Doug Lewars's Blog, page 42

The Angel of the Crows

The Angel of the Crows by Katherine Addison

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


*** Possible Spoilers ***

Start with the Sherlock Holmes stories and put them into an alternate Victorian London, one with magic, vampires, werewolves and other miscellaneous arcane creatures. Sherlock Holmes is played by an angel named Crow. Dr. Watson becomes Dr. Doyle, an individual both physically and psychically injured in battle. Part of his injuries involve being turned into a hellhound.

I quite enjoyed the book and the concept was certainly original; however, I was left with the feeling 'why'? To a large extent it seemed as if the author merely wanted an excuse to retell some of the Sherlock Holmes stories and this was it. At least she gives each story a sufficiently interesting twist so it isn't repetitious. It's worth reading.



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Tales From the Folly

Tales from the Folly: A Rivers of London Short Story Collection by Ben Aaronovitch

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


*** Possible Spoilers ***

Personally I prefer novels but now and then short stories can be fun and Ben Aaronovitch has done a pretty good job with this collection. It doesn't seem to be themed. It seems like he had a bunch of short stories kicking around - possibly sorting out possibilities for future novels - and bundled them into a book. A number of them feature Peter Grant while the rest are miscellaneous characters. Having read only one book of the Rivers of London series I'm not an expert but I believe he's maintained consistency with his series in these short stories.

Because these are short stories, they are just that - short. Some of the endings are a little abrupt but most are fine. This was my first encounter with the character 'Abigail' but she certainly seems promising. If you like fantasy I think you'll enjoy this book.



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The Complete Psychotechnic League V1

The Complete Psychotechnic League, Vol. 1 by Poul Anderson

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


*** Possible Spoilers ***

This is classic science fiction on a par with Issac Asimov. True, it was written quite some time ago but it's still excellent reading. In addition, some of the futuristic science has come to fruition, not much maybe but some.

Don't look for character arcs or deep insight into the human psyche. The only 'message' deals with the evils of nationalism and totalitarianism. It was written in a simpler time.

The book consists of a series of stories which lie somewhere between short-stories and novellas. They're arranged chronologically within the setting, not in the order in which they were written. The pacing is good, the action intense, and one never knows how things will turn out. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and recommend it for anyone who enjoys good action packed science fiction.



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False Value

False Value by Ben Aaronovitch

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


*** Possible Spoilers ***

I selected this at random from a library shelf because i was in a hurry. It turned out to be one of the most enjoyable books I've read in some time. It's very fast paced, exciting and entertaining. One thing I particularly appreciate is the author doesn't telegraph where the plot is headed. There are lots of twists and turns. In addition, he expects the reader to figure out what's going on early in the book without a lot of explanation. Some people don't like that. I do. This is book eight in a series so I'll probably go back and try some of the others.



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How Fascism Works

How Fascism Works: The Politics of Us and Them by Jason F. Stanley

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


*** Possible Spoilers ***

I gave this four starts not because I liked it - I didn't - but because the writing is crystal clear. At no time does the author equivocate or try to hide behind jargon. All his points are crystal clear and fully understandable. There are plenty of unsupported statements and enough straw men to populate a prairie field but it's easy to spot them. Whether you agree or not is up to you. Mostly I didn't but never did I have to stop and wonder what the author was getting at.

This author is so far to the left he might be a card-carrying member of Antifa if Antifa people carried cards. However, the reader is almost certain to realize that just from the title so expectations should not be a problem.

On thing I noticed is, many of the author's points apply to the far left as well as the far right although the latter is a significant threat in his opinion.

As an author myself, I found this a useful 'how-to' manual for writing villains with world domination on their mind.

If you are on the political left I think you will love this book. For those right of center, you'll probably disagree with just about everything but at least the book is so clear you'll know exactly what you're disagreeing with.



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Critical Theory: A Very Short Introduction

Critical Theory: A Very Short Introduction by Stephen Eric Bronner

My rating: 1 of 5 stars


*** Possible Spoilers ***

I didn't expect to like this book but I thought it might provide insight into a certain way of seeing the world. It didn't. A better title for the book would be 'A History of the Philosophical Thought and Individuals Directed Towards the Formulation of Critical Theory'. At no time did the author discuss the theory itself. Instead we are treated to a long history of philosophical musings combined with some good old-fashioned academic bun fights.

One reviewer complained the book reads like at article aimed at an academic journal and this is correct. I don't mind an author sending me scurrying to the dictionary now and then but this work was particularly dense both in its vocabulary and structure. It seems the author was using academic jargon to disguise his lack of knowledge of what critical theory actually is. Another possibility is the critical-theory emperor isn't wearing so much as a sock and the author is attempting to disguise the fact. Whatever the case, the book lacks clarity.

