Tough Traveling: Beginnings
Posted on April 1, 2017 31 Comments
No, you’re not seeing things, it’s actually true — the Tough Traveling feature is back, with huge thanks to Laura from Fantasy Faction who is reviving this meme! Back in 2014, the idea first 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 by Diana Wynn Jones — a tongue-in-cheek parody of the fantasy genre. Tough Traveling was widely successful, with over fifty bloggers participating at one point before the feature went on hiatus.
Starting this month though, the Tough Traveling tradition is making a comeback – with some changes. It will now be a monthly feature instead of a weekly one, though the idea remains the same. If anyone is interested in participating, we invite you to come play along!
This month’s topic:
Beginnings
The Tough Guide states that you will begin in rather poor circumstances in an unimportant corner of the continent; a kitchen menial, perhaps, or a blacksmith’s apprentice. From there, the Guide advises that you will be contacted by your TOUR MENTOR (normally an elderly male MAGIC USER with much experience) who will tell you what to do, which is almost certainly to discover you are a MISSING HEIR.
What better way to kick things off (again!) with a topic that celebrates the memorable openings to the speculative fiction books and series we like best?
Dreamer’s Pool by Juliet Marillier
Not only is Dreamer’s Pool one of my favorite fantasy novels of all time, it also fits this week’s theme to a tee. When the book opens, we are introduced to the series protagonists Blackthorn and Grim, who are a pair of prisoners rotting in the dungeon of a wicked and corrupt lord. Poor circumstances? Check! A rather unimportant corner of the continent? Check! Hours before she is to be executed though, Blackthorn is visited by a fey named Conmael, who offers her chance to escape in exchange for her promise to set aside her desire for vengeance on the man who destroyed her life. Our Tour Mentor here might not be your conventional magic user, but I would that say a faerie who can get you out of prison with the snap of his fingers comes close enough. Reluctantly, Blackthorn agrees to Conmael’s deal and makes her way north to Dalriada to start her new life, followed by fellow escapee Grim who later on becomes her most steadfast and loyal companion.
Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians by Brandon Sanderson
I’ve only just caught up with this middle grade series by Brandon Sanderson, and I’m glad I did because it’s hilarious. It stars a young boy named Alcatraz Smedry, who lives with his ordinary foster parents in an ordinary house in an ordinary neighborhood. On the day of his thirteenth birthday though, he receives an old bag of sand in the mail – apparently the only inheritance left to him by his birth parents. But before you can even say “Gee, thanks mom and dad!” the bag is stolen by a member of an evil cult known as the Librarians. Fortunately though, a wise Tour Mentor in the form of our protagonist’s long lost elderly male Magic User grandpa show ups (late!) to save the day, revealing to Alcatraz the truth of his birthright – Alcatraz is, in fact, literally the lost heir to the Smedry line. Together, Alcatraz and his new allies must stop the Librarians by carrying out a daring mission into the heart of enemy territory – also known as the central downtown library.
The Facefaker’s Game by Chandler J. Birch
Talk about beginning in poor circumstances. The main character of The Facefaker’s Game is a fourteen-year-old boy with no past. One day, he simply became aware of himself, standing in the middle of the street with no memory of where he came from or even what his name is. Covered in soot, the boy decides to give himself the name of Ashes. By begging, stealing, and cheating at cards, he’s able to scrape together just enough money to get by, but then one day he gets on the wrong side of a crime lord. Instead of meeting his end though, Ashes is unexpectedly rescued by an Artificer named Candlestick Jack. Like any good Tour Mentor, Jack decides to take the boy on as an apprentice, teaching him the mysterious magical art of light manipulation and illusion.
Instead of just one humble beginning, in this book we have two! Meet Hope, who at the age of eight became the lone survivor of a massacre on her small fishing village. Rescued by a merchant ship, she was then taken in by the ancient order of Vinchen warriors and taught their ways by their grand master Hurlo, who went against his order’s rules to train the girl in secret. Next meet Red, who was captured by slavers not long after he was orphaned and left alone to fend for himself in the slums. Lucky for him, the infamous rogue known as Sadie the Goat was captured alongside with him, and after the two of them made their daring escape, Sadie was so impressed with the boy’s talents that she made him her protege on the spot. Two tour beginnings, two Tour Mentors – all for the price of one.
Twelve Kings in Sharakhai by Bradley P. Beaulieu
Not every beginning I’m featuring today fits the description of the theme. After all, the overarching idea is really just to list the fantasy books or series we’ve read that have memorable intros, and in my opinion, few intros are more memorable than the one in Twelve Kings in Sharakhai. The novel’s main character is Çeda, who’s probably one of the best female protagonists I have encountered in years. We open the novel with a scene from the fighting pits, where she is a competitor in the tourney. Right after a phenomenal combat sequence which ends with Çeda serving her opponent his ass on a platter, she then goes on to engage in an intensely passionate tryst with the fighting pit’s owner. If all this was part of Beaulieu’s attempt to capture the reader’s attention right off the bat, well, it certainly worked on me!
