Book Review: Kill Creek by Scott Thomas
Posted on October 30, 2017 15 Comments
I received a review copy from the publisher. This does not affect the contents of my review and all opinions are my own.
Mogsy’s Rating: 4 of 5 stars
Genre: Horror
Series: Stand Alone
Publisher: Inkshares (October 31, 2017)
Length: 350 pages
Author Information: Website | Twitter
Some of my favorite horror stories involve haunted houses, because after all, a home is supposed to be a place of warmth and shelter. The idea of what was once a safe haven being invaded by malevolent spirits creates such a sense of wrongness that the terror is elevated to a whole other level. In Kill Creek, a character even ventures to explain why such stories fill us with dread, positing it’s because we never expect such awfulness to lurk so close beneath the surface of what is considered normal.
This novel is a good example of such horror, the kind that sends chills down your spine, making you wonder if anything is even safe anymore as you steal nervous glances over your shoulder to make sure you really are alone. At the center of this story is the house at Kill Creek, an old abandoned three-story that was built in the mid-1800s on a lonely road in the middle of the Kansas prairie. Lovingly constructed by its first owner, the house saw a few good years before tragedy struck, and people say it has been haunted ever since. Nobody could stand to live in it for more than a year, and gradually the house fell into disrepair until in 1975, a pair of twin sisters named Rachel and Rebecca Finch decided to buy up the property and upgrade it with some modern renovations.
Unfortunately, the new owners did nothing to improve the house’s reputation. Rachel and Rebecca were recluses and were almost never seen outside, and the whispers about Kill Creek being haunted continued. After the Finch sisters died, the house sat empty once again, its notoriety growing until it catches the attention of Justin Wainwright, founder of the horror website WrightWire which is famous for its viral videos and publicity stunts. One day, four well known horror writers receive invitations from Wainwright to spend Halloween night at the house on Kill Creek, with the promise of a large paycheck in exchange for an interview which will be livestreamed to millions. The authors are Sam McGarver, T.C. Moore, Daniel Slaughter, and Sebastian Cole, all of whom end up accepting Wainwright’s proposal because they are either in need of the money or of the publicity. However, none of them are prepared for the horrors that await them inside the old abandoned house at Kill Creek, the evil within its walls stirring once more with the arrival of new visitors.
The novel itself features a bone-chilling story, starring an interesting cast of characters representing four very different subgenres of horror fiction. Sam, the closest to being our main protagonist, is what you would call a “mainstream” author whose work appeals to the masses, his books the kind to be found everywhere from supermarket shelves to airports. After writing several bestsellers though, he has hit a writer’s block, and he agrees to the WrightWire interview in the hopes that it will buy him more time. Then there’s T.C. Moore, a self-published author who became a phenomenon after her shockingly explicit style of horror-meets-erotica quickly amassed a sizable loyal following. Furious that she has been shut out of the creative process on the movie adaptation of her novel, Moore decides to spend the night at Kill Creek in order to regain some semblance of control over her career. Daniel Slaughter on the other hand is a Young Adult author and a devout Christian, whose books often serve as an extension of his faith depicting goodness and morality triumphing over evil. However, worried that his work might be getting too dark for his audience and that he might soon be dropped by his publisher, Daniel hopes that the publicity from the WrightWire interview will help salvage his image. And finally, Sebastian Cole is our old school “classic” horror writer, whose name is practically a household word. But having been around so long, Sebastian also knows better than most that few authors can remain relevant forever, which is why he accepts Wainwright’s invitation in order to get his name out to a new generation of readers.
With that, the ingredients are all in place for an exquisite horror tale. We have an eclectic crew, whose disparate writing styles and personalities make for plenty of epic clashes and amazing dialogue, especially between Moore and Daniel. As well, it becomes apparent after a while that there’s more to Wainwright’s interview, and Sam is unwilling to believe that this whole sleepover party at Kill Creek is nothing more than a publicity stunt. All this tension is magnified in a house that feels alive, its oppressive atmosphere putting everyone on edge. When strange things start happening and our characters being seeing things that can’t be explained, we’re left with a disturbing sense of uncertainty. Are there actually supernatural shenanigans afoot? Maybe the stress of being confined in a spooky place with all these random strangers is simply getting to our authors. Or maybe it’s just Wainwright messing with their heads.
The first half of the book reads very much like your classic “haunted house” scenario: A ringmaster gathers together a dissimilar group of people for some seemingly innocent reason, bringing them into a house that is rumored to be haunted. At first, no one believes that it’s anything more than a creaky old house, but then a slow fear starts to build as the characters realize that is not the case. Later parts of the book take a drastically different turn, however, moving away from the subtle, creeping dread to an all-out violent and in-your-face kind of terror. Sam, a literature professor, outlines the four main traits common to the gothic horror tradition in the beginning of this novel, and the plot of Kill Creek almost follows this roadmap. It also feels as though each of the author characters wind up injecting a piece of themselves into this story, leaving behind the influence of their individual styles, which I thought was a clever touch.
All in all, this would be a splendid book to get you in the mood for the Halloween season. The story’s unique blend of literary horror and psychological thriller made it an addictive read, keeping me reading into the night, its creep factor levels notwithstanding. Kill Creek is for sure one of the better haunted house stories I have read in a while.
Audiobook Review: The Beautiful Ones by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Posted on October 29, 2017 20 Comments
I received a review copy from the publisher. This does not affect the contents of my review and all opinions are my own.
