Sarah Chorn's Blog, page 68

City of Eternal Night – Kristen Painter

About the Book

Magic and mystery collide in this second installment of the new urban fantasy series by House of Comarre author Kristen Painter.

Still coming to terms with their unexpected partnership, Augustine and Harlow have a tentative truce. With Harlow slowly working to accept being fae, Augustine still learning how to be Guardian, and feelings growing on both sides though, they do not have an easy road ahead.

But when a young girl is stolen from the Mardi Gras Exemplar Ball — the biggest far event of the year — Harlow and Augustine must put all their issues aside to bring her home alive. Harlow’s father, Braziano, is of course their number one suspect, but evil lurks in every corner of the city and time is running out. Their only choices: Either find a way to rescue the girl, or Augustine must die.

436 pages (paperback)

Published on December 2, 2014

Published by Orbit

Author’s webpage

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This book was sent for me to review by the publisher.

—

If I was going to make a list of the cities I am really sick of books taking place in, New Orleans would be right at the top of my list. I’m not saying that it’s a bad city. In fact, it’s kind of hard to think of a city more perfect for urban fantasy and horror. That’s what makes me so sick of it. It’s so perfect, therefore I find it in way too many books.

New Orleans in the future? That’s new. Not new enough on its own, but Painter does a great job at adding enough pizazz to make me not mind that the series takes place in New Orleans. With the addition and reminder that this takes place in the future with advanced technology and some subtle references to history (to them) and modern day events (to us), you have not only the New Orleans vibe that so many love, with a unique enough feel to make readers like me not want to throw the book across the room.

City of Eternal Night is the second book in Painter’s Crescent City series, and it vastly improves upon its already quite enjoyable predecessor. The world expands. Instead of just focusing on Augustine and Harlow, the cast has increased to involve others and the trials they are facing. This adds some much needed depth and perspective to some of the relationships that we were vaguely introduced to in the first book, as well as giving City of Eternal Night a more substantial feel.

It’s not that Harper and Augustine aren’t substantial, but adding more characters made the book feel a bit more complex and colorful, which was appreciated. More characters, and a broader plot helped Painter flesh out her world a bit more, as well as the magic system, the various and rather subtle cultural clashes, and some of the tensions that simmer just below the surface but add to the atmosphere quite a bit. In essence, broadening the narrative (and plot) didn’t just help keep me interested, but it really impacted the world building in ways that surprised me.

Harper still got on my nerves in some respects. She has a tendency to make some stupid decisions, and sometimes she can seem impossibly oblivious to the obvious. However, she’s grown a bit. For example, she’s less self-centered than she was before. She’s transforming, but slowly. She’ll be a character I never fully enjoy, and that’s okay. On the flip side, Augustine has grown in leaps and bounds, and really delighted me with how adult he seems in this novel compared to the last one. With these two rather awkwardly balanced characters, the additional characters and their various side (and core) plots are a nice juxtaposition that serve to balance City of Eternal Night out in unexpected, but necessary ways.

The world was the part of the book that delighted me the most. Painter went out of her way to make it almost overwhelmingly vibrant and real. The ball is over-the-top in a wonderful way and was a fantastic setting for much of what transpires. The cultural nuances that are dropped in here and there made me really care about this New Orleans. The culture(s) she explores are varied and quite surprising. The magic system felt more solid and easy to define. Painter took this city, and these people, and breathed some invigorating life into them.

City of Eternal Night is a mystery, and unfortunately that mystery is pretty obvious. In fact, it’s so obvious that I don’t really think that the mystery is where readers should focus their attentions, but on everything else going on. The character development and world building are marvelous, and while the mystery is pretty well figured out, there are some nice surprises throughout the book and plenty going on in the background or on the sidelines to keep any lack of mystery from being too bothersome.

The pacing tore me. Some parts felt like they dragged on a little too long, while others might have benefitted from being focused on a little longer. Perhaps the reason I felt that way was because the mystery, like I mentioned, isn’t much of a mystery, and time spent by the characters trying to figure it out felt a little unnecessary. However, that didn’t color my overall enjoyment for the novel. As I said above, there is plenty here to enjoy. A few hiccups aren’t a big deal.

The ending might bother some readers, as the cliffhanger is obviously just that: a cliffhanger. Some readers don’t enjoy that sort of thing, and others will appreciate it for the rather pivotal setup that it is. In fact, this entire novel felt like one gigantic (and rather absorbing) setup for what’s going to happen next. That’s not a bad thing. It actually ended up being quite a good thing. Painter spent so much time lovingly cultivating her city, her characters, her cultures and all those tiny details I’m such a sucker for, that the next book in the series is sure to knock my socks off.

City of Eternal Night is a solid installment to an absorbing series.

 

4/5 stars

The Martian – Andy Weir

About the Book

Apollo 13  meets Cast Away in this grippingly detailed, brilliantly ingenious man-vs-nature survival thriller, set on the surface of Mars.

Six days ago, astronaut Mark Watney became one of the first men to walk on the surface of Mars. Now, he’s sure he’ll be the first man to die there.

It started with the dust storm that holed his suit and nearly killed him, and that forced his crew to leave him behind, sure he was already dead. Now he’s stranded millions of miles from the nearest human being, with no way to even signal Earth that he’s alive–and even if he could get word out, his food would be gone years before a rescue mission could arrive. Chances are, though, he won’t have time to starve to death. The damaged machinery, unforgiving environment, or plain-old “human error” are much more likely to get him first.

But Mark isn’t ready to give up yet. Drawing on his ingenuity, his engineering skills–and a relentless, dogged refusal to quit–he steadfastly confronts one seemingly insurmountable obstacle after the next. But will his resourcefulness be enough to overcome the impossible odds against him?

369 pages (paperback)

Published on February 11, 2014

Published by Crown

Author’s webpage

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—

This is another book I didn’t really want to read. I knew it was getting a lot of praise, but I really wasn’t interested. It’s not that I don’t like hard SciFi – I absolutely love it. The problem I kept running into was, I really don’t like Cast Away, and I really don’t look forward to reading a book compared to that movie.

However, it went on sale on Amazon, and I jumped on it because I have a problem.

And it took me about half a chapter to fall in love.

