#RRSciFiMonth YA Weekend: ReMade created by Matthew Cody

Posted on November 25, 2017 12 Comments

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

ReMade by Matthew Cody, Kiersten White, E. C. Myers, Andrea Phillips, Carrie Harris, Gwenda Bond

Mogsy’s Rating: 4 of 5 stars

Genre: Science Fiction, Young Adult

Series: Book 1 of ReMade

Publisher: Serial Box (April 25th 2017)

Length: 783 pages

It’s been several months since I last reviewed a Serial Box title, and it appears they’ve been very busy churning out new serials while my attention was elsewhere. Still, I thought I’d been doing a pretty good job keeping informed of their releases, which was why I was so surprised on my latest venture to the SB website to come across ReMade, a series I hadn’t heard of before. Not only that, I saw that Season Two had just kicked off, which meant somehow a whole season had passed me by.

Curiosity piqued, I ended up accepting an offer of the entire 15-episode first season for review. The premise sounded interesting, and this being Serial Box’s first foray into the Young Adult genre, they probably wanted to get some of big names behind the project because I also recognized several of them on the author list which includes Matthew Cody, Andrea Phillips, Kiersten White, Gwenda Bond, Carrie Harris, and E.C. Myers. The story was pitched to me as Lost meets The Maze Runner (which I actually found to be quite accurate), following a group of twenty-three teenagers and young adults who wake up one day on a strange jungle world full of unidentifiable creatures and killer robots. Nearby, a towering space elevator looms. Are they in the future? Or have they been abducted and transported to an alien planet? No one knows for sure what’s going on, but gradually they discover a common factor among themselves—every single one of them has final memories of dying before they woke up here.

First, there’s Holden and Seyah, who were together in the same car that collided with an oncoming truck in the opposite lane. Then there’s May, whose paranoia over her severe allergies prevents her from eating anything in this strange new place, even as her body hungers for food. Next is Nevaeh, who remembers drawing her last breath in a hospital bed before finally succumbing to a long battle with cancer. The boy known as Loki. Teen idol and reality TV star Teddy Young. Inez, whose last memories of a fun day at the beach with her family ended in tragedy. Umta, who is not quite human. Hardworking Cole, who is haunted by memories of his sweetheart and infant son. Nearly two dozen characters from different backgrounds with different stories to tell, but all their lives seemed to have ended around the same time, with death occurring between 9:31 and 9:32pm Eastern Time on October 14^th, 2016.

When reading serialized fiction, I generally prefer waiting for the full novel or season to be completed before tackling all the installments in one go, as opposed to following them piecemeal by the week. Serials like ReMade are a pretty good example of why I do this, given its rather unusual structure. While it features a present storyline set on the mysterious jungle world, each episode also focuses mainly on one character and tells their backstory through a long sequence of flashbacks. More than anything else, it was this aspect of the series that reminded me most of Lost, with its use of a nonlinear narrative to tell a character-driven mystery.

Admittedly, this is a format that probably works best if you can finish one episode and jump into the next one right away. Personally, I doubt my interest would have held and I probably wouldn’t have continued reading if I’d had to wait a week between each one. For example, the first episode “Shadow and Dreams” featuring Holden simply drops readers into this bizarre new world with little to no context, and because his flashbacks also took up so much of the narrative, we were also left with no real answers by the time it ended. It was a pretty unsatisfying intro to say the least, but the advantage of having the full season on hand meant I was able to binge read the next few episodes, which I believe made all the difference. As I kept reading, a pattern began to take shape, along with a clear direction. As a result, somewhere between Episode 3 “Home, Perilous Home” (Nevaeh’s story) and Episode 4 “The Most Dangerous Game” (Loki’s story), I found myself completely hooked.

Still, for me I think it was Episode 6 “Reality No-Show” featuring Teddy and Inez that finally sealed the deal. Aside from being my favorite, this episode also signaled a turning point in the series, first because it began apart from the others, and second because it kicked off a new arc for the main storyline which is still advancing at a brisk pace despite all the flashbacks. Like a TV series, ReMade seems to move in stages, and every few episodes there will be a climactic event that will challenge the characters and shake up the status quo. While there were still plenty of questions at this point, I was already so invested in the mystery that I didn’t mind waiting a little longer for the answers.

