Comic Stack 06/10/15: GraphicAudio Review: The Death of Captain America by Larry Hama
Posted on June 10, 2015 21 Comments
I’m doing something a little different for my comic stacks this month since I’m “celebrating” Audiobook Month. At first I thought I would forgo my stacks for the month and just review audiobooks, but then I thought of something better! I have been wanting to try a GraphicAudio production, which describes itself as a movie in your head, for quite some time. Among books listed there include many comics and books such as Mistborn, Dante Valentine, and Cemetery Girl. All their books include a full multi-voice cast, music, and action sound sequences.
The Death of Captain America (novelization) by Larry Lama
Publisher: GraphicAudio (December 22, 2014)
Length: 6 hrs
I was impressed with the quality of the story that I decided listened to, which was the novelization of The Death of Captain America. I chose that book as a safety measure. This is my first venture into GraphicAudio, so I decided to go with content I was familiar with. I am very familiar with Marvel’s Civil War that led to the eventual death of Captain America. That is not a spoiler, so don’t get your underwear in a bunch. It’s right in the title, and it’s not some clever word play. Captain America’s death is not the denouement of this story. It’s a catalyst. His death plays a vital role in the emotions and decisions of those closest to him. It makes them face who they are and who they want to be in the wake of Captain America’s death. It shows their loyalty to one another even in precarious situations because something of the Captain lives in them all.
Before I get to the meat of the review, let me just make dying whale noises about Captain America while I emotionally spin in my chair.
What do you mean am I crying? I’m not crying. You’re crying. Leave me alone.
I read The Death of Captain America graphic novel, and I loved it. I enjoyed the audio narration of the events just as much. This audio presentation just filled out scenes for me, adding more depth to an emotionally tense moment. I especially loved Bucky Barnes (Winter Soldier), Sam Wilson (Falcon), and Sharon Carter’s (Agent 13) role in this story as they dealt in their own ways with the tragedy from dignified acceptance because that’s what Cap would’ve wanted to outright wanting revenge against the people who they blame for his death (Tony Stark) while trying to pull together as support. I wasn’t the biggest fan of the Civil War angle, but I credit it with being the story that made me love Captain America without question. He went from being more than just the penultimate good guy and really became a hero in my heart. I still get goosebumps when I think about his iconic stand where he says he’s not the will of the government but the will of the people.
His death during Civil War was monumental for me, even though I knew Marvel would never allow him to actually stay “dead.” This story still meant a lot to me and touched my heart, and this audiobook managed to capture so many of my feelings. The idea of Captain America in his final moments still trying to be that pinnacle of heroism while holding on to that empathy that still made him able to forgive even in his final moments. The fact that, even though he fought Tony, he never thought less of Tony or didn’t consider him a friend or someone he trusted beyond doubt. (Even though to it took me a long time to stop hating Tony Stark’s damn guts thanks to Civil War and again in Avengers vs X-Men) I’m going to quote something from my review of Captain America: The Chosen by David Morrell, which sums up how I feel about Captain America:
But part of, maybe even a large part of, the traits that make Captain America who he is doesn’t have to do with physical conditioning, but his indomitable will and the virtues he holds close to his heart, and this was something he had even before he became Captain America. This is something that anyone can have and extends beyond beliefs, race, citizenship, etc. Captain America knew this and admired the people who didn’t have his conditioning, but performed their duties every day. He questioned if ordinary people could go out there and risk their lives to help others, what made him any different? What made him better? Just because he may be physically superior to them didn’t make him better. You don’t have be Captain America to embody the virtues of courage, honor, sacrifice, and loyalty. You can find these same “hero” traits in doctors, teachers, farmers, any average person in the world. Everyone has the potential to be a Captain America. It’s not always the strength of body that makes a hero.
And this is Captain America in his purest form, who he’s always been. Captain America has always did his very best to embody virtues that everyone has and encouraged these same virtues in others. He’s not perfect, but he believes in standing up for what’s right, even when it’s not what others may want. Scenes like this touched me to my core with and reminded me why I love Captain America so much:
This audiobook continued to solidify what made the character special for me. Even in death, Cap’s influence is everywhere, leaving behind a legacy that tries to remind his friends and family that they don’t have to stoop to the level of their enemies to make a change. There were lovely scenes where Cap’s friends would basically ask themselves and each other, “What would Captain America do?”
