Sarah Chorn's Blog, page 69

The Heart Does Not Grow Back – Fred Venturini

About the Book

EVERY SUPERHERO NEEDS TO START SOMEWHERE…

Dale Sampson is used to being a nonperson at his small-town Midwestern high school, picking up the scraps of his charismatic lothario of a best friend, Mack. He comforts himself with the certainty that his stellar academic record and brains will bring him the adulation that has evaded him in high school. But when an unthinkable catastrophe tears away the one girl he ever had a chance with, his life takes a bizarre turn as he discovers an inexplicable power: He can regenerate his organs and limbs.

When a chance encounter brings him face to face with a girl from his past, he decides that he must use his gift to save her from a violent husband and dismal future. His quest takes him to the glitz and greed of Hollywood, and into the crosshairs of shadowy forces bent on using and abusing his gift. Can Dale use his power to redeem himself and those he loves, or will the one thing that finally makes him special be his demise? The Heart Does Not Grow Back is a darkly comic, starkly original take on the superhero tale, introducing an exceptional new literary voice in Fred Venturini.

320 pages (paperback)

Published on November 4, 2014

Published by Picador

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

—

I read this book in fits and starts because I didn’t really like any of the characters. Then, I realized that not liking the characters is, oddly enough, part of why I ended up enjoying the book so much. At that point, I started devouring it. You see, there is nothing inherently wrong with The Heart Does Not Grow Back, but it’s so absolutely realistic in terms of characterization that sometimes it can be very hard to read.

And isn’t that really a wonderful thing?

The Heart Does Not Grow Back is less of a story about a man coming to terms with his superpower (being able to regenerate organs) and more of a tale of a man coming to terms with a tragic event in his past. What makes this tale even more interesting is the fact that all of the characters are deeply flawed. Dale is rather obsessive, and tends to fall in love/lust with women for almost no reason instantly. His best friend Mack is working through his issues by crossing the United States and leaving a string of one night stands behind him. Then there are issues of domestic abuse, and reality TV, being famous, and the ethics of it all.

It’s a pretty toxic stew flavored with all sorts of people who have some very real issues.

Dale is a character that I just about loathed the throughout entire novel, which, as I mentioned above, ended up being a strength. If an author can make me feel strongly about a character, regardless of what those emotions are, he’s doing something right. However, the issue I had with Dale was how quickly he seemed to swing from one extreme to the other, often flipping between being incredibly selfish and self-centered and then very, very altruistic in the space of a page. Frequently his reasons for doing anything, whether selfish or altruistic, were very similar, which launched him nicely into the moral gray zone that I love so much. But this isn’t a comfortable moral gray zone. Anyone who is willing to cut his own toes off repeatedly makes me squirm a bit.

The Heart Does Not Grow Back is hard to parse and pick at because it is so incredibly intense, and so deliciously uncomfortable. This is a book about ethics, told through the perspective of a person that you probably won’t like that much. You probably won’t like his friends much either. It’s not that they are bad people, but they are strong personalities in an even stronger plot, and that can cause some friction. However, Venturini was smart by using characters like this in his book. Sometimes being uncomfortable is a good thing, and in this case it made and already powerful book even moreso, and launched it firmly into the “unforgettable” category.

The writing is strong and fluid, and incredibly, painfully honest. Dale is nothing if not honest with himself. He knows all about his strengths and weaknesses, and his honest voice really punts readers into the plot in a rather visceral way. He hides nothing, and while there will be some surprises and twists in the plot, Dale’s honesty, and rather cynical and jaded nature will drive you through those twists pretty easily and almost brutally. That’s really one of the shining points of the book itself – it’s brutal. There are so many complex issues and ethics being addressed, that a little brutality, a refusal to hide any of the dirty details, is actually quite welcome.

So what, exactly is this book about?

It’s a sort of coming of age tale told about a loner kid with a life you really wouldn’t want who can regenerate his organs. It’s a fight for survival in a world he doesn’t really want to be part of. It’s the tale of a group of broken people trying to become something more in both greedy and altruistic ways. Add a dash of reality TV and some fame and you have something really interesting. Part superhero mythos, and part struggle for identity, The Heart Does Not Grow Back is just about nothing you’d expect. It’s an intense ride, but oh so worth it.

The more I read, the more I cherish the books that make me uncomfortable. Being uncomfortable isn’t always a bad thing. Sometimes it can be a really good thing. It means the author is evoking strong emotions and reactions in me. It means that the book is real enough to make me think important thoughts. It means that The Heart Does Not Grow Back managed to tug at parts of my humanity that rarely get tugged at. The truth is, the characters reflect a bit of all of us, and sometimes that’s uncomfortable. The ethical questions posed to readers are messy, but when has ethics and morality ever been clean and simple? The relationships are intense, but those intense relationships tend to be the ones that end up being defining points of various parts of our lives.

The Heart Does Not Grow Back works so well because it is an uncomfortable, fantastic, riveting book, and most importantly real. Highly recommended for literary fantasy fans, or anyone interesting in a crossover fiction/fantasy novel.

 

5/5 stars

The Time Roads – Beth Bernobich

About the Book

A fantastical nineteenth century alternate historical steampunk romp from Beth Bernobich, the critically acclaimed author of the River of Souls trilogy.

Éire is one of the most powerful empires in the world. The Anglian Dependencies are a dusty backwater filled with resentful colonial subjects, Europe is a disjointed mess, and many look to Éire for stability and peace. In a series of braided stories, Beth Bernobich has created a tale about the brilliant Éireann scientists who have already bent the laws of nature for Man’s benefit. And who now are striving to conquer the nature of time.

The Golden Octopus: Áine Lasairíona Devereaux, the young Queen of Éire, balances Court politics while pursing the Crown’s goals of furthering scientific discovery. When those discoveries lead to the death and madness of those she loves, Áine must choose between her heart and her duty to her kingdom.

A Flight of Numbers Fantastique Strange: Síomón Madóc is desperately trying to discover who is killing the brightest of Éire’s mathematicians. The key to saving lives lies in the future…and Síomón must figure out a way to get there.