Considering the format, it shouldn’t be a surprise that the characters were also a huge motivation for me to continue. Although the premise states we start off with twenty-three people, eventually only a handful rise to prominence as “main” characters. However, this is still enough for a very diverse cast, resulting in a lot of interesting backstories and interactions between different characters. Each has their strengths and weaknesses, with some emerging as natural leaders while others take on a more supportive—but no less important—role in helping each other survive throughout the series. Even though a couple characters manage to achieve great feats, the story still gives you the sense that everyone’s skills and talents are required to succeed. There was no one character I preferred more than any other, in that I was able to relate to each in a different way. They are all flawed, with their individual experiences shaping much of their personalities and motivations, and the flashbacks go a long way in showing us how and why.

All told, ReMade now ranks among my favorite series from Serial Box. If you’re familiar with the TV show Lost and the way it featured a primary storyline supplemented by flashbacks to expand character backstories, then you’ll probably recognize a similar format here, used by the authors to develope a fascinating dystopian mystery. Now that all 15 episodes of the first season are released, you can pick up ReMade in its entirety, which in my opinion is the best way to enjoy the series anyway, and hence why I am looking forward to when the currently running second season is complete. I’m very curious to find out what happens, and will be excited to continue reading.

Friday Face-Off: Snow

Posted on November 24, 2017 23 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:

“I wonder if the snow loves the trees and fields, that it kisses them so gently”
~ a cover featuring SNOW

Mogsy’s Pick:
The Wolf Road by Beth Lewis

The Wolf Road features a harsh and gritty frontier-like world ravaged by war. Technology and modern comforts are gone in this post-apocalyptic setting, along with any kind of social infrastructure or protection. It’s everyone for themselves in the cold northern wilderness where protagonist Elka was born, and what’s left of the law here is swift and merciless.

Then one day, when Elka was seven years old, she found herself lost and alone in the woods. Against all odds, she was rescued and taken in by a man known only as “Trapper”. He sheltered Elka, when he could have turned away and left her to die. For the next ten years he took care of her, and even taught her how to hunt and to trap and to survive off the land. And in time, Elka came to see Trapper as her father.

However, all that safety and happiness about to be ripped away. On a fateful trip into town, Elka discovers that the man who had raised her for the last decade is not who she always thought he was. Trapper turns out to be a serial murderer wanted by the law, and unfortunately for Elka, her close association with him makes her an accomplice. Now she is hunted by a ruthless magistrate named Lyon, a hard woman who will stop at nothing to apprehend her prey. And because Elka has discovered his true identity, the man she used to call father is coming after her as well, determined not to leave loose ends.

I loved this book, with its cold and brutal “Western” vibes. Let’s see now if the covers live up to its atmosphere.

From left to right, top to bottom: The Borough Press (2016) – Crown (2016) – Blue Door Fiction (2017) – Broadway Books (2017) – Finnish Edition (2017) – French Edition (2017) – Russian Edition (2017)

Winner:

The original first edition from The Borough Press wins hands down this week. It leads in almost all arenas, depicting a snowy scene which reflects well the cold harsh atmosphere of this gritty tale. I’m not usually a fan of covers featuring overly large text either, but this one managed to do something really cool with the title, incorporating the image of the wolf and its intense gaze. If I saw this book on a shelf, it would definitely draw my attention and make me pick it up.

What do you think? Which one is your favorite?

#RRSciFiMonth: Graphic Novel Review Bites

Posted on November 23, 2017 5 Comments

Bitch Planet Volume 2: President Bitch

Volume one of this series introduced us to a future where the dystopian concept of a patriarchal society goes to very scary places. While The Handmaid’s Tale takes a softer approach to putting women in their place, Bitch Planet takes more extreme measures with its non-compliant women. They are sent to, well, the Bitch Planet, a penal planet for women. This collection of issues steps back in time to tell us about Maiko’s life before her untimely death and how she came to be imprisoned for murder. Meanwhile, the inmates are still reeling from the events that led to her death, and Maiko’s dad, the designer of the facilities, just wants to speak to his beloved daughter. The tension is all kinds of boiling over and, Kam is determined to keep the ball rolling, no matter how much it hurts.

This is a series that literally pulls no punches in any way. The women come in all shapes and sizes, inside and out, and the exaggerated concept of their incarceration and domination, both on and off the planet, hits far too close to home in this day and age. This is not a light read, but it is a great read if you want to get your feminist rage on. I just need to find a spot for my non-compliant tattoo.

GOLGOTHA

GOLGOTHA‘s Kickstarter came out right about the time I started playing Mass Effect Andromeda. Both stories follow a group of scientist and military types sent off to colonize another galaxy. In Mass Effect, the group arrive to find their promised land in ruins and a deadly alien species wanting to shoot first and shoot again. GOLGOTHA’s folks arrive to find that humanity is already there. As in, while the passengers puttered along in cryosleep for almost a century, technology on earth surpassed the Golgotha’s technology and humans had already successfully colonized the planet. That doesn’t leave much for soldier Michael Lawton to do — until the rebellion kicks up a stink with explosions and all that. Turns out, the utopia isn’t, unsurprisingly, all it seems to be, and now Lawton has to go find out why.

