CS fantasy reviews

Review: Side Jobs by Jim Butcher

2012-01-22T23:56:00.000-08:00

Side Jobs is a collection of short stories set within the universe of the Dresden files . Most of them have appeard in anthologies before but aftermath is exlusive to this collection.

A restoration of Faith: A young Harry Dresden is tasked with tracking down the runaway daughter of a rich couple. The couple then decide that the situation is too embarrassing and call the police claiming Harry and his partner have kidnapped the girl. Features the first meeting of Harry and Karin Murphy. Slightly rougher prose than we are used to from Butcher but by no means as bad as he makes out in the introduction. Tidy and heart-warming tale. 8/10.

Vignette: Harry and Bob the skull discuss his PI ad in the yellow pages. Funny as usual but very short and doesn't go anywhere. Probably included for completeness. 6/10.

Something Borrowed: Georgia goes missing on her wedding day and Harry has to track her down before a fairy disguised as Georgia marries Billy instead and does away with both of them. Solid and moves right along. 8/10.

It’s my birthday Too. Harry and Molly go to the mall after hours to give Thomas his birthday present. Thomas has been roped into taking part in a LARP session by an employee and things soon get ugly when a former LARP player shows up. The girl has since been turned into a real vampire and wants revenge on the people who scorned her. Fast paced and action packed. 8.25/10.

Herot: Mac calls Harry for help. A young woman has been kidnapped on the day of her honeymoon and Harry has to follow the monster who took her. The stakes are raised when Gard show up and explains that the monster is a grendlekin and the young woman doesn't have much time. Another solid piece 8/10.

Day off: Harry has a rare day off and plans to spend it with his girlfriend Anastasia. However Molly seems intent on blowing up his lab, two of the alphas have magical fleas and wannabe dark wizards are making a nuisance of themselves. Interesting enough but doesn't really go anywhere. 7/10.

Backup: Thomas is informed by Lara that one of their enemies in the infinity war is making a play. Whatsmore the enemy plans to use an unwitting Harry in her plans to distribute forbidden knowledge. With Harry having such a distinct voice Butcher's goal would have to have been twofold. To make Thomas' voice distinctive and interesting in its own right. Butcher succeeds at the first but sadly it was nowhere near as interesting. Thomas comes across as too much of an emo for my tastes 6.25/10.

The Warrior: Harry is worried about Michael and his family's safety when an anonymous person starts sending him photos of them. Definitely one of the stronger character driven pieces for me especially seeing a different side to Michael. 8.75/10.

Last Call: Somebody is messing with Mac's beer with violent consequences. Another fast paced well written tale. 8.25/10.

Love Hurts: Harry and Murphy investigate a series of bizarre suicides of a number of couples and stumble onto a red court plot. One of the strongest stories with some real emotional oomph. 8.75/10.

Aftermath: With Harry presumed dead someone is targeting the weaker members of the magical community. When Georgia disappears Billy turns to Murphy for help. Unlike in Backup Butcher really succeeds here in creating a distinct and very interesting voice for Murphy. Murphy is put through the ringer. 9/10.

Overall fans of this series will be very pleased. Most of the stories are strong offerings and very fast paced. This collection really demonstrated Butcher's development as a writer, especially his growth in his characterization. 8.25/10.

Review: The Real Story by Stephen R. Donaldson

2012-01-07T14:54:00.000-08:00

Angus Thermopyle is an ore pirate and ruthless murderer, praying on the weaker miners trying to eke out a living among the asteroid belts. When a an impressive ship Starmaster arrives in delta quadrant Angus realizes that it is an undercover police vessel and irrationally believes they are after him. He flees into the astroid belts without adequate supplies and eventually has to prey on a group of miners for supplies. Starmaster arrives and is about to destroy Angus before the ship inexplicably explodes. Angus takes one of the survivors Morn Hyland as his prisoner and uses illegal technology to force her to do whatever he wants. When Angus arrives back in delta quadrant with Morn in tow most of the residents are intimidated. All except for Nick Succorso another rogue pirate who wishes to take Angus down.

Donaldson uses quite an insular approach to the story with the majority told through Angus' perspective. The prose enhances this with even events like conversations with port authorities not told in traditional dialogue format but by Angus summing things up. This approach has both strengths and weaknesses. I enjoyed how the insular approach really captured the atmosphere of enclosure and at times almost claustrophobia. This is space but most of the actions takes place in a tiny spaceship after all. Donaldson also gets right into Angus head and reveals what makes him tick.

On the other hand there is a whole universe of motivations and possibilities that we don't so much as get a glance at. All three characters are very flawed individuals and at times it is hard to root for any of them, even Morn. It wouldn't have hurt to try make them slightly more sympathetic

Overall Donaldson delivers a deeply physiological story but nowhere near as good as the Covenant books or the Mordant duology. 7/10.

Review: Turncoat by Jim Butcher

2012-01-07T13:30:00.000-08:00

Donald Morgan, formerly his chief persecutor among the wardens and one of the warden's most powerful magicians, arrives on Harry Dresden's doorstep bleeding and barely conscious. Morgan explains that one of the members of the senior council Aleron LaFortier has been murdered. Morgan was found standing above his body with the bloody murder weapon in hand and was taken into custody and subsequently escaped. Morgan claims he is innocent. And as much as Harry may wish otherwise he believes Morgan and offers his help. Harry believes that there is a traitor among the wardens, one who has set Morgan up and wants to see the order destroyed. Harry also knows that be aiding Morgan his own life may be forfeit.

Turncoat is the eleventh book in the Dresden Files and I think if anyone has made it this far it is safe to say that they are a fan of Butcher's familiar formula. The characterization is what stood out for me the most in this installment. Harry seems to be a lot more emotionally mature than he once was and it is great to see that he has learned a lot from his past experiences. Dresden really uses his head to come up with some unexpected solutions to a few problems. A number of other characters including, Molly, Thomas and Billy also develop in some interesting ways. What impressed me thoroughly was that a number of catalysts for these developments occurred 'offscreen' but Butcher was still able to capture them perfectly.

All in all Butcher delivers another fast-paced and satisfying read. 8.25/10.

Review: The Alloy of Law by Brandon Sanderson

2012-01-01T18:09:00.000-08:00

Waxillium Ladrian has spent the last twenty years in the roughs as a law keeper, enforcing the law on the frontier. A series of tragic events force him to return to the city of Elendel and take up the lordship of his house. At first Wax is reluctant to meet his responsibilities, wishing instead to become something of a vigilante, until his butler Tillaume convinces him that hundreds of people are relying on him and only he can be the lord of his family. Wax begins to take his responsibilities seriously and is even about to enter into an arranged marriage to benefit his house. Then a series of odd robberies begin to take place that have the authorities baffled. A group called the vanishers is robbing the cargo off trains and nobody knows how they are doing it. Wax tries to ignore them at first but when the group starts taking hostages he is compelled to intervene. Together with his partner Wayne, Wax is the only person who can get to the bottom of it.

First off I absolutely love the concept of exploring the same world in different time periods. Alloy of Law is set three hundred years after the events of the first Mistborn trilogy and for the most part is standalone. The world of Scadrial is now on the cusp of an industrial revolution but the magic systems of Allomancy and Ferchemy still play a major role in society. Sanderson again impresses with his use of magic combining the two systems in some very interesting ways. There are some rather well executed battle scenes, one involving a train, in this novel and the author really excels with these. One minor gripe that I had was using Wax's thoughts to explain some of the terms and workings of the magic systems really felt out of place in the contexts used on occasion. I know the author wanted to make the book standalone so new readers would not be lost but it did kill the mood for me.

The banter between Wayne and Wax is some of Sanderon's funniest writing to date though occasionally he did take things a touch too far for the situation. Otherwise the characters are well realized and the plot very well-paced.

Overall Sanderson delivers another strong offering. 8.5/10.

Review: Lamentation by Ken Scholes

2011-12-27T19:40:00.000-08:00

The city of Windwir is home to the Androfrancine order, a semi-religious group that attempts to discover and preserve knowledge from lost times. The Order doles out the knowledge they feel the world is ready for and this coupled with their massive library has made Windwir the center of the Named Lands. This changes instantly when the city is utterly destroyed by an ancient spell throwing the Named Lands into turmoil. The sole survivor of the catastrophe is a young apprentice of the order Nebios, who awaited his father on the outskirts of the city. Watching everything he knows destroyed will change the young man forever. Forces throughout the named lands converge on the ruins of the city. Sethbert, the Overseer of the Entrolusian City states, arrives first. Sethbert claims responsibility for the catastrophe and plans to use it to dominate the named lands. With him is his consort Lady Jin Li Tam, who acts as a spy for her father who undoubtedly has plans of his own. Hot on their heels is Rudolfo, general and prince of the wandering army, who is determined to see that justice is done. Petronus, a former pope of the order who faked his own death, also realizes that the destruction means he will have to come out of hiding.

Scholes divides each chapter into short point of view scenes from multiple characters. This enabled the author to set a steady pace throughout. The characters themselves are well realized with varying and interesting motivations. The concept of having a major disaster and then having the characters react to it is an original and interesting one that I thoroughly enjoyed.

There were only two minor issues that could have been improved. The author is so focused on the political machinations that we never get to witness a major battle in the ensuing war. The ending was slightly rushed as well with some things falling too neatly into place for my taste.

Overall a solid debut from Scholes. Interesting concept and excellent world building. 8/10.

Review: The Heir of Night by Helen Lowe

2011-12-26T13:40:00.000-08:00

Malian is the heir of the House of Night, the most important house in an alliance of the Derai clans that protect the world against the demonic Swarm. Shortly after her father, the Earl of Night, returns to their keep they are invaded. Many of the keep's residents are killed and Malian herself only escapes with the aid of Kalan a young temple initiate and the wandering fire, an allay of the houses that was thought long lost. During the invasion Malian learns that she too has powers and means that she can no longer be her father's heir and is regulated to the priestly caste. Malian and Kalan also learn that she is foretold to unite the houses once again and decide to leave the world they know so she can better learn to use her abilities. But of course the Swarm still hunts her.

Lowe creates an interesting world with a rich and varied history. The Derai and their counterparts the Swarm came to the world of Haarth from beyond the stars. We get glimpses of the other peoples that inhabit the world through the heralds and Rowan Birchmoon and I am interested to see how Lowe will flesh this out in later books.

I was extremely impressed with the way this history actively impacted the characters and the decisions they made and also how it led to their own misconceptions. For example the Derai have been split along two castes due to a historical event and the author shows how this impacts the characters thinking and decision making. All of the viewpoint characters are richly realized and highly believable.

The only minor gripe I had was a slight unevenness in pacing initially but Lowe quickly fixed this as the novel progressed.

Overall although utilizing many fantasy conventions Lowe successfully mixes them in a rather unique way. 8/10.

2011 Advent Ghosts: When will Santa come?

2011-12-23T23:04:00.000-08:00

“When is Santa coming?” Jimmy spluttered as he was racked by another fit of coughing.

“Soon son.” Peter replied tucking him in.

Peter briefly contemplated putting the presents out immediately but he swatted the thought away like an irksome fly. It was late and bed beckoned.

It was his wife who found Jimmy the next day curled in a ball in the living room. His fevered brow had cooled to match the snow outside. Jimmy would never see another Christmas.

Every Christmas eve as Peter lies awake he hears the echo of Jimmy's voice asking him when will Santa come?

Review: Soldiers of Legend: Betrayals by Danielle Kazemi

2011-12-23T12:55:00.000-08:00

Alexander leads a group of super soldiers whose sole purpose is to locate ancient knowledge that will better mankind. His world is turned on its head when he overhears their benefactor, a man known only as the commander, discussing selling him and his fellow soldiers to the highest bidder. Alexander delves deeper and learns that instead of aiding mankind his troop are simply being used to find ways to make better soldiers. Alexander attempts to escape and save as many of his fellows as possible. However not all of them are easily convinced and Hadrian decides to use the situation to try and take Alexander's place as leader.

It is very hard to look past the poor quality of writing in this novel. The sentence structure is ungainly, word choice simplistic and there is a great deal of repetition. Whilst typos aren't present on every page they are common enough that another round of editing would have been useful.

The story is told predominantly from Alexander and Hadrian's perspective. Both characters come across as simplistic, self-absorbed and one dimensional.

The plot is far from convincing. It unfolds haphazardly and is reminiscent of something a six-year old would come up with whilst playing with his action figures. The super soldiers are supposed to be a highly trained and sophisticated military force but never come across that way.

Overall I found it exceedingly difficult to get through this novel and cannot recommend it. 3/10.

Review:Infinte Sacrifice by L.E. Waters

2011-12-17T14:19:00.000-08:00

Maya is in for a shock when she passes away and finds herself at her favorite beach side spot from her childhood. There she is confronted by Zachariah, her spirit guide, who explains that she must first review her previous lives before moving on to be reunited with her loved ones. After some discussion Maya agrees and begins experiencing her earliest past lives again.

The book is divided into four main sub-stories of Maya's past lives, a High Priest in ancient Egypt, a mother in Sparta, a kidnapped Irish boy enslaved by vikings and a doctor's wife in plague ravaged London. It is clear that Waters has done a great deal of research on the time period's concerned and is able to give each a unique and authentic feel.

With the stories broken into life-changing moments Waters is able to keep a steady pace. Unfortunately the characterization suffers a bit for this and at times can feel uneven. The doctor's wife Elizabeth was wonderfully portrayed and developed but a few of the others were less so. Using the lesson Maya soul was learning throughout the lives was a clever way to link them but I would have liked to see the links explored further.

Overall the author delivers a very clever concept and brings an authentic feel to each story. Some of the characters could have been better developed though. 7/10.

Review: Hawkwood and the Kings by Paul Kearney

2011-12-16T23:28:00.000-08:00

The holy city of Aekir has fallen to the Merduks. Instead of uniting against the threat the West begins to fracture. Prelate Himerias attempts to use the confusion to gain power for the church by leading purges of so-called heretics in Hebrion. King Abeleyn attempts to resist where he can be aligning with some of the other kings and implementing other measures. As part of these plans he authorizes his cousin to outfit an expedition across the great Western ocean where another continent may or may not exist. The expedition is led by Captain Richard Hawkwood, who has little choice but to take it to save his crew, and includes many magic-users among the passengers fleeing the purges. However there may be forces that do not wish them to find the continent.

The world building of Kearney is very impressive and the world he creates is like a shadow of our own. The Ramusian states are based on Christian Rome, the Merduks on the Muslim kingdoms and western continent on the Americas. The level of technology is a mix of medieval and more advanced elements including firearms.

Viewpoints are varied across the various factions and include an interesting cast of three-dimensional characters. Pacing is one of Kearney's real strong points and he is able to keep the story moving along nicely through some areas which could have really slowed things down, ie the voyage.

Overall Kearney delivers a well-paced story fulled with political intrigue and interesting characters. 8.75/10.

Review: Dragonfly Falling by Adrian Tchaikovsky

2011-12-03T15:36:00.000-08:00

The Wasp empire has launched an all out assault on the city of Tark and Salma and Totho find themselves caught in the middle of the siege. Meanwhile Major Thalric has been sent to Vek to try and persuade them to invade Collegium. Thalric's encounters with Stenwold and Cheerwell have left him confused, internally questioning his own beliefs though he fights this down with a passion. Stenwold has returned to Collegium and makes a latch-ditch attempt to persuade his fellows of the threat the wasp empire poses to the lowlands. The wasp emperor Alvdan is offered immortality by a mysterious prisoner though that prisoner may have his own agenda in mind.

Whereas the first book was more about back alley espionage Dragonfly falling is definitely an all out war novel. Tchaikovsky does a great job in describing large scale battles and the insect-kinden powers and steampunk twists gave them a fresh flavor.

I was very impressed how the author demonstrated the way the events of the first book effected some of the characters (especially Stenwold, Thalric, Totho and Salma) and definitely feel the characterization took a step forward in this novel.

The worldbuidling was again impressive with new cultures and kinden explored.

Overall Tchaikovsky shifted gears in his second installment and delivered another fine read. 8.5/10.

Review: The Hermetica of Elysium by Annmarie Banks

2011-11-26T21:09:00.000-08:00

Nadiria is a young serving girl living in Barcelona in the late fifteenth century. Unlike many other servants Nadiria has a unique set of talents, she speaks, reads and writes a number of languages some taught to her by her mother and some by her master so she can manage his books. Nadiria's life is turned upside down when she is roused one night to translate a dying man's last words. Soon after she is kidnapped by the deceased man's brother, Lord Montrose, and his companions. Nadiria makes a deal with her captor's, trading her help for freedom, and the group sets off to recover a tome of archiac knowledge that could prove deadly if it falls into the wrong hands.

Nadiria is a vibrant, rich character that the reader can't help but immediately fall in love with. Together with an interesting group of supporting characters the story sets off at a steady pace. I was impressed with the unexpected directions that the plot took and Banks did a great job of steering clear of a number of tired conventions. With most of the action restricted to rather remote areas it is hard to get a real sense of the time period or the areas concerned though there is enough promise to suggest Banks will intergrate these better into future instalments.

There were some slight pacing issues near the end where there seemed more of a focus on setting events up for the next book and this led to the lack of a clear ending.

Overall Banks does a brilliant job of creating an excellent cast of characters and an interesting plot. The lack of a clear ending does put a minor damper on things but it was still an engaging read. 8.5/10.

Review: The Diviner by Melanie Rawn

2011-11-12T14:05:00.000-08:00

Azzad al-Ma'aliq is a frivolous young nobleman, content to spend his days in the pursuit of attractive young women. All that changes when the Sheyqa Nizzira slaughters all of his kin. Azzad barely escapes into the desert with his horse Khamsin. There Azzad almost perishes but is saved by a mysterious group of desert healers known as the Shagara. Azzad begins amassing his own fortune convinced he has been spared to seek vengeance for his family but Nizzira is aware of his escape and sends hunters of her own after him.

I quite enjoyed the Mediterranean-Near eastern world and societies Rawn created here. The cultures are all very well thought out and each has their own nuances that bring the world to life. In typical Rawn fashion the story follows the lives of Azzad and two of his descendents Alessid and Qamar over many years.

The purpose of the prequel is undoubtedly explaining where the magic in the Golden Key came from but this narrow focus does create a few problems. During Alessid's portion I would have liked to have seen a greater focus on the battles and the empire building portions as these would have been highly interesting. Qamar's part felt a bit too rushed especially the latter portion to truly give the finale the power it deserved. Indeed for readers who have not read the Golden Key the whole purpose of the finale would mostly be lost.

Overall Rawn makes decent return to high fantasy, though the Diviner may not stand as well without reading the Golden Key as she would have liked. 7.25/10.

Review: Three if by Air by Patrick Koepke

2011-11-11T22:47:00.000-08:00

Nathaniel Hewitt is a young man living in Boston during the American War of Independence. After he is caught up in the Boston Massacre Nathaniel becomes a firmer believer in American independence, four years later he travels to the first Continental congress where he falls in love with Constance Whitegate daughter of a adamant loyalist. When war breaks out Nathaniel joins the local militia, all the while still corresponding with Constance. When the Americans begin to build their own air fleet Nathaniel jumps at the opportunity to join despite the fact that they are outclassed and outnumbered by their British counterparts.

The story has two main elements; a romantic element with Nathanial and Constance' forbidden love and an alternative history/fantasy element. Koepke does a good job in balancing the two. Naturally comparisons will be made to Naomi Novik's work and like Novik, Koepke does an excellent job in matching the narrative to the time period concerned.

I really enjoyed the way the author incorporated the gliders into the story. The way they function is well thought out and explained and fits rather seamlessly within the time period. The gliders are incorporated well without overly dominating, having very definite sets of strengths and weaknesses.

Both major protagonists are well considered and believable. My only minor grip is that I would have liked to have seen some of the supporting characters fleshed out a bit more.

Overall a very interesting and entertaining read. 8/10.

Review: Beyond the Shadows by Brent Weeks

2011-11-05T19:35:00.000-07:00

With the Godking dead Cenaria at last has a chance to recover. Terah Graesin has seized the throne but Kylar is intent on placing Logan Gyre there, whether he likes it or not. Dorian has infiltrated his dead father's kingdom in an attempt to find the woman he loves but is soon caught up in the fight for succession and forced to take the throne. Meanwhile a group of vurdmeisters have used the Godking's death as an excuse to try and claim power for themselves.

Like the previous volume Beyond the Shadows comes across as far too chaotic with simply too much going on. As a result a lot of important scenes feel rushed which gives the novel very serious pacing issues. It is pretty obvious that Weeks had five or six books worth of material here. This is a real shame as he is certainly a more talented author than this book makes him look and there are some really good ideas floating around. Dorian's struggle with himself and the cost of Kylar's immortality could have been really interesting if given enough time to develop. I would really like to see Weeks focus more in future works, like he did so well in his first novel.

Overall Beyond the Shadows is even more chaotic in it's predecessor. There is a good book (or five) in here somewhere but it really struggles to come out. 6/10.

Review: Derby Scribes 2011 Anthology

2011-11-05T15:06:00.000-07:00

This Anthology is a collection of short stories of Derby Scribes members and supporters.

In The Spirit of Darwin by Simon Clark. Lloyd Jefferson meets Sir Charles Darwin who wants to harvest his mind. Original tale that certainly shines a light of hope on the human condition. 7/10.

Brylcreem and Pipe Tobacco by Simon Clark. Tale about a woman who seeks the approval of her dead husband before marrying again. It has a satisfying if somewhat predictable conclusion but the constant repetition of brylcream spoiled this one a bit for me. 5.75/10.