Ars Memoriae: Éireann spymaster Aidrean Ó Deághaidh goes to the kingdom of Montenegro to investigate rumors of great unrest. But Ó Deághaidh is tormented by visions of a different timeline and suspects that someone in his own government is playing a double game….

The Time Roads: Éire stands on the brink of the modern age, but old troubles still plague the kingdom. An encounter with a mysterious stranger near death holds the clue to both the past and the future of the nation.

304 pages (paperback)

Published on October 14, 2014

Published by Tor

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

—

I’m not a big fan of steampunk or time travel. The fact that I read (and enjoyed) a book featuring both of these things, and actually enjoyed it says something really important for readers. The Time Roads is one of those books that I set into not expecting to enjoy, and finished it absolutely shocked that I enjoyed it as much as I did.

That’s not to say that everyone will like this one. I think it will divide crowds pretty evenly. For some it will probably be a bit too confusing, needlessly complex, and uneven while others will probably really enjoy the complexity and the puzzle(s) that the book presents readers.

The truth is, The Time Roads is absolutely unlike anything I’ve read before. There is a bit of alternative history, some delightful steampunk elements, different timelines being worked with, a surprising cast of characters, and a ton going on both in the foreground and the background. It is easy to get overwhelmed and confused with The Time Roads. This isn’t an easy read by any stretch of the imagination, and at times I’m pretty sure things aren’t supposed to make sense.

The Time Roads is a puzzle, and the pieces slowly fall into place as you read. It can be a bit uneven at times, and the ending left me a little underwhelmed, but the journey to get there was absolutely mind boggling. I can see where it could easily frustrate readers, but for those of you who are into puzzles and slow revelations that generally take some effort on the reader’s part, you are in for a treat.

The book itself is composed of a number of different stories that are woven together to form something completely unique. They all touch in some ways, some more evident than others, and it’s quite interesting to see just how they all braid together. I can’t honestly imagine the effort it took Bernobich to write a novel like this. Most of the novel is focused on politics, from the protagonist Aine who is absolutely dedicated to ruling her country in the best possible way from the start. Her introduction and her desire to rule and remain sovereign sets the tone for the rest of the book.

It isn’t all politics, though. Plenty of this book has to do with the thrill of discovery, both on a scientific front and personally and in relationships. There’s plenty of passion, and the gusto that goes into struggling and fighting for something you want and believe in. The Time Roads was full of intense emotions that were incredibly enjoyable and made a huge impact on me. Bernobich somehow managed to make me feel like I was living many of these story threads as I read them.

There is a lot of fodder here for Bernobich to use as fuel for a reader’s fire. There’s plenty of twists and turns to keep you saying, “WTF?” a surprising number of times. The politics aren’t overwhelming, but they do demand attention, and nearly all of the characters that Bernobich introduces are important for one reason or another, which requires keeping track of. And while the politics and relationships can be intense, it’s all nicely balanced out by that thrill of wonder and passion that is a subtle, infectious energy threaded throughout the book.

The Time Roads is not an easy book.

It’s hard to review this novel because there is so much that I really can’t say about it. Some books are all about the journey, and this is one of them. The ending didn’t match the quality of the rest of the book, but the journey to get there was so worth it. There is some real effort required when reading The Time Roads, and that’s also not a bad thing. I appreciate a book that makes me work for it. I also appreciate books that give up their secrets slowly. Bernobich knows how to keep her readers hooked. Political, twisted, complex, detailed, passionate, and ultimately delightful, The Time Roads is a book that is sure to please.

4/5 stars

The Abyss Beyond Dreams – Peter F. Hamilton

About the Book

The year is 3326. Nigel Sheldon, one of the founders of the Commonwealth, receives a visit from the Raiel—self-appointed guardians of the Void, the enigmatic construct at the core of the galaxy that threatens the existence of all that lives. The Raiel convince Nigel to participate in a desperate scheme to infiltrate the Void.

Once inside, Nigel discovers that humans are not the only life-forms to have been sucked into the Void, where the laws of physics are subtly different and mental powers indistinguishable from magic are commonplace. The humans trapped there are afflicted by an alien species of biological mimics—the Fallers—that are intelligent but merciless killers.

Yet these same aliens may hold the key to destroying the threat of the Void forever—if Nigel can uncover their secrets. As the Fallers’ relentless attacks continue, and the fragile human society splinters into civil war, Nigel must uncover the secrets of the Fallers—before he is killed by the very people he has come to save.

640 pages (hardcover)

Published on October 21, 2014

Published by Del Rey

Author’s webpage

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

—

First things first, I could easily be considered a Peter F. Hamilton fangirl. I have loved every single book of his that I’ve read. One of his series is on my list of series that I never want to end (so I’ve never read the last book). I’m not exactly sure how unbiased I can be in this review, because I went into this book thinking, “Yes! Space opera PFH style! I WILL LOVE THIS THING!” And I pretty much ended up doing just that.

The Abyss Beyond Dreams is far different than anything I expected it to be, and those differences might end up disappointing some readers, but they ended up charming me. Peter F. Hamilton is an author that has many fascets. While many readers will think of him and merge his name with “space opera,” there is so much more to the author than just that, and The Abyss Beyond Dreams shows another aspect of his talent. This book focuses very little on “space opera” and a whole lot on government, the forming and overthrowing of it.

Readers, be aware of that. Most of this book will take place off of space ships, and on a planet that is in many ways not as technologically advanced as our own.

It is not essential to read the previous Void books before you hit The Abyss Beyond Dreams, but I do think it would be incredibly helpful, as some events that previously happened are directly referenced and some of the details might not make much sense (which will directly impact the punch this novel has). However, if you’re one of those people that are good at filling in the gaps as you read, then you might be okay. Maybe.

Probably not.

At this point I’m having a hard time knowing what to say about the book. If you’re familiar with Hamilton, you know what to expect in regards of writing, style, characters and the like. There really isn’t a reason for me to go over all of that in a review. You know. I know. Let’s move on.

