Interview with Ken Liu, Author of The Grace of Kings
Posted on April 27, 2015 14 Comments
We’re thrilled today to bring you an interview with author Ken Liu. His first novel The Grace of Kings from Saga Press hit shelves earlier this month, and already it’s set to be one of my top reads of the year. Be sure to check out my review of the book and see what I loved about it.
But first, please join me in welcoming Ken to The BiblioSanctum. I had a great time talking to him about his new book, and I hope you’ll enjoy this interview.
* * *
Hello and welcome to the BiblioSanctum, Ken!
Ken Liu: Thanks for having me!
First of all, I want to congratulate you on the release of The Grace of Kings. Can you describe the book to your new and prospective readers?
Ken Liu: At its heart, The Grace of Kings is a re-imagining of the Chu-Han Contention in a secondary world fantasy archipelago setting. It’s the story of two unlikely friends, a bandit and a duke, who join together to overthrow tyranny only to find themselves on opposite sides of a deadly rivalry over how to construct a more just society.
It’s also a book that constructs a new aesthetic: silkpunk, which shares with steampunk a fascination with technology roads not taken, but is distinguished by a visual style inspired by Chinese block prints and an emphasis on materials primarily of historic significance to East Asia—silk, bamboo, ox sinew, paper, writing brushes—as well as other organic building materials available to seafaring peoples like coconut, whalebone, fish scales, coral, etc. The result is a technology vocabulary that feels more organic and more inspired by biomechanics. For instance, the bamboo-and-silk airships compress and expand their gasbags to change the amount of lift and are powered by feathered oars. When illuminated at night, they pulsate and move like jellyfish through an empyrean sea. Similarly, artificial limbs described in the book draw their inspiration from the “wooden ox” of Zhuge Liang in Romance of the Three Kingdoms, being constructed from intricate wooden mechanisms powered by flexible ox sinew.
The book is reimagining of the events surrounding the rise and fall of the short-lived Qin Dynasty, which lasted only fifteen years before it gave way to the Han Dynasty. What about this period fascinates you?
Ken Liu: The Chu-Han Contention is a foundational narrative for Chinese literature in the same way that epics like the Iliad, the Odyssey, the Aeneid, and Beowulf are foundational narratives for Western literature. Being steeped in both traditions, I wanted to try to find a way to transpose a foundational narrative from one tradition into the framework of another.
The novel deliberately melds narrative conventions taken from these two very different traditions. There are wuxia-style flashback character introductions as well as Anglo-Saxon-style kennings, poems based on Tang Dynasty models as well as songs imitating Middle English lyrics, rhetorical devices taken from Greek and Latin epics as well as formal descriptions reminiscent of Ming Dynasty novels. The opening scene, for example, features an extended series of parallel sentences with repetitive structure to form a catalog, something familiar in old oral epics but not often seen in modern works. I wanted to give the reader something different from what they may be used to, something that should, after an initial period of adjustment, prove the right fit for the story I wanted to tell.
What kind of research did you do for the book? Did you come across anything in your researching that surprised or interested you?
Ken Liu: I read the source text, Sima Qian’s Records of the Grand Historian, carefully, noting interesting things he did with characterization and shifting points of view. Most of the research, however, involved studying theories of technology and the evolution of technology. W. Brian Arthur’s work in this regard was particularly edifying. Though this is a work of fantasy, much of the joy in it comes from imagining a novel technology vocabulary and implementing it in service of the story.
The Grace of Kings has been described as a mix of many elements, including the combination of Eastern Asian and Western influences, history and fantasy, magic and steampunk, etc. What was the driving force behind the decision to combine philosophies and traditions from such a variety of sources?
Ken Liu: I’ve always had trouble writing strictly within genre boundaries, and I don’t see fantasy and science fiction, for example, as particularly distinct from each other. For my first novel, I wanted to take some risks and try to create something that was a novel mix that represented the sort of fiction I wanted to read.
The Grace of Kings is your first novel, but you’re already well known to the sci-fi and fantasy community for your award winning short stories. Did you experience any major differences between writing a novel versus in the short fiction format?
Ken Liu: Definitely. With short stories, it was possible to keep everything in my head, but with a novel I had to learn to take detailed notes and keep a wiki to track all the worldbuilding details and character traits and so on. It was a revelation how small decisions can have massive repercussions hundreds of pages later in the book.
