Ricky Pine's Blog, page 140

Review: The Detective

The Detective by Jonathan L. Howard
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The first book in this series read like Doctor Parnassus in book form. This book, whose blurb compares it to Murder On The Orient Express for good reason, is instead what would happen if The Grand Budapest Hotel were a collaboration between Jim Butcher and Quentin Tarantino. Maybe with a bit of Spielberg thrown in - just look at the hilariously grossgusting Mirkarvian dinner served aboard the Princess Hortense, right down to that s...

Review: The Aeronaut's Windlass

The Aeronaut's Windlass by Jim Butcher
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

How long has it been since Butcher first announced this book? Two years? Three? Well, his long-promised steampunk story is finally here, and I've finally gotten through the entire first book. It's a little more in the vein of Codex Alera than The Dresden Files, just with a different alternate-world fantasy setting. There's a little less magic and a little more science - other than, of course, the etherealists, the Spires, the ta...

Review: Stand-Off

Stand-Off by Andrew Smith
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A couple of years ago, Cory Doctorow put out the sequel to Little Brother and delivered a Lighter and Softer story that read a bit more like a string of loosely connected personal vignettes for the main character. Now, old Marbury Jack does something similar for the sequel to Winger.

This book actually isn't just Lighter and Softer than Winger, though. It's Lighter and Softer than any Andrew Smith book I've ever read, especially The Alex Crow...

Crimson Peak: The Writer's Horror Movie

***SPOILER ALERT***

"Ghosts are real...that much I know."

So far, most of the top contenders on my list of Best 2015 Movies (So Far) are action movies. Among them: Kingsman: The Secret Service.


"Manners. Maketh. Man."
And Chappie.


"Indestructible Gangsta Number One, Son!"
And Age of Ultron.


"SHIT!"
"Language!"
And Fury Road.


ALL HAIL IMPERATOR FURIOSA!
And Ant-Man.


Trippy, even by Marvel standards. :)
And, of course, The Scorch Trials, which is still my favorite movie of the year.


I'm still waiting on...

Cold Fire: Rachel And Alex's First Date

***SPOILER ALERT***

In another burst of creativity, I've finally thought of the best possible first date for Rachel and Alex, which is now an extension of Red Rain's new Chapter 24, "Beautiful Child," which I posted earlier this month. The chief inspiration, believe it or not, comes not from Teen Wolf, despite this new scene featuring yet another well-placed reference to that show. Instead, it comes from this funny Twitter feed, aptly called Brooding YA Hero. More specifically, it comes from t...

"Dear Lucky Agent" Contest

This weekend, it seems, is the weekend of writers' contests. Since I didn't get into #PitchWars, I'm happy to try my hand elsewhere, and I've already got myself some feedback for entering into Pitch Slam - which I'll be doing twice more over the next few days!

But until then, I've discovered another contest. Chuck Sambuchino of Writer's Digest is in charge, along with literary agent and writer of The Geek's Guide To Dating (something from which I've taken a fair few tips, none of which ha...

Review: Zeroes

Zeroes by Scott Westerfeld
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Westerfeld's back, baby - and this time, he's got a new team of co-writers to assist him on a strange little YA superhero story. It's not much of an adventure - in fact, it's a little more like Heroes, with our main characters hiding in the shadows (mostly) and trying not to show off their powers to the public. It's a little like Gone, too, with its Central California coastal setting (and when I looked up the town of Cambria, I was surprise...

Review: Final Stand

Final Stand by J L Pawley
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

In which the Generation Icarus adventures finally conclude...or do they?

There's a reason why the term "Post-Dramatic Jess Disorder" was coined for this book. Of all the Icarus stories (including the Origins novellas), this one has the highest levels of action and feels by far. Especially when Kess and Con are in scene. Especially-especially when the dreadful Reverend enacts his most secret, most devastating plan yet (after which, truly, noth...

Review: After the Red Rain

After the Red Rain by Barry Lyga
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Not unlike Chris Weitz's Young World books, I've seen a metric ton of bad buzz and/or mediocre reviews for this new entry in the crowded dystopian genre, largely because it is, in fact, a new entry in the crowded dystopian genre. It's also a very different book than what I've come to expect from Barry Lyga - a different kind of dark, with a lot less bleak hopelessness. And more sci-fi elements in the forefront. Especially when the nar...

Review: The New Order

The New Order by Chris Weitz
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The second Young World book continues its predecessor's surprisingly addictive streak with a few welcome new storytelling elements in play. Chief among them - the trope known as Sequel Goes Foreign. While Jeff (and a number of other new POV characters who each get a couple of chapters in the spotlight - I especially liked how Brainbox's POV was nothing but unbroken, punctuation-free single paragraphs per chapter, because it fit him very w...