The Abyss Beyond Dreams is, like I mentioned above, far different than I expected it to be, and I think those differences will divide readers. However, it really showcases Hamilton’s skill with the details. He has created governments before in his books, but he’s never really created one quite like the one he created here. All of the details that went into it, and the complexities, as well as the struggles the characters/government faces are incredibly well thought out and very, very compelling. It’s obvious that he’s done a ton of research and put a lot of effort into all of it, and you know, that’s what really won me over regarding this book.

Because, wow.

Peter F. Hamilton worked hard to make things feel real, and while there are still the larger-than-life elements that are so familiar with the books he writes, they aren’t as prominent as they usually are in his books. This gives readers more time to focus on these details that might be easy to overlook in some of his other books. It’s good that it’s written this way, because it highlights just how versatile Hamilton is as an author. He doesn’t just write space opera, the man absolutely excels at intrigue, and plot twists.

His characters are just as interesting as the world he developed. Some are surprising, and there are the morally degraded ones that you’d expect. No one is strictly “good” or “evil,” which is a Hamilton trademark and one of the things I absolutely love about him. In the politically charged book he’s written, that moral ambiguity is one of the most important elements of the book and he really pulls it of with style. Everyone has their own goals and motivations, and it’s really interesting to see how Hamilton ties them all together, sometimes in incredibly subtle ways, to make the novel and the characters in it shine. There are a few characters who develop exactly as I expect, and a few others who ended up exactly opposite as I expected, which was absolutely delightful.

While there is so much I can say about this novel, I’m having a hard time writing any of it down. There is a lot that won me over, but it was the details, the obvious research, and how the book was exactly opposite of what I expected it to be that charmed me so much. This is the first half of a duology, and it went a long way toward explaining just what the Void was, a mystery that has haunted his books. There are a lot of questions answered that Hamilton has left readers through books and books, and there are a lot more that are asked, but promise to be answered soon.

The Abyss Beyond Dreams will be one of those books that either charms or disappoints readers, but it’s worth taking a look at, especially if you’re a Hamilton fan. He is an incredibly versatile author, and that versatility really shines in this novel. Full of intrigue, twists, turns, surprises and a ton of depth, The Abyss Beyond Dreams is different.

And that’s what makes it so damn good.

5/5 stars

Empire of Dust – Jacey Bedford

About the Book

Mega corporations, more powerful than any one planetary government, use their agents to race each other for resources across the galaxy. The agents, or psi-techs, are implanted with telepath technology. The psi-techs are bound to the mega-corps — that is, if they want to retain their sanity.

Cara Carlinni is an impossible thing – a runaway psi-tech. She knows Alphacorp can find its implant-augmented telepaths, anywhere, anytime, mind-to-mind. So even though it’s driving her half-crazy, she’s powered down and has been surviving on tranqs and willpower. So far, so good. It’s been almost a year, and her mind is still her own.

She’s on the run from Ari van Blaiden, a powerful executive, after discovering massive corruption in Alphacorp. Cara barely escapes his forces, yet again, on a backwater planet, and gets out just in time due to the help of straight-laced Ben Benjamin, a psi-tech Navigator for Alphacorp’s biggest company rival.

Cara and Ben struggle to survive a star-spanning manhunt, black-ops raids, and fleets of resource-hungry raiders. Betrayal follows betrayal, and friends become enemies. Suddenly the most important skill is knowing whom to trust.

544 pages (paperback)

Published on November 4, 2014

Published by DAW

Author’s website

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

—

I’m a huge sucker for science fiction books that toy with the mixing and merging of society and advanced technology. Just how would said technology impact people, morality, society and the like? It’s a fascinating moral gray area that leaves so much for authors to explore. Add in some additional mental abilities – like the ability to talk to animals, to communicate with other people mentally across millions of miles, and you have something that looks quite interesting.

Empire of Dust by Jacey Bedford has all of the elements that potentially line it up to be a science fiction debut that I’d love. While I found it enjoyable in a sort of classic science fiction nostalgic sort of way, I never really crossed into “love” territory, which is unfortunate.

Part of the problem is that Empire of Dust is competing against such genre-bending titles as Ancillary Sword, and Lock In. Science fiction is a really exciting genre right now because so much of it is changing, and it’s exciting to see those changes. They are attracting attention and making people think and question old tropes. I welcome these books and read them with a hunger that is quite surprising.

In the face of those books, Empire of Dust lacks a bit. While it does play with some deep, thought provoking themes, they are a bit more subtle and buried deep under everything else that is happening. On the surface, Empire of Dust lacks much of the unique qualities of its genre companions. A society kind of Amish-esque flee to colonize another planet so they can live how they choose (free of technology). An agreement with the large corporations requires them to take a group of tech (psi-tech) individuals with them to help them start off. Thus, you have a culture clash.

However, the downside of said culture clash is that one of the cultures feels very done before. In fact, it has been done before. People used wagons and oxen in our own history, so their place in a science fiction novel will feel like a throw back to the days where women toiled in the kitchens and men did all the heavy lifting. That’s not really a bad thing and it works well with what Bedford is writing, but it does feel a bit tired in places due to it.

I’m pretty sure that Bedford did that to make the culture clash even more poignant; to highlight the diversity between one side and the other, and it works. She could have done some things differently to accentuate it in a more captivating, memorable way. As it is, there are some points that hit me over the head, and others that could have been elaborated on a lot more.

That culture clash, the struggle for one group of people to live the way they believe while another group just wants to help where they can is actually really thought provoking, and fairly well done. That’s probably the meat of the book, and it left a lot for me to chew on. However, there was quite a bit that could have been accentuated more. There were so many side plots that Bedford never really had time to explore them all to their fullest extent, and thus many felt half formed, packed in, and kind of confusing. Some of the more compelling ideas, like corporations acting as governing bodies, never really got explored as much as they could have been, which is unfortunate, as many of those slightly overlooked side plots were the ones that could have been the most interesting.

