Audiobook Review: United States of Japan by Peter Tieryas
Posted on March 18, 2016 20 Comments
A review copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
United States of Japan by Peter Tieryas
Mogsy’s Rating (Overall): 4 of 5 stars
Genre: Science Fiction, Alternate History
Series: Stand Alone
Publisher: Audible Studios (March 3, 2016)
Length: 9 hrs and 53 mins
Author Information: Website | Twitter
Narrator: Adam Sims
I’ll admit, as cool as its cover looked, Peter Tieryas’ United States of Japan did not initially grab my interest. Mind you, it’s not that I’m averse to the prospect of a 150-foot-tall Mecha wreaking havoc in my science fiction, but at the time I just wasn’t sure if I was in the mood for that sort of bombast and action. Thing is though, it turned out I was completely wrong, both on the nature of this book and on my early skepticism that the story might not be for me – because, as you’ll see, it absolutely was. There’s a depth to USJ that I did not expect, and it was this mix of profundity and thrilling suspense that made the book such a great read and audio listen.
Described as a spiritual successor to The Man in the High Castle, even if you have not read the Philip K. Dick classic, one can immediately surmise a certain set of expectations from United States of Japan. Yes, it is an alternate history novel, and it takes place approximately four decades after World War II in a world where Japan won the conflict and conquered America. History has been rewritten to praise Japan’s exemplary conduct in the war and most Americans now also worship the Emperor as a god. Anyone who disagrees or does otherwise is looked upon with suspicion, or disappeared altogether. Resistance has been reduced to a small group of rebels called the “George Washingtons”, freedom fighters who are continuing to find new ways to subvert the Japanese rule. Their latest tactic is a video game called “USA” that depicts what the world might be like if the Allied forces had won the war instead.
Eventually, the illegal game reaches to the attention of Captain Beniko Ishimura, the son of two refugees who were freed from the Japanese American internment camps at the end of the war. Ben’s role to censor video games ultimately leads him on a journey to investigate USA’s origins, putting him on a path of secrets, dangers and lies. Together with Agent Akiko Tsukino of the secret police, Ben goes looking for the rebels and discovers a whole lot more than he bargained for.
What I found most interesting about this book is its protagonist, a 39-year-old underachiever who has hit a dead end in his military career. He’s also indolent, cowardly, the worst kind of womanizer, and not even those closest to him will trust Ben as far as they can throw him. After all, this is a man who turned in his own parents for being traitors to the Japanese Empire. What kind of heartless monster does that?
But of course, there’s always more to the story. As events unfold, and we get to know Ben better, it becomes clear he is not the cold-blooded and deceitful snake his actions paint him out to be. In fact, he feels downright human, living an unambitious life and preferring to stay under the radar. In this world where the secret police can come knocking at your door anytime, when even the slightest or non-existent hint of dissension is suspected, Ben’s approach might in truth be the safest, smartest way to live. And after a while, our protagonist doesn’t actually seem like such a bad guy. Sure, Ben might be apathetic and faint-hearted, but he doesn’t seem capable of directly harming anyone. In time though, his character will develop further and make great strides, especially after he starts teaming up with Akiko. I was impressed at how both of them felt genuinely fleshed-out with complex, believable personalities. What’s on the surface is not always indicative of what’s on the inside.
At its heart, United States of Japan is also a political mystery-thriller. I enjoyed how the world was gradually revealed to us in all its horror and unpleasantness. It’s a dark tale, but fast-paced because of the perfect balance of action and suspense. The story holds an incredibly ambitious blend of concepts and themes, but never once did I feel that it was too much, or that any one element overshadowed another. I liked how the towering robots came into play and how video games had a significant role. Simply put, the plot came together like a well-oiled machine. Once you’re drawn into the intrigue, it’s hard to pull yourself out again.
My experience with the audiobook was interesting as well. This is the first time I’ve listened to a book read by Adam Sims, and I admit my first impression was not very favorable. However, either I got used to the narration or the performance eventually improved, because by the end, Sims’ reading didn’t feel as flat and there were more variations in the rhythm and inflection of his voices. It’s not the best performance I’ve ever heard in an audiobook, but it was more than satisfactory and I also thought Sims also did a good job with his accents and acting.
All told, United States of Japan is a fascinating venture into alternate history, and it is not to be underestimated. Highly recommended.
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*** Originally reviewed at The Speculative Herald ***
Guest Post: “The Unforgiving Net; the Horror of Publication” by Brian Staveley + GIVEAWAY!
Posted on March 17, 2016 6 Comments
***The giveaway is now over, thanks to everyone who entered!***
Today, the BiblioSanctum is pleased and excited to welcome back Brian Staveley, author of the epic fantasy series The Chronicle of the Unhewn Throne! The eagerly anticipated third and final book The Last Mortal Bond is out this week from Tor Books, and in case you missed my review, the ending was everything I wanted and more. Now that the series has concluded, we’ve invite Brian over to talk a little about the constantly evolving process behind writing a trilogy, as well as the overall changes in his creative journey which first began with the publication of The Emperor’s Blades. It’s a fascinating read and I hope you’ll enjoy!
THE UNFORGIVING NET; THE HORROR OF PUBLICATION
by Brian Staveley
When I was teaching creative writing, I used to require my students to write their first stories of the year longhand. Then, when they handed them in, I would bring the entire class outside, gather us around a 50-gallon steel trash drum, rip up the stories—still unread—then burn them.
My point was that, although everyone talks about the creative part of writing, destruction is just as important. Effective writing requires the constant burning of crappy sentences and paragraphs, the razing of false starts, the ruthless abandonment of dead ends. It took me years to really get the hang of this, to happily consign entire chapters to the dust bin. I ended up throwing out a whole book worth of material—100,000 words—about a character who never appears in the trilogy; and I was ok with that. Then, just when I’d started to master this sort of artistic detachment, a cruel thing happened: Tor published my first book.
