Tough Traveling: Enforcers
Posted on April 2, 2015 31 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: Enforcers
Some people are made to give orders; others are made to make sure they are carried out. Be it through muscle or guile there are just some people you don’t want to hear are looking for you.
Tiara’s Picks
The Color of Magic by Terry Pratchett
This was a bit of a tie for me between Hrun the Barbarian and the walking treasure chest. Both are formidable in their own right with Hrun wanting to prove his glory as a hero’s hero. Nothing can make Hrun stand down… after we talk about payment in glory or riches, that is. The chest just wants to make sure it keeps its owner safe. If that means biting off a few fingers or terrorizing a hapless crew of sailors, then, so be it.
Lena Greenwood is a book character pulled from her pages and made flesh by a Libriomancer (a person who makes book characters and objects real). Lena was created to be a lover, not a fighter. While she is certainly a lover, she is not helpless, and she will take down anyone who threatens the people closest to her.
Dragon Age: The Masked Empire by Patrick Weekes
The Orlesian Empire is one embroiled in bloodthirsty politics disguised with the innocent sounding name “The Game,” and when you’re the empress or emperor of such an empire, you’re a prime target. Luckily for Empress Celene, her honor guard is Knight Michel de Chevin who’s more than willing to do whatever it takes to protect his empress and carry out her orders. No task is beyond him.
Mogsy’s Picks:
The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon
In a city which has declared war on “unnaturals”, anyone with psychic abilities, clairvoyance or other kind of supernatural power have to hide it away. People like the main protagonist Paige Mahoney live in fear under Scion’s all-seeing eye and are in constant danger of being taken away by guards if they are discovered.
The Mechanical by Ian Tregillis
The enforcers in The Mechanical are on the lookout for dissent among the human and clakker population. They are a specialized kind of clockwork soldier, called centaurs because of their frightening four-legged gait and four arms, all the better to catch and tear their victims apart if they try to run.
As the leader of the Inquisition, it is Teren’s job to hunt down the super-powered youth calling themselves the Young Elites. His targets include the protagonist Adelina Amouteru as well as Enzo, the Young Elites leader. It is believe that they and all the malfettos with special abilities are dangerous and vengeful, and must be destroyed to save the nation from them.
Wendy’s Picks
The Alpha leads the pack, but it is his second that strikes fear into the hearts of any mutt that dares cross them. Not that Jeremy Danvers can’t take care of himself, but no one wants to get on Clay’s bad side. Death would be the least of your concerns.
Throne of the Crescent Moon by Saladin Ahmed
Adoulla’s magic can only get him so far, especially at his age, so it is good that he has Raseed at his side, the whirling dervish of an apprentice whose blades are all about the righteous justice. Too bad he’s bound by those pesky morals…
Kushiel’s Dart by Jacqueline Carey
As a Casseline brother, Joscelin’s role is a simple one: guard his charges with his very life. And if that still isn’t enough, then be willing to take theirs and his own with the dreaded “terminus.”
Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas
What happens when the world’s deadliest assassin becomes the King’s Champion? Lots more dead people, that’s what.
Tiara’s Edit Picks
I just noticed that Nathan gave a bonus mention to citing women authors who used this trope. Wendy and Mogsy have held down the fort with a few women writers with Wendy having a female enforcer as well with a female author, but I wanted to add a few with women enforcers written by women. My own added bonus: These are all women of color as well.
The Drowning City by Amanda Downum
Isyllt Iskaldur is a necromancer (most feared among all the magicians) and a spy for the crown who struggles with her duties to her liege and to the people she loves. She doesn’t just handle physical threats, especially in a brewing war where even the dead have plots.
Kayla is a GEN, a genetically modified human being born from a tank. Their DNA is sliced with animal DNA to give them the traits they need to serve true humans. True humans treat GENs little better than slaves and animals, but there are humans and GENs alike who want equal rights for the tankborn. Kayla’s trait is super strength, and she’s often called on to be the muscle, especially in this uprising where she knows GENs can be something more. I also cheated and used the cover for the upcoming book, but all thses books have beautiful covers.
