Waiting on Wednesday 08/10/16
Posted on August 10, 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
Heartstone by Elle Katharine White (January 17, 2017 by Harper Voyager)
In general Pride & Prejudice retellings and other Austen-esque type fiction can be hit-or-miss with me, but just take a look at the description of this one and you can probably see why it caught my interest.
“A debut historical fantasy that recasts Jane Austen’s beloved Pride & Prejudice in an imaginative world of wyverns, dragons, and the warriors who fight alongside them against the monsters that threaten the kingdom: gryphons, direwolves, lamias, banshees, and lindworms.
They say a Rider in possession of a good blade must be in want of a monster to slay—and Merybourne Manor has plenty of monsters.
Passionate, headstrong Aliza Bentaine knows this all too well; she’s already lost one sister to the invading gryphons. So when Lord Merybourne hires a band of Riders to hunt down the horde, Aliza is relieved her home will soon be safe again.
Her relief is short-lived. With the arrival of the haughty and handsome dragonrider, Alastair Daired, Aliza expects a battle; what she doesn’t expect is a romantic clash of wills, pitting words and wit against the pride of an ancient house. Nor does she anticipate the mystery that follows them from Merybourne Manor, its roots running deep as the foundations of the kingdom itself, where something old and dreadful slumbers . . . something far more sinister than gryphons.
It’s a war Aliza is ill-prepared to wage, on a battlefield she’s never known before: one spanning kingdoms, class lines, and the curious nature of her own heart.
Elle Katharine White infuses elements of Austen’s beloved novel with her own brand of magic, crafting a modern epic fantasy that conjures a familiar yet wondrously unique new world.”
Book Review: Welcome to Deadland by Zachary Tyler Linville
Posted on August 9, 2016 14 Comments
A review copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Welcome to Deadland by Zachary Tyler Linville
Mogsy’s Rating: 3 of 5 stars
Genre: Horror
Series: Book 1
Publisher: Nerdist/Inkshares (August 9, 2016)
Length: 350 pages
Author Information: Website | Twitter
Welcome to Deadland is a zombie book, but it’s also kind of…not. The end of the world seems almost incidental in this novel pitched as Lost meets The Walking Dead, but in my opinion, its unique perspective also makes it a deeper, much stronger experience. Rest assured, readers will still get a good dose of the zombocalypse, but the predominant themes about growing up, coming out, and finding strength within yourself are what makes this one shine. If you’re in the mood to try a different sort of zombie story, you’ll definitely want to seek this one out.
The narrative focuses mainly on two major POVs: Asher, a college student from North Carolina, who with his friend Wendy have ended up in a post-apocalyptic Orlando theme park; and Rico, a drug-addicted teenager determined to see himself and his six-year-old brother Jayden to safety through a world strewn with death and destruction. In the “After”, all that matters is survival. But at least half—if not more—of the book also takes place “Before”, in the months leading up to the devastating effects of the zombie plague. With chapters alternating between the past and present, the story provides readers with plenty of backstory allowing us to follow the changes in the characters’ lives.
In the pre-apocalypse, everything changes for Asher on the night he meets Ellis at a house party. A spark immediately forms between the two of them, but there’s only one problem: Ellis already has a boyfriend. Add to that, Asher hasn’t actually told anyone he’s gay, but with the support of Ellis and his friends, he’s finally realizing he can let his secret go and be himself. For the first time in his life, Asher feels free and happy, but there’s also no denying the connection he feels with Ellis, who is already involved with someone else.
Meanwhile in another part of the state, a high school student named Rico is being arrested for drugs and disorderly conduct. As punishment, Rico’s father takes away his car privileges, but this simply becomes an invitation for the teenager to act out even further by skipping classes, dealing drugs, and going to all-night parties. Despite being a juvenile delinquent though, Rico is the hero of his younger stepbrother Jayden, and Rico loves the little boy in turn with all his heart.
Without a doubt, it’s the “Before” sections that constitute the meat of the story, which is why I described this book the way I did in my introduction. Zombie horror takes a secondary role to the trials and tribulations of real life, and just because the world has ended doesn’t mean that the past is erased. If you’re solely looking for the action and thrills of a pure zombie survival story, then this probably won’t be the book for you. There are scenes of blood, violence, gore and tension scattered here and there, but for the most part this one is a heavily character-oriented drama with the most interesting plot developments happening in the chapters before the zombie outbreak.