Stump by Victoria Charvill. Tale about a little girl whose pets keeping dying and a guinea pig she calls stump. Doesn't really go anywhere and felt too rushed. 5/10.

Leaving Jessica by Jennifer Brown. Tale about a woman forced to change identities or be found by the mob. Well written but needed a stronger conclusion. 6/10.

Last respects by Richard Farren Barber. Follows a man's experiences in the trenches during the second world war. Lovely imagery in this piece though the conclusion was a bit rushed. 7/10.

The Wake Up Call by Alison J Hill. A man tries to cover up a hit and run accident while he was drunk. Nice twist. 6/10.

The Gallery by Conrad Williams. Set in the future where reading is highly regulated and controlled and possessing any unsolicited texts will get you killed. Definitely the stand out piece for me. Williams builds an interesting and convincing world in a short space with very believable characters. 8.5/10.

Dave's Dinosaur by Peter Borg. Dave is awoken by his wife because a dinosaur is outside their tent. Borg has a strong writing style and voice but the story suffers due to having no clear conclusion. 6.5/10.

An interstellar Taxi Ride by David Ball. An intergalactic diplomat unwillingly interacts with a taxi driver. Genuinely amusing piece. 7/10.

Obsolete by Christopher Barker. An old man who is under house arrest hatches a plan to escape. A nice solid piece, well structured. 7/10.

The Smell of Fear by Neal James. A group of puppies plan an ambush on the local bully. A little predictable. 6/10.

As whole the collection is a bit of a mixed bag with some really solid pieces and others that need some work. About half the stories suffered structurally with no real ending. 6.5/10.

Review: Alcatraz Versus The Shattered Lens by Brandon Sanderson

2011-10-29T18:38:00.000-07:00

The librarians have the city of Tuki Tuki, capital of Mokia, under siege. The knights of Crystallia are not prepared to send aid, instead concentrating on the defense of Nalhalla. Alcatraz and Bastille formulate a plan to aid the besieged city by sneaking Aclatraz into the city so the knights are forced to rescue him. Once in the city Alactraz suddenly finds himself in charge and forced to make some difficult decisions.

It is always an advantage when having something, whether it be a book or a film, aimed at the middle-grade or young-adult market work on a number of different levels, ie having something it for adults as well as the target audience. Shrek is a perfect example of this. The Alcatraz books were too, until this volume that is.
I can't help feeling that Sanderson would not have been connecting with his target audience.

As in previous volumes Sanderson has fun playing around with writing conventions but his 'chapter' theme was certainly not as impressive as what he got up to in previous volumes. There is definitely some things thrown in for his regular readers but I doubt the middle-grade brigade is going to know who Asmodean is. In the end the balance is just not right with too much of a skew towards his regular readers. As a narrator Alcatraz can also come out as downright offensive to the reader at times and this another aspect where the balance has been lost.

Sadly the fourth Alcatraz installment while still amusing does not work as well as it's predecessors. 6/10.

Review: The Ashes: A Celebration by Roland Perry

2011-10-25T00:06:00.000-07:00

As the title suggests this book is about the ashes, the longest running series in test cricket pitting Australia against England. Perry focuses on what he considers the biggest impacts, individuals and events, in the competition's history; 1: the 2005 Ashes 2: Lawrence-led Aborigine tour of England in 1868 3: W.G. Grace 4: The 1882 win by Australia at the Oval 5: Bodyline 6:Don Bradman 7: The 1977 Centenary Test 8: The Packer Revolution- World Series Cricket 9: Ian Botham 10: Shane Warne.

The decision to start with the 2005 series was an apt one, considering the interest this brought back to the contest. Switching then to the Laurence-led tour, or what was effectively the prehistory of the Ashes, was interesting and made a good change of pace.

If you're interested in cricket at all then this walk through the games history is for you and Perry certainly has a concise and very readable style. The problems for me came about mid-book. It is obvious that the author is rehashing a lot of his previous work, especially from autobiographies of Keith Miller, Don Bradman and Shane Warne. Some of the Bradman and Warne chapters in particular seem to have very little to do with the ashes. The story also follows a very aussie-centric perspective especially the further you progress into the book and I for one would have preferred a more balanced approach.

Overall cricket lovers with find enough here to keep them interested but a greater focus and a more balanced approach would have made a better read. 6.75/10,

Review: Small Favor by Jim Butcher

2011-10-23T19:18:00.000-07:00

All things considered Harry Dresden has had a surprisingly quiet year. Of course Dresden and quiet aren't known to go together so that quickly changes. Harry is attacked at the Carpenter's home by a group of Gruff's, goat-like enforcers from the summer court. The reason for this attack becomes apparent when Queen Mab of the winter court appears and announces that she is cashing in one of the favors Harry owes her. It seems Chicago crime boss John Marcone has been kidnapped and Mab wants him rescued. For unknown reasons Summer don't want this to happen. Meanwhile Sergeant Karin Murphy calls Dresden on a rather peculiar case; a large building has been cut in half by magic. As always Harry soon finds himself in bigger trouble.

There is a lot going on in this book with a number of competing factions all with their own agendas. Things could quite easily have got too chaotic to follow but Butcher does a great job in keeping everything well mapped out. The big stand out for me was that Butcher has improved a lot at keeping twists hidden until the moment he springs them out on the unsuspecting reader.

If you have come this far you know by now what to expect from a Dresden novel and Butcher delivers yet again. 8.5/10.

Review: The Last Goddess by C E Stalbaum

2011-10-21T01:04:00.000-07:00

Nathan Rook is a man who deals in information. When a contact offers to sell him an ancient coffin, complete with a living breathing woman inside he knows he may have stumbled across the greatest discovery ever or possibly the greatest hoax. Everything about the woman's appearance indicates she is the Messiah and when she awakes she demonstrates incredible magical abilities. However she has no memories and doesn't believe she is the Messiah. Rook vows to help her and also realizes that, Messiah or not, she can be used as incredibly dangerous tool in the wrong hands.

Tryss, daughter of the queen, finds herself in the unenviable position of being used as a political tool by her mother. Her mother wishes to create a lasting peace by marrying off her daughter to the son of a prominent politician. Tryss has no interest in politics but initially goes along with it, until her fiance attempts to rape her. She is intent on escaping by any means necessary even if it means accepting the help of a shady senator.

First things first I have never come across such a perfectly hidden and brilliantly effected twist ever and the author needs to be commended. The world Stalbaum introduces is an interesting mix blend of science fiction and fantasy elements. I have seen enough to be intrigued but the story is very focused throughout the book so we miss fully exploring it. This is by no means a bad thing and leads to good pacing but I hope to see a bit more of the world and cultures in future installments.

The characters themselves are fully realized and easy to sympathize with and 'screen' time is split well enough to see them all develop.

Overall I absolutely loved the concept and I have never seen a twist pulled off quite so well. 8.5/10.

Review: The Neon Court:Or, The Betrayal of Matthew Swift by Kate Griffin

2011-10-15T17:32:00.000-07:00

Midnight Mayor Matthew swift is summoned bodily by magic to a burning tower. There he finds Oda, warrior of the order, who has what should be a fatal chest wound and has a strange habit of now saying "we" when she means "I." In the confusion of escaping the tower Oda kills a Daimyo of the Neon Court who attacks Swift and Oda. The Neon Court believes their ancient enemy the tribe is responsible and Lady Neon comes to London demanding Swift's help in the coming war.

The story starts out at a breakneck pace but Griffin is able to manage the pacing very well interspersing the action scenes with a decent amount of downtime in which the characters really develop. I particularly enjoyed the exploration of of Swift's relationship with his apprentice Penny and his employee Dees. An employer-employee relationship is not exactly typical fare for fantasy but that's what makes it interesting.

Griffin once again does all the things she has done so right in previous installments. The Urban magic concept is still fresh and innovative. The banter of Swift (particularly with Penny in this one) is entertaining without being distracting.

My main concern before reading this one was the similarity of the structure of the first two installments. Griffin makes enough of a break from this to keep me satisfied.

Overall the Neon court once again demonstrates that Griffin is urban fantasy's best kept secret. 8.5/10.

Review: The Great Bazaar and other strories by Peter V. Brett

2011-10-08T19:44:00.000-07:00

Whether this novella is great or a disappointment really depends on what you are expecting from it. If you are expecting a collection of self-contained short stories set in Brett's world than you are out of luck and in that the title is somewhat misleading.

The novella is made up of three main parts. The Great Bazaar is a short story set between chapters 16 and 17 of The Warded Man which explains how Arlen found the location of Anoch Sun. This takes up about two-thirds of the novella and is reasonably self-contained, acts as a bridge between the first and second novel (which focuses strongly on the desert setting) and has a nice twist at the end. Two deleted scenes follow, the first is would take place at the beginning of The Warded Man and is the first thing Brett actually wrote in this series and the other is a scene from Leesha's perspective. Brett does go into detail about why the scenes were cut so this is obviously of interest to people who are keen to see the writing process. It is similar to the extras Brandon Sanderson has on his website though Brett does not go into the same level of detail as Sanderson.

Overall I enjoyed this novella has it catered to a lot of things I'm interested in. Of course there is a valid argument that everything contained here could have just been put on Brett's website. If you are looking for an introduction to the series I would advise giving this one a miss and starting with very good The Warded Man. 7/10.

Review: Hades' Daughter by Sara Douglass

2011-10-07T13:46:00.000-07:00

After the pregnant Ariadne is spurned by Theseus in favor of her younger sister she sets about enacting her revenge. She strikes a deal with the shade of her murdered half-brother the minotaur Asterion and with their combined power they destroy the games, magical protection wards, of the Greek cities plunging the Mediterranean world into a downward spiral. Asterion is free to reincarnate himself as a result, however Ariadne left the game intact in one minor Greek city intending her descendents to recreate the game, betray Asterion and sieze power. Now hundreds of years later Ariadne's descendent Genvissa puts this plan into action. She appears to Brutus, heir to the Troy game, as Artemis and promises him power and the rebuilding of a new and better Troy in Llangarlia (in Britain). As part of her plan Genvissa sends Brutus to Mesopotama, the only city with an intact game, to test him. However Genvissa did not foresee Brutus taking the princess Cornelia forcefully as his wife and while Genvissa believes Asterion is netralized he may be able to make use of Cornelia for his own purposes.

The historic aspects of this novel are very well researched. The story itself has definte echoes of the style of a Greek tradegdy and works all the better for it. I found the concept of all of the disaters that occured in the hellenic world in this period being part of Ariadne's revenge a particularly interesring twist.

Douglas presents the characters in an interesting light casting none of them as heroes or villians of the piece, all having a somewhat reasonable agenda. Brutus and Cornelia and their dysfunctional relationship take centre stage and while both of them do rather despicable things Douglass does an excellent job of keeping sympathy for them. Cornelia's character develops very well throughout the novel and the descision to have some chapters told from her first person perspctive was a shrewd one.

Overall Douglass produces an interesting tale that will appeal to both fans of fantasy and historic fiction. 8.5/10.

Review: Warriors edited by George R.R. Martin and Gardner Dozois

2011-09-23T23:29:00.000-07:00

In the opening Martin states that this is a collection of stories about warriors that rather than be defined by a specific genre are an eclectic mix. That is certainly the case with every from Fantasy, Historical fiction, science fiction and contemporary fiction represented. The editors' goal were to simply have a collection of well written stories and in that they have succeeded.

The King of Norway by Cecelia Holland. Historic fiction piece on Vikings going raiding. Holland utilizes an authentic and appropriate 'voice' for this piece and creates an impressive atmosphere. 7/10.

Forever Bound by Joe Haldeman: Science fiction piece that recounts the tale of a group of young people drafted into the army and surgically linked together to operate war machines. Emotionally satisfying but the lack of action prevents it moving from very good to great. 7.25/10.

The Triumph by Robin Hobb: Historic fiction with a touch of fantasy. Recounts the last hours of a Roman general captured during the first Punic War. Very well structured and good use of POV shifts. 8.5/10

Clean Slate by Lawrence Block: Contemporary fiction. Tale of a serial killer's deranged attempts to reclaim her innocence by killing every man she has ever slept with. I really struggled to relate with the protagonist in this one. 6/10.

And Ministers of Grace by Tad Williams: Science fiction thriller. An assassin, from a society of religious fanatics, is sent to kill a political figure from an atheist one. The amount of world building and character development Williams manages to cram into this one is impressive. 8.5/10.

Soldierin' by Joe R. Lansdale: Historic fiction piece about a group of Buffalo soldiers' clash with a group of Apache. Humerus and another one with an interesting and unique voice. 7/10.

Dirae by Peter S. Beagle: Urban fantasy. Tale about a mysterious vigilante thrown into dangerous situations seemingly at random. This one starts out a little strangely but I absolutely loved it. Interesting with a great twist. 9/10.

The Custom of the Army by Diana Gabaldon: Historic fiction. An electric eel party goes wrong and ends in a duel where John Grey accidentally kills a man. Grey is shipped to Canada while things cool down and aids in the taking of Quebec. Generally well written but feels cluttered with too much going on. 6/10.

Seven Years from Home by Noami Novik: Science Fiction. Recollections of a woman sent to an alien planet to play both sides in a conflict but ends up going native. It's nice to see Novik expand her range and there is some impressive world building in this one. 8/10.

The Eagle and the Rabbit by Steven Saylor: Historic fiction. Tale about the capture of a group of Carthaginian fugitives and the game a Roman soldier uses to try and make them slaves. Powerful and well written. 8.5/10.

The Pit by James Rollins: Contemporary fiction. A dog is kidnapped and forced to compete in a fighting pit. At first glance I wouldn't have expected it but this is by far the most emotionally intense story in the collection. Brilliantly written and perfect ending. 8.75/10

Out of the Dark by David Webber: Science fiction. An alien army arrives to conquer earth and finds some unexpected resistance. This was well written if not exactly highly original. I found the twist a bit unnecessary. 8/10.

The Girls from Avenger by Carrie Vaughn: Historic fiction. Follows a group of WASPS as they try to found out the circumstances of one of their own dying and stumble onto a cover up. Moves along nicely but a touch predictable. 7.5/10.

Ancient Ways by S.M. Stirling: Fantasy. Follows an unlikely pair of warriors as they attempt to save a princess. Fun and light read. 7.5/10.

Ninieslando by Howard Waldrop: Historic fiction. An allied soldier is caught in no man's land and discovers a society of Esperanto speaking men. Certainly the oddest story in the bunch and one of the weaker ones. Very little action and possibly trying too hard at sending a political message. 5.75/10.

Recidivist by Gardner Dozois: Science Fiction: Another one of the weirder ones. AI's have broken away and humanity has become their plaything. Two men attempt to strike back. 6/10.

My Name is Legion by David Morrell: Historic fiction. The French foreign legion find themselves on opposite sides of a conflict. Another emotionally driven piece with great character development. 8.75/10.

Defenders of the Frontier by Robert Silverberg: Fantasy. The remnants of a garrison realize that the enemy has been defeated for some time and their own people have forgotten them. Different from the other Silverberg work I've read. Interesting concept and well-executed. 8.25/10.

The Scroll by David Ball: Historic fiction. A captured French engineer is tormented by a cruel Moroccan monarch who believes he has his life mapped in a scroll. Dark and well crafted tale. 8.5/10.

The Mystery Knight by George R.R. Martin. Fantasy. Sir Duncan and his squire find themselves at a tourney with some nasty undercurrents. 8/10.

Overall Warriors is undoubtedly the best anthology I've read to date, with many quality reads. Some people may only pick this up for Martin's tale but if offers so much more. 8.5/10.

Review: Empire in Black and Gold by Adrian Tchaikovsky

2011-09-23T15:25:00.000-07:00

Years ago Stenwold Maker, a student artificer, and some of his fellow students discovered the existence of an expanding empire slowly devouring city after city with a highly trained and ruthless army. They attempted to halt the wasp empire's advance at the city of Myna but failed when they were seemingly betrayed by a member of their group. Stenwold escaped back to the city states of the Lowlands where he attempts to warn anyone who will listen about the coming threat. All his pleas fell on deaf ears. Now seventeen years later the Wasp empire has finally turned its attention to the Lowlands. Only Stenwold, his allies and a group of his students stand in their way; Stenwold's adopted daughter and spider-kinden Tynisa, his niece Cheerwell (who has some self-esteem issues having lived most of her life in Tynisa's shadow), The half-breed artificer Totho and the artistoractic swordsman Salma. However the wasps have grown far more cunning.

The first thing that hits the reader in Tchaikovsky's debut is the outstanding world building. in the early history of his world humanity was plagued by giant insects. Through some long forgotten means humanity bonded itself to these insects, gaining some of their attributes and creating a number of different races. We are treated to a good look at a number of such groups and the concept leaves lots of room for growth in future installments. In addition there is an interesting element with an industrial revloution having taken place and displacing the former moth upper class, with races like the industrious beetle and ant-kinden taking center stage.

The prose is highly accessible making for a fast paced and enjoyable read.

The characterization is also impressive. I particularly enjoyed Stenwold's perspective myself and liked the contrast with figures like a Gandalf or a Belgareth. While the aforementioned characters seem so in control Stenwold is much more fallible. There was obviously a risk of coming across too black and white with the wasp empire as the very obvious villians. Thankfully some of the story is told through a wasp officer, Thalric's, perspective and his motiviations while often conflicting are certainly understandable.

Overall an impresive debut highlighted by impressive world building and characterization. 8.5/10

Review: Splatterism: The Tragic Recollections of a Minotaur Assailant (An Upbuilding Edifying Discourse) by CS Hand

2011-09-03T16:31:00.000-07:00

Evander, the last living minotaur, attempts to commit suicide by throwing himself into a hole. The attempt fails when he instead lands on two witches and unwittingly saves a sorcerer named Scammander. The two then set off on a series of bizarre adventures presumably trying to destroy the world.

As a concept this one promises so much, a tongue in cheek look at fantasy villains should be hilarious, unfortunately it just doesn't deliver. The biggest problem with this novella is that it doesn't make a lot of sense. I am more or less inferring that the two protagonists are trying to destroy the world from what I read in the blurb rather than what is actually in the story. What we have is a series of bizarre adventures with very little to tie each other together or any rhyme or reason in themselves. This extends to the world itself which is cobbled together from cliche fantasy races.

There are too many info dumps, in the form of little stories about some of the supporting characters, for a work of this size. This gives the text a cluttered feel.

The only positive is the occasional funny and clever quip between the characters. Sadly the byplay of the two protagonists is overdone and wears thin after awhile. The story is told firsthand from Evander's perspective, who is the most realized of the characters introduced though sadly he is a rather tiresome group of contradictions. He is suicidal and continually drones on about how miserable life is. Despite this aside from his one failed attempt he never tries suicide again and kills anyone who tries to put him out of his misery.

I desperately wanted to like this one, the concept promises so much, but unfortunately it is disorganized and non-nonsensical. 4/10.

Review: Lilith's Tears by David Jones

2011-08-27T20:39:00.000-07:00

Shipwrecked on an uncharted island Captain Trebane finds himself battling despair and the savage natives who occupy the island. When he discovers evidence that Serena, the woman he believes he loves, may have survived the shipwreck he sets off into the interior where he finds a strange white cathedral at the island's center. Before he could discover much more he is beset by the natives, saved only by an aged pirate named Sarn. Sarn explains that the savage natives are in fact sailors from other shipwrecks who have been cursed with a savage immortality by a strange pool on the island known as Lilith's tears. Trebane is initially skeptical but once he accepts this strange discovery he is more determined than ever to rescue Serena from the savages and their strange overlord Torn.

Jones' major strength as a writer is undoubtedly his considerable descriptive abilities. The world literally comes alive under his skill immersing the reader in this strange island land. However at times this strength becomes a weakness; with many sections of the story suffering from over description. There were entire paragraphs which felt redundant as they were simply repeating previous information. This creates a bit of a pacing issue.

Trebane is certainly an interesting character and I enjoyed his POV as the author shows us exactly what makes him tick. I was reminded a bit of Naomi Novik's work in how effectively Jones' was able to capture the time period's nuances and mannerisms.

At the halfway point in the novel the POV switched from Trebane to Torn and Serena. Torn's POV didn't work as well for me. At times he and therefore the rest of his eternus felt like bumbling buffoons and this cut the tension considerably with the return to Trebane's perspective. I realize that the author was going for a tragic figure with Torn and to a degree succeeds but then should have found another way to create the needed tension, perhaps by emphasizing the malignant unseen evil force on the island to a greater degree.

The finale was pulled off brilliantly and the twist was certainly a satisfying one.

Overall Jones' shows a great deal of promise in this novel. A greater focus on cutting down unnecessary paragraphs will certainly help him take his game to the next level. 7.25/10.

Review: Sailing to Sarantium by Guy Gaveriel Kay

2011-08-22T01:02:00.000-07:00

Artisan Caius Crispus lost both his daughters and his wife to the plague. His only solace is in his work though even that is barely enough to make him want to go on living. A summons arrives from the emperor in Sarantium inviting Caius' partner Martinian to come to the capital and work on the newly erected sanctuary. Martinian urges Caius to go in his stead citing his age and the fact that Caius has been doing most of the work in recent years so the summons is by right his. Caius is initially reluctant but a meeting with queen Gisel a monarch barely hanging onto power because the various hostile forces wanting to seize Batria are locked in a deadlock, changes his mind. The queen wishes Caius to take an offer of marriage to the emperor and once again unite east with west.

Once again Kaye's world-building is phenomenal.The world in this book is based on the Byzantine period in Roman history and masterfully brought to life. Religion was an area of particular interest, largely a mix of paganism and a christian-like faith. The schisms that existed in the official faith and the coexisting of the paganism were particularly fascinating.

