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.
Audiobook Review: Minecraft: The Island by Max Brooks
Posted on August 27, 2017 13 Comments
I received a review copy from the publisher. This does not affect the contents of my review and all opinions are my own.
Minecraft: The Island by Max Brooks
Mogsy’s Rating: 4 of 5 stars
Genre: Fantasy, Media Tie-In
Series: Book 1/Stand Alone
Publisher: Random House Audio (July 18, 2017)
Length: 6 hrs and 17 mins
Author Information: Website | Twitter
Narrator: Jack Black
I never thought I’d see a book like this, brought to us by the author of World War Z no less. A month ago, if you had floated me the idea of a Minecraft novel adaptation, I would have laughed and said it would never fly. I mean, what would it even be about? Won’t it just end up being a three-hundred-page instruction manual on how to play the game?
Well, apparently yes and no. This “first and only official Minecraft novel”, trumpets the publisher blurb, tells the story of a hero stranded on an island based in the Minecraft world. The book starts off with our unnamed protagonist (whom I will refer to as “he” since I listened to the version of the audiobook narrated by Jack Black) coming to consciousness in a freaky new reality where everything—the land, the trees, the animals, the sun, and even the character’s own body—is made up of square blocks. This shouldn’t be too hard to picture in your mind, if you’re familiar with Minecraft, though if you’re not, then this book—not to mention the rest of this review—is probably going to sound very strange.
Reading this story, I flashed back to early 2010 which was when I was first exposed to Minecraft. The game was in Alpha phase at this point, very early in its development cycle, and the only mode available was Survival where players must collect resources, build shelter, fend off hostile mobs, and manage your health and hunger in order to survive. Like the character in this novel, you literally started with nothing but the clothes on your back. To flourish and thrive, you had to explore and gather raw materials which can in turn be used to craft other items like tools, weapons, and furniture. At night, you wanted to be safely ensconced in a well-lit shelter because that’s when monsters like zombies would spawn, which our protagonist discovers to his horror and dismay. This book is essentially the story of his experience and serves as a proxy for a new player who might be seeing this confusing and disorienting game world for the first time—except, of course, there are no game guides or online wikis to help him out.
As surprised as I am to admit it, Minecraft: The Island ended up being very good. Much of the enjoyment came from listening to the audiobook, I am sure (which I will go into later), but I was overall quite impressed with how the author managed to dramatize the new player experience, making even the most mundane tasks feel like a race against time. Brooks also did a great job capturing the spirit of the game, perfectly portraying that giddy sense of excitement whenever you make a new discovery, or even that satisfying feeling of accomplishment when you survive your first night without being killed by a zombie.
For a story based on a desert island scenario, the tone of the narrative was also much more enthusiastic and upbeat than I expected. Thanks to unconventional personalities like Moo the cow and other barnyard animals that our protagonist befriends (hey, it sure beats talking to an inanimate volleyball), we avoid the usual problems involving loneliness and tedium. As this book is geared towards children and young adults, the humor we get is light and clean, though I’m also confident that readers of all ages will be able to appreciate the story’s universal themes. The table of contents, which ostensibly reads like a list of guidelines to help you succeed in Minecraft, show chapter headings like “Never Give Up”, “Details Make The Difference”, “Take Life In Steps”, “Take Care of Your Environment So It Can Take Care Of You”, “It’s Not Failure That Matters, But How You Recover”, or “Books Make the World Better”—all good lessons that can be applied to the real world, no matter how old you are.
Bottom line, Minecraft fans will undoubtedly get the most out of this, but it would also be a shame to dismiss it out of hand. Having sunk plenty of hours into this game back in Alpha, reading Minecraft: The Island was a nice shot of nostalgia, with the main character’s challenges reminding me lot of those early days where no one really knew what was going on and any progress was made mostly through experimentation and sheer dumb luck. Overall, I thought this was a fun little book filled with tons of game lore and Minecraft-y goodness—along with a surprising amount of introspection, which is always a nice bonus.