The Beautiful Ones by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Mogsy’s Rating (Overall): 4 of 5 stars
Genre: Fantasy
Series: Stand Alone
Publisher: Macmillan Audio (October 24, 2017)
Length: 12 hrs and 48 mins
Author Information: Website | Twitter
Narrator: P. J. Ochlan
I’ve often been asked for advice from friends who are interested in giving audiobooks a try, but are worried that they might have trouble getting into them. In response, I always say that starting with a good book and a good narrator is key, but also important is finding a story well-suited to the format. While it’s true some books simply work best in prose form, there are also plenty of times where I’ve come across audiobooks that made me think, “Wow, I definitely wouldn’t have enjoyed this as much if I had read the print version.”
The Beautiful Ones is the perfect example of such a book. As soon as comparisons to an Austenesque romance and descriptions of a Belle Époque-inspired fantasy-of-manners started floating about, I made the decision to listen to this one in audio, and I don’t regret that one bit. Featuring a slow-building love story and only a light touch of the fantastical, I might have become dreadfully bored by the long drawn-out expository sections on propriety and high society had I chosen to read this in print (not to mention all the endless romantic drama based on manipulation and miscommunication would have worn me down). However, a good narrator along with some excellent characterization ensured that I was never bored while listening to this audiobook, and the entire experience was pleasant, even relaxing.
Set in a world reminiscent of late 19th century Europe with inspiration from the pre-WWI “Golden Age” era of France, The Beautiful Ones introduces us to a tri of central characters. First is Hector Auvray, a telekinetic entertainer who has arrived back in the city of Loisail after spending nearly ten years traveling and performing abroad. Now rich and famous, he has returned to his home country hoping to meet up with his old flame Valérie Beaulieu, to whom he had been engaged when they were both young and penniless, but pressured by her family, she had ended up breaking his heart to marry someone else with wealth and status.
To Hector’s disappointment though, the emotional reunion he had planned for was spoiled when Valérie fails to show up to the high society ball he attends. Instead, he makes the acquaintance of another young woman at the gathering, the interesting but socially awkward Antonina who is in the city for her first Grand Season. It’s not until after the party that Hector learns, to his surprise, that Nina is the beloved cousin of Gaetan Beaulieu, the man Valérie ended up marrying. In fact, Nina is staying with the Beaulieus right now, tasked to learn the ropes of etiquette from Valérie, who is supposed to be helping the young girl find a suitable husband. But unfortunately for Nina, she also has telekinetic talents similar to Hector’s, which is considered inappropriate for a young lady of her stature. Along with her eccentric personality, they have a pesky way driving off potential suitors.
Yet Hector sees Nina’s powers as a gift—as well as an opportunity. Under the guise of courting her, Hector offers to teach Nina how to control her powers, when in reality he is hoping their relationship will help him get close to Valérie, convinced that she still loves him the way he still loves her.
I won’t lie, I wanted to throttle nearly everyone in this book, but in this they have something in common with characters in a soap opera—you just love to hate them. Likewise, I found it impossible to tear myself away from the drama, and I would even hazard to say I enjoyed The Beautiful Ones more than the author’s previous novel Certain Dark Things, despite this one being much slower paced and having none of the action. This is because Silvia Moreno-Garcia knows how to spin a good yarn, and more importantly, she knows what it takes to capture the reader’s attention. Rather than shy away from the usual conventions of the fantasy of manners genre, she instead revels in them, offering up a lavish feast of romantic melodrama, high societal punctilio, and weaponized etiquette. Within this context, the fantasy element almost feels like an afterthought, having little to no impact on the overall story.
Still, the novel came together very well. By taking such a huge departure from her previous work, Moreno-Garcia might have been risking a lot in writing something like The Beautiful Ones, but ultimately I thought it was a move that paid off. I practically hung onto every word, even though the plot played out exactly as I thought it would, with the requisite frustrations and misunderstandings between the characters. I’ve lost count of how many times I wanted to slap Hector silly or to shake some sense into Nina, and don’t even get me started on how much I absolutely loathed Valérie, but at no point was I not completely 100% invested in the outcome of their story.
Like I said, the fact that I had the audiobook version may have helped with my enjoyment, and the time simply flew by as I was listening to this. The only thing that might have made the experience better was if they had multiple narrators, one for each of the three POV characters, but then P.J. Ochlan also managed to do a fine job by himself so in the end I really have no complaints. If you’re looking for a fun fantasy of manners novel, The Beautiful Ones definitely fits the bill, and it’s probably one of the best ones I’ve read in a while.
YA Weekend: The Last Namsara by Kristen Ciccarelli
Posted on October 28, 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.
The Last Namsara by Kristen Ciccarelli
Mogsy’s Rating: 3.5 of 5 stars
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Series: Book 1 of Iskari
Publisher: HarperTeen (October 3, 2017)
Length: 432 pages
Author Information: Website | Twitter
A good YA high fantasy is hard to find these days, which was why I became drawn to The Last Namsara as soon as I read its description. Featuring a world of magic, dragons, and rich mythology, the story follows Asha the Iskari, a princess of the realm and also its most fierce and deadly dragon slayer. But Asha also has a dark secret, her past shrouded in pain and misery. Even as a child, she’d loved the ancient stories of the Old Ones, but naïve to the danger behind their power, she inadvertently brought fire down upon her city, killing thousands. Believing it to be the only way she can atone for her sins, Asha has vowed to help her father kill Kozu, the oldest dragon. With the creature’s death, the Old Ways will be destroyed once and for all, and Asha will also be free of her arranged marriage to Jarek, the leader of the king’s armies.
It may all sound relatively straightforward and uncomplicated, but the lore and history woven into this narrative is anything but. The world of The Last Namsara is steeped in the ancient tradition of storytelling, and alongside Asha’s perspective, readers are treated to snippets of richly imagined legends and myths. Without a doubt, this was the element of the novel I loved most; from the stories that tell of the creation of the universe to the scandalous tales of corruption or forbidden love in the halls of the palace, I always looked forward to these interludes, which surprised me. Usually I am highly critical of these types of flashbacks (or any kind of break that would distract from the main plot in general), but I have to say the transitions here were done so beautifully and seamlessly that I hardly minded at all.