Cause for celebration, of course, but also for a kind of slow, creeping horror. Until the moment The Emperor’s Blades went into print, the story was absolutely and entirely my own. If I wanted to change a name, I could change it. If I had an idea five hundred pages in, I could go back and retrofit the first four hundred ninety-nine. I made full use of this freedom right up until publication, changing the gender of a major character at the last moment, rewriting a full plot line, adding fantastical elements I planned to use later.
And then the book was finished, ineluctably and forever fixed.
The publication of the first book in a trilogy changes the game. Every act of writing becomes a negotiation between the story that already exists, bound between the covers, and the unwritten story still gestating in the brain. When you publish that first book, you sacrifice, at least in part, the ability to change your mind. You are tied, for the rest of the series, to a set of decisions made months or years earlier. It’s like getting married and finding yourself required to live by the letter and spirit of love letters penned a decade earlier. On the one hand, how lovely; on the other, how terrifying!
Writing the third book in the series with the brute fact of the first two looming over me like ill-humored jailors proved an unexpected challenge. I can’t count the number of times I wanted to go back, make a change, set things up differently, but no dice… Burning your own work is all well and good, but I’d have to do some pretty extensive travelling to hunt down all the copies of Blades and Providence scattered over fifty states and a dozen countries. I needed to develop a different set of emotional skills. To my surprise, I found myself looking back to the years I spent writing poetry.
As an undergrad and in graduate school, I was always attracted by formal constraint. I liked writing sonnets and couplets. I wrote a long poem in Dante’s terza rima. I spent ages translating Francois Villon, whose ballades are among the most fiendish forms imaginable. The joy of working inside established form springs, of course, not from the rules themselves so much as the ingenuity those rules require of a writer. Robert Frost thought writing free verse was like playing tennis with no net; the limitations are the very occasion for the player’s genius. No net, no Federer.
Of course, there are no sestinas or villanelles in epic fantasy, but I found myself looking at the constraints posed by my first two published books in the same way a tennis player looks as the unalterable lines painted on the clay court, that unforgiving net; they became opportunities. In fact, they were the very definition of the game itself. And it worked. I found myself—as I worked through The Last Mortal Bond—reaching for approaches, developing skills, finding solutions that I would never have otherwise considered. Burning one’s work is crucial, but when any significant obstacle or mistake can be simply burned or erased, it’s easy to get complacent. My own earlier books were significant foes, but grappling with them made me stronger.
The inescapable presence of those first two books had me smashing my head against the table most days, but the fact that I couldn’t get free of them made me a better writer. I suppose I ought to thank Tor for publishing that first book after all, something I plan to do just as soon as I get done cursing and hyperventilating. It may take some time…
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
After teaching literature, philosophy, history, and religion for more than a decade, Brian began writing epic fantasy. His first book, The Emperor’s Blades, the start of his series, Chronicle of the Unhewn Throne, won the David Gemmell Morningstar Award, the Reddit Stabby for best debut, and scored semi-finalist spots in the Goodreads Choice Awards in two categories: epic fantasy and debut. The first seven chapters can be had for free here: http://www.tor.com/blogs/2013/11/read-the-emperors-blades-by-brian-staveley. The second book in the trilogy, The Providence of Fire, was also a Goodreads Choice semi-finalist. The concluding volume of the trilogy, The Last Mortal Bond, is available for preorder now.
Brian lives on a steep dirt road in the mountains of southern Vermont, where he divides his time between fathering, writing, husbanding, splitting wood, skiing, and adventuring, not necessarily in that order. He can be found on twitter at @brianstaveley, facebook as brianstaveley, and Google+ as Brian Staveley. His blog, On the Writing of Epic Fantasy, can be found at: bstaveley.wordpress.com.
The Last Mortal Bond Giveaway
Because I am such a fan of this series, I would like to share the love, and I have a copy of The Last Mortal Bond that I would love to send to you! Due to high shipping costs, I can only open this giveaway to residents in the US, with sincere apologies to our international readers. To enter, all you have to do is send an email to bibliosanctum@gmail.com with your Name and valid Mailing Address using the subject line “THE LAST MORTAL BOND” by 11:59pm Eastern time on Sunday, March 27, 2016.
Only one entry per household, please. The winner will be randomly selected when the giveaway ends and then be notified by email. All information will only be used for the purposes of contacting the winner and sending them their prize. Once the giveaway ends all entry emails will be deleted.
So what are you waiting for? Enter to win! Good luck!
Waiting on Wednesday 03/16/16
Posted on March 16, 2016 12 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!
Wendy’s Pick
The Edge of Worlds by Martha Wells (Nightshade Books: April 5, 2016)
Much like I feel about Maggie Stiefvater’s Raven Cycle, I don’t really care what actually happens in the Raksura series plotwise. I just want to spend as much time as I can with Moon and company. I love Wells’ worldbuilding and nowhere is it stronger than this series of books.
An expedition of groundlings from the Empire of Kish have traveled through the Three Worlds to the Indigo Cloud court of the Raksura, shape-shifting creatures of flight that live in large family groups. The groundlings have found a sealed ancient city at the edge of the shallow seas, near the deeps of the impassable Ocean. They believe it to be the last home of their ancestors and ask for help getting inside. But the Raksura fear it was built by their own distant ancestors, the Forerunners, and the last sealed Forerunner city they encountered was a prison for an unstoppable evil.
Prior to the groundlings’ arrival, the Indigo Cloud court had been plagued by visions of a disaster that could destroy all the courts in the Reaches. Now, the court’s mentors believe the ancient city is connected to the foretold danger. A small group of warriors, including consort Moon, an orphan new to the colony and the Raksura’s idea of family, and sister queen Jade, agree to go with the groundling expedition to investigate. But the predatory Fell have found the city too, and in the race to keep the danger contained, the Raksura may be the ones who inadvertently release it.
The Edge of Worlds, from celebrated fantasy author Martha Wells, returns to the fascinating world of The Cloud Roads for the first book in a new series of strange lands, uncanny beings, dead cities, and ancient danger.
Mogsy’s Pick
Fix by Ferrett Steinmetz: September 6, 2016 (Angry Robot)
The third book in the ‘Mancer series, which features one of the most unique magic systems I’ve ever seen in urban fantasy!