To keep things moving along though, Zachary Tyler Linville weaves together past and present, jumping back and forth between events that happened when the world was still fine and those that happened afterwards when everything has gone to hell. Still, while it was interesting and ambitious, I wasn’t entirely convinced this was the best structure for the novel because of the overall disruptive effect it had on the flow of the story. “Before” and “After” had a way of stepping on each other’s toes, and the plotting wasn’t quite tight enough to make me feel engaged with essentially four different storylines (pre- and post-apocalypse for both Asher and Rico). The POV switches were also distracting because I had to really make a conscious effort to remember what happened with each character when we last saw them.
Something had to give, and it was the “zombie chapters” that suffered, simply because I preferred the stronger, more compelling character development in the “Before” chapters. Framing it that way, Welcome to Deadland isn’t even a zombie book at all, but rather a narrative about human drama: family life, personal relationships, romance and sex, emotional conflicts, etc. Asher’s story almost had a “New Adult” feel to them, featuring themes like sexuality, leaving home, and college life. In the middle of it all is his relationship with Ellis, which is both a source of comfort and frustration to Asher. Much of his plotline involves Asher trying to sort out where he stands while Ellis carries on an emotional affair with him and then later becomes manipulative, playing with Asher’s feelings. Next, we flip over to Rico, whose story reads like a cautionary tale reminding us of the dangers of drug abuse among teens. The end of the world comes just as Rico hits rock bottom, and puts a whole new perspective on his life. With a young child in his care, Rico re-examines his habits and knows he has to be a better person for his little brother, so at least for him, the zombie apocalypse has a silver lining.
All told, I found Welcome to Deadland to be a welcome change from the typical run-of-the-mill zombie novel, though ironically, it was the non-zombie sections that really stood out for me. Despite the pacing problems and other minor issues like choppy writing and awkward dialogue, I really enjoyed the story overall and was amazed at huge amount of effort put into character development. That’s pretty unusual for a zombie story, and I found it very refreshing. It’ll be interesting to see what else this series has in store for our characters, because yes, Welcome to Deadland has all the trappings of a “book one”. Hopefully we’ll also learn more about how the infection started in the first place, since this was only mildly hinted at in the story. Ultimately, I rate this one 3 stars for being a solid debut effort with room to grow, and I genuinely believe Zachary Tyler Linville has a bright career in writing ahead of him.
Sanctum Sanctorum: #SPFBO
Posted on August 8, 2016 5 Comments
This year we started a new feature here at The BiblioSanctum called Sanctum Sanctorum, a way for us to add in depth discussion and other bookish thoughts into the mix. Every month or so we’ll be talking about a new topic relevant to our reading or interests. This time, seeing as the Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off is in full swing, we thought it would be a great idea to do a roundtable on the subject and share our general thoughts!
What did you think when you first heard of SPFBO?
Wendy: I was really impressed with the idea. I have a lot of respect for Mark Lawrence–not only because I enjoy his writing, but because he truly appreciates his fans (and even his critics). SPFBO is another note to add to the list of reasons why he’s clearly a good kinda guy.
As for the process itself, I was a bit concerned about the level of commitment involved, but its purpose is something that I strongly believe in. It is wonderful that there are so many more opportunities for writers to deliver their babies to the world, but the saturation of the publishing market also means it’s easy for those babies to fall through the cracks. Here is an opportunity to catch some of them. Who knows, maybe I’ll end up on the other side of the blog-off one day when I finally get around to writing those novels I keep swearing I will write.
Mogsy: I first heard about SPFBO last year when many of the bloggers I follow were involved on the judging panel. I don’t read as many self-published books as I used to due to limited time, and when I do check them out these days, I mostly rely on the recommendations from my friends, so needless to say I followed the contest proceedings with interest.
This year it was such an honor for the BiblioSanctum to be invited as a judge. Like Wendy, I was initially worried about the level of commitment, but it was totally worth it. When I first started blogging, I had such scant knowledge of the publishing world. At the time it was still such a big, nebulous concept to my inexperienced eyes, but I’ve learned a lot more about it since. Clearly self-publishing is here to stay, and it is awesome, which is why I feel really excited to be involved in something like SPFBO.
Tiara: When we were discussing it, I definitely liked the idea behind. Time and commitment were huge factors that came into consideration, but after discussing it with my co-bloggers and coming up with a plan of attack, that really helped in deciding to participate in this. I like experiencing new books and authors. Being able to experience great stories that might not be on the radar is a big plus in my book.
As we’ve seen, personal taste is a huge factor in judging for SPFBO. What kinds of fantasy stories do you enjoy?
Wendy: Epic fantasy–preferably the darker kind–is my bread and butter, while I tend to shy away from urban fantasy and YA. I’m not opposed to reading either of the latter though, and appreciate that this process, so far, has involved a healthy mixture of everything.
Mogsy: I’ll pretty much read everything and anything when it comes to the genres of Fantasy, Science-Fiction, and Horror, including all their sub-genres and topics. My tastes are pretty wide-ranging; as long as there’s a speculative element, I’ll read it.
