Mogsy’s Bookshelf Roundup: Stacking the Shelves and Recent Reads
Posted on August 15, 2015 27 Comments
Bookshelf Roundup is a feature I do every other weekend similar to Stacking the Shelves where I talk about the new books I’ve added to my library or received for review, as well as what I plan to read soon. I also summarize what I’ve finished reading and/or reviewed since the last update, and sometimes I even throw in fun stuff like reading challenge updates, book lists, and other random bookish thoughts.
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RECEIVED FOR REVIEW
Inbox activity remains high as we move into late summer. I’ve started to see a lot of fall releases show up — including many highly anticipated titles — and more and more I’ve found myself relying on Bookshelf Roundup to track whether or not “outgoing” is keeping up with “incoming”, as well as help catalog the books that have been added to my shelf (requested, unsolicited, gifted, purchased, borrowed, etc.) in the last two weeks. Much love and gratitude to these publishers and authors for filling my days with such great reads:
Digital and Audio:
The Traitor Baru Cormorant by Seth Dickinson – e-galley with thanks to Tor. I can never resist a good epic fantasy. After seeing an excerpt of this I was so amazed that I wrote to request the full eARC.
The Aeronaut’s Windlass by Jim Butcher – digital ARC with thanks to Roc Books via NetGalley. On the one hand, I love Jim Butcher’s UF Dresden Files. On the other, I threw in the towel after just two books of his epic fantasy series Codex Alera. When I saw this up on NG though, I made the decision to give it a shot. I don’t know what I’ll make of it yet, but I look forward to finding out.
An Apprentice to Elves by Sarah Monette and Elizabeth Bear – digital ARC with thanks to Tor via NetGalley. Monette and Bear together? How could I say no? Only after I requested did I realize this is the third book of a series, but I’ve also heard this works perfectly fine as a stand alone. Let’s hope so!
The Builders by Daniel Polansky – e-galley with thanks to Tor.com, a new imprint specializing in publishing great SFF novellas and novelettes. They actually sent me e-galleys of their entire lineup of upcoming titles for this fall (all ten of them!) but for simplicity’s sake I’ll list only The Builders for now because it’s the one I’m most interested in (though I’ll likely end up reading a bunch more others — for the full list of titles received as well as their covers and descriptions, go here). I can’t help it, I just love stories about animals.
Flex by Ferrett Steinmetz – Audiobook with thanks to Audible Studios. Just in time for the sequel! I’ve been meaning to get to this for a while, and I’ve heard great things about it from other bloggers.
Baptism of Fire by Andrzej Sapkowski – Audio CDs with thanks to Hachette Audio, who are awesome for continuing to feed my insatiable Witcher addiction with these audiobooks!
Bound ARCs & Finished Copies:
Shadows of Self by Brandon Sanderson – Print ARC with thanks to Tor. The day this arrived, I was actually expecting another book from Tor, so when this ARC fell out of the package instead my jaw just hit the ground. This is one of my most anticipated reads this year, but I didn’t put in a request figuring there’d be about a snowball’s chance in hell that it would get approved. For it to show up unsolicited was a surprise indeed – but a very happy one! I will be reading it for sure, so look for the review at the end of September.
Tower of Thorns by Juliet Marillier – Print ARC with thanks to Roc Books. When this book came, my husband was like, “Why are you acting so weird?” and I was like, “Because I just opened this package and this book called Tower of Thorns was in it and it’s only like THE most anticipated release of 2015 for me and now I can’t breathe I’m hyperventilating and why can’t I stop flailing and DON’T YOU JUST @#$%#^& UNDERSTAND?!?!??!?!!?“
Battlemage by Stephen Aryan – Print ARC with thanks to Orbit, whose publicist very kindly procured a copy for me. I am frankly amazed that this book isn’t getting more attention. Um, hello, battlemages? BATTLE. MAGES. As soon as I saw the title and the description, I knew I had to read it. Because battlemages. I’m very excited about it, so watch for the review to be posted in September.
The Uninvited by Cat Winters – Print ARC with thanks to William Morrow via LibraryThing’s Early Reviewers Program. I almost forgot I won this book back from the June batch! By the time it finally arrived I’d already planned my reading list, but I’d still really like to fit this in.
The Bloodforged by Erin Lindsey – Print ARC with thanks to Ace Books. E. L. Tettensor/Erin Lindsey is a fabulous storyteller, whether she’s writing mysteries or romances. So of course I jumped at the chance to be a part of her tour for the new book The Bloodforged. Be sure to stop by The BiblioSanctum next month for the review.
Abomination by Gary Whitta – Hardcover with thanks to Inkshares and Wunderkind PR. This book came highly HIGHLY recommended to me and the enthusiasm with which it was pitched was immensely infectious. It didn’t take much to convince me. Fantasy? Historical Fiction? Horror? YES PLEASE.
Updraft by Fran Wilde – Hardcover with thanks to Tor. It looks like I’d been put on the list for a finished copy of this book, and I’m very grateful; there’s nothing like the feel of a bound book in your hands!