Of course, there’s also an interesting twist. Society was vastly different just a few generations ago, before Asha’s grandmother outlawed the old stories during her reign, declaring foreigners to be the enemies of her kingdom and dragons to be traitors to the crown. A kind of magic fell upon the land, so that even telling the old tales would make one waste away and die. For some reason though, Asha is unaffected, and thank goodness for that, because without her as our guide, taking us through her stories and teaching us more about her world, I don’t think this book would have been half so enjoyable.
Then there are the dragons, which certainly aren’t just there for show. Dragons are important in The Last Namsara, and they are also intimately and inextricably linked to the world-building. We see plenty of them in this book as the story delves into their complex history and relationship with our characters. They are powerful and ferocious, but they are also intelligent and have their own individual personalities. They even speak and enjoy listening to the stories of humans, making the dragon characters a joy to read about.
In terms of the writing, I only found out this was Kristen Ciccarelli’s debut after I finished reading. For a first novel, it’s actually very solid, if just a tad uneven in its pacing. This being such a common issue among new authors though, I no longer really find this to be a major fault. In Ciccarelli’s case, her strength is her imagination and this is apparent in the myths she creates, which is why I felt the first half of the novel was stronger than the second half, with most of the background-establishing stories clustered near the beginning. As the plot progressed, the need for these stories dropped off and we didn’t get as many of them later on in the story, which in turn took away some of the magic that initially drew me in. As alluded to before, it’s the world-building that makes this book stand out, so the story admittedly feels rather average whenever the author’s focus shifts to something else.
Still, overall I thought The Last Namsara was a good read, and it might even have been great with just a little extra polish and attention paid to the plot and characters to make them feel less generic compared to the excellent world-building. I think the potential is there for the series to grow into something more though, and I definitely want to be there when it happens, so I’ll be watching for the sequel.
Friday Face-Off: Couples
Posted on October 27, 2017 14 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:
“Thus with a kiss I die”
~ a cover featuring a COUPLE
Mogsy’s Pick:
Defy the Stars by Claudia Gray
Naturally, for this week’s theme I turned to YA, since there’s never a shortage of covers featuring lovers in this genre. Defy the Stars was also narrowly going to be my Friday Face-Off choice a few weeks ago when we did the topic “Purple” before I decided to go with another title, so I’m glad this book got a second chance to be in the spotlight. The story follows Noemi Vidal, a seventeen year old soldier for her planet, Genesis. Ever since her people split from Earth many generations ago, the two sides have been fighting. However, Earth has a powerful weapon on their side: Burton Mansfield, a scientist and cybernetics genius who designs androids, or mechs, for the purposes of war. In the face of this tireless army, it’s only a matter of time before Genesis is overwhelmed and destroyed.
Meanwhile though, on a battled-damaged and abandoned ship called the Daedalus, a mech named Abel has been living alone for the last thirty years, yearning to be reunited with his creator. As the most advanced mech the galaxy has ever seen, he is Burton Mansfield’s greatest and most perfect creation, though in the eyes of Genesis, he is an abomination. For the past three decades, Abel’s programming has been learning and evolving, becoming more human. Then one day, Earth launches a surprise attack on Genesis’ ships, leading a Noemi to chance upon the Daedalus and Abel in her desperate attempt to escape, and thus begins a tale of forbidden love and fast-paced adventure among the stars.
Let’s take a look at the covers:
First row, left to right: Little Brown Books for Young Readers (2017) – Hot Key Books (2017)
Second row, left to right: Spanish (2017) – French (2017) – German (2017)
Winner:
I’m going to have to go with the Hot Key Books edition, since I love the interesting negative space and the lovely shades of purple used in this design. There’s also a fierce kind of intimacy captured between the two models gazing at each other in this image, which really caught my attention and made this cover stand apart from the others.
But what do you think? Which one is your favorite?
Audiobook Review: Star Wars: Phasma by Delilah S. Dawson
Posted on October 26, 2017 9 Comments
I received a review copy from the publisher. This does not affect the contents of my review and all opinions are my own.
Star Wars: Phasma by Delilah S. Dawson
Mogsy’s Rating (Overall): 3 of 5 stars
Genre: Science Fiction, Media Tie-In
Series: Star Wars Canon
Publisher: Random House Audio (September 1, 2017)
Length: 12 hrs and 14 mins
Author Information: Website | Twitter
Narrator: January LaVoy
Billed as the secret history behind the First Order’s most notorious and ruthless Stormtrooper, Star Wars: Phasma was released to great anticipation from fans who wanted to learn more about the eponymous character whose chrome-plated presence was woefully underutilized in The Force Awakens. This being a Star Wars novel though, and knowing how they always tend to oversell the reality in their blurbs, I’d already braced myself not to expect too much, which turned out to be a wise decision. Basically, what we have here is an origin backstory for Phasma—or at least as close to one as we’re going to get anyway, coming from a third-hand retelling. However, if you’re coming to this novel hoping to find out more about her personality or discover what makes her tick, then be prepared for disappointment because this book is completely devoid of any kind of real characterization.
Star Wars: Phasma begins with an introduction to Resistance spy Vi Moradi, who will be the one actually telling this story. While running a mission for General Leia Organa, Vi is captured by the First Order and is immediately held for questioning at the hands of the red-armored trooper known as Captain Cardinal, who already seems to know a lot about his prisoner. But the Resistance knows about Cardinal too, especially of the bitter antagonism between him and his colleague Captain Phasma, so it’s no surprise to Vi when the first thing her captor asks her is for more information about his greatest rival. After all, Vi’s ship’s log show that she has just come from the desolate planet of Parnassos, Phasma’s home world, and Cardinal is hoping the Resistance smuggler’s eidetic memory will hold some incriminating evidence about his enemy so he can use it to take her down.