When you were writing this book, did you have a solid idea of where the story was going to go when you started? Did the finished work end up how you’d envisioned it or were there any surprises along the way?
Ken Liu: Well, I knew the basic outline of the plot before I started, but along the way I discovered new characters and new technologies that didn’t exist in my head at all when I started. I love the sense of the story coming alive under your fingers to surprise you, and that happened with this novel multiple times.
So what’s next for Ken Liu? I know you probably can’t say much about it at this point, but is there anything you’d like to share about the sequel, or you know, just to tease what’s in store for us?
Ken Liu: The sequel takes place a few years after the end of TGOK, and I think readers will find that it shifts the focus quite a bit but continues the theme of developing a more just world. I can say for sure that there will be a lot of really cool silkpunk technology; indeed, to research some of them I almost injured myself…
Wow, sounds positively harrowing! I know I wouldn’t miss it for the world. Thank you so much for joining us today.
Ken Liu: A pleasure to chat with you!
*** For more information about Ken Liu and his work, please visit his website at http://kenliu.name! ***
Audiobook Review: The Palace Job by Patrick Weekes
Posted on April 26, 2015 3 Comments
The Palace Job by Patrick Weekes
Genre: Fantasy
Series: Rogues of the Republic #1
Publisher: Tyche Books Ltd (September 2012)
Author Info: Twitter
Narrator: Justine Eyre
Wendy’s Rating: 4 of 5 stars
Loch starts this story in prison, but she won’t be there long. She’s got a mission: to steal back the priceless elven manuscript that once belonged to her family, and now sits in a vault in the Heaven’s Spire, where the most powerful man in the republic resides. To achieve her goal, Loch must gather herself a team of unlikely con artists and convince them that this treasure is worth risking their life.
There’s the plot laid out, but once I met the players, I had trouble keeping my eyes on the prize. And frankly, I’m okay with that.
First of all, let me lay down all the praise for Weekes’ ability to write people of colour like they are *GASP* people. Not foreign objects. Not magical creatures. Not a unique species that shouldn’t really exist in worlds filled with fae and dragons. Weekes isn’t afraid to deal with the racial and cultural differences of his various characters, but when race is a factor, it’s all within context. One of my biggest pet peeves is when writers feel the need to call out race (i.e. skin colour) all the time. It’s usually the only possible identifier for the character and has to be used every time the character is mentioned. “The black man picked up his gun,” or, “He admired the dark swarthy smoothness of her chocolatey skin.” (That said, I did have some trouble discerning the cultural differences that apparently made the other races unique. Everyone else seems to be default white?)
Weekes also answers that troublesome question of “How do you write strong female characters[TM] if you’re a guy??” Well, kids, you write women the same way you right everyone else: like they are human beings (cuz we actually are).
So back to the Job, where we have a team of wonderfully diverse characters, each bringing their unique skill to the heist. A reluctant death princess with a talking warhammer, an Imperial pacifist, a tinkerer, a cynical sorcerer, and a shapeshifting, mindspeaking, poetic unicorn, and the young virgin she pines for. Along with Loch and her loyal fellow soldier, Kail, this group might have bitten off more than they bargained for, especially with Justicar Pyvik hot on their trail. I have to give credit to the audiobook narrator, Justine Eyre, who masterfully brings all of them to life with their own unique accents and mannerisms–sometimes even voicing all the characters within a single scene. All of these characters are so well developed and so much fun, that after a while, I kept forgetting what we were really here for.
Which is a problem that might not entirely be the fault of me having too much fun listening to Kail’s mama jokes, or Ululenia’s fluttery fondness for her virgin. Initially, I liked the way Weekes would occasionally allow his words to skip a moment, letting the reader fill in a small blank. This usually occurred in humourous moments, such as dialogue being cut off when the speaker is kicked in the shins. But after awhile, I started to feel a little lost in terms of where everyone was and where they were going and when scenes changed and moved along from place to place. Weekes’ game writing profession shows through in the lack of clear descriptions and transitions, since he’s no longer working in a visual medium.