In the beginning, there were… beginnings. There are some wonderful, memorable beginnings to many books, but I decided to narrow my list down a bit to my three very favourite series. Their beginnings led me on incredible journeys with characters I have grown to love and return to every few years. What And what better way to start a memorable tale than the good old fashioned…
The Winter King by Bernard Cornwell
“Once upon a time, in a land that was called Britain, these things happened.”
I am not really a King Arthur fan. Oh sure I’ll watch a good King Arthur movie, and I’m quite fond of the 2004 film directed by Antoine Fuqua for reasons.
But I will always compare any Arthur story I watch or read to Bernard Cornwall’s Warlord Chronicles. They introduced me to Arthur through the eyes of a man who loved and served him beyond all measure. A greater friend, no being could ever have than Derfel. And seeing Arthur and his story told in this way forever changed my views on the once and future king.
“These are the tales of Arthur, the Warlord, the King that Never Was, the Enemy of God and, may the living Christ and Bishop Sansum forgive me, the best man I ever knew.”
Kushiel’s Dart by Jacqueline Carey
“Lest anyone should suppose that I am a cuckoo’s child, got on the wrong side of the blanket by lusty peasant stock and sold into indenture in a short-fallen season, I may say I am House-born and reared in the Night Court proper, for all the good it did me.”
This was how I met Phèdre nó Delaunay, a child seemingly cursed with a mark of the gods. This was my first introduction to erotica. Or rather, erotica that was not part of my sister’s romance novels that I used to sneak around to read when I was younger. This was a book steeped in beautiful prose and beautiful people, and an entirely new and eye opening perspective on sexuality.
The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin
“I am not as I once was. They have done this to me, broken me open and torn out my heart. I do not know who I am anymore. I must try to remember.”
And this was the series that broke me open and tore out my heart, so much so that it took me three years to get through this trilogy, simply because that’s how much time I needed between each book to settle my emotions. This was the first book I read by N.K. Jemisin, and like Octavia E. Butler before her, I am in awe of her imagination and her vision, and the opportunity to see characters like myself in the stories I read.
Join us, or better yet, come participate with us for Tough Traveling next month! The theme will be:
Assassins
Assassins are ubiquitous throughout fantasyland. Sharp-eyed readers (or even dull-eyed ones) will notice that their hooded forms often adorn book covers, and that they frequently appear – rather improbably – not to mind being the sole focus of our attention. Whether they’re spotlight hogs or camera-shy and brooding, most assassins will have trained for years and are very, VERY good at their job (i.e. killing people for money).
1st Quarter Audiobook Challenge Update
Posted on March 31, 2017 4 Comments
Spring is upon us once again, and with it our quarterly update on what we’ve consumed in the last three months in audiobook format. Spring presents many opportunities for us to enjoy audiobooks more (not that we needed a reason!) as we spend time spring cleaning, enjoying the outdoors more, and various other audiobook friendly situations. Here’s a quick look at our first three months.
Reading Challenge Details:
- Runs January 1, 2017 – December 31, 2017. You can join at any time.
- The goal is to find a new love for audios or to outdo yourself by listening to more audios in 2017 than you did in 2016.
- Books must be in audio format (CD, MP3, etc.)
- ANY genres count.
- Re-reads and crossovers from other reading challenges are allowed.
- You do not have to be a book blogger to participate; you can track your progress on Goodreads, Booklikes, Facebook, LibraryThing, etc.
- If you’re a blogger grab the button and do a quick post about the challenge to help spread the word. If you’re not a blogger you can help by posting on Facebook or Tweeting about the challenge.
Levels:
- Newbie (I’ll give it a try) 1-5
- Weekend Warrior (I’m getting the hang of this) 5-10
- Stenographer (can listen while multi-tasking) 10-15
- Socially Awkward (Don’t talk to me) 15-20
- Binge Listener (Why read when someone can do it for you) 20-30
- My Precious (I had my earbuds surgically implanted) 30-50
- Marathoner (Look Ma no hands) 50+
I know I’ve been doing a lot of audio listening lately…but even I’m surprised at how much progress I’ve made. Initially I had intended to play it safe and aim for My Precious, but at this rate if I keep up the pace I should just barely cross the finishing line into Marathoner by the end of the year.
As always, audiobooks help me get through long drives and through some of the more tedious tasks at the office. I am super excited to report that my office — a school board — actually supports that, more or less, after the recent introduction of Overdrive for staff, students, and their families. We’re fresh into our first month and there have been a few glitches, as is to be expected, but the uptake on the endeavour has been so amazing. I love to see people enjoying a good book, as does the superintendent in charge of the project, who has been happily adding all the books I recommend to our library. So I’m well on my way to my Binge Listener goal, and looking forward to lots more reads!
This year has already started out super busy for me, busier than I normally am this time of the year, so audiobooks have been a big factor in helping me stay sane all these months. I’m getting into a groove now with things and hoping to cover more ground with audiobooks in the coming months, but I am happy with what I have been able to listen to all things considered.
Friday Face-Off: Casino
Posted on March 31, 2017 14 Comments
Welcome to The Friday Face-Off, a weekly meme created by Books by Proxy! Each Friday, we will pit cover against cover while also taking the opportunity to showcase gorgeous artwork and feature some of our favorite book covers. If you want to join the fun, simply choose a book each Friday that fits that week’s predetermined theme, post and compare two or more different covers available for that book, then name your favorite. A list of future weeks’ themes are available at Lynn’s Book Blog.