“America’s long sent its best SMASH agents overseas to deal with the European crisis. As of today, they decided dismantling your operation was more important than containing the Bastogne Broach. Now you’re dealing with the real professionals.
Paul Tsabo: Bureaucromancer. Political activist. Loving father. His efforts to decriminalize magic have made him the government’s #1 enemy – and his fugitive existence has robbed his daughter of a normal life.
Aliyah Tsabo-Dawson: Videogamemancer. Gifted unearthly powers by a terrorist’s magic. Raised by a family of magicians, she’s the world’s loneliest teenager – because her powers might kill anyone she befriends.
The Unimancers: Brain-burned zombies. Former ‘mancers, tortured into becoming agents of the government’s anti-‘mancer squad. An unstoppable hive-mind.
When Paul accidentally opens up the first unsealed dimensional broach on American soil, the Unimancers lead his family in a cat-and-mouse pursuit all the way to the demon-haunted ruins of Europe – where Aliyah is slowly corrupted by the siren call of the Unimancers…”
Book Review: The Last Mortal Bond by Brian Staveley
Posted on March 15, 2016 10 Comments
A review copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
The Last Mortal Bond by Brian Staveley
Mogsy’s Rating: 4 of 5 stars
Genre: Fantasy
Series: Book 3 of Chronicle of the Unhewn Throne
Publisher: Tor (March 15, 2016)
Length: 640 pages
Author Information: Website | Twitter
Wow! What a long way these characters have come since The Emperor’s Blades, and also what great strides Brian Staveley has made as a writer and storyteller. Epic does not even begin to describe this dramatic third and final installment in the Chronicle of the Unhewn Throne trilogy, which brings everyone back together for one explosive finale.
Things sure weren’t looking too good for the three imperial siblings, last we left them at the end of The Providence of Fire. (Warning! Possible spoilers ahead for the first two books if you haven’t read them yet!) Kaden, the heir who was set to inherit the throne after the assassination of his father Emperor Sanlitun, has decided instead to dissolve his rule, creating a republic instead. The problem? None of his counselors can set their ambitions and differences aside to work together. Meanwhile, the empire is crumbling at the edges and hordes of invaders are marching their way towards the capital. Adare has no choice but to rely on her former-lover-turned-nemesis General Ran il Tornja to hold off the Urghul, who are now being led by a powerful and cruel leach. And finally, there’s Valyn, who probably has it worst of all. Betrayed, blinded, and thrown from a tower, he was left for dead to fend for himself in the Urghul-infested wilderness.
I was also happy to see Gwenna return with her own POV chapters. She was one of the best surprises in the previous book, and she’s back now to show the Malkeenians how to get shit done. If you love what you see on this book’s insanely gorgeous cover, then you most definitely will not be disappointed. There is plenty of Kettral action in here, and with Valyn lost to the wing, things have gotten even more intense now that Gwenna has assumed the leadership. She more than proves her strength and capability in this novel, taking back the order and rebuilding its ranks with only a group of washouts and rejects at her command.
Indeed, without Gwenna, this book would have been darker and even more despairing. “Broken” is the theme for The Last Mortal Bond, with the three royal children floundering in their own respective ocean of problems. Talk about your dysfunctional family. Ever since the first book, I’ve been intrigued by the dynamics between Adare, Kaden and Valyn, and even though Emperor Sanlitun is dead and barely appears in this series except in memories and flashbacks, it’s still stunning to see how his choices for his children have had such profound effects on their lives and on their relationships with each other. With each of them heading in their own direction—and with barely a shred of trust between them—anything could happen at all. And while things did not go the way I expected, the siblings’ long awaited reunion in this final novel is surely not to be missed.
It’s also very interesting when I reflect upon how my feelings for these characters have changed over the course of the trilogy. Brian Staveley has pushed them all to their limits, forcing them into difficult situations where they have to make some tough decisions, and not all of them lead to positive results. Adare really stepped up in the last book, and I was glad to see her carry her role into the events of this one. However, a sheltered lifetime within the palace walls has certainly put her at a disadvantage, and it shows. At times, she frustrated me with her naiveté, but I also felt a deeper sympathy for her when it came to the matter of her infant son. Being a new mother is terrifying enough, but she also had to do it in the middle of a war with a target on her back.
At the very least though, I found Adare’s chapters to be a lot more compelling than her brothers’. As a character, Kaden has always felt distant to me because of his tendency to push aside all emotion, but this book saw him slipping even further away. Meanwhile, Valyn had retreated into the darkness to wallow in his self-pity, yet somehow still managed to emerge as a kind of tortured hero. Clearly, Sanlitun’s children have not benefited too much from the paths he has chosen for them. Hands down, the indisputable winner here was Gwenna, who ended up stealing the show with her brilliant side plot and incredible character growth. Please, Mr. Staveley, if you ever decide to revisit this world, a series or even a one-off tale about Gwenna and the Kettral would make my dream come true!
As for the story itself, we all know what a tricky thing it is to wrap up an epic fantasy series, but Staveley takes to it so naturally that it’s hard to believe this is his debut trilogy. He never once loses sight of his goals and is always in control, driving the plot forward so that the pacing never falters even through the frequent perspective changes. Amazingly, each character arc has its own rising action and climax, and yet all four POVs end up come together for a seamless, spectacular conclusion in the final pages.
For readers of epic fantasy and fans of complex worlds and characters, I highly recommend checking out this series. Reading these books and discovering Brian Staveley’s talent has been an immense pleasure and delight; I am only sad that the trilogy is over now.
Review of The Emperor’s Blades (Book 1)
Review of The Providence of Fire (Book 2)
Guest Post: “The Limits of Empathy; or Macbeth is an Asshole” by Brian Staveley
16%: “He made the Meg cry. I’m going over to the store to see if I can find a sparkly that will make her smile again.”
