Book Review: Godsgrave by Jay Kristoff
Posted on September 5, 2017 14 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: Fantasy
Series: Book 2 of The Nevernight Chronicle
Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books (September 5, 2017)
Length: 448 pages
Author Information: Website | Twitter
Jay Kristoff appears to be working the popular fantasy tropes, first with “Magic School” in Nevernight and now with “Gladiator Games” in the sequel Godsgrave. Don’t get me wrong though, I’m not complaining. I could always go for some Sword & Sandal action and the intense thrill of combat in the arena.
Following the events of the previous novel, our protagonist Mia Corvere has completed the trials of the Red Church and has become formidable assassin. And yet, for all the blood, sweat, and tears she has poured into honing her body into the perfect weapon, she is still no closer to her gaining access to the two prime targets on her kill list: Consul Scaeva and Cardinal Duomo, the ones she holds responsible for the deaths of her father, mother, and baby brother. Worse, she has been forbidden to take any action against them, making Mia suspect that the Red Church itself may be in the pockets of the two men. Disregarding orders, she decides to take matters into her own hands, teaming up with an unlikely ally to fulfill her vow of vengeance.
Together, they hatch up a mad plan to have Mia compete in the Venatus Magni, which is the final bout of the grand gladiatorial games at Godsgrave where both Scaeva and Duomo would be present to bestow their favor upon the victor. Mia will first sell herself to Sanguila Leonides, owner of the most illustrious collegium, at which she will then climb the ranks to become their champion fighter and be guaranteed a spot in the culmination of the contest. However, their plan immediately falls apart as Mia is purchased by a fledgling and impoverished collegium—owned by the bitterly estranged daughter of Leonides, no less. Left with no choice but to forge ahead, Mia knows she still has a small chance to win a place in the Venatus Magni, but the road ahead will be many times more difficult now, filled with dangerous enemies and obstacles beyond her control.
If there’s one thing I’ve learned from having half a dozen of the author’s novels under my belt, it’s that his writing might not be the most elegant and his ideas might not be the most original, but damn, the man can spin one hell of a good yarn. Much like its predecessor, Godsgrave was a fast-paced and addictive read, filled with just as many twists and turns, bargains and betrayals, secrets and lies. However, when it comes to action, this sequel may have Nevernight beat. The pacing simply DOES NOT LET UP. While we may get a brief respite between fights—just long enough to catch a breath—the story never waits too long before plunging us into the fray again. But still, trust me when I say there’s always something new and exciting to see each time we step into the arena, and Kristoff maintains the reader’s interest by keeping the encounters varied.
As a gladiator, Mia is also a force to be reckoned with, painting the sands red with every fight. Brutal and undaunted as she is though, Godsgrave lets us see her personality develop as some of her inner vulnerabilities start to show through the cracks in her armor. One theme I believe the novel tried to explore was the idea of revenge and how it can consume a person’s life. While I’m not sure it did so fully or satisfactorily (because all the outcomes turned out to be pretty obvious), I still really enjoyed seeing how Mia’s inner conflicts affected her choices and kept us rooting for her as she dealt with anything—or anyone—in her way.
Another aspect that is much improved is the writing. In past reviews of Kristoff’s books, I’ve talked about how he has a tendency towards purple prose, but happily I found it to be much less noticeable in Godsgrave. What’s not so easy to ignore, however, are the footnotes—though I’ve learned to tolerate them somewhat. To be fair, they’re definitely a creative and often humorous way to inject some extra history or background into the world, even if I find them to be insanely distracting. Admittedly, I mostly skimmed the footnotes in this book (because sometimes they do provide important foreshadowing), but since that has more to do with personal preference, I don’t hold it against the book or author, and only mention them because they appear to be a main feature of this series and are here to stay.
Overall, I’m really glad I decided to continue with The Nevernight Chronicle, for there was in fact a period time in which I was uncertain. As much as I enjoyed the first book, Mia’s stint at the Red Church felt like a prolonged side-plot and I was growing a little impatient with her lack of progress, but I have to say Godsgrave eased those concerns tremendously. Even if the ending did leave us with an infuriating cliffhanger and verified my predictions as to how things would play out, I feel we’re making huge headway with Mia’s quest. Final verdict? I’m having a blast, and I can’t wait to read the next book to see how this epic story will conclude.
More on The BiblioSanctum:
Review of Nevernight (Book 1)
Book Review: The Glass Town Game by Catherynne M. Valente
Posted on September 4, 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.
The Glass Town Game by Catherynne M. Valente
Mogsy’s Rating: 3 of 5 stars
Genre: Fantasy, Middle Grade
Series: Stand Alone
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books (September 5, 2017)
Length: 544 pages
Author Information: Website | Twitter
As a relative newcomer to Catherynne M. Valente, having only read my first book by her earlier this year, I’ve grown increasingly curious about her other work especially her Middle Grade/Children’s projects. And so when the opportunity to read The Glass Town Game came to me, it sounded like it could be the perfect place to start.