Still, I have a vivid imagination and could fill in the blanks well enough. it certainly wasn’t enough to deter my enjoyment of this book. It’s so pleasant to read fantasy that doesn’t take itself too seriously and can pay homage to the various tropes of the genre, even as it dances all over them. I definitely want more, and am already planning my Ululenia cosplay…
Audiobook Review Bites: The Color of Magic & The Light Fantastic by Terry Pratchett
Posted on April 25, 2015 22 Comments
I’m probably one of the last people on the planet who hasn’t read anything by Terry Pratchett despite the fact that I have friends who are huge fans of his, especially one of my closest and dearest friends, Nick, who is more infamous around these parts as being a peddler of his mom’s filthy alien smut that has been immortalized under the Goodreads bookshelf “Nick’s Mom’s Porn (Has Got it Going On)” which is often sang to the tune Stacy’s Mom. However, that’s another story. When Pratchett passed away, I agreed do to a buddy read with him out of sympathy. I mean, I planned to get to the books, anyway, so I figured now was a good a time as any.
The Color of Magic
Series: Book 1 of Discworld
Length: 6 hrs 55 mins
Narrator: Nigel Planer
Whispersync: No
“Let’s just say that if complete and utter chaos were lightning, then he’d be the sort to stand on a hilltop in a thunderstorm wearing wet copper armor and shouting ‘All gods are bastards.’ Got any food?”
This book is the beginning of it all. Readers learn about Discworld, a world that rides on the back of a giant turtle–called Great A’Tuin–swimming through space. We meet Rincewind, a cowardly failed wizard who has one of the world’s greatest spells lodged in his head, a spell so great that other spells refuse to stay in the same head, and Twoflower (with Luggage), a tourist from a far land who looks at the world through such rosy glasses that he believes nothing bad could ever happen to him and generally, this holds true for him. Twoflower hires Rincewind to be his guide through this strange land, leading Rincewind on adventures he’d rather not have.
Admittedly, I wasn’t overly impressed with The Color of Magic. I certainly enjoyed Twoflower and Luggage (who is my favorite character and the real MVP of this series). However, I wasn’t taken with Rincewind. I liked him as the cowardly wizard turned unconventional hero with the (unwanted) help of Twoflower and Luggage. He just didn’t make me feel any particular way about him. I was only mildly amused by most of this book until the end when it started showing some of what I could expect with upcoming books in terms of storytelling. However, I figure that the first book was really just to introduce me to the world, much like taking a tourist on their first trip of a land, and give me a feel of where these stories are going more than anything else. It wasn’t terrible, but I just found myself bored with at points and hoping that continuing forward in this series the rest wouldn’t be quite as tedious as this.
The Light Fantastic
Series: Book 2 of Discworld
Length: 6 hrs 59 mins
Narrator: Nigel Planer
Whispersync: Yes
Darkness isn’t the opposite of light, it is simply its absence, and what was radiating from the book was the light that lies on the far side of darkness, the light fantastic.
The Light Fantastic follows Rincewind and Twoflower after a strange, even stranger than normal, turn of events in The Color of Magic. Rincewind has gone from just being a bumbling tour guide for Twoflower to being the man that might actually have to save the world with Twoflower and Luggage as part of his heroic entourage, which Rincewind is very skeptical about and feels like hiding is probably the better solution to the problem.
The Light Fantastic found its footing immediately being both engaging and funny from its opening lines:
The sun rose slowly, as if it wasn’t sure it was worth all the effort.
I’m not sure how much time passed between the publishing of these two books, but to me, this book was much better paced than the first book. It seemed to be a more confident endeavor as Pratchett’s writing pushed past being cautiously humorous to pretty laugh-out-loud funny. It’s the kind of book that made me smile throughout the day when I think about the antics and Pratchett’s clever use of word play. As I mentioned, I was a little worried that the rest of the books might continue to be like the first. Don’t get me wrong, though. The first book isn’t bad, but mind would often wander when the writing stopped engaging me with the first book. I didn’t have that problem with this book.
I liked Rincewind much better in this book, too. I felt the character really got a chance to flourish in this story. There were more facets of his personality presented here and it was interesting to watch him grow as a character during this adventure.
Nigel Planer’s narration of these books was lively. He’s an excellent voice for this series. The only complaint I have (and it’s not with the narrator) is that the quality of these audiobooks aren’t the greatest. I guess they just took the old recordings (maybe) and made them digital. The narration quality for The Light Fantastic is much better than the narration quality for The Color of Magic. It was a bit muddled sounding, but Planer is such a great narrator that I’ll continue to listen to these books.
