Mogsy’s Bookshelf Roundup: Stacking the Shelves & Recent Reads

Posted on August 18, 2018 35 Comments

Bookshelf Roundup is a feature I do every other weekend which fills the role of several blog memes, like Stacking the Shelves where I talk about the new books I’ve added to my library or received for review, as well as It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? where I round up what I’ve read since the last update and what I’m planning to read soon. Mostly it also serves as a recap post, so sometimes I’ll throw in stuff like reading challenge progress reports, book lists, and other random bookish thoughts or announcements.

I know I just did my Roundup post, but I’m switching up my schedule a bit since it’s looking like I’ll be on the road again next week and I wanted to slip in an update before things got too crazy. So big thanks to the publishers and authors for the following review copies received, and make sure to click the links to their Goodreads pages for more details and full descriptions!

Received for Review

From the wonderful folks at Crown Publishing, I received this gorgeous finished copy of Foundryside by Robert Jackson Bennett. As a big fan of the author, I should have started this book long before this, but worry not! This bad boy is coming with me on my trip and I’m looking forward to reading it at the beach.

Next up, with thanks to Ace and DAW Books, I received a finished copy of Ravencry by Ed McDonald, the highly anticipated sequel to last year’s Blackwing, continuing the saga of the bounty hunter Ryhalt Galharrow. As well, I received an ARC of The Way of the Shield by Marshall Ryan Maresca, the start of yet another series set in the author’s world of Maradaine. This makes, what, four series now? How many can this amazing man juggle? This time, he will be taking readers deep into the inner workings of Tarian Order, an ancient warrior guild that has always stood for order, justice, and the common people.

And with thanks to Orbit comes this finished copy of Bloody Rose by Nicholas Eames, another book that is high on my priority list this month and which I will be reading soon. Also, a surprise came in the form of this ARC of There Before the Chaos by K.B. Wagers, the start of a follow-up series to the author’s Indranan War trilogy. I read the first book of that one a couple years back, and was intrigued to learn of the sequel trilogy. But the great surprise of all this week was probably this next one from Orbit’s sister imprint Redhook, a beautiful ARC of The Sisters of the Winter Wood by Rena Rossner. This book was already peripherally on my radar, but its arrival has shot it all the way up my highly anticipated list. As if the description of magic, folklore, and the dangers of the woods in this fantastical debut weren’t enough, in the package were also these pretty homemade gold feather bookmarks.

From the awesome team at Tor Books, I also received a finished copy of Denied by Cathy Clamp, the third installment in the Luna Lake novels of the Sazi. I’ve read the first book of this shapeshifter urban fantasy series, but I must have missed something because I only have hazy recollections of the second book’s release and the most part it completely passed me by. Looks like I have some catching up to do.

With thanks to Harper Voyager, I also received a surprise copy of Hollywood Dead by Richard Kadrey. Can you believe the Sandman Slim series is now on its tenth volume? I think I’ve only read the first two. As ever with these long-running urban fantasy series, I find it very difficult to catch up once I fall so far behind and I don’t know if I can jump in without feeling like I missed out on a ton. But I do hope I can check it out again sometime; I really like the author and his world-building and characters.

I’m also intrigued by A Time to Scatter Stones by Lawrence Block, a novella starring one of the author’s most beloved creations, the private detective Matthew Scudder. Thank you to Subterranean Press for the ARC!

And who else is curious about You May Now Kill the Bride by R.L. Stine? An author who was a staple from my 90’s childhood is revisiting his famous young adult series in Return to Fear Street, complete with a retro look and the tagline “perfect for fans of Stranger Things“. Okay, I admit I’m tempted to read this, if nothing else for a kick of nostalgia. And that’s not all; R.L. Stine seems to be quite busy these days, also bringing us Scream and Scream Again, a collection of original scary stories written by some pretty well known authors. Despite it being an anthology and targeted at Middle Grade readers, I kinda want to check this one out. With thanks to HarperTeen/HarperCollins for sending me these.

Finally, a big thank you to Titan Books for sending me a review copy of Spider-Man: Hostile Takeover by David Liss, the official prequel novel of the upcoming game for the Playstation 4 which I’m very excited about. The story will be completely new and not connected to any existing comic, game, or movie, covering both the character’s life as Peter Parker and Spider-Man. To get the full picture, I definitely want to play the game and read the book.

In the digital pile this week, I picked up an audio review copy of Catwoman: Soulstealer by Sarah J. Maas, the latest in the DC Icons series. I have my concerns with Maas’ writing, but I’m hoping that my love for Catwoman might allay some of those. With thanks to Listening Library.

From NetGalley, I also hit the download button on The Darkest Star by Jennifer L. Armentrout, the start of a new YA paranormal series that brings readers back to the author’s Lux universe. While I’m not familiar with her older books, I’ve heard nothing but good things about her stories and hopefully this will be a good jumping on point. With thanks to Tor Teen.

