve been quiet recently. The reason is because I was editing. Currently I am between projects, so I’m getting back on my game. I’m reading a lot, and I have a lot of content planned for both here and Our Words.

My family and I just got back from a vacation to Southern Utah. Utah really is a beautiful state with so much diverse scenery. It was a relaxing jaunt. We went through Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon National Park, Cedar Breaks National Monument, Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, and Coral Pink Sand Dunes, and two ghost towns. It was a ton of fun. I was also lucky and I managed to hit Zion National Park during the “golden hour” the day before we left to come home.

I think I did some of my best photography then. The scenery definitely made my job easier.

So, enjoy my three favorite photos from Zion National Park during that one fantastic sunset, and look for steady content on here, starting this week.

Summerlong – Peter S. Beagle

About the Book

One rainy February night, while dining at a favorite local haunt, Abe and his girlfriend Joanna meet waitress Lioness Lazos, new in town and without a place of her own. Fascinated and moved by the girl’s plight, Joanna invites Lioness to stay in Abe’s garage. Lioness is about to alter the lives of Abe, Joanna and those around them forever.

Published on September 6, 2016

Published by Tachyon Publications

Author’s webpage

Buy the book

This book was sent by the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

—

This is the first book I’ve ever read by Peter S. Beagle, and I honestly regret the fact that I haven’t read any of his books earlier. Summerlong is a subtle book, but it is completely engrossing, and it really shows off Beagle’s skills. He has this uncanny ability to balance perfect prose with a thoughtful storyline, and never does one overwhelm the other.

Summerlong tells the story of a middle-aged couple (Abe and Joanna) living a comfortable life outside of Seattle. These two people are deeply in love, and have a long and layered relationship. Beagle instantly hits readers with just how evolved, comfortable, and balanced our two protagonists are.

The development of this relationship really sets the stage for the rest of the novel. In fact, this novel is heavily introspective, interpersonal, focusing on relationships with yourself, with others, actions and reactions. Most of the action in this novel happens below the surface. Some readers might find this slow moving, even boring at times. However, if you’re one of those readers who enjoys all of the below-the-surface details, Summerlong will be full of endless delights.

Summerlong isn’t just about relationships – their formation and their endings, and all the twists and turns along the way – there is also a healthy dose of Greek mythology in this novel. It’s a story that just about every reader will be familiar with, and it is played out perfectly in this book. The story of Lioness is both innocent and compelling. She’s a character that draws you in, and lights up a comfortable life, bringing change along with her.

Those changes, the push and pull of Lioness, her draw on the lives of those around her is really what propels the story forward. You won’t always like what happens, the decisions made, the way things play out, but Beagle does a great job at exploring actions and reactions. How one decision can cause a ripple effect. He does this in a richly developed world with incredibly textured, realistic characters. It’s nothing short of amazing.

I’d consider Summerlong magical realism. Much of this book is rather mundane. The world is the world as we know it, and there isn’t much variation. Lioness and her storyline brings some fantasy to things, kind of twists things to reflect the magical a bit. The magic is just as subtle as much of the plot, and it sort of weaves through the book in a way that feels incredibly natural, so natural that it is easy to overlook, but the sense of wonder infuses every page of this novel.

Beagle’s writing is spectacular. I haven’t really ever read a book written in a way that just drowns me in the story and I didn’t mind that at all. The world is fantastic; the characters are incredibly well-rounded. The plot is subtle, but engrossing. Summerlong is one of those books that just nailed it in every possible way. It’s different, it’s a soft story told in a powerful way. It’s startlingly human, and makes you think. It’s one of those books that will stick with you, and I’m incredibly glad it does.

 

5/5 stars

GIVEAWAY | Patterns of the Wheel – Wheel of Time Adult Coloring Book!

The Wheel of Time was one of the first fantasy series that I read, and I loved it. I went to Europe at that time, and I hauled the entire series (I believe it was published up to book nine at that point) in a suitcase with me. Then the next book came out when I was in Germany and I scoured the country for an English copy. It was serious business.

So knowing that, of course I’m jumping on a copy of this coloring book, and the opportunity to give away a copy to one lucky winner.

Introducing….

Patterns of the Wheel

Let the Dragon be drawn again on the winds of time. Patterns of the Wheel is an adult coloring book suitable for all ages featuring original art drawn from The Wheel of Time ®.

Since its debut in 1990, The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan has captivated millions of readers around the globe with its scope, originality, and compelling characters. Over the course of fifteen books and millions of words, the world that Jordan created grew in depth and complexity.

Now for the very first time, fans of this astounding saga can color in the hues and vibrant shades of Robert Jordan’s most beloved fantasy world. Adorn the symbols of the Ajah and the patterns on Gleeman’s Cloak. Experience the peaks of Dragonmount, the depths of the Aryth Ocean, and other parts of the realm. Fill in evocative mandalas, depictions of Old Tongue, and an array of the Wheel of Time’s most well-known symbols and magical items.

