Sarah Chorn's Blog, page 56

SPFBO | A Soul for Trouble – Crista McHugh

This book is part of the Self Published Fantasy Blog Off.

About the Book

When you’re a witch named Trouble, chaos follows.

Arden Lesstymine (known to everyone as Trouble) likes attention as much as the next girl, but this is getting ridiculous. When an insane stranger is murdered at the inn where she works, Trouble becomes the next Soulbearer for the disembodied god of chaos, Loku. Yes, it comes with the ability to channel the god’s limitless power, but at the cost of her sanity — literally. Now she has a sexy but cynical knight claiming to be her protector, a prince trying to seduce her to his cause (and his bed), and a snarky chaos god who offers a play-by-play commentary on it all, whether she wants to hear it or not. To make matters worse, a necromancer wants to capture the soul of Loku for his own dark purposes, and the only way he can get it is by killing her first.

388 pages (paperback)

Published on February 7, 2012

Published by CreateSpace

Author’s webpage

Buy the book

—

This is the kind of review I hate writing.

A Soul for Trouble is a book I seriously struggled with. First of all, it’s a fantasy romance, and I don’t generally read those books unless there is something else there that grips me. From the synopsis, I was pretty sure this would be a book that would be romance with enough other stuff there that I’d be rather captivated despite all the mushy stuff. And while there is a nice dash of other plot elements the romance seemed to overpower just about everything in the book to the point where the actual plot seemed to take a back seat to the issues surrounding Trouble’s heart.

There are some really interesting, and very well done elements of the book, like the use of Loku, the quippy god who found himself somehow merged with Trouble’s soul. He added some humor and spice to a novel that felt like it took itself way too seriously otherwise. The writing brought some scenes to life with the vivid descriptions and emotionally compelling prose.

In other ways, McHugh does some brave things. She takes the age old trope of the “chosen” farm boy, and kind of has fun poking at it a bit. The chosen one is a strong willed woman. She makes some stupid decisions, and she gets a little self involved, but she’s otherwise a strong but flawed woman taking control of her own life and figure out who she is in a world that is much larger than she previously realized. It’s refreshing, and pretty well done.

The book is entertaining, if it does get completely overwhelmed by the romance. Trouble is a fun character, but she lacks a little depth, and her mysterious protector Ser Devarian Tel’brien is a bit too sexy and mysterious to be believed. Then the other man in the love triangle enters the fray I really started struggling. Admittedly, I have an issue with romance, and generally when I see a love triangle I run screaming, so I’m really not sure if this book was the right fit for me due to personal taste more than anything else. That’s why I hate writing these reviews.

Outside of the romance, I had a few other issues. Sometimes characters made really, unbelievably bad decisions. Trouble does get pretty self absorbed, which was frustrating because she never could manage to see what was so obvious for me to see. The romance was incredibly long and drawn out. The world was large, but lacked depth and the magic system didn’t really have any viable explanations. For example, it largely seemed like incantations and/or wishing things would happen and they’d just happen.

On the whole, all of this one disappointed me. The book has huge potential, and I really did enjoy the author’s writing, but so many of the elements seemed half thought out, lacked a depth that would add some necessary believability. Furthermore, the romance was way too overpowering. Was this a fantasy book with some romance in it, or a romance book with some fantasy? It felt more like the second option. The elements of the book that were very well done seemed to find themselves on the back burner to the loud romance. Ultimately, this left the book feeling incredibly unbalanced.

Not every book will fit every reader, and that’s okay. This book wasn’t a good fit for me, but there are enough fun and unique elements to please plenty of readers, so don’t let me put you off. It’s worth reading if this seems interesting to you.

 

2/5 stars

Featured Review | The Unfortunate Decisions of Dahlia Moss – Max Wirestone

About the Book

For fans of The Guild, New Girl, Scott Pilgrim, Big Bang Theory, Veronica Mars, or anyone who has ever geeked out about something.

The odds of Dahlia successfully navigating adulthood are 3,720 to 1. But never tell her the odds.

Meet Dahlia Moss, the reigning queen of unfortunate decision-making in the St. Louis area. Unemployed broke, and on her last bowl of ramen, she’s not living her best life. But that’s all about to change.

Before Dahlia can make her life any messier on her own she’s offered a job. A job that she’s woefully under-qualified for. A job that will lead her to a murder, an MMORPG, and possibly a fella (or two?).

Turns out unfortunate decisions abound, and she’s just the girl to deal with them.

320 pages (hardcover)

Published on October 20, 2015

Published by Redhook

Author’s webpage

Buy the book

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

—

This isn’t the type of book I thought I’d read, let alone enjoy, but I ended up doing both. The Unfortunate Decisions of Dahlia Moss isn’t really fantasy, per se, but it does look at fandom cliques, and it is a whole lot of hilarious. In fact, I will freely admit I spent a good chunk of this book laughing pretty hard despite the fact that our protagonist Dahlia ended up being swept away by a murder investigation.

This is one of those books that you can’t help but love, especially if you’ve ever been part of fandom, or enjoy shows like The Guild. Dahlia Moss starts out investigating the theft of a sword in a huge online roll playing game. Things eventually graduate into a murder investigation and she’s hired on by the family to organize an online memorial service, but also figure out what exactly happened. Dahlia, by the way, has absolutely no experience with that sort of thing.

She’s poor, and unemployed. She has no relationship prospects, and her roommate is also hilarious in that she gets herself into these weird situations and you can’t help but laugh at them, and her audacity, like bugging a police officer and then following them around because, hey, why not. There is a lot of spice in this book, and if it isn’t all completely believable, it is all really funny, and that dollop of humor will keep readers from closely analyzing if any of this could really take place.

However, that’s part of the magic of it. This is one of those unbelievable books that is charming due to the fact that it is unbelievable. The mystery was never really as enthralling as Dahlia, in my opinion. While I wanted to know who did it (and ended up fairly surprised with the result), I really found the characters more interesting than the plot, and their journey to get to the conclusion was more interesting than the actual conclusion. Part of that is due to the humor, but most of it can be attributed to Dahlia’s unique voice and her sarcastic look at what she finds herself involved in.