The Martian is exactly what it’s billed to be – a guy stranded alone on Mars. Nothing terribly new and unique there. However, this book works so well because it is exactly like what you expect, but Weir packs in so many unique, interesting, and mind boggling (seriously, I didn’t understand half of what Mark Watney talked about while stranded on Mars, and I didn’t care in the least) facts that you’ll quickly realize this isn’t a book about one man. It’s a book that can actually get a person excited about science.

That sounds kind of cheesy, and it is, but I’m nothing if not honest.

The Martian works largely because Mark Watney, our stranded protagonist, has one of the most captivating I could imagine in a book like this. Much of what he does while on Mars flew right over my head. I didn’t understand the dimensions or the measurements. The math aspects made my eyes cross a bit. How on earth can someone be that smart? The thing that really baffled me is the fact that Watney isn’t the smart one, Weir is. The author himself must be a genius.

However these facts are interspersed in a personal monologue that is captivating. It’s interesting to see how Watney keeps himself from going crazy, as many of us would. It’s also interesting to see how much he changes over his time in the book. The situation is harrowing, the world is broad and empty from so much as vegetation. It’s a dead place. This is, perhaps, the most dead world I’ve ever read about. Sure I’ve read about characters that were alone, but rarely this alone.

Juxtaposed with Watney’s solitary drama is the drama that is NASA trying to get a man left behind home. Readers won’t find the characters as enthralling as Watney – there are a lot more of them to squeeze into half the stage time as Watney gets. The real drama is out on Mars, but the behind-the-scenes NASA action is just as interesting in its own way, from the PR machine, to the science of communicating across vast swaths of space, to… well, everything else that NASA entails.

Then, Watney’s previous crew gets involved, and their personal relationships and the different ways they are dealing with being away from Earth, and the situation of leaving behind a crewmember adds another wrench in this already multilayered and very emotionally compelling plot. Their relationships are welcome to a book that is, to that point, pretty stark, and mixing it with Watney’s wry and laugh-out-loud humor in the face of all the horror he’s facing, warms up a book that has the potential to be just as stark and dead as Mars is.

The Martian is something else. It’s a solitary journey, a man against the elements, the ultimate harrowing tale about someone facing off against all odds – literally. That’s not all there is, though. The emotions are a snarling maze that serve to suck readers in. It’s hard not to feel compelled by Watney’s saga, and it’s impossible not to be impressed by the brave face he puts on in the face of such slim odds. The NASA elements are fascinating, and very well done, and add a nice business background noise that ground all of the action in some real-world feeling fact.

Yes, this book has a ton of science, and yes, the science can be a bit overwhelming. The facts are interesting, but they aren’t the gripping part of this novel (aside from the “Holy shit, how in the hell is Any Weir this smart?”). This is a book about a personal struggle, an independent struggle, the ultimate story about man against the elements, the ultimate kind of story that has been told over and over again in literature, rewrapped for a new generation. It’s funny, and full of ceaseless hope, but starkly real and tension-filled.

The Martian is a book I should have read a lot sooner.

 

4/5 stars

Steelheart – Brandon Sanderson

About the Book

Ten years ago, Calamity came. It was a burst in the sky that gave ordinary men and women extraordinary powers. The awed public started calling them Epics. But Epics are no friend of man. With incredible gifts came the desire to rule. And to rule man you must crush his wills.

Nobody fights the Epics…nobody but the Reckoners. A shadowy group of ordinary humans, they spend their lives studying Epics, finding their weaknesses, and then assassinating them.

And David wants in. He wants Steelheart – the Epic who is said to be invincible. The Epic who killed David’s father. For years, like the Reckoners, David’s been studying, and planning – and he has something they need. Not an object, but an experience.

He’s seen Steelheart bleed. And he wants revenge.

386 pages (paperback)

Published on Septemer 24, 2013

Author’s webpage

—

On the surface, there’s nothing about Steelheart that I should actually like. That’s a huge reason why I really had almost no desire to read it. I am not into comics. I don’t enjoy superheroes. Obvious good vs. evil plots don’t do much for me. I don’t really go for books about young adults (or “new adults” in this case). However, there was a Black Friday sale on Audible, and I decided to go for this one. (It was $4.95. You really can’t go wrong for that price.)

Steelheart is a homage to comics. It’s loud and dramatic. There’s tons of flashy action and the woman who David (the absolutely fantastic protagonist) becomes almost unreasonably obsessed with. There are villains, and underground aspects of society (in the literal and figurative ways). Really, Stealheart is basically a comic book in novel form….

Wow, I really should have thought of a better way to say that.

The story will instantly hook readers. Sanderson has a way with writing. Of course, he should. The man certainly is a practiced author. However, the other books I’ve read by him were pretty serious, and very epic. Even Mistborn, while being a bit more “fun” than his other books, are still epic and serious compared with Steelheart. The style of writing due to that, and due to the age group that this is written for, makes Steelheart a different reading experience.

Steelheart is, at its heart, fun. It’s very fun. It’s not incredibly serious, and has a unique, Sanderson-esque spin on the superhero tale. Yes, it is predictable, and yes, it can be kind of tropey, but this is one of those rare books where it works. It’s supposed to be kind of predictable. The evil guy is supposed to be evil and the good guys are supposed to be good. Tropes and predictability, in this case, work very well.

David is an easy protagonist to like. He tries hard, almost too hard, and he’s incredibly awkward. His awkward moments had me laughing out loud quite often.

Megan’s eyes could have drilled holes through . . . well, anything, I guess. I mean, eyes can’t normally drill holes through things, so the metaphor works regardless, right? Megan’s eyes could have drilled holes through butter.

His obsession with Megan is endearing. His bad metaphors are fantastic, but toward the end of the book I started wondering what the point was. David is a really fun protagonist. Everything he does, he does all the way. He doesn’t just have a crush on someone, he almost falls head-over-heels in love with them. He doesn’t just have a hard time figuring out what to say, he awkwardly trips over his words and makes a mess of them. He doesn’t just dislike Epics, he dislikes them to such an extent it basically dominates his life. That shouldn’t work in a character, but with David it does, partly because I smiled remembering the days I was so passionate (I’m still passionate now, but it’s a different sort of passionate) and awkward, and partly because David’s inability to do anything halfway is just endearing.