Audiobook Comments: The audiobook for Minecraft: The Island comes in two versions—one narrated by Jack Black, the other narrated by Samira Wiley. Since the protagonist is undefined by gender, this allows the reader/listener to select their own “character”, so to speak. I personally went with the Jack Black version because I love his work as an actor and comedian, and it was a choice I did not regret at all. His energy was a great fit for Max Brook’s humor and writing style, and his voice acting really took the story to a whole new level. I also liked how the audiobook incorporated sounds from the game, and though the music could get a bit loud and distracting at times, I doubt I would have enjoyed myself as much if they hadn’t included these nice little touches. Indeed I am happy that I decided to go with the audiobook, and I would not hesitate to recommend this format to anyone thinking of checking out the novel.
Mogsy’s Bookshelf Roundup: Stacking the Shelves & Recent Reads
Posted on August 26, 2017 48 Comments
Bookshelf Roundup is a feature I do every other weekend which fills the role of several blog memes, like Stacking the Shelves where I talk about the new books I’ve added to my library or received for review, as well as It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? where I round up what I’ve read since the last update and what I’m planning to read soon. Mostly it also serves as a recap post, so sometimes I’ll throw in stuff like reading challenge progress reports, book lists, and other random bookish thoughts or announcements.
I’m back home now, after spending a week on Cape Code to visit family. There was a lot of beach time, like you’d expect. And of course I got almost no reading done – also like you’d expect. Needless to say, my visions of being able to stretch out on the warm sand while basking in the sun with my nose in a book were swiftly replaced with the reality of chasing after my kids all day long, making sure they didn’t get into any trouble. On the other hand, I was quite productive when it came to audiobooks, thanks to the hours of listening time on the long drives there and back. Hopefully it won’t take too long for things to ease back into their normal schedule now that I’m home, because there will be another big shakeup to my routine once September rolls around and my oldest starts kindergarten. Time sure flies, doesn’t it!
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!
When I came home there were a few surprise packages waiting for me. Inside one of them was Jade City by Fonda Lee which is actually a book I’ve been looking forward to, so I couldn’t have been more pleased to get a copy, with thanks to Orbit Books! Inside another was a finished copy of The Massacre of Mankind by Stephen Baxter courtesy of Crown Publishing. In case you missed it, I reviewed this official sequel to The War of the Worlds earlier this week, and you check it out here. Next up is an ARC of The Sky is Yours by Chandler Klang Smith from the awesome folks at Hogarth Publishing. I hadn’t heard of this one before, so I looked it up right away, discovering that the story is a bit of an oddball mix of epic fantasy and sci-fi dystopian. With that quirky cover calling to me, I think I’m going to have to give this book a shot. Apparently, it also has dragons!
From the wonderful team at Tor Books, I also received a treasure trove of new books this week. First up is Playing to the Gods by Melanie Rawn which unfortunately is listed as the fifth and final book in her Glass Thorns series and I haven’t read any of the previous installments. Since Rawn is an author I’ve wanted to read for a long time though, I know I’ll eventually find a good jumping on point to try her work. I also received a finished copy of An Alchemy of Masques and Mirrors by Curtis Craddock, which I’ve already read and LOVED! Be sure to keep an eye out for my review in a few days! And I was also thrilled to receive a finished copy of The Dinosaur Princess by Victor Milán, book three in the Dinosaur Lords sequence. I’m still enjoying this series, but things got a little shaky in the last book so I’m hoping the story will pick up again in this one.
The Tor Books haul continues with a couple of their titles from their Tor Teen imprint. Ferocious by Paula Stokes is sequel to last year’s Vicarious which I have not gotten the chance to read yet so I’ll have to catch up before diving into this one. I also received a surprise ARC of The Dark Intercept by Julia Keller, a YA sci-fi dystopian which admittedly sounds a bit derivative from its description, but I’m nonetheless very curious to try it.