Tiara: Anything that strikes my fancy. My overall reading habits include a healthy mix of everything, so my speculative reading habits are pretty much the same. If it sounds interesting, I’m willing to give it a read.
How has participating in SPFBO influenced your views on self-published books so far?
Wendy: I don’t think my views on self-published books have changed because of this. There are many reasons authors choose to publish this way, but I think self-published authors are fantastically brave for being willing to put themselves out there like this without the support of an established publisher. It has made me try to put more emphasis on self-published books in my reading choices, though. I have always had a lot of them on my to-read shelf, but since I try to keep my reading focused through challenges that are usually based on more commonly known works, the self-published books end up falling lower on my priority list. That attitude needs to change. Or I can just update my personal challenges to include self-published books!
Mogsy: It’s made me wish I had more time to read self-published books, for one. My experience with this contest so far has shown me that there are indeed plenty of hidden gems out there, but that maybe it just takes a lot time, patience, and some luck to find the ones that really work for you. That’s why participating in SPFBO this year has been so great, because I doubt I would have done something like this on my own. It’s given me the opportunity to read outside my comfort zone and discover some books and authors that might never have crossed my path otherwise.
Tiara: I don’t know if it’s particularly influenced my views. Even before SPFBO, I tried to mix in some self-published books when I could because I find that many of them offer something different or fresh even if I don’t always necessarily like them. Self-published writers are such an awesome example of the phrase, “Write the stories you want to read.” I’ve found some really great gems. This has just given me the opportunity to sample more of them for me to read and enjoy, even the ones that didn’t make our final cut.
Has everything gone the way you expected so far? Were there any challenges?
Wendy: So far so good (other than making sure I spell SFB — SFP — SPFBO right)! I did expect some challenges with work that was … not up to par. Thankfully, while there have been books we would not score highly, very few have been of great concern. And of course, working with my wonderful co-bloggers makes the process less overwhelming and lots of fun as we sift through and discover our gems. It is always interesting to see where our opinions converge and diverge and it’s no more obvious than when we have our thoughts all lined up on a spreadsheet.
Mogsy: The biggest challenge was changing my reading style for SPFBO, which is completely different for what I normally do for my review books. For one thing, in my regular reading, I never DNF – but in order to narrow down the 30 books in our SPFBO batch to a final winner, logic told me I should put an entry aside as soon as I determine that it isn’t going to be “the one”. While I understood the reason behind this whole “pseudo agent” thing, it also went against my every instinct since I am so used to reading a book from cover to cover.
I was also worried at first that between the three of us, we’ll have a hard time choosing the books we wanted to take a closer look at. As it turned out though, even with our varying tastes, our opinions coincided a lot, and generally we all agreed on which entries we thought were the strongest, and for similar reasons. It was such a cool and fun opportunity to compare notes with Wendy and Tiara and learn more about their book preferences!
Tiara: I’m not really one to go into something new with a ton of expectations about anything just. Even with an idea of what is expected from me, what I end up doing could be something totally different than any expectations placed upon me. With a new experience like this one, I just kind experience it in the “now” and adapt as required. I haven’t experienced any real challenges other than life moving on as usual and sometimes demanding more or less of my time during the process, but that’s a constant in my life.
YA Weekend: This Savage Song by Victoria Schwab
Posted on August 7, 2016 30 Comments
A review copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
This Savage Song by Victoria Schwab
Mogsy’s Rating: 4 of 5 stars
Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult
Series: Book 1 of Monsters of Verity
Publisher: Greenwillow Books (July 5, 2016)
Length: 427 pages
Author Information: Website | Twitter
Having read Vicious and the books in the Shades of Magic series (under V.E. Schwab) I’m not a stranger to the writings of Victoria Schwab, though this is admittedly the first time I’ve tried her Young Adult. I was really excited to dive into This Savage Song, and delighted to discover that it was just as unique and engaging as her adult fantasy novels.
The story follows the lives of two teenagers who cannot be any more different. Kate Harker and August Flynn are both the children to the rulers of their respective parts of the city, but being an heir to power is just about the only thing they have in common. Kate is the daughter of Callum Harker, the man who runs the north side of Verity City, while August is the third adopted child of Henry Flynn, who runs the south. Kate is a troubled young woman, desperate to prove to her father that she is a Harker, strong enough to live up to the family name. On the other hand, August isn’t even human. He and his two siblings are monsters known as Sunai, the only three in existence among a sea of other monsters such as Malchai and Corsai.