Nightwise by R.S. Belcher – Hardcover with thanks to Tor. Another finished copy from the awesome folks at Tor who seem to know exactly the kind of books I’m interested in!
The Best Horror of the Year Vol. Seven edited by Ellen Datlow – Paperback with thanks to Night Shade Books. These anthologies have been on my radar for a while, and Volume Seven just might be the one where I’ll finally take the plunge.
The Song of Synth by Seb Doubinsky – Paperback with thanks to Talos. The ever generous folks at Skyhorse Publishing continue to surprise me with great looking books. The cover of this one caught my attention right away, as you can imagine!
The Paradox by Charlie Fletcher – Paperback with thanks to Orbit. Last year I was blown away by the first book of this series The Oversight. Really looking forward to reading The Paradox, its sequel.
Forbidden by Cathy Clamp – Paperback with thanks to Tor. I’ve never read Cathy Clamp before, so I’m really excited about this. Forbidden is the first book of the reboot of her Sazi Universe, making this a great jumping on point for new readers. I’ll have a review and a giveaway for this book later in the week as part of the tour, so be sure to check back for that!
OTHER ARCS…
Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff – Thank you so much to Tammy at Books, Bones & Buffy for sending me her extra copy! I had an eARC of this book, but was forewarned that it might be difficult to read because of the heavy visual component. After this physical ARC arrived, the full meaning behind that statement finally hit home. You guys, the amount of graphics in this book is STAGGERING. It’s also very gorgeously and creatively put together. Check out the photos, though seriously, they don’t do the book justice at all. It’s like a work of art.
The Dead House by Dawn Kurtagich – This was an ARC I won from great folks at NOVL. I knew very little beyond the fact that it is a horror YA novel, so I was very surprised when I took a look through it to see the format. Like Illuminae, there is a huge visual component, and the story is told through a similar epistolary fashion via articles, interviews, notes, etc. with lots of little illustrations on the side. What do you think, is this maybe a burgeoning trend in YA?
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WHAT I’VE READ SINCE THE LAST UPDATE
I’ve always been what you’d call a “fast reader”. But lately I feel like I’ve been reading even more than usual, and I attribute that to a recent change in my daily schedule. Daughter #2 is now six months old and is probably hitting a growth spurt, because she’s no longer sleeping through the night (not that she ever did, really) and the quiet hours during late night feedings/cradling and rocking/sitting next to her crib waiting until she calms down enough to fall back asleep have been prime reading/audiobook listening time for me. If there’s anything to be gained from this, I guess it’s that the more books you see me read, it means the less sleep I’ve been getting! 😉
Reviews:
Here are the reviews I’ve written and posted since the last update, gathered together and listed here for your convenience and viewing pleasure.
One Good Dragon Deserves Another by Rachel Aaron (5 of 5 stars)
Zero World by Jason M. Hough (4.5 of 5 stars)
The Time of Contempt by Andrzej Sapkowski (4 of 5 stars)
Cash Crash Jubilee by Eli K.P. William (4 of 5 stars)
The House of Shattered Wings by Aliette de Bodard (3.5 of 5 stars)
Departure by A.G. Riddle (3.5 of 5 stars)
Court of Fives by Kate Elliott (2 of 5 stars)
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Have you heard of or read any of the books featured in this week? What looked good or caught your eye? Any new discoveries? Let me know! Nothing makes me happier than sharing my love for books and I hope you found something interesting for a future read. Until next time; see you next Roundup! 🙂
~Mogsy/Steff~
Book Review: Falling in Love with Hominids by Nalo Hopkinson
Posted on August 14, 2015 7 Comments
Genre: Fantasy, Science-Fiction, Short Stories
Publisher: Tachyon Publications (August 11, 2014; first published July 20th, 2015)
Author Information: Website | Twitter
Tiara’s Rating: 3 of 5 stars
Full Disclosure: A review copy of this comic was provided to me by Tachyon Publications via Netgalley. I would like to thank the publisher for providing me this opportunity. All opinions expressed from here forward are my own.
This is my second trip with Nalo Hopkinson. Last year, I read her novel Brown Girl in the Ring. I thought it was a magical book, but it took me a while to warm up to the main character. I enjoyed the book enough to know that I’d eventually get around to reading more of her work. Falling in Love with Hominids seemed to be the perfect book for that since it features short stories written by her, and I knew that meant I’d get a range of what she’s capable of as a writer. It houses speculative stories from serious to comedic, featuring such things as dryads and fire-breathing chickens (because they’re part dragon, duh!).
This review is going to be short and to the point, which is highly unusual for me, because I don’t want to spoil too many of the stories for potential readers.