Nick and I are currently working our way through the Rincewind series of these books mainly because I just had to start at the first book and could not be dissuaded. I had to get used to the idea that I wasn’t about to read this series in order. What I love about this series is that, despite being massive, these can be treated sort of like standalone stories (or at least that what it feels like so far). However, at the same time, there are books in this series that can be tied together to make different smaller “series,” which was a cool idea. I remember reading that Pratchett could be unconventional like that in his writing, such as eschewing chapters for the most part in his writing. Anyhow, I look forward to continuing forward with Rincewind’s story, which continues in book 5 Sourcery.
Mogsy’s Bookshelf Roundup: Book Haul, Backlist, Books I’ve Read
Posted on April 25, 2015 24 Comments
Bookshelf Roundup is where I talk about the new books I’ve bought or received for review, what I plan to read soon, and what I’ve finished reading recently. It’s been another couple of busy weeks; as you can see, lots of titles to review as well as bunch of audiobooks I purchased.
Received for Review
The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh – From First to Read. A young adult book inspired by One Thousand and One Nights. I hope it lives up to that awesome description.
The Shadow Revolution by Clay Griffith and Susan Griffith – From NetGalley. I’m a fan of the the Grittiths’ Vampire Empire books, and jumped on this one as soon as I saw they have a new series. Very interested to see what they’ll bring to it.
The Gospel of Loki by Joanne Harris – Review copy with thanks to Saga Press and Wunderkind. This book has been out a while in the UK, I believe. It’s finally being released on this side of the Atlantic by Saga, and I can’t wait to check it out (the UK cover still wins though). I’ve heard amazing things.
The Liar’s Key by Mark Lawrence – Physical ARC, with thanks to Penguin. What’s next for Prince Jalan and his Viking companion Snorri ver Snagason? Can’t wait to find out.
After the Saucers Landed by Douglas Lain – From Edelweiss. The description of this one piqued my curiosity, something about its bizarre-ness just told me I had to take a look.
Bell Weather by Dennis Mahoney – From LibraryThing Early Reviewers. I haven’t really been entering any of LT’s ER batches lately, but when I saw this one I couldn’t help but notice. It has the feel of a modern fairy tale, and I was happy to receive this.
Witches be Crazy by Logan J. Hunder – Physical ARC, with thanks to Night Shade Books. The publisher was so awesome to send this one along when I expressed my interest – it sounds gloriously funny, and I love laughing it up with a satire every now and then.
Exile by Betsy Dornbusch – Review copy, with thanks to Night Shade Books. I received the sequel Emissary earlier this month and when I told the publicist that I haven’t read the first book yet, he very kindly put Exile in the mail for me too! It’s been on my to-read list for a while now, I hope to start it soon.
Garden of Dreams & Desires by Kristen Painter – Review copy, with thanks to Orbit. The finale to the Crescent City trilogy. If you haven’t already, check out the BiblioSanctum interview with Kristen Painter! And if you’re in the US or Canada, we also have a giveaway going on right now to win all three books.
Zer0es by Chuck Wendig – Review copy, with thanks to Harper Voyager. This one has all the sound of a heist book, except hackers make up the crew and the fortresses are digital. And you know me, I’d never pass up anything by Chuck Wendig!
The Warring States by Aidan Harte – Review copy, with thanks to Quercus. This was a surprise arrival, from Jo Fletcher’s US division. It’s actually the second book of Aidan Harte’s The Wave Trilogy, but it so happens I’ve read the first. I liked it, so I’m really hoping I’ll get a chance to fit this one in.
The Affinities by Robert Charles Wilson – Review copy, with thanks to Tor. At the time of this writing, I’m about to finish this book. The premise is fascinating, but I’m still not sure how I feel about the story yet. You’ll definitely get more of my thoughts in the upcoming review.
Purchased/Back to the Backlist
The great audiobook buying binge continues, as Audible launched a half-off sale on their entire store selection earlier this month. Included in my purchases are new-ish titles that I missed out on earlier in the year as well as a couple preorders that came in this week:
A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab – Finally, the audiobook version of this book is here! I’ve been waiting for it since the day the print book released two months ago.
Finn Fancy Necromancy by Randy Henderson – The more I heard about this one the more I grew intrigued. I picked it up as part of the audiobook sale and never looked back.
The Damned by Andrew Pyper – This book sounds so good, but it surprisingly slipped my radar earlier this year. I rectified that, stat.