While Caius is the main view point character Kay introduces several others across the narrative. Even though some of these view points are only a few pages in length Kay builds up each of them and almost instantly gains the reader's sympathy and interest in each case.

Overall yet another fine offering from Kay. 9/10.

Review: The Born Queen by Greg Keyes

2011-08-09T00:46:00.000-07:00

Anne Dare now sits on the throne of Crotheny. Using her growing powers she sets about driving the Church out of her kingdom, an action that leads to open warfare with Hansa. Queen Muriele leads an embassy, along with her bodyguard Alis Berrye and knight Neil MeqVren, hoping to preserve peace. Though Anne may have other ideas for the embassy. Aspar White is slowly mending from his injuries unsure of his next move. The decision is quickly taken out of his hands when Fend's creatures find him and he is reminded by the Sandlewood witch that he still owes her a favour. Stephen Darige has hit a standstill as he searches for Virgenya Dare's journal and the arc, though events may overtake him soon enough.

In my review of the Blood Knight I mentioned how I enjoyed the way Keyes hinted that things might not be as cut and dried with the characters morality as they first appeared. He takes this several steps further in this volume, giving hints that Stephen, Anne, Muriale among a few others might not be the heroes we believe them to be and that Robert, the church and Fend may have the right of it.

I really love the way Neil, Stephen and especially Anne have grown up throughout this series and Anne really steps up in this one. Pacing worked well here and the hectic pace of the finale was brilliant.

There were a few slight disappointments for me in this conclusion. Firstly I wanted the Church's position to take a more original turn and had every reason to believe that they would. Sadly by the end of this volume that is clearly not the case. After all the effort Robert spent in tricking Leoff into writing the death inducing song I found his plan for it to be rather redundant. I think his character as a whole was a bit of a waste of potential and felt his ending was too rushed.

Overall a strong ending to an enjoyable series, despite the missed oppurtunties in a few areas. 8/10.

Review: Children of Dune by Frank Herbert

2011-07-30T21:41:00.000-07:00

Set nine years after the events of Dune Messiah, The ecological transformation of Arrakis has preceded far, bands of plant life encroach even further on the diminishing desert. Paul's children and heirs Leto and Ghanima see the empire's destruction in this as the giant spice-producing sand worms are beginning to die out. They also suspect that their aunt and regent Alia has succumb to one of her inner voices and his designs on cementing her own rule. This rule has steadily began to slip as dissidents are rising in the ranks of the Fremen , culminating in the emergence of a blind preacher leading sermons against the regime. A preacher who may or may not be Paul himself. Against this backdrop members of the displaced house Corrino have plans to snatch back power by assassinating the twins. Jessica, the twins grandmother, makes an unexpected return to Arrakis but whether she intends to protect the twins or is part of Bene Gesserit plot is unclear.

One of my main problems with the first two Dune books were the antagonists. The Barron Harkonen was far too cliched and the goals of the the antagonists in Messiah were very unclear and largely ineffective. No such problem exists this time around. Herbert brings in many competing groups with their own goals and there is much less emphasis on 'bad guys' versus 'good guys'. The pacing is a lot better than it was in Messiah and much more actually happens making for a much more satisfying read.

My only major issue with this one is that Herbert doesn't do a good job in explaining how the 'inner voices' work in Alia and the twins. Logically the memories of these voices should extend up to the point of procreation of the next generation. However the Barron's voice clearly has memories well beyond this. But if these memories are taken up until death as clearly implied there should be no question whether Paul is in fact the preacher as Alia and the twins would know courtesy of Paul's inner voice.

Overall despite this flaw I found Children of Dune to be hands down the best of the Dune books I've read to date. 8/10.

Review: White Night by Jim Butcher

2011-07-23T17:13:00.000-07:00

Harry Dresden is called in by Karin Murphy to investigate what appears to be a routine suicide. Murphy believes it is a little too textbook and is proven right when Harry discovers a magical calling card referencing the exodus quote of killing witches. Harry quickly discovers that this is just the latest killing and it appears someone is targeting the low level magic users of Chicago, that someone also seems to be leaving clues that Harry is supposed to find. When evidence emerges that the killer might be his half-brother Thomas, Harry is determined to find the real killer.

Anyone who has read the Dresden files before will recognize the structure of this book. Harry runs around finding clues and getting into trouble for most of the book which is concluded in a massive confrontation between Harry, his allies and said bad guys. Although we've seen this all before I don't have any issues with it and if ain't broke don't bother fixing it.

An area where Butcher has certainly brought his A game in this one is the characterization. The two main issues are Harry's relationships with Lasciel the fallen angel trying to possess him and his half brother Thomas. Harry seems to be drawing on Lasciel's help almost indiscriminately. As always the story is told from Harry's perspective and form this it is obvious that he doesn't see a problem in using Lasciel'a abilities whereas in previous books he wouldn't have done this. It conjures the image as Harry as a drug user; he simply doesn't realize he has a problem. Others begin to notice the changes in Harry's demeanor and an increasing propensity for Harry to lash out in anger. At the same time Laciel seems to being turned by Harry's soul. I loved the ambiguity here and the way Butcher hinted it could go either way. Although the issue is seemingly resolved by the end of the book I get the feeling Butcher might be heading in a very different direction with this. Harry's trust in Thomas doesn't seem to waver much and I loved the hints Butcher dropped in about where this one was going and the rather amusing conclusion.

Other characters go through some pretty intense development as well. I loved the moment the normally unflappable Ramirez snapped at Harry for keeping secrets right before the books major confrontation. Harry's apprentice Molly also does some much needed growing up.

Overall Butcher continues to deliver as he always does with this series and with the increased character development seems to have taken it up another step. 8.5/10.

Review:Shiewo: A Fantasy Flight to Adventure by Ciye Cho

2011-07-22T17:27:00.000-07:00

Felix is a painter living a rather drab existence in the colourless city of Galvanary. One evening he is awoken by voices outside his apartment and a pair of thieves make off with his roof. Felix chases after them and soon learns that they are a rather unusual crew of a flying ship called the Odyssey who need the roof to complete the ship. The ship is Captained by a young woman named Shiweo who, along with a talking cloud named Theo, a giant bamboo man and a foul tempered goldfish, is on a quest to find the Wishing Fish the being who created the universe of Orberana and will grant one wish to whoever finds it. Felix unwittingly accompanies them and his life quickly gets a whole lot more interesting.

Remember that old saying about not judging a book by its cover? While I think that ought to be expanded to include not judging a book by it's blurb or title. Neither of these really caught my interest and I decided to read this book more on a whim. I'm Glad I did.

Cho's world building is absolutely fantastic and it is obvious he has invested a great deal of time and energy into it. The world above the clouds is an intriguing one and I look forward to seeing more of it. The characters are all fully realized and fulled with a child-like charm that has the reader rooting for them in the first few pages.

An impressive debut from Cho and one of the better YA novels I've read in some time. 8.5/10.

News: Russell Kirkpatrick's next book

2011-07-16T19:06:00.000-07:00

After disappearing off of the radar for the last twelve months New Zealand author Russell Kirkpatrick has announced he has almost finished the first draft of his next book titled Silent Sorrow, which is the first in a proposed four book series. Kirkpatrick describes it as a Renaissance fantasy set in a world making a transition from religion to magic. Kirkpatrick says its the best thing he has written by far. I thoroughly enjoyed the first books in his first two trilogies (With Path of Revenge being close to a masterpiece) but felt he falls a way in the later books. Hopefully this series will see him fully release his considerable talent.

Review: Swords and Dark Magic Edited by Jonathan Strahan and Lou Anders

2011-07-16T18:54:00.000-07:00

This anthology seems to have come about due to a number of the new wave of fantasy authors authors incorporating elements of classic sword and sorcery elements in their work leading to something of a revival. Any anthology with new stories from Abercrombie, Lynch and Keyes was bound to pique my interest.

Goats of Glory by Steven Erikson: I must admit that I have mixed feelings about Erikson's writing. I was so sick of seeing all the 10/10 reviews for Gardens of the Moon, despite it's rather obvious flaws, that I haven't read anything past his second book despite greatly admiring his prose. This short story just might get me reading him again. It is a fast paced tale about a group of soldiers who are tricked into staying the night in a demon infested fort. 8/10.

Tides of Elba: A Tale of the Black Company by Glen Cook: One of the weaker stories in the anthology for me. I found Cook's writing to be sparse and lackluster and the story never engaged me. Basically the black company are told to find a woman, supposedly a leader of a rebellion, but believe they are being set up. 5.5/10

Bloodsport by Gene Wolfe: Some interesting ideas in this one and I liked the prose but it seems to wander around a bit with no clear goal. A knight relating bits of his life, including his part in a chess-like bloodsport and falling in love with a pawn, around a camp fire. 6/10.

The Singing Spear by James Enge: A light but engaging tale about Morlock the maker and his clash with a thief who has gone on a rampage after stealing a magic spear Morlock invented. 7/10.

A Wizard in Wisecezan by C.J. Cherryh: Tale about a wizard who has gone into hiding after his city was taken over by a warlord and a dark wizard. One of the wizards students is compelled to aid a man in overthrowing the warlord. Very convincing voice for the student in this one. 7.5/10.

A Rich Full Week by KJ Parker: One of the gems in this collection. A moderately skilled magician is dispatched to the countryside by his order to slay a zombie, who may or may not be magically gifted as well. Nice little twists in this one. 8.5/10.

A Suitable Present for a Sorcerous Puppet by Garth Nix: Light and humorous tale about an injured knight who winds up in all sorts of trouble by trying to find a birthday present for his puppet companion. 6.75/10.

Red Pearls: An Elric Story by Michael Moorcock: Elric travels to the underside of the world in hopes of finding a white sword but is soon drawn into a family feud involving dragons, pirates and slavers. 8/10.

The Deification of Dal Barmore: A Tale from Echo City by Tim Lebbon: Another beauty. A priestess is trying to have an atheist sorcerer crucified on a wall worried that if he is rescued or dies any other way he will be deified. Highly original tale with some really interesting twists. Of all the stories in the collection this is the one that really pushed the boundaries of moral ambiguity in it's characters. 8.5/10.

Dark Times at the Midnight Market: By Robert Silverberg: Interesting if slightly predictable tale about a magical shop-owner who winds up in hot water after selling a love potion to a minor noble. 8/10.

The Undefiled by Greg Keyes: I was slightly disappointed in this one considering how much I have enjoyed Keyes work to date. A tale about fool-wolf a warrior possessed by a bloodthirsty goddess who becomes involved in a feud between the followers of two deities. Feels a little too much like a piece plucked from a larger tale. 6.75/10.

Hew the Tintmaster by Michael Shea: Humorous and it has its moments but does tend to drag at times. Tale about a barbarian warrior and a painter who are sent into the far future by a wizard to save the world by painting a mural. 6.75/10.

In the Stacks by Scott Lynch: Lynch is certainly on form in this one. Tale about four wizardry students whose exam involves venturing into a semi-sentient library to return some books. 8.5/10.

Two Lions, a Witch and the War-Robe by Tanith Lee: A clever tale about two lookalike strangers who are forced to try and recover a magical robe. 7.75/10.

The Sea Troll's Daughter by Caitlin R. Kiernan: A clever-take on Beowulf. A lesbian warrior kills a troll but the village elders are reluctant to give her the reward they promised without proof. The body eventually does wash up but with tragic results. Kiernan did an excellent job in moving this one in different directions that kept the reader guessing. 8.5/10.

Thieves of Daring by Bill Willingham: Worst story in the bunch by far. I have nothing against the prose but this is nothing more than a fragment of a story that goes nowhere. Lackluster effort. 4/10.

The Fools Job by Joe Abercrombie: Story about Craw and his crew who are sent off to a village in the middle of nowhere to steal 'a thing'. Brilliant tale with Abercrombie doing what he does best. 9/10.

Overall an interesting collection and there are certainly a few authors whose work I have never encountered before who I will be following up on. 8/10.

Review: The Heroes by Joe Abercrombie

2011-07-09T22:31:00.000-07:00

After months of campaigning in the north the Union army is instructed to be bring the war with Black Dow to a swift conclusion. The two sides converge on an unimportant valley where a forgotten ring of stones (the heroes of the title) rest on a hill. Bremer Dan Gorst a disgraced swordsman and former guard of the king now occupies a redundant office of king's adviser to the war. Gorst seeks either redemption or his own death making him a threat to both sides. Prince Calder, the son of the former King Bethod, is convinced that the new king Black Dow wants to see him dead. He wants nothing to do with the fighting itself but sees an opportunity to gather allies and try to oust Dow. Curden Craw is a veteran of countless battles. He follows the old way and wants to do the right thing. Dow is his chief but Calder is like a son to him and he finds himself caught between the two. Corporal Tunny of the union's first battalion knows what war is all about; how to survive it and do as little as possible. Which is why being saddled with a bunch of raw recruits is a bothersome irritation he could do without. Beck is the son of a famous named man who died at the hands of the Bloody Nine. He is tired of life on the farm and wants to make a name for himself. But he way just get far more than he bargained for. Finree's husband is a good man, weighed down by the deeds of his father he tries to make his way through life with bravery and by doing the right thing. Luckily Firnee is around to balance him through her own ruthlessness and ambition to see that he gets what he deserves.

The first law trilogy was Abercrombie's epic fantasy Best Served Cold was his fantasy thriller and The Heroes is definitely his fantasy war novel. While there are big names on display here Abercrombie does spend a lot of time looking at war from the common soldiers point of view. There are a couple of sequences where Abercrombie will switch POV's along a line on both sides as characters kill each other off which I thought was brilliant and did a great job in building sympathy for both sides. Adding to this was the fact that the actual cause of the war is never discussed in depth although it's obvious it is merely a battleground for Bayaz and his enemies larger battle.

Abercrombie has an uncanny ability to built interesting and unique POV's for his characters and Gorst and Calder were my two favorites by far. Again Abercronbie is able to inject a degree of grim humour into proceedings which ensures that the narrative doesn't get to bogged down with all the violence. The pacing in this one was certainly the tightest we've seen from the author, not surprisingly as the story is centered on the events of a single battle.

Overall this another case of Abercrombie doing what he does best. Highly recommended. 9/10.

Review: River of Blue Fire by Tad Williams

2011-07-02T18:07:00.000-07:00

At the conclusion of the first book Reni and!Xabu having finally entered into the computer-simulated world of otherland had met Sellars, the man who left them clues to get onto the network, plus a group of other people in the same situation, namely having loved one's in a mysterious coma. The meeting was disrupted when Dread, an agent of one of the grail brotherhood, killed Atesco the owner of the mayan-like virtual world they were in. The group was able to escape in the confusion but unbeknownst to them Dread is disguised as a member of their group. The group are soon scattered and forced to make their way through a series of virtual worlds where the consequences of even the slightest mistake could be deadly. Meanwhile Paul Jonas, a mysterious man trapped within the network, memory begins to return and he finally begins piecing things back together.

Like the first book Williams has succeeded in developing a cast of interesting characters with very distinct viewpoints. Most of the action takes place within the virtual worlds and Williams has come up with a few doozies;A cartoon kitchen, an ice age, a warped version of Oz to name just a few. The few scenes in RL (real life) are dedicated to new characters Olga, an online actress who stars in a children's serial and Ramsey the lawyer of Orlando's parents. These two characters seem to have stumbled on a connection between Olga's show and the coma children are falling into but Williams keeps a tight lip on this, just offering tantalizing glimpses. I enjoyed the mystery element that was added by having Dread disguised as one of group and I must admit had fun sifting through the clues William's left to his identity.

There was just one tiny issue that bothered me. Having grown up in Durban, South Africa I was impressed with how well he portrayed the region in the first book. Everything from the layout and the atmosphere was spot on. In this book Renie's father Long Joseph catches a lift with an Afrikaans truck driver, who when speaking says Yah a lot. Ja is the Afrikaans word for yes and is spelt quite differently. A minor blemish I know but after all the obvious research Williams has put in it was a notable oversight.

Overall Williams has once again delivered an interesting read. 8.5/10.

Review: The Thousandfold Thought by R. Scott Bakker

2011-06-17T00:55:00.000-07:00

Having survived the siege of Caraskand the Holy War now has an open road to the city of Shimeh. Kellhus has been proclaimed as a prophet and now has total control of the war. Achamian has finally revealed the existence of Kelhus to the other mandate sorcerers but has decided to aid the prophet and teach him the gonsis. Having been humiliated Conphus is exiled by Kelhus but an unexpected turn of events may make him an even bigger factor than before.

The third volume is definitely more psychologically driven than it's predecessor. Cnaiur has seemingly finally succumbed to his madness and Achamian is forced into a position where he has to confront the very fabric of existence. Bakker does an excellent job here and I found it utterly fascinating watching these character's deepest thoughts unfold. I doubt it is for everyone but needless to say I'm impressed.

Pacing was an area in which Bakker controlled the narrative extremely well. For the first two thirds it moved steadily, and with the arrival at Shimeh and the inevitable confrontations it quickened. Bakker switched here to short, sharp view point changes that gave a frantic feel to proceedings. While some of these confrontations were given a good chance to develop, ie Kelhus and Moenghus others felt too rushed. The Cnaiur-Moenghus meeting was over in two pages and after all the build up this was disappointing. Granted that Bakker's has envisioned this trilogy as part of a larger whole I still think it could have benefited from a more solid conclusion.

Overall Bakker once again delivers a satisfying read, though a more definite conclusion would have been welcome. 8/10.

Review: The Blood Knight by Greg Keyes

2011-06-07T01:15:00.000-07:00

Having finally learned of her uncle Robert's coup of her father's throne Anne Dare sets about gathering a force strong enough to challenge him. However there are those who may wish to use Anne as a figurehead to further their own ambitions. Strange forces are at play and Anne begins to realize that she and her unique new powers may be pawns in a much larger game. Stephen meanwhile is embroiled in a rather delicate situation of his own. Forcibly separated from his companions the foundations of his understanding of the world is tested again as he learns that different factions are in operation in the church. Stephen finds himself charged with the task of recovering the dairy of Virgenya Dare herself. Aspar and Winna set off to try rescue Stephen. This soon turns into a fight for their own survival when a chance encounter with Fend and a woorm lead to them being poisoned by the beast.

Keyes uses the same technique as the previous two installments of ending most chapters on a cliff-hanger before switching view points. Again I feel that this works well in terms of pacing and you can't really complain about it when the next chapter addresses an earlier cliffhanger. The focus is very much on Stephen, Anne and Aspar on this book with Muriele and Leoff, and to a lesser extent Neil and Casio taking back seats. All three characters are forced to confront aspects of themselves that they don't necessarily like.

Having laid the ground work in the first two novels Keyes takes this one in a bit of a different direction; turning some aspects on their head. Where before it seemed obvious where good and evil lay in these books I'm now left wondering whether the 'good' characters are in fact doing the right thing and visa versa with the 'evil' characters. I am certainly anxious to see where Keyes takes this in the final installment.

Overall yet another strong offering from Keyes. 8/10.

Review: On Dark Shores 1: The Lady by JA Clement

2011-05-30T23:57:00.000-07:00

Life for Nereia, an orphaned thief living in the port town of Scarlock, has never been easy. Her parents died when she was in her early teens leaving her to raise her toddler of a sister, Mary, on her own. Nonetheless her inner strength as always gotten her through, allowing her to escape selling herself into prostitution and keeping her sister safely under the radar of Copeland, an uncle of sorts who controls all underground activities in Scarlock. When Copeland rediscovers Mary years later he tries to use her as leverage to force Nereia to participate in his latest scheme. Nereia decides to take Mary and run but Copeland won't let them go that easy, and has more depraved parts to his soul than even he himself suspected.

Clement's greatest strength as a writer is her characterization. It is amazing how well she can breath life into a character, revealing their every nuance in a minimal amount of words. The frequent point of view changes were cleverly used as well to create an even pacing throughout. The world building in this novel was also done well and believable through an almost minimalist approach. Initially the POV characters kept a very insular view, well suited to people who have never left a small town. While some of the other, more traveled characters, later on in the novel left some very tantalizing hints about the larger world that I would very much like to see followed up in future work. My only issue with this novel was the lack of a solid ending. While there is a conclusion of sorts to this chapter in Nereria's and Mary's lives there was a touch too much focus on setting the stage for the next book. This is however a minor blemish and could probably have been eased by shifting the order of a few view points.

Overall Clement has produced a tight, well written debut that whets the appetite for future installments. 8/10.

Review: The Warrior-Prophet by R. Scott Bakker

2011-05-27T19:13:00.000-07:00

Following the events of the last book; the holy war now stands united and begins it's march against the heathen Fanim intent on liberating the holy city of Shimesh. Anasûrimbor Kellhus a Dunyain monk posing as a prince begins to make his move to take control of the holy war and bend it towards his own goal of finding his father. A goal made much easier by his training which enables him to read people and use their own passions to influence them. Kellhus asks Drusas Achamian, a mandate schoolman, to act as his teacher. Achamian is convinced that Kellhus is the harbinger of the second apocalypse and possibly mankind's last hope. The situation severally strains Achamian as he is caught between alerting his fellow schoolman or aiding Kellhus, either course could cause the doom of humanity. Kellhus' actions attract the attention of the consult who have their own plans for the holy war and exert influence through their skin spies who have replaced real soldiers and nobles and they decide that Kellhus needs to be removed.