And from the awesome team at Tor.com, I received an eARC of Finding Baba Yaga by Jane Yolen, a short novel written in verse. The format is exactly what it sounds like: a series of short poems that tells the story of a young woman who runs away and comes upon a strange little house in the woods–a house that walks around on chicken legs and is inhabited by the well-known titular fairy tale witch. Not a hundred percent sure this is my kind of read, but hey, you never know.

Reviews

A list of my reviews posted since the last update:

Age of War by Michael J. Sullivan (4 of 5 stars)
Bad Man by Dathan Auerbach (3.5 of 5 stars)
Dreadful Company by Vivian Shaw (3.5 of 5 stars)
#MurderTrending by Gretchen McNeil (1 of 5 stars)

What I’ve Read Since the Last Update

Here’s what I’ve managed to “unstack” from the TBR since the last update. More reviews coming soon!

Have you heard of or read any of the books featured this week? What caught your eye? Any new discoveries? I hope you found something interesting for a future read! Let me know what you plan on checking out. Until next time, see you next Roundup!

Friday Face-Off: Doors

Posted on August 17, 2018 30 Comments

Welcome to The Friday Face-Off, a weekly meme created by Books by Proxy! Each Friday, we will pit cover against cover while also taking the opportunity to showcase gorgeous artwork and feature some of our favorite book covers. If you want to join the fun, simply choose a book each Friday that fits that week’s predetermined theme, post and compare two or more different covers available for that book, then name your favorite. A list of future weeks’ themes are available at Lynn’s Book Blog.

This week’s theme is:

“Knock, knock…who’s there?”
~ a cover featuring a DOOR

Mogsy’s Pick:
A Head Full of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay

So I fudged today’s topic a little, since the theme actually calls for a closed or slightly ajar door. But being more general afforded me some better options, so this is my story and I’m sticking to it. At its heart, A Head Full of Ghosts is a possession story (a complicated one, but let’s just roll with that). It stars the Barretts, a seemingly average suburban New England family hit by hard times. When John Barrett lost his job, his wife Sarah became the soul breadwinner. Finances became further strained when their eldest daughter, fourteen-year-old Marjorie started getting sick, displaying symptoms of psychosis. Doctors, however, were unable to help. Reluctantly, the family decides to turn to the Catholic Church. A priest called Father Wanderly suggests that Marjorie could be under the influence of a demon. A TV production company was also contacted, and they in turn offer the Barretts a large sum of money if they will agree to be filmed for the exorcism.

Fifteen years later, the Barrett’s youngest daughter Merry, who was eight at the time, breaks the silence about what really happened.

Let’s take a look at the covers:

From left to right:
William Morrow (2015) – Titan Books (2016)

Bulgarian Edition (2016) – Italian Edition (2017) – Slovak Edition (2016)

Portuguese Edition (2017) – Hungarian Edition (2016)

Turkish Edition (2016) – Indonesian Edition (2017) – French Edition (2018)

Polish Edition (2016) – German Edition (2018)

Winner:

Lots to choose from this time, and a few that are actually really good. My favorites are the Portuguese edition (I really love the cool effect of the light and shadows made by the doors in that creepy hallway), the Hungarian edition (which is unabashedly trying to be reminiscent of The Exorcist), the Polish edition (because that color scheme is very interesting to me), and the German edition (even though it makes the book look like it’s about a haunting). Ah, decisions decisions decisions. After going back and forth, I finally narrowed it down to a winner.

But what you do think? Which one is your favorite?

Book Review: Age of War by Michael J. Sullivan

Posted on August 16, 2018 17 Comments

I received a review copy from the publisher. This does not affect the contents of my review and all opinions are my own.

Age of War by Michael J. Sullivan

Mogsy’s Rating: 4 of 5 stars

Genre: Fantasy

Series: Book 3 of The Legends of the First Empire

Publisher: Del Rey (July 3, 2018)

Length: 420 pages

Author Information: Website | Twitter

Age of War is the third book of The Legends of the First Empire series and it is aptly titled, given how things are heating up again after the slight slowdown we experienced in the previous installment. From my time with the Riyria Revelations, I’ve learned that Michael J. Sullivan is an author who likes to slowly and methodically build up a series arc, and though this strategy often leads to uneven pacing and some monotony during the early volumes, it’s absolutely worth it to stick around because you always know the ending will be rewarding. Indeed, here we are seeing the results of the first seeds sown in Age of Myth and Age of Swords, and these burgeoning developments are growing into a very promising outlook for the rest of the series.