The protagonists are very well done, very realistic and their relationships develop believably. I found it quite welcome that romance, and strong ties of kinship and loyalty play a big role in the plot, but they never really go over-the-top. In fact, these relationships were often the most compelling, emotionally charged parts of the novel, and Bedford really excelled with them. The antagonists, however, suffer from some cookie-cutter meanness. They have goals and aims, but it’s all too easy to picture them in dark offices laughing maniacally as they watch their schemes play out. As a result, some sections of the novel are more interesting than others, but they all tie together fairly nicely, even if the overly evil antagonists make the plot feel a bit predictable and clunky in places.

At this point you might be wondering what it was that I liked about this book, and the truth is, I ended up liking a lot more about it than I disliked it. Yes, it might hearken unto the good ol’ days where genders had distinct roles and character roles were played out in fairly predictable ways, but that’s not always a bad thing, and it is absolutely essential to the plot. There is a time and place for novels like this, and the less than perfect elements do not overshadow all of the promise of Jacey Bedford as an author, or how fantastic this series has the potential to be. There is a lot happening under the surface that goes directly against that grain. Women have power, and those you’d lease expect it have impressive strength. The social struggles are absolutely important, and completely powerful, and incredibly relatable.

There is good and bad here. The good is that Jacey Bedford has the potential to be a strong voice in the science fiction community. The bad, and perhaps the most lamentable element, is that she seems to shy away from the daring, compelling, and captivating topics that I hoped she’d boldly toy with. I’m very, very excited to see where this series goes next. The foundation that Bedford has laid has so much potential and promise. This is an author I will watch.

3/5 stars

Silverblind – Tina Connolly

About the Book

The final book in this series will jump forward 18 years and feature Dorie, Jane’s young charge from Ironskin.

18 years later . . .

Dorie Rochart has been hiding her fey side for a long time. Now, finished with University, she plans to study magical creatures and plants in the wild, bringing long-forgotten cures to those in need. But when no one will hire a girl to fight basilisks, she releases her shapechanging fey powers–to disguise herself as a boy.

While hunting for wyvern eggs, she saves a young scientist who’s about to get steamed by a silvertail– and finds her childhood friend Tam Grimsby, to whom she hasn’t spoken in seven years. Not since she traded him to the fey. She can’t bear to tell him who she really is, but every day grows harder as he comes to trust her.

The wyverns are being hunted to extinction for the powerful compounds in their eggs. The fey are dying out as humans grow in power. Now Tam and Dorie will have to decide which side they will fight for. And if they end up on opposite sides, can their returning friendship survive?

272 pages (hardcover)

Published on October 7, 2014

Published by Tor

Author’s webpage

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

—

Silverblind is the third book in Tina Connolly’s Ironskin series. This is a series that has grown on me with time. The nice urban fantasy/steampunk mix works really well, and Connolly has a way with building on the last book almost flawlessly. The stories are quite charming. When I need something to just take my mind off of whatever it is I need a break from, this is a perfect series for me to hit.

So I hit this book when I was a few weeks out of surgery, needing to forget the pain.

As with the previous two books, Silverblind focuses on a new set of characters and new, unique situations. Dorie was introduced to readers in the first book of the series, but she’s an adult now, and a completely different person. Therefore, you don’t really need to be introduced to Dorie two books before to appreciate who she is now. This is also very much Dorie’s book. Jane and her sister make very small appearances later in the book, but other than that, she’s the star of this show.

Dorie is half human, half fey, and she’s very independent and determined. She has an inner compass that she tends to follow, and at times can almost be a bit too altruistic. However, Dorie is also a fantastic window into real world issues that were faced before, and still face now. She’s a woman in a man’s world. She has to fight for a job, and fight for her independence. On top of that, she gives readers a bit of a window into fey politics, beliefs, cultures and etcetera. In a world that is very afraid of fey, and very much man driven, Dorie is an absolutely refreshing, invigorating character. Furthermore, Dorie’s position halfway in this world and halfway in that ties up some loose ends, and adds some depth to the things that have been happening throughout the series that was incredibly appreciated.

As I mentioned above, Jane and Helen only appear a little bit, later in the book. That might disappoint some readers who hope to see more of those two characters. However, it’s nice that readers get enough of an appearance to see where those two characters have ended up, but not so much that they overpower Dorie’s story. Another thing that might disappoint some readers is that the romance isn’t quite as prevalent as readers might prefer. In fact, for my own perspective, Connolly managed to strike the absolute perfect balance between romance and plot. It’s there, it’s sweet, it’s not overwhelming but adds a nice tender element to the book that really complimented it than overwhelmed it.

Silverblind moves at a steady clip, but the first bit of the book does build up, and some readers might feel that it moves a little slow. Never fear, you will get your payback very, very quickly. When things start going, they go pretty quickly. Connolly has a real knack for refreshing readers with the events of the previous books without bogging things down. Furthermore, Dorie’s unique perspective fills in, and adds to the world that Connolly has already developed in fantastic ways. It gains depth and complexity. The actual front burner plot was just as interesting as how Connolly has developed her characters, and added complexity and depth to her world.

There is a lot in Silverblind that deserves praise. Connolly has really honed her craft through the writing of her series. Some of the plot elements were pretty predictable, and some things could have used a bit more description (basilisks, for example). Perhaps my biggest problem was the fact that Dorie ended up pretending to be a man to get the job she wanted. I understand why she had to do it. In a world and situation like that, there’s really no other option, but I get sick of seeing that in books. It felt a little clichéd to me. That being said, it would have been impossible to accomplish most of what the book is about without that taking place.

Silverblind is a solid installment in the Ironskin series. Each book is better than the last. Silverblind wasn’t just a fun read, but it was also quite thought provoking regarding a lot of social issues that I didn’t really expect. The plot is absolutely absorbing, and the characters are unforgettable. While I recommend readers to start with book one and work your way to Silverblind, that’s not absolutely necessary. Connolly has a soft touch, and before you know it, you’ll be as engrossed as series long readers. It’s impossible not to be. Silverblind just has that magic way about it.

This is the final book in this series, and I’m sad to see it go. It’s been quite an adventure. I honestly cannot wait to see what Connolly dreams up next. I’m sure to love it.

