YA Weekend: And The Trees Crept In by Dawn Kurtagich
Posted on September 4, 2016 11 Comments
A review copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
And the Trees Crept In by Dawn Kurtagich
Mogsy’s Rating: 3 of 5 stars
Genre: Horror, Young Adult
Series: Stand Alone
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (September 6, 2016)
Length: 352 pages
Author Information: Website | Twitter
After chilling readers with her debut YA novel The Dead House last year, Dawn Kurtagich is back with another horror tale about two sisters trapped in a house surrounded by a haunted wood…and is it just their imagination or are the trees slowly closing in? Since I had such a good time with The Dead House, when the publisher sent me an ARC of And the Trees Crept In, I just knew I had to give this one a try.
As a girl growing up in London, Silla Daniels had always heard stories about La Baume, the blood red manor that was her mother’s childhood home. It sounded like the perfect place, like a peaceful haven nestled safely in an enchanted forest. So one night, after their abusive and alcoholic father goes a step too far, Silla decides to pack up and escape with her younger sister Nori. Their destination: La Baume, where Silla knows that Aunt Cath, Mam’s older sister, still lives.
When the two girls arrive, Cath welcomes them in with open arms. And for a while, things are wonderful. Things are safe. But then they hear whisperings that a war is coming. The women hunker down at La Baume, where the surrounding woods keep them pretty isolated so they’re used to living off the grid. Not too long afterwards though, a madness seems to come over Cath. One day, the older woman retreats to the attic and never comes down again. Even though Silla still leaves plates of food at the attic door and can hear the constant creaking of Cath’s footsteps overhead, she knows she has lost her beloved aunt forever. Three years pass with only Silla taking care of Nori and Cath, all alone and struggling to survive. La Baume is not the magical place Silla imagined; now she knows it’s cursed. The woods won’t let them leave, and she thinks she can sense someone (or something?) out there, just waiting to take Nori the moment she lets her guard down.
Honestly, I thought The Dead House was pretty weird when I read it last year, but I have to say this one is even weirder. And it’s not just the story; it’s the entire structure and style of the novel. Whereas The Dead House was written entirely in the epistolary format, And the Trees Crept In only has random sections where it tries to include snippets of notes and journal entries, and sad as I am to admit this, it didn’t work nearly as well here. I was frequently bothered by the “creative” formatting and use of font sizes and styles, and together with the disjointed prose, at times it almost felt like reading bad poetry. The only positive I can think to this is the way it shows Silla’s state of mind her slow journey to becoming completely unhinged (unreliable narrator alert!) but on the whole I thought it was needlessly showy and a little gimmicky.
Not gonna lie, but that had an extremely negative impact on my overall experience. As a character, Silla was…problematic. The writing made it very hard for me to understand her, and that also made it very hard to like her. It’s one thing to be unable to connect with your main protagonist, but because most of the book is written in Silla’s rambling narrative, it was impossible to get a good sense of any of the characters either—Nori, Cath, or Gowan, the mysterious handsome boy who just appears out of the woods one day. And speaking of Gowan, there’s also a romance arc that will feel very strange at first. Not long after he and Silla meet, the word “love” gets tossed around like candy, and it just made me want to scream because not once did this book make me feel there was anything between them.
This could have gone very badly indeed, but ultimately I think what saved this book for me was the ending. I admit that for most of the story I was confused, frustrated, and I didn’t even feel it was all that creepy. But the final reveal at the end made everything make sense! In fact, I’m still a little shocked at how well everything tied together. I can’t go into any more detail without revealing spoilers, so I’ll just say that pretty much everything I had an issue with had some sort of resolution and that went a long way in salvaging the overall experience. So much so that I thought this book deserved three stars rather than the two I was prepared to give. I still have major issues with the writing style, and my feelings about that haven’t changed. Story-wise, however, things actually turned out really interesting.
So would I recommend this book? That would depend on a few factors, I guess. Personally, the choppy writing and the style of the novel made my head hurt, but if you’re okay with the wonky use of font design, font size, “sliding text”, and other such formatting devices to portray a character’s descent into madness (after a few chapters of this, I felt pretty insane myself) it probably wouldn’t be an issue. Otherwise, choosing the audio version could be a good alternative, and I can’t help thinking I might have enjoyed this book a lot more had I done the same. In the end, I thought the story outcome made everything worth it though, even if it does take a bit of patience to see it all come together. I think readers who are fans of YA and horror will get a kick out of this, so go ahead and give And the Trees Crept In a shot if you think it sounds like something you’ll enjoy.
Graphic Novel Review Bites
Posted on September 3, 2016 9 Comments
I’m at Fan Expo Canada this weekend, Canada’s largest pop culture event. While the event now covers everything from spaceships to monsters and all the magical girls and clockworks in between, at its roots, it remains a comic book event, therefore it’s fitting that I drop in with some long overdue comic book reviews.
Wonder Woman: Earth One, Vol. 1
Sooo Wonder Woman is going to reshape man’s world by waltzing in in her vulva jet and body shaming all the women? Let’s not forget to have a lesbian orgy in the middle of all this! I can’t tell if Grant Morrison is honestly trying to misrepresent the feminist concepts from which Wonder Woman was born, or just… ugh what is this book even trying to be?
Oh right. It’s an origin story. Because if there’s one thing superhero stories–especially DC Comics superhero stories need to do, it’s remind you of where said superheroes came from. Because it’s so easy to forget that Kal’El crashed on the Kent’s farm and that Bruce’s parents are dead. DEAD I TELL YOU! Oh but wait. Those are the boys. The women of DC, well their origins aren’t quite so set in stone–or clay as Wonder Woman’s once was. Gone is the origin story of Hippolyta shaping a babe from the earth and the gods granting her wish to make it real. Nope. We gotta stick some penis in there! Otherwise, how can men relate to the man-hating world of Themiscrya!? Previously, the penis belonged to Zeus (because Zeus gets all the babies). This time, it’s Hercules.