There are a lot of references here to geek pop culture items, like the online roll playing game, and some TV shows that I’ve never seen and will probably never watch. I should also note that I’ve never played an MORPG before, and never will. You’d think a lot of this humor would fly right over my head, but it didn’t, so don’t let the fact that this is a book taking a goodhearted stab at fandom, and areas of fandom you might not partake in, turn you away from it. Part of the beauty of this book is how shockingly accessible it is. I didn’t understand all of the references, but that never stopped me from enjoying the book.

Furthermore, not everything in the book circles around items like that. A lot here has to deal with family, relationships, bad job interviews (which never failed to make me laugh because really, who can’t relate on some level?), friendship, money, and a lot of other things that define our daily grind of life in some way, shape or form. Dahlia’s fantastic voice brings a lot of these daily details to light in a way that makes them stick out, and I found myself enjoying how she illuminated so many parts of life that are so mundane to me by this point I stopped paying attention to them.

The mystery is well done, and the plot is fast moving, but like I said above, I was never as enthralled in the plot as I was captivated by Dahlia and her perspective on life in general. Yes, there are a ton of geek and pop culture references here, and no, I didn’t understand a good chunk of them, but that never really stopped me from enjoying the book at all. I understand fandom in my own way, and while I wanted to know who done it, I wanted to hear more of Dahlia’s sarcastic observations even more. This book was addicting, and absolutely laugh-out-loud hilarious, which I didn’t expect. It’s a quick read that will sweep you away, and should absolutely by checked out if you’re in the mood for a hearty laugh.

 

4/5 stars

Book Bites | The Last Witness – K.J. Parker

Notice

About the Book

When you need a memory to be wiped, call me.

Transferring unwanted memories to my own mind is the only form of magic I’ve ever mastered. But now, I’m holding so many memories I’m not always sure which ones are actually mine, any more.

Some of them are sensitive; all of them are private. And there are those who are willing to kill to access the secrets I’m trying to bury…

A classic Parker tale with a strong supporting cast of princes, courtiers, merchants, academics, and generally unsavory people.

144 pages (Kindle)

Published on October 6, 2015

Published by Tor.com

Buy the book

—

I’m a huge fan of K.J. Parker. He is one of my favorite authors, so every time I see a new book by Parker, I jump on it right away. I tend to think that Parker does better with short work than longer. I saw The Last Witness and was so excited, I bought it instantly.

The Last Witness has a different feel than Parker’s other work. The tone is dark and it’s hard to put your thumb on the morality of any of the characters (which is nothing new for Parker), but it’s also pretty confusing. The storyline gets jumbled, which is part of the appeal. It’s hard for readers, and the protagonist, to tell where he ends and where other individuals begin. Often he’ll be telling a story, remembering times past, and then he will remark that he didn’t know if it was his memory he was telling or someone else’s.

The protagonist is rather middle of the road morally. He has a darker streak, and in many ways is out for himself. He has made a few mistakes in his past, and manages to get himself in over his head more often than not. He has some issues with gambling and keeping money, and that tends to catch up with him about as often as anything else. He’s surprisingly human, which seems to be balanced by this more-than-human ability to take people’s memories. There is a price to pay for his ability, and it’s obvious that he has paid it by losing parts of himself, and being forced to live a darker life than he’d probably anticipated when he was younger.

He’s an interesting person to tell a story, as most of it is nonlinear, and you can’t really count on him for the narrative, but that’s part of the appeal. You never know what is a real account, and what isn’t. This results in a jumbled story that is incredibly appealing. The confusing aspects are beneficial as they keep you wondering and guessing what is about to come around the corner. What can you believe and what can’t you? It’s an interesting way to approach a novel, and it’s very effective.

The plot is just as confusing at the protagonist’s narrative. You never really know what is going on and why it’s happening until after it has happened, and you aren’t really sure which story is going to add to the plot and which is just something you’re being told. It sounds frustrating when I put it like that, but the fact that this novella was confusing ended up being part of what I loved about it so much. It kept me on my toes, and when everything came together, it did so flawlessly and became obvious that Parker’s weaving of this confusing story was absolutely genius.

Part of the reason why this novella has a different feel to me is because it’s told in the first person, and unless I am forgetting something, this is the first time I’ve read a Parker book that is told in the first person. It’s an intimate account, and a wise decision for this book. The protagonist is surprisingly shady, but has an easy way about telling a story that hooks readers instantly. Furthermore, I don’t think it would be as delightfully confusing in readers weren’t so intimate with the protagonists mind, and engaged by it.

The Last Witness isn’t Parker’s best work (in my humble opinion), but that shouldn’t stop you from reading it. Parker’s work is a delight, regardless. This one is a lot different than I expected, and completely unlike anything else that he’s written. In a lot of ways I think this might be more accessible to more readers than much of Parker’s other work. It’s confusing, morally gray, mind bending, and an absolute delight. Give it a shot. You won’t regret it.

 

4/5 stars

Books in the Mail | October 10 – 17

I’m going to try hard to make this a weekly feature. I have a feeling this is one of those things I will forget to do, but I’ll try not to.

Here are the books that have arrived in the past week. All books were sent by the publisher or author, unless otherwise specified.

Wake of Vultures – Lila Bowen

Publication date: October 27, 2015

(Side note, the author sent this one to me, autographed and with some swag. Yay!)

A rich, dark fantasy of destiny, death, and the supernatural world hiding beneath the surface.

Nettie Lonesome lives in a land of hard people and hard ground dusted with sand. She’s a half-breed who dresses like a boy, raised by folks who don’t call her a slave but use her like one. She knows of nothing else. That is, until the day a stranger attacks her. When nothing, not even a sickle to the eye can stop him, Nettie stabs him through the heart with a chunk of wood, and he turns into black sand.

And just like that, Nettie can see.