4/5 stars

Age of Iron – Angus Watson

About the Book

Bloodthirsty druids and battle-hardened Iron Age warriors collide in the biggest epic fantasy debut release of 2014.

LEGENDS AREN’T BORN. THEY’RE FORGED.

Dug Sealskinner is a down-on-his-luck mercenary travelling south to join up with King Zadar’s army. But he keeps rescuing the wrong people.

First, Spring, a child he finds scavenging on the battlefield, and then Lowa, one of Zadar’s most fearsome warriors, who’s vowed revenge on the king for her sister’s execution.

Now Dug’s on the wrong side of that thousands-strong army he hoped to join ¬- and worse, Zadar has bloodthirsty druid magic on his side. All Dug has is his war hammer, one rescued child and one unpredictable, highly-trained warrior with a lust for revenge that’s going to get them all killed . . .

It’s a glorious day to die.

560 pages (paperback)

Published on September 9, 2014

Published by Orbit

Author’s webpage

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

—

I don’t read enough historical fantasy. Age of Iron was a book I was almost afraid to read because I wanted to like it so much. It’s a really cool premise, a historical fantasy set in the Iron Age in England? Yes, please. It’s a period of history that we know enough about, but not a ton compared to so many other parts of history. There are a lot of gaps in our knowledge that allow authors like Watson to fill in what we don’t know in really interesting ways.

Age of Iron follows a few primary characters – Dug, who is the primary perspective, more or less. Then there’s Spring, a young girl he picks up along the way and Lowa, who is absolutely pure badass and Ragnall, who grows into himself throughout the book. The Iron Age wasn’t a fun period of time. It was rough and brutal and horrible for many, and Watson’s characters reflect that. None of them have had lives full of unicorns and rainbows. They are all scarred and toughened up by the lives that they have been forced to live. Even the richest of them live a life I wouldn’t want.

It’s realistic in those ways, and it’s incredibly gritty, not just in events, but in the characters. For example, Dug rarely bathes, and often talks about his body odor. Now, that might be less than pleasing to read about, but the fact is it’s real, and it’s those details that I’m a huge sucker for in the things I read. Dug comes from the north, where they barter for goods, and travels to the south where coin is just coming into play, and he’s awkward with it. The book is full of details like that that make it sing.

Along with those three main characters, a few other perspectives come and go throughout the book. It’s refreshing to get the viewpoints from all sides of the conflict. While some are obviously “evil” and some aren’t, each character is rather morally gray. Life is about surviving, and that simple fact really simplifies some things, and makes others a bit more complex.

The book moves very quickly, and it’s absolutely packed with action, incredibly gritty action. In fact, if you think you might shy away from some forms of cruelty, then I suggest you don’t read this book because it probably has it in it. Now, normally I’d say something like that and then imply that it felt a little gratuitous in places, but I didn’t get that feel with Age of Iron. Probably because the world that Watson has crafted is gritty and dark and horrible, being anything less than what it fundamentally is would seem like it’s not being true to itself.

The magic is rather subtle, and plays on Druids who can easily become just as corrupt as the most impressive Borgia you can dream up. They aren’t all good, and they aren’t all bad, and the magic ranges from anywhere to real and impressive to fake and based on sacrifice and guesses. It plays a huge role in the politics and the movements of the armies and peoples, and it’s very well done. It’s nice to see a less flashy historical fantasy where the magic felt just as real and corruptible as the people in the novel itself.

Watson really put thought into the novel, and you can tell in any number of ways, from the small details that I mentioned above, to the absolutely spectacular characters. Watson breathed fresh life into them. Every single character belonged in the world they lived in. Perhaps most impressively is how Watson gave each character a backstory, something that readers could focus on that gave that person’s actions a little more depth and impact. How he managed to do all of that without bogging down the plot blows my mind, but he did, and it works in a big way.

Age of Iron isn’t all blood and guts, though. There is a lot of humor in here, too. Watson has a way with making even the most grim scenes a little lighter with some dry, cynical humor and it is incredibly appreciated. A book like this needs some levity to balance it out. Furthermore, Watson keeps it all very accessible with more modern language. Arguably, some readers might be bothered by that, but I enjoyed it. It allowed me to sit back and really dig into the story without taking time to adjust to the vernacular.

Age of Iron has a lot to love. It’s a very powerful story that starts moving like a bat out of hell from page one. The characters are impressively crafted; the world is detailed, nuanced and layered. The book is dirty and gritty, but realistic despite all of that. There’s action and adventure, love and kinship, and bond of loyalty explored. It’s set in a rather mysterious part of history that makes it that much more delicious. As far as historical fantasy goes, Watson hit the ball out of the park. This is an incredibly impressive effort, and I’m very excited to see what happens next.

5/5 stars

Not A Review: Willful Child – Steven Erikson

About the Book

These are the voyages of the starship, A.S.F. Willful Child. Its ongoing mission: to seek out strange new worlds on which to plant the Terran flag, to subjugate and if necessary obliterate new life life-forms, to boldly blow the…

And so we join the not-terribly-bright but exceedingly cock-sure Captain Hadrian Sawback – a kind of James T Kirk crossed with ‘American Dad’ – and his motley crew on board the Starship Willful Child for a series of devil-may-care, near-calamitous and downright chaotic adventures through ‘the infinite vastness of interstellar space’…

The bestselling author of the acclaimed Malazan Book of the Fallen sequence has taken his life-long passion for ‘Star Trek’ and transformed it into a smart, inventive and hugely entertaining spoof on the whole mankind-exploring-space-for-the-good-of-all-species-but-trashing-stuff-with-a-lot-of-hi-tech-kit-along-the-way type over-blown adventure. The result is this smart. inventive, occasionally wildly OTT and often very funny novel that deftly parodies the genre while also paying fond homage to it.

352 pages (hardcover)

Published on November 4, 2014

Published by Tor

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

—

God, this is going to be painful to write.