The Vagrant by Peter Newman – A preorder that was $8 and change, how could I say no to that? Especially since the book was on my wishlist and I wanted very much to check it out. Edit: I just found out the print book is UK release only (for now). The ebook price is really high, so now I’m doubly glad I got this.
Artemis Awakening by Jane Lindskold – I still have a few books up for consideration for Backlist Burndown that I haven’t gotten to yet, but I added one more to the list this week. Artemis Awakening is one I’ve wanted to read for a while now; it came out last year but has been on my Goodreads list since November 2013.
What I’ve Read Since the Last Update
Keep an eye out for my reviews of these books in the coming weeks. Of course, reviews are up already for The Gabble and Dark Eden, the book I chose this month for Backlist Burndown…and it was amaziiiiiiing!
Backlist Burndown: Dark Eden by Chris Beckett
Posted on April 24, 2015 28 Comments
As a book blogger, sometimes I get so busy reading review titles and new releases that I end up missing out on a lot previously published books, so one of my goals for this year is to take more time to catch up with the backlist, especially in my personal reading pile. And it seems I’m not the only one! Backlist Burndown is a new meme started by Lisa of Tenacious Reader. Every last Friday of the month, she’ll be posting a review of a backlist book and is inviting anyone interested to do the same. Of course, you can also review backlist books any day you want, as often you want, but be sure to watch for her post at the end of the month to link up!
For this month’s Backlist Burndown, I’m reviewing…
Genre: Science Fiction
Series: Book 1 of Dark Eden
Publisher: Broadway (April 1, 2014)
Author Information: Website | Twitter
Mogsy’s Rating: 5 of 5 stars
Something tells me Dark Eden isn’t the kind of book you can take at face value; I have a feeling it could spawn a dozen papers on sociology and human psychology if you were inclined to analyze it. Heck, I’m sitting here writing a monster of a review for it myself. The book takes place in the far-flung future on an alien planet, but simply labeling it science fiction misses out on a lot of its themes too. In some ways, it’s almost like a hypothetical social experiment, exploring the possible outcomes if a society were to emerge on its own, completely cut off and free of influences from the rest of humankind.
Book Review: The A.I. Chronicles by Ellen Campbell
Posted on April 23, 2015 8 Comments
The A.I. Chronicles by Ellen Campbell (editor)
Genre: Science Fiction
Publisher: Windrift Books (March 13, 2015)
Tiara’s Rating: 3.5 of 5 stars
The A.I. Chronicles houses a collection of short stories by many emerging and best-selling names that take on the concept of the artificial intelligence from military based stories to stories that feature hybrids of machine/machine or man/machine to stories that are more quizzical in nature about what it means to be alive. I would love to talk about every story in this book, but if you regularly read my reviews, you’ll find that I am long-winded enough. I can’t say that every story in this book is a winner. That can be said of any anthology of stories, though, but there are a very good crop of stories in this book.
I love science fiction, which I wrote a very public love letter to for Fantasy Cafe’s Women in SF&F Month, especially science fiction where artificial intelligence factors in heavily. I’d learned about this book about three months prior to its release and read it as soon as I could make the time for it between an already busy reading schedule.
The A.I. is probably arguably one of the more interesting subsets of science fiction because it poses a psychological and philosophical question to human beings, summed up well by one of my favorite robot/A.I. hybrids (okay, more of a gestalt consciousness type awareness), Legion, from the Mass Effect gaming series: “Does this unit have a soul?”
That simple question bundles a whole multitude of other questions inside those few words, including the definition of how “self” is defined, the idea of murder being limited only to biological beings, and of course, the ever present threat of a self-aware machine becoming the god of its own creators and how our limitations may be perceived as usefulness/uselessness. In turn, these questions are explored in media such as Mass Effect and films, such as this short film called Abe, featuring a robot programmed to love (warning: this is not a happy film at all and falls over into the territory of horror):
Did this book satisfy my interest in the subject?
Tough Traveling: The Ace
Posted on April 23, 2015 33 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 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: The Ace
Some people are just ridiculously good at everything. Be it magic, swordplay, or all of the above. THE ACE has no equal.
Mogsy’s Picks:
Traitor’s Blade by Sebastien de Castell
Falcio val Mond’s talents may lie in his silver tongue, but his two companions are the ones who are the master fighters. Brasti’s skill with the bow and arrow are unequaled, and Kest is the best swordsman in the land, and even claims the title of Saint of Swords.