Book Review: Snakewood by Adrian Selby
Posted on March 14, 2016 28 Comments
A review copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Mogsy’s Rating: 3 of 5 stars
Genre: Fantasy
Series: Book 1 / Stand Alone
Publisher: Orbit (March 15, 2016)
Length: 432 pages
Author Information: Website | Twitter
It has been ten years since the mercenary group known as Kailen’s Twenty broke up and went their separate ways. But now, some of its members are rallying to their leader again, drawn together by an assassin who has been methodically hunting each and every one of them down. Always, a black coin is found somewhere on the murdered corpse—a symbol of betrayal.
As Gant and Shale race to warn the others, neither of them have an idea of why a killer might be after them. Goodness knows Kailen’s Twenty has done some terrible things in their time, but they have always honored a contract. So what could have precipitated this sudden string of vengeance and violence? The answer lies somewhere in the past, as the pieces of the puzzle fall into the place to reveal the truth behind a mysterious event that happened all those years ago, in a place called Snakewood.
I’ll give Snakewood this: it has a very unique premise and one of the coolest like-magic-but-not-really-magic systems I’ve ever seen, which I’ll most definitely rave more about in a bit. That said, I feel like I have a lot of good things I want to say about this book, but almost all of them come with caveats. For example, as much as I love being thrown straight into the action, there were also sections of the book (especially in the beginning) that proved very confusing and difficult to follow, and while the good news is that the confusion eventually lifts, I also fear it may come too late for some.
Part of the issue stems from the structure of the story, which is made up of a series of accounts gathered by a chronicler named Goran. As a result, the narrative is non-linear, told retrospectively, and also subject to frequent point-of-view switching. It’s an interesting style of storytelling, which in turn has its downsides, namely a disorganized introduction and uneven pacing. For instance, we kick things off with an account by Gant, one of the surviving mercenaries of Kailen’s Twenty. His narrative is told from the perspective of someone who clearly assumes that whoever is reading this book already knows all the terminology, people, and places he’s talking about. His way of speaking is also very rough, peppered with brew jargon and grammatical errors, which in itself is a double-edged sword, making Gant’s voice seem very genuine and “in character” while also making it hard to tease out what he’s trying to say.
It makes me think that Snakewood would have been well served with a glossary. A handy list of brews, plants, and their effects would have been helpful as well, given the mercenaries’ heavy reliance on them. One of the biggest problems I had with the beginning was how jumbled everything felt simply because so much was given to me without context or explanation, and keeping track of the large number of different characters also made getting through the intro difficult. Things didn’t smooth out until well after the quarter way mark, which works out to more than a hundred pages.
Fact of the matter is, the experience improves by leaps and bounds after this point, but a fair amount of investment is required, and that may be a deal breaker for some readers. Personally, I’m happy I decided to stick it out, because once I got into the meat of the story, I found I started to enjoy it more and more. One of POVs ultimately emerged as my favorite, and surprisingly, it was that of the mysterious assassin. “Sand”, as he is first called, captivated me because of the depth of his character. He is by no means a good person, being a sadistic killer and alchemical master who gives no thought to the victims of his experiments. And yet, there’s also something to be admired about his commitment and loyalty to those he has sworn to protect. Some part of me also rooted for him because of the underhanded way he was betrayed, and it was sickening the horrors he had to live through because of that betrayal. This is definitely a story in which the antagonist—if that is indeed what Sand is—beats out everyone else for being most fleshed out and fascinating.
Finally, I loved the concept of fight brews. It looks and sounds a lot like magic, but in truth, it’s chemistry. Snakewood takes place in a world that values plants and reagents because of their effects, with new recipes always high in demand and those who can create them held in reverence. Alchemical mixtures can come in many forms, like powders, pastes, potions, vapors, and more. They can also be used to heal or to harm. Mercenaries employ brews as weapons, incapacitating their enemies with hallucinogens, or killing them outright with poisons. They also use brews to enhance their abilities, like a certain kind of leaf dissolved under the eyelids might give one eagle-sight, or a quaff of a potion might make you stronger, faster and more agile. However, there’s also a terrible physiological cost to using brews, called “paying the color”. Some mercenaries are literally marked for life, their skin color or texture permanently altered by whatever they ingested. And like a drug, coming off the high from a brew can also give you one hell of a crash, and some brews are so addictive that those who use them become trapped in this vicious cycle, leading to ugly results.
Ultimately, I’m glad that I read Snakewood. Granted, the first quarter of it was rough going, but I liked the rest of it a lot, and if there’s a sequel I would pick it up in a heartbeat. The non-linear, “jumping around” style of the storytelling and inconsistent pacing are the book’s main weaknesses, along with the difficult-to-read narrative. But if you can make it past the intro and get used to the unconventional voice used by some of the characters, you might just find plenty to admire about this uniquely dark and gritty fantasy. An intriguing debut.
A Local Habitation Read-Along Week No.2
Posted on March 13, 2016 5 Comments
We take a trip back to October Daye’s world of mystery and magic in the second book of Seanan McGuire’s October Daye series. If you’re interested in joining this Read-Along, visit the SF/F Read-Along group for more information and to join the discussion.
Week 1: Saturday 5th March, Chapters 1-8 hosted by Over The Effing Rainbow
Week 2: Saturday 12th March, Chapters 9-16 – hosted by Lynn’s Book Blog
Week 3: Saturday 19th March, Chapters 17-25 – hosted by Books By Proxy
Week 4: Saturday 26th March, Chapters 26-end – hosted by The Bibliosanctum
1. ALH is a very odd place – what do you make of it so far and it’s inhabitants? It has a different feel to the last book doesn’t it?
In the beginning, they just seemed an eccentric bunch, but no different than the usual fare that you find in the tech industry (aside from being supernatural beings). However, it’s starting to feel as if there are many secrets being kept in that place by its occupants, especially as Barbara’s thing comes to light and I start contemplating Alex/Terrie.
2. There is certainly a lot going on at ALH – different dynamics, what are your feelings on the people you’ve met. Anything at all about those remaining and those who have died.