Inspired by the fantastical stories and worlds created by the Brontë siblings as children, this novel follows Charlotte, Branwell, Emily, and Anne as they are spirited away to a land populated by the creatures and denizens of their own imagination. The book opens with the two oldest girls preparing to leave for Cowan Bridge School, a situation none of the youngsters are happy about, considering how their two older sisters had just recently died from a fever contracted from that very same place. As the only brother, Branwell is instructed to accompany them to the carriage station, while also bringing along Anne. In town, however, the children are distracted by the sights and sounds, and instead of continuing on to Cowan Bridge, they find themselves unexpectedly carried off on a magical train bound for another realm.
To the children’s surprise and excitement, the place they find themselves is Glass Town, a perfect replica of the world they have created in their imaginations during play sessions, complete with all their dolls and wooden toy soldiers come to life. Unfortunately though, as they soon find out, the rules they’ve come up with during their fun and games have also become binding, and innocent joy quickly turns to worry as the siblings begin to wonder if they’ll ever find their way home.
At the beginning of this review, I posited that The Glass Town Game might be a good jumping on point for readers curious about Valente’s Middle Grade books. However, after finishing this novel, I’ve started to rethink that initial assessment. The truth is, I’m having a hard time figuring out its audience. The publisher’s recommendation is for children between Grades 4-7, which ostensibly makes sense, considering the ages of the main characters as well as the silly and somewhat juvenile nature of their adventures. Kids who delight in wild, whimsical descriptions and situations (like Napoleon Bonaparte riding to war on a giant chicken, for example) will no doubt eat this one right up.
However, linguistically and stylistically, I feel that the writing in this book is actually geared towards readers much older than the ages recommended. The story’s pacing suggests this to me as well, with large swaths of the book that could have been cut down or scrapped completely, for they added no real substance to the plot. While adult and young adult readers might gain some appreciation for all this exposition by finding value in the character or relationship development, I have to wonder if the majority of Middle Grade readers will have the same amount of patience for these slower sections, not to mention how the double meanings behind many of the “punny” jokes might go over their heads.
Honestly, there is nothing intrinsically wrong with this book. Characters and storytelling are topnotch. The writing is as gorgeous and technically sound as it can be. At the end of the day, I think I liked The Glass Town Game. Still, as I went back and forth between thinking like an adult and thinking like a middle schooler while reading this, I just couldn’t figure out who would benefit the most. Other questions that went through my head were, would this book hold the average nine-year-old’s attention for 500+ pages? Or, would an adult fantasy reader be able to look past all the silliness? Because of this, the novel strikes me as a bit confused as to what it wants to accomplish, and that was what hurt it the most, ultimately affecting my overall enjoyment and rating.
But for fans of Catherynne M. Valente, I doubt they’d want to miss this. The mixed feelings I have for The Glass Town Game notwithstanding, I can’t fault the beautiful prose, the fanciful imagery, or the author’s magnificent talent for bringing the Brontë children and their world to life. This book is getting filed under “Interesting Experiences” for now, but I’ll definitely continue keeping my eye out for Valente’s future work.
Sunday Musings: Back to School
Posted on September 3, 2017 13 Comments
The list of 300 Books Everyone Should Read At Least Once rolled around Facebook earlier in the summer. Without counting the books on the list that I totally plan to read within the next year or so, I managed to score a pathetic 87/300 books read. I’ve read lots of books, but I guess these are the ones that make me look intelligent and cultured, so clearly, I’ve got lots of reading to do before I die in order to upgrade my reputation!
Examining the list, I noticed that a lot of the books that counted towards my read pile were books that I read in school. A lot. The Shakespeare titles accounted for a quite a few, but there were others, such as The Catcher in the Rye and A Separate Peace, books I likely would never have read if the education system hadn’t forced me to. But, grudgingly as I may have flipped those pages, I do have fond memories and still treasure the fully dogeared and underlined and notes-scribbled in the margins copy of A Prayer for Owen Meany on my shelf.
Prior to checking out that list, I had already embarked on a little reading challenge related to my school days. I’ve been rereading some of the books that really stood out for me, though at the time, I probably didn’t understand why.