There were a few stories in this book that left me thinking about them long after I’d read them, such as The Easthound, which reminded me of The Country of Ice Cream Star, but with a more sinister twist on what’s happening to the adults. Many of the stories, though, built up an anticipation in me that left me feeling slightly deflated once I got to the end and they didn’t deliver the punch I was expecting. With some of these stories, I enjoyed the idea of them more than I did the execution of them. I can really only thing of one story that I disliked out of the whole bunch (Blushing). I think Hopkinson has some great ideas, and I enjoy how she plays around with culture, myths, humor, and legends in her stories. However, I just seem to have a hard time connecting completely to her writing.
Despite that, I would recommend this for someone who wants to get a taste of Hopkinson’s work. She has a little bit of everything here for fans of speculative fiction. She’s a terrific writer, and my lack of connection to her work doesn’t reflect on her as writer. There are some authors who you just can’t make yourself love no matter how much you try. I won’t let this stop me from reading her other books, though. I like her books. I’m right on the line with her where one book could make all the difference between love and like.
Book Review: The House of Shattered Wings by Aliette de Bodard
Posted on August 14, 2015 20 Comments
A review copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
The House of Shattered Wings by Aliette de Bodard
Genre: Fantasy
Series: Book 1
Publisher: Roc (8/18/15)
Author Information: Website | Twitter
Mogsy’s Rating: 3.5 of 5 stars
It all begins with a fallen angel. The War in Heaven has come to Paris – or what’s left of it. The proud city is a ruin now, the once beautiful Seine clogged with the ashes of the dead and destroyed. House Silverspires, which used to be one of the most powerful Fallen factions, has followed Paris’ downfall into decay and disarray. It is thought that the House’s founder Morningstar has abandoned them, or he may be dead; either way, the fate of Silverspires now rests in his protégé Selene’s hands. And Selene, while she’s no Morningstar, is trying to do her best to keep her House together and her people safe.
The situation grows more complicated when a new Fallen named Isabelle comes to Silverspires with a young man named Philippe. Isabelle, being one of their own, is embraced immediately, but Philippe – as an immortal but not a Fallen – remains an outsider until they can figure out what he is and where he came from. However, as Selene and her alchemist Madeleine struggle to unravel the enigma of Philippe and his strange mental link to Isabelle, a sudden string of uncanny deaths strikes those with ties to Silverspires, including a visiting dignitary of another Great House. To prevent another a war from tearing them all apart, friends and enemies must band together to uncover the secrets of their past and figure out how all of this is tied to the stranger in their midst.
The House of Shattered Wings is therefore a very different kind of murder mystery, one that involves the blending of a great number of elements. Using a broken and crumbling version of Paris as a backdrop lends the story a gothic vibe, in all its dark and portentous glory. Snippets of the story behind Lucifer’s fall can be glimpsed in the long history of House Silverspires and their infamous founder. Fallen themselves become the favorite prey of the urban gangs hiding amidst the hollowed out ruins, waiting patiently for their chance to harvest the magical flesh and bone to sell for lucrative sums on the black market. East also clashes with West when the mythologies of two very different cultures meet. Characters still dream longingly of a bygone era, clinging to ideals that they’ll never have again.
This book also has all the hallmarks of an “Aftermath” story. There’s a strong sense of being thrust into the middle of a situation, which I felt so keenly that at one point I actually stopped to wonder if I had unknowingly stepped into a spinoff or a continuation novel of an existing universe. These types of narratives are often tricky; after all, I have to be convinced that the “post-event” is in fact more interesting to read about than the event itself. For the most part, I think author Aliette de Bodard pulled it off. You won’t get a lot of background information here – at least, not laid out in a traditional or organized fashion. Instead, the world building and character details are integrated seamlessly into the plot, to be absorbed gradually as it progresses. It’s a very immersive way to experience a story.
On the other hand, throughout my reading of this novel there was a constant tugging, nagging sensation deep inside of me always demanding to know more. I wanted to know more about this bombed-out world, learn more about the author’s vision of this shattered version of Paris. I wanted to see the scope of the story expanded, because really, what we get to see here is merely a sliver. While the power struggle among the many Fallen Houses involves a great number of individuals, it’s still a relatively small piece of the puzzle. We know from the presence of Philippe that there’s a much bigger picture, and to her credit De Bodard does plenty to indicate this, though she left little room to explore further.
I also struggled to engage with the characters, the reason being most of them had pasts that sounded a lot more intriguing than their present circumstances. In many ways, Isabelle was a blank slate and Philippe’s own journey was part of the mystery, so I was all right with those two. With Selene and Madeleine, however, I felt like their histories overshadowed their current selves. Selene was apprentice to Morningstar himself, a relationship I would have really liked to know more about. And as for Madeleine, mentions of her past at House Hawthorne often made me feel out of my depth, like I was already supposed to know everything about her origins and her associations with the Fallen there. Ironically, she was probably the most interesting character, but I also felt disconnected to her most of all.
And yet, in spite of the areas which I thought could have been improved, I still thoroughly enjoyed this book. I’m not denying there were hurdles, but overall I thought it was very well put together story that presented an intriguing and sophisticated never-seen-before side to the “fallen angels” mythos. In a way, my desire to know more is a testament to how thoroughly this book drew me in. It might not have swept me off my feet, but it got me paying attention. I look forward to reading more of Aliette de Bodard’s work in the future.