But her newfound sight is a blessing and a curse. Even if she doesn’t understand what’s under her own skin, she can sense what everyone else is hiding — at least physically. The world is full of evil, and now she knows the source of all the sand in the desert. Haunted by the spirits, Nettie has no choice but to set out on a quest that might lead to her true kin… if the monsters along the way don’t kill her first.

—

Grave Illusions – Linda Gardiner

Publication date: August 31, 2015

Jess Vandermire, Vampire Hunter…

Tough vampire cop, Jess Vandermire, fights against her unholy brethren in New York City to protect the two men she loves more than life itself. But Jess is waging a personal war, too—to save the tiny shred of soul she has left. If she loses, so does the city…

New York City is in the grasp of a deadly, unseen enemy. But Lieutenant Jess Vandermire, New York City police officer, is uniquely specialized to recognize and fight this threat. It’s her job to forge a black ops team—a team that is tough and, if need be, expendable. Jess understands what she’s fighting and what’s at stake. For her, it’s all about retribution… until she recruits ex-cop John Brittain…

Suddenly, her priorities aren’t quite so easily definable. John Brittain has a chip on his shoulder and is as strong as they come. But is he ready for the whole truth? That combating “super” vampires whose primal need for blood and the addictive drug “Sunshine” is only the beginning of their problems?

Because Jess has a secret. And when John finds out, will he stay and fight with her? Or will he realize that she’s the enemy, too?

—

Veiled Magic – Deborah Blake

Publication date: November 17, 2015

Since Witches came out of the broom-closet in the early 21st century, they have worked alongside humans as police officers, healers, stock traders, and more. But they aren’t the only paranormal entities in our world…

Police officer and Witch Donata Santori spends her days interrogating dead witnesses by summoning their spectral forms. Normally the job is little more than taking statements and filing reports. But when she’s called in on the case of a murdered art restorer, she finds herself suddenly in possession of a mystical portrait that both the human and paranormal communities would kill to get their hands on.

Unable to take on the forces hunting her alone, Donata seeks help from two unlikely and attractive allies: a reluctant shape-changer and a half-dragon art forger. But as the three of them hurry to uncover the truth about the powerful painting, Donata realizes that she’s caught in the middle of not one but two wars—one for possession of the painting’s secrets and one for possession of her heart

 

—

 

Chains of the Heretic – Jeff Salyards

Publication date: February 2, 2016

Men are more easily broken than myths.

Emperor Cynead has usurped command of the Memoridons—Tower-controlled memory witches—and consolidated his reign over the Syldoonian Empire. After escaping the capital city of Sunwrack, Captain Braylar Killcoin and his Jackal company evade pursuit across Urglovia, tasked with reaching deposed emperor Thumarr and helping him recapture the throne. Braylar’s sister, Soffjian, rejoins the Jackals and reveals that Commander Darzaak promised her freedom if she agreed to aid them in breaking Cynead’s grip on the other Memoridons and ousting him.

Imperial forces attempt to intercept Braylar’s company before they can reach Thumarr. The Jackals fight through Cynead’s battalions but find themselves trapped along the Godveil. Outmaneuvered and outnumbered, Braylar gambles on some obscure passages that Arki has translated and uses his cursed flail, Bloodsounder, to part the Godveil, leading the Jackals to the other side. There, they encounter the ruins of human civilization, but they also learn that the Deserters who abandoned humanity a millennium ago and created the Veil in their wake are still very much alive. But are they gods? Demons? Monsters?

What Braylar, Soffjian, Arki, and the Jackals discover beyond the Godveil will shake an empire, reshape a map, and irrevocably alter the course of history.

—

The Death of Dulgath – Michael J. Sullivan

Publication date: November 15, 2015

When the last member of the oldest noble family in Avryn is targeted for assassination, Riyria is hired to foil the plot. Three years have passed since the war-weary mercenary Hadrian and the cynical ex-assassin Royce joined forces to start life as rogues-for-hire. Things have gone well enough until they’re asked to help prevent a murder. Now they must venture into an ancient corner of the world to save a mysterious woman who knows more about Royce than is safe and cares less about herself than is sane.

From the best-selling author of The Riyria Revelations comes the third installment of The Riyria Chronicles. Although part of a series, it’s designed to thrill both new readers looking for fun, fast-paced fantasy and Riyria veterans wishing to reunite with old friends.

 

 

—

 

The Scorpion Rules – Erin Bow

Publication date: September 22, 2015

The world is at peace, said the Utterances. And really, if the odd princess has a hard day, is that too much to ask?

Greta is a duchess and crown princess—and a hostage to peace. This is how the game is played: if you want to rule, you must give one of your children as a hostage. Go to war and your hostage dies.

Greta will be free if she can survive until her eighteenth birthday. Until then she lives in the Precepture school with the daughters and sons of the world’s leaders. Like them, she is taught to obey the machines that control their lives. Like them, she is prepared to die with dignity, if she must. But everything changes when a new hostage arrives. Elián is a boy who refuses to play by the rules, a boy who defies everything Greta has ever been taught. And he opens Greta’s eyes to the brutality of the system they live under—and to her own power.

As Greta and Elián watch their nations tip closer to war, Greta becomes a target in a new kind of game. A game that will end up killing them both—unless she can find a way to break all the rules.

—

Our Lady of the Ice – Cassandra Rose Clarke

Publication date: October 27, 2015

Hope City, Antarctica. The southernmost city in the world, with only a glass dome and a faltering infrastructure to protect its citizens from the freezing, ceaseless winds of the Antarctic wilderness. Within this bell jar four people–some human, some not–will shape the future of the city forever:

Eliana Gomez, a female PI looking for a way to the mainland.

Diego Amitrano, the right-hand man to the gangster who controls the city’s food come winter.

Marianella Luna, an aristocrat with a dangerous secret.

Sofia, an android who has begun to evolve.

But the city is evolving too, and in the heart of the perilous Antarctic winter, factions will clash, dreams will shatter, and that frozen metropolis just might boil over.