So far, we’ve seen the results of the brutal clashes between humans and Fhrey, but also learned that the relationship between the two races aren’t all that simple. The Fhrey have their own internal conflicts, with infighting and rebellions against the Fane. The leader of one of these fractured groups is Nyphron, who has taken his renegades and joined forces with the humans, led by Persephone. But with so much history of anger and distrust between their two peoples, this new alliance is proving fragile. In response, Nyphron proposes marriage to Persephone in a political move to unite their two forces.

Although Persephone believes it is a prudent plan, a few concerns make her hesitate. She doesn’t exactly know how to feel about Nyphron, for one, even if she knows love will not play a part in the marriage. That’s because she’s already in love with Raithe, the hero known as the God Killer. Also, while a political marriage will help solidify the alliance and help both their sides, there are suspicions that Nyphron might not have been entirely forthcoming with his agenda. But in order for her people to survive, Persephone must quickly make a choice, for the Fane’s armies are on the move and the first real war between Rhune and Fhrey is about to begin.

Again, for most of the book, we have significant sections devoted to relationship building, as well as establishing the foundation for the major battle to occur at the end of the story. Persephone’s role as keenig of the human clans has her running around smoothing over conflicts and attending to everyone’s needs, while Raithe pines from afar, resenting Nyphron for the amount of time the Fhrey leader gets to spend with her. Meanwhile, Bryn is hard at work on her project, a written account of the history of the world, though she also manages to find enough time to pursue her own romance with Tesh. The young Dureyan survivor has grown from a scrawny boy to a fierce warrior, even earning himself the name “Techylor” from the Fhrey, which means “swift of hand” (but for those who’ve followed Riyria, it also means so much more).

These are just a few examples of why I think readers of Sullivan’s first series will get a get a much greater kick out of these books, because they show us the truth of many of the legends surrounding this world. While it is also fine to start with The Legends of the First Empire, the stories of the characters here will probably have less impact. Most of the names here have entered into myth by the time of Hadrian and Royce, and it’s fascinating to see how much of the real history has survived and which parts have been bastardized or misinterpreted.

But all in all, Age of War can be considered a pretty tame sequel up until the second half, when the plot starts ramping up towards the war. Since most of this book is a prelude to one huge battle, it does start somewhat slow, with a lot of diversions and choreographing, but once the players are all in place and the action is ready to begin, what we get is an intense drive to the finish. There were some pretty significant developments, including a couple of earth-shattering deaths, so I highly recommend preparing your emotions and bracing yourself for some painful twists before heading into this one.

In sum, Age of War is another solid sequel to what is shaping up to be a great series. With three more books to go, I’m sure the best is yet to come, but Sullivan is doing an impressive job keeping up the momentum and excitement through the series’ middle stages, managing to skirt a common problem with a lot of epic fantasy. I’m looking forward to the next volume.

More on The BiblioSanctum:
Review of Age of Myth (Book 1)
Review of Age of Swords (Book 2)

Waiting on Wednesday 08/15/18

Posted on August 15, 2018 24 Comments

Waiting On Wednesday” is a weekly meme that first originated at Breaking the Spine but has since linked up with “Can’t Wait Wednesday” at Wishful Endings now that the original creator is unable to host it anymore. Either way, this fun feature is a chance to showcase the upcoming releases that we can’t wait to get our hands on!

Mogsy’s Pick

Atlas Alone by Emma Newman (April 16, 2019 by Ace Books)

I was so excited to find out Before Mars would not be the final book in the Planetfall series. There is at least one more, in Atlas Alone, and like the previous books, the cover is extraordinarily pretty. The protagonist is a gamer too, which is a hook I just can’t resist. Some hints of Ender’s Game in this one, perhaps?

“Hugo Award winner Emma Newman returns to the captivating Planetfall universe with a novel about vengeance, and a woman deciding if she can become a murderer to save the future of humanity.

Six months after she left Earth, Dee is struggling to manage her rage toward the people who ordered the nuclear strike that destroyed the world. She’s trying to find those responsible, and to understand why the ship is keeping everyone divided into small groups, but she’s not getting very far alone.

A dedicated gamer, she throws herself into mersives to escape and is approached by a designer who asks her to play test his new game. It isn’t like any game she’s played before. Then a character she kills in the climax of the game turns out to bear a striking resemblance to a man who dies suddenly in the real world at exactly the same time. A man she discovers was one of those responsible for the death of millions on Earth.

Disturbed, but thinking it must be a coincidence, Dee pulls back from gaming and continues the hunt for information. But when she finds out the true plans for the future colony, she realizes that to save what is left of humanity, she may have to do something that risks losing her own.”

Book Review: Bad Man by Dathan Auerbach

Posted on August 14, 2018 27 Comments

I received a review copy from the publisher. This does not affect the contents of my review and all opinions are my own.