This week’s theme is:
“Whisky, gambling and Ferraris are better than housework”
~ a cover featuring a CASINO
Mogsy’s Pick:
The Incrementalists by Steven Brust and Skyler White
When I think of casinos, I immediately also think of Las Vegas. Ah, one of my favorite cities in the world! Unfortunately, while I’ve certainly read plenty of books set in Vegas, I find that not too many of them actually show casinos on their covers, and finding books with multiple editions for me to feature in this meme makes things even tougher.
Which is why this week we’re going to keep things simple with a head-to-head between only two covers. The Incrementalists is a book I read several years ago when it first came out in 2013 so admittedly my memory’s a bit hazy on the details, but from what I recall, the story follows a secret society whose members cheat death by sharing lives and memories going back tens of thousands of years. Their ongoing mission: to make the world a better place, a little bit at a time through a process called “meddlework”, which they achieve through influencing others by nudging them gently towards a certain inclination. And yes, the story takes place in Las Vegas. I haven’t thought about this book in a while, but lately it’s been on my radar again, due to the recent release of the sequel The Skill of Our Hands which came out earlier in January.
Now let’s check out these two covers:
2013 Tor Hardcover (left) vs. 2014 Tor Fantasy Paperback (right)
Winner:
At first glance, it’s easy to think that this contest just might end up in a tie, since the two covers share so many similarities. For one thing, they both have the same color scheme, and two, both of them depict the ubiquitous casinos of the Las Vegas Strip in their backgrounds. Push comes to shove though, I’m going to have to go with the original hardback cover. The abstractness of it is more interesting to me, versus the paperback cover which looks like the movie poster for some teen dystopian movie. I blame the apocalyptic orange.
What do you think? Which one is your favorite?
Exclusive Cover Reveal & Teaser: The Nine by Tracy Townsend
Posted on March 30, 2017 7 Comments
Today I am thrilled to present to you an exclusive cover reveal and teaser for this exciting epic fantasy, to be released from Pyr Books later this Fall on November 14, 2017! Say hello to The Nine by Tracy Townsend, a debut about a self-scribing book that might be the key to the universe and the dangerous price people are willing to pay to learn its secrets. It is described as a dark heist story, and I also have it on good authority that it is perfect for fans of novels in the same vein as A Darker Shade of Magic and The Lies of Locke Lamora!
Gah, I want it! Heist stories are totally up my alley, as you know. But all right, enough gushing from me, here is the cover in all its glory:
A book that some would kill for…
Black market courier Rowena Downshire is doing everything she can to stay off the streets and earn enough to pay her mother’s way to freedom. But an urgent and unexpected delivery leads her face to face with a creature out of nightmares.
The Alchemist knows things few men have lived to tell about, but when a frightened and empty-handed courier shows up on his doorstep he knows better than to turn her away. What he discovers leads him to ask for help from the last man he wants to see–the former mercenary, Anselm Meteron.
Reverend Phillip Chalmers awakes in a cell, bloodied and bruised, facing a creature twice his size. Translating a stolen book that writes itself may be his only hope for survival; however, he soon learns the text may have been written by the Creator himself, tracking the nine human subjects of his Grand Experiment. In the wrong hands, it could mean the end of humanity.
This unlikely team must try to keep the book from those who would misuse it. But how can they be sure who the enemy is when they can barely trust each other? And what will happen to them when it reveals a secret no human was meant to know?
Seven times in seven years of courier work, Rowena Downshire had been robbed. With each experience she’d learned a little more about how to sense the next coming.
Rowena looked to her right and saw a hulking shape slip free of an alley’s shadows, not far from the lowstreet path. There was no mistaking its hunched shoulders, or its curious, high-stepping gait.
The aigamuxa raised its left leg and held it aloft. The pink eye on its heel seemed to stare right through Rowena, slicing skin and muscle, bone and sinew.
Rowena closed both hands around the satchel’s straps. She tightened them slowly.
And then she turned heel toward the north-east, taking the stairs to the highstreets three at a time, scrabbling with her fingers as her feet slipped.
She was at the first summit and running. From somewhere below, she could hear the aigamuxa’s furious bellow.
The fear left Rowena almost as quickly as it had come. She had her wind and felt good. The aigamuxa were worse than bad runners, all but blind with both feet on the ground. They were confined to a plodding pace to keep from careening into walls or stamping through some debris that would grind into their eyes.
The alchemical lampposts flashed by Rowena’s head, one after another. When she passed the sixth, she realized the flashing movement in the corner of her eye wasn’t from her own passage into and out of pools of light.
It was from the aigamuxa swinging in the upper reaches of the street above her.
November can’t come soon enough. Happily, The Nine is now available to preorder on Amazon, and don’t forget to also add the book on Goodreads! What do you think of the cover and description? Tell me your thoughts!
Book Review: Winter of the Gods by Jordanna Max Brodsky
Posted on March 30, 2017 22 Comments
I received a review copy from the publisher. This does not affect the contents of my review and all opinions are my own.