As far as concept and science goes, I liked this story in theory, but in execution, it leaves a bit to be desired. The cast of characters makes a big effort to win diversity points, only to drop back down to the standard mostly white folks cast just a few pages later. The biblical analogies and imagery are a bit too glaring, and by the time the Big Secret is revealed, I found myself uninterested in Lawton’s rationale to invest further in the story.

Saga Volume 7

Is this series forever going to make me cry at the end of every damn volume????

Waiting on Wednesday 11/22/17

Posted on November 22, 2017 18 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

Defy the Worlds by Claudia Gray (April 3, 2018 by Little Brown Books for Young Readers)

In honor of Sci-Fi November, I’m featuring sci-fi picks for my Waiting on Wednesday posts this month. Many titles on my list of highly anticipated science fiction will be released next spring, including a bunch in the Young Adult category. One of the ones I’m looking forward to the most is this sequel to Defy the Stars, written by Claudia Gray who has become one of my favorite YA authors. Note: Since the Little Brown edition doesn’t have a final cover yet, I’m using the one to the UK edition (which I like much better, anyway).

“Noemi Vidal has returned to her planet, Genesis, as an outsider. Ostracized for refusing to sacrifice Abel, the galaxy’s most advanced mechanical man, she dreams of traveling through the stars one more time. And when a deadly plague arrives on Genesis, Noemi gets her chance. As the only soldier to have ever left the planet, it will be up to her to save its people…if only she wasn’t flying right into a trap.

Abel, now fully aware of his soul and captaining his own ship, never thought he’d get to see Noemi again, not when the entire universe stands between them. But when his creator, Burton Mansfield, delivers news of Noemi’s capture, Abel must go to her, no matter the cost.

In a race against time, Abel and Noemi band together to stop Mansfield once and for all. The depraved scientist has engineered a way to achieve immortality, but that technology comes with perils of its own. Abel and Noemi are about to discover a secret that could save Genesis and Earth…or destroy them all.”

#RRSciFiMonth Book Review: Provenance by Ann Leckie

Posted on November 21, 2017 25 Comments

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

Provenance by Ann Leckie

Mogsy’s Rating: 3 of 5 stars

Genre: Science Fiction

Series: Stand Alone

Publisher: Orbit (September 26, 2017)

Length: 439 pages

Author Information: Website | Twitter

While I’ve read and enjoyed Ann Leckie’s Imperial Radch trilogy, I confess I probably wasn’t as enamored with it as the majority of readers. Despite the inventive and original ideas and the brilliant way there were executed, I really struggled with the pacing and there were also times where the narrative style made me feel completely out of my depth. And so when Provenance came out, I felt torn as to whether or not to read it. Eventually though, I was won over by the exciting premise as well as the general consensus that this was a lighter, more approachable story, and easier to get into compared to Ancillary Mercy.

For the most part, I felt this was true. The novel follows Ingray Aughksold, the adopted daughter of a prominent politician on the planet of Hwae, where power games are the norm. Our protagonist’s mother Natano has the choice of passing down her title to only one of her children, and Ingray desperately wants it to be her, though she knows the competition will be fierce. Her main rival is her clever and charming brother Danach, whom many already think has secured the inheritance, but unbeknownst to everyone, Ingray has one last-ditch card up her sleeve to play.

For you see, in Hwaean society there are certain historical relics called vestiges that are prized above all other treasures, and a thief named Pahlad Budrakim is said to have stolen some and hidden them away before being convicted and sent to “Compassionate Removal” (a punishment that involves a rather horrible form of exile). If Ingray can somehow free and convince Pahlad to reveal the location of the stolen vestiges, she can simply retrieve them and return home a hero. Sure, her plan may be half-baked and nothing short of a gamble, but pulling it off would certainly win her Natano’s favor.

Unfortunately, things go wrong almost immediately for Ingray as she arrives to retrieve Pahlad (after paying a hefty sum, which was almost all the money she had), only to find the prisoner delivered inside a suspension box. She also did not anticipate that the starship captain she hired to take them home would object to transporting a passenger in stasis, insisting that she wake the prisoner before he would agree to take them anywhere. So imagine Ingray’s dismay, when after they breach the suspension box, the person within comes to life in a bewildered state, claiming vehemently not to be Pahlad Budrakim at all.