Outwardly, August appears human, able to hide in plain sight, but inside, he craves to be more than that. Every day he lives with the fear that he will lose control and hurt someone again, when all he wants is to be a good person, like his father, who took August in when he was just a boy and raised him as his own. Henry Flynn is a moral man who could not abide the conditions of the north, where Callum Harker lets the monsters roam free and only grants protection to the human who are able to pay for it. Determined to protect all innocents, Flynn took to the south instead and arranged a truce with his North City counterpart, which was somewhat successful in quelling the unrest. However, that truce is about to break down. When it is discovered that Kate Harker has been kicked out of her sixth boarding school and has now returned home to attend school locally, August jumps at the chance to help his family by gathering information about her. Together, the Flynns hatch up a plan for August to go undercover as a student in order to gain access to the daughter of their enemy.
By far, the most impressive thing about This Savage Song is the world-building. Not surprisingly, it can be a little confusing at first, as Schwab dispenses the information in bits and pieces as the plot unravels, so that the more you read the more you’ll learn about life in the surprisingly rich and complex world of Verity. The most fun part of this gradual revealing process was discovering the different kinds of monsters. We have no idea what the Malchai, Corsai, or Sunai are at the beginning of this story, but the details slowly work their way to us via creative means, such as through overheard songs and nursery rhymes sung by children on the train, for instance. Every time I read one of the author’s books, I’m always amazed at her ability to weave in so much about the world into without resorting to overt info dumping.
I also liked the fresh twist on the forbidden friendship trope. Surprised I didn’t say romance? Not every YA novel starring a male and a female protagonist has to end up with the two of them getting together, and I thank Schwab for not going down that route since the relationship between August and Kate is so much more compelling as it is now. The bond between them comes from a deeper place, forged from a shared desire to vanquish their inner demons, even if they do face very different challenges. August wishes he wasn’t a monster, and tries hard to suppress that part of himself, while Kate surrounds herself in a cold, unforgiving shell in the hopes that her father will finally accept her. Both characters battle with their identity, but finding peace won’t be easy.
Perhaps my only criticism with this book is Kate. Thankfully, August made up for a lot of my dissatisfaction over her character. I tried, but I never did manage to warm up to Kate, even after all the progress made by her character at the end of the book. Strangely, I felt similarly turned off by Lila in A Darker Shade of Magic, and I have to wonder if this is just a weakness whenever Schwab tries to write “badass” female characters. Instead they come off as really desperate and arrogant, as demonstrated by Kate’s approach of using aggression to overcompensate for her shortcomings.
Aside from that though, I really enjoy Schwab’s writing and the way she spins a tale. I had a feeling This Savage Song would be as entertaining and original as her other books I’ve read, and I was happy to be correct. I liked what I saw here, and I look forward to more from this series.
Audiobook Review: The Dragon Lords: Fool’s Gold by Jon Hollins
Posted on August 6, 2016 11 Comments
A review copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
The Dragon Lords: Fool’s Gold by Jon Hollins
Mogsy’s Rating (Overall): 3.5 of 5 stars
Genre: Fantasy, Humor
Series: Book 1 of The Dragon Lords
Publisher: Hachette Audio (July 19, 2016)
Length: 15 hrs and 54 mins
Author Information: Website
Narrator: John Banks
I’ll admit, it hasn’t exactly been a smooth year for me when it comes to fiction and humor. Excitement over highly anticipated satire and parodic works have mostly fizzled after finding out they are in fact not what I had in mind. Undeterred though, I decided to leap next into The Dragon Lords: Fool’s Gold, intrigued by its “Guardians of the Galaxy meets The Hobbit” tagline and hoping against hope that I’ll finally get the fantasy comedy I’ve been searching for.
The premise sounded promising enough, featuring a tale about an unlikely band of adventurers who’ve gotten it into their addled heads to rob a dragon. Before everything in his world turned upside down, Will Fallows was just another unassuming farm boy from a poor little village (literally called, The Village…the people are too downtrodden to be inspired) in Kondorra Valley, doing his best to make ends meet. However, each year the rising taxes demanded by the Dragon Consortium makes it that much harder to do, until one day, the moment that Will has been dreading all his life finally comes. With no warning at all, the dragon lord Mattrax’s soldiers show up at his door to seize his farm.
Left with nothing to his name, Will suddenly finds himself in the company of two traveling mercenaries, the skilled fighter Lette and her partner the eight-foot-tall lizard man Balur. After recruiting the help of a magically gifted university scholar named Quirk and an old drunkard named Firkin, the five of them conspire together to hatch up a plan to get revenge on Mattrax, the dragon who has been the cause of so much pain and suffering to the humans of the valley. It’s a totally crazy, stupid idea, one that Will knows has almost no chance of success. If they fail, they’ll bring doom upon all the people of Kondorra, and possibly to the world beyond. But if they can somehow pull this off? They’ll all be rewarded with riches beyond their imagination. The promise of gold beckons, and who knows, maybe this time fortune might actually favor the foolish.