An example. Bucky finds himself in a bar brawl after a veteran said that Captain America didn’t deserve a service funeral, that he was a traitor that hated his government and disrespected the uniform. After Bucky vented his frustrations on the guy with his fists, Sam asked him if that’s what Cap would’ve wanted. Bucky admits that Captain America would’ve stood up to the man and told him that if we always listened to our government we’d still have slavery and women wouldn’t have any of the rights they’ve fought so hard for and continue to fight for and he would’ve walked away from the man because Captain America was a stand up guy who followed his own advice: “It wasn’t about blindly supporting your government. It was about knowing what your country could be, what it should be… and trying to lead it there through your example.”
This was a well produced piece of work. The voice actors were excellent. I’m sort of bad about having a hard time getting over voices if they don’t sound like their actors in their cartoons or movies.I didn’t have that problem here. Sin’s maniacal laughter was so great and just fit her personality perfectly, and Sam’s voice gave me flutters. It was action packed and emotional. The only complaint I have, and this is a complaint I usually have for full productions like this, is that sometimes the music and action noises can make it hard to hear the dialogue. That’s only a little annoyance over the overall story. Another small little annoyance for me, which isn’t exactly this story’s fault, is that it doesn’t hold the same level of emotional impact it did when its graphic novel counterpart originally came out because, well, Captain America alive and well now. I’m listening to this book, and he’s alive and well now. Also, as with any comic, especially comics from one of the Big Two, there’s some corniness here that might make you roll your eyes, but it’s not prevalent. Caveat: I can’t recommend this story to those who aren’t familiar with Civil War (and I may do something crazy and start a Road to Civil War read through since the next Avengers movie will take elements from it). You’ll miss a lot of context by trying to read this. Excellent work on this, though.
Story: 
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https://soundcloud.com/graphicaudio/marvel-death-of-captain-america-sample
Waiting on Wednesday 06/10/15
Posted on June 10, 2015 10 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:
Silver on the Road by Laura Anne Gilman: October 6, 2015 (Saga Press)
You all know I have a thing for fantasy fiction with western vibes, so my attention was immediately piqued when I stumbled upon this book. The description is a bit sparse, but the there’s an aura of dark and mysterious magic that really appeals to me. And really, any mention of the wild west is enough already to put this on my list of books to possibly check out.
“A heroic fantasy by an award-winning author about a young woman who is trained in the art of the sinister hand of magic, but at what price?
Isobelle, upon her sixteenth birthday, makes the choice to work for the devil in his territory west of the Mississippi. But this is not the devil you know. This is a being who deals fairly with immense—but not unlimited—power, who offers opportunities to people who want to make a deal, and they always get what they deserve. But his land is a wild west that needs a human touch, and that’s where Izzy comes in. Inadvertently trained by him to see the clues in and manipulations of human desire, Izzy is raised to be his left hand and travel circuit through the territory. As we all know, where there is magic there is chaos…and death.”
Tiara’s Pick
Last Song Before Night by Ilana C. Myer: September 2015 (Tor)
I’ll let the summary speak for itself for this book, but creative uses of magic and music, I’m here for it.
“Long ago, poets were Seers with access to powerful magic. Following a cataclysmic battle, the enchantments of Eivar were lost–now a song is only words and music, and no more. But when a dark power threatens the land, poets who thought only to gain fame for their songs face a task much greater: to restore the lost enchantments to the world. And the road to the Otherworld, where the enchantments reside, will imperil their lives and test the deepest desires of their hearts.”
Audiobook Review: The Water Knife by Paolo Bacigalupi
Posted on June 9, 2015 16 Comments
A review copy of this book was provided to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
The Water Knife by Paolo Bacigalupi
Genre: Science Fiction
Series: Stand Alone
Publisher: Audible Inc. (May 26, 2015)
Author Information: Website | Twitter
Mogsy’s Rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
Narrator: Almarie Guerra | Length: 14 hrs
In this day and age where one can’t even walk into a bookstore’s sci-fi section without a few dozen dystopian titles getting thrown in your face, I have to say Paolo Bacigalupi’s The Water Knife really impacted me in a big way. It put me in mind of an eccentric high school teacher I once had, who was a little obsessed with doomsday scenarios. He used to be fond of saying that if the civilizations were to crumble or if the whole world were to go to war, it wouldn’t be over things like a pandemic or nuclear war. No, it would be for water – fresh, drinkable water without which none of us can survive.