Bad Man by Dathan Auerbach

Mogsy’s Rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Genre: Horror

Series: Stand Alone

Publisher: Doubleday (August 7, 2018)

Length: 400 pages

Author Information: Website | Twitter

Is there anything more heart-wrenching than a tale about a child gone missing? For protagonist Ben, there is no deeper anguish. Five years ago, his little brother Eric disappeared from a grocery store while Ben was supposed to be taking care of him. A moment of distraction was all it took. One second, the three-year-old was there, and the next, he was gone. Search teams scoured the area and the police also looked into all suspects that could have taken the little boy, but nothing ever came of any of the investigations. Soon, Eric’s photo joined the dozens of other children on the missing persons bulletin board, where their faces gaze back faded and forgotten.

But Ben has never stopped looking. He is now twenty, and the years since Eric’s disappearance have not been kind to him or his family. His stepmother has retreated into herself and his dad’s job is no longer enough to pay the bills. Ben desperately needs work, but in a cruel twist of fate, the only place that would hire him is the very supermarket where Eric went missing. Working the nightshift as a stock person, Ben quickly learns the ropes from his new buddies Marty and Frank, and as hard as it is being back in a place with so many painful memories, for a while there, things didn’t actually seem so bad.

Unfortunately, that calm doesn’t last. After a couple weeks, Ben can’t shake the feeling that something is very wrong with the store, the people there, and the entire town. A disturbing find in the lost-and-found bin suddenly reignites his search for Eric, leading to another flurry of printed flyers and house-to-house calls. There’s no one left that Ben feels he can rely upon or trust—not his parents, not his colleagues, and most definitely not the police detective James Duchaine, the man who was put in charge of Eric’s case.

I was kind of torn on my feels for this book. For days, I wavered between rating it 3 or 4 stars before settling on something in the middle. There were certain things I really liked about it, but there were also areas that I felt were weak or fell short of my expectations.

First, the positives: there were moments in Bad Man that were truly terrifying. You don’t even have to look too far beyond reality to find the horror either; hundreds of kids go missing each year, and I can’t even imagine what an awful, desperate, and helpless ordeal it is for the parents and loved ones. This novel opens on the worst day of Ben’s life—the day he lost his beloved little brother. As a mother of a three-year-old, reading this entire sequence made my skin cold and my stomach feel hollow. Ben’s panic and guilt tore at my heart. His pain and fear became mine, and I felt like crying.

For better or worse though, I didn’t find the rest of the book to be so harrowing or intense, though the story still contained its fair share of emotionally traumatizing moments. In many ways, Bad Man is more mystery than horror. Dathan Auerbach handles suspense well, keeping the reader guessing even when not a lot is happening on the page. Most of his characters are there as suspects, their secrets revealed to us slowly as their backstories are told in dribs and drabs. Ben himself is an enigma that we are warned not to fully trust. Grief touches people in different ways, and the uncertainties surrounding our protagonist’s memories is a source of much tension and conflict.

Unfortunately, this compelling atmosphere was not always present. There were times when the author dropped the ball, particularly in sections where the plot meandered and dragged. Certain threads were also picked up but never carried through and I wasn’t always sure if these were supposed to be red herrings or just Auerbach trying out different twists that he didn’t quite know how to pull off. Because this is his debut novel, I’m sort of leaning towards the latter. There are definitely pacing issues, and I didn’t think the novel as a whole had to be so long. The rambling, convoluted jumble that was the ending probably could have used some polish too, for I got the sense that the author might have forgotten to tie up a few loose ends.

Overall, I liked Bad Man, but as a horror/mystery novel, there were things that could have been done better. Author Dathan Auerbach has already found much success with Penpal, a series of interconnected short stories posted to Reddit, but I think he’s probably discovered that a full-length novel requires a whole different level and process of planning and writing. If this debut is any indication though, I believe he’s on the right track, and I look forward to see what he does next.

Book Review: Dreadful Company by Vivian Shaw

Posted on August 13, 2018 24 Comments

I received a review copy from the publisher. This does not affect the contents of my review and all opinions are my own.

Dreadful Company by Vivian Shaw

Mogsy’s Rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Series: Book 2 of Dr. Greta Helsing

Publisher: Orbit (July 31, 2018)

Length: 400 pages

Author Information: Website | Twitter

Despite the mixed reviews for Strange Practice, I ended up enjoying it a lot and was very excited for Dreadful Company. Ironically though, it’s now this sequel that’s making me feel a bit conflicted. It was a fairly good book, though perhaps not great. And I definitely thought the first book was better.

Dreadful Company picks up shortly after Strange Practice ended, once again following protagonist Greta Helsing, London’s monster expert and doctor to the city’s population of paranormal creatures. This time though, she has been called to Paris, where she is scheduled to speak at a supernatural medical conference. Just your typical travel for work, and nothing out of the ordinary—or at least that’s what Greta thought, as she prepares for a night out at the opera with the vampire Edmund Ruthven, her best friend who has accompanied her on this trip. Unbeknownst to them though, Paris’s labyrinthine underground is infested with a coven of unruly vampires, and they have been planning something nefarious for Greta’s arrival.