Jane Yellowrock is a Cherokee skinwalker who can change into anything animal she wants. She’s the last of her kind. She’s been trained to hunt and kill vampires for a living, being hired by those who need that problem taken care of, and she’s definitely not one to be screwed with.
Damali Richards lost her parents at a very young age to a vampire. Years later, she’s a successful spoken word artist for a music label that call themselves The Warriors of Light. They’re really a front for a group of hunters who have extraordinary abilities guided by a group of Guardians with Damali being one of their most important and talented hunters.
Comic Stack 04/01/15 – 5 Graphic Novel Recommendations
Posted on April 1, 2015 16 Comments
I’m going to be a little lazy this week because I haven’t had a chance to read any of my comics this week or last week, which is why I didn’t post last week (also it was my birthday week last week). I’ve been traveling with work and working on a new project, which has made me choosier about what I’ve been reading, and sadly, it hasn’t been my comics. I have a load of comics waiting for me to read them, though, and I’ll be sure to get back on my #1s next week (hopefully).
This week however, I thought I’d do something a little different and recommend five graphic novels for readers that aren’t necessarily of the X-Men or Batman variety, that can be picked up by serious and casual readers alike.
Julio’s Day by Gilbert Hernandez
I cheated on this one and just copied and pasted a mini-review I wrote for this when it first came out. I’m sorry… sorta. This is a slice of life comic that opens up with the birth wails of Julio and ends with his death rattle 100 years later in the same house and in the same bed. Even though there are many iconic things that happen from 1900 to 2000, the comic kept the impact of such events insular, choosing to focus on the small scale impact of these events and how they did or didn’t affect Julio’s family. Things like the stock market crash happened and the family acknowledges it, but what does it mean to a family that’s already poor? What does it mean to a family already used to just getting by? This book also focuses on the people in their communities and how they impacted Julio and his family’s life, as well.
This story was filled with dark family secrets, loneliness, betrayal, mental health issues, racism, turning sexual tides, and many other things. While that seems so much for one graphic novel, the pains and joys in this story are told with such simplicity, often times without words or with only dialogue that says so much without the characters ever going into full details such as Julio’s sister telling him, “I don’t feel so sad when somebody dies, Julio, because they fly away to explore the stars and planets. When it’s our turn we join them in exploring the universe.” The art, the pacing, everything was just right for this story.
Chew Vol. 1: Taster’s Choice by John Layman
The story revolves around Tony Chu, an ex-cop who now works for the FDA. Tony is a cibopath. That means he gets psychic impressions from anything he eats—except beets. He lives in a world where the FDA is now running things after a severe case of avian flu killed millions of people. Because of this, chicken is banned, replaced by a chicken substitute while the real thing is considered a black market commodity. Tony is recruited—but not entirely by choice—by the FDA after using his “gift” to bust a serial killer. They want him to use this same gift to help their special crimes division. And this is where Tony’s adventures really begin.
The premise of the series sounds a bit bizarre, but the story is well-written and fast paced. It’s full of dark, dry, morbid humor. You’re not overwhelmed with information about this new world. It’s presented to you in bites (no pun intended). I found by the third part that I was totally immersed in this story and really laughing out loud at some of their antics. I have to applaud the writer for creating this imaginative world where food plays such an integral role right down the name of every character—both major and minor—in the series so far.
Other reviews of the series: Taster’s Choice Review by Wendy.
Princeless Book One: Save Yourself by Jeremy Whitley
Princeless follows the quest of Princess Adrienne to free herself and her sisters from their fate of waiting for a prince to save them from their towers. From the beginning Adrienne has rebelled against the idea of princesses being passively saved by princes, asking her mother, “Who has the kind of grudge against this beautiful princess that they would lock her in a tower?”
This is a cute story, for sure, but it’s so much more than that. Adrienne questions a world where women are expected to be second class citizen. Yes, this is a story about gender binary, but it’s not preachy. It’s a cute story whose moral simply is girls can be strong and boys don’t always have to tough, that boys and girls aren’t boxed in by their gender. This is exactly the kind of story I want to read to my daughter. I love comics, but it’s often hard to find something age appropriate or that I’m willing to expose my children to the “lessons” in them. Read my full review here. Read Wendy’s review of volume two here and a chat with the creator, Jeremy Whitley.