—

Shadows of Self – Brandon Sanderson

Publication date: October 6, 2015

Shadows of Self shows Mistborn’s society evolving as technology and magic mix, the economy grows, democracy contends with corruption, and religion becomes a growing cultural force, with four faiths competing for converts.

This bustling, optimistic, but still shaky society now faces its first instance of terrorism, crimes intended to stir up labor strife and religious conflict. Wax and Wayne, assisted by the lovely, brilliant Marasi, must unravel the conspiracy before civil strife stops Scadrial’s progress in its tracks.

Shadows of Self will give fans of The Alloy of Law everything they’ve been hoping for and, this being a Brandon Sanderson book, more, much more.

 

 

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Air and Darkness – David Drake

Publication date: November 3, 2015

This intriguing and fantastic adventure is both an independent novel and the gripping conclusion of the Books of the Elements, a four-volume set of fantasies set in Carce, an analog of ancient Rome. Here the stakes are raised from the previous novels in an ultimate conflict between the forces of logic and reason and the forces of magic and the supernatural. During the extraordinary time in which this story is set, the supernatural is dominant. The story is an immensely complex journey of adventure through real and magical places.

Corylus, a soldier, emerges as one of the most compelling heroic figures in contemporary fantasy. Battling magicians, spirits, gods, and forces from supernatural realities, Corylus and his companions from the family of the nobleman Saxa—especially Saxa’s impressive wife Hedia, and his friend (and Saxa’s son) Varus—must face constant deadly and soul-destroying dangers, climaxing in a final battle not between good and evil but in defense of logic and reality.

 

—

The November Criminals – Sam Munson

Publication date: October 13, 2015

A darkly funny, pot-infused novel of teenage maladjustment in the tradition of Beautiful Children from a compelling new voice in American fiction.

For a high school senior, Addison Schacht has a lot of preoccupations. Like getting into college. Selling drugs to his classmates. His complicated relationship with his best friend (NOT his girlfriend) Digger. And he’s just added another to the list: the murder of his classmate Kevin Broadus, and his own absurd, obsessive plan to investigate the death. When presented with an essay question on his application to the University of Chicago—What are your best and worst qualities?—Addison finds himself provoked into giving his final, unapologetic say about all of the above and more.

Addison Schacht finds good company among American literature’s cadre of unsettled, restless youth, from Huck Finn to Holden Caulfield. The November Criminals takes on the terrain of the classic adolescent truth-telling novel and—with nerve and erudition—carves out its own unique territory.

 

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Silver on the Road – Laura Anne Gilman

Publication date: October 6, 2015

(I got the ARC a while ago, I got the hardcover this week)

A heroic fantasy by an award-winning author about a young woman who is trained in the art of the sinister hand of magic, but at what price?

Isobel, upon her sixteenth birthday, makes the choice to work for the devil in his territory west of the Mississippi. But this is not the devil you know. This is a being who deals fairly with immense—but not unlimited—power, who offers opportunities to people who want to make a deal, and they always get what they deserve. But his land is a wild west that needs a human touch, and that’s where Izzy comes in. Inadvertently trained by him to see the clues in and manipulations of human desire, Izzy is raised to be his left hand and travel circuit through the territory. As we all know, where there is magic there is chaos…and death.

 

 

—

The Trials – Linda Nagata

Publication date: August 18, 2015

(Borrowed from the library)

In the wake of nuclear terrorism, a squad of elite soldiers must combat artificial intelligence and seek justice in this military political thriller, a sequel to The Red.

Lieutenant James Shelley and his squad of US Army soldiers were on a quest for justice when they carried out the unauthorized mission known as First Light. They returned home to America to face a court-martial, determined to expose the corruption in the chain of command that compelled their actions. But in a country still reeling from the nuclear terrorism of Coma Day, the courtroom is just one battlefield of many.

A new cycle of violence ignites when rumors of the elusive, rogue AI known as the Red go public—and Shelley is, once again, pulled into the fray. Challenged by his enemies, driven by ideals, Shelley feels compelled to act. But are the harrowing choices he makes really his own, or are they made for him, by the Red? And with millions of lives at stake in a game of nuclear cat-and-mouse, does the answer even matter?

Book Bites | Fae: The Wild Hunt – Graham Austin-King

About the Book

Faeries… The fae… The stuff of bedtime stories and fables.

But sometimes the faerie tales are true. Sometimes they are a warning…

For a hundred generations the fae have been locked away from the world, in the cold, the Outside. They have faded out of sight and mind, into myth and folklore. But now the barriers are weakening and they push against the tattered remnants of the wyrde as they seek a way to return.

As a new religion spreads across the world, sweeping the old ways and beliefs away before it, a warlike people look across the frozen ocean towards the shores of Anlan, hungry for new lands. War is coming, even as the wyrde of the Droos is fading.

As the fae begin to force their way through the shreds of the wyrde, will mankind be able to accept the truth concealed in the tales of children in time to prepare for the Wild Hunt?

332 pages (kindle)

Published on June 3, 2015

Published by Realmwalker Publishing Group

Author’s webpage

Buy the book

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

—

Sometimes the best stories are the fairly simple ones, the ones you can just sit down and enjoy just because they are enjoyable. And then there are the other ones that are enjoyable in that respect, but also add a little something new. Fae: The Wild Hunt falls into the second category.

This book takes a little while to get warmed up. The first half is slower than the second, but much of it is spent building up the world and the characters, and slowly setting the stage for what is to come. The story is told through a few different perspectives, and at the start it isn’t clear how they all fit together, though it becomes obvious later. In relation to that, some characters are a bit more interesting than others, a few of whom never really did much for me, perpetually feeling distant, or (sorry to admit) uninteresting.

King is a descriptive writer, and while I enjoy my books full of description, some readers might find that it’s a bit too much. That being said, it’s that description that made so many of the scenes come alive and help fill the book with emotion and the haunting atmosphere that seemed to grow as things progressed. In regards to the plot, I had a hard time with the timeline occasionally. There was a jump in time with a character, and I didn’t really catch on that a few years had been spanned until about a page after it happened. Likewise, I wasn’t sure when exactly that same jump happened with the other characters. There were also some minor editing issues. For example, on one page I saw the word “aunty” and about two paragraphs later it was “auntie.” Not a big deal, but I saw small errors like that throughout the book.