Steven Erikson is one of my top five favorite authors. His series Malazan Book of the Fallen is probably my favorite series in the history of the universe. Furthermore, I absolutely love it when authors take a left turn and do something totally different. What, pray tell, is more different than Malazan Book of the Fallen and the Star Trek influenced parody Willful Child?

Of course I was interested. I got the ARC in the mail and jumped the gun on it instantly. The problem is, I don’t think I’m the right audience for this sort of book, and that became painfully clear after about three chapters, thus, much of the reason this book bounced off of me I attribute to that.

I don’t do well with comedy most of the time. I would rather get a root canal than be forced to sit through a comedy movie. I can’t stand just about any comedian. I think most jokes are stupid. I know, it seems like I have no sense of humor, and that’s not the case. I’m a huge fan of dry humor. I like the sort of humor that takes some finesse. I’m not a fan of the sort that says, “LOOK AT ME! I’M SO FUNNY! YOU MUST LAUGH NOW!” It needs to have some deeper meaning, some commentary on something that actually matters. I like the humor that makes me think and doesn’t unplug my mind. Cracking jokes because you can doesn’t do it for me. Neither does stupidity. I will never be a Dumb and Dumber fan. I just can’t do it.

And the issue with Willful Child is that so much of it felt just like that to me. The captain, aside from being a sexist pig (which got incredibly old, incredibly fast) is also really stupid and absolutely confident that he’s not stupid. Thus, most of the humor was based off of his dumb ideas that he actually followed through on, and his snide observations of hips/breasts/whatever. I get that this is a parody of Star Trek, but there’s only so much of that sort of thing I can handle.

Steven Erikson can write. He’s one of my favorite authors, but this book almost made me sick. Sexism isn’t funny, and the wisecracks about how people looked grated on me. Furthermore, a ship captained by a stupid man only takes someone so far. The book is one event after another peppered with heavy-handed one-liners. As a Star Trek fan, there are so many directions Erikson could have gone with this parody. Why did he choose this one?

Don’t get me wrong. There are some truly brilliant lines in this novel, and I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that I did occasionally laugh. Erikson is funny, and he’s absolutely brilliant in the right setting. I’ve enjoyed his humor immensely before, and it was drier and a bit more thoughtful than this over-the-top stuff. I thought Willful Child would have more of that in it, but it didn’t. This is more Dumb and Dumber and less Bauchelain and Korbal Broach.

I’m not the audience for this sort of thing. Humor like this tends to offend me more than it makes me laugh, and this is no exception. Erikson is an absolutely brilliant man who is one of the most powerful authors I have ever run across. Some things just aren’t funny, to me at least. The writing is as flawless as you’d expect an Erikson novel to be, and I have absolutely no doubt in the world that this book will please most readers half to death. Most people seem to like this sort of thing, I just don’t. My friends and family all think that my disagreement with 90% of the humor out there is weird. I get that. I’m the odd one out in this situation.

There is some humor that I just don’t get.

Therefore, I can’t review this book with an easy conscience because I am 100% not the audience for it, but please, don’t let it stop you from giving it a go.

Willful Child, I’m pretty sure it’s me, not you.

Dreamer’s Pool – Juliet Marillier

About the Book

Award-winning author Juliet Marillier “weaves magic, mythology, and folklore into every sentence on the page” (The Book Smugglers). Now she begins an all-new and enchanting series that will transport readers to a magical vision of ancient Ireland…

In exchange for help escaping her long and wrongful imprisonment, embittered magical healer Blackthorn has vowed to set aside her bid for vengeance against the man who destroyed all that she once held dear. Followed by a former prison mate, a silent hulk of a man named Grim, she travels north to Dalriada. There she’ll live on the fringe of a mysterious forest, duty bound for seven years to assist anyone who asks for her help.

Oran, crown prince of Dalriada, has waited anxiously for the arrival of his future bride, Lady Flidais. He knows her only from a portrait and sweetly poetic correspondence that have convinced him Flidais is his destined true love. But Oran discovers letters can lie. For although his intended exactly resembles her portrait, her brutality upon arrival proves she is nothing like the sensitive woman of the letters.

With the strategic marriage imminent, Oran sees no way out of his dilemma. Word has spread that Blackthorn possesses a remarkable gift for solving knotty problems, so the prince asks her for help. To save Oran from his treacherous nuptials, Blackthorn and Grim will need all their resources: courage, ingenuity, leaps of deduction, and more than a little magic.

448 pages (hardcover)

Published on November 4, 2014

Published by Roc Hardcover

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

—

All you really have to do is say “Ireland” and I’m there. Really, it’s that simple. You say “Ireland” and I start begging for whatever book it is that you’re talking about. So when Dreamer’s Pool landed on my doorstep, I started reading it instantly. Ireland? Check. Mythology? Check. A tested author who knows what she’s doing? Check.

It has everything I want in a book. Plus, the cover is absolutely gorgeous. I had high expectations, and high expectations are often dangerous. The higher they are, the further you can fall.

Dreamer’s Pool is told in three different first person perspectives. Books written like this have a very high fail rate. Not everyone likes first person points of view. Furthermore, it is very, very hard to get three different perspectives to sound like three different people. Sarah Monette managed it, but I haven’t really read any books that have done it as well as her.

Dreamer’s Pool, however, might rival Monette in this department. There is absolutely no question that these three different points of view are three different people. There is no mixing and merging of perspectives, no chance that you mistake one person for another. It is all very well done, and each character is truly an individual, with their own unique voice, and all three voices work perfectly together to give readers a nuanced and rather layered story that would have been impossible to fully capture with just one perspective.

Each character is somehow broken. The prince isn’t “princely” enough for his parents. He enjoys poetry and dreams about love in a world where men are meant to rule with an iron fist, kill things, and let women do the poetry. On the other hand, we have Blackthorn, who is carrying some pretty obvious scars with her from a past that never really stops haunting her. And there’s her companion, Grim, who was imprisoned with her.

Grim is hard to pin down, and due to that he quickly became my favorite character. He talks less than the other characters, and listens more. People think he’s simple, but it quickly becomes obvious that he isn’t simple; he just works a little differently than the others. A lot of the details that readers would miss through the other characters are caught through Grim’s narrative.