As the title suggests Kelhus and his development into a messiah like figure is the crux of this novel and the plot line that the others all dance about. The preceding novel setup the characters and history of the world enough that the narrative moves very smoothly throughout this novel. All of the viewpoint characters, including dozens not named above, all have their own agendas and the intersection of these and the political maneuvering that ensues is fascinating. A number of large scale battles are fought as the holy war marches on and it is here where Bakker shines. These battles are told from a god-like perspective which almost makes the holy war seem like a character unto itself.

In sum all of the things Bakker did right in his debut he does again here and the quickened flow of the narrative makes this a touch better than it's predecessor. 8.75/10.

Review: Tome of the Undergates by Sam Sykes

2011-05-03T02:30:00.000-07:00

Lenk is a man with his fair share of problems. He is short, his hair has already turned white despite his youth and he is an adventurer; a profession despised everywhere. Not just an adventurer but the leader of a band of adventurer’s who all seem intent on killing each other. The band in question's latest job is escorting an esteemed clergyman, easy enough until a band of eloquent pirates attacks the ship they're on. Even the pirates are confused when a band of fishmen led by a strange demon steal a tome from the priest. Not just any tome but one with the power of releasing demons back onto the earth. After some negotiation Lenk and his band are charged with retrieving the tome from the seemingly invulnerable demon. To top it all off Lenk is beginning to hear a voice in his head telling him to kill...

After the first chapter I began to wonder if this would work; the byplay with the rather eloquent pirates and the infighting between Lenk's companions was interesting but seemed a bit over the top. Could Sykes flesh out his characters and make them more believable? The answer is a resounding yes and the development of the characters is definitely Sykes strong suite and the real focus of the book, which helps when the plot does get a bit over the top. All of Lenk's band has some really strong personal issues that Sykes works through and all are well done. Well all of them except for the possible exception of the priestess Asper. Given the revelations that are presented later in the book I would have liked to have seen this shadowed earlier on as it didn't quite gel for me.

The World building aspect was a bit erratic. While I am intrigued by the non-human races introduced I found it odd that the some of the more educated members of the band didn't know the Rega are virtually extinct.

Pacing is an issue Sykes has come in for criticism for, though I feel this is largely unfounded. While the initial confrontation on the ship did take up a around 160 pages what many reviewers have failed to note is that the font size is large, making it closer to about 70-80 odd pages in an average book. More importantly not once did I feel this section dragged. The last part of the book on the other hand could have been culled a bit.

Overall Sykes has produced a strong debut, with some interesting characters that develop interestingly across the book. I hope he fleshes out the world a bit more in subsequent books. 7.25/10.

Review: Tongue of Serpents by Naomi Novik

2011-04-23T23:33:00.000-07:00

After Lien's decimation of the British fleet the government is fearful of Temeraire's divine wind and this coupled with Laurence's status as a traitor sees both shipped off to the colony in Sydney where they will both be out of the way. The duress of the journey is for them to begin a dragon covert in Australia with three dragon eggs. Upon their arrival Laurence discovers that the governor has been been displaced in a military coup and both sides are clamoring for his support. Feeling that their situation can only worsen by helping either side Laurence and the rest of the corps set off on an expedition to find a pass from Sydney through the Blue Mountains. However on the way one of the dragon eggs is stolen, supposedly by smugglers who may or may not be operating in the area, setting up a chase across the continent to retrieve the egg.

Early on in the series I was concerned that each sequel would just end up following the same structure of the first book, as Throne of Jade obviously does. Victory of Eagles impressed me from this perspective as it was decidedly different from the earlier books and while the same can be said for Tongue of Serpents there are other large problems.

Most of book comprises an overextended travelogue across Australia. The dangers the crew faces from the environment and local fauna lacks the tension that the war and other obstacles the previous book contained. Tellingly neither Laurence nor Temeraire really grow as characters either and having parts of the story narrated from Temeraire's perspective no longer has the novelty value to make up for this. There are certainly some interesting developments in the war that are mentioned in passing but these will only be addressed in a future volume. On the positive side many of the elements that Novik has done so well including Temeraire's charm as character and the byplay of the characters remain, as well as the introduction of a couple of promising dragons. So at least fans of the series should be kept interested.

Overall this would have to be considered the weakest volume of the series with not much happening and the tension sorely missing. Many of the elements that interested readers before however remain. Hopefully a return to form will be on the cards. 7/10.

Review: Against All Things Ending by Stephen R. Donaldson

2011-04-16T19:30:00.000-07:00

I'm really enjoying Donaldson's Last Chronicles of Thomas Covenant so much so that I'm considering reading the first and second chronicles again. See while I did enjoy them well enough all those years ago I don't know if I really appreciated them. The Covenant books aren't for everybody; if you're looking for a light and fluffy easy-read stay well clear. The Covenant books are highly complex and deeply engrossing; simply put in my humble opinion they are nothing short of masterpieces.

Through the combined power of her staff of law, Loric's krill and Thomas Covenant's white gold wedding ring Linden Avery has successfully brought her lover back to life. But there is a price. Unleashing such a large amount of raw power has roused the worm at world's end which will now devour the Land itself. Not only that but Thomas Covenant has not come back quite as Linden would have hoped for. Being part of the Arch of Time for centuries has left Covenant in possession of virtually all knowledge. Something his mortal frame cannot contain. Covenant struggles to stay in the present falling into cracks in his own mind which leave him in a catatonic state. Linden believes that the problem of the worm is far beyond her and resolves instead to rescue her son from Thomas' son Roger and the symbiotic croyel which has taken control of him.

The first part of the book seemed to lag for me as for about the first hundred pages Linden and her companions seemed to stand around trying to figure out what to do. This is only a minor blemish and the pace picked up after that, contrasting nicely with the breakneck battle and chase scenes to the more sedate traveling scenes. As always Donaldson gets right into Linden's head bearing all of her own insecurities and self doubt like no other author is capable of. This is where Donaldson's work has been labeled depressing and there is no doubt a level of maturity is demanded from the reader. The payoff of the lesson Linda learns is revealed beautifully with her conversation with Stave later on in the book and is well worth it. We also get to see things form Thomas Covenant's perspective for the first time since the second chronicles and it is certainly interesting to observe the effects being in the arch has had on him. The book concludes with same major story arcs resolved for both Covenant and Linden and sets thing up nicely for the finale.

Overall if you've enjoyed Donaldson's writing before you will do so again. 8.75/10.

Review: Exiles vol.1 (1-100) by Marvel Comics

2011-04-05T22:58:00.000-07:00

During one of the issues a member of the exiles compares what they do to the 90's television show Sliders. Well close enough I guess. If you look at Exiles as a cross between sliders and X-Men you're right on the money.

A group of six mutants are plucked from their respective lives and dumped into a desert. There a short, balding man in a bow-tie calling himself the time broker, who claims to be a figment of their collective subconscious' informs them that they have become unhinged from time. In essence something has gone wrong in their respective timelines which has ruined their lives (For example Morph is now a jar of ooze lying forgotten somewhere in Beast's lab) this is the result of errors in other timelines causing a domino effect. The only way the Exiles can go back to their lives is to repair the time stream through a series of missions.

Looking at the initial lineup it is clear that the creators wanted to utilize characters that hadn't seen much screen time in the main Marvel universe. Age of Apocalypse Blink leads a team consisting of Mimic (who was an X-Men for a about five minutes in the main universe but leads the team on his own), a version of Morph similar to the AOA version, Thunderbird who was once under Apocalypse's control as his horseman War before breaking free, Nocturne daughter of Nightcrawler and the Scarlett Witch and Joseph son of Rogue and Magneto. With AOA Blink's popularity there was a very real danger that this book would just be about her but this is clearly not the case and all the characters get ample screen time. The character development here is superb and one of my favorite examples is Mimic's struggles to deal with their missions which often require a fatal solution. Mimic is his reality's version of Captain America and he now finds himself put into a position where he has to kill people he knows as heroes. His struggle with how to deal with this is fascinating.

Right from the get go it is obvious that there will be no punches pulled in this series and one of the original lineup is killed off on the first mission. The writers make full use of the advantage that they aren't dealing with characters from the main marvel universe without taking it too far. One of the most enjoyable aspects of the series is seeing the very different versions of the marvel universe the characters get to visit, everything from plague driven zombie worlds to world's without super heroes.

The series continues on very strongly up until about the seventieth issue where it really goes down hill. From that point on the stories don't always make sense and are often rushed and the character development of earlier issues disappears. Still there is a few signs in the 100th issue that the New Exiles might recapture the glory days of the original series.

Overall Exiles is a great series that is strongly character driven. The last thirty odd issues are a bit of a letdown but did enough right that I will check out the new exiles. 8.5/10

Review: Captain in the Cauldron: The John Smit Story by John Smit and Mike Greenaway

2011-04-02T14:26:00.000-07:00

I first became really interested in rugby around 1996/1997 at the age of twelve. One of my Dad's client's had a corporate box at Kings Park and we used to go down to watch the Sharks play virtually every home game. It was also during this period that a young man by the name of John Smit started playing for the Sharks. I watched firsthand while John went from an unknown to the longest serving Springbok captain in history and having the chance to read his autobiography I jumped at it.

First things first; Smit has written this book at the right time, when his career is starting to wind down. There has been a recent trend for sports biographies to come out earlier, (ala Kevin Pieterson) to take advantage of a high profile event (ala England winning the Ashes) and I find this generally lowers the quality as the sport star concerned isn't at the right maturity level and it can degenerate into a mudsling/self praise exercise. No such problems exist here. John strikes the right balance between respecting his peers and not shying away from being blunt when necessary. His takes on Luke Watson and Kevin Putt are good examples of this and I was both impressed and surprised at how frank he was about the politics in Springbok rugby considering he is still playing. Like most autobiographies the story follows John from childhood up until recent times, though the trap of focusing too much on the early days is avoided and the meat of this book deals with the rugby period of his life as it should.

My only criticism would be that there are some areas I would have liked to have seen dealt with that are strangely overlooked, like Smit's feeling on Jake White being pushed out of the Springbok coaching setup after the world cup triumph.

Overall Smit's book is clear and concise and gives an in depth look into the springbok setup. I highly recommend it to supporters of the man himself or Springbok rugby in general. 8.75/10 cauldron

Review: Rhapsody: Child of Blood by Elizabeth Haydon

2011-03-26T18:59:00.000-07:00

I watched the movie Return to OZ when I was five or six years old. I don't remember much about it just bits and pieces of a few scenes that and the fact that I enjoyed it. I keep meaning to watch again but I never do, part of me is afraid that it won't measure up to my expectations and ruin a good childhood memory. Perhaps that's why I'm not much of a re-reader, having not reread almost anything baring Tolkien and Jordan. Thus it was with a fair amount of trepidation that I reread Elizabeth Haydon's debut novel Rhapsody recently. Sure it was great all those years ago but I hadn't read much fantasy up until then. What if it didn't measure up?

The story opens with a rather intriguing prologue. A mysterious being named Meridian is tampering with time and plucks a teenage boy named Gwydion from his own time and dumps him several hundred years in the past. Gwydion meets a girl named Emily and begins to panic when he realizes that he has been placed on the continent of Serendair which was destroyed hundreds of years ago in a natural disaster. Gwydion quickly falls in love with Emily and surmises that he has been sent back in time to save her and with his knowledge of the future believes this is possible. The two consummate their relationship and Gwydion promises to meet Emily's parents the next day. However Gwydion is suddenly sent back to his own time and believes that Emily perished hundred of years before, while Emily believes that Gwydion abandoned her.

Flash forward several years later and Emily is now Rhapsody a recently graduated singer/namer of great power on the run from a ruthless thug named Michael who developed an obsession with her while she worked as a prostitute. Rhapsody encounters two mysterious men, Grunther and the brother, who aid her against Michael's goons. Inadvertently Rhapsody uses her abilities to rename the brother as Achmed the snake freeing him from the clutches of a F'dor, a demon born from fire who controlled him through his name. The two men had learned of the F'dor's plot wake up the giant worm in the center of the earth to destroy the world and had decided to flee to another continent. Achmed quickly realizes Rhapsody's power offers another option and leads the three of them deep into the earth where Rhapsody alters the worm's name so it can't hear the demon's call. After a seemingly endless journey through the earth the three at last emerge to find hundreds of years have passed and they are now on another continent with Serendair destroyed long before. The three set about rebuilding their lives in the new world but Achmed secretly fears the F'dor may have followed them.

Haydon has a very fluid writing style, reminiscent of Feist's and Wurts's Empire series, that keeps the narrative moving. The action is told from the primary character's point of view but can change from sentence to sentence if another character has an interesting observation. The byplay between the three protagonists remains witty and entertaining throughout without being over the top and one of Haydon's crowning achievements is how effectively she shows them grow into a family, albeit a dysfunctional one. Dialogue is not her only forte and Haydon descriptive style absolutely shines when describing everything form monuments to landscape. The World building is solid encompassing several thousand years of history and drawing on some of the pillars of the genre and taking them in some very different directions. While the magic system is nowhere near as elaborate as Jordan's or Sanderson's it is interesting and shows Haydon's background in music and folklore.

The plot could have taken a rather predictable turn of events once the three arrived in the new world but Haydon mixes things up nicely and we do get a solid resolution though the ending makes it evident that the plot lines introduced in the prologue are still waiting to be explored.

Overall Haydon's debut novel was just as good as I remembered. Which makes it doubly tragic that she seems to have disappeared off the face of the earth leaving two more books in the series unwritten. Elizabeth if you're reading this you are simply too talented a writer to leave this series unfinished. 8/5.10

Review: Dune Messiah by Frank Herbert

2011-02-14T22:30:00.000-08:00

noticable flaws. 6/10.

Twelve years have passed since the events of Dune. Paul Atreides is firmly in control of an empire brought together through a jihad that has conquered most of the human universe and his control of spice; a drug most of the populace is addicted to. However things are not as secure as they first appear. The Bene Gesserit, the spacing guild and Tleilaxu are hatching a plot to unseat him. They are joined by Princess Irulan, Paul's wife, who is furious that Paul refuses to produce an heir with her and that he much prefers his concubine Chani. Through the powers of guild navigator Edric the conspiracy is hidden from Paul's ability to see the future. Although Paul might be aware of more than anyone guesses and the futures he sees are all grim.

The most striking thing about this sequal is how little action there is. Even the scenes that should contain it are absolutely sprinted through. Although only a fraction of the length of Dune; this makes Messiah really drag in places. Again there are times when Herbert suffers from the inability to convey the ideas running around in his head to the audience and while Paul's protagonists are certainly less one dimensional than Baron Vladimir their motivations remain rather unclear. Though some people might find Paul more whinny than the first novel I felt that his characterization was really the saving grace for this novel. I really thought the inner struggle between a man trapped and forced to choose from a number of undesirable futures was well portrayed.

Overall Dune messiah is not a bad novel but suffers from a number of glaring weaknesses 6/10.

Review: Victory of Eagles by Naomi Novik

2011-02-04T21:11:00.000-08:00

Following on from the events of Empire of Ivory Captain Will Laurence has been branded a traitor and Temeraire has been sent to a breeding ground, believing Laurence's well being is subject to his good behaviour. Napoleon meanwhile has renewed his efforts to cross the channel and quickly succeeds in landing troops on British soil. Needing every dragon they can muster the British government despatches Laurence to retrieve Temeraire. However Temeraire receives false intelligence that Laurence has been killed in action and rouses the population of the breeding grounds into a militia to attack Napoleon's forces on their own. Laurence eventually catches up with Temeraire as he journeys through the countryside but even reunited their situation is still bleak.

Something that worried me in the early books of this series was that the structure of the plot was similar across those works so I'm glad to see Novik going in a very different direction with this one. The story very much focus on the different ways Laurence and Temeraire deal with their decision to bring the cure of the plague to France and for the first time a very big chunk of the story is told from Temeraire's perspective. What struck me about this is despite Temeraire's intelligence how incredibly naive he is which is rather unsurprising as he isn't more than a few years old now and I think Novik gets this spot on. It's also interesting to finally see Temeraire spreading his ideas about the treatment of dragons to the other dragons in Britain as the series has been building up to this for a long time. Laurence feels much darker than the previous book and his decision has hit him hard and leads him to some self-destructive behaviour, his inner turmoil is apparent and here Novik succeeds again. Finally after all the traipsing about the globe it is great to finally have a story set firmly in Britain with the war in complete focus.

Overall another strong offering from Novik. 8/10.

Review: Deadbeat by Jim Butcher

2011-01-30T19:26:00.000-08:00

Harry is not in the best of spaces right now. He is still having trouble getting used to his crippled hand and his half-vampire half-brother Thomas has issues of his own which he won’t share. What’s worse is that Karrin Murphy, Harry’s best friend and potential love interest, is off to Hawaii for a romantic getaway with a dangerous mercenary named Kincaid and Harry is stuck watering her plants. Things only go down hill when uber-vampire Marva threatens to destroy Murphy’s reputation unless Harry helps her retrieve a mystical book known as the word of Kemmler, a book which several powerful necromancers are determined to find as well.

What’s really evident in this book is how all the stuff Harry has been through is beginning to take it’s toll on him and Butcher really captures Harry's fatigue and frustration well. Harry is afraid to draw on his fire magic after the damage done to his hand and the people around Harry are beginning to notice that something isn’t quite right with him. Robbed of his usual assistance from Murphy, Harry finds aid from the unlikely source of a middle-aged polka playing mortician named Butters, whose character also develops interestingly, if slightly predictably, throughout the book. Lasciel, the fallen angel who gained a foothold in Harry’s mind by him
picking up the Roman coin she is housed in, also features prominently and is bound to play an even larger role in future installments. The way she subtly tries to tempt Harry is masterfully done.

Overall Dead Beat is another solid instalment in the Dresden files. 8.25/10

Review: Towers of Midnight by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson

2011-01-03T21:05:00.000-08:00

Having finally overcome his inner turmoil the dragon reborn, Rand al'Thor, travels to the White Tower. There he informs the new Amyrlin Seat, Egwene al'Vere his intentions for facing the Dark One; Rand plans to destory the remaining seals on the Dark One's prision and release him so he can be faced while they still have some degree of strength left. Egwene is shocked at this proclamation and sets about gathering together the various nations’ leaders and their armies to confront Rand and try and change his mind. Meanwhile Perrin and his forces are slowly making their way towards Caemlyn but encounter a snag when they run across a White Cloak army which has captured some of his people. The White Cloaks are now led by Gawyn Trakand who is determined to see that Perrin is brought to justice for the murder of two White Cloaks years earlier. Perrin is forced into a corner where the only option seems to be to face the White Cloak army, while he is reaching the culmination of his struggle with his inner wolf. Mat Cauthon is already in Caemlyn but has problems of his own; he is still hunted by the golem and he intends to travel with the Thom and Noal to the Tower of Genji in an effort to save Moiraine.

Like the previous volume the first few scenes had me worried that Sanderson wouldn't capture the spirit of the characters properly. Siuan Sanche came across as an overly exaggerated part of her personality and was dropping fisherman's metaphors every second line and Gawyn felt off as well. Thankfully this issue was overcome again once Sanderson got into his stride and I think he got Gawyn in particular right. Mat and to a lesser extent Perrin also felt off in the previous volume but there are no such issues with them this time around and Mat in particular felt just right.

The Gathering Storm focused on Rand and Egwene and while the narative is a bit more spread this time around there is a strong focus on Perrin and Mat. Again we are treated to scenes that have been years, sometimes decades, in the making and these are handled really well. Even the mystery of Asmodean's killer is finally put to rest. Unlike the previous volume it is evidently apparent that the last battle is upon us and there are some amazingly strongly handled fight scenes coming out of the borderlands. A special treat for me was Aviendha's journey to Rhuidain and I definitely feel that the strongest scene in the book came out of this.

Overall the penultimate Wheel of Time book is another hit and it was nice to see the minor issues with the Gathering Storm were worked out. Bring on a Memory of Light. 9/10

Review: Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson

2010-12-30T13:31:00.000-08:00

Years ago King Galivar of Alethkar was assassinated; plunging the kingdom into a war of vengeance on a ruined landscape called the Shattered Plains. Here the various princes fight separately against the same foe, more interested in securing gem hearts and their own personal glory than in winning the war. Bright lord Dalinar Kohlin, brother of the late king, grows increasingly frustrated with this situation and is troubled by his brother's dying words that have pointed him towards an obscure text called the Way of Kings. What's more during high storms Dalinar is plagued by visions that have him doubting his own sanity. Kaladin, a slave who has recently been brought to the shattered plains, finds himself assigned to a bridge crew whose sole purpose is to run bridges to a battlefield and draw enemy fire. Haunted by past failures Kaladin is caught on a knife edge of either giving up or trying one last time to aid those around him. Meanwhile a young woman named Shallan is seeking to train under an enigmatic scholar called Jasnah who also happens to be the king's sister. Her motives are less than pure as she plans a daring theft to steal an object of magical power, her only hope to save her troubled family.

Sanderson has really put a lot of effort into building a believable planet in Roshar with a deep history and it really shows. Lashed by periodic storms the creatures and plant life have evolved to survive the harsh conditions. Sanderson describes these in exquisite detail and is aided by illustrations taken from Shallan's drawing book. One of the most interesting creatures are called Spren and are drawn to different types of emotions and phenomena. The history in question is deep and we only scratch the surface in the opening novel.