I’m surprised with how much the author managed to pack into this one fairly short (for me) novel. He built a world, a religion, a culture, a magic system, and characters. Yes, there are flaws, but this isn’t just a fun story, there’s a lot in these pages for readers to chew on. And, despite the slow start and some pacing issues, it managed to keep me interested throughout. There were some surprising twists and turns, plenty of tension, and the author’s unique voice really helped suck me in almost instantly. Furthermore, I enjoyed how much light and dark is juxtaposed, from dreamlike scenes that had a shocking haunting quality, to the intense bond between a mother and child. Love, loss, and fear play huge roles in this book, and they are worked into the book quite well.

It might sound like this one didn’t impress me much, which really isn’t true. Fae: The Wild Hunt certainly did have its problems, but this is a book that made me want to know what was going to happen next. I wanted to read it, and isn’t that the most important quality in a book? It felt like a retelling of old tales in a darker tone. It’s descriptive and layered, full of mystery and tension with a nice dollop of hope and love to balance it all out and keep it from ever getting too dark.

I think every book has a test that it either passes or fails. Do I want to read more? In this case, yes. Despite the problems I saw, and because of everything I enjoyed, I want to learn more about the world, the characters, the fae and everything else. Fae: The Wild Hunt is a solid foundation for the author to build on, and a nice introduction to a unique fantasy world.

 

3/5 stars

Featured Review | Silver on the Road – Laura Anne Gilman

About the Book

A heroic fantasy by an award-winning author about a young woman who is trained in the art of the sinister hand of magic, but at what price?

Isobelle, upon her sixteenth birthday, makes the choice to work for the devil in his territory west of the Mississippi. But this is not the devil you know. This is a being who deals fairly with immense—but not unlimited—power, who offers opportunities to people who want to make a deal, and they always get what they deserve. But his land is a wild west that needs a human touch, and that’s where Izzy comes in. Inadvertently trained by him to see the clues in and manipulations of human desire, Izzy is raised to be his left hand and travel circuit through the territory. As we all know, where there is magic there is chaos…and death.

400 pages (hardcover)

Published on October 6, 2015

Published by Saga Press

Author’s webpage

Buy the book

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

—

Silver on the Road was one of my most anticipated reads this year. When it arrived, I was so excited I started it right away. One thing I can say, and probably should, in this first paragraph is that it will absolutely be on my Top 10 of 2015 list at the end of this year. It not only fulfilled all my expectations, but exceeded them.

I love weird west books, and I don’t really think there are enough of them. Silver on the Road isn’t just a realistic and believable rendering of the wide open West, but it’s mysterious, full of layers and plenty of mystery. Gilman does a fantastic job of showing just how sprawling the West is, and how full of its own unique mystery and culture it is. And she develops plenty of her own as well, from animals that occasionally speak and hold their own wisdom, to the power of crossroads and running water, to the plight of the natives and the settlers.

And then there’s the Devil himself, the man who is older than memory, and somehow manages to keep the West and all its wildness under his control. His magic is powerful, and his name is enough to strike fear and respect in just about anyone. While he doesn’t get much center stage time in the novel, he really shouldn’t. The Devil works best how Gilman leaves him, a shadowy character in the sidelines whose power and presence you feel in just about everything, and whose lack of definition and mystery makes him all the more compelling and believable.

Bartering and trade is the currency and blood of Gilman’s well crafted world. You can’t get something for nothing, and I often found it fascinating how Gilman uses that as a powerful tool throughout her novel. The give and take fills the book with a sort of tense atmosphere. If someone wants something, then they need to be able to give something of equal worth. Contracts are signed in blood, and the Devil always takes his due. It doesn’t take long to see that the trepidation, fear, and respect surrounding the Devil is well earned if for the hard bargains he strikes than for no other reason.

In a lot of ways this book is a coming of age tale in a world that demands a lot from the people who live in it. Isobel is a character that is easy to love. She starts out full of an addicting sort of energy and innocence as she contemplates what to do with the rest of her life. She throws herself into a bargain with the Devil that she doesn’t really understand, and demands a lot from her, not the least of which is leaving the only home she’s ever really known with a perfect stranger. She has to learn the road, and explore the wide open West. In the process she uncovers vast darkness, a land being reformed in some ways, and the fact that her contract with the Devil makes her the person who needs to take care of it. Her innocence quickly gets stripped from her, and the land she travels seems to reshape her as she goes.

In a lot of ways, this book is an intricate tug of war. Isobel has protection and power from the Devil through her contract with him, but she does get a bit of bitterness and anger that develops as things progress. She gains a lot from her mysterious benefactor, but she lost some control and she doesn’t realize that until its too late. There is emotional backlash to all of that, and slowly you realize that Isobel isn’t unique with that emotion. It’s felt by just about everyone who has ever had dealings with the mysterious man who keeps the West under his thumb. You give the Devil his due, and you feel that sting by realizing that you are giving just as much as you get, as well as a dollop of control over your own life in the process.

Things get going at a decent clip. Much of the first half of the novel is Izzy learning herself, and life on the road. She has a lot to absorb, and most of this part of the novel is lessons that she’s learning. It’s not the least bit boring. Gilman uses a lot of this portion of the book to not only educate and develop Izzy, but show readers the world she’s created. Slowly things unfold. Not everything the book has to offer is shown at once. Silver on the Road has to flirt with you a bit first, and slowly reveal itself as things get going.

Things take a darker turn toward the second half of the book, and all that learning and development in the first half of the novel is put to good use in the second, where Gilman really flexes her creative muscle. This part of the book is full of tension, and plenty of mystery while the characters and the readers are discovering what’s going on at the same time. The undefined aspects of the book slowly gain definition, and in the process Izzy and company gain a lot of depth and fleshing out.