I am using the word “endearing” a lot. I can’t quite think of any other word that fits David so well, which is why I’m using it so much. David just grows on you, and it’s hard not to smile and fall in love with him at least a little bit.

The plot moves very fast, and while some points are pretty predictable, it is very enjoyable. Steelheart is one of those books that surprised me with all the flash – the flashy weapons, the flashy action, the flashy plot points. Perhaps my one nagging plot point is how David, awkward as he is, seemed to be able to do just about everything. However, that’s small potatoes, and I realize that’s part of the point – the underdog rises up to defeat the ultimate evil. It doesn’t get much more comic book than that. And, let’s be honest, sometimes it’s nice to just sit back and enjoy a book, and Steelheart is the perfect book for occasions like that.

In typical Sanderson form, Steelheart does have its unique qualities. The world has been built with some post-apocalyptic details, but has been overwhelmed by the Epics, and their various gifts. Steelheart, for example, has turned everything in his city (read: empire) into steel and there are hints that other cities and areas are just as bad off, if not worse. The magic system works into this well, and will keep readers hooked and asking important questions that will hint at things to be covered in future books.

Steelheart is a solid effort and a fantastic introduction to a series that promises to be a ton of fun. Is it Sanderson’s best work? No, but I didn’t really feel like it had to be. Sanderson didn’t sit down to write this book and explore the morality of (insert profound thing here). He wrote this book as a homage to his obvious love and enthusiasm for comics and superheroes, and it works in that respect. This book is written with infectious enthusiasm, and despite the few things in it that bothered me a little, it still managed to enchant me. Sometimes it’s good to sit back, unwind, and read a book about obvious good and evil, big weapons and flashy explosions, and the awkward kid triumphing.

For all the reasons that matter, Steelheart was a win.

I listened to the audiobook, narrated by MacLeod Andrews, who slipped into the story so naturally it felt like he was born to read it. He switched between voices flawlessly, and packed the book with personality. He brought it to life for the reader and made an already fun book, an absolute joy to absorb. It was hard to stop listening and I can honestly say I was kind of sad when it ended due to his narrating

 

4/5 stars

Recommended Reading: A Different Sort of Epic

Epic fantasy is what got me into the genre. This is where I started, but recently I’ve started to get really tired of the same-old-same-old. I’m getting kind of tired of kings and queens, civilizations based on England or France, and people who are trying to overthrow their brother’s kingdom. So, what are some fantastic epic fantasy books/series I’ve run across that are deliciously different? Here are some of my reading suggestions. I am going to stay away from mentioning books that you’ll probably expect to see here – Brandon Sanderson, and etc, for example. With that in mind, this is really just the tip of a wonderful iceberg. Speculative fiction is exciting because it is so diverse, and there is so much potential for new and different stories, worlds and magic systems.

What books would you add to the list?

—

The Mirror Empire – Kameron Hurley

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This book blew my mind. Very, very different than the typical epic fantasy. Hurley’s world is complex and sprawling, and the conflict is just as complex and sprawling. It takes some time to get used to, but the payoff is huge. Hurley has truly written something incredible here. She challenges many of the typical genre tropes, including gender roles and so much more. This was an ambitious book, and that thrusts epic fantasy into a totally different realm, and really shows what the genre is capable of.

Eternal Sky – Elizabeth Bear 

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This series is set in a world that feels very Far East to me, with cultures that are as foreign to me as they are absolutely welcome. In fact, a lot of the culture reminds me a bit of Mongolia, complete with horse lords and all that. There are strong women, and strong men, and all sorts of different capable characters that make an already interesting plot that much more interesting. In traditional Bear style, things don’t always end up the way that you expect them to, but the journey is fantastic. However, it’s the setting, the foreign and strange, that brought me back into epic fantasy after spending quite a time being rather sick of it.

The Barrow – Mark Smylie

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On the surface, The Barrow is your traditional epic quest. A group of ragtag heroes have to roam around a bit in search of one specific thing. What makes this book so different is the fact that it is for mature audiences only. Smylie doesn’t censor anything, and that might offend some, and put off others, but I actually welcomed it. There’s a lot of sexual context and plenty of violence, however it’s not really gratuitous. Instead, it makes the book feel shockingly real. Furthermore, the cast of characters are also atypical because they are all somewhat broken in different ways. This fragmented group manages to work together to make themselves, and each other, whole in ways that they weren’t when the book started. The Barrow absolutely surprised me, and is highly recommended to readers who don’t mind graphic content.

Arcanum – Simon Mordan 

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What happens when magic disappears in a land that relies upon magic? Insert quite a nice dollop of real world history into this mix and you have something completely interesting, and very unique. Mordan flawlessly weaves in a lot of historical detail that made this epic fantasy interesting and real in some unexpected ways. Furthermore, Mordan really puts a lot of effort into exploring, in depth, how the loss of magic would impact many different facets of society. This is one of those epic fantasy books that will leave you with plenty of heavy thoughts.

Miserere – Teresa Frohock

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This is one of the most underrated epics that have been released in the past few years. This is sort of urban fantasy, as some of it takes place in our world, but most of it takes place in a sort of side world, an alternative dimension (maybe I’m understanding that wrong). This book is rooted in a lot of religious history, but not the kind of religion that will hit you over the head. It’s very nicely done, and incredibly epic in sprawl and scope. The characters are complex and real, and the book itself is full of emotional intensity and flawless writing. Epic? Yes. Different? Yes. Must read? Yes.

Engineer Trilogy – K.J. Parker

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This is one of my absolute favorite series in the history of the universe, and K.J. Parker is one of my favorite authors in the entire world, bar none. K.J. Parker is a very different author, and this series reflects that. There’s a lot of philosophy, and a lot of traveling, personal and political conflict, and lots of tension. However, there is absolutely no magic, and I’d say there isn’t any religion either, but there might be in a few details and I’m just forgetting them. The thing is, this is an epic fantasy series that comes together like puzzle pieces. It’s absolutely genius, but it lacks all of those things that people look for in epic fantasy (magic, for example). The fact that it lacks these things is actually a benefit because it lets the readers focus on all the other things that Parker does so incredibly well. In fact, I don’t miss the magic at all, because all the other stuff is just… wow.