Then toss in a black Steve Trevor, apparently for the sole purpose of having him make a speech about slavery so that we can see how he and Diana are so alike.
The only good thing about this book is the smug look a chained Diana wears on the cover, but now, having read it, I have to wonder what she’s really being smug about.
Rat Queens, Vol. 3: Demons
This series has taken a disappointing turn, both internally and externally. The situation surrounding the original artist, Roc Upchurch, remains ugly, despite his supposed attrition, and the recent uproar around current artist, Tess Fowler’s place on the book just makes things worse. I can’t imagine working on a book with all this hanging over it makes for much fun, and that’s most certainly showing in the pages. The humour and snark and adventure that once made the series so great is still coming hard and fast, but now feels forced.
In previous issues, Hannah has revealed a very dark past and now we get to learn her secrets and her plans to avenge the wrongs that have been done to her and her family by the mages. While I do want to know more about Hannah’s past, I did not want to do so at the expense of all the other characters. There are some peeks into dangers that Dee and Betty face as their past catches up with them, but these are minor side stories with no resolution on the horizon with Hannah’s story overshadowing them. The other Queens have very little to do around Hannah’s story since the majority of it is handled by Hannah herself, which goes against much of what the Queens are.
It’s unsurprising that the book has gone on hiatus and frankly, I’m not sure I want it to come back, even if it would answer some of the questions and hopefully bring some payoff for the other characters. I’d rather just cling to my fond memories from the first two volumes and leave it at that.
I’ll miss you, Gary.
Two Brothers
Two Brothers did not take me through as personal of a journey as Daytripper did, but it remains a powerful example of how creators can truly engage the reader and push comics well beyond the panels on each page.
This is an adaptation of Milton Hatoum’s Dois irmãos, a project that, Fábio Moon and Gabriel Bá explained to me in an interview, was a difficult one, even though the black and white art and story seem simplistic. This is the story of Lebonese immigrants who settled in Brazil and stared t a family against the wishes of the husband. The twins that are born become the centre of everything, with every character spiraling into misery around the relationships that the twins are expected to have versus the reality of their very divergent personalities and the unbalanced love that separated them at a young age.
A lot of assumptions are made about twins, such as the belief that they ought to get along, but this story defies that. It is not a happy story, which may make it a very difficult read for some, but I do not shy away from bittersweet endings and difficult emotional reads.
White Sand, Volume 1
It’s no secret that Brandon Sanders writes a lot. A. Lot. His new Stormlight Archives are monsters and, while I have enjoyed them, I don’t deny that there are a couple hundred thousand words too many in there because Sanderson loves to describe eeeeverything, including all the bits and pieces that make up his overarching Cosmere universe. So when I had the opportunity to check out a comic book by him, my first thought was, “How is he going to limit his wordiness in order to let the medium do its job?”
Welp. Turns out scenery full of white sands and white guys in white robes doesn’t really allow the imagery to do much more than confuse me. Thankfully, Kenton stands out a bit thanks to his half-Darksider heritage, though the mingling of Darksider blood is suspected to be the cause of his lack of Sand Mastery. Thankfully, after some verbose dialogue that spells out both Kenton’s plight as a crappy Sand Master as well as how Sand Mastery works in typical Sanderson elaborate magic system fashion, the story moves on fairly quickly from whiteness of being and we get to meet several other characters that prove to be far more interesting than Kenton and his basic story of bloody betrayal and ambition. Khriss’s story is of particular interest, but ultimately, falls flat along with the others because Sanderson just doesn’t work as a comics author. He has too much to say and doesn’t know how to let the images show what he wants to tell, and the art lacks expression beyond ‘angry’ to convey much. The characters are missing the focus on establishing individual POVs that allow the reader to get to know and empathize with them, and the dialogue remains forced as each character is relegated to spelling out the details that have nowhere else to go.
This is an older story that is just now seeing the light. You can see some basic tropes happening, particularly in the cultures that are revealed. I do appreciate where things are turned around though, particularly in the costume design of the Darksiders, who, thankfully, did not turn out to be as cringe-worthy as the initial description of the Darksiders implied.
“Can’t Wait” Books of Late 2016
Posted on September 2, 2016 34 Comments
So maybe you’ve heard, but I love lists. My day-to-day life might not be as organized as I would like, but I do enjoy creating book lists and putting together reading schedules because I’m a bit of a nut when it comes to things like that. It also has the added benefit of focusing my attention to the “must-read” releases that I’m excited about, so why not? I made lists for Early and Mid-2016 after all, so I’ve decided to do it once more for the final four months of the year. So here we go! These are the Science Fiction and Fantasy titles I’m really looking forward to in the rest of 2016. What’s on your late-2016 “Must-Read” TBR? Anything you think I missed?
September
And the Trees Crept In by Dawn Kurtagich (September 6) – I really enjoyed Dawn Kurtagich’s debut The Dead House last year and I’m hoping her next novel will be another hit.
The Dark Talent by Brandon Sanderson (September 6) – I can’t wait to see how things will wrap up in this long awaited fifth and final book of Sanderson’s middle grade Alcatraz series.
Everfair by Nisi Shawl (September 6) – Featuring alternate history, steampunk, and diverse characters, everything about this one intrigues me.
Of Sand and Malice Made by Bradley P. Beaulieu (September 6) – I had such a great time with Twelve Kings in Sharakhai, I just have to check out this prequel novella.
The Reader by Traci Chee (September 13) – I can never resist “books about books”, and Traci Chee’s YA debut sounds like a fresh take on the theme and more.