28 Days Later by Michael Alan Nelson
There are so few comics that are made based on a movie rather than vice versa that really impressed me. At the heart of things 28 Days Later really is Selena’s story. American journalist, Clint, tracks Selena down at a refugee camp in Norway after the events of the movie 28 Days Later. He wants to enlist her help in getting into London, which has been quarantined, so he can tell the real story of what happened there. How could that go wrong? End sarcasm.
The readers are shown Selena’s life before the infection. It’s just glimmers of who she used to be intertwined with the action of the story and doesn’t intrude on the main storyline. Looking back on this comic now it kind of reminds me how of Michonne was handled in the show when they started showing more of her back story, but this predates that (I believe, but I could be wrong) and that is not a bad thing. I’m a sucker for good back stories.
Saga, Volume One by Brian K. Vaughan
I love this book, but it took me forever to read it because I wasn’t sure I’d like it. After getting the first issue free, I was immediately hooked. Two soldiers from opposite sides of a war fall in love and bring a life into the world. Now, they’re fleeing to find a life for their family. This is part military sci-fi, part romance, and all excellent. However, I will admit that it is strange and it won’t be everyone’s bag. However, I can’t recommend it enough. It’s just so completely different from what readers might expect. There’s so much I want to say about it, but it would just spoil the whole thing. You can check out a review by Wendy here, though, for volume 2!
HONORABLE MENTION
Rat Queens, Vol. 1: Sass & Sorcery by Kurtis J. Wiebe
I’ll let the description speak for itself:
A pack of booze-guzzling, death-dealing battle maidens-for-hire, and they’re in the business of killing all god’s creatures for profit.
It’s also a darkly comedic sass-and-sorcery series starring Hannah the Rockabilly Elven Mage, Violet the Hipster Dwarven Fighter, Dee the Atheist Human Cleric and Betty the Hippy Smidgen Thief. This modern spin on an old school genre is a violent monster-killing epic that is like Buffy meets Tank Girl in a Lord of the Rings world on crack!
Despite the LoTR reference, this was absolutely superb! Thanks again to Wendy for gifting it to me for my birthday last year!
Waiting on Wednesday 04/01/15
Posted on April 1, 2015 19 Comments
“Waiting On Wednesday” is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine that lets us feature upcoming releases that we can’t wait to get our hands on!
Mogsy’s Pick:
Star Wars: Aftermath by Chuck Wendig: September 4, 2015 (Del Rey)
I was like aasfdsfjkjlsdfffff;;; when I first saw the nerdgasm-inducing news about this book on Starwars.com. I reacted just as you would expect from someone who just found out two of their favorite things are coming together in one epic package. Chuck Wendig. Star Wars. MUST READ.
And that’s not all. Aftermath is significant because it will bridge the Star Wars timeline between Return of the Jedi and the much anticipated upcoming Star Wars film Episode VII The Force Awakens. That’s pretty huge. As a Chuck Wendig fan with a rabid love for Star Wars, I really can’t wait to get my hands on this one.
“Journey to The Force Awakens.
The second Death Star is destroyed. The Emperor and his powerful enforcer, Darth Vader, are rumored to be dead. The Galactic Empire is in chaos.
Across the galaxy, some systems celebrate, while in others Imperial factions tighten their grip. Optimism and fear reign side by side.
And while the Rebel Alliance engages the fractured forces of the Empire, a lone Rebel scout uncovers a secret Imperial meeting…”
Top Ten Tuesday: Ten Books You Recently Added To Your To-Be-Read List
Posted on March 31, 2015 24 Comments
Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish. They created the meme because they love lists. Who doesn’t love lists? They wanted to share these list with fellow booklovers and ask that we share in return to connect with our fellow book lovers. To learn more about participating in the challenge, stop by their page dedicated to it and dive in!
This week’s topic: Ten Books You Recently Added To Your To-Be-Read List
Tiara’s Picks
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
This book is Miller’s debut book, which reimagines Homer’s The Iliad. As a big fan of history and mythology, there was no way I couldn’t add this book to my TBR pile. Add the fact that I love imaginative retellings of old stories. I never get tired of them. I’ve even added this book to my upcoming reads pile as well since I am very excited about this one.