Winter of the Gods by Jordanna Max Brodsky
Mogsy’s Rating: 4 of 5 stars
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Series: Book 2 of Olympus Bound
Publisher: Orbit (February 16, 2017)
Length: 447 pages
Author Information: Website | Twitter
As The Immortals was one of my top reads from last year, I couldn’t wait to dive into its sequel, Winter of the Gods. And while I didn’t feel this sequel was as good as its predecessor, I wasn’t disappointed either—returning to Jordanna Max Brodsky’s extraordinary vision of New York City, where Greek gods walk the earth in human guises, was once again a pleasure to experience.
Our story opens several months after the end of the first book. With the weather getting colder and Christmas fast approaching, Selene DiSilva’s antipathy for the holiday spirit is enough to make Ebenezer Scrooge look like a paragon of cheer. On the bright side though, as Artemis, goddess of the moon and the hunt, defender of women and girls, Selene has also been keeping her spirits up with her vigilantism to bring justice to the abusers of those she has taken under her protection. And trust me, Selene DiSilva is not someone you’d want as an enemy.
However, Theo and Selene’s lives are soon turned upside down by a body found on top of the iconic Wall Street Charging Bull statue, surrounded by evidence pointing to a ritual performed by a sacrificial cult. The identity of the dead man comes as a shock as Selene realizes that she and the other gods are still in danger. Someone out there is hunting her and her brethren, and once again there’s a possibility that the culprit may be one of their own. Now she must reach out to the other immortals for help while Theo scours his knowledge of mythology and his field of classical studies to make sense of the mysterious clues left at the murder scene, all in the hopes they’ll catch the killer before it is too late.
There are many reasons why Winter of the Gods is a strong sequel. Those who enjoyed The Immortals will be pleased to find it continuing central themes from the first book, including the fresh perspective on popular Greek myths and the premise that the Old Gods live among us in secret. And like the first book, this sequel also reads like a mystery thriller, taking the reader on a Dan Brown-esque race around New York City to locate certain landmarks by solving problems and symbolic clues related to classical mythology. It’s a modern day murder mystery with a fantastical twist, and you’re definitely going to want to keep reading (or start this series) if you enjoy your urban fantasy spiced up with a touch of myth and magic.
However, there were a few disappointments as well. Selene DiSilva has always been a dangerous woman, but there’s no denying that the events from the first book have transformed her into an even more ornery and aggressive character. While I admired her as a powerful and strong-willed protagonist in The Immortals, in Winter of the Gods I confess I found her a lot harder to like, not to mention her behavior also cast an unhealthy shadow on her relationship with Theo. Selene is may be the protector of women and girls, but that doesn’t stop her from frequently extending that protection to all the needy and vulnerable of New York, which she sees as “her” city. Knowing this while reading about how she abuses Theo—emotionally and, at one point, physically—was a little hard to swallow. Let’s just say the following interactions between Theo and his friend Ruth gave me a real eye-opener on the nature of his relationship with Selene:
“Theo forgot how much he liked spending time with someone who always laughed at his jokes—someone whose emotions he could not only predict but, to some extent, influence. When Ruth was sad, he could cheer her up. When she was happy, he knew why.”
“Theo was a little taken aback by her alacrity. He was used to bargaining, cajoling, convincing. It felt odd to have someone so willing to help.”
Wait, so someone being pleasant towards him is actually something he finds surprising? What does that say about Selene? And Theo’s acquiescence and excuses for her, argh! The whole thing left me with a bad taste in my mouth which slightly affected my enjoyment of this novel, and it didn’t help that the romantic drama—like all the bickering and the jealousies—often caused pacing issues and distracted attention from the main mystery. When all is said and done, I was glad that the story ultimately had Theo and Selene looking more introspectively at their relationship to see if it was really the best for them or not (it’s an important conversation and kudos to the author for addressing the issues). For me though, all the chemistry had already been leeched out of their romance by then, and unfortunately I think that might have dampened the emotional impact of the ending.
Still, despite my complaints, they didn’t take too much away from my overall enjoyment of the novel. While a few minor flaws give Winter of the Gods less of an edge compared to the first book, I still highly recommend this sequel especially if you liked the ideas from The Immortals and wanted to see them expanded and explored. I can’t wait for the final book of this trilogy to see how the remaining conflicts and questions will resolve themselves.
More on The BiblioSanctum:
Review of The Immortals (Book 1)
Waiting on Wednesday 03/29/17
Posted on March 29, 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
Invictus by Ryan Graudin (September 26, 2017 by Little Brown Books for Young Readers)
After the pulse-pounding, incredible thrill that was the Wolf by Wolf duology, Ryan Graudin has certainly earned a fan in me for life. I’m very much looking forward to her next novel Invictus, a sci-fi time traveling adventure.
“Farway Gaius McCarthy was born outside of time. The son of a time-traveling Recorder from 2354 AD and a gladiator living in Rome in 95 AD, Far’s birth defies the laws of nature. Exploring history himself is all he’s ever wanted, and after failing his final time-traveling exam, Far takes a position commanding a ship with a crew of his friends as part of a black market operation to steal valuables from the past.