Main reasons to check out this book: 1) if you think you’ll enjoy an epic fantasy seen through a modern humorous lens, and 2) if you’re like me and have a fondness for a good heist story. Many times throughout this one, I was reminded of Patrick Weekes’ Rogues of the Republic series, which contains a similar amount of humor, action, snappy dialogue, and creative solutions to unusual problems. Jon Hollins takes the zaniness further though, often putting his characters in ludicrous situations whenever things go wrong—and things actually do go wrong a lot in this story, despite our heroes’ careful planning (or rather, what they naively believe passes for careful planning). But hey, who wants to read about a heist that goes off without a hitch anyway? In this quirky tale, it’s the infighting and the unforeseen circumstances that makes things so entertaining.
Now for the reasons why you might want to take a pass on this book. If you like full immersion into a world, then this would not be for you. The Dragon Lords: Fool’s Gold is unabashedly tongue-in-cheek, with exaggerated characters and situations. It’s all done very cleverly, but it’ll be tough to get on board if you already that know fantasy comedy isn’t your cup of tea. Hollins is generous with the use of anachronisms, pop culture references and modern slang, but mind you, these are features, not defects. One only has to take a glimpse at the chapter titles to see what I mean, with hilarious headings like “We’re Going to Need a Bigger Boat”, “What’s in the Box?”, “Hubris is a Dish Best Served Charbroiled”, “Lying Liars and the Lies They Tell”, “The Inevitable Cliffhanger Chapter” and many, many more such examples. It’s meant to be pure fun, and pure fun is what you get. It’s also relatively light fare, which is to be expected. For humor fiction, the book might have run a little longer than I was happy with, but that’s really my biggest criticism, which is in no way a deal breaker in the greater scheme of things. For the most part Hollins does manage to keep the story moving along at a quick pace.
Audiobook Comments: I was also fortunate enough to be given the opportunity to listen to the audiobook edition, and it confirmed one of my long-held suspicions: humor works splendidly well in audio format! Narrator John Banks with his smooth accent and deep tones seemed like an odd choice of reader for this book at first, but I quickly came around. In fact, I think his serious, earnest style only emphasized the humor. More importantly, his performance also moderated some of the more absurd situations for me, whereas if I’d actually been reading the words on a page, I think I might have rolled my eyes at the same scenes. He’s also great with voices, and even his exaggerated ones for characters like Balur or Firkin somehow sounded completely natural and in keeping with their personalities. Overall, I would highly recommend this audiobook.
Bottom line: The Dragon Lords: Fool’s Gold is clever, adventurous and entertaining. If you’re looking for a light read with a fun plot and interesting characters, you won’t be disappointed.
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Novella Review: City of Wolves by Willow Palecek
Posted on August 5, 2016 15 Comments
A review copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
City of Wolves by Willow Palecek
Mogsy’s Rating: 3.5 of 5 stars
Genre: Fantasy, Mystery
Series: Book 1
Publisher: Tor.com (July 26, 2016)
Length: 112 pages
Author Information: Website
Out of Tor.com’s big lineup of releases for this summer, City of Wolves was one that immediately caught my eye and I’m glad I got a chance to read it. New author Willow Palecek has written an outstandingly well-developed and complete tale in a brisk 100 pages or so, while still managing to leave me salivating for more. I’ve always had a penchant for paranormal Victorian mysteries and detective stories; throw in werewolves too, and I am totally game.
The story’s protagonist is Alexander Drake, an investigator-for-hire in the bustling Victorian London-esque city of Lupenwald. A former soldier who fought on the losing side for a deposed king, Drake now prefers to stay under the radar, taking on modest opportunities while staying away from jobs offered by the nobility even though they often pay a lot better. He’s forced to reconsider that position, however, when he finds himself ambushed one evening by Lord Colin Abergreen’s hired goons. Cornering Drake in an alleyway and dangling a large purse as an incentive, the nobleman makes our detective an offer he can’t refuse.
Drake, now retained by the Abergreens, agrees to investigate the strange death of the family’s patriarch, Colin’s father. The older man was found dead in the gardens right beneath the shattered window of his chambers, his body completely naked. Old Lord Abergreen was also fond of keeping dogs, a large wolf-like breed that Lupenwald is famous for, and apparently the dogs were fond of him too, as indicated by the canine teeth marks on his corpse. Curiously, the man died without leaving a will, which is rather unusual for a nobleman. The easy thing to do would be to chalk this up to an inheritance dispute, but Drake thinks there’s something more to this case, especially when a werewolf follows him home afterwards and tries to kill him…
I’m impressed with all that Palecek was able to pack into this very slim volume, which features well-crafted characters and a fast-paced plot. Hardly any words are wasted here, as in, blink and you might miss something.