The Gemini Effect by Chuck Grossart
From what I can gather from the description of this one, it’s probably a military sci-fi story with zombies. I hate zombies, but I’m willing to give anything with zombies a chance because I like to think I’m a fair person that can actually overlook that part if I think that a story is done well enough for me to actually enjoy that aspect. As with many zombie, it’s biological in nature and treated as biowarefare by the United Stated, and the U.S. prepares to unleash everything it has on its own people survivors or not.
Yeah, this is the book the movie that Harry Potter… I mean, Daniel Radcliffe starred in recently. I think I’ll use its short synopsis to give you the gist of the story: “Ignatius Perrish spent the night drunk and doing terrible things. He woke up the next morning with a thunderous hangover, a raging headache . . . and a pair of horns growing from his temples.” I’ve watched the movie with my husband, so I’m aware of where its going. However, I still want to see how the book compares to the movie.
After the Fall, Before the Fall, During the Fall by Nancy Kress
In the year 2035, an ecological disaster has destroyed the Earth, but 26 survivors are housed by an alien race in a sterile environment called the Shell. As the survivors begin to die out, they find a way to change this disaster using brief time portals, which lead them to a brilliant mathematician, Julie Kahn, in the year 2013.
The Prophecy Con by Patrick Weekes
This is the sequel to The Palace Job, which I enjoyed very much. It was a humorous caper that was just plain fun. I immediately downloaded it to my Kindle after finishing the first because I knew this was something I was going to read in coming weeks. This book’s summary asks the question: “Who would have thought a book of naughty poems by elves could mean the difference between war and peace?” I can already tell this is going to be another mad adventure that’s going probably going to have me chuckling as much as the first one. I love a good time! (Side Note: If you utilize Kindle Unlimited, these books are available to read without charge, and they both utilize Whispersync. The audiobook is included with the first book, and the audiobook price is reduced to $2 for this book once you download it through Kindle Unlimited.)
The book touts itself as Lord of the Rings meets Sin City. It’s no secret that I’m no fan of Tolkien, but I am a huge fan of Sin City. This book promises dragons, drugs, magick, death, and the deepest of betrayals with a reluctant hero (of course), so I’ll forgive its Lord of the Rings comparison if it delivers on everything else.
The Book of Strange New Things by Michel Faber
A man of faith travels to a new galaxy to spread his faith about the Bible (the book of strange new things) to the inhabitants of this galaxy. While he spreads the Gospel, he leaves behind a wife who sends letters that become increasing fearful as apocalyptic events begin to unfold on earth. The premise of this already interested me, but I don’t know for some reason, a part of me is hoping that this book is beautifully tragic in much the same way as Mandel’s Station Eleven, which transcended so much of the dystopian/apocalyptic genre.
The Light Fantastic by Terry Pratchett
Until The Color of Magic, which I read a couple of weeks back, I hadn’t read anything by Terry Pratchett. I’d been meaning to get around to doing that, and I am friends with a few people who absolutely adore his Discworld books who’d been encouraging this for some time. With Pratchett’s recent passing, a friend decided to do a complete read through of the series, and I decided to join him in this endeavor. We’re not going in chronological order but story order. We’re working out way through the Rincewind novels. I met Rincewind in the The Color of Magic, in which he’s quite possibly the world’s worst wizard (but not exactly his own fault), and now in this book the fate of the world rests on him. This is sure to be fun.
Wendy Darling by Colleen Oakes
As I mentioned above in The Song of Achilles, I love imaginative retellings. I’ve read quite a few Peter Pan retellings, including Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson, The Child Thief by Brom, and Tiger Heart by Peter David–all of which were magnificent books. This will be the first retelling I’ve read that will be Wendy-centric. Certainly, she played her roles in the other books, but this will be the first I’ve read that focuses on her. Unfortunately, it won’t be out until October. Boo!
Madame Lilly, Voodoo Priestess by Dormaine G.