And speaking of books I want to try, The Castle in Cassiopeia by Mike Resnick is the third novel in the author’s military sci-fi series called Dead Enders. I don’t know if I’ll ever catch up with previous books considering the amount of reading already on my plate, but I’m definitely going to keep them on the list. Next up is an ARC of The Nine by Tracy Townsend, a book I’m highly anticipating. It’s on my must-read list for this fall, so I’m sure you’ll be hearing me talk more about it in the coming months. With thanks to Pyr Books for the review copies!
An finally, rounding out my new arrivals in the mail this week are a couple of unexpected but drool-worthy ARCs courtesy of Thomas Dunne Books. One of Us Will be Dead by Morning by David Moody caught my attention with its title right away, but the description is even more intriguing. The thing is, the book is listed on Goodreads as the fourth novel in the Hater sequence, though I’ve also heard the first three books called the “original trilogy”, implying this might be a standalone or start of a sequel series. If it turns out I can jump on board right here, then you can be sure that I will. Last but not least is Glass Town by Steven Savile, a novel of magic pitched as “reminiscent of Clive Barker’s Weaveworld and Neil Gaiman’s American Gods.” The author has also been a writer for popular TV shows such as Doctor Who, Torchwood, and Stargate, so I have a feeling that this book, described as his US debut, should be very interesting!
Moving on to the digital book haul, I was emailed about The Bloodprint by Ausma Zehanat Khan earlier this week, and after researching it a bit, I found that I could not resist its gorgeous description and decided to accept it for review. From NetGalley, my request for The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert was also approved this week, to my absolute joy and delight. A couple of YA digital ARCs also came in from Edelweiss, first An Enchantment of Ravens by Margaret Rogerson and then Honor Among Thieves by Rachel Caine and Ann Aguirre, both of which are books I’m champing at the bit to read. With thanks to Harper Voyager, Flatiron Books, Margaret K. McElderry Books, and Katherine Tegen Books for the review copies.
I was also happy when I heard that the audiobook of The Guns Above by Robyn Bennis will finally be released at the end of this month. My thanks to Macmillan Audio for offering me a chance to review it. Another audiobook that caught my eye was Warcross by Marie Lu, an upcoming YA release that has been getting tons of buzz lately. I decided to check it out, with thanks to Listening Library for the review copy. And with the finale approaching for the serial Geek Actually by Cathy Yardley, Melissa Blue, Cecilia Tan, Rachel Stuhler, I was recently contacted by the publisher Serial Box with an opportunity to review the entire first season in audio, which I gratefully accepted. This series has been on my radar for a long time, but as with all serialized releases I always prefer to binge the entire thing in one go, so I’m fantastically excited that I’m soon going to be able to do so with this one.
Reviews
A quick look at the reviews I’ve posted since the last update:
Swarm and Steel by Michael R. Fletcher (4 of 5 stars)
Raid by K.S. Merbeth (4 of 5 stars)
The Reluctant Queen by Sarah Beth Durst (4 of 5 stars)
The Court of Broken Knives by Anna Smith Spark (4 of 5 stars)
Ash and Quill by Rachel Caine (3.5 of 5 stars)
The Heart of Stone by Ben Galley (3.5 of 5 stars)
The Massacre of Mankind by Stephen Baxter (3 of 5 stars)
House of Furies by Madeleine Roux (3 of 5 stars)
Dreamfall by Amy Plum (2.5 of 5 stars)
The Space Between the Stars by Anne Corlett (2.5 of 5 stars)
What I’ve Read Since the Last Update
Here’s what I’ve “unstacked” from the TBR recently. Reviews are coming soon!
Have you heard of or read any of the books featured this week? What caught your eye? Any new discoveries? I hope you found something interesting for a future read! Let me know what you plan on checking out. Until next time, see you next Roundup!