The action is told primarily through the three protagonists point of view but there are various interludes from other characters that are set to feature in subsequent novels. Sanderson captures the inner turmoil of Dalinar and Kaladin brilliantly and while I found Shallan slightly harder to relate to I believe he did a good job in portraying her naivety. The structure tends to have alternating chapters from two of the story lines at a time with the other taking a back seat. Sanderson seems to have done this as an alternative to what he has seen in other longer series like the Wheel of Time. While I do feel that this structure should be given more of a chance I am less than convinced with it's effectivness and found myself constantly wondering what was occurring in the storyline currently sitting out. Although a number of plotlines are naturally left unresolved there are definite conclusions to arcs introduced for each of the three protagonists. There has been a bit of debate around the character's morality, namely whether they are either black or white or fit into shades of grey. My own take is that the three main protagonists are all morally good (even Shallan), though some minor characters are definitely in grey territory. Most notably Dalinar's chief rival Sadeas who is certainly more than a simple villain and a character that intrigued me.

Anyone who has read any of Brandon's work before will know that most of his books are set in the same universe with a recurring character named Hoid making sporadic appearances. Hoid is here again and features far more prominently than before even having a chapter told from his perspective. As always Brandon has some well thought out magic systems in play. Though they are less well defined and understood than in his previous work, partly due to the characters lack of knowledge and partly due to this being a longer series and I'm sure all will be revealed in time.

Overall Way of Kings is a solid opening to one of the most ambitious fantasy series in decades. 8.25/10.

Review: A man Rides through by Stephen R. Donaldson

2010-12-26T21:05:00.000-08:00

With Geraden, who has been accused of his brother's murder, having fled the castle Theresa finds herself imprisoned for her part in his escape. Her situation worsens quickly with the unhinged Castellan Lebbick being given permission to use whatever means necessary to get the truth from her. Theresa is finally able to get to the bottom of who is behind the imagery attacks throughout Mordant and discovers her own talent for imagery which allows her to escape. Together with Geraden Mordant's only hope of survival rests in her hands.

Donaldson did a great job opening this novel which caught my attention from the very beginning. Instead of directly addressing the cliff-hanger ending from the first book he kind of worked his way around it from the Castellan's perspective which was highly interesting to say the least. The Castellan is an interesting character, having lost almost everything he has cared about and remaining steadfastly loyal to king Joyse who appears to have lost his mind, he is pushed to the breaking point and beyond. He and the Tor are placed in rather similar positions yet go in different directions before finally arriving at a similar fate. Theresa and Gerdan certainly develop as characters and put most of their self-doubt behind them and really mature in themselves and finally as a couple.

In the first volume the action was primarily restricted to Orison castle but Donaldson treats us to a bit of a tour de force of Mordant which doesn't quite work for me as we offered nothing more than glimpses into some intriguing places. I highly recommend any authors writing series with bloated character perspectives to note Donaldson's excellent treatment of the King Joyse and Myste and the champion’s story lines. Since they aren't central to the main plot line we only learn what Theresa knows as she learns about it, a perfect example of how to tie in multiple story arcs without the clutter.

Overall A man rides through it a fitting conclusion to a great duology. 8/10.

Review: The Summer Tree by Guy Gavriel Kay

2010-12-18T21:18:00.000-08:00

It’s funny how a book can develop a reputation. It’s even funnier when the reputation of the book in question is based on nothing more than hearsay. One such book is Guy Gavriel Kay’s The Summer Tree. It was Kay’s first novel written during the 1980’s and there is a perception that it is nowhere near as good as Kay’s subsequent work, that it has dated badly and that it should be slotted into the young adult category. Oddly enough most of these comments seem to stem from people who have either A) not read the novel in question at all or B) ‘got a few pages in before giving up’. I have learnt much to my pleasure that these people don’t know what they’re talking about.

The story begins with five university students attending a lecture and meeting a man who was much more than he appeared. Loren Silvercloack is a Wizard from another world, the first of all worlds in fact called Fionavar. Loren convinces the five of them to journey with him back to his world under the presumption that they were to be guests in the festivities celebrating the fiftieth year of the reign of Aielell the high king of Brennin. Loren, however, has an ulterior motive and is convinced that the drought affecting the kingdom is unnatural and that the five students will have a large role to play in shaping Fionavar’s future.

Like a number of other works from that time, such as that of Scott-Rohan, the story is told through an archaic style prose reminiscent of the epics, though Kay breaks this up nicely considering five of the protagonists are from modern-day earth. The story itself moves along at a good clip which works well though does lead to my only criticism. Namely that the five students agree too easily to accompany Loren back to Fionavar which struck me as a touch unrealistic. Paul and Jennifer’s reasons are explored a little later in the book and having Dave try to change his mind at the last minute was a nice touch, this is still an area I would have liked to have seen explored more. The characters themselves are well realized with their backgrounds from their different lives on earth effecting the way they perceive Fionavar. I found the scenes of Paul on the Summer Tree particularly powerful, I advise anyone who classes this book as young adult to have another read through those scenes and see if they still hold the same opinion.

Overall I believe that not enough people give Kay’s first book a fair chance as it is certainly both well-written and powerful. 8/10.

Review: The Charnel Prince by Greg Keyes

2010-11-14T23:39:00.000-08:00

The kingdom of Crotheny has been thrown into chaos with the death of King William and other members of the royal family. The Briar King, a figure out of myth, has awoken from eons of slumber causing an epidemic of madness to sweep the countryside turning peaceful villagers into flesh eating monsters. Queen Muriele attempts to maintain order but is stalked by treachery on every side. She sends her protector Neil MeqVren to search for her last surviving daughter Ann. Ann meanwhile, along with Cazio, Astra and z’Acatto is searching for a way to return home and is only just beginning to understand the forces arrayed against her and the role she might play in the future. Meanwhile Aspar, Winn and Stephen have been given a magical artifact by the church and charged with slaying the Briar King. Aspar however has his doubts that the Briar King is truly evil, having had his life saved once before by the mythical figure.

The second book in the series largely follows the same cast of characters from the first book with one notable exception; the composer Leoff. Leoff had been appointed as court composer by King William but arrives when the situation has drastically changed. His character is certainly interesting and I liked the way music is used as a different power for influencing events. Keyes uses this well in setting up the finale of the book which might have gone down the ‘bring all the characters together for a massive confrontation’ route otherwise. The returning characters remain interesting, I especially liked the way Neil and Anne grew up throughout this book as these two seem to have most effected by the events of the first book. There are some intriguing hints that Aspar and Stephen may have been changed on a more physical level that will no doubt be explored in a subsequent book. I just hope Keyes doesn’t take the whole tired ‘organized religion’ is fundamentally evil route and goes with a more interesting concept when the role of the church in these events is revealed.

Overall the Charnel Prince is another strong offering from Keyes 8.25/10.

Review: The Mirror of Her Dreams by Stephen R. Donaldson

2010-10-16T21:19:00.000-07:00

Terisa is a woman with self-worth issues. Growing up as the only daughter of rich but neglectful parents has left her doubting her own existence. As a result she had decorated her apartment with dozens of mirrors to remind herself that she does in fact exist. She has also taken a job as a secretary at a mission house believing she might make a difference. However that notion is soon shattered when she sees that despite how hard the reverend tries he is ineffective. Terisa’s life is turned upside down when a young man named Geraden falls through one of her mirrors. Geraden seems just as surprised about his arrival as he had seen a mighty warrior in the mirror and came across to recruit him as a champion to save his world. Instead he found Terisa. Geraden believes that there are larger forces at work and convinces Terisa to come with him through the mirror. What she finds is a kingdom in danger ruled by a monarch well past his prime and ineffectual. With enemy forces gathering on every side can Terisa make a difference?

What I really enjoyed about this novel is how well it effortlessly combined a number of genres most notably fantasy and mystery. As Terisa was baffled as to what particular character’s motivations were so was I and I love to be kept guessing like that. Donaldson does a particularly excellent job of getting into Terisa’s head and the way her doubts and preconceptions colored everything she encountered was masterful. The magic system of imagery was well thought out and far more interesting than that of the Covenant books. Fans of Sanderson’s enigmatic magic systems will be left speechless. The only negative issue was a slight pacing one, as the beginning was a bit slow but aside from that this was a first-class read.

Overall I’m surprised that the Mirror of Her Dreams does not seem to be held in as high Esteem as the Covenant books. In my humble opinion it’s just as good if not a good deal better. After the cliffhanger ending I’m looking forward to reading the conclusion. 8.75/10

Essay: Readers are not your bitch

2010-10-09T14:37:00.000-07:00

It’s a debate that never seems to go away within the fantasy/sci-fi community; are authors obligated to their readers to have the next book in a series out in a set frame of time? The argument has often focused on George R.R. Martin and the next Song of Ice and Fire book A Dance With Dragons but not exclusively so. For the record here is where I stand in the debate; Of course authors are not obligated to work within such timeframes and should pursue side projects if they are that way inclined. By buying a book the reader has paid for that particular piece of literature and that piece of literature alone. Of course it is only common curtsey for an author to try and keep their readership updated with where things stand.

A recent event has recently made me reexamine the argument from a different angle, namely are readers obligated to the authors? The event in question is Melanie Rawn’s announcement on her website that TOR have cancelled the third book in the Spellbinder series, an urban fantasy/paranormal romance trilogy, due to poor sales but have signed her up to another trilogy closer to the epic fantasy of her earlier days. Rawn’s antics once the news was broken has left me, well quite simply baffled.

Before I get into that I think it is important to provide some background information. This is the second trilogy in a row that Rawn is leaving incomplete, the earlier one being Exiles. The second installment of that series came out in 1997 and ended in a cliffhanger. Melanie underwent some family troubles and a bout of depression that initially left her unable to complete the final volume The Captals Tower. Once Rawn felt herself able to write again she started on Spellbinder. As far as The Captals Tower goes it appears she has done no work on it whatsoever, aside from some possible research a few years ago, and has made no announcement when or if she will ever complete it.

When Melanie made this announcement that Spellbinder was cancelled needless to say that her fan base was not enthused which seems to have come as a surprise to Melanie. She then seems to have had something of a child’s tantrum. With the reaction not being what she expected she took the announcement down. On her website is a thread where her fans can come and rant about the Captals Tower, a place that Rawn has said herself she doesn’t go so fans can go and vent their frustrations without upsetting the author. Yet after the announcement when people were on there voicing their disappoint she turned up with a few catty remarks. On another thread when a reader voiced the opinion that he or she now waits for a series to be completed before buying and reading it Melanie came out and said she doesn’t understand that. Oh come on a reader has been waiting thirteen years so far for a conclusion to Exiles and there is still no end in sight and the author can’t understand that type of behavior? While it is obvious this latest setback is not Melanie’s fault she could have handled it a lot better. With the first two spellbinder books selling poorly there is little chance that another publisher will pickup the third but there is nothing stopping Melanie from self publishing it or posting it on her website. At the time of writing Rawn has made no announcement whatsoever about this book and she shouldn’t be surprised if her fan base doesn’t share the same enthusiasm for the proposed next trilogy. What seems to have set Melanie off is that if her readers take the wait and see approach then her new series will have just as poor sales as Spellbinder did, yet Melanie seems to believe that the readers should buy whatever she writes just because she wrote it. Readers have no such obligation and there is enough of a market out there that they won’t ever have to. Melanie Rawn it times for you to realise your readers are not your bitch.

Review: The Adamantine Palace by Stephen Deas

2010-10-05T21:40:00.000-07:00

The speaker of the realms, Lord Hyram, is riddled with a strange sickness that is gradually destroying him. He is due to name his replacement and the obvious candidate is Queen Shezira with whom he had an earlier agreement. Prince Jehal however has other ideas. He sets in motion an elaborate scheme to seize power for himself. Against the backdrop of political byplay nobody seems to notice that the loss of a white dragon might have severe consequences. Dragon’s are kept docile through potions mixed by the alchemists, now the white is starting to remember her true nature…and how humans have enslaved her and all her kind.

Dea’s novel sets off at a breakneck pace and the reader is initially left with very little opportunity to actually get to know the protagonists. As the novel wore on I thought that Deas settled into a better rhythm but still everything felt too rushed. Prince Jehal is masterfully realized and really steals the show as the arrogant upstart prince. However aside from one or two of the other POV characters everyone else feels flat and underrealized.

World building is another area that Deas could have fleshed out considerably more. The political system is a medieval type setup with kings and queens controlling their own territory, answerable only to the speaker who is charged with keeping the peace. The political byplay is certainly interesting but several steps removed from a Martin or even a Jordan. The fact that Jehal seemed to carry out every aspect of his plan almost single-handedly felt extremely unrealistic. I don’t think there is a monarch around who has never heard of delegation. The individual cultures that are bound to exist in these kingdoms are never explored and makes the world feel entirely one dimensional.

The premise with the dragons was intriguing and I liked the direction Deas is going with it. Keeping it in the background worked well in creating a sense of impending disaster. In Deas’ favour he is easily injects humor into his banter without having it clash with the darker nature of the story. Although the issue of the speaker is more or less resolved by the end of the book, none of the other plotlines are. I realize that this is just the start of a series but it made the ending anticlimactic.

Overall I don’t feel like Deas is giving us anything really new here. What he does give is good but there are a lot of authors doing it better. The flaws in his writing are certainly not fatal and I expect Deas will come back strongly and realize his obvious potential. 6.25/10.

Review: Under Heaven by Guy Gavriel Kay

2010-10-02T22:37:00.000-07:00

Shen Tai has spent the last two years among the dead. In an effort to honour the memory of his recently deceased father he has been burying the unnumbered dead on an isolated battle site. He makes no distinction between those of his own people, the Kitan, and the bones of their former enemies. As a result he is honoured by both sides who supply him with the necessary provisions to survive. Shen’s life is changed forever when he learns that the princess Cheng-Wan has decided to bequeath two hundred and fifty Sardian horses to him. One such horse is enough to reward a man greatly, four or five will raise him far beyond his peers, two-hundred and fifty is an unthinkable gift more than even the emperor himself has. Before Shen can even consider what such a gift will mean he is surprised by the arrival of Chou Yan, an old friend bearing some important news. Before he can give this news he is slain by his Kanlan guard who was secretly an assassin in disguise charged with killing Shen. Shen survives the attempt but is shaken as the assassin was sent after him before he was given the horses. Shen has little choice but to return to attempt to return to the capital, hoping answers may be found there.

Like many of Kay’s previous novels Under Heaven is based on a particular time period namely 8th century China. A number of other authors have utilized Chinese culture in fantasy settings but what sets Kay apart is the way Kay seamlessly weaves an unfamiliar worldview and way of thinking about the characters and makes it feel…well normal and believable. Something I noticed in some of Kay’s earlier novels was an overarching theme; namely the world is filled with interconnecting stories. This theme is present here as well and is conveyed well through the use of character perspectives. Most of the novel is told from Shen’s perspective but are broken up by chapters from other usually minor characters view of events. Kay does a good job of conveying that while the events of Shen’s story have an impact on them they are in the middle of their own stories. Indeed the direction the story took at the three-quarter mark was intriguing. There is an all important war being fought but the reader gets no more than glimpses of it as Shen decides his life lies in another direction.

Overall I’d have to say that Under Heavn is the best Kay novel I’ve read so far. 9/10.

Series Review: The Heritage of Shannara by Terry Brooks

2010-09-11T23:18:00.000-07:00

Although loosely connected Brook's first three novels were most defintely standalone and I was interested to see how he would handle the challenge of a series.

The first book does a reasonable job of setting things up; The shade of Allanon has charged the Ohmsfords with fulfilling quests in order to save Shannara from the threat of the federation and the mysterious Shadowen that are pulling their strings. The only major problem was the glaring sameness that some of the characters share with previous incarnations. Especially Par and Coll who are strikingly similar to Shea and Flick from the original Sword of Shanara and Morgan Leah who is just like all of his ancestors. Also all of the characters had far too obvious motivations to be all that interesting.

Brooks rectified this in the two subsequent novels by introducing a few rather intriguing characters, including Quickening and Pe Ell, who were definitely painted in shades of grey and kept me guessing right until the end. The greater focus provided by following only a few characters was also welcome and allowed major story arcs to be resolved, thus avoiding an obvious pitfall of many such series.

The final volume didn't tie things together as well as I would have liked with Brooks over relying on repetitive events to bring the characters together. How many times can these characters get captured? Wren and Walker Boh's developing characters really saved the show here for me.

Overall the Heritage of Shannara was a solid series but it is obvious at this stage in his development there were still certainly areas for Brooks to work on to complete the transition from standalone novels to writing a series. 7.25/10

The Scions of Shannara 7.25/10
The Druid of Shannara 8/10
The Elf Queen of Shannara 8/10
The Talismans of Shannara 7/10

Review: The Talismans of Shannara by Terry Brooks

2010-08-30T01:12:00.000-07:00

The charges that the shade of Allanon placed on the Ohmsford’s have now all been complete. Wren has brought the elves back to the four lands and become their queen. Walker Boh has restored the druid’s lost citadel of Paranor and become the first of a new lines of druids and Par has recovered what he believes to be the Sword of Shannara. Despite all this they are far from safe. Rimmer Dall, leader of the Shadowen, has tailor made traps for each of the Ohmsfords to ensure they cannot pool the talismans they have painstakingly obtained.

After having really enjoyed the focus of the previous two novels in the series I was curious to see how well Brooks would handle bringing all the branching storylines back together. Unfortunately he couldn't quite pull it off as well as I’d hoped and left me feeling a little disappointed. Almost every major character gets captured at some point during the story and this becomes really old really quickly as plot device to draw characters together. Also I felt that the passages with Wren and the elves didn’t quite fit with the rest of the story seeming very out of place.

One thing though I was very impressed with was the character development of Wren and Walker Boh. Walker especially had some inspired scenes where he seemed to hint at falling back to his ‘angry young man’ persona despite all he learned and grown almost like the struggles of a smoker who has just recently given up cigarettes.

While far from a bad book Talisman's fails to deliver on the promise of the previous two novels. 7/10.

Review: Blood Rites by Jim Butcher

2010-08-24T23:11:00.000-07:00

Harry Dresden, Chicago’s only professional wizard, is in trouble. Again. Thomas, a white court vampire, has called in a favour and sent Harry to investigate some strange goings on the set of an adult film. The film’s producer believes he is the target of a sinister entropy curse and the women about him are dying in ever more unlikely ways. Thomas seems to have a stake in the case that Harry can’t quite figure out what and that makes him nervous. Meanwhile Marva, a particular vicious blackcourt vampire, is in town and intent on finishing Harry off and Harry’s hired help might prove just as deadly. To top it all off Harry finds himself dog sitting a boisterous puppy dog.

I think the most evident thing about the six installment of the Dresden files is that Butcher really puts Harry through his paces. No really. I know Harry usually finds himself in the deep end but this time Butcher has thrown everything at him including the kitchen sink to see how he reacts. Not even counting the obvious threats to Harry’s physical wellbeing, the beliefs he holds about his mentor Ebenezer and the white council, beliefs he has based his life on are turned on their head and Harry has to face some shocking revelations about his own family. The Dresden files are often seen as episodic but there some definite underlying plots throughout the series as evidenced by the aforementioned. Harry doubted, got very angry and of course soldiered on.

There was also a good focus on the development of a couple of support characters, namely Murphy and Thomas. It was certainly interesting to see a more vulnerable side to the cocky and calm playboy, while Murphy’s issues from previous books are dredged up and it is interesting to see how she copes and has ultimately grown as an individual.

Overall another solid offering from Butcher 8/10.

Review: To Green Angel Tower:Siege by Tad Williams

2010-08-16T00:39:00.000-07:00

Prince Joshua, Simon and their allies find themselves under siege at the Stone of Farewell as King Elias sends a large force to route them out of their refuge. Meanwhile Miriamele finds herself in a precarious position, trapped aboard the Eadne Cloud it is revealed that Earl Aspitis is aware that she is King Elias’ daughter and has decided to force her into marriage and put himself inline for the throne.

This is the book in the series where everything just clicked into place for me. The growing up Simon and Miriamele have done throughout the earlier books really comes to the fore here and can be seen both through their own perspectives and through the way other characters regard them. Aside from the main protagonists the side stories are intriguing especially that of Rachel and earl Guthwulf and I’m curious to see where that leads. The previous volume has often been criticized as slow paced with not too much happening in terms of major events. Williams makes up for it here in a big way. Bloody sieges, night time skirmishes with outlandish monsters on a ship caught in a fierce storm, you name it and its in here.

Overall this book worked for me in a big way. 8.5/10

Review: The Desert Spear by Peter V. Brett

2010-07-31T02:36:00.000-07:00

The world is about to change. For centuries mankind has huddled in their homes under the scant protection of magical wards as demons roamed the night. Now two men have both been proclaimed deliver, mankind’s savior destined to lead them against the demons. Ahmann Jadir has united the desert-dwelling tribes of Krasia under his control and is now marching his forces North intent on bringing the scattered Greenland city states into his war by any means necessary. The northerners however have their own deliverer, the painted man. The painted man spurns the title however, content with spreading the previously lost battle wards amongst his people and then fighting his own war against the demons. The painted man fears that he has absorbed too much power from the demons and is slowly losing his humanity and becoming a demon himself. Meanwhile Leesha must decide if she should sacrifice her independence and become one of Jadi's wives in order to ensure Deliver's Hollows safety and facedown her own issues with letting another person love her.

Ahmann Jadir played an important, if contracted role, in the previous book. He was once Arlen's, AKA the painted mans, friend but chose to betray him when Arlen discovered a battle warded spear in a set of ancient ruins and took the prize for himself. His motives seemed pretty black and white back then, simple greed and jealously but as this book reveals those motives were in fact far from simple. The first portion of the book focuses on Jadir’s life before the first book in much the same way as Arlen, Rojer and Leesha’s stories were told. Through Jadir’s eyes we come to understand the desert dwellers culture, their sense of honour and what makes them tick. This provides an interesting contrast with the glimpse we had of them from Arlen’s perspective in the first book. This contrast between Jadir and the painted man is an overriding theme throughout the novel and sets things up nicely for their evitable confrontation in the next book.