But during a heist on the sinking Titanic, Far meets a mysterious girl who always seems to be one step ahead of him. Armed with knowledge that will bring Far’s very existence into question, she will lead Far and his team on a race through time to discover a frightening truth: History is not as steady as it seems.
In this heart-stopping adventure, Ryan Graudin has created a fast-paced world that defies time and space.”
Novella Review: The Dispatcher by John Scalzi
Posted on March 28, 2017 27 Comments
I received a review copy from the publisher. This does not affect the contents of my review and all opinions are my own.
Mogsy’s Rating: 4 of 5 stars
Genre: Science Fiction
Series: Stand Alone
Publisher: Subterranean Press (May 31, 2017)
Length: 136 pages
Author Information: Website | Twitter
Imagine a world where it is nearly impossible to kill anyone. In The Dispatcher, John Scalzi’s sci-fi novella which takes place in the not-so-far future, this is exactly the state of affairs. One day, people simply woke up to this new game changer. If you committed suicide, you stayed dead. If you died in an accident, you stayed dead. If you passed away due to illness, you stayed dead. But for some bizarre reason, if you were murdered, your body would mysteriously awaken back to life, naked and whole in your home. In 999 times out of a 1000, those whose lives were intentionally ended by someone else would return to the living like this. No one knows why, no one knows how, no one has any clue what it all means. But what they do know, is that the world is forever changed by this phenomenon.
A good case in point, our protagonist Tony Valdez is a man whose job was created by the government as a result of this new reality. He is a Dispatcher—a trained and licensed professional killer. True, the terms of his position may dictate that he dispatch his clients as quickly and humanely as possible, and there are many rules surrounding his work contracts. But at the end of the day, Tony is aware that his presence is only ever requested when here’s a potential need for him to take a life. For instance, a good number of his assignments involve him being on hand at operating rooms in hospitals, just in case the surgery goes horribly wrong and a patient needs a second chance. In such a situation, Tony would deliver a special “payload” to the dying patient’s brain which would result in their death, essentially murdering them—then BOOM, patient reappears in their home, alive to attempt going under the knife another day.
Of course, not all Dispatchers follow the rules. As someone who used to pick up unofficial and lucrative “private” jobs under the table, Tony knows there are still plenty of his fellow Dispatchers who are doing these illegal gigs on the side. So when one of them goes missing, Tony teams up with a police detective to find out if his colleague’s illicit activities might have led to his disappearance.
With Lock In and now The Dispatcher, I truly think John Scalzi has entered a new phase of his career. While his style has always been quite readable to me, in this book I started to see a new level of polish and elegance in his writing. He seems to have moved past his issue with dialogue tags and the excessive “he saids, she saids”, for one thing. For another, gone is much of the “popcorn humor” his previous books are known for. Though it wouldn’t be fair to say The Dispatcher is completely devoid of levity, for the most part this novella is a very serious endeavor, featuring some thought-provoking yet morbid themes. It may be a short book, but it sure packs a lot of substance.
It’s also clear that much consideration has been put into the concept. While it’s true that the book never ends up giving an explanation for why people who are murdered just start coming back to life, I never really saw that as the point—rather, I looked at The Dispatcher as an interesting thought experiment, and the premise was simply there to provide a framework. What would happen if people couldn’t kill each other anymore? Would it hold people back from their impulses, or would it actually embolden them and make them more reckless, so that we would have secret fight clubs fought with hammers or college kids LARPing in the park with real swords and axes? How might people exploit this new phenomenon, or use Dispatchers to their advantage? What would it do to the world’s views on war, crime, healthcare, religion and pretty much everything in our daily lives? This book explores all these questions and more, touching upon the social effects on a population level, as well as the physical, moral, and psychological implications on a more personal level.
Best of all, woven though all of this is a great story. The Dispatcher gives off vibes of sci-fi crime noire mixed with a little bit of urban fantasy, making it a little tough to categorize, but what comes through strongly is the solid mystery plot. For a novella, I also thought it was very well-paced, with no filler scenes or lulls. All told, the story was riveting from start to finish, making this one a super quick read.
In sum, this is a book I would highly recommend. Even though I love Scalzi’s science fiction and humor, I definitely wouldn’t mind seeing him write more like this, or even expand The Dispatcher universe with future stories since there’s so much potential and possibilities to explore. He has truly created something special here, reminding me once again why he is one of my favorite authors.
Book Review: The Night Ocean by Paul La Farge
Posted on March 27, 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.
The Night Ocean by Paul La Farge
Mogsy’s Rating: 4 of 5 stars
Genre: Historical Fiction, Mystery
Series: Stand Alone
Publisher: Penguin Press (March 7, 2017)
Length: 400 pages
Author Information: Website | Twitter
The Night Ocean is not my usual genre, I confess, but its subject matter was simply too enticing to resist. While it’s true that I’ve always been drawn to books inspired by the writings of H.P. Lovecraft, perhaps just as interesting—if not more so—are the stories about the man himself. A pioneer of weird fiction, his lasting influence on the horror genre can be seen all around us, and yet, there is also a darker side to his legacy. In life, Lovecraft held some repugnant views, and in many fandom circles his racism and bigotry are still discussed almost as much as his work today. Still, love him or hate him, there appears to be a fascination with HPL’s work and personal life which cannot be denied.