Book Review: Cash Crash Jubilee by Eli K. P. William
Posted on August 13, 2015 14 Comments
A review copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Cash Crash Jubilee by Eli K. P. William
Genre: Science Fiction
Series: Book 1 of The Jubilee Cycle
Publisher: Talos (May 5, 2015)
Author Information: Website | Twitter
Mogsy’s Rating: 4 of 5 stars
Imagine living in an ultra-high-tech society, so deeply ingrained in virtual reality and cyberspace that all the actions you make are logged and billed for. Every time you blink, breathe a sigh, shout a swear word, grit your teeth, kiss a loved one, or even just relax in a resting position of your choice – all that information is being recorded into the BodyBank, a computer system implanted in each of our bodies. All your movements are monitored in real time, so that the corporations who own the rights to those actions – whether it be as simple as scratching your head or as intimate as sexual intercourse – can be paid their licensing fees.
Oh, and it’s a perfect process, completely automated and indefatigable, and it doesn’t make mistakes. So don’t even think about cheating the system. You can’t.
Just as you’d expect, living in a world like this ain’t cheap. People go bankrupt or “cash crash” every day, caught unawares by their expensive habits or finding themselves overwhelmed by the incurring charges on everyday actions, i.e. by simply just living. Before that can even happen though, Liquidators like our protagonist Amon Kenzaki are already waiting in the wings, ready to swoop down and capture these “discreditable” citizens, take out their BodyBank, and banish them to BankDeath Camps where they are forever removed from the economy and disconnected from the ImmaNet, a three-dimensional audio-visual overlay that would normally replace our perceptions of the mundane world.
Your life is virtually over if you cash crash, basically.
As someone who knows better than most exactly how this system works, Amon himself lives an extraordinarily frugal life. He scrimps and saves in whatever ways he can, typing messages in nigh indecipherable script so that he doesn’t get charged for using licensed words, even going as far as taking instructional courses on how to blink less or breathe less. His attention to details does not go unnoticed by his superiors, who inform Amon that he is being considered for a promotion. Everything is going well, until one day, Amon notices an incredibly expensive charge called “jubilee” on his BodyBank account, an action he is completely unfamiliar with and is sure he did not perform. But how could this be? After all, the system doesn’t make mistakes.
Right?
The whole story behind Cash Crash Jubilee could almost be humorous if it weren’t also so damn scary. Eli K. P. William does a fantastic job here creating his vision of a futuristic Tokyo, a cyber-dystopian society at its most extreme. Apparently it’s not enough just to watch our every move, but they’ve found a way to make it profitable too. Everyone is so obsessed with technology and corporate branding that almost every shred of humanity and emotion has gone out the window. The concept of Free Will has been distorted, for it is not free will at all if you have to think and calculate the cost of every action before deciding to perform it.
On the other hand, might it be possible to find a sliver of a positive side to this gloomy situation? Citizens are probably less likely to do and say things they would regret, if they have to stop to think twice before actually doing it, versus simply acting on impulse. How many wayward spouses might we see, for example, if a pre-nup in your BodyBank authorizes an automatic and immediate transfer of half or all of your funds to your other half the moment you commit infidelity?
Yeah, probably not a lot, is my guess.
Cash Crash Jubilee is utterly fascinating, from cover to cover. The premise is disconcerting, with details that sometimes bordered on the absurd, but it did make me think. Nothing delights me more than a book that gets my brain juices flowing, and I could even overlook the slow introduction to this story, simply because I found myself so completely absorbed in the sights and sounds of William’s dystopic Tokyo. It’s a trove of insanity and wonder, all in one place.
You might also recall a while ago in another review, I wrote about my feelings on cyberpunk. As a subgenre of sci-fi, I’ve definitely experienced more misses than hits when it comes to recent offerings. When I looked at Cash Crash Jubilee though, I saw a very different kind of cyberpunk. The author uses a lot of familiar elements in this story, but the way he rendered the ideas made them unique and stand out. And rather than going through my usual mental gymnastics trying to piece together all the abstract concepts commonly found in this genre, I found William’s descriptions of the ImmaNet overlays extremely intricate and detailed, but at the same time also very easy to visualize. The mystery plot was genuinely interesting, with the suspense and action in all the right places.
In short? This one scored a major hit in my books. It deserves a lot more attention, let’s hope it gets it.
All told, Cash Crash Jubilee is an eye-opening, eyebrow-raising, grip-the-edge-of-your-seat read. Good thing I don’t live in Amon Kenzaki’s world, because if I had been charged for all the times I performed those actions, pretty sure I’d be bankrupt many times over by now.
Tough Traveling: Forbidden Love
Posted on August 13, 2015 24 Comments
The Thursday feature “Tough Traveling” is the brainchild of Nathan of Review Barn, who has come up with the excellent idea of making a new list each week based on the most common tropes in fantasy, as seen in (and inspired by) The Tough Guide to Fantasyland by Diana Wynn Jones. Nathan has invited anyone who is interested to come play along, so be sure to check out the first link for more information.