I have some thoughts about Alex and Terrie that I get into a bit below. Gordan, I’m waffling on her a bit. I still like her general prickly-ness, but she is going a bit overboard with all the attitude, but Toby said something great about insanity that probably applies in Gordan’s case. However, I do think she made a very good point about April and confirmed what I said last week about April probably mostly acting like a machine because that is her new nature. I like that Jan is starting more depth of character. I can’t say much about Elliot or the ones who died aside from Barbara, which I’ll discuss in question 4.
3. The phone call with Tybalt. I was curious about his comment about Riordan and what do you think he intends to do next? We’re learning a little bit more about the Cat Sidhe – what do you think Tybalt’s next move will be?
Honestly, I don’t know. On one hand, part of me thinks he’ll find a way to aid Toby and he seemed moved in some sort of way about Barbara.McGuire keep establishing that the cats pretty much do what they want, but I’d like to believe that he’ll find some way, even sneakily, to undermine Riordan and help Toby. We shall see.
4. Barbara – what do you make of the new evidence that has come to light with her dealings with the Duchess of Dreamer’s Glass? What is she up to?
I wonder, if Barbara has been tampering with April in some way, if the communication systems being screwy is actually part of her doing while she was spying for Dreamer’s Glass, which unfortunately has caused an opportunity for the real killer. Hearing that her and Gordan were working on something caused a falling out makes me wonder if that has something to do with Dreamer’s Glass. Maybe they’re all in the conspiracy to take down Tamed Lightning aside from Jan and Barbara is just a cog in the machine. I did find it a little strange that Barbara would have all that just sitting on her work computer when she knew that Jan or April could get in there at any time despite promises to respect privacy. I know that ALH has specialized systems, but despite being brilliant minds, fae are so flighty I’m sure she could’ve setup something personal and less damning. Also, what if the cats betrayed Barbara in some way? I don’t know what way, but their presence is unnerving. I mean, the cats do what they want and Barbara was basically working for the person who DOESN’T want them to do what they want. And cats take great offense to being told to do things they don’t want because cats. Then again, maybe Barbara’s actions are totally justified and Jan is the bad guy here and the cats are there to be like, “I KNOW WHAT YOU DID!”
5. It looks like Toby is going to try and summon the Night Haunts? Any thoughts on how this will go and speculation about the Night Haunts?
That’s the exciting things about these first two books. I can honestly say for much of this stuff that I really have no earthly idea of where McGuire would even begin with some of this stuff because of the unique characters and how she’s establishing the fae world and rules. Toby obviously can’t kill a fae and wait around (and I get the feeling they’d wait her out anyway), but it seems like it should involve death of some kind or something related to death. I wonder if it will be anything like the ritualistic “small deaths” in Anita Blake where a self-inflicted, non-threatening wound that produces blood is considered a “small death” that gives necromancers added power. It’ll be interesting to see how Toby achieves this and how that (probably weird) conversation is even going to go.
6. Any guesses so far as to what’s going on?
(Oops, actually missed this question and had to add it in in as a late addition.) Hm, no… I’m still letting my mind mix and connect things together to see what other craziness it can conjure. Right now, the cats probably betrayed Barbara… or they could be an indicator of something extremely wrong happening at Tamed Lightning… I’m so back and forth on this. In the event that Alex and Terrie aren’t two people, they are likely an incubus/succubus (or whatever their fae equivalent would be). In the event, they are one person… uh… same rule probably applies. LOL.
SUPER HAREBRAINED THEORY ALERT!
I added this after the fact taken straight from my comment on Lynn’s theory on what happened as I thought about it from the angle she presented:
I think you (Lynn) could possibly be right about people being uploaded to the server like April, except that it’s not taking as well as the culprit would like. In that case, the bad guy most likely would have to be January, as you mentioned, with April’s help because she’s the one who’s already done it to April and if she uploaded all her servants she’d be more “protected” in her own way. That would also explain why April doesn’t know anything because she wouldn’t give up her mother.
Gordan would likely be involved, as well, because she’s able to construct what January would need to make that happen. However, Toby mentioned a funny thing about insanity, and Gordan is acting a little bit like she just might be suffering from that. Wouldn’t you be if you were helping upload people coupled with your burning hatred of purebloods? Here is another pureblood using Coblynau skills to get what they want, just like everything else in life. That might also mean that Jan is in danger from Gordan if this is the case.
Barbara’s betrayal could be a whole separate incident from what happened. Maybe Gordan knew about it, though, since they quarreled and that could be one of the reasons she was the first to go. Had to stop her from betraying Tamed Lightning (GO, Tamed Ligtning! Sorry, couldn’t resist. Greased Lightning always gets stuck in my head with this knowe) even more and uploaded her.
Looking at it from that angle makes everything start to make more sense. I’m still not sure how to fit Alex/Terrie into that, but maybe their role is as uncomplicated as being refugees in the wrong knowe despite whatever hold they/he/she/it holds over the opposite gender.
So, I’m going to throw one of my harebrained theories out there that will probably be wrong in the end. Here we go. *breathes* Are Terrie and Alex the same person? I mean… I guess, maybe the way passages about them are worded, it’s actually trying to throw suspicion on them rather than alluding to them being the same person, especially Terrie. But it actually feels more like a lot of Alex’s reactions to accusations and implications when it comes to Terrie feel deeply personal for more than the fact that they’re talking about his sister. His reactions almost seem like he’s taking it as if they’re actually talking about him. Then, there’s the fact that he says something that seems as if he’s only talking about himself and then corrects it. To Toby, it sounded like Terrie hadn’t been around long. To me, it sounded like someone thinking of themselves in singular terms and suddenly remembering. Besides, have you ever seen Terrie in the same room as Alex? Uh-huh. There you go. Logic. LOL. I could be wrong, but that’s just something that stood out to me early. Being they’ve been there so long, it’s probably near impossible they’ve fooled people for 12 years like that.
Knowing the weaknesses of your friends matters as much as knowing the weaknesses of your enemies.
* *
There’s always an option if you’re willing to be creative.