Indeed, Bacigalupi paints a rather bleak, hellish picture of a place where water is scarce and more valuable than gold, a resource for which people are willing to kill and destroy. Drought has ravaged the American Southwest, changing the physical and political landscape. States like Nevada and Arizona clash viciously over shares of the Colorado River while bigwig California looks on, and states like Texas and New Mexico have long since given up the ghost. Las Vegas employs mercenaries like Angel Velasquez as “Water Knives”, hired to “cut” water for the Southern Nevada Water Authority and its boss, Catherine Case. This ensures continued survival for her lush arcology developments in the hot desert, where the rich luxuriate in cushy comfort while elsewhere cities like Phoenix dry up and stagnate for lack of water.
This book follows Angel as he travels to Phoenix to investigate rumors of a new water source for his boss. The story is told through two other perspectives, including a journalist named Lucy Monroe, as well as a young Texan refugee named Maria Villarosa. Desperate and destitute folk like Maria are struggling to make a living in the city while dreaming of one day having enough money to escape north. Lucy, on the other hand, could have left any time she pleased, but years of living in Phoenix has led her to adopt it as her home, and you get a sense that she’d do what she can to try to help the city. When it appears that California is finally making its move to monopolize the river, Angel, Lucy and Maria end up coming together in a precarious alliance to stop a conspiracy and secure a future for the people of Phoenix.
There are many unsettling themes in this book, and not least of all because the scarcity of potable water is a reality for many people in the world. Talk of droughts in California and in the American Southwest in the news today makes The Water Knife seem less like science fiction and more like a commentary on current issues. If seeing pictures of the immaculate green lawns and freshly filled-pools of the rich and famous during a drought make your blood boil, then this book will take that fury to a whole new level. It’s really hard to read about this divided America where characters like Maria were driven out of Texas after their water got shut off, only to be treated like interlopers when they have no choice but to migrate to Arizona. Girls like Maria’s friend Sarah turn to prostitution as a last resort, servicing those wealthy corporate types for whom a single shower may use up more water than a poor person in Phoenix might see in an entire week. Then to rub salt in the wound, the girls’ money gets taken away by the local gangsters, never allowing anyone a fair shot to work themselves out of this nightmarish situation. There’s a lot in this book that’s hard to take.
It’s also heavy on graphic violence, descriptions of torture both during and after the act, and generally features many scenes of groups of people doing terrible, unspeakable things to other groups of people. If you are squeamish about such things, you should probably go in prepared to read some pretty sick stuff. To the book’s credit, while there’s certainly no shortage of examples in here when it comes humanity’s lowest moments, there are nonetheless many instances of characters stepping up to show an extraordinary amount of bravery and compassion. Despite being categorized as a sci-fi thriller, The Water Knife is also a very human story, where characters are intimately touched by plot events as well as the lives of other people.
The book isn’t exactly a light read, even in the audiobook format I listened to, with its heavy themes and also some parts which are quite drawn out with descriptions. But for all their lengthiness, I think I have these sections to thank for making the world of The Water Knife one of the most detailed and fleshed out dystopians I’ve read. Southwestern America has reverted back to a kind of wildness, a melting pot of disparate rhythms and cultures where Red Cross aid workers, rich Chinese businessmen, underworld crooks, poverty-stricken refugees, sensationalist media journalists, religious evangelists, and dangerous mercenaries all commingled together in a dying city. This also makes the audiobook of The Water Knife worth experiencing, as narrator Almarie Guerra delivers a performance filled with a great variety of accents and voices, and it’s one of the best I’ve ever heard.
This is the first book by Paolo Bacigalupi I’ve ever read, but if this is the kind of originality and well-rounded quality I can expect from his writing, it certainly won’t be the last. I really enjoyed The Water Knife, and I look forward to checking out the author’s previous work as well as his future books.
Book Review: Clash of Iron by Angus Watson
Posted on June 8, 2015 7 Comments
A review copy of this book was provided to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Genre: Fantasy
Series: Book 2 of The Iron Age
Publisher: Orbit (April 14, 2015)
Author Information: Website | Twitter
Mogsy’s Rating: 4 of 5 stars
*Splutters with disbelief*
Yeah, if I could leave my impressively eloquent analysis of this book at just that, I would. But no. This review is going to have details (or at least as much as I can give), dammit, and I’m going to do my best to articulate my thoughts while trying to hold myself together lest I fall to pieces.
Honestly though, I’m at a complete loss as to how to review Clash of Iron. Has this every happened to you? You’re just reading a book as normal, all the while taking down mental notes on what you’re going to say about it, when all of a sudden the ending comes at you so hard that the shock and awe of it just drives every single thought out of your head?