This week’s tour topic is: Forbidden Love
Even in Fantasyland parents are not always happy with their children’s choice of partners.
Mogsy’s Picks:
I think this week’s suggestion might have been mine, because the trope “Forbidden Love” just so happens its one of my guilty pleasures (yes, I do seem to have a lot of bookish guilty pleasures, I am well aware of that), so where else would I turn to scratch that itch if not the Young Adult genre, which, as we all know, is a bottomless font of forbidden romances and star-crossed lovers? Here is a small sampling of the ones I found the most delish…
Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor
“Once upon a time, an angel and a devil fell in love. It did not end well.” Need I say more? The first time Akiva and Madrigal laid eyes on each other, he was a seraph left for dead on a battlefield while she was a chimaera gathering the spirits of their fallen. Despite being on opposite sides of the war, the two of them end up falling in love and continue their affair even though the Warlord Thiago already had his claim on Madrigal. The forbidden love in this book damn near KILLED ME, though unfortunately things go kind of down hill for the rest of the trilogy.
The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkoski
Kestrel is the seventeen-year-old daughter of a Valorian general who one day visits a slave auction and spontaneously decides to buy Arin, a native of the Harrani lands her people conquered. Ooh, a master/slave relationship. Unfortunately, the love story wasn’t as juicy and scandalous as it could have been, considering how Arin is in actual fact a high ranking member of a group of Harrani rebels, planted purposely at the auction to draw Kestrel in. The two lovers spent more than half the book locked in conflict with each other, but the romance still ranks pretty high on the meters.
Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes
This series has been called “The Game of Thrones of YA” because it comes complete with war, political intrigue, and even a brother-sister love scandal. Well…the Diet Coke version of it, I guess. For obvious reasons, things don’t get quite as lurid as Cersei and Jaime Lannister. Magnus Damora is the first born son of King Gaius and he’s married to the Princess Cleiona Bellos of Auranos, but in truth he’s got it baaaad for his adopted sister Lucia Damora.
Forbidden Love Meter: 9/10
The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater
Blue Sargent is the daughter of a clairvoyant, which is how she ends up in a churchyard on a freezing St. Mark’s Eve helping out her mother do her clairvoyance-y thing. This year, Blue sees her first spirit – a boy who calls himself Gansey. There’s only one reason why she could have seen him, though: either he’s her true love, or she will be the one to kill him. Thing is, for as long as Blue can remember, she’s also been warned by her mother and all her seer friends that her kiss will cause her true love to die. Jeez, tough break, Blue.
Forbidden Love Meter: 7/10
The Dragons of Dorcastle by Jack Campbell
Boy is a Mage, brought up on lessons about the power of illusions, taught that reality is a sham and that people are shadows – and oh, no matter what you do, DO NOT TRUST THOSE DIRTY LYING STINKING MECHANICS! Girl is a Mechanic, a master of logic and equations who prides herself on the fact that no machine is beyond her abilities to fix, and of course, MECHANICS ARE JUST SOOOO MUCH BETTER THAN THOSE USELESS GOOD-FOR-NOTHING MAGES! But then of course, as these stories often go, boy meets girl. And everything changes.
Forbidden Love Meter: 8/10
For as long as she can remember, Micheline has loved Ryder, the totally hot Australian boy she has grown up and trained together with ever since they were children. But of course, Micheline’s hardass of a father has some really antiquated ideas about the sort of guy his daughter should or should not get involved with, in short treating Micheline like a brood mare who should only marry dudes with the “right” bloodline in order to spawn the next generation of good little demon/ghost hunters. Yikes, get with the times, man.
Forbidden Love Meter: 8/10
Wendy’s Picks
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
You know what’s worse than dads who raise you as part of a bet to best each other? Falling in love with the competition, but being unable to get out from under dads’ thumb.
Dragon Age: Asunder by David Gaider
There’s a whole Mage-Templar War going on now, but even before the war, mages and the order meant to protect them but more often oppress them, there’s been a bit of animosity between the two groups. And yet, love will find a way for some of them.
An alien species introduces humanity to all sorts of new things, including new ways to look at love and relationships. Unfortunately, there are those who are not at all fond of this new matchmaking business.
East of West by Jonathan Hickman and Nick Dragotta
Even Death needs to be loved. But that love just might not work out the way he’d like it to in this apocalyptic western “romance.”
Comic Stack 08/12/15 – Teen Titans Vol. 1: Blinded by the Light by Will Pfeifer, Kenneth Rocafort (Illustrator)
Posted on August 12, 2015 11 Comments
Genre: Supeheroes
Publisher: DC Comics (August 11, 2015)
Tiara’s Rating: 3 of 5 stars
Full Disclosure: A review copy of this comic was provided to me by DC Comics. I would like to thank the author and the publisher for providing me this opportunity. All opinions expressed from here forward are my own.