* *
The hero’s journey has suffered in modern years. Once we could’ve gotten a knight in shining armor riding to the rescue, pennants flying. These days you’re lucky to get a battered changeling and her underage, half-trained assistant, and the princesses are confused technological wizards in towers of silicon and steel. Standards aren’t what they used to be.
* *
Insanity is dangerous. All fae living in the mortal world are at least a little nuts; it’s a natural consequence of being what we are. We have to convince ourselves that we can function in a place that’s run by people whose logic looks nothing like our own.
* *
Cats watch from corners and hearths, and they see history happening, and they never forget a minute. Some people say cats are the memory of Faerie, and that as long as there’s one cat that remembers us, Faerie will never die.
A Local Habitation by Seanan McGuire (October Daye #2)
A Local Habitation Read-Along Week No.1
Rosemary and Rue by Seanan McGuire (October Daye #1)
Rosemary and Rue Read-Along Week No.1
Rosemary and Rue Read-Along Week No.2
Rosemary and Rue Read-Along Week No.3
Rosemary and Rue Read-Along Week No.4
Sunday Musings: Novelizations
Posted on March 13, 2016 14 Comments
This year, I am turning my attention back to movie novelizations. I used to read them when I was young–mainly the ones featuring the most beloved of movies. Actually, I just read the Star Wars and Terminator books. The rest I shunned because novelizations are just cheap cash grabs and why would I want to read that? Or buy a book that has been made into a movie and now sports the movie poster cover?
Ah the selective snobbery of a bibliophile.
I have no excuse for turning my nose up at novelizations save for those that served me best, and yet, for decades, I made lots of excuses. What could a novelization possibly add to the movie I saw on the big screen? And yet, it is a particular scene from the Terminator 2 novelization that I have clung to for all these years, finally seeing it come to life in the recent Terminator: Genisys.
In Clarkesworld issue #94, Piazo Publishing’s Managing Editor, James L. Stutter writers about the negative reader perception against tie-in novels. He explains how these can be both a boon and a bane for writers in many ways, but the description that stood out for me was “fan fiction that you get paid for.” I love tie-in lore, with Star Wars being at the top of the list, followed of late by my devouring of gaming tie-ins. So why have I developed this aversion to novelizations?
Well this year, I’m fixing that by focusing my attention on novelizations. No doubt I’ve been inspired by Star Wars: The Force Awakens. If I am going to read a novelization, then obviously the series that first inspired me to do so should be on the list. In fact, it’s co-blogger Tiara’s comments in her review, and the subsequent discussion with our other co-blogger, Mogsy, that reminded me of what novelizations do best. While the author of a novelization is bound by the constraints of the movie script (and may even be working from an older version of said script), there is still some wiggle room. Here is where Stutter’s comment about fan fiction really sparks my attention because the author of a novelization gets to embellish a little. The most obvious area where writers can easily take advantage of the format is with the characters themselves. Rarely does a movie allow us to get into a character’s head, but a book can give us entire inner monologues. While “show, don’t tell,” is often an editor’s motto, which implies that a visual medium would do better in some areas, sometimes, you need those extra details that you can only get in the written word. In some cases, what we see on the screen of a characters actions as the final product might not match up exactly with what is written in the books, but, for better or for worse, it allows us the opportunity to reconsider what we saw on screen or read and determine what truly works within the context.
Deleted scenes are also more likely to get into a novelization since it isn’t bound to time constraints. I wasn’t surprised by George Lucas’ addition of Jabba the Hutt to his re-release of A New Hope because I’d already read the scene years earlier. My young adult heart was all aflutter with the description of the kiss Belloch shares with Marion in Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark. And, as I mentioned above, a scene that appeared only in the Terminator novelization has been my driving force for the series.
And sometimes, no matter how hard it tries, a film, for whatever reason, just might not pull off a scene just so. For example, one of my favourite moments in the escape from the Death Star involves Han’s crazy storm trooper chase through the halls.
Oh it is still pretty funny when I see it on screen, but it’s also very abrupt. When I read the whole scene, as written by George Lucas in the book (yeah right, you wrote that by yourself, George…), I still laugh out loud at the description:
Rounding a corner, the three humans came to an abrupt halt. So did the twenty Imperial troopers marching toward them. Reacting naturally–which is to say, without thinking–Solo drew his pistol and charged the platoon, yelling and howling in several languages at the top of his lungs.
Startled by the totally unexpected assault and wrongly assuming their attacker knew what he was doing, the troopers started to back away. Several wild shots from the Corellian’s pistol initiated complete panic. Ranks and composure shattered, the troopers broke and fled down the passage.
[…]
Seeing that the ten had halted, Solo likewaise slowed. Gradually he came to a complete stop. Corellian and Imperials regarded one another silently. Several of the troopers were staring, not at Han, but past him. It suddenly occurred to Solo that he was very much alone, and the same thought was beginning to seep into the minds of the guards he was confronting. Embarrassment rapidly gave way to anger. Rifles and pistols started to come up. Solo took a step backward, fired one shot, then turned and ran like hell.
In the re-release, Lucas subsequently added more troopers to the scene to amplify the joke, but I much prefer the natural and logical humour in the original (which had wittled the group down to ten), instead of the idea that Han some how managed to survive this:
My novelization plans won’t be limited to Star Wars, though Alan Dean Foster will likely pop up many times in my pursuit. He’s well known for his novelization resume, and though it might seem like he’s just in it for an easy paycheque, he’s a pretty darn good author. Having worked myself within someone else’s creative property, I believe that breathing life into a script in a way that is both true to your own style of writing and holds to the feel of the property itself is not as easy as it seems. But there certainly are advantages to settling down to write within a fully realized world and established characters. 
Plus, I haven’t had a chance to see a lot of movies in the theatre lately. This might be a good way to catch up.
Bookshelf Roundup: Stacking the Shelves & Recent Reads
Posted on March 12, 2016 34 Comments
Bookshelf Roundup is a feature I do every other weekend which fills the role of several blog memes, like Stacking the Shelves where I talk about the new books I’ve added to my library or received for review, as well as It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? where I round up what I’ve read since the last update and what I’m planning to read soon. Mostly it also serves as a recap post, so sometimes I’ll throw in stuff like reading challenge progress reports, book lists, and other random bookish thoughts or announcements.