Perhaps I should back up a bit, though. While indeed The Night Ocean explores the life of Lovecraft, it does it in a most unconventional and bizarre manner (which I’ll talk more about later), weaving fiction and history into a far-reaching chronicle that also ties in the lives of many other characters. Some of these names will even be familiar to Lovecraft and Horror/SFF aficionados, but first we begin this story with the tragedy of Dr. Marina Willett and her husband Charlie.
It all started with The Erotonomicon. Said to be the erotic diary of H.P. Lovecraft but later claimed to be a hoax, almost all copies are said to be destroyed back in the 50s, but somehow Charlie manages to track one down. As a life-long speculative fiction fan and a writer by trade, Charlie wants to make his next book an investigative piece about the diary, a decision that ends up plunging him into an all-consuming obsession with Lovecraft, much to Marina’s dismay. At the heart of Charlie’s project is a particular entry written in The Erotonomicon about a summer in 1934 involving Lovecraft and his friend Robert Barlow, a gay sixteen-year-old fan with whom the author stayed for a number of weeks while on a visit to Florida. Later known as the author and anthropologist R.H. Barlow, Robert also ended up collaborating with Lovecraft on several stories including “The Night Ocean”, which this book is named for.
Determined to find out the truth about Lovecraft and Barlow’s relationship, Charlie sets out on a continent-spanning journey to find out everything he can about what really happened between the two men that summer in Florida. However, Charlie’s obsession ultimately leads him to his downfall, and after suffering depression and anxiety, he checks himself into a hospital at the urging of his wife. Not long after that, he escapes into the wilderness and disappears without a trace. The note he left made it pretty clear to everyone that Charlie had planned and carried out his suicide, but Marina finds this difficult to accept. Holding on to the belief that her husband is still alive, she retraces his steps for the last two years, going to the places he visited and talking to the people he interviewed for his book, all in the hopes that it will shed some light on where she might find Charlie.
Quite frankly, describing the story any more than this would be a downright nightmare because I would be at an absolute loss as to how to keep going. The Night Ocean is one strange book, difficult to summarize and classify since it is made up of so many perspectives and interconnecting parts. The overall concept behind the novel is certainly ambitious and ingenious, but the way the story is presented will probably make it seem unfocused. Even though the entire book is told through Marina’s eyes, I would say the first half of the book is about Charlie—but also not—while the second half is about Marina—and yet also not. Yes, I’m aware of how confusing this sounds, but really at the heart of both threads is a man named L.C. Spinks, the publisher of The Erotonomicon. Is the diary really a hoax? Or if there’s some truth to it, then which parts of it are real and which parts are completely fabricated? The Night Ocean is an intricately woven web of fact and fiction, combining Paul La Farge’s rich imagination with the results of what must have been hours upon hours of painstaking research on his part.
And how does H.P. Lovecraft play into all this, you ask? Well, last summer I read and really enjoyed a novel called I Am Providence by Nick Mamatas, and even though it and The Night Ocean could not be any more different in tone and style, I still found it impossible not to draw parallels between these two books. Perhaps it is because they are both “Lovecraftian fiction” in the atypical sense; rather than playing directly off of HPL’s large body of works and the mythos he had created, they instead took an almost meta-fiction approach, both narratives coming up with a unique way to explore the author’s life and work through the lens of fandom. After all, one can hardly provide a full picture of Lovecraft’s legacy without recognizing the activities and creations of his highly dedicated fans, a cult following which has been growing since the 40s and 50s—fanzines, conventions, internet clubs and groups, etc. The Night Ocean is a book of many layers and components, and yes, there are parts of the story which deal with the nature of the fan community, presenting both its wonderful and ugly sides.
All told, I had a shockingly good time with this book. Because of its tangled nature, I doubt it going to be for everyone, but still, I highly recommend it if the description interests you. While I found the author’s writing style somewhat quirky and disjointed, I nevertheless managed to get into the rhythm of the story quickly, becoming mesmerized by extraordinary lives of these characters. There’s a lot of pain and heartbreak within these pages, but also a surprising amount of tenderness and beauty that I had not expected to find in a book featuring Lovecraft as a key figure. And even though there’s a lot of ambiguity in the story—a fact that often vexes me—in this case, I believe it might actually add to the book’s mystique.
At once frustrating and rewarding, The Night Ocean is alternate history on a completely new and innovative level. Easily one of the more clever, intense, and haunting books I’ve read so far this year, and its ending will likely stay with me for a long, long time.
YA Weekend: Nemesis by Brendan Reichs
Posted on March 26, 2017 15 Comments
I received a review copy from the publisher. This does not affect the contents of my review and all opinions are my own.
Mogsy’s Rating: 3 of 5 stars
Genre: Science Fiction, Young Adult
Series: Book 1
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers (March 21, 2017)
Length: 464 pages
Author Information: Website | Twitter
On the surface, this book had everything going for it: an original premise, a tantalizing mystery, a very promising plot. By all accounts, I should be extremely pleased with it, so why then can I not seem to shake this vague sense of discontent? Perhaps it is precisely because this book had so much potential, and knowing that it could have been even better is the source of my disappointment. Had the author carried out his ideas more effectively—and not tried to do too much all at once—the story might not have started fraying at the seams as it did.