Confession time. I’m a really huge fan of the Teen Titans cartoons in all incarnations, but I’ve never taken time out to actually read a Teen Titans comic. Well, I take that back. I might’ve read a couple of issues that were worked into a larger crossover plot, but I’ve never read a whole volume of their comics. So, I saw this as a huge opportunity for me to finally try the book. Even if I haven’t been too impressed with much of The New 52, I liked the idea of a fresh start with this comic. Besides, I was ready to meet the new Power Girl after she garnered so much buzz when she was initially unveiled.
This book was… Well, it definitely isn’t the worst thing I’ve read in The New 52 lineup. Right now, I’m reserving that exclusively for Harley Quinn’s book, which by the way, I still dislike. In this book, which is part one of a larger story, the gang–consisting of Red Robin (Tim Drake), Wonder Girl (Cassie Sandsmark), Bunker (Miguel Barragan), Beast Boy (Garfield Logan), and introducing Raven, as well… herself–as they stop a series of attacks that are aimed at hurting a large science corporation known as S.T.A.R. which has a leader-type, Manchester Black, that tries to convey cool professionalism while he randomly appears throughout the story shirtless sporting a big Union Jack tattoo on his chest… seriously. Who does that?
Later in the story, they pick up a new teammate in the form of Tanya Spears who is the new Power Girl after the old Power Girl decided she was about to bounce back to her own earth. However, the world needs a Power Girl, so she passed her legacy on and even gave legal rights to Tanya to use the name, despite the fact that she’s not even in the same universe anymore.
While there was a large focus on the S.T.A.R. story line and what their motivations are, the story did take some downtime to allow us get to know our heroes a little better by having various vignettes appear throughout the book.
We learn that Miguel sparkles, is very vocal about LGBTQ people being treated as people, and seems to be giving in to some adrenaline rush that sees him becoming increasingly violent when dealing with situations.
Cassie is having a hard time dealing with her estranged mother who dislikes her poor career choice of being a hero. Also, there’s a gang of Wonder Girls roaming the streets attacking people when they aren’t stalking her. Despite Cassie seeming very connected, she didn’t realize there was a gang roaming the streets in her honor. They’ve even been on television, but her mother had to tell her they existed.
Raven meets her number one fan, Raven. No, not herself. Some girl in a band loves Raven. She wanted to be a hero, but realized she had no powers, so she started a band that writes songs all about Raven, the real Raven, and decided that was the same thing as being a hero. That’s how superheroes work, right? Strange things happen when they try to combine Raven’s spells with music.
Tim is being Tim as usual. Before The New 52, I always said that Tim was the most like Batman in his intensity and skills. Turns out that still holds true in these new comics. He seems to be picking up some of Batman’s ego, as well, and just like Batman he seems to know everything ever.
Tanya shows up and explains how she became the new Power Girl and how the Teen Titans are doing this hero thing wrong. She packed a spare costume, y’know, just in case when she came to check them out.
Beast Boy is… Well, he’s… He’s working on learning more forms or something. He’s really just comedic relief in the book. This is pretty much his whole function other than some recon. 
I thought it was good to have these, but some portions of these story felt a little too much like an “And so…” blase type of stories, especially Tanya’s, which really lacked the emotional depth that she was trying to get the Titans to understand. They also could take readers out of the larger story a little abruptly, and some of it felt blown out of proportion. What I mean is, yeah, Red Robin has an ego, but it’s treated like this thing that is already out of control when that’s not how I read it or I didn’t feel the story really conveyed that. And there were these odd moments where I’m not sure if Wonder Girl was feministing or what when she randomly dropped lines about “woman’s work” and leaving the boys to think about what Tanya said. It just felt a little like it came out of left field. However, these things still added components to their characters that will hopefully fill them out later on.
Overall, I can’t say I’m impressed, but it didn’t let me down like some other books have, probably because I wasn’t expecting a whole lot. It doesn’t make me want to rush out and buy Teen Titans, but I could see myself picking up volumes as they became available. I can say I loved the art. About halfway through the book, though, it started to look a little different, as if less care had been taken with some of the later panels. It was still nice art, but some panels just started to looked a little rushed and messy at times. It was an okay book. That’s about the best way I can describe it. It wasn’t terrible. It was great. It was interesting enough to keep my attention, and it didn’t turn me off to more stories about the team. At the end of the day, what more can you ask for from someone as picky as I am?
Also, Cassie’s mom was asking the real questions in this book. Because what the hell, Manchester Black, you can’t keep showing up trying to be professional with no shirt on with your Union Jack tattoo (DC still thinks they’re punny, I see) whenever you feel like it. Why is Cassie’s mom the only one who points out that this is a problem?