By the time it’s all said and done, readers will have gone on a whirlwind adventure and coming of age in a landscape that is sprawling, mysterious, and absolutely one of a kind. The writing is smooth, the characters are likeable, and the mystery is compelling. This is one of those novels that isn’t just fun, but it’s so one of a kind, it’s also hard to forget or put down. I’ve read some of Gilman’s books before, and she’s always been an author that has impressed the hell out of me, but Silver on the Road shows her at the top of her game. This book is everything I wanted it to be plus more. And I’m just left here wanting more.

Damn it, Laura Anne Gilman, I want more and I don’t want to wait!

 

5/5 stars

Book Bites | The Heart Goes Last – Margaret Atwood

About the Book

Living in their car, surviving on tips, Charmaine and Stan are in a desperate state. So, when they see an advertisement for Consilience, a ‘social experiment’ offering stable jobs and a home of their own, they sign up immediately. All they have to do in return for suburban paradise is give up their freedom every second month – swapping their home for a prison cell. At first, all is well. But then, unknown to each other, Stan and Charmaine develop passionate obsessions with their ‘Alternates,’ the couple that occupy their house when they are in prison. Soon the pressures of conformity, mistrust, guilt and sexual desire begin to take over.

320 pages (hardcover)

Published on September 29, 2015

Author’s webpage

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

—

The Heart Goes Last certainly is a unique book, and while it is really well written and rather thought provoking in many aspects, I have to admit I struggled with it quite a bit. Atwood, as usual, packs her novel full of plenty of political and social commentary. The experiment of Consiliance is interesting, though I found it rather unbelievable and lacking in the kind of detail that made it take form in my mind.

Stan and Charmaine started out as rather compelling narratives. Charmaine had an addicting sort of naiveté and innocence, and Stan felt like an everyman – protective, and strong, but incapable of utilizing his strengths in any real way. I was instantly gripped by them and their struggle, and their voices which brought their struggle to life. Once thing moved to Consiliance I started liking the characters less and less. However, Atwood worked in some rather fascinating character depth by slowly making their individual weaknesses more prominent and important to the story. Charmaine is rather ruthless, and Stan is spineless.

The plot is pretty quick moving, but it isn’t quite predictable, That’s not really a bad thing, but sometimes it is nice to at least have a feel for where things are going, and in this one I didn’t. Even the “ah ha” or surprise moments didn’t really surprise me that much because I never really bought into it. I had a hard time feeling really engrossed in this book for the same reasons I had a hard time with the Consiliance project as a whole. Much of the novel lacked the depth and details that I appreciate in the books I read. The story was interesting, but it felt really two dimensional in many aspects.

The Heart Goes Last is a unique book that will be a hit or miss with readers. It will either work for you or it won’t. I don’t predict much middle ground here. Atwood is a fantastic author, and the characters are well crafted, and there is some great social and political commentary, but in many ways this one didn’t work for me. I never really connected to it, which is unfortunate. Perhaps others will have better luck.

 

2/5 stars

Featured Review | The Traitor Baru Cormorant – Seth Dickinson

About the Book

THE TRAITOR BARU CORMORANT is an epic geopolitical fantasy about one woman’s mission to tear down an empire by learning how to rule it.

Tomorrow, on the beach, Baru Cormorant will look up from the sand of her home and see red sails on the horizon.

The Empire of Masks is coming, armed with coin and ink, doctrine and compass, soap and lies. They’ll conquer Baru’s island, rewrite her culture, criminalize her customs, and dispose of one of her fathers. But Baru is patient. She’ll swallow her hate, prove her talent, and join the Masquerade. She will learn the secrets of empire. She’ll be exactly what they need. And she’ll claw her way high enough up the rungs of power to set her people free.

In a final test of her loyalty, the Masquerade will send Baru to bring order to distant Aurdwynn, a snakepit of rebels, informants, and seditious dukes. Aurdwynn kills everyone who tries to rule it. To survive, Baru will need to untangle this land’s intricate web of treachery – and conceal her attraction to the dangerously fascinating Duchess Tain Hu.

But Baru is a savant in games of power, as ruthless in her tactics as she is fixated on her goals. In the calculus of her schemes, all ledgers must be balanced, and the price of liberation paid in full.

400 pages (hardcover)

Published on September 15, 2015

Published by Tor

Author’s webpage

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

—

First things first, if you don’t like your books with a dash of tragedy, then you really need to avoid this one. This doesn’t have just a dash of tragedy; it has a bucketful of it.

The Traitor Baru Cormorant is the story of Baru, whose homeland is overtaken by the Empire of Masks through trade, disease, education and the like. As she grows from child to young adult, she watches the culture she loves be slowly eradicated by this foreign power. Baru, a very intelligent woman, realizes that the only way to defeat her enemy is to fight it from the inside. She bides her time by working hard to become part of the Masquerade and learn to weld power and fight for her homeland from the inside.

Baru is one of the best characters I’ve read for a long time. She is so detailed and layered to the point where it’s hard to believe that she’s just a fictional creation. She’s a powerful character, as her inner struggles play almost as big of a role as the external struggles that she’s dealing with.

In many ways, Baru is tragically flawed. She’s an example of how too much of anything can be bad. She’s so driven it becomes detrimental in many ways. She’s internalized so many of the drives and desires that makes her human that she’s almost more automaton at times than actually human. She works so hard to keep so many of her desires repressed, she doesn’t really know how to be anything but tragically driven, and almost compulsive with her end goals and the positions she fills. Baru is a bunch of extremes woven together in one woman. She seems to handle life by refusing to let herself feel, and often her excess emotions are dealt with by drinking too much.

The plot will keep readers on the edge of their seats, though the tension that is felt is more from Baru’s economics, and the importance of money and her own goals rather than any real battles and sword fights (though they do take place). This book is about the kind of revolution and revolt that is fought more by the pen than by the sword. it is a thoughtful revolution that builds slowly and has a lot of subtlety.