First up was The Handmaid’s Tale, which I reread last year, prior to learning about the show. I’m glad I did reread it, as it makes the show that much more interesting. But the reread opened my eyes to one particular element of the book: sexism. I mean, obviously, the concept of Margaret Atwood’s dystopian future where women’s bodies are a commodity and fertility their only purpose is pretty messed up and I would like to think that my teenaged brain picked up on that. But upon rereading the book, it struck me that this was not the topic of any of our classroom discussions. In fact, there were also no discussions about the sex and displays of sexuality that occurred within the story. Granted, talking about sex with teens in our immature society would probably lead to lots of stifled giggles, but that’s part of the problem our society faces, isn’t it? Too afraid to talk about sex, making it taboo and causing books like this that should offer opportunities for healthy discussion to end up on banned books lists instead because they are too explicit and immoral and blah blah blah. Obviously, since I read it in high school, it wasn’t banned by our school board, and it’s great that we got to read it, but I fear much of the purpose of including a book on the curriculum is lost if all of its issues, including the controversial ones, aren’t actually addressed in the discussion.
Still, I must of gotten something out of it. And I don’t just mean two of my favourite quotes:
“Pearls are congealed oyster spit.”
This quote comes back to me now and then to remind me not to put too much value in items of status.
“Nolite te bastardes carborundorum”
Now more than ever, this Latin phrase has come to mean so much, as has the book itself as well as the show since Trump’s inauguration…
Much like The Handmaid’s Tale, Aldous Huxley’s A Brave New World‘s sexual content shocked me — not because sex is shocking, but because when I first read it, I didn’t really notice it I guess, and again, it never came up in our discussions. But I really loved this book. Probably because I watched Demolition Man shortly after. There’s nothing like relating something pop culture-y to homework to get a kid like me invested. That was also the year I tried to work the Terminator saga into every project I possibly could.
I didn’t manage that with A Brave New World, but I fondly remember the related group project I did with three other classmates where we created a heretical magazine that would have been banned within this dystopian utopia for all of its blasphemies. Oh yes, we dared to suggest cross-caste dating! We got an A- on that project and I couldn’t have been prouder of our work.
We railed against the classism we encountered, but we didn’t notice the sexy stuff. And we also didn’t notice the complete lack of diversity. Both of these books made a big point of shipping off people like me to colonies. Because too often in science fiction and fantasy, people of colour and other marginalized groups don’t get to live happy or even unhappy dystopian lives. In science fiction stories like these that intended to show us a world that could be if society continues careening on without any kind of empathy and understanding of each other and our diverse experiences, it sometimes becomes tedious to keep reading about a society where marginalized people still have to struggle for acceptance. Science fiction — and most certainly fantasy — have the opportunity to step beyond the boundaries society places on such things, and yet, too many authors continue to fall back on perpetuating what already exists.
The recent screen translations of both stories try to do better with diversity, at least. And now that I’m older and wiser, I can appreciate the sexuality and the more explicit and controversial themes, even if I remain disappointed that my high school teachers didn’t stray from the assigned curriculum enough to discuss such things back then. Discussion opens the door to greater understanding, for those who are willing to listen, and through that, we may all just start getting along a little better. And who doesn’t want that?
Book Review: Golden Age and Other Stories by Naomi Novik
Posted on September 2, 2017 14 Comments
I received a review copy from the publisher. This does not affect the contents of my review and all opinions are my own.
Golden Age and Other Stories by Naomi Novik
Mogsy’s Rating: 4 of 5 stars
Genre: Fantasy, Anthology
Series: Temeraire
Publisher: Subterranean Press (August 31, 2017)
Length: 180 pages
Author Information: Website | Twitter
Golden Age and Other Stories is a charming little anthology that is sure to please fans of Naomi Novik’s Temeraire, though if you are just getting started on the series or are hoping to sample some of the stories here before diving into the main books, this will not be the most ideal entry point. For that, I highly urge you to simply pick up His Majesty’s Dragon, one of my favorite fantasy novels of all time. While I don’t think you have to complete the series to appreciate this collection (I myself have only read the first six of the nine volumes), having some basic knowledge of the world to start will definitely help you out a lot.
This anthology also features an interesting format, consisting of six short stories which are then followed by about two dozen snippets termed “Drabbles”. All of them are accompanied by a piece of fan art upon which these tales are based, so not only are you getting plenty of dragon-y goodness with this collection, you’ll also be receiving a generous helping of gorgeous eye candy.
But how do the stories themselves stack up, you ask? Well, as with most collections, the offerings here are somewhat unbalanced, hitting both highs and lows. I don’t mind admitting that I was largely unimpressed with the first few stories or any of the Drabbles at the end, but sandwiched between them are several amazing gems that are so good that I would say they are worth the price of admission alone.
To begin, we have the first tale called “Volly Gets a Cow”, a short humorous piece that nevertheless left me feeling lukewarm towards it. One thing I did like though, was how this was one of the few stories in here that featured Temeraire displaying a deep font of patience as he tries to reign in one of his dragon friends, the playful and distracted Volly who only has eyes for a delicious yummy cow.