Returning to the Imperial Radch universe, Provenance does share a few similarities with the Leckie’s debut trilogy, such as the gender-fluidity, lack of emphasis on sexual stereotypes, inclusion of many different alien races, and presence of sentient machines. However, as evidenced by the book’s description, the story also contains a more accessible and reader-friendly plotline, one that concerns itself more with intimate matters like family and friendship. This is just one of many reasons why I think this novel worked better for me on a personal level, in contrast to the way I felt about Ancillary Mercy which left me with a nagging sense of detachment to the characters.

Ingray, on the other hand, was someone I found easier to relate to, which in turn helped me gain a deeper appreciation for the world-building elements. While Leckie can sometimes go a little overboard with the details (something I also noticed from previous experiences with her work), the data dumps seemed much more manageable this time around, probably because almost all the world-building had direct consequences for our protagonist. Every background tidbit on the culture of the Hwaeans or the history of vestiges meant something to Ingray’s future, for example, resulting in a greater interest and investment on my part.

And yet, for all its strengths, Provenance still presented me with a few roadblocks. Its lighter tone notwithstanding, the story was slow to unfold and failed to build up much steam after the first hundred pages. After a promising start, everything just sort of…plateaued. To be fair, the story did interest me enough to keep reading to the end, but my feelings for the second half of the book were much more muted compared to the gripping excitement I felt in the first half.

It has occurred to me, of course, that Leckie could be one of those authors whose style and I simply don’t click. I’m always conflicted whenever I finish her novels, reeling in awe and admiration of the story’s themes and concepts, but at the same time wishing it could have been more. And that’s pretty much how I felt about Provenance in a nutshell. I think it’s an intriguing book that expands the universe, making it a must-read for Imperial Radch and Ann Leckie fans, but once again I’m on the fence.

Book Review: Above the Timberline by Gregory Manchess

Posted on November 20, 2017 22 Comments

Above the Timberline by Gregory Manchess
Genre: Fantasy, Art
Publisher: Saga Press (October 24, 2017)
Length: 240 pages
Author Website: www.manchess.com

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

I’d never read a “painted novel” before, but I think I like it—especially if it means getting to enjoy my stories with such jaw-droppingly stunning artwork. It certainly doesn’t get better than Above the Timberline by Gregory Manchess, a lushly illustrated experience that is truly a feast for the eyes. And if you can somehow tear your eyes away from the artwork long enough to read the text portion of the novel, there’s also an adventurous pulp-inspired tale to go with it too.

Book Trailer for Above the Timberline

Told mostly through journal entries, the story follows a young pilot named Wesley Singleton who leaves the flight academy for the frozen wastes, determined to find his missing father, Galen. We are more than a thousand years into the future, following a cataclysmic pole shift that resulted in the continents tearing themselves apart, and now most of the Earth’s surface is covered in snow. The elder Singleton, a famed explorer and prominent member of the Polaris Geographic Society, was carrying out his lifelong quest to find a legendary lost city said to be buried beneath the ice, when all communication was suddenly lost on his latest expedition. Everyone had already given him up for dead except for Wes, who now has no choice but to turn to a corrupt former friend of his father’s named Braeburn Wilkes in order to get the funds he needs for his solo rescue mission.

But of course, there’s also more to Wes’s motivations than meets the eye. He knows his father is a experienced explorer, with the skills to survive the wastes. Galen also has reason to hide his discoveries from the unscrupulous PGS, and he so has adopted a means of transmitting coded coordinates of his locations that only his family can decipher. His instincts telling him that his father might have found something out on the ice, Wes takes along Galen’s most prized possession—a mysterious piece of old technology called the Arktos Device.

What comes next is an intense adventure through the snowy wilderness as Wes attempts to retrace his father’s steps, using Galen’s notes to guide him. Chronicling his own expedition in his journal, Wes faces his own challenges, from stampeding wooly rhinos and hungry snow cats to vehicle crashes and hostile encounters with the Tukklan people. All the while, Wilkes is also on his tail, suspecting that Wes knows more than he lets on.

Due to the journal format, you can expect the writing to be on the sparser side, comprising meager descriptions, choppy transitions between scenes, as well as other stylistic quirks like line-by-line dialogue without tags. Fortunately for us, every entry is accompanied by detailed artwork, which helps us fill in what the text doesn’t show. By doing this, Manchess manages to presents the full story by supplementing his writing with the cinematic quality of his beautiful paintings, and sometimes vice versa.