So Vi indulges Cardinal by telling him a story, heard second hand from a friend named Siv who grew up in the same clan with Phasma herself. In the beginning, Phasma and her brother Keldo were co-leaders of the Scyre, deciding that adopting an isolationist strategy will be their clan’s best chance at survival in the harsh conditions of Parnassos. However, that was before General Brendol Hux’s ship fell from the sky. Along with Siv and a few other of her warriors, Phasma rescues the stranded Hux and his escort of Stormtroopers, and after interacting with them she discovers that there’s a whole galaxy beyond the confines of her dying world. Understanding that the First Order General can help her learn more—and to become more—the ambitious Phasma agrees to guide him across the merciless desert, in exchange for passage off-planet once they reach the pickup point. But plenty of dangers lurk beneath the Parnassian sands, and before long the expedition is beset with all kinds of problems.
The result is a Mad Max-like adventure that takes up the majority of the pages in this novel, and it’s a perfectly decent, action-oriented story if that was all you were expecting. For those expecting a more in-depth character study, however, you’re going to be out of luck. As I mentioned before, this is Phasma’s history told through not just one but two intermediaries—good for preserving the mystique behind this enigmatic character, I suppose, but not so good when it comes to letting readers understand her. This was essentially a play-by-play of how Phasma went from being the best warrior of a small clan on some insignificant backwater planet to become head trainer and leader of all the First Order’s military troopers, making her one of the most powerful and infamous figures in the galaxy. On the other hand, almost nothing can be gleaned about her character on a deeper level, or how she became the cold-hearted and ruthless soldier that she is. We’re simply to accept that she’s always been an evil badass, even when she was just a young girl.
Furthermore, I feel that the characterization might have suffered a little from the writing. While I find Delilah S. Dawson’s prose well-suited to urban fantasy and YA, for a Star Wars novel such as this, her style might just be a tad overwrought and excessive. Her depictions of the characters are also rather two-dimensional and uninspired; from Vi and Cardinal to Brendol Hux to Phasma, everyone’s motivations are predictable and can be summed up in a handful of words.
That said, overall I wouldn’t say this book was too bad, considering it’s the author’s first full-length Star Wars novel. Phasma is still far from being in the same league as, say, Claudia Gray’s brilliant Lost Stars or Bloodline, but it’s a start, and if nothing else, I’m glad that the shiny Stormtrooper captain is finally getting some much needed attention in the lead up to the release of Star Wars: The Last Jedi.
Audiobook Comments: I love January LaVoy and it’s always a pleasure to listen to her narrate a Star Wars novel. As usual, she delivered a great performance, and even sounded a lot like Gwendoline Christie whenever she had to say Phasma’s lines, which impressed me a lot. I would never not recommend a Star Wars audiobook!
Waiting on Wednesday 10/25/17
Posted on October 25, 2017 13 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
Season of Storms by Andrzej Sapkowski (April 17, 2018 by Orbit Books)
Geralt of Rivia AKA The Witcher is one of my favorite fantasy characters ever, so it’s good to know we’ll be joining him once again next spring in a new novel finally being translated into English by David French. Originally published in Polish in 2013, Season of Storms is not a sequel continuing the main saga, but rather a standalone prequelin which readers will learn the origin story of our iconic protagonist.
“The New York Times bestselling series that inspired the Witcher video games.
Geralt of Riveria. A witcher whose mission is to protect ordinary people from the monsters created with magic. A mutant who has the task of killing unnatural beings. He uses a magical sign, potions and the pride of every witcher — two swords, steel and silver. But what would happen if Geralt lost his weapons?
In this standalone novel, Geralt fights, travels and loves again, Dandelion sings and flies from trouble to trouble, sorcerers are scheming … and across the whole world clouds are gathering – the season of storms is coming…”
Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Titles That Made Me Want to Read the Book
Posted on October 24, 2017 20 Comments
Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish. They created the meme because they love lists. Who doesn’t love lists? They wanted to share these list with fellow book lovers and ask that we share in return to connect with our fellow book lovers. To learn more about participating in the challenge, stop by their page dedicated to it and dive in!
This week’s topic: Top Ten Titles That Made Me Want to Read the Book
Mogsy’s Picks
Today’s theme is all about unique book titles, and I can think of no better way to shine a light on the topic than to feature some books whose titles made me want to read them.