Friday Face-Off: Insect
Posted on August 25, 2017 24 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:
“If I be waspish, best beware my sting”
~ a cover featuring an INSECT
Mogsy’s Pick:
Abomination by Gary Whitta
I have a confession to make. You see, I’m a bit squeamish when it comes to bugs. They’re icky and give me the creeps. So this week I figured, what better way to celebrate this week’s Friday Face-Off theme than with a horror novel?
Abomination is a historical tale of terror following Wulfric, a former knight who has fallen far from grace. Once the greatest soldier and former confidante of King Alfred the Great, he now lives in the shadows, wandering the English countryside dressed in rags and chains. Fifteen years ago, he fought to rid his kingdom of a plague of monstrous beasts known as abominations, and for his troubles he was cursed with a fate worse than death.
Any more than this, I’m not going to say; I’ll just leave you all to speculate as to why the insect featured on these covers is a giant scarab…
First row, from left to right: Inkshares (2015) – Portuguese: DarkSide Books (2017) – Spanish: Tusquets (2017)
Winner:
I love all three covers, to be honest. Each version does a great job portraying the eerie and disturbing nature of the story, but if I had to choose just one, I would probably go with the Portuguese edition as the winner. I’ve always thought the Inkshares cover is a little too dark, making it hard to see the detail on the scarab, and while I really like the Spanish edition, the imagery of the roots or veins or whatever they are just isn’t as eye-catching as the Portuguese edition featuring the black of the beetle and the red of the blood on a white background. This happens to be one of my favorite color combinations, and it’s easy to see why – the results are very striking.
What do you think? Which one is your favorite?
Book Review: Swarm and Steel by Michael R. Fletcher
Posted on August 24, 2017 19 Comments
I received a review copy from the publisher. This does not affect the contents of my review and all opinions are my own.
Swarm and Steel by Michael R. Fletcher
Mogsy’s Rating: 4 of 5 stars
Genre: Fantasy
Series: A novel of Manifest Delusions
Publisher: Talos (August 22, 2017)
Length: 352 pages
Author Information: Website | Twitter
You know the saying, “That’s so crazy, it might just work?” Well, this is definitely true of Michael R. Fletcher’s latest Manifest Delusions novel. Featuring a new standalone tale, Swarm and Steel brings readers back to this world in which magic is insanity and the more deranged you are the more powerful you get. This, my lovelies, is the realm of the Geisteskranken, home to those whose delusions are made real.
The protagonist of this story is a woman named Zerfall, whose abilities are unique even in a world full of strange and uncanny Geisteskranken. Upon waking up in a dark alley, she does not remember how she got there, or anything about her past, for that matter. All she knows is that someone has sent an assassin on her trail, leading to a harrowing chase which ultimately ends in the desert with Zerfall gravely wounded and fighting for her life. But in her struggles to survive, she’s also starting to overcome her amnesia, with snippets of memories coming back slowly but surely. She remembers almost killing her sister Hölle by putting a blade through her belly, though she cannot exactly recall why she wanted to kill the other woman (and trust me when I say that finding out the answer to this question is the fun part).
Meanwhile, somewhere else in the desert, a young man named Jateko is fleeing for his life after accidentally killing another member of his own tribe. Mad from hunger and thirst after being hunted across the wastes by the victim’s vengeful kin, Jateko chances to stumble upon Zerfall, thus kicking off one of the most bizarre and eerie relationships I’ve ever come across in a fantasy novel. Teaming up, they decide to travel back to the city on a dead horse (yes, I said a dead horse) to confront Hölle, who currently oversees the Täuschung, a religious sect founded by the two sisters. Zerfall believes she must completely destroy the Täuschung in order to undermine Hölle’s power, and Jateko is all too willing to help. Completely smitten with Zerfall, he vows he will defeat and cannibalize their enemies in order to grow stronger, the better to fight by her side.