Red Tide by Marc Turner (September 20) – Things just seem to get better and better in the Chronicle of the Exile series, which is why I’m looking forward to this third volume.
Like A River Glorious by Rae Carson (September 27) – September is a pretty big month for me in terms of YA, not least because of this sequel to Walk on Earth a Stranger, one of my favorite books last year.
The Bloodsworn by Erin Lindsey (September 27) – I’m a big fan of E.L. Tettensor/Erin Lindsey and there’s no way I’m missing the conclusion of her Bloodbound trilogy!
October
The Apartment by S.L. Grey (October 4) – I’d read anything by horror writer Sarah Lotz, and since she’s one half of the writing duo of S.L. Grey, I must check this one out!
The Rise of Io by Wesley Chu (October 4) – Technically I’ve already read this book as a beta reader, but its awesomeness is such that I would happily read it again in its final finished glory – or maybe even listen to the audio.
The Wall of Storms by Ken Liu (October 4) – The Grace of Kings was another one of my favorite books of last year, so naturally this sequel is automatically on my must-read list.
Conspiracy of Ravens by Lila Bowen (October 11) – I love myself some fantasy western. Book one Wake of Vultures was excellent, so sign me up for the book two.
Star Wars: Ahsoka by E.K. Johnston (October 11) – A YA Star Wars novel about Ahsoka’s life between the time The Clone Wars ended and her surprise appearance on Star Wars Rebels. As a fan of both shows and the character, I say EEEEE!
The Apothecary’s Curse by Barbara Barnett (October 11) – Pyr Books is really rocking it this year with some highly original and unique urban fantasy releases, and I am very curious about this one.
Gemina by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff (October 18) – It’s hard to imagine a follow-up worthy of the work of art that was Illuminae, but I do so hope to be surprised again!
The Reanimatrix by Pete Rawlik (October 18) – I can’t help it, I am on super Lovecraftian-inspired fiction kick in 2016! And this one looks like so much fun.
A Closed and Common Orbit by Becky Chambers (October 18) – The print version of this book isn’t set to drop in the US until spring 2017, but the ebook will be available in October for those of us who can’t wait for more of the Wayfarers.
Certain Dark Things by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (October 25) – I’ve been champing at the bit to read this dark urban fantasy novel ever since I heard about it. Because Aztec vampires.
Faller by Will McIntosh (October 25) – Will McIntosh is another one of my must-read authors, so Faller is very high on my priority list for this fall.
November
Willful Child: Wrath of Betty by Steven Erikson (November 1) – November is the month when releases usually start slowing down, but 2016 is having none of that, with book two in Erikson’s hilarious Star Trek spoof series kicking things off.
Congress of Secrets by Stephanie Burgis (November 1) – I enjoyed Burgis’ Masks and Shadows earlier this year, and I’m really glad to see she’ll have another historical fantasy novel out this fall.
Blood for Blood by Ryan Graudin (November 1) – I freakin’ loved Wolf by Wolf, the first book of a series set in an alternate history where the Axis powers won World War II. I am so antsy to find out what will happen in this sequel.
The Facefaker’s Game by Chandler Birch (November 1) – Pitched as perfect for fans of Patrick Rothfuss and Scott Lynch, this fantasy adventure certainly has some pretty high expectations to live up to, but count me in!
After Atlas by Emma Newman (November 1) – It’s true I had some mixed feelings about the ending to Planetfall, but I wouldn’t mind revisiting the universe again in this separate tale. Plus, thanks to The Split World series I’m kind of addicted to the author.
The Gates of Hell by Michael Livingston (November 15) – This sequel to Livingston’s incredible historical fantasy debut The Shards of Heaven is firmly on my must-read list for this fall. More Ancient Rome! More Cleopatra Selene!
Star Wars: Catalyst: A Rogue One Story by James Luceno (November 15) – This prequel novel to Star Wars: Rogue One would have been on my list anyway, even if I weren’t keeping up with all the adult new canon books. I am so pumped for the movie.
Fireborn by David Dalglish (November 22) – Skyborn was a surprise gem for me in late 2015, and I can’t wait for more high-flying aerial action in this follow-up.
December
Dead Man’s Steel by Luke Scull (December 6) – Finally, some room for me to breathe a little as we head into December. But it’s still an exciting first week with book three of the Grim Company series.
Babylon’s Ashes by James S.A. Corey (December 6) – I swear these books just get better and better. I thought the latest one was the best yet, so the question now is, how will this sixth book stack up? Looking forward to finding out.
The Liberation by Ian Tregillis (December 6) – Everything that has been building up and brewing in the first two books of the Alchemy Wars trilogy will finally culminate in this grand finale, and I cannot wait.
Book Review: The Obelisk Gate by N.K. Jemisin
Posted on September 1, 2016 16 Comments
A review copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
The Obelisk Gate by N.K. Jemisin
Mogsy’s Rating: 4 of 5 stars
Genre: Fantasy
Series: Book 2 of The Broken Earth
Publisher: Orbit (August 18, 2016)
Length: 448 pages
Author Information: Website | Twitter
The Obelisk Gate is the highly anticipated follow-up to The Fifth Season, further building upon the world and characters created by N.K. Jemisin in the world of The Broken Earth. While it has the distinct feel of a middle book in a trilogy, letting the first book maintain its edge in my eyes, it’s still nonetheless a fantastic and very rich sequel.
The story picks up from where we left off, transitioning us into the start of a new Season—or a period of instability marked by a major apocalyptic event. The Orogene known as Alabaster has used his powers of earth manipulation to tear the world apart, and that was the last time Essun thought she would see her old mentor. But now, while traveling across the land to find her daughter Nassun, Essun has found Alabaster again, dying in an underground comm called Castrima. Apparently, her former teacher still has more knowledge to pass on to her, information that could potentially affect the rise and ebb of the devastating Seasons, perhaps halting the cycles all together.