You Die When You Die by Angus Watson
This was a crazy wild ride I never wanted to end. After having a blast with Angus Watson’s Iron Age trilogy I had a good feeling that his new book would be another glorious full-hearted adventure through new frontiers of dark fantasy, and I was not disappointed. Though this novel is more heavily steeped in magic and fantasy, the author has once again drawn much of his inspiration from history. Inspired by the cultures of Native Americans as well as the Vikings, he has created a small population of villagers known to the surrounding local tribes as the “Mushroom Men”, who are simply content to live their modest, bucolic lives. So when the attack came, none of them could quite believe it. Thanks to a prophecy that says the Mushroom Men will destroy the world, they are all now marked for death. It’s a story that commands your full attention from the very first page, whisking readers away on a journey set in an imaginative world full of riveting characters and gritty adventure. After all, I would expect nothing less from a book called You Die When You Die. (Read the full review…)
We Are Legion (We Are Bob) by Dennis E. Taylor
Every time I go to Audible my account page is always bombarding my recommended list with this one, and well, it’s hard not to be curious with that title. This is sci-fi done in a way I’ve never really seen before. While the tone of the narrative is familiar, with its snarky humor and heavy infusion of geek pop culture jokes, the story and the characters and the worlds feel different and fresh. Mostly, this was because of how fun it was to follow all the “Bobs” – our protagonist who has been turned into a self-replicating interstellar von Neumann probe with the goal of exploring the galaxy. What could have been a lonely tale about a solo space explorer into an uproariously entertaining experience filled with many vibrant and unique personalities. The characters in this book are all one person—but they are also not. The story actually makes it a point to emphasize that the Bobs are distinct individuals, each possessing different aspects of the original. Having finished this book and seen for myself what it’s all about, I can understand now why the popularity of this book blew up in such a short time. I highly recommend taking a look for yourself, especially if you enjoy space opera or sci-fi comedy that manages to be both smart and funny. (Read the full review…)
The Refrigerator Monologues by Catherynne M. Valente
Ever wonder what it’s like to be a girlfriend or wife of a superhero? The answer is not so glamorous in this collection, whose title is inspired by the term “Women in Refrigerators”, coined to describe a trope used in many comic book plots involving the deaths, disablement, and disenfranchising of female characters to forward a male superhero protagonist’s storyline. The six tales in here focus on the women of the Hell Hath Club, all based well-known characters in the DC or Marvel universes so that even passing fans of comics should recognize some of their origins. Every one of them has been killed, depowered, or generally dismissed in favor of the male superheroes (and in one case, a supervillain) in their lives. Now the six of them meet regularly in the afterlife, hanging out at a quaint little joint called the Lethe Café where they share their stories, support each other, and listen to the gargoyles bands play punk rock. (Read the full review…)
Slaves of the Switchboard of Doom by Bradley W. Schenck
If you’re feeling nostalgic for the Golden Age pulps and the thrilling sci-fi classics of the past, then I think you’ll be quite happy with this rollicking mashup of the old and the new. Set in a future as imagined by “the world of tomorrow” in the 1939 World’s Fair, the story opens in the megacity of Retropolis, its art deco inspired skyline bestrewed with hover cars and monorail tracks. The hero of our tale is a freelance adventurer named Kelvin Kent, who is sometimes better known by his professional name of “Dash”. Soon, he finds himself hired by Lola Gardner, a woman representing a group of switchboard operators who have all just been fired from their jobs for reasons they don’t understand. Surely a large city like Retropolis with millions of people needing to communicate and access data on their InfoSlates would need the services of switchboard workers to keep on running, which means that another system must have sprung up to take their place, and Lola would like Dash to figure out who is behind this mysterious plan and why. Like most homages to the classic science fiction adventures of the 1920s to 1950s, Slaves of the Switchboard of Doom was clearly written for fans by a fan, wearing its pulp era-inspired roots on its sleeves proudly while riffing on genre tropes with an eye towards faithfulness and good-natured humor. (Read the full review…)
The Language of Dying by Sarah Pinborough
What is the language of dying? That was the question in my mind when I saw this book’s title. A beautiful soul-rending song straight from the heart, this novella packs an emotional punch by shifting gears instead to look at the turbulent nature of grief and the profound effects it has on one troubled family. The story starts with a woman sitting by her dying father’s bedside waiting for the other members of her family to arrive in order to say goodbye. But deep in her heart, our narrator is secretly hoping for one other visitor. Only twice in her life has she seen him, both after a painful loss in her life. She can tell no one what she saw, because she’s not even sure what she saw was real. But still, she believes, and now, she waits. This is a hard book to categorize into any one particular genre, though it’s the themes of pain, grief, death, and loss that really come through. I’ve never seen a more transparent, open and honest portrayal about the agony of confronting the inevitable, of letting go of a dearly beloved, and ultimately it’s not an easy book to read, but you will be glad you did. (Read the full review…)
Dinocalypse Now by Chuck Wendig
This book went straight onto my to-read pile the moment I learned about it, for two main reasons: first, because I love Chuck Wendig, and second because…well, I figured I couldn’t go wrong with any book with a title like Dinocalypse Now! But it wasn’t until I was halfway through reading this book that I started to do some research and found out a little more about its background. Crowd-funded through Kickstarter in 2012, it is based on Evil Hat Productions’ Spirit of the Century role-playing game which is set in a 1920s/30s-era pulp adventure world, so think jetpacks, talking gorillas, psychic dinosaurs, ancient Atlanteans and more! It all begins when a group of heroes calling themselves the Century Club are brought in to prevent the assassination of FDR, only to find that the president isn’t the target — they are! Though, what comes next is actually a threat to the entire planet as King Khan the ape conqueror storms this world through a dimensional portal, leading his vast army of primates and dinosaurs. Now it’s up to the Centurions to stop him and save the world! (Read the full review…)
Love Minus Eighty by Will McIntosh
I read somewhere once that the working title of this book had been “Love in the Minus Eighty” before it was shortened to the way it is now. It refers to the temperature at which dead women in cryogenic dating farms are kept, waiting for a rich lonely suitor to come along one day to resurrect them and take them home. For this futuristic dystopian novel, Will McIntosh expanded upon the ideas from his award-winning short story “Bridesicle”, writing about a group of characters whose lives are all interconnected because of these dating farms. What a disturbing and yet fascinating basis for a story, and it’s all set before a backdrop which seems at once so outlandish but also familiar enough to be uncomfortable at the same time. Some things will always stay the same, apparently. People will still look for love – that timeless, formless, unshakeable deep connection to another soul. This makes Love Minus Eighty a sci-fi novel that’s definitely more about the human story and less about the science and technology. Questions like how the dead can be brought back to life, or how these dating farms even manage to revive dead women for short periods of time aren’t the point. Instead, what’s important is the emotional impact of the story, and I found this one to be a very thoughtful commentary on the ways of the heart and just twisted enough for me to eat it up. (Read the full review…)