If you read that last bit and thought to yourself, “What the fuck?”…well, I don’t blame you. I have to hand it to Fletcher. His ability to come up with the most crazy and messed up scenarios never ceases to amaze me, and I genuinely mean that as a compliment! Having read his other Manifest Delusions novels, I thought I had seen it all, but somehow Fletcher always manages to raise the bar on himself and surpass it with every new book. If you’re a fan though, you probably know this already. Swarm and Steel is certainly not for the squeamish, even for readers accustomed to the grimdarkest of grimdark, but if you enjoyed Beyond Redemption and The Mirror’s Truth, then returning to this world will likely be as enjoyable for you as it was for me.
Still, since we follow a new cast of characters in this story, if you’re a newcomer to the world, there’s no need to read the other Manifest Delusions novels before jumping in—though prior experience with the setting will probably make things a little less overwhelming and disorienting, especially given the little references to the previous books you’ll find here and there. Learning about the different types of delusions and picking up the terminology will come in time though, as the narrative sets up backstories for both Zerfall and Jateko. Admittedly, the two of them are no Bedeckt, Stehlen, and Wichtig—our new protagonists don’t have quite the same amount of synergy in their dynamic as the original trio from Beyond Redemption—but their interplay was fascinating to watch all the same. Fletcher is flexing his writing muscles here, trying out new characters and developing new forms of relationships, and I also loved how this allowed for more unique circumstances and opportunities for action and dark humor. In time, I found myself gradually warming up to Zerfall and Jateko in spite of their unusual bond.
As always, Michael R. Fletcher’s talent for characterization makes his work stand out from everything else this genre has to offer, not to mention the sheer depth of his imagination—which is as formidable as it can be frightening sometimes! All this makes him one of my must-read authors, and I would enthusiastically recommend Manifest Delusions to all avid readers of grimdark or dark fantasy, with a guarantee that they’ll be like nothing you’ve ever seen before.
Waiting on Wednesday 08/23/17
Posted on August 23, 2017 17 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
Deadlands: Boneyard by Seanan McGuire (October 17, 2017 by Tor Books)
Oh, you know how much I love my tie-in novels. Even though I’ve had no experience with the Deadlands RPG personally, the prospect of a story based in a fantasy western world is something that I just can’t resist. As a bonus, this book is also penned by none other than Seanan Mcguire, who will undoubtedly do the Weird West horror setting justice. And the best part is, like the other books in the series, it’ll be a standalone.
“The newest book based on the hit Weird West RPG franchise Deadlands!
Step right up to see the oddities and marvels of The Blackstone Family Circus and Travelling Wonder Show! Gasp at pit wasps the size of a man’s forearm. Beware the pumpkin-headed corn stalker, lest it plant its roots in you!
Annie Pearl is the keeper of oddities, the mistress of monsters. Her unique collection of creatures is one of the circus’s star attractions, drawing wide-eyed crowds at every small frontier town they visit. But Annie is also a woman running from her past . . . and the mother of a mute young daughter, Adeline, whom she will do anything to protect.
Hoping to fill its coffers before winter sets in, the circus steers its wagons to The Clearing, a remote community deep in the Oregon wilderness, surrounded by an ominous dark wood. Word is that a traveling show can turn a tidy profit at The Clearing, but there are whispers, too, of unexplained disappearances that afflict one out of every four shows that pass through the town.
The Clearing has it secrets, and so does Annie. And it may take everything she has to save her daughter―and the circus―from both.”
Book Review: The Massacre of Mankind by Stephen Baxter
Posted on August 22, 2017 17 Comments
I received a review copy from the publisher. This does not affect the contents of my review and all opinions are my own.