If you wish to learn about critical theory, this isn't the book to choose.



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The Invisible Library V1

The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


*** Possible Spoilers ***

Fast paced and exciting this was an excellent story. I started off by reading book 6 in this series which I found a little confusing so thought I'd read number 1 to obtain the background. Unfortunately Genevieve Cogman plays things close to her chest and while I learned a little, I didn't learn what I'd really wanted to know - namely the nature of fae, dragons, and library politics. I expect she doles the information out bit by bit over a number of books. Did I enjoy the two I read sufficient to seek out the others? Maybe but I've got plenty of reading material at the moment so I'm in no hurry.

I was particularly impress by Ms. Cogman's organization. While Irene and Kai are her principle characters, she has quite a few others each with their own agenda. I love those sorts of intrigues. Mind you it would have been nice to learn a little more but the book was enjoyable as it. In any event, developing the necessary backstories to develop these agendas is hard work and it seems Ms. Cogman is a master at it. In fact, just keeping a large number of balls in the air so to speak is difficult.

If you like a good fantasy novel i highly recommend this one. I particularly recommend it for authors. It reads like a master class in backstories.



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We Have Always Lived in The Castle

We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


*** Possible Spoilers ***

Well ... I suppose that's one way to de-clutter.

If you don't like reading between the lines, you should take a pass on this one. The book is fairly short at 146 pages but the author covers a lot of ground. There is no actual sex scene, not so much as an impassioned glance, but abuse, probably of a sexual nature is hinted at widely.

The plot is actually pretty thin. What's suggested is far more substantial than what is written. The characters appear weird and it's necessary for the reader to stop and wonder how they got that way.
I really enjoyed this book but it's not for everyone.



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Children of Chicago

Children of Chicago by Cynthia Pelayo

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


*** Possible Spoilers ***

If Cynthia Pelayo ever decides to stop writing fiction she'd make a pretty good travel writer. This book in interspersed with all sorts of tidbits related to Chicago. According to the author notes she lives in the inner city so probably knows it pretty well. Some people have criticized her, for what technically is, unnecessary detail but I rather liked it; however, near the end of the book it got a bit tedious. Her objective, I believe, was to heighten tension through the contrast between the exceptional and the mundane. It didn't entirely work but I think the idea was sound.

This is not a fast paced book. I'm not convinced horror novels should be. The trick is to balance a slow pace with a building of tension and I'm afraid the author didn't quite succeed. In addition, it didn't help her cause by providing enough hints for the reader to guess the climax before the half-way mark.

There are some editing oopsies but it's next to impossible to edit so well as to eliminate all mistakes.

There are a couple of things writers should note. It's a bad idea to jump from a moderate position to an extreme one without laying any groundwork. We meet Evie and Daniel. She doesn't like him but from everything we see, he's little more than a nuisance, someone who seems boring and whom she would like to avoid. Then, without warning, 'whatever it was Daniel felt for Evie, she felt nothing for him other than distaste and hatred'. Hatred? Seem like quite a leap from an annoyance all the way to hatred. For me it felt incongruous.

Another bad idea is to sensationalize something in such a way as to perplex the reader. 'It was Monday afternoon. She could not wait another day. After seeing the graffiti in Humboldt Park, she had a feeling, a horrible, suffocating, sinking feeling that more young people were going to die this week in this city'. Uh ... let's think about that. In 2020, in Chicago, there were 774 murders. That's over two per day, and many involved fairly young people. Of COURSE some young person would die before the week was over and likely before the day ended. Most readers would know Chicago is a dangerous place and Lauren was a police officer. She should not be surprised, much less horrified by the thought.

The protagonist, Lauren Medina, is not a sympathetic character, not even close. If you want to read a book in which you can relate to the heroine, this isn't it.

In summary the book is a bit slow but not too bad, the main character is unpleasant, and it's easy to guess the climax; however, I still found it enjoyable. I liked the idea of altering a fairy tale to make it more sinister and moving it into the real world. I suspect the author has a sequel in the works or possibly intends this one to be the start of a series.



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Flames of Rebellion #1

Flames of Rebellion by Jay Allan

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


*** Possible Spoilers ***

This was a good rip-roaring sci-fi story. It's basically the story of the American War of Independence moved to a distant planet. You won't find too many character arcs or much introspection here. The main character is conflicted so there's that but there's no real doubt how things are going to turn out. I'm not sure how closely the author followed actual historical event but judging from a quick perusal of Wikipedia, he stayed reasonably close to the original war. He may have made his villains a little too villainous but this is fiction and if a few changes added to the story so be it. If you like a good, fast paced adventure, I think you'll like this one.



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