There are both positives and negatives to this, of course. City of Wolves feels very much like other paranormal mysteries of its type, except it accomplishes everything in one third the number of pages. The story is very streamlined, with hardly an ounce of fat on it. The mystery takes off at a fast clip and never falters, and I liked that there was never a dull moment. Still, just because the plot is so efficient, doesn’t mean things aren’t tough for our detective. There are plenty of suspects to consider, and just as many scenarios to ponder in the face of perplexing clues and unexpected twists. There are even a couple scenes of thrilling action and chase sequences to shake things up.
As for the downsides, the world-building feels a bit lean, admittedly. Drake zips from one place to another, and aside from a few cursory observations about his surroundings, we don’t get to see much of the city, and I feel like I’ve been robbed of the opportunity to experience Lupenwald in all its glory. I also failed to get a sense of atmosphere from the writing, which to me is such an important aspect of Victorian-era style fiction.
Furthermore, Drake identifies himself as a Loyalist, something that’s clearly significant to his character and goes back to the War of the Wolves, a fight for the throne between two would-be kings. The book doesn’t dwell much on the conflict, but what little background was revealed about it was very intriguing. If the story could have been a little longer, I would have liked to see more of Lupenwald’s sights and sounds and for the narrative to fill in more of the world’s history—especially since the war was so obviously a defining event for our main protagonist.
Needless to say, I would love for there to be a sequel. I wouldn’t hesitate to read another Alexander Drake novella, especially if future installments will be as enjoyable as this one. City of Wolves was a quick, entertaining read and what I saw definitely left me wanting more.
Graphic Novel Review Bites
Posted on August 4, 2016 2 Comments
Drama by Raina Telgemeier
Genre: Young Adult
Publisher: GRAPHIX
Tiara’s Rating: 3 of 5 stars
Drama is a slice of life comic about an 8th grade girl named Callie who enjoys creating sets for her school performances. When her school puts on her favorite play, Callie is determined to make the play’s set worthy of something that would be on Broadway. Around set-making and auditions Callie deals with the drama that comes along with putting on plays, as well as typical teenage dilemmas.
For adults reading this book, this may not be particularly moving. As a parent who read it with her daughter, I rate these things a little differently depending on the importance of the message being conveyed. This story presents a character who isn’t traditionally cool, but celebrates what she enjoys and surrounds herself with friends who enjoy the same. It’s important that stories reinforce to children that it’s okay to do what you love even if it’s not what others might call cool. This story also presents characters of different sexual orientations, which is also important for children to read about for representation reasons and because the book touches lightly on the fears of being a closeted teen. Last, this book does feature a romantic subplot, but veers away from the typical ending by showing that a girl doesn’t have to be completed by a boy. This book isn’t as dramatic as an adult might expect, but it falls in line with the drama of being a teen.
Fables Vol. 3: Storybook Love by Bill Willingham (Writer), Mark Buckingham (Artist), Steve Leialoha (Artist)
Series: Fables
Genre: Urban Fantasy, Fairy Tales
Publisher: Vertigo (May 1, 2004)
Tiara’s Rating: 2 of 5 stars
This third volume of Fables features a set of “love” stories staring with a tale about the community rogue, Jack Horner (Jack from Jack and the Beanstalk). I knew I was going to be annoyed with this book from the outset after this first story. The story featured Jack Horner reinventing himself and joining the Confederate army during the American Civil War. That story set my whole mood for the rest of the book. Honestly, Jack’s story was more than a little unnecessary since the stories following that one didn’t connect to it in any fashion.
The rest of the stories were loosely connected around the idea of a mundane (a normal person) that was set to expose the fables living in New York and the fallout from handling that situation, which includes Prince Charming moving in with one of his ex-wives and Snow White becoming pregnant with Bigby’s cubs. I couldn’t wrap my head around the methods used by the fables to keep their identities safe, and I couldn’t forgive Blackbeard for being the ultimate douchebag in this volume. I’m still trying to figure out why Bluebeard is crying in this scene after a confrontation with Bigby that wasn’t really that emotionally charged. While it was certainly an angry conversation, tears felt over the top for Blackbeard, but here they are.
I don’t understand, Bluebeard.
This reminds me of that panel of Superman crying because Batman won’t answer his phone calls.
Not my favorite book in the series so far, but as I enjoyed the first two books, I’ll move on to the fourth volume.