Waiting on Wednesday 08/12/15
Posted on August 12, 2015 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:
The Hanging Tree by Ben Aaronovitch: November 19, 2015 (Gollancz)
Ben Aaronovitch’s Peter Grant is one of my favorite Urban Fantasy series. In the past, the books have been released in the UK first, with the US getting them a few months to a year later. The last couple of years I’ve waited for the US release, though this year, I doubt I will have the patience. The last book in this series was just so damn awesome, I just don’t think I can stand to wait until this next one hits stateside, and may just end up buying it as soon as it’s available. So, come November it looks like I may be paying a visit to my good old friend the Book Depository…
And check out that cover. I adore the cover artwork for these books; all these map illustrations are always so quirky and full of personality. Pink. Who’d have thought pink?
“Another gripping and hilarious adventure through the secret streets of London. A tour of what remains and an insight into what once was with a liberal sprinkling of folklore, myth and violent crime. Each of Ben Aaronovitch’s previous Peter Grant novels have been Sunday Times Top Ten HB bestsellers and The Hanging Tree looks set to repeat the feat.
The Hanging Tree was the Tyburn gallows which stood where Marble Arch stands today. Oxford Street was the last trip of the condemned. Some things don’t change. The place has a bloody and haunted legacy and now blood has returned to the empty Mayfair mansions of the world’s super-rich. And blood mixed with magic is a job for Peter Grant.
Peter Grant is back as are Nightingale et al. at the Folly and the various river gods, ghosts and spirits who attach themselves to England’s last wizard and the Met’s reluctant investigator of all things supernatural.”
Book Review: Zero World by Jason M. Hough
Posted on August 11, 2015 16 Comments
A review copy was provided by the author/publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Genre: Science Fiction
Series: Book 1 of Zero World
Publisher: Del Rey (8/18/15)
Author Information: Website | Twitter
Mogsy’s Rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
How do I know when a book has got its hooks in me? I read the digital ARC of Zero World from NetGalley which actually ends at 78% with the rest of it being bonus material. Of course, I had no idea of this going in and didn’t find out until I hit the Acknowledgements page. Having expected this unbelievably gripping story to go on for about a hundred more pages – then having that expectation cruelly ripped away from me – my resounding wail of “NOOOOOOOOOOO!” probably could have been heard from all the way down the street. As you can imagine.
Seriously, what can I say about this book that would do the sheer ingenuity of its premise justice? It’s like James Bond meets Memento meets an episode of Star Trek. Let’s just say the tagline of Zero World – “This will be the most interesting mission you’ll ever forget” – serves its story well, a promise of adventure and thrilling action packed into those ten simple words.
The story follows biologically enhanced secret agent Peter Caswell, who undertakes every single operation he gets with a clean conscience – literally. With the help of an implant surgically melded into his brain, he never remembers his missions; everything from dossier details to the number of people killed while he is in the field always gets thoroughly wiped from his mind upon completion. In many ways, he is the perfect superspy. And now he’s embarking on his most dangerous and secretive assignment yet, one that will take him beyond reality into another world entirely.
After passing through what appears to be a tear in the fabric of space, Caswell finds himself on an Earth eerily like his own. A lot of is the same but so much more is different, and in this alien yet familiar world, our protagonist must track and kill his quarry before irreparable damage can be done. To his surprise, Caswell receives help from an unexpected source in the form of Melni, an undercover agent on this mirror world who is also seeking the same target, but for very different reasons than his own.
If you enjoyed Jason M. Hough’s Dire Earth Cycle, picking up this book is a no-brainer. This is without a doubt his most exciting and ambitious work yet. The author’s penchant for rich world building and writing about incredibly innovative tech has always impressed me, but what I love about his science fiction is the fact that it’s also so accessible. Zero World blends futuristic elements with the best parts of the spy thriller genre to great success; the story captured my attention from the get go and it never relented with its nail-biting suspense. There were some pretty huge twists around the midway point too, leading to staggering implications for the plot and the characters. Add the seemingly insurmountable obstacles for our protagonists into the equation, and you can see why this novel kept me reading well into the wee hours of the night.
The team of Caswell and Melni is also a very unique and enjoyable partnership, one in which each of their participation is refreshingly equal. It’s always interesting to read about characters from different worlds meeting for the first time and their eventual teaming up, and I had a very good time following their exploits and watching the interplay between their personalities. Melni fascinated me with her loyalty to her organization and their cause, despite being looking down upon and treated like a foreigner by her own people. Caswell is an even bigger enigma, given how integrated he is with his implants. I have to wonder, can his attitude towards the morality of his actions be simply chalked up to denial, or might it be tied up in something much bigger? Hough’s subtle probing into the complexities of the human psyche surprised me a bit here, but I liked the depth it gave to his characters.
There’s actually some irony in the fact that Peter Caswell can’t remember his missions, because I think his adventures in Zero World are sure to stick with me for a long time. Needless to say, I really enjoyed this book and didn’t want it to end, and I believe I’ve already made those feelings glaringly clear in my opening paragraph. I despaired when I turned the page and realized the book was over. Can you tell I’m desperate for the sequel? Be sure to check out this novel if you enjoy your sci-fi thrillers filled with adrenaline rushes and high-energy action sequences; I promise you won’t be disappointed.