Received for Review
As the days grow warmer, things have also been heating up in my mailbox and the first couple weeks of March have brought some nice surprises. I’m ready for spring weather, and I’m ready for spring releases! My deepest thanks to all the wonderful publishers for the review copies received. For more details and full descriptions of the books, be sure to click the links to their Goodreads pages.
Sharp Ends by Joe Abercrombie – Print ARC, with thanks to Orbit Books. I’m not a big reader of short stories or anthologies, but the fact that this is a must-read for me is an indication of just how much I adore Mr. Abercrombie’s work.
Borderline by Mishell Baker – From the awesome folks at Saga Press and Wunderkind, I also received this amazing surprise in the mail. I had to pass on my chance to request Borderline from NetGalley earlier in the year, because I wasn’t sure if I could fit it into my reading schedule. But apparently fate insists that I need to read this book! And who am I to argue with fate, right? Now that I have it on hand, I’m definitely going to give this one a look. Oh, trust me, I’ll make the time.
The Paper Menagerie by Ken Liu – Along with Borderline also came this gorgeous little gem. Ken Liu is another author whose anthology is something I’d happily drop everything to read. Thanks again to Saga and Wunderkind!
Alight by Scott Sigler – While I had some mixed feelings about the first book Alive, I also can’t deny how badly I wanted to know what happens next. So you can imagine my excitement when an ARC of this sequel showed up one day. I’m dying to find out what Em and her friends will do! Big thanks to Del Rey.
Marked in Flesh by Anne Bishop – Have I mentioned how much I love The Others series? I’m so glad I caught up last year. Really looking forward to this fourth installment. My thanks to Roc Books for the finished copy.
The Courier by Gerald Brandt – Another beautiful finished copy, with thanks to DAW. Really looking forward to some cyberpunk action and adventure! This is author Gerald Brandt’s debut, and I’m excited to check it out.
The Last Mortal Bond by Brian Staveley – This week, Tor also sent a finished copy of this epic novel. If you haven’t started The Chronicle of the Unhewn Throne trilogy yet, seriously, what are you waiting for? This third and final volume was fantastic, and my review will be up next week, so stay tuned.
Transgalactic by James Gunn – Thanks to Tor as well for this sci-fi novel that wasn’t even on my radar before it turned up! James Gunn, called a grand master of science fiction, is an author I’ve never read before, and I need to remedy that STAT!
Takedown by Jeff Buck with Jon Land and Lindsay Preston – Another surprise, this time from the awesome folks at Forge. The subtitle says: “A Small-Town Cop’s Battle Against the Hells Angels and the Nation’s Biggest Drug Gang.” While this isn’t my usual fare, I figure I can still help get the word out. So, if you’re a reader interested in biographies/memoirs about organized crime and law enforcement, you might want to take a look.
The Lost Boys Symphony by Mark Andrew Ferguson – My thanks to Little, Brown and Company for sending me this fascinating novel! The paperback is out this week after its original release last year, and the reviews I’ve seen have been very positive, even though everywhere I look they’re all saying things like, “I can’t give too many details without ruining it!!!” Of course, that mystery only makes me even more curious, along with the promise of a mind-bending look at time travel. The publicist is also looking to reach out to more bloggers, so if you’re a reviewer in the adult sci-fi/lit community and this book speaks to you, let me know!
The Dark Side by Anothony O’Neill – This surprise ARC showed up in the mail courtesy of Simon & Schuster earlier this month, but it was already on my radar. I’ve heard that The Dark Side is going to be adapted into a movie, which was what got me interested in the first place, but I also love the sound of a sci-fi noir/crime thriller on the moon.
Dark Debts by Karen Hall – I also want to thank Simon and Schuster for always introducing me to new horror. Actually, this book was first published in the 90s, but it’s being reissued in hardback later this month, and with a stunning new look too. My jaw dropped when this book came out of the package and I saw that the page edges are stained a blood red:
It’s very eye-catching. I hope what’s on the inside will be just as delectable.
City of Wolves by Willow Palecek – Another fantastic looking novella from the great team at Tor.com. The huge variety in their line-up never ceases to amaze me. I love this cover, and if the atmosphere is indicative of the kind of story it contains, I think I’m really going to like this one.
This Savage Song by Victoria Schwab – My thanks to Greenwillow Books for approving me for this eARC via Edelweiss, since I’ve been curious about it for a while. I’ve only ever read the author’s adult novels published under “V.E. Schwab”, never any of her YA, so this should be interesting.
Breath of Earth by Beth Cato – I’ve had this on my wish list ever since I first glimpsed it in Harper Voyager’s catalog, because OMG how can you miss that gorgeous cover? Thank you so much to the publisher for approving me for the eARC.
The Last Days of Jack Sparks by Jason Arnopp – I didn’t become aware of this book until recently, but the description immediately caught my attention. I believe it has only been widely released in the UK, though fortunately for US readers, the ebook is actually available now (while the print edition won’t be released until September). With thanks to Orbit, who offered it along with their March review copies. I figured I’d take a look.
Lovecraft Country by Matt Ruff – Audiobook, with thanks to Blackstone Audio and Audiobook Jukebox. I admit, the mention of “Lovecraft” made me sit up and take a closer look. This book appears to be much more than just horror though, exploring deeper topics like social themes and racism. It’s gotten some amazing reviews already, so I can’t wait to listen.
United States of Japan by Peter Tieryas – Audiobook, with thanks to Audible Studios. I’d heard overwhelmingly positive things about this book as well, so when the opportunity to request the audio came up, I seized it. I’m almost finished listening to it now, and everyone is right – it’s excellent!
Reviews
Here are all my reviews since the last update, gathered together and listed here for your convenience and viewing pleasure. It’s been a pretty great couple of weeks. While it’s only March, I’ve already given many 4.5 or 5 star ratings. There’re just too many good books! And believe me, I am not complaining.