Level Grind by Annie Bellet
In gaming lingo, the term “level grind” often has negative connotations, typically used to describe having to engage in mind-numbingly tedious or repetitive tasks to gain experience or complete an achievement. Hence you can understand my curiosity when I saw this book. Happily though, the aforementioned description is not at all how I would describe my experience with it. Collecting the first four novellas in the Twenty-Sided Sorceress series, this omnibus is in fact a very witty, vibrant, and entertaining urban fantasy following our protagonist Jade Crow. After twenty-five years of hiding from her ex-lover and fellow sorcerer who wants to eat her heart (gross, yes, but that happens to be the only way to kill a sorcerer and steal their powers) she has ended up settling in small town in Idaho which is also home to a thriving paranormal community that includes shapeshifters, witches, and leprechauns. A lifelong gamer and nerd, Jade is content enough to lie low and live a quiet life among friends, running her comic book and game store. (Read the full review…)
Dracula vs. Hitler by Patrick Sheane Duncan
Anyone picking up this book would be rightly forgiven for mistaking this book for a campy, humorous mashup. After all, that was my initial thought as well, after seeing the title. But as it turns out, my first impression couldn’t be further from the truth. Dracula vs. Hitler is actually a quite serious endeavor, reinforced with what appears to be plenty of research and painstaking attention to detail. For one thing, it is written in an epistolary style like the original Dracula by Bram Stoker, a nod to the classic work. The story officially begins with the Editor’s Note, as the author recounts a recent trip deep down into the bowels of a cavernous Washington DC document warehouse (think the final scene of Raiders of the Lost Ark), where he ends up finding a thick packet of papers labeled “TOP SECRET”. Inside this classified folder are the documents making up most of this book, mainly a series of entries from the journal of one Jonathan Murray Harker dated between the months of April to June 1941, as well as a number of excerpts from a novel believed to be authored by Lucille Van Helsing writing under a pen name. These two characters are of course the descendants of the original characters from the novel Dracula, the ending of which apparently didn’t play out the way Stoker had written them. (Read the full review…)
Just One Damned Thing After Another by Jodi Taylor
“History is just one damn thing after another” is a quote most commonly attributed to famous historian Arnold Toynbee. It has also been partially adopted for the title of this novel, which has got to be about time travel, of course! The story stars our plucky narrator Madeleine “Max” Maxwell, a historian who gets recruited by a group of time travelers working undercover behind the façade of St. Mary’s Institute of Historical Research. After the most hilariously bizarre interview process, Max join up with them and the adventures—and the disasters—immediately begin. There’s a rigorous training program required for all newbies where they learn all the dos and don’ts of time travel, and they also have to pass a series of tests, including a physical component because you never know what can happen during a trip back in time. After a while, it’s clear that Murphy’s Law generally applies to all missions at St. Mary’s. The plot is very entertaining and filled with boisterous, comedic hijinks (and perfect if you enjoy British humor). (Read the full review…)
Book Review: The Naturalist by Andrew Mayne
Posted on October 23, 2017 20 Comments
I received a review copy from the publisher. This does not affect the contents of my review and all opinions are my own.
The Naturalist by Andrew Mayne
Mogsy’s Rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
Genre: Mystery, Thriller
Series: Book 1 of The Naturalist
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer (October 1, 2017)
Length: 382 pages
Author Information: Website | Twitter
I spent a day last week stumbling around in a sleep-deprived stupor because I had been up late the night before, and it was all this book’s fault since I’d refused to put it down until I was finished. Totally worth it, though. Talk about a page-turner! The Naturalist was exactly what I wanted out of a mystery-thriller—fascinating, addictive, and dramatic in all the best ways. It also captivated the science geek in me by featuring a protagonist who uses the study of plant and animal behavior and physiology to solve crimes, his specialized knowledge allowing him to spot patterns where others cannot. Think The Da Vinci Code, but with biology.
Our story begins as computational biologist Theo Cray gets a call from the police while on a field research trip in Montana. The body of Juniper Parsons, one of his ex-students, has been found in the woods near a small town, and the cause of death appears to have been a rogue grizzly attack. However, Theo is not convinced, recognizing unnatural signs in the evidence. Despite the terrible claw marks and the traces of fur on the victim, he’s not sure that whatever killed her was even an animal. More likely it was a man, he insists. Killing like an animal.
Unfortunately, the police are no help, especially once Fish and Wildlife Service puts down the bear believed to be responsible for the savage attack. Knowing that his former student’s true killer is still out there though, Theo is unwilling to give up and decides to conduct his own investigation, uncovering a disturbing pattern of missing persons reports and mysterious deaths that go back for more than thirty years. All the incidents happened in or around the state of Montana, many of them involving young women. In the cases where remains were recovered, the mutilated bodies all displayed the same kind of claw marks found on Juniper Parsons. Following a trail of clues, Theo begins finding more victims and knows he’s getting closer to the truth, though inevitably his efforts draw unwanted attention as the police start suspecting Theo himself.
The Naturalist is the perfect thriller novel for the science lover. Yes, it can get a little farfetched at times, requiring the reader to simply roll with it, but with a story this enthralling and irresistible, you’d be surprised at how much I’m willing to let slide. A couple of minor plot holes and a few dubious moments were not enough to detract from the enjoyment.
Another amazing thing about this book is its protagonist. Theo is a professor in an extremely esoteric field, so he’s always having a hard time getting others to understand his evidence or how he’s getting his data. It also doesn’t help that he’s a bit socially awkward, and his brain is wired to think in a very different way than most people. In spite of this though, I found him remarkably easy to relate to—and not just because of the shared interest in biological sciences. Above all, Theo is driven by a sense of duty towards his murdered student, and while his guilt and emotional self-punishment may have been a tad unfounded, it’s hard not to feel sympathetic towards someone whose heart is so genuine and in the right place. He attacks his mission with indefatigable zeal that almost borders on obsession, but you’ve also got to admire his persistence, especially when he finds ways to get creative. While Theo is highly intelligent, his doggedness and complete lack of street smarts often leads to solutions with successful results but appalling side effects.