Designed by officially-licensed Wheel of Time artist Amy Romanczuk, Patterns of the Wheel features 40 drawings inspired by pysanky, a traditional Ukrainian folkart, to provide hours of delight for The Wheel of Time’s legions of fans.

Giveaway rules:

This is going to be a quick giveaway, so you guys have until midnight, mountain time on Saturday, October 15. One winner will be chosen. Contest open to US residents only. I will email the winner on Sunday, and you will have 48 hours to respond before I select the next winner. To enter, leave a comment under this post.

Good luck!

The Wall of Storms – Ken Liu

About the Book

In the much-anticipated sequel to the “magnificent fantasy epic” (NPR) Grace of Kings, Emperor Kuni Garu is faced with the invasion of an invincible army in his kingdom and must quickly find a way to defeat the intruders.

Kuni Garu, now known as Emperor Ragin, runs the archipelago kingdom of Dara, but struggles to maintain progress while serving the demands of the people and his vision. Then an unexpected invading force from the Lyucu empire in the far distant west comes to the shores of Dara—and chaos results.

But Emperor Kuni cannot go and lead his kingdom against the threat himself with his recently healed empire fraying at the seams, so he sends the only people he trusts to be Dara’s savvy and cunning hopes against the invincible invaders: his children, now grown and ready to make their mark on history.

600 pages (hardcover)

Published on October 4, 2016

Published by Saga Press

Author’s
Buy the book

This book was sent by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

— 

The Wall of Storms by Ken Liu is the second book in The Dandelion Dynasty series. It is absolutely, 100% essential that you read the first book (The Grace of Kings) before you read this one. The books are long, but oh-so-worth-it.

The Wall of Storms takes off a few years after The Grace of Kings ends. Things have progressed, and the new dynasty seems to be doing pretty well. There are wives and kids and politics, but everything seems pretty par for the course at the start of the novel. It’s a delightful slow buildup to the many real issues that the novel hinges on. Slowly readers are introduced to the way that things have evolved over the gap between the two novels. You get to see familiar characters, while getting introduced to new ones.

Not every story is a happy one. It quickly becomes apparent that things are brewing beneath the surface, and politics aren’t quite as stable and wonderful as it all seems at first. Some characters from the previous novel have taken turns for the worst, and some have understandable vendettas and agendas. While on the flip side, the royal family seems to be doing okay, but likewise there are issues there as well. The two wives have their own plans and ideas. Kuni, like usual, also has his own plans. Then insert some children in there and you have plenty of subtle issues tugging the empire here and there, and motivating people in some really unexpected ways.

The world felt a little larger in this novel, and the cultures were explored a little more, and in some different ways. There are a lot of situations where the novel felt like a huge melting pot, and the characters had to figure out how to navigate these interesting cultural currents. Not only did these situations help build the world and add all those little details that I love. It also added an interesting unpredictability to the novel that I really enjoyed. It’s hard to determine which direction things will go when all of the characters come from such diverse backgrounds, and there are so many political and social issues brewing alongside those delectable personal motivations.

So, this book is hugely unpredictable. It’s also incredibly layered, and brimming full of politics (as one would expect). This is one of those books that you really, really have to pay attention to, and follow closely. It doesn’t come easy, and sometimes those books that make you work for it are the best ones. This is a perfect example of that. Everything that I loved about The Grace of Kings was expanded on here, elaborated on. There is a ton of action, but it’s not all surface action (while there is a ton of that). So much of this book happens on those deeper, more subtle levels, and that’s the part that you need to pay attention to. The action is wonderful, but the real meat of the book happens on those quiet, personal levels and sometimes it is hard to navigate them.

The writing is absolutely fantastic, and while the world building never ends – they are, after all, creating and defending an empire – all of the world building and character development that happened on the first book allows Liu to focus on other aspects of the world and characters in this novel. I can honestly say the characters leapt off the page, and the world seemed just about as real as the world I live in. You can read this book just to enjoy those two aspects, if for no other reason, because wow. Just wow.

The Wall of Storms is relentless in just about every possible way. It’s unexpected, unpredictable, and almost painfully absorbing. So far this is probably the best book I’ve read this year, hands down. Liu is a dominating force in speculative fiction. He’s rewriting the genre, and redefining the rules, and it’s a delight to witness.

 

5/5 stars

Macro Monday

Well folks, I have a lot of things to say, but I’m also under an editing deadline so I gotta get that done. As a side note, you folks are aware of the fact that I edit stuff, right? I should have my review for The Wall of Storms by Ken Liu up tomorrow. This book was amazing, by the way.

Here is a Macro Monday to make up for today’s radio silence.