Arlen’s discomfort at the messiah-like status he has achieved and the clash between who he was and what he has become as he encounters people from his earlier life was extremely interesting and enjoyed seeing Brett further flesh out his character. Unlike the previous novel we have a few chapters told from the demon’s perspective and I really enjoyed the way the author created a unique perspective for them and provided a greater insight into them.

Overall the desert spear is an excellent middle book, revealing more of the world the Brett introduced in his debut and hinting at even more to come. 8.5/10.

Review: Alcatraz Versus The Knights of Crystallia by Brandon Sanderson

2010-07-23T23:05:00.000-07:00

Following on from their adventure at the library of Alexandria Alcatraz and co arrive in the free kingdom city of Crystallia to a major shock; The high king is in the middle of peace negotiations with the librarians and it looks increasingly likely that the kingdom of Mokia, home to a good friend of Alcatraz, will be abandoned to face the Librarians on their own. Meanwhile Bastille has been stripped of her armour and her knighthood might soon follow. Suspecting a librarian trick Alcatraz sets about investigating.

The first two Alcatraz books were largely set in our world so it is certainly interesting to get a firsthand look into the free kingdoms, which is filled with such wonders as dragon-taxis and where every building is a castle. Although all of that is weird and wonderful I was kind of hoping Sanderson might have fleshed out the world a touch more. The style of writing remains the same with Alcatraz addressing the reader firsthand but I felt the jokes weren't quite as good this time around and seemed slightly rushed. Also the character development of Alcatraz and Bastille which I was so impressed with in the previous book seemed to stall and didn't advance much. There were some enticing hints about where Alcatraz's relationship with his estranged parents might be going but these seem to have been left to a future book to explore further.

All in all Alcatraz Versus the Knights of Crystallia was another fun read though not quite as good as the previous two volumes. Funs of the series will no doubt enjoy it but I don't think it will win any new readers. I couldn't help feeling it was slightly rushed and at times felt like it was simply killing time to the next volumes. 7/10.

Review: Empire of Ivory by Naomi Novik

2010-07-17T15:38:00.000-07:00

Following on from the events of the previous book Laurence and Temeraire arrive back in Britain in tow with the Prussian survivors with Napoleon now firmly in control of the continent. While they were away a flu-like virus has devastated Britain’s dragon population, the only reason the nation hasn't fallen yet is that Napoleon is ignorant of this news. Tememaire and his band of untrained feral dragons are tasked with patrolling the entirety of Britain. Following an accident Temeraire is exposed to the quarantined dragons but surprisingly does not fall sick. Laurence surmises that his dragon must have developed an immunity, recalling that Temeraire had fallen sick while on route to China but had recovered after a stopover in The Cape Colony. Laurence, Temeraire and the remainder of his sick squadron are despatched to Cape Town in the hope that the cure might be found there, if not then Britain is as good as doomed as the dragons begin to die.

One thing Novik has done extremely well throughout this series is to show that both sides are not faultless in the Napoleonic war. It would have been easy to portray the French as evil conquerors and the British as faultless and noble but thankfully Novik has avoided this trap. This book marks the best example of this and the conflict that Laurence, who is both fiercely loyal to his country and has a strong sense of right and wrong, experiences when his superiors discuss the possibility of using biological warfare was masterful. Without giving too much away the finale of this book was excellent. My only criticism is about one of the aspects of these books that seems to be becoming formulaic. In the two previous novels the protagonists find themselves captives of a foreign culture and have to escape around the middle of the book. This again happens here and I hope Novik does not overuse this plot devise.

Overall this is another strong offering in an excellent series, highly recommended. 8.25/10

News: Scott Lynch releases a new chapter in Queen of the Iron Sands

2010-06-19T01:02:00.000-07:00

For those of you who don't know Lynch, author of the Gentleman bastard series, began releasing chapters in an online scifi serial titled Queen of the Iron Sand last year. Unfortuntely Scott's been suffering some severe depression that has prevented him doing much writing lately and the project has been on hold. Until now that is. Scott has just released the first part of chapter 5. If you haven't statred reading this serial yet you're in for a real treat so give it a go and show Scott your support.

Review: Shadow's Edge by Brent Weeks

2010-06-16T23:05:00.000-07:00

Following the death of his master and in the wake of the Godking’s violent coup Kylar Stern takes his adopted daughter Uly and his love interest Elene to a new city. There he hopes to forge a new life for himself, a normal one far removed from his time as a highly skilled wetboy and the constant killing. Kylar however finds it difficult to walk away from something he has been molded all his life to do. Once he learns that his best friend and the now rightful king Logan maybe alive he is forced to give up the fledging life he was building with Elene and Uly in order to save Logan and consequently his country. Logan meanwhile is trapped in the hole among the very worst criminals where he has to do whatever is necessary to stay alive while keeping his identify a secret. Logan has always considered himself a good man but will the depths he is forced to sink to destroy him or make him stronger? Vi finds herself in a rather compromising position when she draws the Godking’s attention onto herself and is forced to try and assassinate Jarl the new Shinga and possibly the only friend she has ever had and Kylar a wetboy who just might be better than her.

That synopsis really doesn’t do this book justice and there is a huge cast of characters and a plethora of events taking place, which is also this novel’s greatest weakness. The first book was anchored nicely in being very focused on Kylar, yes there were much larger events in play but it really was Kylar’s story. Not so in this one where while Kylar does play an important role he is just one of many, I’d say too many, perspectives. I really feel Weeks was attempting too much here and there is simply too much going on and not enough about the world being explained to fully understand the side stories. The characters are really well realized and I especially liked Logan’s development and how his experiences in the hole effected him. However there were a few characters introduced who seemed rather stereotypical fantasy fare which was disappointing, for example Sister Ariel, the scholarly member of an all women magical society, was far too similar to someone like a Verin Seadi from the Wheel of Time books for me to be entirely comfortable with her.

All in all Shadow’s Edge is a good book but it really could have been great if it didn’t feel like things were so rushed and Weeks wasn’t trying to cram two books worth of material into it. 7.25/10

Review: The midnight Mayor by Kate Griffin

2010-06-13T23:42:00.000-07:00

With her debut novel for adults Kate Griffin produced a real masterpiece which pushed the boundaries of urban fantasy to new levels. I was curious to see if she could back that up in her second novel and the answer is a firm and resounding; YES.

The magical defences of London have been systematically destroyed. The ravens in the tower of London have been massacred , The wall has been defaced by graffiti and the midnight mayor, the mythical protector of the city, has been killed. With his dying breath he sent his powers through the telephone wire where it finds Matthew Swift, a sorcerer and host of the blue electric angels. Matthew, who didn’t even believe the midnight mayor existed, now finds himself thrust into the office and immediately attacked by mystical forces. The death of cities has come to London and Mathew is the last defence in his way.

Like the first book the story is told in the first person from Matthew's perspective. Again it is obvious that the author absolutely loves London and the city and is described so intensively that it is almost like the city is a character itself. The story itself follows a similar format to the first one which is the only minor criticism I could come up with. The novel is paced well, the author’s use of language creates an excellent fast-paced vibe which really reiterates that Matthew is under some serious pressure. It also nice to see Matthew's character really develop and to start question who he really is.

Overall the Midnight Mayor is another fine offering from a young author who is definitely one to watch. 8.5/10

Review: The Briar King by Greg Keyes

2010-06-04T14:13:00.000-07:00

I will never forget reading the prologue to Robert Jordan’s Eye of the World. Without warning I was thrown into the middle of a rather confusing and intense scene. It was obvious that there was a great deal that had gone before that I was not privy too, I had to double-check the back cover to make sure that it was in fact the first book in a series. The whole experience was so disconcerting that I almost stopped reading it right then and there. I’m glad I didn’t. The prologue to Greg Keye’s Briar King bears many striking resemblances to that of Jordan’s. Both are set in the prehistory of the world that is about to be explored and both introduce characters and concepts that will only make sense much later on. Oh one more thing both pack one hell of a punch that drags you into the book and no matter how you kick and scream simply won’t let go.

Boiled right down to its base elements the plot is this; hundreds of years ago human slaves lead by Genia Dare tapped into a strange power, known as the sedos, to overthrow their Skasloi overlords. Little did they know that by using that power they had doomed themselves. This doom seems come to head in the ‘present day’ and we follow the beginning of this through the eyes of a cast of characters, including the descendents of Genia Dare. I really enjoyed the way Keye’s kept this in the background, like a hunting lion awaiting to pounce, while smaller scale events took center stage.

To use a pun Keye’s world building is literally out of this world and really deserves a great deal of attention. The history, geography and cultures are well thought out and I enjoyed seeing the influence of medieval as well as a different Mediterranean flavor in the pieces revealed in the first book. I think we really are only scratching the surface at this point and can’t wait to see where Keyes takes us from here. The cast of characters Keyes introduces us to are interesting and complex despite at first glance seeming almost stereotypical. High praise needs to be given to Asper White for being the first middle aged man in a fantasy novel to finally have the smarts to say ‘I’m one lucky bastard’ and just going with it when a pretty young woman falls in love with him instead of trying to chase her away for her own good. The most important aspect for me is that the different points of views actually feel like I’m seeing the world through different eyes to the character in the previous chapter and Keyes scores highly here as well.

All in all I couldn’t find anything Keyes did wrong, not one single thing. So I highly recommend this book. 9/10

Review: The dragon's Lair by Elizabeth Haydon

2010-05-23T23:15:00.000-07:00

If Ven had expected rest after fulfilling his second mission for King Vandemere as royal reporter and having just barely escaped the Thief Queen’s clutches he is sorely mistaken.Barely a day later Vandemere gives Ven a new and rather confusing mission; Ven is to try settle a dispute between two warring kingdoms, one of which is also being menaced by an angry dragon. What’s more Ven has to take most of his friends with him as the Thief Queen is still fuming and has sent every agent at her disposal to track them all down. Some of those friends don’t get on as well with each other as Ven might have hoped.

Like the two previous novels the third follows the same format of having exerts of Ven’s lost journals interspacing the rest of the text put together by ‘archaeologists’. A format which has worked well and continues to do so. The only major difference being Ven now begins every chapter with a memory from home which he relates to his present circumstances, which could be the first hint that he might be beginning to feel homesick. The piece of this book that I find most striking is the awkward position Ven finds himself in when he must keep his merrow friend Amariel’s identity from his other friends and the conflict this evidently leads to. Even though Ven does everything he believes in right in this situation he encounters hostility from both sides. I thought this was a very intriguing stance to take in a young adult novel, essentially there is often no right or wrong answer and applaud the author.

All in all I enjoyed this installment in a series that has sadly not enjoyed the attention it should have. Based on the extract for the fourth book I’m really interested to see the twists it takes from here. 7/10.

Review: Ysabel by Guy Gavriel Kay

2010-05-08T19:31:00.000-07:00

Fifteen year old Ned Mariner finds himself whisked out of school and on a trip to France with his father, a famous photographer, who is working on a new book. Ned seems a bit uncertain how he feels about this situation until he meets Kate Wegner, an American exchange student with a deep knowledge of the areas local history, while exploring the Saint-Sauveur Cathedral. Both are surprised when they encounter a knife wielding, scarred stranger routing around in the same cathedral. It quickly becomes obvious that they have stumbled upon a world neither of them understand and an extremely old story, whose players seem to be trapped in a continuous cycle. Two men both in love with the same woman, Ysabel, who comes back to life periodically to choose one or the other. Ned finds himself thrust into an familiar position of responsibility and the life of a friend rests in the balance when Melanie, his father's assistant is chosen as the body Ysabel with inhabit. If he can’t find Ysabel before the two other men do his friend will be lost forever.

What immediately struck me when reading this novel is how well Kay gets into the head of the teenage protagonist. Ned Mariner's thoughts often drift to those things important to a boy of his age and he really feels like an individual on the cusp of manhood but still uncertain of it. The overlying theme of this work appears to be the layers of history that can become part of a place and Kay’s masterful descriptions really create a sense of that against the backdrop of France and the many peoples that have occupied it over countless centuries. Two characters from Kay’s earliest novels make an appearance but having not read the books in question I can’t fully appreciate the significance of this, aside from possibly furthering the theme of history and connectedness.

Overall I was once again wowed by Kay’s work and can’t wait to work my way through the body of his work. 8.5/10.

Book Review: Beyond the Wall of Time by Russell Kirkpatrick

2010-05-01T22:57:00.000-07:00

Russell Kirkpatrick really pulled out something special with the first Husk book but lost a bit of steam in the second. I was hoping he could recapture that initial momentum and was curious how the third book, Beyond the Wall of Time would turn out.

The group, made up of three smaller groups each drawn from a different continent, has barely survived an encounter with the Son, one of three gods, and only because of the Most High’s interference. The father cannot risk aiding the travelers again against his two wayward children once they leave the house of the gods or risk destroying creation itself. The son and daughter use that to their advantage to reek havoc on an unsuspecting world, hoping to cause enough death and destruction to break the wall of time and make their escape into the world. Lenares believes she has the power to stop them but needs to unite her companions, many of whom have their own agendas. Meanwhile Husk still lurks in the shadows hoping to lure Stella and the undying man back to Adratan and take a vengeance denied to him for nearly seven decades.

Initially I felt that the pace of this novel was a bit too relentless. The travelers are hit with life threatening event after life threatening event and it’s hard to take it all in. I was a bit worried that the author was trying to jam pack everything into one book that might have needed two. About a third of the way into the book the pace settled into a better rhythm. I had hoped that in the final book Husk would have taken center stage and was a bit disappointed that his story was superseded by the clash with the Gods and he seemingly became nothing more than a tool in that struggle. Kirkpatrick seems to believe that his strength as a writer is world building but I believe he is just as good if not better at creating morally complex characters that show genuine growth and change throughout a series and that was definitely the highlight of this novel. Most noteworthy was Stella and I really enjoyed seeing her finally come to grips with the person she really is.

Overall I did enjoy this novel but never felt it delivered on the promise of the first one. I Found the same thing in Kirkpatrick’s first trilogy but he is definitely showing some real progress and I can’t wait to see where he goes from here. 7/10.

Review: Enigma by C.F. Bentley

2010-04-17T18:11:00.000-07:00

Following on from the first book a delegation from Harmony, lead by high priestess Sissy, is meeting with the CCS on a neutral space station trying to eke out a treaty for mutual protection against Maril aggression. These already tense negations are thrown into chaos when an alien ship crashes into the station. Believing that management cannot provide for their protection major Jake Devlin usurps control of the station. He gets more when he bargains for when a mysterious phantom, Mac the alien half brother of the original manager, begins wreaking havoc. Meanwhile high priest Gregor arrives seeking to bring Sissy back to harmony and regain control of her but suffers a major heart attack that threatens his life. As always Jake’s former superior and resident spymaster Pammy has her own agenda, that involves a recently discovered planet. As does a mysterious stowaway Adrial.

From that synopsis it is obvious there is a lot going on in this novel and sadly I think it suffers for it. I was left with the strong impression that the author didn’t have everything completely clear in her own mind and things can get quite confusing. Like the first novel though she has created some excellent characters but I didn’t feel like Jake and Sissy stole the show to the same extent this time around. I really enjoyed the differing agendas of some of the support characters, especially Adrial and Mac. Though at times some of the characters behaved rather irrationally. One incident that immediately springs to mind is the normally practical Jake’s decision to bring along two people suffering some very serious health problems on an expedition to an alien planet. He really should have known that could only end badly and this seemed out of character. Some of the concepts especially the idea of a First Contact Café, a neutral space station built for the express purpose of providing a meeting place for different cultures, were truly inspired.

Overall there were some really good ideas in this novel not to mention very interesting characters but I think the author struggled in conveying those ideas from her head, onto paper and then onto the reader. The end product suffered as a result. Still it was a decent read and I think Bentley will only keep on improving from here. 6.25/10

Review: The Dragobone Chair by Tad Williams

2010-04-04T20:38:00.000-07:00

Considering Tad Williams reputation and impact within the fantasy field it is something of a surprise that I have only recently gotten around to reading one of his novels. I had read his short story in the Legends 2 anthology several years ago and while it was good in itself, it wasn’t enough to inspire to pick up anything else by him. Now that I have I can see that his is a reputation well earned.

Prester John, the high king for countless decades who united the land like never before is dead. In the chaos which follows an ancient evil takes advantage of the situation inciting John’s sons into a deadly contest for the throne which no side can win. Only the scattered remnants of an ancient order are aware of the true danger and Simon, a castle scullion who has unknowingly been apprenticed to one of those members finds himself caught up in events he never would have imagined. The quest for three magical swords, each lost in the pages of history and their only hope.

What I really enjoyed about this book was the contrast between events related through Simon’s eyes to those of other characters. Simon is a teenager who has never been out of the castle in his entire life before and William’s captures his naivety perfectly. The events related by the adults felt a lot darker and reminded me a bit of Martin’s work, this felt like a real forerunner to that more realistic style of his. The byplay between Simon and the troll Binabik cut the tension nicely and was also effortlessly funny. Pacing was another area where I felt Williams excelled here with a good buildup to the large scale battle at the conclusion and introducing an interesting cliffhanger or two.

Overall Williams is simply as good as his reputation says he is and I look forward to reading the rest of the series. 8.25/10.

Review: The Elf Queen of Shannara by Terry Brooks

2010-03-19T13:55:00.000-07:00

After being thoroughly impressed by the second volume of the heritage of Shannara series I was concerned that the third book might struggle to keep up that momentum. I needn’t have worried.

Charged with the nigh impossible task of finding and bringing the Elves back to the Four Lands by the shade of Allanon Wren Ohmsford and her mute companion Garth are forced to follow the only lead they have, the mad ramblings of an aged seer. It leads them to a meeting with Tiger Tye, one of the few remaining sky elves with the ability to ride the giant Rocs, who is able to tell them that the elves had relocated to a far off island many years ago. There has been no word from them in decades and the island is now a deathtrap filled with deadly creatures that seemed to have materialized from out of nowhere. Wren decides to risk a trip to the island, unsure if the elves are even still there and if she can bring them back if they are.

Like the second volume the third focuses on one set characters in this case Wren and Garth as they seek to fulfill their charge, with only small snippets given over to the other characters. As before I enjoyed the focus this provided and it is nice to have part of the story resolved in a single volume. Unlike the second volume though where there were multiple viewpoints following the same storyline Wren is almost the exclusive point of view character for this volume. This worked well for me as the whole journey challenged Wren’s perception of who she was and where she came from to a great extent and it was good to follow her personal growth as the story progressed. Again some of the supporting character’s motivations were more complex than the first book which was a nice touch.

Overall Brooks has again produced some of his best work and this volume is well worth a read. 8/10.

Book Review: The Treasured One by Daivd and Leigh Eddings

2010-03-06T14:38:00.000-08:00

When I read The Elder Gods, the first book in the Dreamers series by David and Leigh Eddings, I thought the criticism that the series had received was rather harsh. Sure there were a few familiar elements from some of their previous series seemingly recycled straight out of their previous work but going on the first book I felt the series had great potential. Now I’m not so sure.

With the Vlagh invasion of Zelana’s domain having ended in failure it now turns its attention to one of the other Elder Gods’, Veltan, peaceful land. The Elder Gods move quickly bringing up their armies across to the threatened area. However when it is revealed there is a second invasion in the works it seems obvious that a new force, whether for ill or good, has entered the fray. A force that may surpass even the Elder Gods.

The biggest problem I have with this book is in the pacing and especially that in the first third of the book. The same ground (partly things from this book and partly things from the first.) is covered over and over again from different characters perspectives. I don’t feel this offered any major insights and really made the story feel like it was stalling. The whole book is also extremely dialogue heavy with a great deal of time spent on characters talking about doing things and not much spent actually doing them. So far though I’ve also found that the characters in this series are far less memorable and likeable than those in other Edding’s novels which has always been their main draw card.

Overall I’ve found the second book in the Dreamer’s series to be a bit of a disappointment. Hopefully the third book can turn things around. 5.75/10.

Review: The Druid of Shannara by Terry Brooks

2010-02-14T22:21:00.000-08:00

One thing I absolutely love about Terry Brooks is that his writing and storytelling improve with each book. The Druid of Shannara, the second book in the Heritage of Shannara series is no exception.

After the events of the first book the King of the Silver River decides to take a direct hand in proceedings. He creates an avatar; a daughter named Quickening, made from ingredients of his garden and his own magic and charges her with the task of recovering the black Elfstone. The Elfstone was stolen by Uhl Belk, another fairie creature left over from the dawn of time and warped by the passing of eons. To fulfill her purpose Quickening sets about recruiting a small band of followers including a maimed Walker Boh and a virtually powerless Morgan Leah, as well as a mysterious assassin Pe Ell. Convincing each of them that all of their magic is required to recover the lost talisman.

The majority of the second book focuses on the exploits of the aforementioned characters and there are only brief glimpses into what Wren, Par and Coll are up to. In the first book there was almost a sameness about the characters in that all of their intentions were always crystal clear. Even the dark uncle Walker Boh’s motivations were fairly simple; wanting to avoid being ensnared in the machinations of the druids. This problem is rectified by the addition of two fairly complex characters in Quickening and Pe Ell. Both are much more than they appear on the surface and their motivations are murky right up until the end.

Overall I felt this book was a big step in the right direction and one which I thoroughly enjoyed. 8/10.

Review: The Other Lands by David Anthony Durham

2010-02-04T17:40:00.000-08:00

After reading and enjoying David Anthony Durham’s first foray into fantasy, Acacia, last year I was intrigued to see if his sequel could live up to the original. He didn’t disappoint me.