But first, Greta encounters a small gremlin-like creature called a wellmonster in her hotel bathroom, its appearance intriguing her because wellmonsters aren’t typically seen unless they are summoned. Soon though, there are more sightings. Deciding that they warrant further investigation, Greta opts to stay behind while Ruthven returns home to England. But before she can get too far with her inquiries, Greta is kidnapped by the vampires, who are led by a real nasty piece of work named Corvin. Meanwhile, back in London, Greta’s disappearance has been noticed by Ruthven and Francis Varney, the vampyre who has been sweet on the doctor ever since she saved him in the first book. Setting off to find her, the two begin scouring Paris for clues while a parallel mission is also being carried out a pair of psychopomps who are investigating a worrisome influx of phantoms around the area.

Dreadful Company and I did not exactly start off on the right foot. Compared to Strange Practice, the beginning here lacked the kind of urgency that pulled me immediately into the first book. While Paris was a nice change of setting and the wellmonsters were adorable and all, I thought this sequel took too long to take off and that on the whole its introduction was pretty uneventful. It wasn’t until Greta was kidnapped that I thought the plot started to pick up.

Once the ball got rolling, however, I have to admit things become a lot more interesting. I was impressed at how engaging Greta’s sections managed to be, considering how she spends most of the early parts of the book imprisoned in a cell. The vampires who kidnapped her are given individual backstories and substance, and their presence proves that even in the supernatural world, things are not so simple or black and white. Greta also once again demonstrates why she is a credit to her profession, showing compassion and providing healing to whoever needs it.

The worldbuilding was also one of my favorite elements from Strange Practice, and I love it here still. The riveting mix of old and new is alive and well in Dreadful Company, where we’re treated to an eclectic mashup of literary monsters in a modern-day setting. The city of Paris simply adds to this charm, as Vivian Shaw also throws in a few references and deferential nods to several French classics. She’s also expanded the world this time with new characters, and I especially enjoyed meeting Crepusculus Dammerung and Gervase Brightside, our spiritual guides to lost souls.

That said, it’s possible that a bit of the novelty and magic has faded since the first book. Part of this is understandable, as there’s a sense that this sequel is more about reinforcing the ideas and themes that have already been established, settling readers comfortably into the world. There’s nothing terribly new or surprising, even a couple reused plot points. And because the characters were all split up, the narrative sometimes had to offer multiple perspectives on the same event, leading to repetition that wasn’t always necessary.

Still, my fixed feelings and quibbles notwithstanding, I wasn’t really disappointed. While I didn’t think Dreadful Company was as good as Strange Practice, it retains that special kind of charm which made me fall in love with the first book. It’s what makes Dr. Greta Helsing such a unique urban fantasy series, and plan on sticking with it.

More on The BiblioSanctum:
Review of Strange Practice (Book 1)

YA Weekend: #MurderTrending by Gretchen McNeil

Posted on August 12, 2018 34 Comments

I received a review copy from the publisher. This does not affect the contents of my review and all opinions are my own.

#MurderTrending by Gretchen McNeil

Mogsy’s Rating: 1 of 5 stars

Genre: Young Adult, Thriller

Series: Stand Alone/Book 1

Publisher: Freeform (August 7, 2018)

Length: 352 pages

Author Information: Website | Twitter

I hate giving out 1-stars, and if you’ve followed me for a while, you may have already noticed you don’t see that rating here very often. That’s because even if I didn’t like a book overall, there’s usually still something I enjoyed about it. With #MurderTrending though, I think I’d be hard-pressed to find anything too positive to say about this hot mess. It simply did not work for me—on any level.

But first, here’s the book’s premise for some context of everything I’m going to discuss: It is the near future, and the President of the United States is a former reality TV star who thought it would be a great idea to outsource the justice and penal systems to a psychopath television producer known only by his internet handle, The Postman. Court trials have become a farce where anyone who is merely suspected of murder is pronounced guilty and sent to a prison island near San Francisco, dubbed Alcatraz 2.0, where every inch and corner is surveilled by cameras mounted on robotic birds. This live footage is streamed 24/7 to millions of viewers around the world tuning in to see the prisoners executed in the most brutal ways by federally sanctioned killers with names like Gucci Hangman and Molly Mauler, whose cheesy names and shticks are an attempt to drive up their popularity on social media.