This is me right now. I am dumbfounded. Stupefied. I still can’t believe that ending really happened.
But let’s back up a bit to talk about what the book is about. In a word, Clash of Iron is about war. Lots and lots of war. It is the second novel in Angus Watson’s Iron Age trilogy and sequel to his brilliant, epic debut Age of Iron which was one of my top reads of last year. At the end of that book, our heroes Dug and Lowa managed to capture Maidun castle and free it from the brutal grip of its tyrant king Zadar. Lowa has usurped him and taken over his reign as Queen of Maidun, but unfortunately it seems, just in time to meet a massive invading Roman army coming from Gaul! The British Isles are thrown into disarray as its disparate tribes go to battle against each other instead of forming a united front against Julius Caesar, the Roman’s military genius who has his sights set on their homeland.
First I feel the need to warn that like its predecessor, Clash of Iron is as brutal and bloody as ever. As expected, there are many violent battles, lots of split skulls and tons of dismembered limbs flying about. There are also more intimate, disturbing scenes of torture and in general characters doing very unpleasant and painful things to other characters. Watson paints a dark, cruel world in The Iron Age where it doesn’t matter who or what you are; men, women, children, animals can all expect to meet a terrible and gruesome end in this series, so be aware if you’re squeamish about such things to approach these books with discretion.
This sequel, however, does head in a new direction when it comes to other aspects. The story here feels altogether different, with more focus on war. When all the sides aren’t engaging in it, they’re preparing for it, in this new martial climate of Britain. With the threat of the Roman Empire and Caesar bearing down on the Britons, there are whole new challenges to face. In many ways, Clash of Iron is Lowa’s story while I saw Age of Iron as being more Dug’s. As queen of Maidun, she’s now the head of an army of thousands and makes all the important decisions that will decide the fate of her people. As a new ruler, she also faces many new obstacles, such as adversity from all sides – even her own. Meanwhile, Dug takes more of a backseat in this book, retiring to a small farm. Still, all the while, his feelings for Lowa are alive and well and so are hers for him, so their awkwardness around each other provides no small amount of hilarity.
Other old favorites return, though describing Ragnal as a “favorite” is a bit of a stretch, that little double crossing fair-weather weasel. Spring’s presence also diminishes somewhat, though her actual role gets a huge boost. Big things are going to happen, and I have a feeling Spring is going to be at the center of them. Chamanca, the literally bloodthirsty warrior woman who scared the living bejeezus out of me in the first book is also back, though this time I had a lot of fun following her character and actually found myself rooting for her. Then there’s new player on the field, Julius Caesar himself, a man who needs no introduction. Angus Watson’s portrayal of the general had me alternating between feeling horror at his atrocities to laughing my ass off at his quirks.
And of course, we come to the ending. Oh, that ending. There’s nothing I can say about it that won’t be a massive spoiler, so I’ll just state that as shocking and unexpected as it was, I really shouldn’t have been surprised. But I was. You just never think an author would go there. But he does.
Any way you look at it, Clash of Iron will have you feeling exultant. You’ve just read an awesome book. Regardless of anything else, this wildly entertaining read will make you pine for the next one. Bring on Reign of Iron!
More of The Iron Age on The BiblioSanctum:
Review of Age of Iron (Book 1)
Graphic Novel Review Bites
Posted on June 8, 2015 7 Comments
A Glance Backward by Tony Sandoval
With thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this graphic novel in exchange for an honest review.
My mother recently passed away and the most phenomenal experience for me has been watching my daughters deal with her death. They had a big cry when we told them she was dying, but after that, they have been content. They accepted it and had no qualms about seeing her on her deathbed, hugging her, and reading her one last story.
I’ve seen some reviews that question how this dark fantasy tale of a boy slipping into his imagination to deal with the struggles of life and death and growing up could possibly be for children. Frankly, I believe we don’t give children enough credit for what they can and will deal with in their own way, whether it be with rainbow unicorns and angels, or something dark like this.
The art is beautiful. Soft and intense, with exaggerated features that capture a child’s vision. My disappointment in the book is that it didn’t let the art take us where the story needed to go, relying instead on over-explanation of how a child sees the world, both real and fantastical. In spite of this abundance of explanation, the connection to the book’s deeper meaning comes as a bit of a surprise at the end, though again, I think it would have been better served with more emphasis on letting the imagery tell the story, rather than the words.
The Fade Out, Vol. 1 by Ed Brubaker
With thanks to NetGalley and Image Comics for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this graphic novel in exchange for an honest review.