Next up is a story called “Planting Season”, which fortunately I enjoyed a lot better than the first. It stars a dragon in the Americas named John Wampanoag, who has fallen into a sort of mediator role between the Native Americans and the European settlers in the aftermath of the Revolution. Offering his services as a courier, John has a talent for making negotiations and a sharp mind for getting the best deal out of a trade. I liked how this one offered another view of the world from a different context, accomplishing just what a side story should do.
Then comes another dip, I’m afraid, in “Dawn of Battle”, a story starring a young Jane Roland that gives a bit about her background. To my disappointment, of the six full tales in this collection, I thought this was probably the least memorable, though if you’re a big fan of her character then this one may impact you a lot more.
Now comes the good stuff: The title story “Golden Age” is a reimagining of Laurence’s first meeting with his dragon. This alternate version has Temeraire’s egg washing up ashore on a desert island following a shipwreck. After hatching and falling in with a group of feral dragons, the lot of them decide to turn to a life of piracy, and their subsequent looting and plundering prompts Laurence to investigate and bring them to justice. Do I really need to spell out why this story was so awesome? PIRATE DRAGONS! Not to mention there’s also a heart-pounding encounter at sea involving dragons and a kraken, which hopefully shouldn’t be a spoiler considering how the image depicting this scene is plastered all over the cover.
After all the action, a more emotional, quiet tale is told next in “Succession”, a story about Temeraire’s mother. After laying twin eggs, Qian has to make a difficult decision in order to prevent a rivalry between the princes in the Chinese imperial family. This one really tugged on my heartstrings, reading about a nervous parent fretting for the precarious wellbeing of her growing child, only to find out about a second dragonlet. Something that should have been a blessing becomes the source of even more heartbreak in this beautiful story about motherhood and sacrifice, and I think fans of the series will also enjoy the little insights we get into Temeraire’s origins.
Without a doubt though, the crowning glory of this collection is “Dragons and Decorum”, and yes, the title should clue you in on the story’s inspiration, even without the mention of Elizabeth Bennet as the main protagonist. In this lovely, delightful mashup featuring a blend of the worlds of Temeraire and Jane Austen, Elizabeth is sent to the Aerial Corps as a young girl to become a dragon rider, returning home a few years later as Captain Bennett accompanied by her gabby Longwing named Wollstonecraft. Similar to the novel Heartstone by Elle Katharine White, this is a re-imagining of Pride and Prejudice with dragons, but what I loved about this story is that Elizabeth is the dragon rider instead of Mr. Darcy. It’s also quite a close retelling, though I did wish the story had ran a little longer because it was so cute and endearing. Novik also shows what a versatile writer she is, perfectly channeling Austen and the Regency-era style.
And finally, we come to the Drabbles, a series of 100-word paragraph-long stories which I honestly could have done without. Like a collection of random notes or passages clipped out of a book, I can see writing them being a fun little exercise for Novik and pairing them with pieces of fan art was also a very unique and cool idea, but for the most part none of them made much of an impression.
So, is Golden Age and Other Stories worth reading? If you’re a fan of Temeraire, the answer is absolutely yes. While the early stories and the ending Drabbles may be on the underwhelming side, I wouldn’t let that discourage you from seeking the real treasure found in the intervening pages. I would even go as far as to say standouts such as “Golden Age”, “Succession”, and “Dragons and Decorum” are must-reads, and happily, these three stories make up the bulk of this book. The world of Temeraire is rich and marvelous, and a collection like this reminds me that there’s always something more to discover.
Tough Traveling: Dragons
Posted on September 1, 2017 20 Comments
Back in 2014, the idea for Tough Traveling started with Nathan of Fantasy Review Barn who came up with the excellent idea of making a new list each week based on the most common tropes in fantasy, as seen in (and inspired by) The Tough Guide to Fantasyland, a tongue-in-cheek parody of the fantasy genre by Diana Wynn Jones. It was widely successful, with over fifty bloggers participating at one point before it went on hiatus. But now Tough Traveling is back, with huge thanks to Laura from Fantasy Faction for reviving the feature! Every first of the month we’ll be posting a list of books that fit a particular theme, with the next month’s theme also to be announced. Interested in participating? Well, grab your traveling packs and come along! You are welcome to post your Tough Traveling lists anytime during the month.
September’s topic is:
Dragons
The Tough Guide advises that Dragons are ‘very large scaly beings with wings and long spiky tails, capable of breathing fire through their mouths. They can be almost any colour or combination of colours, though green, red and black are preferred. They are always very old. Most of them seem to have flown to Fantasyland aeons ago across the void. This migration was almost certainly to get away from our world, where people would insist that they were dangerous monsters that had to be exterminated. Dragons, as all Fantasyland knows, are no such thing.’ Or are they?