Nemesis introduces us to two main POVs, the first of which belongs to Melinda “Min” Wilder, a teenage girl who has been experiencing a frightening occurrence every two years ever since she was eight years old. Every other year and always on her birthday, a strange man in a suit with glasses finds her alone and kills her. Whether it’s throwing her off a cliff or bashing her skull in with rock, he never fails to show up and do the job. And as if that isn’t horrifying enough, what happens next is even more disturbing—after dying, Min always finds herself waking up again, alive and whole, in the same spot in the middle of the woods of her small rural Idaho town. The first time it happened, she walked home to find that only a few hours have passed since her death. During that time, all evidence of her killing had been erased. The second time it happened, on Min’s tenth birthday, the town psychiatrist diagnosed her with a dissociative disorder. Min was prescribed medication that she has been taking every day for the last six years, but without fail, the mysterious suited man still always shows up on her even-numbered birthdays and kills her.
Our second POV character is Noah, and though he doesn’t get to chime in until later, we first get to meet him through Min’s eyes. As the son of the richest man in town, Noah appears to have it all: money, good looks, and popularity. However, the truth is a lot more complicated. Despite being surrounded by friends, Noah is often emotionally aloof, quiet, and generally unassertive—pretty much the complete opposite of Min and her best friend Tack. Publically, Noah puts on a stoic face, but privately he is haunted by nightmares of violence and death. For almost all his life, his father has been telling him what a weakling he is for not being able to overcome the hallucinations and bad thoughts in his head. After so long, Noah has even started to believe that he is useless and weak. When his jerk friends start bullying Min and Tack, all he can do is stand silently by and watch, too timid to speak out against Ethan, the leader of the popular kids.
By the way, in the middle of all this, the rest of the world at large is facing bigger issues. At the beginning of the book, we’re made aware that earth is in danger of being in the direct path of a huge asteroid hurtling through space. The Anvil is deemed a planet-killer, and as the story opens the whole world is holding its breath for a press conference in which NASA will announce whether or not the asteroid will make impact. Scientists are putting the odds at 50/50.
With all this going on, how could I not think Nemesis would be great? And indeed, at least in the first half, the book lived up to the potential promised by its synopsis. The suspense was bolstered by the intrigue and all the questions of which there were plenty, such as, just what the hell is going on with Min? Assuming she is right in her convictions and that none of this is all in her head, how is what’s happening to her even possible? Is there a significance in the fact that she and Noah share the same birthday? And what does all this have to do with the giant asteroid threatening to end all life on earth?
The good news is, we get the answers to all these questions by the end of the book. The bad news though, is that explanations seldom live up to the hype generated by the mystery in these sorts of situations, and this can’t be more true in the case of Nemesis. I also didn’t really enjoy how the story took a turn in a completely different direction around the halfway point, when we abandoned the mystery and things sudden devolved into a Lord of the Flies meets The Hunger Games fiasco. It felt like an attempt to make this book conform even further to YA conventions, which of course never makes things more interesting.
That said though, overall Nemesis was an enjoyable, entertaining book. I liked that about it. But somewhere along the way, I also felt the story lost sight of its goal to be different and unique and exceptional, reverting back to the usual tropes to order get in on the teen dystopian boom. To be fair, I rarely take issue with the tropes themselves, which can be fun. But a lot of books seem to fall into this trap, and quite frankly I’m really starting to get tired of it. I also felt somewhat let down by the ending, which offered an explanation for everything but had more holes than a slice of Swiss cheese. After all the buildup and anticipation, I honestly expected more, and the scenario we got struck me as absurd and not well thought out.
All told, Nemesis could have been great, but halfway through I felt it started to become a different book. The premise was also fantastic, but for all the intriguing questions it raised, the answers offered at the end made me think Reichs might have bit off more than he could handle. Still, I’m not closing any doors to the possibility that I’ll read the sequel. Like I said, this book was overall fun and entertaining, and I think there’s also a good chance the next one can turn things around and bring us back to the suspense and mystery we first saw in the intro, so I’ll be keeping an eye out for it.
Mogsy’s Bookshelf Roundup: Stacking the Shelves & Recent Reads
Posted on March 25, 2017 45 Comments
Bookshelf Roundup is a feature I do every other weekend which fills the role of several blog memes, like Stacking the Shelves where I talk about the new books I’ve added to my library or received for review, as well as It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? where I round up what I’ve read since the last update and what I’m planning to read soon. Mostly it also serves as a recap post, so sometimes I’ll throw in stuff like reading challenge progress reports, book lists, and other random bookish thoughts or announcements.
Received for Review
Thank you to the publishers and authors for the following review copies received. For more details and full descriptions of the books, be sure to click the links to their Goodreads pages!
Golden Age and Other Stories by Naomi Novik – This is a collection of stories set in Naomi Novik’s world of Temeraire, an alternate fantasy series set during the Napoleonic wars…with dragons. I have six of the novels under my belt so far, with plans to catch up with the remaining three now that the series has ended – hopefully not being completely caught up yet won’t prevent me from enjoying the stories in this anthology because I am most definitely planning on reading Golden Age! Thank you, Subterranean Press!