But let’s face it; if you pick up this book, it’s going to be for the irresistible visuals. The story itself, while fun, is nothing too special by itself and almost incidental compared to the incredible artwork. Unlike a traditional novel, it’s the paintings that bring the story to life and not the writing, and I found Manchess’s art style particularly well suited to the task. Every piece is rendered in vivid, bold colors creating luscious textures and dramatic shadows, with even the bleakest winter landscapes coming off as vibrant and alive, not to mention how scenes depicting dynamic action looked so realistic that their subjects practically seemed to leap off the page.

At the end of the day, Above the Timberline is a masterpiece no matter how you look at it. The story is decent enough, but the superb visual component is what everyone should be talking about. Without a doubt, it’s Manchess’s majestic, glorious artwork that will make this one stand out and become a treasured possession in any fantasy literature or art lover’s library. I could spend days with this book just marveling at the paintings alone. Highly recommended.

#RRSciFiMonth: Sunday Musings: Journey to The Last Jedi

Posted on November 19, 2017 9 Comments

Apparently, Disney has ten years worth of Star Wars movies lined up. This is extra good news for me, not just because OMG ANOTHER DECADE OF NEW STAR WARS, but because Star Wars Christmas Day has become a tradition in my family. Buying movie tickets makes for easy Christmas shopping, and it makes my heart swell to see three generations (four if my dad decides he’s not too sleepy) of my family in the theatre.

It’s been two years since this new phenomenon started with The Force Awakens and I have finally gotten around to listening to the audiobook. As always, Marc Thompson is the only person who should ever be allowed to narrate Star Wars books. It was nice to hear Han Solo’s smirk one last time and the subtext of emotion that he injects into the smuggler’s moments with Leia. As Tiara and Mogsy have already pointed out in their reviews, here and here, the novelization helps to add a few extra bits of context that were missing from the film. It fills in a few gaps, such as explaining what happened to Poe Dameron between his crash landing and his epic return, where the movie unfairly left me mourning the loss of that wonderful man for more than half the film.

After my exploration of novelizations last year, it’s nice to continue this journey with Alan Dean Foster. But The Force Awakens isn’t the only Star Wars adventure I took this year. As part of my 2017 Worlds Without End reading challenges, TFA served as the third of three Star Wars reads this year. The first was Revan. As a Star Wars: The Old Republic player who has followed Revan’s path since Knights of the Old Republic, I now understand people’s disappointment with this book. I’d long since gotten over Revan after playing some of his continued story in the BioWare MMO, but I’m no longer invested enough to have been hurt by it, but as I said, I understand.

The story follows Revans attempts to discover the truth behind his lost memories, which leads him to a literal dark place that only an unusual team-up between the protagonist from KOTOR2 and a new character, Lord Scourge, can save him from. It was supposed to be a conclusion to the game stories, but instead, it was a whole lot of exposition, a rushed ending, and no real conclusion for Revan. Which I already knew at that point, since I’d met him a few more disappointing times in Star Wars: The Old Republic. I’m all about inconclusive endings, but they have to actually be good.

Sticking with Star Wars: The Old Republic, the next step on my journey was Deceived, which focuses on Lord Malgus, the initial main villain of the MMO. First of all, as a book based on a game that includes battle sequences, I was really impressed with the way the author handled the action. Since I regularly play the game, I recognized many of the moves and could follow along with the battles.

Malgus is a Sith, through and through, but everyone has their weaknesses. Much like Revan, this story continues the intermingling of darkness and light, and it follows two main characters who walk the edge of the mirror. The Sith and the Jedi have always been two extremes. Good and evil aren’t always that simplistic. So I like books like this that explore the gray area.

My challenge was only for three books, but the library is always nice enough to recommend a few similar goodies, which led me to Thrawn. For many of us old school fans, Timothy Zahn’s first Star Wars trilogy was our first step into the glorious expanded universe. For me, it may have set the stage for my Star Wars: The Old Republic’s Imperial Agent’s sordid affair with a Chiss on the cold, cold planet of Hoth. Reading Thrawn just served to solidify the blue sexy. There’s a reason Grammarly wants me to change “Chiss” to “kiss.” But I digress.