Nearly a decade has past since the events of the first book. Corinn rules the empire but is disturbed at the growing unrest of the people which threatens that rule. When the league offers her a new alternative to mist to control those people she is very intrigued. Her brother Dariel is troubled by his own actions during the war with the Mein and has spent the last few years working amongst the people, this is interrupted when Corinn sends him as an emissary to the mysterious Other Lands to show their support for the League in a major dispute. Things quickly take a turn for the worse and once again the Known World is threatened by invasion. Mena meanwhile has spent the last few years hunting down monsters known as Foulthings, a task she has almost completed. The last of the Foulthings is however something she never would have expected.

One of the themes of The Other Lands is that all actions have consequences. This is made immediately apparent from the beginning with Mena hunting down the foulthings, hybrid creatures created by the after effects of the magic unleashed by the Santoth to destroy Hanish Mein’s army. The second book goes a long way into expanding the history of the land and the factors that are shaping it during this turbulent time. What I liked most about this novel is the consistent character progression, especially Corrin’s. Her inability to trust those around her and her insecurity lead to a great cliffhanger to close The Other Lands and sets the series up perfectly for the finale.

Overall I enjoyed the Other Lands and highly recommend it. Durham is certainly one to watch. 8/10

Review: The Way of Shadows by Brent Weeks

2010-01-25T12:13:00.000-08:00

The last decade was an absolute gold mine for emerging talent in the fantasy genre and I’ve stumbled across yet another one in Brent Weeks.

Azoth is a young orphan living on the streets, part of a guild of child thieves. Life has always been a struggle for survival but becomes even more so when Azoth makes an enemy of Rat an older and stronger boy who is one step away from the guild leadership. Azoth dreams of becoming the apprentice of Durzo Blint the most skilled wetboy, super skilled assassin, in the city. A chance encounter with the man himself leads to an ultimatum; If Azoth can kill Rat within one week Blint will take him as an apprentice. Azoth finds that he can’t do it, at least until Rat horribly disfigures one of his best friends, Doll Girl. Once the deed is done Azoth fulfills his promise. Blint fakes Azoth’s death and the young man assumes the identity of Kylar, a young nobleman, and is thrust into a very different world. Kylar is swept up in larger events that threaten the kingdom, all the while he faces a threat of a different sort. If he fails to tap into his talent, the magical ability employed by every wetboy, Durzo will kill him.

What immediately struck me about Way of Shadows is it really is Kylar/Azoth’s story. Larger events are taking place but the focus is always on him which gives it a very intimate feel. Following a similar vein to other recent releases the story is dark and gritty but at the same time it emphasizes the message that hope lives on. I was very impressed with the way Weeks portrayed his characters, especially the younger ones. From the way Kylar grew up he is wise in some things while naïve in many others and this contrasts with the way other characters such as Logan and Doll girl, with different upbringings, see the world. One minor gripe I have is there are a few too many miraculous survivals after characters are seemingly killed. This is not so much an issue when the reader is aware of this and the characters are in the dark but I don’t think it is a good idea to bring characters back from the ‘dead’. If this happens too often it risks sucking meaning from the scenes in which important characters do actually die, a mistake often made in comic books.

Other than that The Way of Shadows is an immensely satisfying debut and one I highly recommend. 8.5/10.

Review: Dune by Frank Herbert

2010-01-21T00:08:00.000-08:00

Dune’s cover gives it a lot to live up to. The front proudly proclaims the novel as the Winner of the Hugo and Nebula awards. While on the back Arthur C. Clarke, no less, boldly claims that it is the Science Fiction equivalent of Lord of the Rings. I was certainly intrigued to see if it lived up to all the hype.

The duke of the Atreides has been sent to the desert planet of Arrakis by the emperor. His task is to oversee the mining of spice, one of the most valuable commodities in the galaxy. However the Duke is aware that the appointment is only a front for the emperor and his mortal enemy the Baron Harkonnen. The duke believes he can turn the situation to his advantage but is quickly proven wrong, his house is almost entirely wiped out and he is killed. His son Paul and his wife Jessica escape and live among the native desert dwelling people who believe Paul is a Messiah type figure. Jessica herself is a powerful member of an all women religious society and had a son against that orders wishes. But it is hinted from the very first pages that Paul could be a messiah for that order as well. Paul bides his time waiting for the opportunity to restore his house.

I can see where the comparisons with Lord of the Rings come from. The World building (or I suppose in this case universe building) is very impressive. The political and religious systems are highly elaborate and a great deal of thought as gone into the ecology of Arrakis. Interestingly character view point can change multiple times during a chapter (A style of writing that I’ve only seen echoed by Elizabeth Haydon). Rather than being jarring it is a great tool for giving the reader more of an insight into secondary characters. Each chapter begins with a quote from various books on Paul most often written by Princess Irulan, who is a minor character that only appears near the end of the book. This was quite a clever way of introducing the reader to a character obviously intended to play a larger role in subsequent books. The characters are generally well realized and convincing with one notable exception; Baron Vladimir Harkonnen. He is painted far too much as a stereotypical villain to be convincing. He is so fat that he needs machinery to support his weight, he molests little boys and with the book coming out during the cold war period it is obvious that the name ‘Vladimir’ was deliberately chosen for this purpose as well. I was almost surprised there wasn't a giant sign pinned to his back saying 'I'm the evil villian so you should hate me.' What’s more is his plans don’t tend to make a great deal of sense. He invents a substantial amount of wealth into bringing down his arch-nemesis the duke but doesn’t really seem to benefit from it and it doesn’t seem to aid his ultimate goal of having one of his descendents become emperor. So all in all he comes across as a complete idiot and I seriously doubt this was the author’s intention.

Overall Dune is an enjoyable read which seems to have stood the test of time but falls short of being a masterpiece in my opinion. Perhaps I would have gotten more out of it if I had read more Science Fiction but then again who can tell? 7.25/10

Review: Last Light of the Sun by Guy Gavriel Kay

2010-01-02T19:46:00.000-08:00

Guy Gavrial Kay is one of those authors I’ve heard nothing but good things about and have been meaning to check out but never got around to it. Until now that is. Having now read The Last Light of the Sun I can safely say that Kay is as good as they say he is.

The story follows a number of characters who share connections either through kinship or twists of fate. Alun ab Owyn, the younger son of a ruler, whose life is changed forever when his elder brother dies in a raid and he finds himself now his father’s heir. Consumed by a passion for revenge at the same time his faith is tested when he discovers that the fairies his ancestors believed in may be more than just stories. Ceinion one of the most renowned holy men in the land, saves Alun and his elder brother by an act of chance only to have the elder die soon after. Finds himself responsible for protecting the youngers’ life as well as his soul while trying to find a way to unite his people. Thorkell an aged raider who has his retirement spoiled when he kills a man in a fit of rage and is sent into exile. Forced to take up raiding again and he finds his life take another turn when he is captured on a raid. His son Bern, made a servant because of his father’s exile, he steals a horse and escapes seeking his own place among the raiders.

One of the themes of this novel is characters getting swept up in a tide of events larger than themselves. On a number of occasions a character would say something, either important or prophetic, and then wonder why they had said it. Almost as if an outside force is influencing them. It reminds me a bit of Homer’s Odyssey with the Gods running around in the background influencing events except in this case it is completely behind the scenes. Having mythical creatures like fairies in the story subtly reinforces this. Continuing along with this theme the reader is given a number of glimpses, usually a few pages long, into the thoughts of minor characters who either influence events or are profoundly influenced by them. Ironically enough in the end it becomes obvious one of the principal characters has played a role in another important event only vaguely related to the story but perhaps surpassing it. In terms of the actual characters themselves I enjoyed the distinction Kay made between the older and younger characters. He really conveyed the impression of how a persons view of the world can be altered by experience.

All in all I enjoyed my first foray into Kay’s work and will certainly read more from him in the future. 8.5/10.

Review: Fireraiser by Melanie Rawn

2009-12-25T16:48:00.000-08:00

When Melanie Rawn made her return to the literary scene with Spellbinder a few years ago it marked a shift in her career. Whereas previously she had written more traditional fantasy (though to call a Rawn novel typical is a misnomer) she was now writing an urban fantasy/paranormal romance in a contemporary setting. Spellbinder was enjoyable but there were a few kinks to work out and I believe she has done just that with the sequel Fire Raiser as well as shifted a style again.

Set a few years after the events of the previous novel Hollie and Evan are now married and have twin children. They have moved from New York to Pocahontas county where Holly grew up and Evan is now the local sheriff and busy investigating a rash of fires in Baptist churches around the county. At a fundraiser at a local inn Holly and her relatives sense magic in the building that was cleansed of all magic a long time ago. Clearly the inn and the manager, Weiss, aren’t what they appear.

The beginning was a bit confusing as there is a bit of jumping back and forth in time that wasn’t all that clear but once it got into gear it was plain sailing. What’s interesting about Fire Raiser is that Rawn is generally know for the stories in her novels taking place over gaps of years like in Dragon Prince or the Ruins of Ambrai. Even the Dragon Star novels shift from event to event in a war but the story in this novel is compacted into one night. This really gives Rawn the chance to see how her characters react when thrown in a rather harrowing situation. The best examples of this are Holly’s cousin Cam who has just returned home, has to confront this magical threat as well as deal with the possible love of his life who certainly didn’t expect to encounter again. Whereas the first novel really felt like a standalone Fire raiser is different and there are a number of issues raised to be addressed in a future book so this one definitely felt more like a part of a trilogy. Rawn tackles a number of tough social issues, including the way homosexuals are treated in society and the way they perceive themselves, abortion, human trafficking and does each very well. Rawn also has a few things to say about the process of being a writer, through Holly who of course is a professional writer. This seems to be an increasingly common theme as Brandon Sanderson does a similar thing in the Alcatraz books.

Overall I enjoyed Fire raiser and liked to see Rawn step further out of her comfort zone and expand her literary repertoire. 8/10

News: Melanie Rawn finishes the Diviner

2009-12-22T17:03:00.000-08:00

Melanie Rawn announced (in October but I only just saw it) on a forum on her website that she finished the Diviner, which is now with the editor and stands at 133000 words. The Diviner is a prequel to the Golden Key which Rawn co wrote with Kate Elliot and Jennifer Roberson. The book had been partly written but in limbo for a number of years, glad to hear it's finally done.

This paves the way for the other two co-authors writing their own intended prequals and raises the possibility that Rawn intends to also write the Captal's Tower.

Review: The Gathering Storm by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson

2009-12-16T16:05:00.000-08:00

The Wheel of Time holds a special place in my heart. Eye of the World is after all what won me over to the fantasy genre. This series has always had a very distinctive feel, something I couldn’t quite put my finger on, but I can always feel it when I pick up one of the books. After Robert Jordan’s passing I made sure I, like many other WOT fans, picked up everything published (and one or two things that weren’t) by Branson Sanderson, the author chosen by Jordan’s widow to finish the series from his notes. I was impressed, very impressed. I was confident Sanderson could finish this series the way it was meant to be finished. Still there was a little part of me which couldn’t help but wonder if anyone could really do it. Really bring RJ’s vision to life the way he could.

A few chapters in and I had begun to wonder whether that little part of me was right. The prose was some sort of amalgamation of RJ’s and Sanderson’s that felt extremely awkward. What’s worse so is that the characters felt different. They did seem to react the way I felt they should and they said things I didn’t think they would. Siun and Mat seemed exaggerations of certain aspects of their personalities with almost every sentence ending in some fish related metaphor for Siun or having ‘bloody’ tucked away in there for Mat. All of the maturing Nynave had done since leaving the Two Rivers vanished in a poof. My worst fears had been realized; it didn’t feel like a WOT novel. Or so I believed but thankfully I was wrong. Way wrong. All of a sudden Sanderson hit his groove and from their on out he pulled it off masterfully. Prose felt right, characters felt right, the general feeling was right. Sanderson had pulled it off. I can only attribute the first few chapters to growing pains.

Trying to sum up the basic plot of the book is no easy task. The WOT is made up of dozens of different perspectives and hundreds of individual story lines weaving together like some gigantic tapestry. I can tell you this though the most chapters are devoted to Rand and Egwene. Rand is trying to unify the land, make peace with the Seanchen and prepare in earnest for the last battle. It is increasingly obvious that the dark one’s touch grows on the world; the end is nigh. Rand decides that being as hard as steel isn’t good enough any more he must be as hard as cuendillar and cut off all of his emotions. Egwene of course is still trying to reunify the white tower. Events that have literally been foreshadowed for four or five books finally take place and were certainly worth the wait. There were a few moments I had to put the book down, take a deep breath and say ‘wow’.

Overall I thoroughly enjoyed the Gathering Storm. I think that initial awkwardness could have been sorted out with another round of editing and TOR has to take the blame for rushing it out. Otherwise all good, can’t wait for the next two. 8.75/10.

Review: The Forge in the Forest by Michael Scott Rohan

2009-12-15T00:54:00.000-08:00

When it comes to influential fantasy authors of the 1970’s and 80’s a number of names spring readily to mind. Le Guin, Brook’s, Eddings just to name a few. One of the names which doesn’t pop up too often is Michael Scott Rohan and after finishing The forge in the forest the second volume in his Winter of the World series I’m increasingly convinced that it should.

Having defeated the Mastersmith and successfully helped his friend Kermorvan raise the siege of Kerbryhaine, driving the Ekwesh hordes back Elof believed he could set off to find Kara, the woman he loves though he has only known her a few hours. However things are not as peaceful as they appeared. With the Ekwesh threat gone tension is rising between the city folk and the displaced northerners, Kermorvan is convinced the Ekwesh will strike again in a few years and the threat of the oncoming ice still lingers. Kermovan mounts an expedition to the east in search of lost cities that may or may not exist, hoping to reunite humanity against the growing threat. Out of loyalty Elof accompanies him unsure of what dangers lie ahead.

The structure of the second book follows the more traditional quest fantasy archetype unlike the first which followed Elof’s early years and focused on his growing up. We get a better understanding of the world, its history and the driving force behind the ice. The pacing is well done and avoids the periods of lag so often encountered by works using this structure. The characters are well realized, well not exactly the ‘shades of grey’ the market is clamoring for these days. They come across as real people facing some tough choices they don’t always get right. One thing I did find a bit strange is that the books are presented as parts of chronicles from an earlier age. The references to these are somewhat intrusive though and clash with the more traditional narrative that makes up the majority of the story.

Overall The Forge in the Forest continues an interesting series that too often slips under the radar. 7.5/10

Review: Death Masks by Jim Butcher

2009-11-30T00:33:00.000-08:00

One of the things I love about the Dresden files is that with every novel you can see how both Jim Butcher’s writing and the protagonist Harry Dresden mature just a little bit more. Death Masks, book five in the series, is no exception.

As usual Harry finds himself knee deep in trouble. He is challenged to a duel to the death by Ortega a duke of the red court. If Harry loses the war between the council and the court will be over if he wins Chicago will become a safe zone. If he doesn’t accept the challenge assassins will begin picking off everyone he cares about one by one. On the same day Harry is hired to find the missing Shroud of Turin which is believed to have been spirited away to Chicago. A few minutes later he is shot at by a few of Marcone’s, the Chicago crime lord who he thought he had an understanding with, thugs. To cap it all off his ex-girlfriend and semi-vampire Susan shows up and says ‘the two of them need to talk’.

One thing that stood out for me was the motivations of some of the ‘bad guys’ were explored quite nicely. Harry has always been a bit of a morally complex character but the bad guys have tended to be a bit simplified so this is a nice touch. In fact a few of the ‘good guys’ get the same treatment with equally interesting results. Otherwise Death Masks does all the things that we have come to expect from a Dresden novel and does them well. 8/10.

Review: A Madness of Angels by Kate Griffin

2009-11-07T14:41:00.000-08:00

I’ve been waiting to read A Madness of Angels for some time. I won a contest for it back in February but it never arrived. Once the people at orbit books learned about it they sent me another copy immediately. After finishing the book I’m glad they did.

Mathew Swift was a sorcerer living in London, after having an argument with the man who trained him and storming in off in a huff he is attacked and presumably killed. Two years later he wakes up, now sharing his body with a mysterious entity know as the blue angels, sparks life left over from the emotions poured into the telephone. Mathew begins gathering allies and plotting his revenge but does he really know what he’s dealing with?

The opening of Madness of Angels was confusing. The reader is thrust right into the middle of the story, no gentle introduction here. However I think this is rather well done, the protagonist is clearly disorientated and confused, not sure how his resurrection took place. The magic system is rather clever and I enjoyed it. Life exits everywhere and since life in modern day London centers on the city that is where sorcerer’s draw the magic from. Everything from the buzz of rush hour to the vermin that scuttle about unseen provide the life for magic. I have never seen a city portrayed so convincingly in any book before. Griffin really brings London and all it’s idiosyncrasy’s to life, it’s almost like the city is another character. If you are actually familiar with the city I’m sure you will get even more out of this.

Overall Kate Griffin’s first foray into grownup novels is a good one. I’m glad I chose Madness of Angels as my first venture into urban fantasy outside of the Dresden files and I can’t wait to see what she does next. 8.25/10

Hidden Gems 4: Melanie Rawn

2009-10-28T15:22:00.000-07:00

There is a tendency to portray the eighties and early nineties as a bleak time for the fantasy. It has been said that there was no variety, that there were simply rehashes of Tolkienesque or Jordanesque fantasy and that worst of all fantasy authors of the period were accused of producing works that didn’t make the reader think. All of that is of course absolute rubbish.

Queue the latest addition to the hidden gems of fantasy Melanie Rawn. Rawn is best known for her two trilogies set in the same world Dragon Prince and Dragon Star. Rawn was able to produce an interesting cast of characters whose motivations were often complex. Pol and Andry were perfect examples of characters who were shades of grey. What’s more she took a rather novel approach and followed the characters over several decades and showed the reader as they grew up, developed, grew old and eventually died. In short she made characters who mattered to the readers, I can remember feeling absolutely frustrated with Sioned near the end of the last book to the point where I wanted to scream at her. Now that’s writing. Rawn also spent a great deal of time focussing on romances between the characters and there is certainly a greater emphasis on this than in most fantasy. As always with Rawn they are masterfully developed. Politics was also a subject which received a great deal of attention.

Besides the two trilogies already mentioned two books in the planned exiles trilogy have been released.The quality is right up there with her previous work but be warned it has been twelve years since the second book was released and the as of this point there are no definite plans to write the third. She also collaborated with Kate Elliot and Jennifer Roberson on the Golden Key. Currently Rawn is working on an urban fantasy/paranormal romance series titled spellbinder of which two have been released.

I can’t recommended Rawn enough so if you’re stuck for something to read give her a try. I know you will thank me.

Review: A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula Le Guin

2009-10-13T14:59:00.000-07:00

The Wizard of Earthsea was the class reader in my English class when I was fourteen. The class never did get to the end of it but I made sure I did and consider it the first fantasy novel I ever read. I recently read it again more than ten years later and was surprised at the things I remembered, those which I didn’t and the things I thought were in there and never turned up.

The wizard of earthsea is about a boy named Ged who is taught rudimentary magic by his aunt the local witch. After he uses his powers to save the village from a horde of barbarians he is taken under the wing of a wandering wizard. Ged chafes under the wizard’s tutelage, wanting to learn ‘real’ magic rather than the patience his master is trying to teach him. Egged on by a playmate Ged unwittingly almost unleashes a shadow creature which his master arrives just in time to stop. His master offers Ged a choice; either remain as his apprentice or travel to a wizards school and learn magic there. Ged chooses the latter and quickly excels there. However he gets into a heated rivalry with another student and in effort to prove his superiority unleashes another shadow creature when he tries to summon a dead spirit. Ged has to find a way to deal with the creature which will hunt him forever and try to steal his body, powers and soul.

Initially I found the language a bit simplistic (which explains why it is often shelved in the children's section) but combined with a prose reminiscent of classic mythology the two combine rather well. Earthsea is a wonderfully realized and original land made up of island chains in a massive ocean and world building is certainly one of Le Guin’s strengths and one in which she should be considered a pioneer.

All in all The Wizard of Earthsea is a classic which I think everyone should get around to reading at some point. 8/10.

Review: Harmony by C.F. Bentley

2009-10-12T17:50:00.000-07:00

I consider myself pretty well-read when it comes to fantasy. The same, however, cannot be said when it comes to science fiction. In fact I would go as far as to say I haven’t read one sci-fi book in my adult life. That is until recently. I was lucky enough to win a copy of Engima by C.F. Bentley the sequel to Harmony so I thought I’d give Harmony a go.

Sissy is a member of the worker caste on the planet Harmony. When a massive earthquake strikes the capital she is able to calm the planet and prevent further damage. That leads to the high priest Gregor taking an active interest in her and when it is revealed that she has all seven caste marks as well as the ability of prophecy she is made high priestess. Major Jake Hannigan of the Confederated Star System Fleet is a man with nothing to lose. His entire family was wiped out in a maril, avian-like aliens, attack. The war between the two species is getting set to hot up but with dwindling supplies of badger metal, something only produced on the reclusive planet of harmony, both sides are hesitant to make the next move. When the opportunity arises to take part in a spy mission attempting to retrieve the formula of badger metal Jake takes it. Needles to say the two protagonists’ paths soon cross and Sissy comes to learn that a few truths she had taken for granted might not be so true after all.

The story is told through the eyes of three characters; Sissy, Jake and Guilliam a high ranking temple official. The biggest strength of the novel is the two main protagonists who are interesting and well realized and really steal the show. I found the beginning to be quite slow and throughout the novel had a minor issue on pacing that I couldn’t quite put my finger on. Also I found the first scene with Sissy, predominately with her thinking, strange when it is revealed later how she talks. These could have been better integrated.