The Traitor Baru Cormorant is kind of like a rabbit hole, it sucks you in and takes you deeper and deeper. Slowly Baru changes from the girl you’re first introduced to and into something else. She’s a rough character, almost impossible to actually like, but you can’t help but feel sympathetic for her and her plight as you watch her sell more and more of her soul for her end goal. She’s distant and remote, incredibly hard to relate to, and while part of you will probably loathe her more and more as the book progresses, you’ll also feel a deep sympathy for a person who has to change so much to accomplish what she’s trying to accomplish.

It’s interesting how Dickinson took the tale of the hero and flipped it on its head. This book expresses a viewpoint that not many books show. Often times the hero has to give up more of themselves than people realize to accomplish their goals. Slowly the girl Baru is bled away, and she turns into something else, something not quite human, slowly and almost silently tortured, but absolutely consumed by her goals. The more lofty the desire, the more of a personal sacrifice is required. Baru is a huge walking, talking sacrifice. She gives up just about every part of herself for what she wants, and it’s tragic to watch, but impossible to turn away from. In many ways she becomes what she hates just to accomplish her end goal. How much are you willing to give up in order to get something you want? Baru, in many ways, is willing to sell her soul, and the intimate process of watching it happen is riveting in a very uncomfortable way.

The world building is fantastic, almost as well drawn as the character Baru herself. Dickinson thought about just about every aspect that he could, and instead of dumping a ton of information at strategic points, he deftly wove it into his story in a way that made so many things easy to understand, and helped the world feel vivid and well realized to his readers. The world itself is sprawling, and in some ways made me think of the Malazan Empire. It’s huge, and diverse, with a ton of history and unique cultures. No two conquered lands are the same. There are a ton of different influences that Dickinson drew on to create his lands and peoples, but in the end he changed them all enough so their influences are felt, but not overpowering. This world is absolutely unique to the author.

Furthermore, Dickinson isn’t shy about showing how an expanding and sprawling empire is altering cultural norms. There are issues of gender and sexuality that are presented, as well as uncomfortable ways that the empire deals with things that aren’t acceptable to them. Once again, Baru’s tortured voice is perfect for showing just how the empire’s standards can emotionally and physically impact the people that it effects. It’s heart wrenching, soul crushing, and incredibly powerful. The juxtaposition between the cultures that the empire slowly chews up and digests, and the people, like Baru, that are scarred by that process is incredibly compelling.

The ending is in line with the rest of the book. It’s important to remember that the word “traitor” is in the title, and that word has its own dark connotations that play out throughout the book and the ending. The Traitor Baru Cormorant is one of those books that is dark, and uncomfortable, often unlikeable, but completely unforgettable. It’s important, and thought provoking, and shockingly well realized. You won’t like all of it, and chances are you won’t actually enjoy parts of it, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a good book to read. In fact, this has been one of my favorite books so far this year. It’s a merciless punch in the gut that made me feel a shocking amount of raw emotion.

The Traitor Baru Cormorant is unforgettable. This book will change how you read your epic fantasy.

Bravo, Dickinson.

 

5/5 stars

 

Announcing some changes to the website

I start back to work this week, and I’m pretty positive that having two kids (one of whom is an infant) is going to negatively impact my ability to live life (and sleep. We can’t ever forget the lack of sleep.). In regards to this, I’ve been thinking about how to run my website while I will be going through another adjusting phase. I realized two things:

1. I read a lot of books I don’t end up reviewing for one reason or another. Sometimes I don’t want to. There are some books I read I read just because I want to and I don’t really feel the need to review those. Another reason is because I read a lot of books and I just don’t have time to write a full length review for them all, so I push them down the list thinking I will get to them someday, and then I forget and they never get reviewed. I read about 200 books a year, so a lot slip in the cracks.

2. I don’t ever post news items, and I should.

In realizing these two things, and analyzing how chaotic life is about to become, I realized that I don’t always have time to write a full length review, but I do generally almost always have time to bust out a paragraph or two a day. Therefore, I’m going to be rolling out “Book Bites.” Book Bites will be my attempt to shine more light on more of the books I read. I do believe that every book deserves some attention, and hopefully Book Bites will be something that will help me do that.

I will still write my full length reviews, hopefully 2-3 times a week like I currently am, but realistically I realize that until my life slows down a bit (ha ha) I won’t always have time to sit down and write a long review. Book Bites will be short paragraph or two reviews for all those other times. These short paragraphs will get right to the meat of the books I read (for an example, look at my mini SPFBO reviews). Furthermore, I’ll also hopefully (eventually) be adding more news to the website. This could be anything from press releases that publishers send me, to things I think of myself (which will be rare because honestly I don’t really notice much besides diapers these days), to books I get in the mail.

So things will be changing. I will hopefully have more content on my website that will take less time for me to produce. This is how things will look so you’ll know what to expect:

Featured Review | Book Title – Author’s Name

This is going to be a full length, regular style review

Book Bite | Book Title – Author’s Name

This will be a short paragraph or two book review

News | Insert title here

Will be anything from press release, to whatever else

Books in the mail

Books I got, hopefully I’ll remember to do this once a week.

Eventually I hope to change the layout of my website to make all of this easier for people to access, but until I have the time or brainpower to do that, I will make it a goal to tag each post to make it easier for people to find them. I am also going to start tagging all my reviews with their star rating because I’m too far behind (and too lazy) to update the various review indexes, though I will leave them as-is for people who care.

So, that’s the way things will go for a while. My goal is that this will help me give more of the books publishers and authors send me at least a little bit of attention, while also taking away some of the stress I feel when I’m having a really busy week and I just don’t have time to write 2-3 really long reviews of books. It will also allow me to mix up my content more, and hopefully make this website more active while giving me a bit more time away from it to do things like work and change diapers.

We’ll see how it goes, but this is my goal right now. I do feel kind of guilty that I won’t be writing long reviews on all the books I read, but on the other hand, at least I’ll be giving more books more limelight, so hopefully this will be a good change.