The Age of Dragons
Well duh, of course I’m going to include Dragon Age on my list. How can I not? This BioWare series is so named because the people of the world of Thedas like to define eras by a prominent factor. In this case, the return of dragons to the skies prompted the Divine to name the tenth age thusly. And what an auspicious age it has been! Dragons play an important role in this series, but they are rarely helpful — and even when they look like they might be helping, it’s only because their plans align with the hero’s — for the time being.
The Soultaken
In Steven Erikson’s Malazan series, several dragons take to the skies. They are the alternate forms of the Soultaken, a group of shapeshifters who gained their powers through ritual. Anomander Rake’s soultaker form is that of a black dragon, the largest anyone has ever seen.
The Dragons of Earthsea
Earthsea’s dragons are neither good nor evil, but it is wise to avoid them. They have no use for humans, save for the dragonlords, those humans who can understand the language of the Making and who may know the true names of the dragons and can, therefore, will them to do their bidding.
The Celestial Dragon
In Jacqueline Carey’s Naamah’s Kiss, Moirin meets a princess who is locked away, bond to a celestial dragon that is far more than a mere guardian.
The Luck Dragon
“Never give up, and good luck will find you.” So says Falkor, the luck dragon who shares his wisdom and his back with Atreyu and Sebastion, the protagonists of Michael Ende’s Neverending Story.
Listing all the books on my shelf that fit this month’s theme would take forever, so let’s try something a little different today. Behold, my top five favorite books/series featuring dragons!
The Memoirs of Lady Trent by Marie Brennan
I’ve seen fantasy deal with the subject of dragons in many ways: sometimes they’re the monsters for the heroes to kill, sometimes they’re intelligent and have the ability to speak, forming partnerships with humans or even taking human shape, etc. However, I personally liked how this series tackled the matter by painting dragons as simply another kind of wild animal species, as well as the main character’s biologist/naturalist perspective to want to observe and study them. As indicated by the series’ title, these novels are told in the form of a memoir from the venerable Lady Trent, leading research and expert on the topic of dragons. Earlier this year, we saw the fifth and final book and it was a bittersweet experience for me, but I was also glad that I finally got to see all of the author’s ideas come to fruition.
The Summer Dragon by Todd Lockwood
Todd Lockwood is one talented guy. Not only is he a professional illustrator and a painter of beautiful dragons (in fact, he is the artist who provided all the covers and interior art for Marie Brennan’s series above), apparently he’s one hell of an author too. His debut, The Summer Dragon, takes place in a world where dragons are used as mounts in war, and protagonist Maia and her family are breeders who supply the army with young dragonlings. For as long as she can remember though, Maia has wanted a dragon of her own to love and train and ride, but as Brood Day draws nearer it seems once again the army will be demanding their entire stock this year. A new threat is emerging, and it has already destroyed another one of the Dragonry’s most productive aeries. To fight the enemy, the army is going to need every single dragon they can get their hands on.
A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin
Of course, no list about my favorite books featuring dragons can be without A Game of Thrones, a novel that is close to my heart. I won’t go into my mixed feelings about some of the later books in the series, but this first one sucked me in right away and left me in awe of the world and characters brought to life by George R.R. Martin’s addictive storytelling. I recall an interview I saw with him one time in which he stated that too much magic can ruin fantasy, and I have to say I can see where he’s coming from, for while I have nothing against excessive magic, in general I do find myself preferring fantasy fiction that is heavier on the realistic elements. Dragons, however, are the exception to this rule. Everyone knows that for instant awesome, just add dragons, and the ones in A Song of Ice and Fire are some of the best in the genre.
His Majesty’s Dragon by Naomi Novik
It’s the Napoleonic wars…but with dragons. As with A Song of Ice and Fire, the series Temeraire and I have had our ups and downs, but this first book remains one of my favorite dragon books of all time. Not surprisingly, in here you’ll find many incredible scenes of intense aerial combat and draconic battles, but my favorite aspect of the book was probably the main character’s relationship with his dragon. Captain Will Laurence was happy with his seafaring life serving in the British Royal Navy, until a chance encounter results in him becoming bonded to Temeraire, a newly hatched dragonlet seized from a captured French frigate. Though I enjoyed the thrilling action in these books, I was much more interested in the dynamics between these two characters, and devoured His Majesty’s Dragon while savoring every moment as master and dragon bonded over time.