The book follows Dee Guerrera, a teenager who was sent to Alcatraz 2.0 after being wrongfully convicted of murdering her stepsister. She becomes the next victim of Prince Slycer, one of the island’s executioners whose gimmick involves dressing up his executionees as princesses from Disney movies, immediately earning Dee the nickname #CinderellaSurvivor when she manages to escape his clutches. Determined to find her stepsister’s true killer, Dee teams up with other teens on the island in order to expose the reality of Alcatraz 2.0 and bring down The Postman.

Oh boy, where do I start? As an avid reader of sci-fi and fantasy I consider myself to be pretty good at suspending my disbelief. But this book was beyond ridiculous. If it weren’t for the over-the-top gore and violence, I would have thought this was written for six-year-olds on account of how juvenile and ludicrous it sounds. Even leaving aside the more nonsensical elements, in today’s world where you pretty much can’t show anything on the television without getting someone up in arms over it, the idea of a 24-hour snuff show garnering wide acclaim and approval from the public isn’t just eye-roll inducing, it makes me want to bash my head against a wall.

And then there were the characters. Had they been written well, perhaps I could have put aside my incredulity of the premise. Unfortunately, at no point in the novel did Dee actually feel like a real person to me. She seemed detached and strangely unconcerned with her circumstances from the moment she arrived on Alcatraz 2.0. Sure, there might have been a brief flash of “Oh crap, I am screwed”, but this was quickly replaced by her utter conviction that she will find her stepsister’s killer—even though she has absolutely no resources on the island, zero places to start, and every reason to believe she’ll be up next on the literal chopping block. Yet there was no fear or sadness. No hopelessness or despair. This isn’t badass. This is bad characterization.

But maybe, just maybe, these characters were actually meant to be caricatures? After all, there was a character whose one memorable trait was his penchant to quote action movies from the 80s and 90s, and even as his friends were dying slow torturous deaths, he was busy channeling Rambo during the rescue mission. I mean, something this fucking goofy has got to be a joke…right? In fact, this entire novel was so absurd and extreme with its irreverence when it comes to violence and death, I was half convinced it was supposed to be ironic. But try as I did to see this novel as satire—a playful mockery on social media and the American obsession with Reality TV, perhaps—it was probably giving it too much credit. If this was meant to be satirical, then the author lacked the delicate expertise to pull it off properly. There was a desperation in the way her narrative attempted to justify the premise (with very flimsy logic) or to endear readers to the characters (by giving them very annoying quirks), and while sometimes exaggeration can be used as an effective device, in this case it was a complete disaster.

There were so many other problems with this novel, not least the fact the story gets even more unrealistic and ridiculous towards the end (believe it or not). Suffice to say, I think I’ve covered all the major disappointments so I’m just going to wrap this up by saying I probably won’t be picking up anything else by the author. I’ve heard that being this insanely over-the-top is part and parcel of her style, and clearly I am not the intended audience.

Mogsy’s Bookshelf Roundup: Stacking the Shelves & Recent Reads

Posted on August 11, 2018 24 Comments

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Received for Review

My thanks to the publishers and authors for the following review copies received. For more details and full descriptions of the books, be sure to click the links to their Goodreads pages!

Thank you to Orbit Books for these beauties: King of Assassins by RJ Barker is the third and final novel in The Wounded Kingdom trilogy. I’ve been enjoying the hell out of these books so far, and this could be shaping up to be one of my favorite fantasy series ever. Shadowblack by Sebastien de Castell is the second novel in the author’s YA Spellslinger series (the first book of which I recently reviewed and loved) so I’m looking forward to starting this one real soon. And August must be the month of awesome sequels, because we’re rounding out the Orbit haul with The Tower of Living and Dying by Anna Smith Spark, the follow-up to her amazing grimdark debut The Court of Broken Knives.

From the kind folks at Night Shade Books/Talos, I also received the following: The Tropic of Eternity by Tom Toner is the third book in The Amaranthine Spectrum which unfortunately I’m not caught up with yet, but I’ve heard some fantastic things about the series. Herokiller by Paul Tassi also sounds incredible, described as “Ready Player One meets Gladiator“. This book is a new one to me, but who can ignore a comparison like that?

With thanks to Saga Press and the team at Wunderkind PR, I also received a finished copy of Trail of Lightning by Rebecca Roanhorse. Its arrival made me very happy because I loved the book, and this hardcover edition is just jaw-droppingly beautiful.

Next up, I was excited to received a finished copy of Record of a Spaceborn Few by Becky Chambers, which I’ve already devoured because I just love this series so much. And if you caught my review this week, you might have also seen that this was my favorite Wayfarers book yet. Huge thanks to Harper Voyager.

With thanks to Crown Publishing, I also received The Massacre of Mankind by Stephen Baxter, which came out last year as the “official sequel” to H.G. Wells’ The War of the Worlds. For those curious, you can read my review of it here. This is the paperback release, and I love how they’ve reworked the cover for this edition.