I liked Fatale, Vol. 1: Death Chases Me, and really enjoyed Criminal, Vol. 6: The Last of the Innocent, but I think I hit my noir limit with this book.
The Fade Out takes place during the golden age of Hollywood and even features actual stars, including Clark Gable, a favourite thanks to my obsession with Gone with the Wind. The main character is a man suffering from PTSD after the war, who hides his pain in a bottle, and the mystery surrounds a beautiful blond actress, and the look-alike that replaces her. Brubaker is a great writer, but I chalk a lot of my jadedness up to having to see such limited roles for the few women who make it into the story, especially when one of them ends up murdered.
Perhaps noir just isn’t for me at all. The other two books I mentioned, as well as Brubaker’s Catwoman, Vol. 2: No Easy Way Down, have unique elements that really stand out from the noir backdrop, but this just… bored me.
Rat Queens, Vol. 2: The Far Reaching Tentacles of N’rygoth by Kurtis J. Wiebe
Oh Gary. Gary, Gary, Gary.
What can I say about a series that I have loved so much from day one that I literally buy copies of it to hand out to any of my friends who dare say the words “Rat Queens? What’s that about?”
Volume one wrapped up nicely after introducing the brash, unapologetic Rat Queens, Hannah, Violet, Dee, and Betty, and their various compatriots. It also left us with a nice little cliffhanger involving the great tentacled god of Dee’s cult. Tentacles, cults, fantastic heroines? What more could we want! Well, how about a little back story!
I could see myself in each one of the Queens, but volume two digs a little deeper with background info that includes–my personal item of interest–Violet’s beard, as well as Dee’s existential crisis, and Hannah’s troublesome past. The Queens come head to–uh–tentacle with their enemy, and Wiebe continues to turn the tables on the usual genre tropes as they race to Sawyers rescue with the help of their friends and sort of rivals.
The art is spectacular, even with the switch in artist. Normally, I hate when books switch artists early on, but after the circumstances of Upchurch’s arrest, this is understandable. Stejpan Sejic steps into the job with his own great sense of humour and style.
Graphic Novel Review: Jupiter’s Legacy by Mark Millar and Frank Quitely
Posted on June 7, 2015 5 Comments
Jupiter’s Legacy, Book One by Mark Millar and Frank Quitely
Genre: Superhero
Series: Collecting Jupiter’s Legacy #1-5
Publisher: Image Comics (April 2015)
Author Info: millarworld.tv
Wendy’s Rating: 3.5 of 5
A dream leads Sheldon and his team to an island (headcanon says it’s the island from Lost) where they are bestowed with superhuman abilities. Now called The Utopian, Sheldon brings order to the world with his friends and the growing number of superbeings and their children, but not quite in the way his brother Walter and his son Brandon thinks he should, especially when Utopian refuses to allow the superbeings to become involved in political matters.
Millar wrote one of my favourite Superman stories, Superman: Red Son, where a Superman who really does use all of his powers for good shows just how dangerous benevolence in the hands of a very human god can be. The Utopian/Superman comparisons are obvious–presumably intentionally so. Right down to The Utopian’s insistence on awkward, bumbling alter egos. Millar’s penchant for taking the superhero genre beyond the limitations of Marvel and DC’s canon is evident here, with the added touch of superhero children who don’t care much for their imposed responsibilities or how Utopian treats them. None of the supers care for Utopian’s heavy handed rule so their subsequent mutiny shouldn’t come as a surprise–though I initially felt it was played out too abruptly. I was somewhat disappointed in what then seemed like a glossing over of the resulting new world order, but once the focus firmly shifts to the Utopian’s on-the-run daughter and her family, things really start to get interesting and leave me wanting more.
As I said, this book does not have the limitations of DC and Marvel’s canon universes, so Millar is free to do as he pleases. This means upping the murder-death-kill level of violence (though I appreciate that it is well placed, rather than gratuitous), and the powers displayed seem almost limitless, particularly with Utopian’s offspring.
The series sets up a pending collision as the forces of we-think-we’re-not-evil go up against the forces of sort-of-were-evil-without-realizing-it-but-probably-just-mostly-misunderstood. With the ground work of this Millar’s world established, it was these last few confrontational pages that really drew me in and made me want more and am looking forward to the final five issues of the series. I hope to see what family truly means under these terms and how the innocent people under the ruling party’s thumb are handled. Oh and I’d really love it if we could have a bit more racial diversity in the characters kthx.