 

The Coldfire Trilogy – C.S. Freidman

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This is also one of my favorite trilogies. Freidman writes some of the most incredible characters, flawed and real and believable and absolutely fascinating. This series is sort of science fiction, with some fantasy feels to it (or fantasy with some science fiction feels to it, depending on how you interpret things). There is a nice history it is built on, and characters that shouldn’t work well together, but do. Furthermore, if you like antiheroes, then you really need to read Freidman’s books. I don’t know many authors that write an antihero better than her. There’s plenty of traveling, a magic system to it, and a ton of thought. This series shows why C.S. Freidman is such a formidable author, and it also shows just how wonderful epic fantasy can be when it’s not locked into certain tropes and roles.

 

Shifting Shadows – Patricia Briggs

About the Book

Mercy Thompson’s world just got a whole lot bigger…

A collection of all-new and previously published short stories featuring Mercy Thompson, “one of the best heroines in the urban fantasy genre today” (Fiction Vixen Book Reviews), and the characters she calls friends…

Includes the new stories…

“Silver”

“Roses in Winter”

“Redemption”

“Hollow”

…and reader favorites

“Fairy Gifts”

“Gray”

“Alpha and Omega”

“Seeing Eye”

“The Star of David”

“In Red, with Pearls”

450 pages (hardcover)

Published on September 2, 2014

Published by Ace Hardcover

Author’s webpage

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This book was sent for me to review by the publisher.

—

I tend to struggle with short stories. I like what I read to be long and involved, and short stories are just…. short. That’s not a bad thing if the stories are done right, but usually I find short story collections rather unbalanced and so I avoid them. However, I am a fan of Briggs, and I was beyond thrilled to get my hands on this anthology. Mercy Thompson is one of the only urban fantasy series that I’ve actually really enjoyed from the first book. I was excited to see what kind of short stories the author could write.

Short stories are a completely different animal than novels. The author has to know how to get in, grab the reader, and get out fast. More importantly, they have to know how to make my time spent reading a short story worthwhile. I’ve never read any of Briggs short stories, so I wasn’t really sure what to expect. She’s an incredibly talented author, so I had incredibly high hopes.

The first thing to note is that Shifting Shadows compiles stories from not only Mercy and company, but some secondary, and notable characters that don’t get as much limelight as Mercy in the series. For example, Bran, while being an incredibly powerful character who flits in and out of the novels in fairly regular intervals, is a rather mysterious figure. Readers know a few details here and there, but nothing too impressive. It’s with characters like Bran that Briggs really does justice with her anthology, illuminating their histories, or their present, or just telling interesting stories that maybe flesh them out in rather surprising ways.

Readers who are already familiar with Mercy Thompson will appreciate the anthology more than readers who aren’t. However, if I’m being completely honest, I doubt readers who aren’t familiar with Mercy Thompson will be interested in this collection. It’s important to at least have a brief overview of who these characters are, or know roughly where to find them in the series. While it isn’t necessary, the anthology packs a bigger punch if readers are also familiar with the Alpha & Omega spinoff series that Briggs wrote. It’s not essential by any means, but it does help.

The stories are ordered historically, oldest stories first. The anthology opens up with a very emotional, very raw story detailing much of Bran’s history that has been mentioned, but never really detailed. From there, the anthology works toward the present time. Most of the stories have already been published, but there is plenty of unique content that will please fans of the author. And, if we are all honest with each other, how many of you are like me – the stories might be out there, but I sure haven’t read them yet. Thus, don’t let the published-before stories bother you. Even if you have read them before, the way they are ordered, and the other stories in Shifting Shadows will cause them to seem new and full of details you might not have noticed before.

Briggs is a powerful author. Her writing is always very emotional, and the world constantly expands. That’s part of what makes her so great. Her spin on traditional urban fantasy tropes is absolutely unique to her. Much of the history she covers is interesting and very welcome. In fact, the thing that I loved most about Shifting Shadows was that, instead of being a frivolous collection of stories, it added history and details, and really broadened the already impressive scope of Briggs world, characters, and magic system. Briggs also managed to make sense of so many secondary characters, making her already intense tapestry of politics and relationships that much more intense. There were plenty of “ah ha!” moments that really mentally reworked parts of Briggs series and character development that I hadn’t thought about before. It was all quite delightful.

It’s rare that a short story collection gets me this excited to read other books by the author. Sure, short stories are interesting, and rather fun, but usually I read them and leave them and I’m good with that. Shifting Shadows, however, made me want to re-read all of the books that Briggs has written in this world (which is exactly what I’ve been doing). Now, reading these books, so many of the characters, situations, and details have a different, more profound impact.

Shifting Shadows was absolutely fantastic. Readers will love some stories more than others (of course), but for readers and fans of Patricia Briggs, this anthology is an absolute must. It will enflame you, excite you, and surprise you. Shifting Shadows will absolutely make you want to read all of Patricia Briggs Mercy Thompson books all over again. And you’ll feel like you’re reading them for the first time all over again. I promise.

 

4/5 stars

Gleam – Tom Fletcher

About the Book

In this Gormenghastian world the Factory is the law – but that does not

mean justice.

The Gargantuan factory of Gleam has seen a millennia of decreasing population. Now the central district is fully inhabited and operational; the outskirts have been left for the wilderness to reclaim. This decaying, lawless zone is the Discard; the home of Wild Alan. He’s convinced that the Gleam authorities were behind the disaster that killed his parents and his ambition is to prove it. But he’ll uncover more secrets than he bargained for.

400 pages (hardcover)

Published by Jo Fletcher Books

Published on September 4, 2014

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This book was sent for me to review by the publisher.

—

Man, this book is weird.

Not in a bad way, or a good way. In fact, how the weirdness is reacted to will totally depend on the reader. Some readers will love it, because weird is welcome. Some will think it’s a bit much, because this one really is kind of out there in some respects. Whether or not you like or dislike the weirdness, you really have to tip your hat to Fletcher for having such a vivid imagination, and the guts to not censor it at all.