Luke and company may have thwarted Grand Admiral Thrawn in the original trilogy, but I guess that doesn’t count anymore. Now we’re seeing Thrawn from a new angle, starting with his reintroduction through Star Wars Rebels where he hooked up with Anakin Skywalker. Now we’re meeting a man exiled from the aristocracy, who stealths his way into the Empire through his superior strategic intelligence. Despite being an alien, the Emperor recognized a good thing when he saw it and Thrawn’s skills quickly move him through the ranks. He is accompanied by a backwater assistant, Eli Vanto, through whom we get to access the emotions necessary to appreciate a character-driven book. Otherwise, the only insight we get into Thrawn himself is through his analysis of everyone he meets and their reactions to each situation, and his Art of War-like introductions to each chapter. He is able to read and anticipate everyone and everything, but we can’t have a perfect world here. Thrawn does fail to comprehend the political aspect of the Empire, which is where Orenda Pryce comes in. She understands how to read more than just people and knows how to play the political game. This story also serves to show us that the Empire isn’t necessarily as bad as it seems. The Emperor, well he’s one evil SOB, but there is something to be said about establishing some semblance of order, which is something Thrawn certainly understands.

So with all that Star Warsing this year, I feel like I’m ready for December 15th. Well, I’m ready, as in I am sufficiently Star Wars’d up. But I won’t be ready to see General Leia Organa on screen again and learn her fate. I will have at least one box of tissue ready. Maybe three.

Audiobook Review: Origin by Dan Brown

Posted on November 19, 2017 22 Comments

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

Origin by Dan Brown

Mogsy’s Rating (Overall): 4 of 5 stars

Genre: Mystery, Thriller

Series: Book 5 of Robert Langdon

Publisher: Random House Audio (October 3, 2017)

Length: 18 hrs and 9 mins

Author Information: Website | Twitter

Narrator: Paul Michael

I read this one as a treat to myself. Say what you will about Dan Brown, but the man how to write a page-turner, especially in his Robert Langdon series which frequently combines elements of the mystery-thriller genre with interesting ideas about art, history, and science. There’s a lot of entertainment value in his books, and after the stressful month I’ve had (not to mention a string of less-than-satisfactory reads) I decided that I deserved a break with some much needed brain candy. Hence Origin.

I’ll begin by saying I’ve read all the Robert Langdon books and enjoyed most of them, so I had a pretty good idea what I was getting into when I started this. Our favorite professor of symbology is back, this time all dressed up for an important evening at the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao to attend a major announcement by a former student named Edmond Kirsch. In the two decades since Langdon had first taught him, Kirsch has become a billionaire celebrity, making a name for himself as a genius inventor and futurist who specializes in using technology to accurately predict the path the world would follow. Now the world is holding its breath to see what he will say next. In the years leading up to this night at the Guggenheim, Langdon only knows that Kirsch had been working on something big—a reveal that the futurist claims would alter the face of religion and science forever by answering the two most fundamental questions about human existence: Where do we come from? And where are we going?

On the entire planet, there are only a handful of people who are aware of the full details behind Kirsch’s mysterious presentation. However, a shadowy organization has caught wind of the earth-shattering information Kirsch plans on sharing with the world, and they will go to any lengths to shut him down. When the night inevitably devolves into chaos, Langdon suddenly finds himself partnered up with the smart and beautiful Ambra Vidal, a museum director who was helping Kirsch orchestrate his high-profile event. As the only two people who can salvage the evening’s plans, they find themselves fleeing to Barcelona following a trail of clues that would ultimately unlock the secret of Kirsch’s big discovery, meanwhile dodging police and agents from the Spanish Royal Palace who are trying to bring them in for questioning.

In other words, this story follows the classic Dan Brown formula, and if you’ve read the previous Robert Langdon novels, nothing here will really surprise you. Still, I’m enjoying the series’ shift towards themes of futurism and cutting edge technology while still remaining close to its roots of art, religion, and history, which were some of the central topics in the earlier books like Angels & Demons and The Da Vinci Code. In Origin, however, some plot aspects even venture into the edges of science fiction, albeit the kind that deals with more current (or near-future) technology and ideas. Blending together the modern and the not-so-modern, Brown takes readers on another gripping adventure, this time delving into the age-old debate of Religion vs. Science, but there’s no agenda-pushing of any kind here, just a straight-up mystery-thriller built around the theme.

My favorite thing about Origin though, was the setting. This being a Robert Langdon book, you just know there will be a lot of famous historical landmarks and details about the architects and artists involved in the plot. Most of this story takes place in Barcelona, one of the most beautiful cities I’ve ever had the pleasure to visit. There’s so much history here, and so many amazing places to see. Anyone who has ever been to La Sagrada Familia for example can tell you there’s nothing else quite like climbing to the top of the towers and looking down at the staircase spiraling down into the abyss, and I was so thrilled when I found out that a large chunk of the story involved Gaudi’s famous church. Here’s one thing I can say about Dan Brown—even though he can sometimes go a bit overboard with his info-dumping, he is also fantastic with using descriptions to bring out the true splendor and magnificence of a place.