Furthermore, his affection with Blackthorn is also hard to pin down. Blackthorn keeps him at arm’s length, but their relationship is something like siblings with a trust that is so deep it’s indefinable. These are two characters who complete each other well. One takes off where the other ends, and together their combined narrative pulls together a huge chunk of the book and makes it poignant, emotional, and unforgettable.

The thing that so many authors seem to forget is that sometimes the sweetest, most memorable relationships are the ones that refuse to be defined. Is this a romantic book? Kind of. Not really. I don’t know. And that’s not a bad thing. It’s not bad to not be able to pin down the romance level of a book, and it’s not bad to have numerous relationships that are all hard to define. In fact, Marilliar really plays off of that strength. Relationships are never just one thing. They are hard, they build over time, and they require effort. The complexity of the relationships in this book reflect that, and due to the reality, the hardship, and the effort, I didn’t mind them.

The actual mystery that the book blurb focuses on actually takes up less than half of the text. Most of the book is spent focusing on growth, change, adaptation in the face of hardship. At about the halfway point, the young prince’s bride-to-be is introduced to things, but it doesn’t become obvious that there’s a mystery until quite a ways after that.

That’s not a bad thing, either. The mystery is kind of obvious and can be handled in a heavy-handed way. The real captivating aspects of the book had to do with all that growth and change I mentioned above. Three different people are learning who they are after life has forced them to bend in uncomfortable ways. Thrown into this is some nice mythology and some atmospheric writing that will rocket you right back to an Ireland from a long time ago.

There are some books that are captivating in their subtlety, and this is one of them. A lot is happening, a shocking amount, actually, but it’s all handled so deftly that reading the book is pretty effortless. You get to just sit back and enjoy mythology come to life, people change and alter, life happening in uncomfortable and sometimes beautiful ways. There is mystery, and twists and turns, and it’s all very delightful.

Dreamer’s Pool is a book I wanted to love, and I was thrilled that I did. It’s not what I expected, and the subtle, background, less flashy elements were far more enchanting than the obvious plot points, but that’s okay. Dreamer’s Pool is a book that refuses to bend or be defined, and that’s what’s so incredibly charming about it. The characters are riveting and the struggles are realistic. I couldn’t put it down, and can’t wait for more.

4/5 stars

[Guest Review by Moses Siregar III] Rough Magic – Kenny Soward

About the Book

Niksabella the gnome has tinkered in the shadows for years, developing an invention that might change the world, even if she doesn’t know it yet. She has few friends and even fewer allies in the city of Hightower, where social and academic status is quite important.

Her brother, Nikselpik, is a cantankerous wizard who drinks too much, sings dirty songs, and makes rude passes at gnomestresses. A dark addiction consumes him, a habit called bugging, which gives him increased power and feelings of euphoria while pushing him closer to death.

Dark creatures from the ultraworlds have come calling. Niksabella must fight to protect her life and her invention, while Nikselpik engages the enemy as an unlikely guest of Hightower’s military elite. Niksabella and Nikselpik must find their true powers together, or perish apart. Will they heal the wounds of their childhood before it’s too late?

Book one of debut fantasy author Kenny Soward’s GnomeSaga series.

318 pages (Paperback)

Published on October 13, 2014

Published by Ragnarok Publications

Author’s webpage

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This book was kindly reviewed by Moses Siregar III.

—

Remember that funny kid who played a gnome in your D&D game? That’s Kenny Soward, except he wrote the freaking book on the ingenious little buggers, and his gnomes are darker, smarter, and much more compelling.

Meet Nikselpik, a mad genius of a wizard—his sister Niksabella is the engineering genius in the family—with a brilliantly-written substance abuse problem. He is a “bugger,” literally, as his little black bugs dig under his forearm and deliver a stream of intoxicating, paranoia-inducing high times. He has also run up quite a tab at the local taverns of Hightower, where he spends more than his fair share of hours fantasizing about the dirty pillows of buxom gnomestresses. He’s absolutely great.

And if your world is ever invaded by some uber nasty critters from another dimension who want to reanimate the bodies of your fallen comrades and swarm across the world like a horde of necromantic witches, trust me, Nikselpik is the bug-addicted, boob-obsessed, gloomy old gnome you want standing between your race and total extinction.

And yet, there is a real sweetness and charm to ROUGH MAGICK, a sense of humor and bonafide lightness. It’s sort of The Hobbit meets Aliens meets Dirty Old Man (I made the last one up—Kenny Soward is indeed unclassifiable). It’s a unique tale, with many subtle flavors in this gnomish homebrew making for enjoyable nights of sipping and eventually passing out at the bar with froth-covered lips. The gnomes drink some damn good ales and wines, apparently.

Now, a bit of criticism. Two point of view characters make up the bulk of Book I in the GnomeSaga trilogy: Nikselpik and his sister Niksabella Nur. Niksabella is quite believable as a gnomestress (female), with enough subtlety and depth to work quite well as the loner, tinkerer, inventive genius in this story. Even her romantic subplot is very well done, with just the right balance of sweetness and self-doubt. However.

My primary issue with ROUGH MAGICK is that while Niksabella was a vitally important character in this epic, and a very good character at that, she doesn’t exercise much of her own agency. She finds herself in the middle of some serious inter-dimensional drama, and that was great, but she’s constantly on the receiving end of things. Even when handed Chekov’s gun, she doesn’t do much with it. I liked Niksabella, and I really did care about her, but I wish she had done more, in the end, to become the heroine of her own story. Though apparently she gets there in books II and III, which doesn’t surprise me at all. Kenny Soward is more than a solid writer, and Nika is a great character. I’ll add though, that for me, the most brilliant and surprising moment in the novel belongs to Niksabella (it involves a female cleric—you’ll know when you get there).

There’s a rich world for the reader to explore here, Sullenor, rich with all sorts of invention—by Tick and Tock!—a believable legal system and political structure, but I don’t want to spoil much more of the great world-building. The writing flashes some brilliant metaphors and description, while remaining very close to the hearts of Nik and Nika. And let’s not forget, this is an epic fantasy saga about gnomes. It’s kind of amazing that no one, to my knowledge, has done that before. That’s pretty awesome.