And with huge thanks to Pyr Books, a couple weeks ago I received this eye-popping ARC of No Sleep Till Doomsday by Laurence MacNaughton, book three in the Dru Jasper series which I’ve been really enjoying. Can’t wait to start this.

Last month I also received a finished copy of Stars Uncharted by S.K. Dunstall, with thanks to Ace Books. I’ve always kicked myself for missing out on the Linesman trilogy from this writing duo of sisters, so no way I’m sitting out this time.

This next arrival I’m also super psyched about: The Monster Baru Cormorant by Seth Dickinson is the hugely anticipated follow-up to The Traitor Baru Cormorant. I adored the first book, and I’m counting the days until I can dive back into this world. My thanks to Tor Books for the ARC.

Last but not least, I’d like to thank Titan Books for sending me a finished copy of The War in the Dark by Nick Setchfield. Last month The BiblioSanctum participated in a tour for this novel, hosting a fascinating guest post by the author. I was already interested in checking out this book, but now I’m even more excited to read it.

Moving on to the digital pile, this week I picked up a couple audiobooks. With thanks to Penguin Random House Audio for advance listening copies of An Unwanted Guest by Shari Lapena, which sounds a classic trapped-with-a-murderer-in-a-snowbound-inn kind of thriller, and Seafire by Natalie C. Parker, a YA adventure fantasy about a crew of female pirates.

And thanks to an email pitch from the kind folks at Touchstone, I also learned about The Lost Queen by Signe Pike, a historical epic described as “the untold story of Languoreth, a forgotten queen of sixth-century Scotland and twin sister of the man who inspired the legend of Merlin.” Needless to say, I happily accepted the offer of an eARC.

Reviews

A list of my reviews posted since the last update:

Record of a Spaceborn Few by Becky Chambers (5 of 5 stars)
Gate Crashers by Patrick S. Tomlinson (4.5 of 5 stars)
Star Wars: Thrawn: Alliances by Timothy Zahn (4 of 5 stars)
Orbital by Andrew Mayne (4 of 5 stars)
Like Never and Always by Ann Aguirre (3.5 of 5 stars)
Smoke and Iron by Rachel Caine (3.5 of 5 stars)
The Raptor & The Wren by Chuck Wendig (3.5 of 5 stars)
Contagion by Erin Bowman (3 of 5 stars)

Roundup Highlights:

What I’ve Read Since the Last Update

Here’s what I’ve managed to “unstack” from the TBR since the last update. More reviews coming soon!

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Friday Face-Off: Mask

Posted on August 10, 2018 29 Comments

This week’s theme is:

“…Christine, who have torn off my mask and who therefore can never leave me again!”
~ a cover featuring a MASK

Mogsy’s Pick:
A Face Like Glass by Frances Hardinge

Sitting in that much-needed place between Middle Grade and Young Adult, A Face Like Glass is a coming-of-age novel about a younger protagonist, but the challenges she must deal with are no less difficult or complex. Neverfell was just a child when she was found, practically half-drowned, in a vat of curds by Caverna’s foremost cheesemaker. But as soon as he cleaned off the little girl and took one look at her face, he knew something was terribly wrong. From that moment on, Neverfell was always instructed to wear a mask in public, though she was never told why, leading her to believe that she is hideously disfigured.

For years afterward, Neverfell trains with the cheesemaker as his apprentice, learning all about the ways of Caverna, an underground city made up of tunnels. Skilled craftsmen create all sorts of magical goods to sell to the royal court. Among the most respected of these artisans are the Facesmiths, for unlike the people who live in the world above, citizens of Caverna are born with blank faces and no natural instinct to form facial expressions. This is where a Facesmith comes in, developing and teaching new expressions to those who can afford his or her services. The richer you are, the more facial expressions you can learn, while the poor are only taught a few to get them through a life of servitude.

Everything about this novel is pure imagination and magic, and needless to say, I loved every moment. But how do its covers fare? Let’s take a look at them now:

From left to right:
Pan Macmillan Children’s HC (2012) – Pan Macmillan Children’s PB (2013) – Amulet Books HC (2017)
Amulet Books digital (2017) – Macmillan UK (2016) – Pan Macmillan PB (2017) – German Edition (2014)

Winner:

The version I own is the Amulet Books hardcover, and I’ve always disliked it for how creepy it looks. I much prefer the Pan Macmillan Children’s 2012 edition, which perfectly encapsulates the magical and whimsical nature of the story. It is also my favorite of the bunch.

But what you do think? Which one is your favorite?

Book Review: Record of a Spaceborn Few by Becky Chambers

Posted on August 9, 2018 33 Comments

I received a review copy from the publisher. This does not affect the contents of my review and all opinions are my own.