And a huge thanks for sticking with me while my life is kind of upheaved and I’m in adjustment (and exhausted) mode.

SPFBO | The Thief Who Pulled on Trouble’s Braids – Michael McClung

About the Book

“They butchered Corbin right out in the street. That’s how it really started. He was a rogue and a thief, of course. But then, so am I. So when he got himself hacked up in front of his house off Silk Street, I decided somebody had to be made to pay. They thought that they could just sweep him away like rubbish. They were wrong.”

Amra Thetys is a thief with morals: She won’t steal from anybody poorer than she is. Fortunately, anybody that poor generally doesn’t have much worth stealing! But when a fellow thief and good friend is killed in a deal gone wrong, Amra turns her back on burglary and goes after something far more precious: Revenge.

210 pages

Published on November 28, 2012

Author’s webpage

Buy the book



This book is part of the Self Published Fantasy Blog Off.

—

The Thief Who Pulled on Trouble’s Braids was the first finalist in the SPFBO that I read. The cover is what gripped me. I loved it. However, it’s also the kind of book that I don’t typically read that often. The protagonist is a thief, and the book is focused on the various antics of that sort of lifestyle. It’s a lot of fun, and very well done, but I’m still a little worn out from the surge of thief focused stories years ago.

That being said, it didn’t take me long at all to see that this book was something special. Aside from the fact that Amra is a fantastic protagonist to follow, the entire book really starts taking off when the ugliest statue ever is introduced into things. That right there got me. There are very few books whose entire plot revolves around a really ugly statue of a frog.

The other thing I feel like I should mention before I continue on too far is the fact that this book contained some of the most impressive, subtle world building I’ve run across in a book. Instead of huge infodumps, McClung weaves his world building information into the plot so subtly it’s easy to miss, but it makes a huge impact. The city is more real than real, a sprawling metropolis that is full of a hodgepodge of cultures and clashing ideals. Amra’s life in the shadows give her, and readers, a unique insight into the city all around her. It’s complex, and richly layered, but she’s also an outsider looking in which gives her a rather dark and sarcastic opinion of the world around her.

As I mentioned above, Amra is a great character to follow. She is one of the reasons why I enjoyed the book so much. She’s a strong woman who makes it by on her own. She is very much a loan wolf. She knows a lot of people, but doesn’t care about any of them enough to let them in. The only somewhat close person to her ends up dying early on, and that event is the catalyst for everything else that happens. However, Amra is completely capable of weaving through the treacherous waters of the events that transpire. Despite the fact that she really isn’t close to anyone, her loyalty to those she does care about is staggering. Her one true friend ends up dying, and she uproots her entire life to make those who killed him pay. It’s really interesting to see how easy it is for her to distance herself from so many, yet how willing she is to change just about everything to make things right for those she does care about.

Amra is a lot of things that most protagonists aren’t. She’s unattractive, abrasive, and makes her living in the shadows. That’s part of her appeal. She’s nothing typical, and because of that she fits so beautifully into the city that McClung has created. She never lost her unique voice, or her dry humor. Amra really made the book. If there is a flaw, it is that Amra seems to find herself a little too capable a little too often. She makes mistakes and finds herself in some tight spots, but I never really questioned that she’d make it through because Amra almost seemed unbelievably capable in the face of all odds. However, I should make it clear that Amra does get hurt, and she does end up broken and bloody plenty of times. She isn’t perfect, and she pays for her mistakes.

Amra is, in some ways, kind of flat. She doesn’t really evolve much as a character, and in matters of character development, not a lot happens. That might bother some readers, but the truth is that anything else, any deep dark moments and staggering interpersonal growth and development would really conflict with the overall fun and adventurous tone of the book. She is nicely balanced out by some secondary characters. Holgren the mage is one of the most delightful characters in this book. He’s not your typical wizard, and I found his oddness refreshing and quite humorous. He really complimented Amra perfectly and gave a nice balance to the intensity of her character.

The plot is quick moving. I soon discovered that I was as engrossed in finding out just what happened to Corbin, the ugly statue’s purpose, and what Amra would do, as I was interested in learning more about the city that this all takes place in. It’s hard to put this book down. You’ll start it, and before you realize what happened it will be over. A large part of that is thanks to the author’s smooth, even, and absorbing prose. He dumps a lot into his sentences, and he does it in such a way that you don’t really realize all the information you’re absorbing until after the fact. There’s real skill in that. I never felt like I was hit over the head with anything. It was incredibly easy for me to sit back and enjoy the story for what it was. It was only after I finished the book that I realized just how artfully McClung wrote this book, and how much information is packed into it.

However, the plot, in a lot of ways, was pretty typical. There were some untypical aspects of it (some of which I have already mentioned), but I was never really overly surprised or on the edge of my seat with suspense. I’m not sure I was supposed to be, however. Yes, I could sort of predict most of the important parts of the book’s evolution, but this is one of those books that almost seems like you’re supposed to just sit back and enjoy the ride rather than be overly wowed by all the fancy and unpredictable plot developments. Some books are fun, and that’s not even close to being a bad thing.

The ending is well done, and ties off this story arc nicely, while leaving a lot of room for McClung to grow and develop the world, situations, and characters in future books. A lot of readers will inevitably want to move on to the next book as soon as this one has ended. I’m interested to see where McClung takes everything he developed in The Thief Who Pulls on Trouble’s Braids. There are quite a few interesting places he could take everything he started here.

This is a worthy finalist for the Self Published Fantasy Blog Off. It’s the kind of book that I can sit back and enjoy for what it is. This book is fun, fast, and furious. Polished writing, an addicting protagonist, and some truly unique situations all combine to make the Thief Who Pulled on Trouble’s Braids something that’s not just fun, but also memorable. Honestly, that’s what I loved about this book the most. It is unapologetically what it is. McClung wrote a wild adventure, and obviously had a lot of fun doing it and that sense of enjoyment has bled into these pages. Is it perfect? No, but perfection is boring. It doesn’t need to be perfect, it excels at everything that is important.

 

3.5/5 stars