There’s also some wonderful action here, mostly in the second half of the novel. ROUGH MAGICK rewards your patience, allowing you to immerse yourself in the Hobbity side of gnomes before plunging the reader into some intense battles and some very cool magic that leads up to an epic showdown.

This is another unique Ragnarok tale, a bit quirky and certainly brilliant in my opinion, a little off the beaten path, but then where else would you expect to find these intriguing little bugger gnomes? In ROUGH MAGICK, you’re not going to find those bright red and blue little creepy bastards smiling in your garden. Kenny Soward’s gnomes are the real deal, and they know how to have a good time and still kick ass real good.

—

This review was kindly written by Moses Siregar III. You can read more about him on his blog. His second novel, The Ninth Wind, is set to release in April of 2015.

Tainted Blood – M.L. Brennan

About the Book

In the third Generation V novel, Fortitude Scott proves that working with family can be deadly…

Former film student Fortitude Scott is finally gainfully employed. Unfortunately, said employment happens to be with a group of sociopathic vampires—his family. And as much as Fort is loath to get too deep into the family business, when his brother, Chivalry, is temporarily unable to run the territory, it’s up to Fort to keep things under control.

So when the leader of a powerful faction of shifters turns up murdered, Fort finds himself tracking down a killer while navigating dangerous rivalries, longtime grudges, and hidden agendas. Even with the help of his foxy kitsune sidekick, Suzume, he’ll need to pull out all the stops to hunt for the paranormal assassin.

But as he calls on fairies, witches, and ghouls for help, he discovers that the problem is much bigger than a single dead werebear. The supernatural community is preparing for a massive shift in power within the Scott family leadership—and Fort has landed right in the middle of the gathering storm.

320 pages (paperback)

Published on November 4, 2014

Published by Roc

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

—

Tainted Blood is the third book in M.L. Brennan’s American Vampire series. This is one of those rare series that has taken the incredibly exhausted, very overdone vampire mythos and turned it on its head. Throughout these three books, Brennan has proven to me that vampires are only overdone and exhausting if you let them be.

Tainted Blood is a little different from the other books in the series. It opens with the family mourning the death of Chivalry’s wife. This serves as a sort of gateway into the vampire culture that neither Fort or the readers have really learned about or experienced yet. It’s a serious, somber moment for the family and while all their reactions and feelings are different, none of them are very light. That’s a very different opening tone than readers will have experienced in the past two novels, but that’s not a bad thing, but it does set the stage for the tone throughout the novel.

On one level this novel is very personal, and Fortitude has to learn a lot about his vampire heritage and what will be required of him once he transitions. These are uncomfortable revelations for him, as he’s been trying to hide from his heritage for a while. Furthermore, it is undeniable that his mother is ailing, and will soon pass from this mortal coil. Chivalry, the man who is usually there for Fortitude is lost in grief, so Fort is forced to face a lot of this stuff head on and very alone.

Don’t get me wrong, there is still a lot of humor here, and plenty of other situations that take place, but perhaps the most compelling was Fortitude Scott facing himself when he’s spent much of the past two books avoiding doing just that. Furthermore, we get to know Prudence a bit better. Her awkwardness and don’t-give-a-damn attitude regarding much of the pettiness of humanity is an awkward, but hilarious balm on much of the emotional turmoil that Fort is dealing with.

Suzume takes front seat along with Fort in this novel, which is where she should be. She is probably my favorite character in this series due to her humor which often had me laughing out loud. Her relationship with Fortitude develops a bit more, which was also welcome. However, Suzume’s real function in this novel seemed to be her ability to keep things a bit light when they otherwise wouldn’t have been. Her wry humor was the perfect balance to all the other elements of the novel.

The case that they are investigating is quite interesting, and it brings it all back to the real central theme of the novel: family relationships. Family bonds are hard to tackle, and in the complex world that Fortitude’s family, and the other nonhuman families live in, it’s even more complicated. There is a very real tension here, and a darkness that settles over the book while Brennan masterfully plucks the strings of what these relationships are all about. Love isn’t always easy, and neither are relationships. Brennan really illustrates this perfectly, the push and pull between all sorts of different people is very well done, very realistic, and incredibly emotionally compelling.

Tainted Blood deals with a different “species” of people in Fortitude’s reality, the “werebear” (which is exactly what you never want to call them), and there’s a brief brush with a lake entity early in the novel. This highlights one of my favorite aspects of this series so far. They are all very different than what I’d expect, and she often researches mythology from other cultures to create the characters that she peppers her books with. This time, after talking with her, I learned that much of the folklore she drew from was from Finland. This attention to detail, and her research really makes the otherness of her characters shine, but it also makes them very realistic and nicely drawn.

There are some political movements which make me think that Brennan is setting the stage for an incredibly powerful shakeup in the next novel or two. I’m sincerely looking forward to it. The family tension, and Fortitude’s continuing development and his desire to face it rather untraditionally, and all of the other elements tackled here (which I won’t mention due to spoilers) really developed some tension that made me itch to get my hands on the next book in the series. The case was interesting, but it’s the relationships and the politics that really impacted me with this one.

Tainted Blood is my favorite book in the series so far. Brennan isn’t just telling a story, but now it’s obvious that she’s taking this whole thing in a certain direction. Fortitude is a fantastic character, and the political and personal tension he felt throughout the novel was incredibly well done. Brennan moved her players around a bit, and left the ending just open enough for readers to anxiously wait for the next book in the series. Most importantly, however, is how unique she keeps things. Her characters are created from her very obvious, in-depth research, which makes them so real and her books are written with an undeniable, infectious passion. The plot is perfectly paced. The politics are believable, but not overwhelming, and though this is more serious than the last two books, it’s still laugh-out-loud funny.

Basically what I’m saying is, this series keeps getting better and better with each installment. If you haven’t read it yet, why not?!

 

5/5 stars