Then there’s the plot, which sank its hooks into me and dug in deep. The story’s tone and style are arguably similar to that of most thrillers, but like I said, this novel had a scientific angle to it that made it special. A good balance of action and suspense kept the pace swift and strong, and some of the more mysterious and atmospheric scenes were even touched with a hint of horror. The final chapters of the book, AKA the section that had me devouring the pages at the expense of a good night’s sleep, were so intense and insane that I doubt I could have stopped reading even if the house was burning down around me.
Man, I really hope I won’t have long to wait for the sequel, because it does appear The Naturalist is the first book of a new series. Cleverly addictive and hugely entertaining, this book had me hanging on every word from start to finish. If I’m reading a lot more mystery-thriller these days, well, it’s because of books like this, and I can’t wait to read more from Andrew Mayne.
YA Weekend: An Enchantment of Ravens by Margaret Rogerson
Posted on October 22, 2017 18 Comments
I received a review copy from the publisher. This does not affect the contents of my review and all opinions are my own.
An Enchantment of Ravens by Margaret Rogerson
Mogsy’s Rating: 3.5 of 5 stars
Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult
Series: Stand Alone
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books (September 26, 2017)
Length: 300 pages
Author Information: Website | Twitter
An Enchantment of Ravens is a pretty standard Young Adult fantasy novel as far as the genre is concerned, but it was also exactly what I needed. Telling the story of a young woman who runs afoul of the immortal fair folk, the book featured just the right balance of magic, beauty and romance—and if the premise itself might sound a bit conventional, at least the plot was fun and always kept me entertained.
Our protagonist, Isobel, was only twelve years old when she began painting portraits for the Fae. Although they can live forever and are capable of creating breathtaking displays of glamour and other magic, the fair folk lack the ability to perform human Craft. Anything that requires art, design or construction—whether it involves writing a play, weaving cloth, or even baking bread—they simply cannot manage without all their efforts turning into dust. And so, this leaves the Fae with an insatiable thirst for incredible talents and skills like Isobel’s, and as a result her services have become highly in demand. Paying her with enchantments instead of money, her Fae patrons have helped Isobel support her aunt and two adoptive little sisters with their charms ensuring that they will always have food, shelter, and safety.
But then one day, Isobel is visited by Rook, the Autumn Prince—the first royal Fae patron who has ever contracted her for a portrait. Wanting badly to please Rook, she paints the prince exactly as she sees him, inadvertently capturing the mortal sorrow in his eyes, thus exposing his weakness to the entire Fae court. Furious, Rook kidnaps Isobel, dragging her back to his autumnlands to be tried for her crime. Along the way, they are harassed by all kinds of hostile creatures, from the minions of the Alder King and the Wild Hunt to the horrible barrow monsters that prove a match for even a Fae prince like Rook. Before long though, the two of them are beset with worse concerns. Relying on each other for their survival has resulted in Isobel and Rook growing close, but love between a human and a Fae is strictly forbidden, leading the couple to face some difficult choices.
I wasn’t all that impressed with the overarching plot, to be honest, for stories about young women being whisked off to the faerie realm by their kidnappers-turned-lovers have been done to death, and An Enchantment of Ravens does not deviate much from the usual themes. The romance didn’t sweep me off my feet either, and I was actually annoyed with Isobel at the beginning for becoming smitten with Rook so quickly. Also, both are saddled with such terrible emotional baggage from their pasts that I felt any chemistry between them was snuffed out before it could even begin.
That said, I still had fun, because it’s the little details that makes this book such an enjoyable read. For one I loved the fact that Isobel is artist, and her reverence for the craft made it easier to relate to her. I also quite liked how the Fae would compensate her for her paintings with enchantments, leading to some interesting forms of payment—like guaranteeing a certain number of eggs laid each week by the farm’s chickens, or a cord of firewood magically appearing on their doorstep every month. Being the resourceful young woman she is, Isobel has found a clever way to help her family thrive, though it means having to be extra careful with her wording when it comes to asking the Fae for her fee. The fair folk can’t lie, but they are still very devious and they like to play tricks on humans unless every possible loophole is covered.
Against my better judgment, I also found that I liked Rook. When he initially made his first appearance, I thought for sure he would be one of those insufferably arrogant and broody Fae princes, and for a while it really felt like that would be the case. The truth, however, came about once he and Isobel started journeying towards the autumnlands, especially following the attacks from all kinds of monsters while they were in the wilderness. In the face of these dangers, a vulnerable, clumsy and even inept side to Rook began to surface, making him feel more genuine and relatable. The fact that he wasn’t perfect also meant that there was less of a power imbalance between him and Isobel, with both characters having to rely on each other for survival, and I won’t lie, this equal footing made the kidnapper-hostage nature of their relationship somewhat easier to swallow. Light humor in their conversations also made Rook more endearing.
All told, I wouldn’t say there’s anything too “special” about An Enchantment of Ravens, but sometimes that it is a good thing, considering how many books I’ve read recently that have tried doing something new and different but ended up falling flat. At least you know what you’re getting with a book like this. I knew I wanted a fun and light fantasy about the Fae, and I definitely wasn’t disappointed.
Mogys’s Bookshelf Roundup: Stacking the Shelves & Recent Reads
Posted on October 21, 2017 29 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.
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!
Glimpse by Jonathan Maberry – From a master of horror comes this forthcoming supernatural thriller about a woman who catches glimpses of her lost son in a pair of cracked reading glasses that she got from an old lady on a train. My thanks to St. Martin’s Press for the ARC!