The other thing Brown knows how to do really well is write an unputdownable book. Sure, few would describe his writing as elegant or his storytelling as original, not to mention the plot was a bit predictable and I think he might overplayed the climax and ending. Still, none of this changes the fact that Origin was just plain fun. On a pure enjoyment level, I would even say I had a better time with this than a lot of books that could be described as more “literary” or “innovative”. Brain candy was what I wanted and brain candy was what I got. Certainly if you’re a fan of Dan Brown and his Robert Langdon stories, I would recommend this one, and readers who like fast-paced thrillers may want to check it out as well.

Audiobook Comments: They chose a good narrator in Paul Michael, who apparently read for the previous books as well. He’s good at accents, which is important for a story like this which involves characters from all over the world. I was impressed with his ability to vary his voices and the way he brought the story to life. This is the first time I’ve listened to a Robert Langdon novel in audio, but I would probably go with this format again if Brown writes another one and they continue to keep the same narrator.

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

Posted on November 18, 2017 34 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.

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Received for Review

Thank you 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!

With thanks to Saga Press and the awesome team at Wunderkind PR for sending me a finished copy of Barbary Station by R.E. Stearns. We currently have a giveaway running for this book, so if you’re a resident of the US and are interested in checking it out, be sure to head on over to this post to read an excerpt and enter for a chance to win!

Earlier this month I also received a surprise ARC of Senlin Ascends by Josiah Bancroft, with thanks to Orbit. In case you missed the news, this novel was actually one of the contestants in last year’s SPFBO, and while it didn’t win, the book did go on to receive a ton of attention and praise through word of mouth, resulting in a contract with a traditional publisher. Success stories like these make me so happy, and they prove without a doubt that the buzz does help! I’m really looking forward to this one.

Up next is Seriously Hexed by Tina Connolly, the third volume in the Seriously Wicked series. I’ve only read the first book so I’m a bit behind, but I do recall having a good time with the story which was quite fun and very cute, so I’d like to continue if I can. My thanks to Tor Teen for the finished copy.

And courtesy of DAW Books: A Spoonful of Magic by Irene Radford is the first book of a new urban fantasy series about a kitchen witch and her magical family…which apparently also includes an asshole husband who cheats on her. I’ve been seeing a lot of mixed reviews for this one so far, which is kind of making me nervous and, if I’m to be honest, a little curious. Guess I won’t know how I feel until I try the book for myself, so wish me luck. Then there’s Terminal Alliance by Jim Hines, kicking off his new humorous and action-filled series about an alien race coming to Earth only to find that a mutant virus had wiped out half the planet, leaving the survivors in a feral, shambling state. How this is going to play out is anyone’s guess, but I do want to find out!

With thanks to Berkley, I also received a finished hardcover of Seventh Decimate by Stephen R. Donaldson. This is another title I’ve been seeing some mixed reactions for, but like I said, a new series from the mind who brought us the Thomas Covenant Chronicles is something I don’t want to miss.

From the generous folks at Simon & Schuster publicity I also got a surprise copy of The Empress by S.J. Kincaid. I haven’t read the first book, but I’ve always been curious about the series so this might just be the motivation I need to pick it up. Pretty sure my library will have a copy of The Diabolic readily available, and maybe even in audio.

Earlier this month, I also received a package containing the following November releases from Orbit: Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant is one I’m definitely going to be reading this fall, and if I can’t fit it in before the month is over, it’s going to be top priority for “Catch-up December”. I’m also very curious about The Rule of Luck by Catherine Cerveny, the first book of a new sci-fi series that appears to have both adventurous and romantic elements. More science fiction also comes in the form of Places in the Darkness by Chris Brookmyre, this one being described as a murder mystery/crime thriller set on a futuristic space station.

Next up are a trio of new arrivals from Tor: The Eterna Solution by Leanna Renee Hieber is the third installment in the Eterna Files sequence, and again to my shame, I’ve only read the first book. Not sure I’ll be able to catch up anytime soon, but at least this is the final volume so I can’t fall any more behind! I also received this ARC of The Midnight Front by David Mack, a novel set during World War II about a man who joins up with the Allies’ top-secret magickal warfare program in order to get revenge on the Nazi sorcerers who killed his family. And rounding up this batch is Black Goat Blues by Levi Black, sequel to Red Right Hand which was a rather grim Lovecraftian horror I read last year. It looks like a pretty quick read, so there’s a good chance I’ll be checking it out soon.