Meanwhile, Nassun finds herself in a bit of a bind, kidnapped by her father Jija after he discovered his children were Orogenes. He had already killed Nassun’s little brother, but could not bring himself to do the same to his little girl. Instead, he decides to take her away to a place where he heard Orogeny could be “fixed”, and Nassun has no choice but to follow, torn between love and fear of her father.
The Obelisk Gate both reads and feels a little different from the first book, emphasizing plot while also expanding upon the world-building. We get to learn a lot more about The Stillness as well as the continent’s various peoples and factions. The mysterious presence of the obelisks also plays a key role in this book, their significance serving as a centerpiece for much of the world’s history and lore. This aspect is strengthened and polished up considerably in this sequel, giving me the sense that Jemisin is working to build up to some important developments related to the magic and mystery surrounding Orogeny.
However, it’s the characters that really shine, much as they did in the previous book. This time, the focus is mainly split between the two characters Essun and her daughter Nassun, following the individual journeys of both strong yet conflicted women. Once again, Essun is the heart that drives this novel forward, but to my surprise, it was Nassun who really endeared herself to me. The story focusing on the relationship between her and Jija struck a very deep, raw chord. There are just too many terrible emotions there, more than any young girl should bear. I could feel the love she has for her father, but also the cancerous seed of knowledge in the back of her mind that his love for her is conditional and that he can never see past his hate for something that is so integral to her identity. Then there are Nassun’s memories of her mother and the harsh methods Essun used to prepare her daughter for a life lived in secret. All these layers of complexity are woven together to form a truly heart-wrenching picture of Nassun’s relationship with her parents, each thread a thoughtful commentary on the intricate connections between them. Jemisin’s portrayal of all the complex feelings involved makes it virtually impossible not to feel completely drawn into these characters’ lives.
As I said previously though, I still have to give The Fifth Season a slight edge over The Obelisk Gate, simply because the sequel didn’t quite consume me the way the first book did. For one, this book was slower to take off, and without revealing any spoilers for the series, I thought the story also lacked some of the structural and stylistic subtleties that made its predecessor so ingenious. Jemisin manages to use a couple creative devices here too, but for the most part they didn’t work as nearly as well, such as the second-person narrative for Essun’s chapters—mainly because it was so darn distracting. While I’m more frustrated at myself than at the novel for letting something like this bother me, there’s still no denying that it took me quite a while to get used to this narrative mode. When it’s used sparingly in brief sections of a novel, I find sometimes that I barely even notice, but here it was just so prevalent that there was really no way for me to push it entirely out of my awareness.
Still, I really can’t stress enough what a good sequel this is. I’m a relatively new fan of the author, since The Fifth Season was my first book by her, but I am already in love with her gorgeous writing and the way she crafts characters that feel so well-rounded and real. The Obelisk Gate has such an incredible amount to offer, just an all-around amazing read.
More on The BiblioSanctum:
Mogsy’s Review of The Fifth Season (Book 1)
Wendy’s Review of The Fifth Season (Book 1)
Audiobook Review: Behind The Throne by K.B. Wagers
Posted on August 31, 2016 13 Comments
A review copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Behind the Throne by K.B. Wagers
Mogsy’s Rating (Overall): 3.5 of 5 stars
Genre: Science Fiction
Series: Book 1 of The Indranan War
Publisher: Hachette Audio (August 2, 2016)
Length: 13 hrs and 34 mins
Author Information: Website | Twitter
Narrator: Angèle Masters
This was a tough one to rate. I devoured this one, so you know I really enjoyed it and I want to make that clear. It was quite different from what I expected though, perhaps more political in nature than action and adventure-oriented, and calling it “Star Wars-style science fiction” might be a bit of a stretch. Still, Behind the Throne is a special kind of gem, and would appeal to readers who appreciate story structure, unique cultures, royal court intrigue, and subverting tropes. It’s also a fast and fun book, gradually building and hooking you in by degrees until it’s impossible to tear yourself away.
First things first: score one to this book for starring a gun-running smuggler princess. Twenty years ago, Hailimi Mercedes Jaya Bristol ran away from home and took to open space, sloughing her royal identity for a new one in order to hunt her father’s killer. Even though her mission ultimately failed, she’s never looked back, opting instead to travel the galaxy for reasons only known to herself, becoming one of the empire’s most notorious gun smugglers in the process.
However, that life suddenly comes crashing to an end when Hail is intercepted by elite Trackers and forced to return home to her family. Or what’s left of it. It turns out, her sisters and niece are dead, likely victims in an assassination plot, leaving Hail her mother’s sole remaining heir to the Indranan throne. With no other choice, Hail reluctantly takes on her new responsibilities, if nothing else because she is determined to hunt down those responsible for her sisters’ deaths. Later though, she finds that being Heir Apparent is even more dangerous than gun-running. Secrets and shadowy plots and lurk everywhere beneath the surface, and to make things worse, Hail discovers that her mother the Empress has been afflicted by an incurable illness that will soon force her to give up her rule. As Hail struggles to insert herself back into court life, she finds she has become a target of assassination herself, making her quest to uncover this conspiracy all the more urgent.
Despite the publisher blurb describing this as an action-packed space opera, I would caution against going into this expecting lots of space battles, raucous adventures and daring exploits. There is some of that, but it comes mostly at the end. I would say the second part of that blurb promising “courtly conspiracy” is probably more accurate. That’s not to say that the action and all-out galactic war won’t come in the next book, because I honestly feel the story is building towards that direction, but this first installment is primarily focused on politics of the royal family.