The House of Binding Thorns by Aliette de Bodard – Sequel to The House of Shattered Wings, which I enjoyed last year. Looking forward to seeing more of this world featuring a post-apocalyptic version of Paris ruled by fallen angels. With thanks to Roc Books.
Lifeblood by Gena Showalter – With thanks to Harlequin Teen and the kind folks at Wunderkind PR, I received this surprise arrival which I later found out is a sequel to a book called Firstlife, which I haven’t read. Has anyone read this series? Let me know if you think book two can be read as a standalone, or if I should pick up book one and start from the beginning, because this looks really interesting!
The Strange Case of the Alchemist’s Daughter by Theodora Goss – Imagine a story merging many works of fiction into one world, bringing together some of the most well-known characters from our beloved classics – but with what sounds to be a very cool twist. I’m very excited to read this one! Thank you to Wunderkind PR and Saga Press.
A God in the Shed by J-F Dubeau – You know I’m always up for trying out new horror! Much thanks to Inkshares for putting this Sword & Laser Publishing Contest winner on on my radar, it sounds deliciously dark and insane.
Wilders by Brenda Cooper – I’m a big fan of Cooper’s books, especially her Glittering Edge duology. I’m really looking forward to see what she has in store for us next in her new novel coming out this summer. With thanks to Pyr for the ARC!
Waking Gods by Sylvain Neuvel – A surprise arrived earlier in the week in the form of this finished copy of book two in the Themis Files sequence. I may have had some mixed feelings about the first book, but it doesn’t affect my curiosity or excitement to find out what’s going to happen next! Thanks to Del Rey Books.
Avengers of the Moon by Allen Steele – Much thanks to Tor Books for sending me an ARC of Allen Steele’s upcoming adventure sci-fi novel. Last year I loved his book Arkwright, and though Avengers of the Moon sounds completely different in subject and in style, I am still very interested in giving it a try.
Spymaster by Margaret Weis and Robert Krammes – I’ve always wanted to try a Margaret Weis book, but because she’s involved with so many ongoing series and projects, a good jumping on board just never seems to present itself. However, Spymaster is the first book of a new series called Dragon Corsairs that takes place in the world of the Dragon Brigade trilogy, so who knows, this might finally be my chance. Plus, dragons and privateers? Where do I sign up! Thanks again to Tor Books for this gorgeous finished copy, I just love the cover art.
Soul of the World by David Mealing – eARC courtesy of Orbit via NetGalley. I just couldn’t help myself. After all, is there anything so exciting as a new epic fantasy series, and a debut to boot?
Ghosts of Tomorrow by Michael R. Fletcher – When the author contacted me last week asking if I would be interested in a review copy of his latest novel, my answer was of course a resounding HELL YES! Thank you, Michael!
The Island Deception by Dan Koboldt – As you may recall, last year I enjoyed a book called The Rogue Retrieval, a fantasy adventure about a Vegas illusionist who winds up stepping through a portal into another world filled with real magic. The Island Deception is the sequel, and my thanks to Dan Koboldt and Harper Voyager for hooking me up with an eARC.
The Witch Who Came In From the Cold by Lindsay Smith, Max Gladstone, Cassandra Rose Clarke, Ian Tregillis, Michael Swanwick – No surprise why I want to read this one, considering I have read and loved the books by many of the above authors. I also prefer to read serial novels only once they’re all completed, so this is the complete Season One, with thanks to Serial Box.
Flame in the Mist by Renée Ahdieh – Another new batch of books popped up at First to Read last week, so of course my attention went straight to their YA offerings and I managed to snag an eARC of Flame in the Mist. I had a good time with the author’s debut The Wrath and the Dawn so I have some pretty high hopes for this.
Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor – Audiobook with thanks to Hachette Audio. Already I’ve seen plenty of positive reviews for Laini Taylor’s highly anticipated new novel, so I’m really psyched about this and even more thrilled that I’ll get to experience the audio version.
Reviews
Time for a review roundup! The last two weeks have been dominated by sci-fi and urban fantasy reads, and there were also a bunch of sequels in there including three series enders. Topping the list for my featured spot is the amazing Phantom Pains – my first 5-star-rated book of the year too, I believe!
Phantom Pains by Mishell Baker (5 of 5 stars)
The Return by Joseph Helmreich (4 of 5 stars)
Star Wars: Aftermath: Empire’s End by Chuck Wendig (4 of 5 stars)
Star’s End by Cassandra Rose Clarke (3.5 of 5 stars)
A Conjuring of Light by V.E. Schwab (3.5 of 5 stars)
Etched in Bone by Anne Bishop (3.5 of 5 stars)
Revenger by Alastair Reynolds (2 of 5 stars)
Roundup Highlights:
Interviews & Guest Posts
Also huge thanks to Ben Galley who stopped by last week to give us a fascinating look into the world of his new dark fantasy novel, The Heart of Stone. I can’t wait to read this book!
Guest Post: “The World behind The Heart of Stone” by Ben Galley
What I’ve Read Since the Last Update
Here are the books I finished recently, so expect to see reviews of them 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!
The BiblioSanctum 