Record of a Spaceborn Few by Becky Chambers

Mogsy’s Rating: 5 of 5 stars

Genre: Science Fiction

Series: Book 3 of Wayfarers

Publisher: Harper Voyager (July 24, 2018)

Length: 368 pages

Author Information: Website | Twitter

Record of A Spaceborn Few might be my favorite Wayfarers novel yet. Structurally and thematically, it is quite unlike either of its predecessors, but these differences from book to book are what I love most about this series. First, readers got to explore the galaxy and encounter new alien species and civilizations in A Long Way to a Small Angry Planet. In contrast, A Closed and Common Orbit was a smaller and more intimate affair, narrowing the scope to focus on the journeys of two outsiders who ultimately found home in each other. Likewise, this third volume in the series is a deeply personal tale, but at the core of its narrative, the novel also explores the evolution and development of human society, focusing particular attention on the shipborne descendants of the last people to leave a dying Earth.

Needless to say, the anthropology student in me couldn’t help but jump for joy. Chronologically, most of the events in Record of a Spaceborn Few take place right after A Long Way to a Small Angry Planet, though the story itself is a standalone. This time, Becky Chambers welcomes us to the Exodus Fleet, a collection of ancient ships home to the largest population of humans found outside the Sol system. Since their departure from Earth, generations have been born and raised here. And while some have left for greener pastures, never to return, others have chosen to stay and carry on the way of life. The Exodans have long abandoned their original goal of finding the perfect planet upon which to settle, deciding on space as their permanent home. The many centuries, however, has taken its toll on the fleet’s deteriorating hulls. In the novel’s prologue, an accident aboard the Oxomoco causes a catastrophic breach and decompression, killing tens of thousands.

As the rest of the fleet rushes to provide aid, the aftermath of accident is related through the eyes of our main characters, who are still affected by memories of the horror years later. Tessa is an Exodan, sister of none other than Ashby who left the fleet years ago to captain the Wayfarer. Her daughter was just shy of five-years-old when the Oxomoco disaster occurred, the trauma of the incident etching itself onto the little girl’s psyche. Then there’s Isobel, a senior archivist who has dedicated her life to recording and preserving the history and memories of the Exodus Fleet. Whether they are happy or sad, all significant events must be documented for posterity. Another character is Eyas, a “caretaker”, the euphemistic name for a person on the fleet who handles the remains of the dead in a highly ritualized process. Nothing is wasted in space, including the bodies of those who pass. Next is Kip, a teenage boy who has no idea what he wants to do with his life, other than the fact he wants to leave the Exodus Fleet as soon as he graduates. And finally, there is Sawyer, a young man from the colony of Mushtullo who arrives at the fleet in order to find his ancestral roots—and maybe, just maybe, a chance at a new life now that there’s nothing left for him planetside.

This book touched me in a profound, beautiful way. Years ago, when I was in college, I read an ethnography for class about a society of island people whose traditions were rapidly disappearing in the face of modern technology and civilization. More and more, their old ways were becoming relics of another era, and young people were leaving in droves for jobs and education on the mainland. To preserve their history and culture, the islanders who remained were a closely-knit community who fought hard to preserve their customs and beliefs that were handed down from generation to generation. I was reminded of all this, because in many ways, I saw parallels in the Exodus Fleet. For some, who can’t imagine a home anywhere else, perpetuating life on the fleet was paramount, while others who felt trapped by it were drawn to opportunities in the wider galaxy beyond. Then there are those who felt obligated to stay out of a sense of duty of guilt, or simply because this was the only life they’ve ever known. Outsiders, even those who came to discover and learn, were not always welcome and were sometimes mistrusted. And when it came to aliens—most of whom saw the Exodus Fleet as a quaint oddity at best, a futile drain on resources at worst—the emotions involved were even more confusing and contentious. This perhaps was best illustrated by the interludes featuring Ghuh’loloan, a Harmagian ethnographer who came to work with Isabel to study and write about the Exodan experience.

Like the previous novels, Record of a Spaceborn Few is celebration of life, love, and hope. The antithesis to the new crop of sci-fi coming out these days featuring nihilistic themes and gritty stories and characters, the Wayfarer series honestly feels like a breath of fresh air. There is just so much heart here, the message being that the galaxy might be a big and scary place, but you can always count on the best of humanity to come out in a crisis. Once again, I’m simply astonished at the level of warmth and compassion found in the individual character’s stories. Each person is someone you can relate to, someone you can come to care deeply about.

What more can I say? Becky Chambers is probably one of the most remarkable talents to break out in recent years, and even with three books under her belt in the Wayfarer series, she’s showing no signs of slowing down. In fact, I think her stories are only getting better and better. Go and read this book. Read A Long Way to a Small Angry Planet too, if you haven’t already. And A Closed and Common Orbit. Read it all. You won’t regret it.