Some might hear this and feel reluctant to give this book a try because they think politics are dull. While I concede that some political science fiction can be very dry, I can assure you this is not the case with Behind the Throne. To the novel’s credit, the story is very engaging, featuring the juiciest kind of court intrigue as you can imagine—betrayals, assassinations, secrets, scandals and the like. The world-building is also handled deftly by Wagers, who infuses her universe with enough culture and history to give the conflicts within these pages significant context. Everything feels rich and connected, making me feel that these characters really matter, or that what happens in the story can indeed have a great impact on the rest of the galaxy.
This is also a very character-oriented story, written in the first person perspective so we’re given a front row seat to all that is going on. I confess I did not warm to Hail right away, in part due to her tendency to get overwrought or melodramatic when she reacts to any kind of news. Wager’s exaggerated writing style may have something to do with this, as there were quite a few hammy descriptions in the intro lone where the world always seemed to be crashing down around our heroine, or the air was constantly being sucked out of her lungs. However, I gradually came to look past this as the plot progressed, following Hail back to her home planet with her Tracer escorts Emmory Tresk and Starzin Hafin. I liked how her relationship with the two of them slowly evolved from open hostility to mutual trust, as Hail quickly comes to realize who her true friends are in a court full of hidden traitors and groveling two-faced sycophants. Standing in defiance to all those who doubt her, or think less of her because of her criminal past, Hail proves to everyone that she can be a strong and effective ruler who cares for her people.
Audiobook Comments: I was fortunate enough to be given the chance to review the audio edition of Behind the Throne. As audiophiles well know, one of the biggest downsides to listening to speculative fiction books in this format is the inability to know how to spell any of those crazy fantasy and science fiction names! In addition to the world and characters of the Indranan War series being heavily inspired by Indian culture and mythology, there are also other names of people, places, technology, ideas, and other space-faring societies described in this book that I had to look up in a print version to know how to write them correctly. It’s not really a huge problem for me, but if you know that this is something that frustrates you, it might be worth picking up the hardcopy.
As for the narration, I thought the reader Angèle Masters delivered an impressive performance, especially as she had to maintain an accent through the entire book. That said, it was not always consistent, and there were inconvenient moments where this was distracting. These are definitely things to consider if you have the choice between print and audio, and depending on your preferences, your mileage will vary. As for myself, I found it enjoyable enough, and probably won’t rule out the possibility of tackling the next book in this format as well.
Bottom line, I had a great time with this novel, despite going in with very different expectations. I think the next book will be more in line with what the book description advertises, with more action and adventure featuring our protagonist relying more on her experiences from her old gun running days to save the empire. I look forward to the sequel After the Crown to see what new tale K.B. Wagers has in store for us.
Waiting on Wednesday 08/31/16
Posted on August 31, 2016 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
Ararat by Christopher Golden (April 18, 2017 by St. Martin’s Press)
I need this book. Not least because the blurb compares it to The Terror by Dan Simmons, which is one of my favorite books ever (actually, the description kinda makes it sound more like Simmons’ The Abominable, with the mountain climbing and everything) but also because I love supernatural horror/thrillers set in cold, remote, and unforgiving places.
New York Times bestselling author Christopher Golden’s supernatural thriller about a mountain adventure that quickly turns into a horrific nightmare of biblical proportions.
Fans of Dan Simmons’ The Terror will love Ararat, the thrilling tale of an adventure that goes awry. When a newly engaged couple climbs Mount Ararat in Turkey, an avalanche forces them to seek shelter inside a massive cave uncovered by the snow fall. The cave is actually an ancient, buried ship that many quickly come to believe is really Noah’s Ark. When a team of scholars, archaeologists, and filmmakers make it inside the ark for the first time, they discover an elaborate coffin in its recesses. The artifact tempts their professional curiosity; so they break it open. Inside, they find an ugly, misshapen cadaver—not the holy man that they expected, a hideous creature with horns. A massive blizzard blows in, trapping them in that cave thousands of meters up the side of a remote mountain…but they are not alone.
Guest Post: “Die, Punk Rock, Die” by Robert Brockway
Posted on August 30, 2016 14 Comments
Are you ready for some punk rock? I hope so, because The BiblioSanctum’s very special guest today is none other than Robert Brockway, author of the Vicious Circuit series! In case you missed it, last month I reviewed the first book, The Unnoticeables. The sequel, The Empty Ones, is out everywhere in stores today! I’m actually in the middle of reading it right now and enjoying the hell out of it.
As we’ll soon see, punk is more than just a music genre. And just how does it fit together with the all the strange and wonderful and terrifying things in the wild world of the Vicious Circuit? Be sure to read on and find out…
DIE, PUNK ROCK, DIE
by Robert Brockway
If an author has to tell you what their book is really about, then they have failed.
So uh… let me tell you what my book is really about…
But first, let’s see if you can guess: The Unnoticeables came out last year, and it’s the first installment in a trilogy called the Vicious Circuit. A large part of it is set in New York City, 1977. The Empty Ones is the second book, just out this week, and a large part of it takes place in London, 1978. The third and final book is tentatively called Kill All Angels, comes out next summer, and much of the action is centered in Los Angeles in the early ‘80s.
Got it? If you’re a fan of cheap beer and cheaper leather, stupid haircuts and three chords – no more, no less – then those dates and locations probably tipped you off. The Vicious Circuit is a fantasy series about punk rock.
Now, it’s also about monsters and angels and metaphysics and alternate dimensions and immortal psychopaths and faceless children and finding your place as a young person in this world and/or something eating the face of a young person in this world. It’s about a lot of things. I honestly don’t know what genre it is. They told me ‘urban fantasy,’ and then they told me to never say that to anybody else. They told me ‘horror,’ then added ‘but not really.” They told me ‘science fiction’… while reluctantly pointing out that there’s no science in it. The last I heard, my strange, quick-hitting, sometimes funny, sometimes navel-gazing, sometimes action-oriented, sometimes horrific little trilogy of books was best described as “speculative fiction.”