Finally, a huge thanks goes to Entangled Publishing for sending me Haven by Mary Lindsey which came along with a boxful of awesome goodies. I don’t know how I got lucky enough to land on their mailing list, but I was surprised indeed when this gorgeous package arrived carrying its precious cargo. The book was new to me too, so the first thing I did was research it, and to my excitement, I discovered that it is a dark YA paranormal fantasy tale featuring a unique take on Beauty and the Beast. Seriously, I have no idea why I’d never heard of this book before, but now I know I NEED to read it.

On to the digital pile! I know we’ve already covered the dangers of NetGalley auto-approval privileges, but I never learn. This time it’s Saga Press luring me into temptation, with The Tangled Lands by Paolo Bacigalupi and Tobias S. Buckell and Pride and Prometheus by John Kessel, both of which were on my watchlist so I just couldn’t resist. Then The Philosopher’s Fight by Tom Miller from Simon and Schuster caught my eye, and it just sounded so amazing (“an epic historical fantasy set in a World-War-I-era America where magic and science have blended into a single extraordinary art”). The “Read Now” option was available so I just went ahead and clicked it, because I am a weakling with no self control.

Thanks also to Harper Voyager for sending me an eARC of Sinless by Sarah Tarkoff, a dystopian set in a world where morality is physically enforced, so that those who are “good” are blessed with beauty while those who are not suffer disfigurement or even death. I decided to give this one a try because the premise sounds like it has potential.

And this week I received only one audiobook for review. For a while, All Those Explosions Were Someone Else’s Fault by James Alan Gardner was only peripherally on my radar, until I realized it was a superhero book. Yeah, that changes things. With thanks to Audible Studios.

Reviews

A quick summary of the reviews I’ve posted since the last update:

Oathbringer by Brandon Sanderson (5 of 5 stars)
A Skinful of Shadows by Frances Hardinge (4.5 of 5 stars)
All Systems Red by Martha Wells (4 of 5 stars)
Artemis by Andy Weir (4 of 5 stars)
Invictus by Ryan Graudin (3.5 of 5 stars)
Valiant Dust by Richard Baker (3 of 5 stars)
The Bloodprint by Ausma Zehanat Khan (2 of 5 stars)

Roundup Highlights:

What I’ve Read Since the Last Update

Since it is Sci-Fi Month, I used this opportunity to bump up a lot of the sci-fi reads on my TBR. Here’s what I’ve “unstacked” from my shelves since my last roundup post. This weekend marks the end of a very busy time for me, so I should be catching up again soon.

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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: Double Image or Reflection

Posted on November 17, 2017 21 Comments

This week’s theme is:

“Snap!”
~ a cover featuring a DOUBLE IMAGE or REFLECTION

Mogsy’s Pick:
Binary by Stephanie Saulter

So I had this post all planned out and halfway drafted before I went to grab info on the book…and realized I hadn’t actually read it yet! Oops! So, apologies for cheating a little this week, but I’ve decided to keep this as my pick regardless, because 1) I did read the first book, which I loved to pieces, and 2) I own both the UK and US editions and am pretty fond of both covers, hence why I thought to feature it in the first place. Binary is the second book of the ®Evolution series, set in the not-so-far-off future. The first book Gemsigns explained how a devastating virus almost wiped out humanity, and in order to survive, almost every new person born on the planet had to be genetically modified.

However, some genetic engineers went even further, giving rise to different kinds of genetically modified humans, termed “Gems”, which were tailored to specific duties that needed performing. However, with minimal thought given to their quality of life or well-being when they were created, Gems became essentially nothing but humanity’s tools. A century later though, the Declaration finally freed gems from their servitude, but neglected to translate and clarify their rights or status in the global legal system. In this period of instability, some gemtech companies would like nothing more than to see everything return to the pre-Declaration days, but fortunately the gems have Aryel Morningstar, their charismatic spokesperson who will do all she can to ensure that their voices will be heard.

I really need to get to this book at some point. Gemsigns was awesome, so I have no idea why I still haven’t! In the meantime, let’s check out the covers. It’s a head-to-head between only two this week, but I think they’re both pretty eye-catching:

Jo Fletcher Books UK – 2014 (left) vs. Jo Fletcher Books US – 2015 (right)

Winner:

They’re both very striking covers, each featuring bold, brilliant colors. But I confess, I chose this book with already a clear winner in mind. While I’ve been a fan of the minimalist design of the UK edition ever since it came out, I have to say when the US edition was released a year later, I was just completely floored by the stunning imagery. And the best part? It’s actually an allusion to my favorite scene from the first book. That’s all I’ll say about that though, no spoiling!

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