The talented Todd Lockwood once again, this time with Temeraire
Rounding out this list is something a little different. Meet Julius, the protagonist of this series, which is a mix of magic, dystopia, humor and urban fantasy. Julius is the youngest, smallest, most powerless dragon in his family, the Heartstriker clan. Still, he isn’t a pushover so much as he’s just downright terrible at being a dragon. For one thing, he’s nice, considerate, has no designs on taking over the world, all of which makes him an absolute failure in his mother’s eyes. After twenty-four years of watching Julius hide out in his room in the mountain, Bethesda the Heartstriker has finally had it. Sealing him in his human form, the dragon matriarch banishes her son to the Detroit Free Zone where he’s left to either get with the program or fend for himself.
Friday Face-Off: Horse
Posted on September 1, 2017 12 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:
“Being born in a stable does not make one a horse”
~ a cover featuring a HORSE
Mogsy’s Pick:
The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater
When I was a kid, I was obsessed about this book called Misty of Chincoteague by Marguerite Henry. What little girl doesn’t like a story about horses, am I right? Well, The Scorpio Races is a book for that inner little girl in all of us, all grown up. In this novel, people from all over the world would swarm to the small island of Thisby every November to see the famous Scorpio Races, an event where tourists and locals alike would place huge bets on the horses and their riders.
Thing is though, the horses here aren’t your usual Thoroughbreds or Appaloosas. Instead, the jockeys ride the capaill uisce, a breed of water horse native to Thisby. They’re also carnivorous predators, known to prey on livestock and other animals on the island. While their strength makes them fast mounts, their fierce aggression and unpredictable temperaments also means they have no qualms about attacking humans, and it is common for riders to die in accidents or attacks every year. Though our protagonist Kate “Puck” Connolly has had no experience with racing, she decides to sign up anyway, being the first female to ever do so. And instead of choosing to ride a capaill uisce, Puck also shocks the world by choosing to compete with Dove, her plain old regular dun mare.
There are a lot of covers for this book, so I’ve only picked the best to feature. Let’s take a look at them now:
First row, from left to right: Scholastic (Hardcover 2011) – Scholastic (Paperback 2011) – Scholastic (2013)
Scholastic (2017) – Italian (2012) – Polish(2012) – Spanish (2013)
Czech (2013) – French (2012) – German (2012)
Winner:
This was a tough week featuring a lot of strong covers, especially with my favorite color combo of red+black+white being the predominant theme. But at the end of the day, I think I’m going to have to go with the Scholastic 2013 edition. I’ve loved it ever since I first saw it, though I wish that Printz Honor badge didn’t distract so much from the gorgeous image.
What do you think? Which one is your favorite?
“Can’t Wait” Books of Late 2017
Posted on August 31, 2017 35 Comments
So maybe you’ve heard, but I love lists. My day-to-day life might not be as organized as I would like, but I do enjoy creating book lists and putting together reading schedules because I’m a bit of a nut when it comes to things like that. It also has the added benefit of focusing my attention to the “must-read” releases that I’m excited about, so why not? I made lists for Early and Mid-2017 after all, so I’ve decided to do it once more for the final four months of the year. So here we go, these are the Science Fiction and Fantasy titles I’m really looking forward to in the rest of 2017…or at least I’ve tried to narrow down the list! What’s on your late-2017 “Must-Read” TBR? Anything you think I missed?
September
September 1 to 3 – Star Wars: Phasma by Delilah S. Dawson
September 4 to 10 – Godsgrave by Jay Kristoff, The Glass Town Game by Catherynne M. Valente, A Secret History of Witches by Louisa Morgan
September 11 to 17 – Magicians Impossible by Brad Abraham, The Twilight Pariah by Jeffrey Ford
September 18 to 24 – Best Day Ever by Kaira Rouda
September 25 to 30 – Provenance by Ann Leckie, Paradox Bound by Peter Clines, An Enchantment of Ravens by Margaret Rogerson, An Unkindness of Magicians by Kat Howard, Invictus by Ryan Graudin
October
October 1 to 7 – The Bloodprint by Ausma Zehanat Khan, A Plague of Giants by Kevin Hearne, The Core by Peter V. Brett, 13 Minutes by Sarah Pinborough, Blackwing by Ed McDonald, The Tiger’s Daughter by K. Arsenault Rivera, The Genius Plague by David Walton
October 8 to 14 – The Stone in the Skull by Elizabeth Bear, Into the Bright Unknown by Rae Carson
October 15 to 21 – N/A
October 22 to 28 – The Tethered Mage by Melissa Caruso, The Beautiful Ones by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
October 29 to 31 – Kill Creek by Scott Thomas
November
November 5 to 11 – Shadowborn by David Dalglish, Jade City by Fonda Lee, The Realms of God by Michael Livingston, The Speaker by Traci Chee
November 12 to 18 – Artemis by Andy Weir, Oathbringer by Brandon Sanderson, The Nine by Tracy Townsend
November 19 to 25 – N/A
November 26 to 30 – Weave a Circle Round by Kari Maaren
December
December 3 to 9 – The Disappearance of Winter’s Daughter by Michael J. Sullivan, Persepolis Rising by James S.A. Corey, The Fall of the Readers by Django Wexler
December 10 to 16 – Killman Creek by Rachel Caine
December 17 to 23 – N/A
December 24 to 31 – N/A
Waiting on Wednesday 08/30/17
Posted on August 30, 2017 14 Comments
“Waiting On Wednesday” is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine that lets us feature upcoming releases that we can’t wait to get our hands on!