Book Review: The Gracekeepers by Kirsty Logan
Posted on June 6, 2015 14 Comments
A review copy of this book was provided to me by the publisher via Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
The Gracekeepers by Kirsty Logan
Genre: Fantasy
Series: Stand Alone
Publisher: Crown (May 19, 2015)
Author Information: Website | Twitter
Mogsy’s Rating: 3.5 of 5 stars
I went into The Gracekeepers very carefully. From what I’d heard, it sounded a lot like the kind of literary magical realism which would require an active engagement of the reader’s imagination in order to fill in the gaps, and books like this with their haunting, dreamlike style can either be a huge hit with me or it can fall flat. After completing novel, I think my feelings hover somewhere in between. Overall I enjoyed the story, but also felt there was a lot that kept me from connecting with it fully.
To start, The Gracekeepers takes place in a world where the ocean has flooded most of the earth, so its people have learned to adapt. Those who have taken to the sea and made their permanent homes aboard ships and other vessels are referred to as damplings, while those who have remained on land are known as landlockers. A class disparity exists between these two groups, with damplings regarded as second-class citizens and often looked upon with condescension and suspicion by the more well-to-do landlockers.
The story focuses predominantly on two characters, North and Callanish. North is a young woman who performs with her trained bear companion as part of her act with the traveling circus ship Excalibur. The circus’s captain and ringmaster Jarrow “Red Gold” Stirling has dreams for his son and North to marry and settle on land in a house he’s spent his whole life saving up for, to the displeasure of Avalon, Jarrow’s pregnant wife who wants that house for herself. Meanwhile in another place, Callanish lives a solitary life while dutifully performing her role as a gracekeeper, an undertaker of sorts who lays the dead to rest at the bottom of the ocean. Callanish and North meet in the wake of a great storm after the crew of the Excalibur is forced to make their way to the gracekeeper to seek her services, and the two are drawn to each other immediately.
Kirsty Logan has created something very interesting here, as far as her world and characters go. The writing style evokes an image of a gauzy shroud enveloping everything in the story with a light aura of enchantment, even though there is little to no magic involved. As I had expected, a bit of imagination is required to find your way through the mist, because even though the world is fascinating, world-building itself is decidedly lacking. There’s a positive side to this if you like getting just enough to inspire the mind, especially if you enjoy a little ambiguity and speculation. For instance, could the waterworld of The Gracekeepers be our own in some distant future, or someplace else entirely? What caused the divide between damplings and landlockers? How did the rituals of gracekeeping first come about and what’s the significance behind the use of graces, small birds that are starved to death in order to mark the end of the mourning period? There are many things that don’t get explained, but perhaps they don’t need to be – similar to the way we’re content to accept folk or fairy tales as they are, because there is simply no need to question them critically. And certain aspects of the narrative – like Callendish’s backstory – are better off being vague because we already have all the information we need to know.
However, while there are the bigger and more general mysteries that I can abide going unsolved, I still felt there were some specific details lacking that hurt the overall cohesiveness of the story. There are two factions – the military and the revivalists – that are important to the plot of The Gracekeepers, but they felt like such a poor fit with the rest of the book because the parts they played were slapdash and written in so randomly. Individuals like North and Callendish are characterized very well, but when it comes to actual character relationships, the story loses some of its magic. I wasn’t even that convinced of the bond between North and her bear, her best friend and companion since childhood who apparently wasn’t even given a name. There are more examples which I can’t go into for fear of spoilers, but with regards to the writing style, it’s probably safe to say that the emphasis is on atmosphere – which, to the author’s credit, she creates very well – but there just isn’t enough substance for me. I would have preferred more reasons to engage with the story and to see everything tie together more neatly.
Still, I would happily recommend The Gracekeepers, even if it does come with a couple caveats. It’s quite an ambitious novel, very well-written considering how the author no doubt achieved the haunting, dreamy effect she was going for. Not as solid as I’d hoped, but the story is nonetheless fascinating and beautiful, walking that fine line between melancholy and optimism, and I found the characters genuinely interesting.
Mogsy’s Bookshelf Roundup: New Books & Books I’ve Read
Posted on June 6, 2015 24 Comments
Bookshelf Roundup is a feature I do every two weeks where I talk about the new books I’ve added to my library or received for review, what I plan to read soon, and what I’ve finished reading in the last fortnight.