Aside from a few minor issues I did enjoy my first foray into sci-fi. The first book does a good job in setting the scene and I look forward to reading how the story progresses from here. 7/10

Hidden Gems 3: Russell Kirkpatrick

2009-10-07T16:48:00.000-07:00

One of the eternal questions for those involved in the publishing industry is how effective is cover art in selling books? Which styles work and which simply don’t? On the subject of the first I would have to say they do, well because cover art has drawn me to certain books. I remember clearly when I had just started uni and I was wandering around whitcoulls between lectures. A rather simple cover caught my eye; a spoked wheel with a snake entwined around it. There were nine books with the same cover all in different colours, for some reason this intrigued me and took the first one sat down and started reading it. Within a few pages I was hooked. I came back a few days later and bought the book. Within a few months I owned the entire series. That is incidentally the story of how I was hooked on the wheel of time and in a real sense what really won me over to the fantasy genre (although I had read several fantasy books by then). That is not the only time a cover has drawn me into a book. The cover art on Russell Kirkpatrick’s Across the Face of the World is a thing of beauty. Unlike those from the wheel of time it is anything but simple. A cascading waterfall surrounded by a forest dwarf a bridge across a canyon with tiny figures standing at the edge. It literally screams epic to any would-be passerby and inspires the urge to open the book. Of course once it is open it is now the authors turn to try and keep that attention through an engaging story and well written prose. On that note it is time to get into the reasons I consider Russell Kirkpatrick to be a hidden gem in the fantasy genre.

On the surface Kirkpatrick’s debut fantasy trilogy resembles just one more of the legion of quest fantasy epics inspired by Tolkein’s Lord of the Rings. Two brothers; Leith and Hal, are forced to leave their small village on the edge of civilization with a small company to rescue their parents who have been kidnapped by an agent of the despot known as the undying man. Along the way they learn that the undying man is massing his armies for a massive campaign of conquest. They also learn of a mythical object that may or may not exist that could have the power to stop him. So far so typical. But it was the characters that certainly set this trilogy apart. They were so different with their insecurities and the unexpected paths they took in their development. Throw in some interesting plot twists and unique perspective on landscape (Kirkpatrick is also a mapmaker/geography lecturer at the university of Waikato) and were left with something that really stood out. I remember enjoying the first books thoroughly but being slightly disappointed with the third which I felt drew things out too much. His second trilogy Husk built on these strengths. The first in the series Path of Revenge really blew me away at the time I read it. It was just so different. Gone was the quest fantasy formant instead jumping around a few storylines which were only loosely connected together by a central string (which would be focused on more in later volumes). His characterization had also improved to the point, where I can safely say they were one of the most unique and interesting set of characters ever assembled. Sadly the second book Dark Heart, while still good, went off the boil a bit. I have yet to read the concluding volume, Beyond the Wall of Time but I have high hopes that things will get back on track.

Kirkpatrick’s first trilogy has been available in Australia and New Zealand for years but has only recently been published in the U.S. and U.K. Apparently the first volume has sold well in the States and I have high hopes for Path of Revenge which, in my opinion, is by far his best book.

Hidden Gems 2: Stephen Donaldson

2009-09-28T17:33:00.000-07:00

I know what you’re thinking; Stephen Donaldson is a very strange pick for a hidden gem. Everyone has heard about him and knows how influential his Thomas Covenant books have been to the fantasy genre or for that matter modern literature in general. That right there is the problem, everyone has heard of him but too many people haven’t gotten around to reading him yet. Let’s see if we can change that.

Most people know how critical the year 1977 was for the genre. Lord of the Rings had continued to sell well since it’s original publication but although there had a number of important fantasy books released none of them had enjoyed anywhere near that commercial success. 1977 came along and with it the release of Terry Brooks’ Sword of Shannara and everything changed. There was another important release that year Stephen Donaldson’s Lord Fouls Bane the first book in the First Chronicles of Thomas Covenant. Brooks' work was admittedly heavily influenced by Lord of the Rings (leading to some accusations of outright plagiarism.). Young unsuspecting hero sets off to find magical item that can be used to defeat the Dark Lord who is threatening to destroy/take over the world. There is a mysterious ancient man with long lost magical powers who acts as a guide and a host of typical support characters. This template was to heavily influence the genera for the next twenty years and still does so to this day. Donaldson however did something different.

Thomas Covenant was not your typical fantasy hero. He once had a seemingly idyllic life he was a successful writer, happily married and with a beautiful baby son. All that changed when he caught leprosy. It costs him half of his hand, causes his wife and son to leave him and left him living alone on his property outside of a small town whose people wanted nothing to do with him and treated him as an outcast. As you could imagine he became rather dark and cynical, obsessed with a daily routine that would keep him safe and alive. He couldn’t afford to grow careless it would be the death of him. One day he falls and bumps his head on the living room table and when he wakes up he finds himself in another world known as the land. The land is a mystical place that grants all its denizens the power to feel its life force, Covenant can as well and what’s more he finds he no longer as leprosy. Covenant immediately mistrusts the land, fearing it is a trick of his own troubled mind and will lead him to carelessness and death. In response he dubs himself the unbeliever and sets the tone for the next few novels. The concept of morality is one that is considered in depth, Covenant has to decide if his actions are constrained by morality in the land since it seems to be a product of his troubled mind. Early on he rapes a teenage girl who has been nothing but kind to him when he is overwhelmed by his newly returned sex drive. Guilt over the incident consumes him and eventually he decides whether it was real or not it matters to him. The Lords of the Land believe Covenant is destined to save it from Lord Foul, a malignant entity that exists outside the arch of time and is the embodiment of despair, using the white gold of his wedding band. Since white gold is an element that does not exist in the land naturally it contains magical powers. The problem is Covenant can’t always make it work and each time he does he risks destroying the arch of time and freeing Lord Foul. Lord Foul claims responsibility for bringing Covenant to the Land in order to free him, claiming that whether he wants to or not Covenant’s own disbelief and despair will make him do it eventually.

There has been a lot of praise thrown in the direction of authors like Martin and Erikson for their so called ‘realistic fantasy’, having characters that don’t fit easily into the typical good and evil archetypes. There is a debt these writers owe to Donaldson which I don’t feel the general reading public acknowledges often enough. Donaldson created a morally complex character in a fantasy setting well over thirty years ago and what’s more he cleverly contrasted him with the wholesome inhabitants of the land and the evil Lord Foul. I read the first (which focus on Covenant) and second chronicles (which focuses on Covenant and a new character Linden Avery) when I was 21 and while I enjoyed them I don’t think I fully appreciated them. I Would perhaps recommended them for someone slightly older as when I started reading the Last chronicles (which focuses on Linden Avery) last year I found I appreciated them more than the originals.

Aside from the Thomas Covenant books Donaldson has also written the Gap cycle(a five book space opera), Mordents Need (A two book fantasy series) and The man who detective novels (of which there are four and were originally published under the pseudonym Reed Stephens). Sadly I am forced to admit have yet to read any of these but intend to change that as soon as possible.

If you have been intending to read Stephen Donaldson but for whatever reason haven't gotten around to it; give him a go now you won't be dissapointed.

Review: Summer Knight by Jim Butcher

2009-09-25T01:08:00.000-07:00

The Dresden files are a great between read. They are engrossing, fast and straightforward. Perfect for when you are looking for a bit of entertainment that won’t strain your brain too far. That’s more or less what I was expecting when I picked up the fourth volume, Summer Knight, but boy was I in for surprise. Butcher really brings out his A game here and really blew me away.

Harry Dresden has been in a bit of a slump. He is feeling guilty that his ex-girlfriend has been turned into a semi-vampire and has been spending every waking minute trying to find a cure for her. This means ignoring things like work, paying the rent and basic hygiene. Then, all on the same day, he is attacked by a ghoul and a pair of hitmen and hired (read blackmailed) by the winter queen of the faerie to find out who killed the summer knight and prove her innocence. If that isn’t enough the white council have decided to hand him over to the red court in an effort to bring their war to a close if he fails. In other words Harry has his work cut out for him.

In previous volumes we have only been given glimpses of the structures behind groups like the white council, red court etc. Here Butcher really fleshes out this with a particular focus on the Summer and Winter faiere courts and does it in a really interesting way. There is also more of an epic feel than previous volumes, lending the story a sense of urgency. Before it seemed that if Harry failed the effects would be localized but now it really seems that if he does the whole world would be screwed. Pacing is something Butcher has always done particularly well and he really out does himself this time. Revelations are well timed throughout the story and are clever enough that the reader doesn't see them coming and yet at the same time make perfect sense. Without giving too much away I also thought that Butcher handled death particularly maturely in this one.

Summer knight is a big step forward in the Dresden Files. Lets hope it just a sign of things to come. Onwards and upwards. 8.5/10

Review:Hitman: My Real Life In the Cartoon World of Wrestling by Bret Hart

2009-09-20T20:59:00.000-07:00

Ever since I was a child I have loved pro wrestling. I loved the athleticism, the drama, how two athletes could tell a story in the ring using nothing but their bodies (and the occasional prop). When I was growing up my favorite wrestler was Bret ‘Hitman’ Hart. He was never the biggest or the strongest but that was part of his appeal. He was just a man who wanted to be the best and would give everything he had in the ring each and every night, a man who wanted to succeed not just for himself but for his loyal fans as well. Naturally I’ve wanted to read his autobiography Hitman: My Real Life in the Cartoon World of Wrestling for some time. Now that I have I’m glad that I did.

Bret’s autobiography chronicles everything from his early life, his wrestling career and right up to his stroke and his dad’s death. What is blatantly apparent early on is this genuine. Bret wrote the book himself with the aid of a cassette dairy he had kept on the road. No punches are pulled, we get the whole story through Bret’s eyes and he doesn’t sugarcoat it not even when in the instances where it makes him look bad. A word of warning right now if you decide to give this one a go; bad things happen to good people. Wrestling is an industry rife with alcohol and drug problems and like I said before ‘no sugarcoating’.

The only minor blemish to this book is a few minor timeline mistakes which is bound to happen when discussing a lifetime of events. When I say minor that’s exactly what I mean, I’m talking about stuff like mentioning Chyna was Triple H’s ring valet when talking about events in 1995 when Chyna only showed up on WWF TV in 1997. I’m sure she was around the dressing room in 1995 and there was probably no other place to mention it but that might get on a few peoples nerves. These small flaws take nothing away from the story itself, so it really is nitpicking.

Overall this a strong emotional and brutally honest story of one man’s life. Whether you watched him wrestle or not really doesn’t matter, I guarantee you at times you will laugh and at times you will cry and you won’t be able to help being moved by it and that is really all a good story is. 9/10.

Review:Black Powder War by Naomi Novik

2009-09-08T23:17:00.000-07:00

The third book in the Temeraire series picks up right where the last one left off. A fire leaves the Alliance gutted, leaving Laurence, Temeraire and their crew seemingly stranded in China for a few months longer while repairs are made. That same day they receive urgent orders to hurry to Istanbul and escort three dragon eggs back to Britain that have been purchased from the Turks. With the aid of their guide Tharkay, a half-British, half-Chinese adventurer they set off along the treacherous land route. However things are not as they seem in Istanbul and after a headlong flight the crew find themselves embroiled in the war in Prussia. Napoleon’s forces are aided by the outcast Chinese dragon Lien who is now seeking revenge against Temeraire.

The third book expands on the political aspects of Throne of Jade with Temeraire expanding his ideas on dragon equality with humans. It is certainly interesting to see how dragons from different countries react to his ideas, and Temeraire certainly doesn’t always get the reaction he was hoping for. An interesting addition was a group of feral dragons, who also serve as something of a comic relief though thankfully not one that is over the top. All of the aspects that made the first two books so good are certainly present in this volume. My only major criticism is that the basic structure of the first half of the book is essentially the same as that in the second: Temeraire and crew set off on a harrowing journey to an exotic local, they then arrive and are made ‘guests’ but of course are glorified prisoners. It is a minor blemish and hopefully something that won’t be repeated too often in future installments.

In sum Black Powder War is a welcome addition to the Temeraire series. 8/10.

Hidden Gems #1: Elizabeth Haydon

2009-09-05T14:51:00.000-07:00

When the idea of doing a hidden gems of fantasy popped into my head I noticed a problem immediately. Well most of the ‘younger’ [read newer ;-)] authors which I would recommend have been receiving such a lot of attention recently that they wouldn’t quite qualify as hidden gems. Still there is a rather simple solution; authors who have been around for a bit.

Today the spotlight is on Elizabeth Haydon, whose debut work Rhapsody was released in 1999. She had a short story included in the Legends Anthology, so she obviously has the respect of her peers. However Haydon is one name you will never see discussed in the main genre blogs and I consider this to be a real shame. Her main body of work, The Symphony of Ages, consists of Rhapsody: Child of Blood, Prophecy: Child of Earth, Destiny: Child of Sky (The three make up the Rhapsody Trilogy), Requiem for the Sun,Elegy for a Lost Star (The middle books) and Assassin King (which is the first part of the war of the known worlds trilogy.) She has also written a young adult series The Lost Journals of Ven Pholypheme which is set on the same world as SOA but hundreds of years earlier. Three of these have been released so far.

The Rhapsody books follow three primary protagonists. Rhapsody, a half human half lirin former prostitute and current namer and musician. Grunthor, a giant half firbolg half Bengard and soldier and Achmed a half dhracian and half firbolg assassin. Grunthor and Achmed inadvertently save Rhapsody from a group of thugs and are forced to take her with them when they travel underground to the world tree Sagia and prevent the F'dor from waking the primal worm. The three emerge centuries later in a new continent to find their own homeland was destroyed by a comet and due to their journey they no longer age. Three set about founding a society of outcasts and have to deal with the descendts of their homeland who have already established kingdoms.

What initially drew me into Rhapsody was an original story and engaging characters. Haydon deliberately set out to write a medley of fantasy, horror, mystery and romance and she blends these all together extremely well. One of the unique characteristics of her prose is the ability to switch from POV (often multiple times) within a paragraph. She does this seamlessly and I have yet to see anyone duplicate this feat. There is also a stronger focus on folklore and music than most fantasy books.

The fate of the remaining two books of the SOA of ages seems to be up in the air. Haydon used to be quite active online, regularly interacting with her fan base and maintaining her own website. The website has been down for months and Haydon remains incognito. The LJOVP has been being released regularly will the next one entitled The Tree of Water. So it would seem SOA is on the backburner for awhile.

Best Served Cold by Joe Abercrombie Review

2009-08-31T15:54:00.000-07:00

Best Served Cold is undoubtedly one of the most anticipated releases of 2009, which is no surprise considering the immense success Abercrombie’s First Law trilogy received. Everyone wants to know if Abercrombie can do it again and the short answer is: yes he can.

Monza Murcatto, leader of the mercenary band the thousand swords has been betrayed by her employer Grand Duke Orso. Her beloved brother has been murdered and she was left for dead, leaving her scarred and with a crippled right hand. Naturally she wants vengeance on the seven men who took part in her betrayal and thanks to a fortune she has kept hidden she has the resources to do it. Among her allies are Shivers a northman who is trying to be a better man. Friendly a mass murderer obsessed with numbers. Styria’s least reiliable drunkard and Monza’s predecessor in the thousand swords (who she incidentally betrayed) Nicomo Cosca and Morveer a treachous poisoner. As you might imagine things quickly get interesting.

Unsurprisingly violence, mayhem, torture and action ensue from the get go and don’t let up until the end. But none of these things really define Abercrombie’s writing; his main strength always has been and is here again the strength and depth of the believable characters he creates. I would struggle to name many authors who can get in the head of a character as well as Abercrombie can when writing from their perspective. Each character perspective genuinely feels different. My only real criticism is that there is a little bit too much introspection from some of the characters especially Monza and Shivers. At times I wanted to rip them out of the book sit them down and tell them to get over themselves, which is actually a good testament to how real these characters actually feel. As should be apparent already a number of characters from the aforementioned trilogy make an appearance but alas no Logen Ninefingers. We will have to wait for another volume to learn what his fate was and judging from this one (and the fact that Abercrombie recently announced another) there are bound to be many more.

In sum best served cold is part-caper part-dark comedy part-violent action adventure and all Abercrombie. I didn’t enjoy it quite as much as the First Law Trilogy but that is by no means a disparagement I don’t enjoy most things as much as the First Law Trilogy anyway ;-). 8.25/10.

The Elder Gods by David and Leigh Eddings Review

2009-08-11T15:40:00.000-07:00

The Eddings have often come in for some harsh criticism for their post-Belgariad books.The crux of these criticisms have been claims of recycled story line and characters. Their most recent series The Dreamers has copped this more than the other books. Nevertheless I enjoyed the ‘Sparhawk’ books when I read them probably six or seven years ago so I approached The Elder Gods with an open mind.

The basic premise of the book is this. There are two lots of four gods who each oversee their own piece of a large continent, when one lot tires they go to sleep for eons while the other lot takes over. Mother sea and Father earth are also sentient and outside the direct control of the gods and additionally There is also an ‘evil’ god which oversees another piece known as the wasteland. Instead of letting life develop in response to the local environment like the other gods did, the ‘evil’ god twisted the inhabitants of the wasteland to it’s own design creating an army of human-part-serpent-part-insect followers. The evil god ultimately wants to rule the entire world so plans to invade the other gods domain. The humans in the other gods domain aren’t particularly warlike so the gods bribe humans on other continents with promises of gold to come to their aid. In addition the other set of gods is awoken prematurely and given the form of children. In this form they can influence events and see the future/past when they dream.

Basically this was a typical fun, dialogue driven Eddings book but I did have a few issues.From a plot perspective the Elder gods is significantly different from any of their previous books. Concentrating on the defense of one of the god’s domains against an enemy which is not very human in it’s thinking and it is actually quite interesting. The only character which seems to be an exact replica from a previous book is Eleria a god in the guise of a little girl who shrewdly manipulates people into doing want she wants with kisses. This is a carbon copy of Aphrael. The main reason I believe people think that the Eddings simply write the same characters with different names is they all share the same sarcastic sense of humor. This has always bothered me and did so even more so in this book. There are two groups of humans from across the ocean the Maags and the Trogites. At one point one of the Maags observed that the Trogites were more formal and serious than them yet they used the same sense of humor throughout the book. What gives? Also a number of conversations which should have been serious were ruined by this. By the end I was completely sick of the same old sarcastic banter. I also had a few issues with the pacing, the beginning was a bit too slow and took a little too long to get going and the end was anticlimactic with the last forty pages given over completely to set ups for the next book.

Overall I found The Elder Gods to be enjoyable but had too many issues to rise above average. If these can be sorted out the rest of the series could be something special if not there will be endless pages of sarcastic banter. 6/10.

The Painted Man (by Peter V. Brett) Review

2009-08-03T18:22:00.000-07:00

The fantasy genre has really been blessed in recent years with the emergence of a number of exciting new authors who have brought in some innovative ideas. Brandon Sanderson,Joe Abercrombie, Patrick Rothfuss are just a few of these. With his debut novel The Painted Man Peter Brett can take his rightful place among them.

The Painted Man is set in a world where hordes of seemingly invincible demons emerge at night and kill anything in their path. The only safety for mankind is through wards that channel a power that can keep the demons out. However wards can and often do fail. I really liked this innovative concept and thought that Brett used it well as a backdrop. The story is centered on three young people whose lives change their course rather dramatically after demon attacks. We follow them over decades separately (until the latter half) as they try to find their places in a hostile world.

There is certainly a good deal of action and suspense culminating in a large finale. The characters are complex and visibly adapt and change as the story unfolds. The author gave the world an interesting feel, for a lot of the characters the villages they grew up in were the whole world to them (traveling being particularly dangerous) and this came across well especially contrasted against the worldview of characters who had traveled further. While it is largely self-contained there is most certainly going to a sequel in the works as there are some large open-ended questions to be addressed.

Overall Brett’s first novel really impressed me, he is definitely one to watch. 8.5/10.

Throne of Jade

2009-07-29T17:14:00.000-07:00

Following up a successful debut novel is always a challenge. Thankfully Novik managed to do it beautifully managing to maintain all the things she did right with His Majesties dragon and managing to add some new notches to her bow as well.

Picking up from the previous novel, a Chinese delegation arrives in Britain having learned that the Celestial they intended to send to Napoleon has ended up in the hands of a British soldier. They angrily demand that Temeraire be returned to them. The delegation is led by the Prince Yongxing, the brother of the emperor himself but it is immediately apparent to Laurence that the delegation might not speak with one voice. To Laurence’s disgust the British government are happy enough to send Temeraire back with them, being obviously fearful of offending China which could lead to alliance between them and France. Laurence and Temeraire are forced to brave the long and dangerous voyage to China and to try keep from getting separated once they arrive.

The only criticism that could be leveled at the first book was the lack of action and major battles, this is by no means the case in the second. There are two major battles early on and then a few more later in the book. Once again Novik does an excellent job of exploring the theme different people’s reactions when confronted with ideas and customs that are altogether strange to them. This apparent on the ship voyage with the Aviators, sailors and Chinese delegates sharing the same ship and later on when the British reach China. Not to mention Temeraire’s reactions when seeing how different the lifestyle is for dragons in China. I would have liked to learn a bit more about the Celestail Dragons; their motivations and what makes them tick and especailly would have liked to have had the motivations and relationship of Prince Yongxing and his cursed (albino) dragon explored.

Overall I really enjoyed Throne of Jade and have a feeling Novik is only going to keep improving in subsequent books. 8/10.