The Massacre of Mankind by Stephen Baxter
Mogsy’s Rating: 3 of 5 stars
Genre: Science Fiction
Series: Book 2 of The War of the Worlds
Publisher: Crown Publishing (August 22, 2017)
Length: 496 pages
Author Information: Website
The Massacre of Mankind is a book that wears several hats and for the most part wears them all well, serving as a sequel to H.G. Wells’ The War of the Worlds while also paying loving tribute to it. Taking place in 1920, approximately 14 years after the events in the original classic, the story continues through the eyes of Julie Elphinstone who now begins her own account of a second invasion. Yep, that’s right, the Martians are back, and they’ve learned some lessons from their first go-around. This time, it’ll take more than microbial infections to take them down, and worse, Earth isn’t exactly in its best fighting shape. Still rebuilding from the first Martian assault, places like Britain are still in complete disarray politically, socially, and economically, especially in the wake of this alternate world’s version of World War I.
While everyone knew that another invasion was possible, governments and armies thought they were prepared. They thought they knew how to beat the Martians and dismissed the warnings of the original narrator of The War of the Worlds—identified here as Walter Jenkins—who correctly predicted that the aliens would come back in force after adapting and developing new ways to avoid being defeated again. Now things are looking very bad for Earth, with extinction threatening the human race once more.
Lately I have been seeing a lot more efforts by publishers and authors to bring back popular characters and classics from the past, either through “reboots” or “official sequels” like this one. I’m still torn as to how I feel about this trend, but I suppose we also have to look at each work on a case-by-case basis. According to the description on the cover, The Massacre of Mankind is fully authorized by the H.G. Wells Estate. Presumably working under their direction and support, Stephen Baxter still nonetheless had some rather big shoes to fill, given the prominence of The War of the Worlds in popular culture and the staggering number of adaptations and retellings it has spawned since being published. In writing this follow-up, Baxter had to tell an equally gripping story while staying true to the style and spirit of the original, with the added challenge of presenting something new to the table.
On the whole, I think he has managed to do that, though as with any project of this nature, a reader’s enjoyment is going to largely depend on how well they know the source material. If you haven’t read The War of the Worlds (or, like me, you read it so long ago that you hardly remember anything from it at all), then you’ll probably not like this book as much as someone who is familiar with Wells’ original, for Baxter basically uses it as a jumping off point. Expanding the story from there, he puts forth what is also in many ways an alternate history of what might happen if the Martians had a second chance and were more prepared to dig in and set up a system for colonization. As well, there are strong ties to characters and events in the original, such as the protagonist Julie, who appeared in The War of the Worlds and is written in this book as the former sister-in-law of Walter Jenkins.
If I could do it all over again, I definitely would have refreshed my memory with a re-read of The War of the Worlds before tackling this one, because I think I would have enjoyed myself more if I had. I suspect too that the first half of The Massacre of Mankind wouldn’t have felt so dry to me if I had felt more connected with Baxter’s drawn-out descriptions of the various events and characters, especially given how much build-up is involved in the intro. The narrative didn’t hook me until well into the second half, and even then I had to really force myself to make it through the slower sections.
To Baxter’s great credit though, he’s gone all out in making us feel like this is a real sequel (perhaps even one that could have been written by Wells himself), adopting a style that recalls the time in which The War of the Worlds was written, including certain quirks and anachronisms of the period. Sure, sometimes a bit of the modern may leak through here and there, but overall the attention to detail is astounding and I can’t even imagine the level of research that must have gone into the writing of this novel. I also liked that we got to see this invasion play out on a more global scale, which I believe was an aspect that was lacking in the original.
In sum, I believe reader experiences will vary depending on how well they know The War of the Worlds. With this caveat in mind, I would still recommend The Massacre of Mankind, which I thought was a well put-together novel and captivating in its own unique way.
Book Review: Ash and Quill by Rachel Caine
Posted on August 21, 2017 25 Comments
I received a review copy from the publisher. This does not affect the contents of my review and all opinions are my own.