Full Fathom Five Read-A-Long Week No.4
Posted on August 10, 2015 4 Comments
Banner designed by Anya of On Starships and Dragon Wings
The BiblioSanctum is participating in a Read-A-Long! Over the next few weeks, we’ll be joining many other fellow bloggers in a read through of Max Gladstone’s Full Fathom Five.
Full Fathom Five is the the third book in the Craft Sequence, however, each book stands alone. Want to know a little bit about the other books? Check out our reviews here:
Three Parts Dead | Two Serpents Rise
If you’re interested in joining the read-a-long, visit the SF/F Read-A-Long group for more information or to join in the conversation.
Week 1: July 20 Ch 1-13 – hosted by Allie from Tethyan Books
Week 2: July 27 Ch 14-32 – hosted by Lynn from Little Lion Lynnet’s
Week 3: August 3 Ch 33-50 – hosted by Heather from The Bastard Title
Week 4: August 10 Ch 50-62 – hosted by Lisa from Over the Effing Rainbow
1. So Jace was in fact responsible for the rogue Penitent, and for what was happening to the ‘idols’… And my guess last week regarding his reasons (that it was bad for business) wasn’t far off the mark… What did you make of his confrontation with Kai and his justifications?
Wendy: Everything Jace says and does makes sense, but I am disappointed in it boiling down to simply being him in charge of the whole mess. It feels very Scooby Doo villain at the end of it all, and a lot of the revelations are delivered in the same manner, though with far greater maturity and elegance than the Scoobies can muster. It’s not that I don’t like this revelation, but after reading three books in this sequence, it does seem to be the standard. I’d hoped for something different.
Mogsy: He’s nuts. Like all villains on a power trip, this is his master plan and of course he feels he’s right and of course he feels he’s justified and of course he believes the ends justifies the means. Pretty standard bad guy speech.
Tiara: Not surprised. However, though the book did pin the bulk of this on him, it did mention that a lot of people had to turn a blind eye or be involved for him to get as far as he did. Also, I kept saying there weren’t enough pages left in the book for the villain to be anyone else aside from him (or it’d be some generic mysterious organization) if I’m supposed to take these as standalones. It would’ve been pure madness to try to introduce a BIGGER BAD so late in the game and the Grimwalds were just too easy a target for me to believe he’d go that route.
2. Mako’s involvement in the subsequent events was a bit of a surprise. Or was it? Did you expect the old man to be involved at all, much less the way he was?
Wendy: Well talking to Tiara spoiled me on all things because basically figures out everything before it happens. She called Mako being the god returned a couple hundred pages prior. But again, disappointment in Kai’s realization where she talks about the spit insects and information she had just looked up without letting the reader in on it.
Mogsy: Yeah, I blame it on Tiara too, LOL. After reading her response to last week’s question in which she speculated about Mako’s identity, the seed was planted in my head and it all just seemed so obvious afterward.
Tiara: *brushes shoulder off* I just have too many thinksies, and since I wasn’t overly attached to the characters I didn’t know, I think I was just able to make a bunch of theories up in my head, throw them against the wall, and see what decided to stick. All the signs just seemed to point toward him being more than the blind guy at the poetry bar on the beach.
3. Izza steals a goddess! What are your thoughts on the way her story ends (or begins, as the case may be)?
Wendy: I really liked Izza’s conclusion. She wanted very much to leave but it was evident that she was having a hard time leaving behind the kids and what she felt was her duty. It’s fitting that she ended up with Cat, who herself is sworn to a goddess, so it was nice to see the similar bond developing for Izza, with the added twist of Izza shaping the Mother’s story.
Mogsy: It was a touching, bittersweet ending. I liked it. Pretty much agree with Wendy on all her points.
Tiara: I liked it. I’m sure everyone figured she wouldn’t leave the kids, but this ending made her role more significant, fuller.
4. We leave the story with Kavekana “waiting for the world to come”… Do you think this particular ending is for the best, or would you have preferred to see the island remain apart, and peaceful?
Wendy: Change never comes easily, but I think with people like Kai at the forefront, the island will be able to handle it, especially since she’ll also likely have the support of Kevarian, once the latter is through serving the Grimwalds.
Mogsy: I really enjoyed Kavekana as a setting. Change is probably inevitable; I just hope for the island’s sake that it won’t come too quickly or too drastically. It’d be a shame to see a peaceful, laid back place like this lose all that.
Tiara: Change comes for all things. Nothing can stay the same, and it might’ve been a little disappointing if Kavekana had stayed the same after the numerous changes that’d taken place in the book. I’d mentioned to Wendy in chat that I knew this title from one of Shakespeare’s plays (The Tempest): “Full fathom five thy father lies, of his bones are coral made. Those are pearls that were his eyes. Nothing of him that doth fade, but doth suffer a sea-change into something rich and strange.” And I feel like, as with many things with this book, Kavekana’s inevitable change comes full circle with that quote.
The BiblioSanctum 