As opposed to… non-speculative fiction? Factual fiction?
I don’t know the right buzzwords to tell you what my books are about in a bookseller way, so I just say “they’re about punk rock.”
At one point, possibly while high, it occurred to me that the lifespan of punk rock in pop culture shares a very basic character arc with a lot of punks in reality. The conventional wisdom is that punk was born, screaming and filthy, in New York City in the late ‘70s. It burned fast for a few years, hopped the Atlantic—where a new wave of bands used punk to take on more serious political and societal issues—before it finally made the always-a-mistake move to LA, back in the late ‘80s, where it grew jaded and dismal, overdosed, and died.
Hey, don’t jump down my throat: I know the frayed patch on your denim vest is right, and punk’s not dead – it’s alive and well, hiding in small towns and back alley dive bars that don’t serve name brand liquor. But if we assume that story is true – punk is born brash, careless and violent, it quickly comes to realize the world is screwed and tries to change things, then grows disillusioned, angry, and dies too soon – that’s a character arc. A short and fairly rough one, but then, those are two adjectives punk loves.
A lot of young punks share a similar arc in their relationship with the scene: They throw themselves in headfirst and heedless, just fun and games to start, then they begin worrying about the bigger picture, eventually get frustrated with the impotence of their anger, and drift away from punk altogether.
That’s the character arc of punk rock, in both broad cultural terms and personal relationships. So that’s what the overall arc of these books is meant to be: The first book is loud, silly, and violent. The second book starts appreciating just how serious things are getting, and the third is rife with anger and despondence – well, it starts out like that, anyway. I’ll refrain from spoiling my own unreleased finale.
Why am I telling you all of this, when I started off by pointing out that authors who need to explain their message have probably missed their mark?
Because it’s not just former punks reading these books: You don’t need that background to understand or enjoy them. These are urban fantasy stories – they’re horror, they’re philosophically bent science fiction, they’re sitting in a coffee shop, wearing a turtleneck and speculating about fiction. The non-punks might not get the significance of the setting and timeline – and that’s fine, they don’t have to – but if they do understand, it adds a whole other level.
But mostly it’s because I’m trying to get you to buy the damn things. Let’s be real.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
ROBERT BROCKWAY is the author of The Unnoticeables and The Empty Ones (books 1 and 2 of the Vicious Circuit) and is a Senior Editor and columnist for Cracked.com. He lives in Portland, Oregon, with his wife Meagan and their two dogs, Detectives Martin Riggs and Roger Murtaugh. He has been known, on occasion, to have a beard. Visit him online at robertbrockway.net.
Book Review: Curioddity by Paul Jenkins
Posted on August 29, 2016 19 Comments
A review copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. Any quotes contained in the following review are from the advance copy and are subject to change.
Mogsy’s Rating: 3 of 5 stars
Genre: Fantasy
Series: Stand Alone
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press (August 30, 2016)
Length: 320 pages
Author Information: Website | Twitter
As its title implies, this novel is a bit of an oddball. Even the style of it reminds me a little of a children’s storybook, complete with its own whimsical fairy tale message: Your eyes only see what your mind wants to see, so sometimes all it takes is a change of perspective. Or, if you’d like: Magic is real, if you just look for it.
The book starts with an introduction to the saddest protagonist ever. Wil Morgan is literally the kind of guy who has dreams about coming in second in a World’s Biggest Failure competition. He’s crotchety, cynical and unimaginative—but that didn’t used to be the case. His childhood was filled with hopes and dreams, and his mother the brilliant jet propulsion scientist Melinda Morgan always encouraged him to reach for the stars and believe in the possibility of magic. But the year he turned ten, Melinda died in a laboratory accident, leaving young Wil in the sole care of his father who is as different from his mother as can be. Barry Morgan, who was never an outside-of-the-box kind of man to begin with, became even more paranoid and set in his ways after the death of his beloved wife, fearing that he would lose his only son too. He essentially forbade Wil to have an imagination, setting the boy on a path to a safe and unadventurous life. And so this was the story of how Wil came to be in his boring, miserable, and uninspired existence.
But a part of Wil has never given up hope. He still wants to believe in the possibility of magic. Maybe that’s why he became a private investigator in defiance of his father who wanted him to be an accountant, even though being a PI pays poorly and he is stuck working out of an office building whose elevators smell like rat vomit. One day though, Wil gets a new assignment from a strange man called Mr. Dinsdale, who claims to be the curator of the Curioddity Museum. Even though Wil secretly thinks the man has lost his marbles, he reluctantly accepts the task of finding Mr. Dinsdale’s missing museum exhibit, something called a “box of levity” (as opposed to gravity).
Paul Jenkin’s debut prose novel is a bit of a surprise, to be sure. I’ve been following his work as a comic book writer since his Hellblazer days and Curioddity is quite different from what I had expected when I first heard that he wrote a book. It’s a little hard to describe, since it has some elements from everywhere, including urban fantasy and even a little bit of magical realism. It’s also somewhat off-the-wall and weird. The reader’s mileage will therefore vary, as it’s so often the case with books like this. If you enjoy unusual stories or eccentric humor in the style of Douglas Adams’ Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, then you might want to pick this one up.
On the other hand, if you’re not so sure this will be for you, it might be worth checking out a sample of Jenkin’s writing style if you can, which, speaking of, is very distinctive. You can probably get a good sense of what you’re in for within the first chapter. There are certain quirks like random breaks in the middle of scenes, and not a page goes by without a droll one-liner or some kind of cheeky metaphor. Here’s just one example from a random page:
“Wil felt like a nun at a fashion show: he was clearly out of his comfort zone, and would probably be better off sticking to his usual habits.”