Mogsy’s Rating: 3.5 of 5 stars
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Series: Book 3 of The Great Library
Publisher: Berkley (July 11, 2017)
Length: 368 pages
Author Information: Website | Twitter
To be clear, I still love this series, but I’d be lying if I said my enthusiasm for it hasn’t cooled somewhat. As enjoyable as these last two installments were, I’m just not seeing the same caliber of storytelling that we got in the first book. How much of this is due to the fact The Great Library recently became a three-book series to a five-book one, I don’t know, but I suspect that not-insignificant change may have played a role. The story is still moving forward, but seemingly with more filler than usual in this one.
As the third novel in the sequence, Ash and Quill picks up immediately from the end of Paper and Fire, so if you haven’t started this series yet, keep in mind there may be possible spoilers for the first two books in this review. After fleeing from London and narrowly escaping the Archivist’s forces, Jess Brightwell and his fellow exiles find themselves in Philadelphia, a city run by the rebels known as the Burners. Believing them to be the agents of the Great Library though, the Burners capture Jess and his group and threaten to kill them all unless Thomas, the genius inventor of the group, agrees to build the rebels a working printing press. A deal is struck in order to buy time for our protagonist to figure out how to save his friends, but with the chaos descending upon the city, Jess knows that they can’t stay in the Americas and must quickly find their way back across the ocean in search of more allies.
First, the good: I like how each book is bringing more to the table in terms of character development, adding layers to established personalities and relationships. This is where Ash and Quill really shines. While the story is punctuate with occasional bursts of action, I generally preferred the quieter moments where we got to see the characters interact and find out more about their origins and family life. Who knew Dario came from such an illustrious family, for example? Like Jess, I still don’t really trust the guy, but we’re starting to see more of Dario’s deeper, more considerate side break through the cockiness, especially in his scenes with Khalila. As one of the few adult characters, Wolf continues to be my favorite, and I really appreciated this book giving his relationship with Santi some extra attention. Jess also gets some time to reflect upon his role as a brother and a son, deciding once and for all what to do about his future place in the family business, and I’m looking forward to seeing how this conflict will resolve.
Now, for the things that weren’t so good (and I’d like to warn everyone in advance that this is going to sound more negative than I intend), I honestly thought this book wasted a lot of time. Many scenes were padded with what I felt was unnecessary description, and there was constant repetition when it comes to Jess’ internal thoughts and dialogue. I was also slightly disappointed that we didn’t get to see more of Philadelphia. Such a bummer when we finally get to follow the characters to a different city—an exotic place, in their eyes—and they end up spending most of their time there as prisoners listening to their Burner captors rant and rave. I feel there was a missed opportunity here to show a more multifaceted picture of a place that was in full revolt against the Great Library, but instead we barely got to scratch the surface.
Ironically, I’m also enjoying all the romances and relationships in this series except the one between Jess and Morgan. Granted, they’ve had a rough time of it from the start, with one or both of them either being on the run or in prison at any given time, but I really think the ship has sailed to really make me feel any chemistry or care about them as a couple. They feel all wrong for each other, especially with the darker truth behind Morgan’s powers emerging, so any attempt to bring her and Jess closer together just feels very awkward to me at this point.
Again, I know I’m sounding very critical of this novel, but I assure you that I had fun and enjoyed it—just not as much as Ink and Bone and perhaps merely a teensy tiny little bit less than Paper and Fire. Would I still recommend this series though? You bet. The overall story arc is exciting, and like the previous book, this one also ends on a cliffhanger that had me wailing, “Nooooo, things just can’t end like this, not yet, not yet!” Parts of this might have been slow, but when things do get tense, Rachel Caine sure knows how to keep you on the edge of your seat. Her talent as a writer is what keeps me clamoring for more, and I can’t wait to see where she’ll take us with the next book.
More on The BiblioSanctum:
Review of Ink and Bone (Book 1)
Review of Paper and Fire (Book 2)
Book Review: The Heart of Stone by Ben Galley
Posted on August 20, 2017 15 Comments
I received a review copy from the author. This does not affect the contents of my review and all opinions are my own.