This weirdness, in my mind, was a good thing. It broke Gleam free from many of the genre boxes and packages that books seem to require. It’s not scifi, it’s not fantasy, it’s not new weird, or dystopian. It just is what it is and that’s fantastic. It stands on its own legs, and blazes its own trail. Gleam is brave and new, uncharted and unfathomable, set in a dark world with dark characters and a dark and twisted plot.

Gleam focuses on a society divided, and one man who happens to find himself in the middle of this divide. His life is uncomfortable, both in and out of the factory. Gleam is a factory that controls the lives of the people who live there, and Alan is that one person that really doesn’t fit in the world he was born into. Gleam is a factory that doesn’t like questions. Things collide and come to a head fairly quickly.

The book gets really interesting when Alan is kicked out and forced to live in the Discard, where all the people struggle and suffer, starve and fight for live. Discard is one of the grimiest, dirtiest, most emotionally raw and one chilling worlds I’ve ever read about. However, despite that, it is incredibly compelling. All the darkness makes it so very real.

At its heart, Gleam really is a book about a man’s quest. He’s thrust into an impossible situation, and picks up a ragtag group of friends and followers along the way. Many of the plot points are fairly typical. In fact, it isn’t the plot that makes this book unique; it’s the world and the settings. It’s the way that Fletcher isn’t afraid to be dirty, improper, and challenge typical genre tropes.

Fletcher has a smooth cadence to his writing. It’s easy to fall into. Gleam might take some getting used to, but Fletcher’s writing really helps you over any humps you might face. Once things get going, they get going really fast. There is, however, a problem with the timeline and its lack of clarity. The book hops forward a few years, and there really isn’t any notice of that. In fact, I’m pretty sure I didn’t pick up the fact that there was a change in the timeline until well after it happened. I had to put the book down, and think about what I’d read so far, because it changed the context of a few of the situations a bit.

However, that’s small potatoes.

The plot might feel a bit disjointed at first, and it does take some time for all the puzzle pieces to fall into place, but when it does the “Ah ha!” moment is absolutely grand. It’s rather interesting to see how all the details that you might not think mattered before actually end up mattering. Fletcher put a lot of thought into writing this book, and while some of the subtleties might be overwhelmed a bit by the weird, that’s not really a bad thing. It’s good to read a book that refuses to be defined. Gleam is refreshing and different, and those two factors right there overwhelm just about anything negative I could say about it.

Gleam is dark, as I’ve mentioned before. However, the aspect of this book that impressed me the most was just how well Fletcher managed to balance dark with light. While Alan seems lost, and he’s thrust into plenty of situations that are sure to make you (and him) uncomfortable, the thing that always powers him is love. Love for his wife. Love for his child. That simple emotion, that empowering purity, is so strong and so vibrant it balances out the darkness perfectly, and has a profound impact on readers.

So, Gleam. It’s weird. It’s challenging. It’s uncomfortable. It’s well written and thought provoking. It’s not what you expect (regardless of what you expect). It has some plot hiccups. The timeline could be clearer and the sometimes it can be a bit overwhelming and unbelievable, but that’s forgivable. Gleam challenges the genre. It pushes boundaries, and introduces readers to profound and amazing characters. It’s dark, but love and hope are subtle tones that balance that darkness.

Gleam is…. well, it’s just what it is.

 

3/5 stars

Daughter of the Sword – Steve Bein

About the Book

Mariko Oshiro is not your average Tokyo cop. As the only female detective in the city’s most elite police unit, she has to fight for every ounce of respect, especially from her new boss. While she wants to track down a rumored cocaine shipment, he gives her the least promising case possible. But the case—the attempted theft of an old samurai sword—proves more dangerous than anyone on the force could have imagined.

The owner of the sword, Professor Yasuo Yamada, says it was crafted by the legendary Master Inazuma, a sword smith whose blades are rumored to have magical qualities. The man trying to steal it already owns another Inazuma—one whose deadly power eventually comes to control all who wield it. Or so says Yamada, and though he has studied swords and swordsmanship all his life, Mariko isn’t convinced.

But Mariko’s skepticism hardly matters. Her investigation has put her on a collision course with a curse centuries old and as bloodthirsty as ever. She is only the latest in a long line of warriors and soldiers to confront this power, and even the sword she learns to wield could turn against her.

468 pages (paperback)

Published on October 2, 2012

Published by Roc Trade

Author’s webpage

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Daughter of the Sword is a book I decided to read for two simple reasons.

1) It’s set in Japan.

2)I’m looking for something a little different.

I know nearly nothing about Japan (except those odd details most people probably know). I know less than nothing about martial arts, and I generally find police procedural heavy books boring.

So, with all of that said, I am floored by how much I absolutely loved this book, and I’m completely astonished that more people haven’t already read it. Daughter of the Sword is one of those rare gems that shines so bright, but really doesn’t get the attention it deserves.

Daughter of the Sword is an interesting blend of urban fantasy and historical fantasy. In fact, the fantasy elements of the novel are pretty subtle, which would easily allow this to be a good crossover series for people who are maybe a little reluctant to try speculative fiction, and enjoy mystery/crime fiction.

In modern day the book follows two main narratives, the most interesting of which is Mariko, who happens to be a modern day detective in Tokyo. She is one of the only female detectives in Japan, and has some very emotional and personal battles against the status quo. Detective work, in her world, is a man’s job. Bein does a great job at weaving into Mariko’s struggle to be a modern day career woman in a world that might not welcome her as such in rich cultural and historical context. This makes her narrative even more powerful than it otherwise would be, because regardless of how much you may or may not know about Japan, the context of her story is something we can all relate to, and empathize with, on some level.

Mariko quickly finds herself involved in an investigation which is just as interesting for all of its layered modern and historical complexity, as it is for all of the interesting people she runs into along the way. Professor Yasuo Yamada shines particularly bright for all that he seems like one of the ancient, incredibly wise, Far East sages that have decorated the pages of many novels. However, Yamada is the bridge that really connects Mariko’s investigation with the past, and thus some of his tropeishness (is that even a word?) can be forgiven.