The City Stained Red by Sam Sykes
Dreadaeleon may be young, but he’s an ace wizard. He also has a hard time taking advice from others and can sometimes be an arrogant jerk. What can you expect though, from a kid who knows he’s the best at what he does, which includes channeling lightning and hurling fireballs.
The Demon Cycle by Peter V. Brett
Arlen is just good at everything. It was he who ventured out into the desert and uncovered the old relics and wards that people long thought were lost. It was he who came up with the idea to tattoo himself with those wards, making himself virtually indestructible. And after deciding to munch down on a demon, the “misting” ability and other powers he gains makes him the best coreling hunter around.
Riyria Revelations by Michael J. Sullivan
Hadrian Blackwater was raised by his father, a blacksmith and a Teshlor Knight. He was trained to follow the code and to fight in the style of the ancient order, After several stints as a mercenary in various armies and becoming a renowned pit fighter, his reputation as the greatest swordsman became firmly established.
Horace is shipwrecked and washes up on the shores of Akeshia , where is is promptly pressed into service as a house slave. But then it turns out Horace is a latent sorcerer, which vaults him to the top of the royal court food chain. Never mind that he just discovered his power like, yesterday, or that his there’s not even magic where he came from, Horace is already a better mage than everybody else, even those who have been training since childhood.
The Phantom Menace by Terry Brooks
“I’m the only human who can do it!” A sharp glance from his mother wiped the grin from his face. “Mom, what? I’m not bragging. It’s true! Watto says he’s never heard of a human doing it.”
Oh, STFU Anakin. Yes, we all know you’re the best podracer, and that you’ll grow up to be the best starfighter pilot the galaxy has ever seen. But you’re still an annoying little snot.
Wendy’s Picks
Mogsy beat me to the Wolverine reference, so I’ll offer this X-Man instead, who even comes with his very own aces!
A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs
John Carter is awesome at everything he does. How do I know this? Because John Carter says it is so. When he gets to Mars, his earth-based biology makes him even awesomer. Look out Martians, John Carter is here to be awesome. For you.
Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas
Adarlan’s Assassin might be the king’s slave at the start of this book, but she’s far from down for the count. As Celaena makes her way through this series, she just keeps getting better and better at everything she does.
The Hallowed Hunt by Lois McMaster Bujold
Ingray is the one people call on to get the job done, whether it be escorting a condemned woman to her trial, or releasing long dead soldiers from their ghostly prison. His demeanor leaves something to be desired, but we’re not inviting him to social parties now, are we. If Ingray is summoned, it’s because we want him to let the wolf out.
The Last Wish by Andrzej Sapkowski
It takes a monster to fight a monster, and when towns have trouble with the former, a witcher is what they need. Geralt of Rivia is the witcher that other witchers look up to. You just better make sure you have the orens to pay him for his work. Witchin’ ain’t easy.
And finally, no one of consequence:
Tiara’s Picks
Comic book characters embody this trope more than anyone for me, so my list is doing some things. Please enjoy this musical tribute (not made by me and is also not the music from the comic Deadpool the Musical) of my favorite overpowered comic book character, Deadpool.
Boric the Implacable (Disenchanted by Robert Kroese) – Expert swordsman. Expert tactician. Troll slayer. Dragon hunter. Handsome as hell… until that whole death thing happened and turned him into a wraith. All around badass who turned into a bigger badass even after he died, if such a thing is possible. Badass.
Flemeth (Dragon Age by BioWare) – She’s in the novels, so it totally counts. Flemeth’s magic is the stuff of legends in the game, comics, and novel. Since I met her in the first game and subsequently read about her, she’s always been a magical character I liked and knew was totally overpowered FOR THE GODS. I mean, she can turn into a dragon. My mage in game wanted to learn this trick from her for reasons she need not disclose at this time. She literally tells every other magical character in the Dragon Age universe, “Get on my level.” After this last Dragon Age game, we now know why Flemeth is such a magical genius.