Waiting on Wednesday 08/03/16
Posted on August 3, 2016 19 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
Within the Sanctuary of Wings by Marie Brennan (April 25, 2017 by Tor)
I’m so excited about this fifth book in the wonderful Memoir by Lady Trent series, but sadly, it is also going to be the last. I don’t know if I should cheer or cry. Well, at least I’ll have until next spring to come to terms with the idea that one of my favorite series will be ending.
“The conclusion to the thrilling memoirs of Lady Isabella Trent and her legacy of dragon evolutionary research and anthropological adventures.
After nearly five decades (and, indeed, the same number of volumes), one might think they were well-acquainted with the Lady Isabella Trent–dragon naturalist, scandalous explorer, and perhaps as infamous for her company and feats of daring as she is famous for her discoveries and additions to the scientific field.
And yet–after her initial adventure in the mountains of Vystrana, and her exploits in the depths of war-torn Eriga, to the high seas aboard The Basilisk, and then to the inhospitable deserts of Akhia–the Lady Trent has captivated hearts along with fierce minds. This concluding volume will finally reveal the truths behind her most notorious adventure–scaling the tallest peak in the world, buried behind the territory of Scirland’s enemies–and what she discovered there, within the Sanctuary of Wings.”
Book Review: I Am Providence by Nick Mamatas
Posted on August 2, 2016 22 Comments
A review copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
I Am Providence by Nick Mamatas
Mogsy’s Rating: 4 of 5 stars
Genre: Horror, Mystery
Series: Stand Alone
Publisher: Night Shade Books (August 2, 2016)
Length: 256 pages
Author Information: Website | Twitter
Looks like 2016 is shaping up to be another pretty busy year for Lovecraftian horror or Lovecraft-inspired fiction, with even more titles set to hit shelves later this summer and in the fall. If you read only one this year though, I highly recommend making it I Am Providence by Nick Mamatas. I found this part murder mystery, part dark comedy, and part fandom commentary delightfully odd and cheeky! While it doesn’t exactly read like your typical Lovecraftian novel, a huge bulk of my enjoyment was actually rooted in how refreshingly unexpected it was.
Anyway, I think the setting says it all. The entire story takes place over the course of a weekend at the Summer Tentacular, the Providence-based annual convention for readers, writers, collectors, and scholars of H.P. Lovecraft and all things Lovecraftian. Colleen Danzig is total newcomer, attending the Tentacular for the first time hoping to promote herself and her recently published story by networking with fellow authors and fans. However, doubts begin to fill her mind as she goes around meeting the other eccentric and sometimes socially awkward congoers, many of whom are regulars that are part of a closely-knit group. One thing that’s certain is that they all seem to really despise another writer named Panos Panossian, a rather obnoxious shit disturber who just so happens to be the guy sharing a room with Colleen during the con.
And then Panossian turns up dead, with his face sliced clean off. Scuttlebutt has it that he was murdered because of a book in his possession, and not just any book, because this was an ultra-rare edition of Arkham, one of five copies bound in human skin which could fetch a pretty penny from the right collector. Colleen believes that whoever killed Panossian did it to steal the book, and then took the victim’s face too in order to create their own Necronomicon-type grimoire bound in human skin. She’s entirely convinced that the murderer is a congoer, but who? It doesn’t help that no one else seems to be all that torn up about Panossian’s death; the guy had made a lot of enemies during his time in the community. Where to start investigating, when pretty much anyone can be a suspect?
I Am Providence is a novel with many bizarre characteristics, and most unusual of all is perhaps the fact that half of it is told from the perspective of the dead Panossian himself as his body lies lifeless and faceless in the police station morgue. Somehow a part of his consciousness remained behind in death, but perhaps not for much longer, and now he’s stuck in the black void able to hear but not see anything that happens around his corpse. He can’t really remember who killed him either, and can only rely on his memories farther back to try and figure out who might have done it.
Any way you look at it, I Am Providence is something of strange book, and it took me a while to really get into the rhythm. There were times where it came off sounding like a satirical or even scathing commentary on the subculture of fandom and fan conventions, brutally mocking the extreme personalities or poking fun at the ridiculous wars that spark over controversies on the internet. The fictional Summer Tentacular convention with its esoteric and insular community of Lovecraftians is the perfect setup for Mamatas to present even wilder, more outlandish situations and behaviors. I wasn’t put out by this exactly, but neither did I see the humor in it right away, until I realized what the author was trying to do. Once I got the joke, so to speak, reading this became a lot easier and enjoyable.