Daughter of the Sword might seem a little disjointed at first, as readers will be following several story threads. It only becomes obvious as the book gets underway a bit as to how it all fits together. The historical sections are a bit more captivating as they get closer to modern times, but they are all very interesting. Once readers understand how all of the pieces of the story fit together, they will inevitably appreciate all the obvious research and detail that Bein flooded his book with. This is one of those novels that teaches you a lot, not just about the history and culture of Japan, but about some interesting modern day tidbits like their hard work ethic and how it impacts many lives (and health), the mafia, the drug trade, women in the workplace, family and so much more.

Martial arts and swords feature heavily in Daughter of the Sword, as you probably expect from the title. Let me make something perfectly clear to you, dear reader. I know (and understand) less than nothing about either martial arts or swords. Somehow Bein made it not only interesting to read about, but not overpowering, or confusing at all. Sometimes new concepts are hard to grasp in a novel. For example, one kind of boat is pretty much like any other kind of floating craft if I read about it in most books and the jargon is almost always lost on me. However, Bein manages to make his martial arts, the sessions of learning it that you will read about, and the life lessons imparted by these sessions interesting and unique.

Daughter of the Sword is passionate. It’s obvious that Bein loves his subject matter, and it’s even more obvious that he knows what he’s talking about. When you read this novel, you’ll read something written by someone who truly understands what he’s talking about. He’s done his research, and it pays off. Bein takes a culture so many of us just know the pop aspects of, and makes it deep and real and relatable, which is no small feat. Japan is alive, and it’s full of strong, complex people, a rich historical tapestry, and some understated but very powerful and compelling fantasy elements. At its heart, this isn’t a book about swords and history, but about people. Shockingly real, incredibly alive, very captivating people in a country I really want to learn more about now.

This is the first book in a series, and it knocked my socks off. I couldn’t put it down. When I wasn’t read it, I was thinking about it. When I finished it, I was delighted when the second book showed up on my doorstep and I instantly tore into it. Daughter of the Sword is an urban fantasy novel that is absolutely different than any other urban fantasy novel I’ve read before, written with an infectious passion, a soft touch, and an understanding that transcended its pages. This is a series to watch out for.

4/5 stars

The Beautiful Dark

Note: I’ve been struggling with some depression and worry recently. I’ve been dealing with this a lot of ways, but reading is one of the most noteable. I’ve also been thinking about just why I’ve been dealing with so much of this through reading, and this essay/mental vomit is what I came up with. There seems to be a belief in society that depression isn’t something we actually should talk about, that it makes people weak or something. I beg to differ. I think darkness is just as much of a part of the human experience as light. It’s not bad to intensely feel, and to realize that sometimes things suck. Sometimes silence hurts. I’m hoping that maybe through writing this, someone else will feel a little less alone with their own journey.

This is probably the most personal, absolutely terrifying thing I have ever written on my website. Ever. I’m writing it because I need to. I need to express, to share, to examine in a way only words let me. I’m also writing this as a sort of twisted “thank you” to authors. Your art has helped me more than you’ll ever know. Sometimes it’s nice to let people know that their gift and their time is appreciated.

Please be gentle with this small bit of my exposed soul.

—

You think your pain and your heartbreak are unprecedented in the history of the world, but then you read. It was books that taught me that the things that tormented me most were the very things that connected me with all of all of the people who were alive, or had ever been alive. – James Baldwin

There are a lot of reasons why I read. I enjoy it. I like the feel of paper and promise. I like experiencing life in someone else’s skin for a while. I enjoy letting my imagination go free. Recently, however, I’ve been reading a lot because I’m a bit depressed due to my unending health drama. I won’t get into it here, but I’ve been struggling. The more I struggle, the more I read.

The quote above has been circling in my mind for a while. Books don’t just get me out of my own skin, but they help me understand that regardless of whatever I’m dealing with, I’m not doing it alone. The future is rather terrifying to me right now, and the present is exhausting (but beautiful). I will deal with this, and I will bounce back. I always do, but until then, it’s books that I’m turning to.

It’s not that Jorg Ancrath understands what it’s like to face, and emotionally deal with a degenerative disorder, or cancer, but Jorg Ancrath has his own demons, and there is wisdom that I have gleaned through reading his story. He’s dark and tortured, and right now I relate to that, but there’s also something more to it. Sometimes simple truths are gleaned through reading. It’s the kind of truths that we don’t really get anywhere but books, and it hits the reader hard because we are discovering these truths along with the character we have become.

My own mind is a scary place, and occasionally the echoes of my thoughts are loud, overwhelming and frightening. It’s hard to see past my fears and anxiety, past the dark troubled worries, and the silent nagging anger and depression that my woes have created inside of me. My mind is a wild torment of what-could-have-beens and what-might-bes. It’s hard for me, during these periods, to realize that there is a world beyond myself where my grief and torment doesn’t exist, where the sun still shines and life is beautiful, a place that cancer and degenerative disabilities haven’t claimed.

I’ll tell you now. That silence almost beat me. It’s the silence that scares me. It’s the blank page on which I can write my own fears. – Prince of Thorns, Mark Lawrence

Books are a refuge to those who need it. Therapists are good, and family and friends are wonderful, but sometimes the art of a wordsmith is what centers a person. There are some journeys that family, friends, and therapists just don’t understand, because they are fundamentally ours. There are roads only we can walk, and we walk them alone. There is something about reading a story about a life that is just as messed up (if not more messed up) as mine, and realizing that if that character could do it, I can too, can be more helpful than anything else. It’s not a band-aid for a wound, and it doesn’t heal, but it’s commiseration, and sometimes it can even be like a sigh of relief – a fantastic release of pressure. It doesn’t matter if that character or world doesn’t really exist. For the few moments I am reading that book, I can sigh with relief. Believe it or not, I’m not alone out here with my emotional upheavals and dark times.

Tragedy is unavoidable, but in this country, it doesn’t usually come in the way one dies but rather in the way one lives. – Blackbirds, Chuck Wendig

Books remind me that tragedy doesn’t have to define me. It’s not wrong to feel one way or another, to feel intensely and to swim through the dark, trepid waters. But I don’t have to let my life become defined by the tragedy my health issues have heaped upon me. I don’t have to let my cancer or my disabling condition bend my back. I don’t need to let it reshape my life, or make happiness and hope a foreign country that I don’t have permission to visit.