Mogsy’s Pick
Killman Creek by Rachel Caine (December 12, 2017 by Thomas & Mercer)
Barely a month has passed since I read the first book, and the sequel already has a cover and synopsis! Good to know the novels of this series are on the fast track to being released, with Killman Creek set to drop this winter a mere five months after Stillhouse Lake. I love it when I don’t have long to wait, especially when it’s looking like this second installment will be just as intense and addictive as its predecessor.
“Every time Gwen closed her eyes, she saw him in her nightmares. Now her eyes are open, and he’s not going away.
Gwen Proctor won the battle to save her kids from her ex-husband, serial killer Melvin Royal, and his league of psychotic accomplices. But the war isn’t over. Not since Melvin broke out of prison. Not since she received a chilling text…
You’re not safe anywhere now.
Her refuge at Stillhouse Lake has become a trap. Gwen leaves her children in the protective custody of a fortified, well-armed neighbor. Now, with the help of Sam Cade, brother of one of Melvin’s victims, Gwen is going hunting. She’s learned how from one of the sickest killers alive.
But what she’s up against is beyond anything she feared—a sophisticated and savage mind game calculated to destroy her. As trust beyond her small circle of friends begins to vanish, Gwen has only fury and vengeance to believe in as she closes in on her prey. And sure as the night, one of them will die.”
Book Review: An Alchemy of Masques and Mirrors by Curtis Craddock
Posted on August 29, 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.
An Alchemy of Masques and Mirrors by Curtis Craddock
Mogsy’s Rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
Genre: Fantasy
Series: Book 1 of The Risen Kingdoms
Publisher: Tor (August 29, 2017)
Length: 384 pages
Author Information: Website | Twitter
An Alchemy of Masques and Shadows turned out to an incredible surprise and one of the most engrossing reads I’ve had in a long time. In truth though, I hadn’t known what to make of the novel’s description when it first crossed my path. Its story’s scattered allusions initially prompted me to approach this one with a wariness I usually reserve for unknown quantities, but ultimately this mishmash of genre elements ended up being one of my favorite aspects of the book. There seems to be something for everyone, whether it’s science fiction, fantasy, historicals, steampunk or action and adventure that tickles your fancy.
The story predominantly follows two characters: Jean-Claude, a stouthearted and valiant musketeer who must nonetheless act the drunken fool in order to protect Princess Isabelle, who hails from a powerful family of sorcerers despite possessing no magical aptitude of her own. Their fates first collided on the day of Isabelle’s birth, when the discovery of her congenitally deformed hand almost led her to be killed on the spot. Only through Jean-Claude’s intervention was her life spared, and from that moment on, the musketeer became something of a surrogate parent for the princess.
As Isabelle grew up, her real father was cold and cruel towards her, disappointed in her disability and lack of magic. By trying to force her powers to manifest, he ended up destroying the mind of Isabelle’s best friend Marie, who became a “bloodshadow” after his traumatic magical assault on her psyche. Nevertheless, Isabelle found other ways to flourish, finding joy in secretly studying science and mathematics, two fields that are forbidden to women. She has even conducted her own research, publishing works under a male pseudonym. The only one who knows about this is Jean-Claude, who has looked out for Isabelle for years, making sure she is well-protected from those who see her deformity as proof that she is evil, or cursed.
Jean-Claude’s job is about to get more complicated, however, when one day a half-human-half-clockwork messenger arrives with a missive from the Kingdom of Aragoth, whose Prince Julio has asked for Isabelle’s hand in marriage. Not only are the politics behind the arrangement messy, with a high threat of assassination attempts and other dangers, things in Aragoth are also very different from Jean-Claude and Isabelle’s home of the Isle del Zephyrs in l’Empire Céleste. Instead of using blood-based systems of magic, the sorcerers of Aragoth are Glasswalkers who can pass in and out of mirrors.
Musketeers, Bloodshadows, clockwork cyborgs, Glasswalkers, airships and floating islands…is there anything this book doesn’t have? And as if that wasn’t enough, in the middle of all this is also a disorienting jumble of court intrigue and deadly politics. At certain points, this avalanche of information almost got to be too confusing, too much to take. And yet, just before my brain could short out like an overloaded circuit, Craddock started bringing it all together. Massive in scope and imagination, the world of The Risen Kingdoms became more immersive and real to me the longer I stayed in it. As evidenced from some of the naming conventions, the author draws a lot of inspiration from European history, but most of everything in this story is completely fresh and new.