Okay, that one got a chuckle from me. But a constant barrage of that can also get a little distracting, I’ll admit. I also don’t typically do so well with wacky plots and characters, and getting into this novel took time. Like I said, parts of this story reminded me of a children’s tale, and at times the book read like one too. There were flashes of cleverness, but also moments where the juvenile scenarios or Wil’s groan-worthy similes made me roll my eyes.
It’s not that I didn’t enjoy Curioddity though, because I did. Jenkins is clearly a talented writer and he can spin a good yarn. However, I’m also pretty sure I’m not the ideal target reader for this book. And you know what? Considering how well I did with it in spite of that, I would say that’s a win. Though its style sometimes ran counter to my tastes, the book’s whimsical message is something that will stay with me for a long time, as will its heartwarming conclusion. Bottom line, if you think his style will be a good fit for you, then I think you’ll love this one to bits.
#SPFBO Book Review: Assassin’s Charge by Claire Frank
Posted on August 28, 2016 14 Comments
After selecting our shortlist, the Bibliosanctum team is taking a closer look at our potential finalists. We are busy reading the six books left on our original list of thirty and then each of us will review two of them. Stay tuned for our follow up discussion on all of our picks to see who we choose to go on to the next round!
Assassin’s Charge by Claire Frank
Reviewer: Mogsy
Genre: Fantasy
Series: An Echoes of Imara Novel
Publisher: Mad Wizard Press (April 10, 2016)
Length: 269 pages
Author Information: Website | Twitter
In order to choose one finalist from the pool of 30 books in our SPFBO batch this year, The BiblioSanctum had decided to read partials (approximately five chapters or 20-25% of each entry) to help narrow down our choice and determine a handful of five or six titles that we would want to put forward to the next phase. When I picked up Claire Frank’s Assassin’s Charge though, I didn’t need five chapters to know it was special. I was hooked after only the first few pages, gripped by the author’s smoothly polished and enticing writing style, but more importantly, I knew right away this was a book I wanted to spend more time with because I found myself irresistibly drawn by its enigmatic heroine.
Rhisia Sen is the best at what she does. Known throughout the land as the Reaper’s Bride, she is one of the most notorious and highest paid assassins in the Empire. She’s efficient and disciplined, and the caution she takes while choosing her contracts is a way to guarantee that she will never miss a mark. That kind of dependability is what earned Rhis her success and reputation.
However, all that is about to come crashing down around her. For her latest job, Rhis is only given the name of her target—Asher—as well as where she’ll find him, in a village located in a far-flung corner of the empire. It is a lucrative contract, which originated from the palace, and Rhis has reason to suspect that it came all the way from the Emperor himself. Still, believing this to be an assassination order like any other, Rhis sets off on a long journey across the ocean only to arrive at the designated rural village and discover that this assignment is like nothing she has ever gotten before. Asher turns out to a dark haired, silver-eyed foreigner who lives on a farm. And he is also just a little boy.
Even the most hardened assassins have a line they will not cross, and for Rhis, she draws it at killing a child. This was NOT what she signed up for, and why would the Emperor order a hit on a harmless farmboy anyway? But before she can wrap her head around these bizarre circumstances, Rhis discovers to her horror that she has become a target of the Empire herself. Clearly, someone doesn’t want any loose ends, and now Rhis’ only shot at survival is to take Asher on the run and hopefully convince a few of her old allies to help the two of them stay alive.
From this point onwards it’s a non-stop race around the Empire to avoid Imperial guards, Guild magicians, and even a merciless metal-armed bounty hunter. As enemy forces chase our protagonists across oceans and over mountain ranges, the pacing of this novel never lets up. And even though this cat-and-mouse pattern of events will continue to repeat itself over the course of the story, Claire Frank does a fine job keeping things interesting with plenty of action and mystery. Like, who is Asher and why is he so important? I confess, at first I thought I had the answers all figured out, but as it turned out, I underestimated the story’s potential. While it’s true that for the most part, Assassin’s Charge is an uncomplicated action and adventure oriented novel, I was still delighted to discover it had a few surprises tucked up its sleeves.
But of course, my favorite thing about this book is what drew me in the first place: the characters. Rhis is a wonderful protagonist, complex and well-written. I found her personality and mannerisms very genuine, and in particular her obsession with routine and counting really resonated with me because I experience a similar compulsion, and I remember when the moment of understanding hit me during the beginning chapters when Rhis first showed this behavior. Though she comes off as harsh and aloof in the intro, Rhis has a good heart within her and that gradually becomes apparent as the story unfolds. I liked how that the transformation felt natural, as opposed to a swift and abrupt change in her personality. Her relationship with Asher is similarly written in a way that feels just right, with wariness eventually giving way to trust. And let’s face it: a lot of times, fictional partnerships where one of the characters is a child can potentially be really annoying, depending on said child’s personality and maturity levels in the book. Thankfully, I found Asher very likeable. He reads realistically like a young boy, but he also makes a great team with Rhis.
As for criticisms, there’s the aforementioned issue with the repetitive nature of the story, and I think it’s more noticeable because the action and suspenseful scenes are spaced so closely together. There’s also a romance between Rhis and her old smuggling buddy Rickson (who’s like a roguish, charming piratey kind of character) which I thought was sweet, but could be better developed. Even though the two have known each other for a while, their relationship seemed to go from a spark to a wildfire in almost no time at all. Finally, I thought the ending was left rather open-ended. A couple major conflicts were resolved somewhat conveniently, and even then there were some important questions I felt weren’t answered in full. I’m not sure if Frank intends a follow-up novel about these characters, but I think this was meant to be a stand alone and yet I do get a sense of unfinished business.