The truth is, I’m angry. Cancer has stolen a lot from me. It has irreversibly changed my life. My joint condition is degenerative, and dealing with a future filled with surgery, physical therapy, and pain isn’t fun or easy, and sometimes the fear of the unknown overwhelms me. I am starting to feel locked in by what I can’t do, and I’m realizing (sometimes bitterly) how much people don’t appreciate the simple things they can do with their own bodies, that I will never be able to do with mine. I am limited, and I don’t really like those limitations. That right there is what I’m emotionally grappling with. I don’t like my health situation, and I don’t like that it will get worse and never better, and I’m trying to be okay with that. I’m not okay with that yet, and that cognitive dissonance, the fact that I will never be able to change the way things are, is hard.

Making people change because you can’t deal with who they are isn’t how it’s supposed to be done. What needs to be done is for people to pull their heads out of their asses. You say ‘cure.’ I hear ‘you’re not human enough. – Lock In, John Scalzi

Lock In, by John Scalzi, was probably one of the most profound discussions and examinations of disability I have ever come across in my reading. And it was doubly profound because, in so many ways, I’m feeling very locked in. It was helpful to see these topics examined in plain black and white type. It was delightful to see them examined with compassion and depth. It was helpful to see that, while the situations are very different, many of the concerns that circle in my mind are concerns that the characters in Lock In, and the people who reach out to me through Special Needs in Strange Worlds share.

I am not alone.

Everyone has a story, and we all move through the stories of our lives differently. Authors have given me a profound gift with their books, through the musings and emotional light and dark that they express when they put pen to paper and words to thought. Books have helped me get out of my own body, to realize that my pain and heartbreak, my dark and light don’t define me. We all have the ability to be defined or define. It’s okay to intensely feel (And I think it’s necessary. Dark/light emotions aren’t always bad.). And while books won’t fix me, and there are some emotional journeys that I have to take on my own, they prove that I’m not alone, regardless of how dark and confused I feel inside, I am not an island.

Forgetting… is a beautiful thing. When you forget, you remake yourself… For a caterpillar to become a butterfly, it must forget it was a caterpillar at all. Then it will be as if the caterpillar never was & there was only ever a butterfly. – City of Stairs, Robert Jackson Bennett

Perhaps that is the best gift I could ever receive – this will end. I will move through this. I don’t know if I will ever be completely okay with the way things are for me and my health, but at least I know that these troubled times are not eternal, but temporary. There is beauty out there still. I see it, read it, and experience it every day. My child smiles, and her laughter is like music. The mountains are covered in snow and the peaceful slumber of winter. The stars shine and night, and when I drive to work while the world is sleeping, the moon is out, lighting my way with silver making be believe in magic again. And words, these beautiful words, these profound stories and deep emotions illuminate my soul and brighten my journey through these darker times.

Because they prove that I’m not alone.

And sometimes deep, dark, intense feelings can be as beautiful as they are frightening.

Burn for Me – Ilona Andrews

About the Book

#1 New York Times bestselling author Ilona Andrews launches a brand new Hidden Legacy series, in which one woman must place her trust in a seductive, dangerous man who sets off an even more dangerous desire…

Nevada Baylor is faced with the most challenging case of her detective career—a suicide mission to bring in a suspect in a volatile case. Nevada isn’t sure she has the chops. Her quarry is a Prime, the highest rank of magic user, who can set anyone and anything on fire.

Then she’s kidnapped by Connor “Mad” Rogan—a darkly tempting billionaire with equally devastating powers. Torn between wanting to run or surrender to their overwhelming attraction, Nevada must join forces with Rogan to stay alive.

Rogan’s after the same target, so he needs Nevada. But she’s getting under his skin, making him care about someone other than himself for a change. And, as Rogan has learned, love can be as perilous as death, especially in the magic world.

400 pages (ebook)

Published on October 28, 2014

Published by Avon

Author’s website

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—

Wow, does this book have a horrible cover. This is the kind of cover that makes me not want to read a book (harsh, but true). However, I’m going through some health stuff (again….) and said health stuff puts me in the mood to read books of this nature. It’s kind of nice to just put my mind on pause and immerse myself in a book that I don’t have to think too hard about.

Plus, it’s Ilona Andrews, and this writing duo has a tendency to create worlds that keep me interested and characters that hook me. In fact, Andrews is the author that has caused me to take another look at those urban fantasy books I’ve overlooked so often before.

Burn for Me takes place in a different alternate world than any that we’ve been introduced to before. There is an alternative history that is briefly touched on just enough to give readers a footing on what the world has turned into, but not overwhelming at any point. In fact, that’s something that this writing duo manages to do flawlessly. They have a knack for filling their books with important information in incredibly subtle ways.

Nevada Baylor is a PI, which is absolutely nothing unusual in urban fantasy. Where Nevada is a bit different is with how real her PI career feels. Furthermore, Andrews plays quite a bit on family bonds, in both good and bad ways. Nevada and her family, brothers, sisters, mother, grandma, cousin, all work together and barely keep their heads above water. The love they feel is real and solid and heartwarming in a way that urban fantasy novels rarely are. It was an incredibly welcome foundation for much of the novel to rest on. It was also quite interesting (and laughable at times) to see how their magic talents worked together.

On the negative side of relationships, the world that Andrews has created is divided between classes which are based on power and breeding. Families for those with the power are often based on contracted marriages and pedigree, like golden retrievers. These families and the relationships are often pretty twisted. People who really don’t like each other are forced to marry and have children purely so their talents can mix and merge together and create something new and better. The children of these relationships pay the price. The upper class, the ones with all the real power, are twisted by their heritage and while that’s interesting to read about, it casts a bit of darkness on the plot.

The magic system is really interesting, uniquely twisted based on the breeding and weird relationships I mentioned above. It’s also impacted all aspects of the world the authors have created, which has some pretty interesting and thought provoking implications. Some of the revelations regarding the magic were pretty predictable, for example, Nevada’s various revelations didn’t really ever surprise me, but that’s okay. The book is entertaining enough to carry me through those hiccups with ease.