Received for Review
Please excuse my paltry attempts at artistry; as you can probably tell, I was messing around with the #bookstagram tag on Instagram last week. If you have an account, feel free to look me up (I’m on there sporadically, but I do use it).
Nemesis Games by James S.A. Corey – Hardcover, with thanks to Orbit. Most sci-fi series have lost me by this point, but The Expanse is still going strong at book 5. Who’s excited for the SyFy TV series? I am, I am!
Court of Fives by Kate Elliott – Print ARC, with thanks to Little Brown Books for Young Readers. I was invited to read this book by the publisher, and I’m really glad they got in touch because Kate Elliott is awesome and I’m curious about her YA.
Twelve Kings in Sharakhai by Bradley P. Beaulieu – Print ARC, with thanks to the author who contacted The BiblioSanctum to see if I would be interested in reviewing his upcoming book. My answer was ABSOLUTELY! A couple years ago I backed Bradley P. Beaulieu’s The Flames of Shadam Khoreh on Kickstarter, which was the third book of his Lays of Anuskaya so I have all three of those books on my shelf too.
The Gods of Laki by Chris Angus – Paperback, with thanks to Yucca Publishing. This one showed up in the mail from Yucca’s parent publisher Skyhorse – looks like an interesting fantasy adventure-thriller.
Earth Flight by Janet Edwards – Print ARC, with thanks to Pyr. So happy to see this book coming to the US! I loved the first two Earth Girl books.
The Veil by Chloe Neill – Print ARC, with thanks to NAL . I’ve never read any of Chloe Neill’s books before, so the upcoming book of her new series seems like it’ll be a good place to start. Really looking forward to it.
The Good, The Bad and The Smug by Tom Holt – Digital ARC, with thanks to Orbit. I’ve been curious about this comic fantasy. And now that we also know Tom Holt is K.J. Parker, if I haven’t read Parker before, once I read this will it count? Hmm.)
The Water Knife by Paolo Bacigalupi – Audiobook with thanks to Audible Studios. I’ve been meaning to read something by Paolo Bacigalupi for ages, so when an opportunity to review the audio of his new book came up, I enthusiastically seized it.
The Undying Legion by Clay Griffith and Susan Griffith – Digital ARC, with thanks to Del Rey via NetGalley. I liked The Shadow Revolution I just had to request the sequel. In case you missed it, The BiblioSanctum also had a Q&A with the authors earlier this week about this series.
Mechanica by Betsy Cornwell – Digital ARC, with thanks to Clarion Books via NetGalley. I know what you’re thinking – the description makes it sound a lot like Cinder. But apart from it being another book about a mechanical Cinderella, I don’t think there are that many similarities. It’s unfortunate that a lot of comparisons are probably going to be made, but I want to give it a fair shot.
Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff – Digital ARC, with thanks to Random House Children’s Books. I’ve never read anything by Amie Kaufman but I have read Jay Kristoff. I think his Lotus War trilogy is excellent, so I have some high expectations to see what they can do together.
Kindle Unlimited
I did something silly a couple weeks ago. By that, I mean I signed up for a free trial of Kindle Unlimited, as if I needed more books on my plate. It didn’t cost anything though, and they have a lot of great stuff in their list of eligible titles that makes it worth it. Even if I don’t decide to keep the KU sub, I was able to get a bunch of sweet Whispersync audiobook deals out of it:
Of the audiobooks I grabbed, End of Days by Susan Ee and The Mermaid’s Sister by Carrie Anne Noble were among my most-wanted. Pines by Blake Crouch was one that intrigued me too, anyone watching the TV show?
Books I’ve Read Since the Last Update
Keep an eye out for my reviews of these books in the coming weeks, and you can see my reviews for these books which are up already: The Fold (5 of 5 stars), Artemis Awakening (2.5 of 5 stars), The Liar’s Key (5 of 5 stars).
Have you heard of or read any of the books featured in this week? What looks interesting to you?
June is Audiobook Month!
Posted on June 5, 2015 16 Comments
Credit: Audiobook Publishers Association
June is Audiobook Month as designated by the Audiobook Publishers Association. The APA’s website mentions a few ways for audiobook fans to get involved and spread audiobook awareness. The APA’s mission is as follows, quoted directly from their site:
Formed in 1987, the Audio Publishers Association (APA) is a not-for-profit trade association that advocates the common, collective business interests of audio publishers. The APA consists of audio publishing companies and allied suppliers, distributors, and retailers of spoken word products and allied fields related to the production, distribution and sale of audiobooks.