The Lyre Thief by Jennifer Fallon (4.5 of 5 stars)
The Last Days of Magic by Mark Tompkins (4.5 of 5 stars)
Dragon Hunters by Marc Turner (4 of 5 stars)
Ex-Isle by Peter Clines (4 of 5 stars)
The Brotherhood of the Wheel by R.S. Belcher (4 of 5 stars)
Fire Touched by Patricia Briggs (3.5 of 5 stars)
Kingfisher by Patricia A. McKillip (3.5 of 5 stars)
Calamity by Brandon Sanderson (3.5 of 5 stars)
River Marked by Patricia Briggs (Reread Review)
Author Spotlights
My thanks to the authors who stopped by The BiblioSanctum last week! We had a couple of wonderful guest posts.
Guest Post: “The Worst Things That Can Happen to You in Space” by Rob Boffard
Guest Post: “One Step Forward, Two Steps…Further Forward?” by Marc Turner
What I’ve Read Since the Last Update
As you can see, I was in all kinds of moods these last two weeks. Sometimes I would feel like an epic fantasy. Or a horror. Or sci-fi. I also caught up with a couple of novellas. Generally, I like to bounce around genres and formats, in order to keep things fresh. This update, I want to highlight The Lyre Thief, which was excellent. I also wanted to try something completely random for this month’s Backlist Burndown so I picked up Jaws, which was a fun and eye-opening experience. Keep an eye out for my reviews of these books in the coming weeks.
Have you heard of or read any of the books featured this week? What caught your eye? Any new discoveries? Nothing makes me happier than sharing my love for books, so let me know what you plan on checking out. I hope you found something interesting for a future read! Until next time, see you next Roundup! 🙂
Book Review: The Lyre Thief by Jennifer Fallon
Posted on March 11, 2016 29 Comments
A review copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
The Lyre Thief by Jennifer Fallon
Mogsy’s Rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
Genre: Fantasy
Series: Book 1 of The Hythrun Chronicles: War of the Gods
Publisher: Tor (March 8, 2016)
Length: 448 pages
Author Information: Website | Twitter
2016 fantasy releases have been blasting away all my expectations so far, and as a result, we’re not even officially into spring and already I have a long list of contenders for favorite book of the year. The Lyre Thief is most definitely going to be one of those contenders, as I’d known within the first fifty pages. This is a book that captured my attention from the start.
It was also the first time I’ve read Jennifer Fallon, and interestingly, I actually hadn’t known that The Lyre Thief was a follow-up series until I read the blurbs for Medalon and the other books in her Hythrun Chronicles: Demon Child and Hythrun Chronicles: Wolfblade sequences. Fallon eases us into the world so gently and seamlessly though, I felt no disadvantage from not having read the previous series—and you know how picky I can be about such things! For one, a decade has passed since the events at the end of the Demon Child books, so we’re looking at essentially a brand new story. Second, the author does a superb job of catching new readers up, making sure to cover all the important information about the history and the characters. I was extremely impressed and pleased at how naturally she worked in what we needed to know without resorting to any info-dumps or awkward flashbacking. It really feels like a fresh start.
At the center of this book is a pair of siblings: Rakaia, Princess of Fardohnya, and her baseborn half-sister Charisee, a slave in the king’s harem. But as it turns out, Rakaia is not of royal birth herself. Terrified that the king will find out, her mother Princess Sophany quickly arranges for her daughter to marry a Hythrun Warlord as a way to get Rakaia far away from Fardohnya and out of harm’s way. Sophany hatches up a plan for Charisee to take the place of Rakaia, since the two girls have known each other closely since they are six years old and look so much alike that they can practically pass for each other. Charisee, however, knows nothing of the plot right up until Rakaia makes her escape, forcing her hapless half-sister to keep up with the pretense of being a real princess.
Meanwhile, in far off Medalon, a token of the God of Music has been stolen, setting off a chain of events that can destroy all the magic that the gods have helped mortals create. Who knew that a tiny golden lyre could cause so much trouble? Its theft has far-reaching consequences that touch many lives, from Rakaia and Charisee to the High Prince Damin Wolfblade and his stepbrother Kiam Miar, guild assassin. At the heart of it all is R’shiel, the Demon Child herself, resurfacing again now after ten years of searching for Death, and she will not stop until she gets what she wants.
The Lyre Thief is such a rich tapestry of love, courage, and adventure, woven from so many story threads that each carry their own meanings and strengths. It is everything I want in a sweeping narrative: a cast of interesting characters, a setting filled with exotic and detailed locales, and a rich world filled with the things that make it feel alive—like history, culture, and religion. The best part is that none of this feels overwhelming, even though much of the world-building had already been established by the previous series. Past events have played no small role in the plot of this story, and there are also a lot of characters, some new and some returning. Still, it never got to be too much, even as the author explained the complex relationship ties (the Wolfblades, for instance, are a huge extended family) or recounted important historical events that led to the current political climate between the various kingdoms.
This is also a fast-moving tale, with an unceasing momentum helped by a strong sense of timing and well-chosen POVs. My favorites are of course Charisee and Rakaia, each experiencing a new life for the very first time and finding love in the most unexpected place. Each chapter brought new surprises, making The Lyre Thief hard to put down. Twists and turns are plentiful, and the book also had this tendency to lull me into a false sense of security before dropping major plot bombshells. Every so often I would be enjoying the story as it progressed down a pleasant path when all of a sudden something horrific or shocking would come out of nowhere and blindside me. I learned very quickly not to underestimate Jennifer Fallon’s storytelling skills! She has a real talent for engaging readers, and I was certainly captivated by every scene.
For the absolute best results, it would probably help to read the first two series in the Hythrun Chronicles first, but I want to also stress that it is completely unnecessary if you just feel like diving straight into The Lyre Thief. However, I can’t guarantee that you won’t want to pick them up after you read this anyway, because the novel is just that good. I loved it so much, I’ve already added the previous trilogies to the TBR because I want to learn everything I can about this irresistible world and the characters. Highly recommended, and I can’t wait for the next book.
The BiblioSanctum 