As you can see, the book is pretty much based on relationships, the good and the bad kinds, and both are pretty exaggerated. Our two protagonists come from opposite sides of the spectrum. They play off of each other well, and the Andrews team uses some subtlety showing how these two slowly adjust to different world views and relationship styles. It’s well done, and makes the bit plot issues they face more realistic for it. Andrews is an established author with a lot of talents. Unique worlds, unique magic, fantastic characters – these are some trademarks of their style. While I always knew they really excelled at relationships, I never really realized just how well they crafted relationships and characters until I read this novel.

There is romantic tension. I mean, come on. Look at the cover. It’s a giveaway. However, I was expecting a really steamy, sex scene filled romance. I was pleasantly surprised to see that the actual relationship is a slow burn and the sexual tension is dragged out. The two parties in question slowly develop their feelings, and by the end of it, while some kissing contact has been had, there really isn’t much else, but there is the promise for more.

Some plot points are pretty predictable. Once you get a bearing on what is going on, you’ll probably know exactly where it will end up. However, what you won’t know is how Andrews will take you there. The out of the box world building, mixed with Andrews subtle and unique style, and relationships (of all sorts) that you can really get behind, Burn for Me was a book I expected to hate, but ended up loving. In fact, I’m really excited for the next book.

It’s popcorn, but it’s that delicious kind of popcorn that you can’t stop eating.

 

4/5 stars

The Three-Body Problem – Liu Cixin (Translated by Ken Liu)

About the Book

With the scope of Dune and the commercial action of Independence Day,Three-Body Problem is the first chance for English-speaking readers to experience this multiple-award-winning phenomenon from China’s most beloved science fiction author, Liu Cixin.

Set against the backdrop of China’s Cultural Revolution, a secret military project sends signals into space to establish contact with aliens. An alien civilization on the brink of destruction captures the signal and plans to invade Earth. Meanwhile, on Earth, different camps start forming, planning to either welcome the superior beings and help them take over a world seen as corrupt, or to fight against the invasion. The result is a science fiction masterpiece of enormous scope and vision.

400 pages (hardcover)

Published on November 11, 2014

Published by Tor

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This book was sent for me to review by the publisher.

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I read a lot. All of this reading causes me to get rather sick of some tropes/settings/situations fairly quickly. One thing I’m getting kind of exhausted with is the western setting. Yes, I live in the West, and yes I like to read books that happen somewhere I can visualize it, but the world is an absolutely huge place, and speculative fiction really should explore that more.

It’s hard to write about places and cultures we don’t really understand or haven’t experienced. I understand that. I think that might be a big reason why I haven’t read many Eastern based speculative fiction books. In a lot of ways we write what we know, and that narrows things down a bit. When I saw The Three-Body Problem, I got really excited. Here was a book that took place during the Chinese cultural revolution. This is an award winning and celebrated science fiction book translated into English for the first time.

It has everything I’m really, really looking for my books to contain.

First of all, this is a translated book. I tend to shy away from translations because I’ve had some pretty bad experiences that have colored my desire to read them. This one is not a bad experience. In fact, it’s so flawlessly translated that unless you know it’s translated or pick out that point from some of the footnotes, you probably won’t even realize it. The writing is smooth and flowing. There are just enough descriptions to make everything really come to life for the reader. Furthermore, there are footnotes sprinkled throughout the book that help readers understand some points of Chinese history and culture that we probably don’t know going into it.

The plot is complex and does take some work to adjust to, but not too much. The rather sparse footnotes help educate readers about some terms and plot points as you go, and once you get used to the names and situations, things start to fall into place pretty easily. The Three-Body Problem focuses on two main characters. Ye Wenjie is a young physicist during the cultural revolution. Her life is one heart wrenching tragedy after another, while she’s thrust into work camps and forced to see things no one should have to see. On the other hand we have Wang Miao who lives in the modern day and is thrust into politics when his fellow scientists start dropping like flies in suicides. Both of their narrative threads are incredibly well done, to the point where I had a hard time liking one more than the other (which is rare for me). It takes some times, but eventually it becomes fairly obvious how these two individual’s stories weave together.

The Three-Body Problem is pretty dark. The cultural backdrop during much of the book is very visceral. It’s hard not to feel very intensely for these people who have to struggle through such dark times. However, this darkness does a great job at illuminating the innate human goodness that shines throughout the novel. There are a ton of small instances of kindness, hope, and people who strive to do good in the face of so much struggle. While it might be easy to overlook some of these instances, they are sprinkled throughout the book in such a way that they balance out the darkness very well and give readers plenty to think about regarding human nature.

There is a lot of science fiction fodder here, a sort of first contact story with the advanced science and flood of details that would make grandmaster Peter F. Hamilton proud, with a nice dollop of psychological and political thriller mixed in for good measure. The Three-Body Problem isn’t very long, but it does demand a bit of effort with some of the foreign (to me) cultural references, and the complex science that it is based on. However, a book that requires effort on the part of its reader usually has a big payoff, and this is no different. It’s hard not to feel strongly for the characters and their struggles, just as it’s hard not to feel strongly when you see those little bits of hope and goodness in the plot.

When the science and politics start crashing into each other, the book gets truly and absolutely fascinating. It stops feeling reflective and starts becoming a mixture of philosophy and action. Things take some really unexpected turns, and some deep and important questions are asked while readers are forced to examine issues like class, religion, nationalism, faith, choices and consequences. While things at this juncture did start feeling a bit too unbelievable in some respects, it was all very well done and incredibly thought provoking. Easing readers into many of these weighty topics with characters they will inevitably love makes it all a lot easier to digest and more memorable.

This novel is deep and multifaceted, delightfully foreign and fantastically thought provoking. The Three-Body Problem has all the complexities I love in my science fiction, explored through incredibly human eyes. It absolutely astounded me. This book is exactly what I’ve been craving in my science fiction.

I have been itching for nonwestern science fiction and fantasy books, and while my itch has been moderately scratched by some truly fantastic authors and books, this is the first time I’ve ever really finished a book and thought, “This is exactly what I’ve been looking for!” The Three-Body Problem has left me with plenty of deep thoughts and a feeling that I’ll probably have to read this book a second time to fully grasp it, but that’s okay. I look forward to what happens next and I’m beyond grateful that this book has made me look at the genre, and the world, completely differently.

4/5 stars