Also, I can’t tell you what a breath of fresh air it is to read a book where the heroine actually SHOWS readers how smart, strong and capable she is through her actions, as opposed to having the text TELL us again and again—which is never as effective as authors might think. A lot of debuts tend to fall into this trap, but I’m glad this book managed to employ “Show, Don’t Tell” by allowing us to develop a connection to Isabelle through experiencing her actions, words, and feelings instead of resorting to unwieldy exposition. To wit, she stood out to me without the narrative having to idealize her character or use any “Chosen One” clichés, not to mention Isabelle being an overall worthy protagonist also allowed me to sympathize with Jean-Claude’s fierce loyalty towards her. She’s someone who earns the respect and admiration of those around her, and this in turn made it easier for me to root for her too.
Evocative and creatively imagined, An Alchemy of Masques and Mirrors is a gorgeously written debut encompassing a splendid mix of speculative genre elements. Lovable characters made this one a joy to read, not to mention my delight at how almost every page would bring something new and awe-inspiring about the world to the table. If you haven’t made reading this a priority yet, you should get on that right away. As a series opener, this book made a huge impression on me, and I can’t wait to see where the story will go next.
Book Review: We Are Legion (We Are Bob) by Dennis E. Taylor
Posted on August 28, 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.
We Are Legion (We Are Bob) by Dennis E. Taylor
Mogsy’s Rating: 4 of 5 stars
Genre: Science Fiction
Series: Book 1 of Bobiverse
Publisher: Ethan Ellenberg Literary Agency (April 14, 2017)
Length: 308 pages
Author Information: Website | Twitter
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 when the book’s page is filled with literally tens of thousands of five star reviews. I figured it was high time to find out what all the fuss was about, and am I glad I did! For those of you who have already been initiated into We Are Legion (We Are Bob) fan club, I beg your forgiveness for being skeptical at first, but can you blame me? This whole time, I’d been going on what was written in the arguably bland and generic publisher description, which—I have to stress—is not a good reflection of the story AT ALL. Trust me, this book is so much more.
Meet Bob Johansson, who has just sold off his software company and is looking to take his new fortune to a service offering their clients the option to cryogenically freeze themselves in the event of their deaths. You can probably guess where this is headed. Sure enough, while enjoying his new life of freedom and leisure at a convention in Las Vegas, Bob gets distracted while crossing the street and—BAM! Pain and blackness is the last thing he remembers before waking up more than a century later to discover that he is now an artificial intelligence created from a brain scan of his consciousness. The country has turned into a theocracy which has declared that replicants like Bob are without rights. He is also now the property of a government program developing a self-replicating interstellar von Neumann probe with the goal of exploring the galaxy. If all goes well, Bob will be uploaded into the probe and sent on journey into space to look for habitable planets.
Unfortunately, the mission will be dangerous. Other nations have the same idea and are all in competition with each other, and indeed a large chunk of the book involves Bob’s run-ins with his Brazilian replicant counterpart who is following the same directive from his handlers. As Bob travels deeper into space, he also begins to realize the need for more processing power, leading him to clone himself multiple times in order to distribute all his responsibilities. And thus, we end up with a “legion” of Bobs, each one going about their own way and chronicling their own adventures in deep space.
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. Like a funnier, more action-oriented version of The Long Way to A Small Angry Planet, it is presented in a format that feels almost episodic and digressive, but I was surprised to find I didn’t mind the divergent plotlines too much. Mostly, this was because of how fun it was to follow all the “Bobs”. Dennis E. Taylor has turned 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.
The plot was also very clever and dynamic. Admittedly, I didn’t really care for the first few chapters, finding Bob aloof, standoffish and unlikeable. Little did I know though, this was intentional set-up for the later parts of the novel. Bob eventually learns some interesting lessons about his identity and his life, which I suppose comes with the territory of interacting with multiple versions of yourself. In fact, despite the tensions involved during the earlier parts of the book involving the development phase of the space probe and Bob’s training, I didn’t feel that things took off until well into the story—right around the same time he started replicating himself, which shouldn’t be too surprising given how so much of this book’s awesomeness is directly related to the shenanigans of the many Bobs. I won’t ruin it by going into details, but I adored following Riker, Bill, Homer, and all of the others (each iteration of Bob gets to choose their own names, most based on their favorite childhood TV shows and interests growing up int the 90’s) along on their respective adventures.
Consider me a new fan and follower of the Legion of Bob! 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. I can’t wait to dive into the next book.
The BiblioSanctum 