Frankie by Shivaun Plozza – A surprise arrival courtesy of Flatiron Books, this contemporary YA novel features an angry and troubled teen girl who suddenly needs to pull herself together to find her missing half-brother, who might be the only person who can tell her more about her past. This one’s a little outside my usual genres, but it does look interesting.
Children of the Fleet by Orson Scott Card – Described as a new angle on Card’s Ender’s Shadow, this book is the first of a new series telling the story of the Fleet in space. Admittedly, I’m not too familiar with the Enderverse, so I’m hoping I won’t be too lost jumping into this one. My thanks to Tor for the finished copy.
Different Class by Joanne Harris – Lately I’ve become a lot more interested in reading psychological thrillers, so I immediately jumped on Different Class when the publisher contacted me about it. Plus, I’ll never say no to anything by Joanne Harris! With thanks to Touchstone Books.
Last Chance by Gregg Hurwitz – Thanks again to Tor Books for this sequel to last year’s The Rains, a YA zombie horror with an interesting twist. It’s true I had some issues with the first book, but the story was entertaining enough and I definitely wouldn’t mind continuing the series.
Breach of Containment by Elizabeth Bonesteel – This third installment in the Central Corps series follows the characters as they try to diffuse a shooting war between the galaxy’s major galactic military factions, until the discovery of a strange artifact changes everything. I haven’t read the previous books, so if anyone knows if this can be read as a standalone, let me know! With thanks to Harper Voyager for the surprise copy!
Next up, a trio of ARCs from the awesome folks at Subterranean Press! Penric’s Fox by Lois McMaster Bujold is another Penric and Desdemona novella, and you know how I just adore this series. There’s not much I can find about DJStories: The Best of David J. Schow yet, but it appears to be another anthology collecting the short fiction by the horror author. Likewise, I couldn’t find any info yet for The Tea Master and the Detective by Aliette de Bodard, but I’m definitely interested in this one because while I didn’t really enjoy the author’s Dominion of the Fallen series, I’m still interested in checking out some of her short fiction.
I’d also like to take this chance to shine a special spotlight on Star Wars: Stormtroopers – Beyond the Armor by Ryder Windham & Adam Bray, courtesy of Harper Design and the amazing publicity team at Wunderkind PR. As you know I am a huge Star Wars fan, so when this big and beautiful hardcover showed up, I was pretty psyched. Everything – and I mean everything – you ever needed or wanted to know about the iconic Stormtrooper, the Empire’s ubiquitous enforcer, can be found in this book. I spent every day since it arrived admiring the pages full of art, photos, and articles about topics ranging from concept design to fandom. Who were the Stormtroopers? Where did they come from? Why were they so willing to kill and die for the Empire? If you’re looking forward to the upcoming Star Wars: The Last Jedi movie like I am, this book is a great way to drum up even more excitement and is a must have for any die-hard fan. The back of the book even includes a sleeve with extras like reproductions of action figure backer cards, comic strips, storyboards, and a whole bunch of other cool goodies enclosed. Everything about this thing is incredible and its surprise arrival made my inner geek squee with joy.
On to the digital haul, from Tor.com I received an e-galley for Witchmark by C.L. Polk. The description of it sounds absolutely gorgeous, featuring a mix of magic, romance, and intrigue. I hope I’ll get a chance to check it out closer to the book’s release date next summer.
NetGalley widgets received include The Realms of God by Michael Livingston from Tor Books. This is the third and final volume in the Shards of Heaven series, and having loved the first two books, I can hardly wait to find out how it all end. An invite for Killman Creek by Rachel Caine was also received with thanks to the author’s team and the publisher Thomas & Mercer. I’m so excited for this sequel to the incredible thriller Stillhouse Lake.
Also from NetGalley, I requested This Fallen Prey by Kelley Armstrong, book three in the Casey Duncan sequence. My thanks to Minotaur Books for approving me; I’m really enjoying this mystery series set in the off-the-grid, isolated Yukon community of Rockton, where people running from their pasts go to hide. Next up is another book three in a series, Impostor Syndrome by Mishell Baker, with thanks to Saga Press for the eARC. It continues the story of the Arcadia Project, following protagonist Millie Roper as she struggles to act as an intermediary between our world and the realm of the Fae while dealing with issues involving her own mental health. This is fast becoming one of my favorite Urban Fantasy series, and I’m really looking forward to reading more.
Not too many audiobook requests this week. From Listening Library though, I did request The Speaker by Traci Chee, the highly anticipated sequel to The Reader. From Audible Studios though, I also received A Skinful of Shadows by Frances Hardinge. I read my first book by the author earlier this year and loved it to bits, so I’m hoping this will be another winner!
Reviews
In this section, I do a quick summary of the reviews I’ve posted since the last update. These last two weeks have been pretty rough when it comes to ratings, with a couple of standouts and a lot more disappointments.
Sea of Rust by C. Robert Cargill (4 of 5 stars)
The Genius Plague by David Walton (4 of 5 stars)
Tower of Dawn by Sarah J. Maas (3.5 of 5 stars)
A Secret History of Witches by Louisa Morgan (3 of 5 stars)
Paradox Bound by Peter Clines (3 of 5 stars)
Autonomous by Annalee Newitz (2.5 of 5 stars)
A Plague of Giants by Kevin Hearne (2 of 5 stars)
The Blackbird Season by Kate Moretti (2 of 5 stars)
What I’ve Read Since the Last Update
I’m still working my through Brandon Sanderson’s Oathbringer, taking my time savoring it since I won’t be able to post my review until release date anyway, due to the publisher’s review embargo. Two weeks later, I’m only halfway done, but seeing as it’s a 1200+ page book, I feel like I’m making good progress. Once again though, this means fewer books finished this week. I’m going to have to do some serious catching up once I’m done!
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!
The BiblioSanctum 