I also wouldn’t have minded more world-building and detail about all the exotic places we visit in the book; given the characters’ travel times, I imagine this must be a huge world. However, it wasn’t until after I finished reading this that I learned Assassin’s Charge is actually a separate tale that takes place in world that Frank had already established in a series called Echoes of Imara, so perhaps more background information and history can be found there. What’s certain for now is that I’ve just added those books to my reading list, because Claire Frank is definitely an author that I would read again. I really enjoyed Assassin’s Charge so thank you SPFBO for putting this book on my radar.
Mogsy’s Bookshelf Roundup: Stacking the Shelves & Recent Reads
Posted on August 27, 2016 30 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.
This was a lighter week compared to some of my previous updates, which I guess is a bit of a relief considering how far behind I am on my reading. These past couple weeks my life has been consumed by No Man’s Sky and of course next week will also see the release of World of Warcraft: Legion. I AM NOT PREPARED! (Sorry, couldn’t resist.) The next couple of months should be interesting as I try to juggle life with my pastimes, though I usually end up managing. I mean, who needs sleep anyway, right? 🙂
Received for Review
Now on to the books, because the new arrivals are no less exciting! Huge thanks to the publishers and authors for the following review copies received, and for more details and full descriptions of the books, be sure to click the links to their Goodreads pages:
The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden – I was thrilled to receive this ARC as I’ve been looking forward to checking out this book ever since I first found out about it, and it was also featured in one of my past Waiting on Wednesdays posts. Inspired by Russian fairy tales, this debut looks to be a truly magical read. With thanks to Del Rey.
Of Sand and Malice Made by Bradley P. Beaulieu – I don’t usually pick up companion novellas or short stories on-the-side of the full-length novels to the series I read, but for this one I’ll definitely make an exception. I adored Twelve Kings in Sharakhai when I read it last year so I’ll happily check out anything in the Song of the Shattered Sands world. My thanks to DAW Books.
Invasive by Chuck Wendig – Courtesy of the kind folks at Harper Voyager, this book doesn’t appear to be a direct sequel to Zer0es though it does take place in the same world. The description’s rather vague, but if it’s anything like the first book, I think it’ll be a pretty wild sci-fi thriller. The ants on the cover are making me nervous though, because every summer here we would get the worst odorous ant infestations and they are soooo disgusting. Not sure I need any more reminders about how nasty they are.
Glitter by Aprilynne Pike – This YA novel was totally new to me, but the pitch — Marie Antoinette meets Breaking Bad — caught my interest and the cover to this ARC is so vibrant and beautiful that I just might have to take a look. Drugs, decadence, and the Versailles, wow. Thank you to Random House for Young Readers for a chance to check this one out.
Mirror Image by Michael Scott and Melanie Ruth Rose – A nice little surprise came from Tor a couple weeks ago — a finished copy of this creeptastic looking horror novel, which I’ve noticed is getting lots of love around the blogosphere already. Looking forward to read it for myself, hopefully soon! With thanks to the publisher.
The Masked City by Genevieve Cogman – Much love to Roc Books for this finished copy of the sequel to The Invisible Library. I really enjoyed the first book, and I’m really glad this series is finally rolling out in the US. The Masked City has been out in the UK for like the better part of the year already, and the reviews make this one sound just as fun as its predecessor, so I’m pretty excited to dive in.
The Gilded Cage by Vic James – My recent self-imposed ban on requesting anything more from NetGalley has been helping me manage my to-read pile, but earlier in the week I fell off the wagon when I saw this show up on the site. I find it difficult to resist dystopian fantasy, and being auto-approved for the publisher made it doubly worse, so finally I just stopped fighting the call and clicked the button. At least it won’t be adding to my immediate TBR since it won’t be released until February next year. Thanks Del Rey!
The Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco – Speaking of hard to resist, this is another YA title that has been making huge waves lately. I’m usually wary of hype, but I’ve seen a few bloggers I follow speak very highly of this one already, and I trust their opinions. Regardless of how it turns out, I’m convinced I need to give this one a shot. My thanks to Sourcebooks Fire for approving me for the e-galley.
Behind the Throne by K.B. Wagers – Audiobook, with thanks to Hachette Audio. I decided to do the audiobook for this one, seeing as how sci-fi always seems work really well for me in the audio format. I’ve heard a lot of great things about this one and I can’t wait to start listening.
Reviews
A roundup of my reviews since the last update. We’re kind of all over the board this time, but No Good Dragon Goes Unpunished was easily my favorite read for this period and takes the top featured spot!
No Good Dragon Goes Unpunished by Rachel Aaron (4.5 of 5 stars)
The Hike by Drew Magary (4 of 5 stars)
The Last One by Alexandra Oliva (4 of 5 stars)
Bite by K.S. Merbeth (4 of 5 stars)
Pathfinder Tales: Liar’s Bargain by Tim Pratt (4 of 5 stars)
The Last Adventure of Constance Verity by A. Lee Martinez (4 of 5 stars)
It Happened One Doomsday by Laurence MacNaughton (4 of 5 stars)
Ghost Talkers by Mary Robinette Kowal (3.5 of 5 stars)
The Prisoner of Hell Gate by Dana I. Wolff (3.5 of 5 stars)
The Dinosaur Knights by Victor Milán (3 of 5 stars)
The Kind Folk by Ramsey Campbell (2.5 of 5 stars)
Roundup Highlights:
What I’ve Read Since the Last Update
Here’s some of what I’ll be reviewing at the BiblioSanctum in the next few weeks, minus the reviews that are already up. I’m mostly following my mood when it comes to deciding what to read these days, but also still catching up with some books from July and early August that I definitely don’t want to miss. As well, I’m diving into my SPFBO reading list and am on track for choosing a final winner from our batch by the end of the first competition phase.
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 