Now might also be a good time for me to confess, while I appreciate a lot of Lovecraftian horror and HPL inspired fiction, I don’t necessarily consider myself a fan of the work by Lovecraft himself. I think he’s overly verbose, his prose clunky and heavily strained. When it comes to his stories, however, the man did have a wealth of interesting ideas and I love the body of narrative surrounding the mythos he created. Plus, his influence is undeniable. That’s one of the reasons why I enjoy reading books inspired by his work; it’s fascinating to see the various cool things different authors can do with the elements from Lovecraft’s dark worlds and stories. I Am Providence stands out from the rest by doing something a little different because it doesn’t really explore the mythos in a conventional sense, instead taking an almost meta-fiction approach to the genre. I had a great time with this novel, and thought it also featured a very compelling murder mystery, but I think those who are very knowledgeable and savvy with their Lovecraft lore will appreciate the subtle nuances even more.
Bottom line? Whether or not you’re a fan of Lovecraft or Lovecraftian fiction, if the idea of a unique and quirky murder mystery sounds appealing to you, this book could be worth your while. The author’s take on the fringe subset of the sci-fi and fantasy convention scene is also quite interesting, even when it’s not always flattering. What I got from it though, is that love it or hate it, fandom can take many forms. What makes it great is that we’re all in it together. I Am Providence ended up being a smart, entertaining and truly one-of-a-kind experience, darkly funny and unexpected. Not to mention, very tentacle-y. I look forward to more from Nick Mamatas.
Novella Review: The Language of Dying by Sarah Pinborough
Posted on August 1, 2016 19 Comments
A review copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
The Language of Dying by Sarah Pinborough
Mogsy’s Rating: 4 of 5 stars
Genre: Fantasy
Series: Stand Alone
Publisher: Jo Fletcher Books (US: August 2, 2016)
Length: 144 pages
Author Information: Website | Twitter
Sarah Pinborough is the author of a couple of my favorite historical horror novels, Mayhem and Murder in the Dr. Thomas Bond duology about the Jack the Ripper, so when I was offered a chance to review The Language of Dying, I didn’t hesitate. This novella couldn’t have been more different than her other work though, and yet I loved it no less. A beautiful soul-rending song straight from the heart, this tiny little book packs an emotional punch by shifting gears instead to look at the turbulent nature of grief and the profound effects it has on one troubled family.
The story starts with a woman, our unnamed narrator, sitting by her dying father’s bedside waiting for the other members of her family to arrive in order to say goodbye. First to arrive is her older sister Penny, who has always lived a charmed life, but for all her successes still hides behind a façade of materialism that she fears can shatter at any moment. Next come Simon and Davey, the twins, who arrive within half an hour of each other even though they live hundreds of miles apart. The narrator notes this uncanny connection between her younger brothers with a heavy heart, thinking where one twin goes the other will follow, even when their lives are spiraling out of control. The last to show up at the house is Paul, the eldest brother, coming off from another failed business venture or financial debacle. With that, the whole family is under one roof again. The children’s mother, who abandoned them so many years ago, is already gone in every sense of the word.
But deep in her heart, our narrator is secretly hoping for one final visitor. Only twice in her life has she seen him; the first time when she was ten, outside her window the night her mother left them all behind, and the second when she was twenty-five, after another painful loss in her life. She can tell no one what she saw, because she’s not even sure what she saw was real. But still, she believes, and now, she waits.
This is a hard book to categorize. Despite its label as a fantasy novella, the ties that bind the story to the genre are light and ambiguous. However, it’s the themes that really come through: pain, grief, death, loss. Family, support, togetherness, love. Death will come for us all in time, and when it happens the living are left to struggle with the loss. But sometimes the grieving process actually starts well before the person dies, as this story shows. For months, the narrator had known that the cancer would kill her father, but it is in the final days, watching him waste away while feeling helpless to stop his pain, that’s when she starts to fall apart. When the rest of the siblings arrive though, their presence and their shared memories offer some comfort. Her brothers and her sister might not be perfect—some of them surprise her, while others disappoint her—but regardless, in them she finds a new source of strength.
I don’t know if I could have read this book if someone close to me was dying, or if I’d just experienced a recent loss of a loved one. I’m positive it would have broken me. I’ve never seen a more transparent, open and honest portrayal about the agony of confronting the inevitable, of letting go of a dearly beloved, and something tells me this is a personal tale for the author. The style in which it was written, narrated by the protagonist in present tense and in the first person but addressing her dying father as “you”, made this book even more moving and intimate. Her memories of her own past are presented as if she is sharing those painful moments directly with him, with us.
Ultimately, it’s this closeness that defines the sweet poignancy of this beautifully crafted novella. The Language of Dying is an astonishingly good read, simple in its approach, but thoughtful and heartbreaking in its execution. It’s not an easy book to read, but you will be glad you did.
More on The BiblioSanctum:
Wendy’s review of The Language of Dying
The BiblioSanctum 