APA:
Advocacy: Promote policies and activities to create greater awareness and accelerate audiobook industry growth.
Events: Deliver programs and services that serve the common business interests for all members.
Networking: Serve as a networking, educational, and informational forum for members.
Standards: Advocate and guide for high quality production value.
For the month of June, the APA gives some very simple guidelines for supporting audiobooks and getting the word out:
Want to help spread the word about the Audies, APAC, and June is Audiobook Month? Please use the following hashtags in order to direct attention to our season of celebration, education, and community! With your help, we can reach more audiobook lovers and new listeners than ever!
#Audies2015
#APAC2015
#Audiomonth
They’re encouraging posts, interviews that focus on audiobooks, audiobook reviews, and of course sharing across social media to get the word out. Other hashtags that I’ve seen supporting Audiobook Month include #JIAM (which seems to share its tag with a celebrity athlete, but the athlete doesn’t overwhelm the tag), #AudiobookMonth and #ListenLit
My personal history with audiobooks has been rocky until very recently. I’m a fast reader, often finishing thick books in a single day if you leave me to it. Before kids, it wasn’t uncommon for me to read two full novels a day. I started reading early in life, and my love of reading has never ceased since finishing my very first book. My initial problem with listening to audiobooks was that the narrators could never read as fast as I could, which made me impatient. I’d usually end up abandoning the audiobook and just moving on to the actual book to get it finished. I also like the feel of books in my hands. I’m a very big ebook reader too, but I used to have to hold an actual book and flip through pages from time to time even when I got my first Kindle, so audiobooks made me uncomfortable. That’s a habit I still sort of have. I think it’s just a comfort thing. I love the feel of pages between my fingers and that book smell.
Another problem I faced is that I’m fidgety. I don’t just like to sit in one place listening to a story being read to me. Despite this, my husband gifted me with an Audible account in 2009, and it felt like a waste, at first. My credits would pile up. I’d pick up a few books, listen to them for a while, and abandon them for the actual book. However, sometimes, he is wise. He must’ve saw this day coming because something happened.
First, Audible’s speed controls. Those were a godsend when I found them. I don’t normally listen to audiobooks on any speed slower than 2x. In most cases, that’s still slower than I read, but it’s not so slow that I get annoyed. I can actually enjoy the story and the narration, picking out what does and doesn’t work in the narration for me rather than huffing about how slow the narration is going.
Second, I learned that I didn’t have to just sit. I’m really embarrassed it took me so long to realize that. I could listen to my books while I cleaned, while I did laundry, while knitting, while driving, and even while I was doing mundane things in video games that require no brain power–such as exploring the Hinterlands in Dragon Age: Inquisition or roaming the world of The Witcher 3.
Third, Amazon and Audible teamed up to give us Whispersync, which is absolute genius. It allows you to follow along in the ebook as the audiobook is playing. It highlights the words as the story is being read to you. It’s an excellent form of deep immersion and is amazing with books that might prove to be difficult reads if you only listened to the book or only read the book. Now, I’m actually excited about the prospects of audiobooks and joked that I’ve come to appreciate them in my old age. I don’t have the “too many” credits problem on Audible anymore. Now, I have a problem of which books I’m going to use my credits on.
We’re pretty busy women here on this site and have tons of content to share with you, but I will try to focus a bit more on reviewing audiobooks this month and maybe even write an article or two commenting on some new voices I’ve found since our initial post about our favorite narrators.
I’ll end this post with a few audiobook related links for you to check out if you’re so inclined.
Check out our audiobooks tag to see what audiobooks we’ve been reviewing!
Also, we’re participating in the 2015 Audiobook Challege hosted by The Book Nympho and Hot Listens:
Mogsy’s Audio Challenge Post
Tiara’s Audio Challenge Post
1st Quarter Audio Challenge Update
Here are some additional links to audiobook resources that may come in handy, and don’t forget your local library as a resource as well.
Audiobook Resources: Audible | Ambling Books | Downpour | Tantor | Barnes & Noble | Audio Jukebox | ListenUp Audiobooks
If you have an audiobook you’ve really enjoyed, tell me about it in the comments. I’m always looking for new suggestions, and I read any and every genre. So, don’t be afraid to recommend your favorite romances, mysteries, contemporary reads or whatever else you enjoy outside of speculative fiction. As one of my favorite quote goes:
“By way of this unprecedented, unbridled literary promiscuity, I have made some pleasant discoveries.”
Anna Lyndsey, Girl in the Dark
Happy reading!
The BiblioSanctum