The Heart of Stone by Ben Galley
Mogsy’s Rating: 3.5 of 5 stars
Genre: Fantasy
Series: Stand Alone
Publisher: BenGalley.com (March 30, 2017)
Length: 406 pages
Author Information: Website | Twitter
Maybe it was my mood, maybe it was the timing, or maybe it was just the nature of this book itself, but for some reason The Heart of Stone took me a long time to read. That said, I really enjoyed it. The story is not just about war and fighting, as the description had initially led me to believe. Amidst the action, we also have a lot of adventure and intrigue, as well as a number of unexpected twists in perspective and moments of pure emotion.
The story follows Task, a creature known as a Windcut Stone Golem. Built to be weapon of war by a long-ago creator, he is the last of his kind but also unlike any that came before or after him, for deep within that flinty exterior is a very real heart and soul. Task feels. He thinks. He dreams. However, for as long as he can remember, he has been suppressing that part of him in order to serve his purpose as a killing machine. For four hundred years, Task has been passed from army to army, bound by an ancient magic to obey the commands of his masters. He has fought in many wars, taken countless lives in battle, and seen enough examples of human avarice to know that this cycle of violence will never end. For a long time, he has believe that it is best to simply keep to himself and do as he is ordered.
But now, Task has been brought out once more to serve a new master in a bitter civil war between the crown and a fractured group of rebel nobles. Fighting on the side of the Royalists, he winds up being under the command of Huff Dartridge, a ruthless general who will go to any length to achieve victory over the enemy Fading. Not to be cowed though, the other side also has a secret weapon, acquiring the services of the Knight of Dawn whose reputation as a dragon slayer is sure to make him a formidable foe against a stone golem.
Still, as the war wages on, Task finds that his magically-bound loyalties are becoming tested as Huff’s demands grow more unreasonable and cruel by the day. In spite of himself, he also finds himself growing emotionally attached to some of the men and women he fights with. In particular, he strikes up a friendship with a young stable girl named Lesky, who teaches Task that there may be more to his existence than simply destruction and killing, and for the first time in centuries, Task finds himself pondering his purpose and questioning the nature of the war he is forced to fight.
Ben Galley is an author I’ve wanted to try for a while—or more precisely, ever since I first heard of him a few years ago in the inaugural Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off in which his book Bloodrush scored very highly with the blogger judges. I’m quite glad I finally got to read his work, because I really enjoy his style of writing and the way he goes deep into the hearts and minds of his characters. It is especially important in a novel like this, which features a non-human protagonist made of magic and stone. The people around Task may dismiss him as a mindless beast, but in truth, he possesses far more humanity than even some of the actual human characters in this book. It was a pleasure to get to know him, seeing through his eyes and finding out his deepest thoughts and desires.
I also really liked the plot. While it was not as evenly paced as I would have preferred, I did enjoy the story’s incredible battle sequences as well as many of the slower, more introspective sections in between. In fact, I found these quieter moments to be just as important as the action, if not more so, since so much of this book was about Task discovering himself and learning to be his own master. I had a great time watching the relationships develop between him and the other characters, especially the special bond he has with Lesky, who was one of my favorites. There’s also plenty of political intrigue in this tale, and a formidable villain whose machinations lend this novel a healthy dose of suspense by keeping you guessing at their endgame every step of the way.
All told, Heart of Stone is a solidly written and fascinating dark fantasy novel, one I would highly recommend to readers who enjoy character driven stories and reading about compelling non-human protagonists. It’s true that it’s a bit of a slow-builder, but I think it’ll get easier to appreciate the intricate details of the plot once all the pieces fall into place. Despite my quibbles about the pacing, ultimately this is a very engaging, unique, and wonderful book. Ben Galley has a real knack for this, and I look forward to reading more by him in the future.
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