Dr. Strange (Dr. Strange by Marvel Comics) – If you’re ever in a comic book jam in the Marvel Universe, it’s time to call Stephen Strange and his object conjuring, time-warping, transmutating, bolt slinging God Tier magic. Dr. Strange has more titles than a college professor. Not only is he Sorcerer Supreme. He’s also a neurosurgeon. He’s in more clubs devoted to the magical arts than any other fictional being ever. This dude is even in the Illuminati. I mean, who can stop him? What can’t he do with magic? No, seriously, what can’t Dr. Strange do?
Kazuo Kiriyama (Battle Royale by Koushun Takami) – Boy #6. Kazuo is a lethal weapon. Martial arts, he’s perfected that. Sword-wielding, he’s perfected that. Gunplay, he’s perfected that. Smarts, got those, too. Being the perfect psycho capable of killing a fair chunk of his classmates without remorse in Takami’s dystopian novel/manga/movie Battle Royale? Yeah, he’s got that, too. He took #1 spot for number of kills. There can only be one king.
Mitsuko Souma (Battle Royale by Koushun Takami) – Girl #11. I can’t mention Kiriyama without mentioning the female counterpart. She doesn’t work with Kiriyama, but she certainly earns her place alongside him. However, she’s given a more carefully crafted back story than Kiriyama to explain her behavior (and really, what the hell on his back story in the novel and manga?). She’s a scrapper, but her best asset is being the perfect seductress hiding her hand behind her back. (And yes, these two meet in the final fight for one of them.) She took the #2 spot for most kills. The queen is dead; long live the queen.
Waiting on Wednesday 04/22/15
Posted on April 22, 2015 13 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:
A Murder of Mages by Marshall Ryan Maresca: July 7, 2015 (DAW)
When I first saw this, I thought it was the sequel to The Thorn of Dentonhill. On closer inspection, it actually appears to be a companion series, called the novels of The Maradaine Constabulary, set in the same world but different neighborhood of the city and also starring different characters. Since one of the things I liked most about The Thorn of Dentonhill was the setting and its world building, I’m thrilled that Marshall Ryan Maresca is expanding it, though with two Maradaine series going, I imagine he’s going to be quite busy!
“A Murder of Mages marks the debut of Marshall Ryan Maresca’s novels of The Maradaine Constabulary, his second series set amid the bustling streets and crime-ridden districts of the exotic city called Maradaine. A Murder of Mages introduces us to this spellbinding port city as seen through the eyes of the people who strive to maintain law and order, the hardworking men and women of the Maradaine Constabulary.
Satrine Rainey—former street rat, ex-spy, mother of two, and wife to a Constabulary Inspector who lies on the edge of death, injured in the line of duty—has been forced to fake her way into the post of Constabulary Inspector to support her family.
Minox Welling is a brilliant, unorthodox Inspector and an Uncircled mage—almost a crime in itself. Nicknamed “the jinx” because of the misfortunes that seem to befall anyone around him, Minox has been partnered with Satrine because no one else will work with either of them.
Their first case together—the ritual murder of a Circled mage— sends Satrine back to the streets she grew up on and brings Minox face-to-face with mage politics he’s desperate to avoid. As the body count rises, Satrine and Minox must race to catch the killer before their own secrets are exposed and they, too, become targets.”
Book Review: The Gabble and Other Stories by Neal Asher
Posted on April 21, 2015 9 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 Gabble and Other Stories by Neal Asher
Genre: Science Fiction, Anthology
Series: Polity
Publisher: Night Shade (Paperback: February 3, 2015)
Author Information: Website | Twitter
Mogsy’s Rating: 3.5 of 5 stars (overall)
The Gabble and Other Stories is a collection of short fiction set in the universe of the Polity series by Neal Asher. I’ve been curious about his books for a long time now, especially since his work has been described as being close to Splatterpunk, a sub-genre often characterized by its depiction of gory graphic violence, fast-paced action, and a tendency to push the boundaries especially in horror-themed sci-fi.
I was not disappointed! Indeed, The Gabble ended up being a lot of fun and I enjoyed a lot of the stories in here. Being an anthology, I also went with the assumption that this book would work well as a stand-alone read, and thus a good place to jump on board. I think for the most part my instinct was correct, though I do have more to add to this. I will go into the details below in my in-depth analysis of each story, but I did notice a couple trends in my overall experience:
1) My favorite stories tended to be shorter ones, while the longer novelettes are perhaps too steeped in the Polity lore for me to get into as easily.
2) If the main focus of a story is aliens or alien culture, there’s a good chance I loved it!
The BiblioSanctum 