In 1800s, Odara, a creole woman, isn’t interested in partaking in the plaçage (a historical event where wealthy white men of the time took common law wives among women of color and provided for them; these marriages weren’t official, but had some contractual duties attached to them) way of life until she meets Henry Nicolas. After entering an arrangement with him, she learns about his sadistic side. After enduring this man for years, Odara turns to voodoo to help settle her score, even if means a great cost. New Orleans is always an interesting setting for the supernatural, especially voodoo. Plaçage is a part of historical events I have a keen interest in, so I can’t wait to see what the author has done with that, as well.
Book Review: The Rebirths of Tao by Wesley Chu
Posted on March 31, 2015 21 Comments
A review copy of this book was provided to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
The Rebirths of Tao by Wesley Chu
Genre: Science Fiction
Series: Book 3 of Tao
Publisher: Angry Robot (April 7, 2015)
Author Information: Website | Twitter
Mogsy’s Rating: 5 of 5 stars
What a way to end things. Hands down, The Rebirths of Tao is my favorite book of the trilogy. It’s everything that made the first two books such a joy to read, but on steroids. The stakes are higher, and the action is more intense. The humor is laugh-out-loud funny, the character relationships much more emotional. It’s got love and betrayal, smiles and tears, politics and espionage, sword fights, kung-fu, unlikely heroes, dastardly villains, aliens, starry-eyed teenagers, Brits who love bacon, and much, much more. Now that’s what I’m talking about.
Just like how there were several years between the first and second books, we once again we jump ahead in time for book three, catching up with the Tans many years since the events at the end of The Deaths of Tao. In spite of this, Rebirths is not a book you can read on its own; you will miss too much information from the previous two novels. So if you’re thinking of starting the series, you may wish to skip to the bottom of this review to see my general thoughts and avoid spoilers for books one and two.
The stage is now set for all out open conflict between the two Quasing factions, the Prophus and the Genjix, and thanks to Jill Tan’s involvement in the Great Betrayal, the whole world is now aware that aliens have walked among them, manipulating history since time eternal. Humanity is understandably not too happy about that. Jill, Roen and their son Cameron have been on the run for years, hiding from anti-Quasing governments and Genjix agents alike.
But now the Genjix are stepping up their plans to terraform the earth, a process that would destroy the planet and make it uninhabitable for all life except the Quasing. The Prophus in turn are trying to prevent this from happening, securing the extraction of a rogue Genjix scientist with knowledge of these terraforming facilities. However, the Genjix have no intention of failing. With the fate of the world hanging in the balance, you have all the makings of a perfect storm.
One thing I noticed from reading this series is that Wesley Chu has grown as an author with every book, and The Rebirths of Tao is his best work yet. The writing is noticeably more polished than in the previous novels, and the story flowed very well with absolutely no lulls at all. It’s also fascinating to see the series evolve, as we’ve experienced some drastic changes from book one to book three. We started The Lives of Tao with a quirky personal tale about a nerdy, out-of-shape IT guy and his transformation into super-secret agent, but things took a more urgent, direr turn in the sequel The Deaths of Tao, which also saw the Quasing conflict expanded onto a global scale.
The Rebirths of Tao is once again a new kind of story all together, but it retains a lot of the elements which made the first book so fun and addictive. The Quasing war situation is as bleak as ever for Roen and his family, and yet the humor is alive and well. Cameron Tan is now fifteen years old so for the first time in this series we have a teenager’s point-of-view, and Wesley Chu pulls it off nicely (ever think of writing YA, Mr. Chu?) I didn’t think it was possible, but I liked reading Tao and Cameron’s interactions even more than I enjoyed Tao and Roen’s. Tao is the “third parent” in this scenario and some of his reactions to the thoughts and behaviors of an impulsive, hormonal teenaged boy are downright hilarious! The dialogue in this book is probably my favorite aspect, especially the banter between Cam and Tao, between Jill and Roen, between Roen and his “imaginary Tao”, and between Roen and Marco (these two guys damn nearly killed me with laughter).
I also love sci-fi novels about unconventional aliens, and the Quasings fit the bill with their unique physiology and complex symbiosis with human beings. We know from the first two books why the Quasing split into two factions, and the assumption is that the Prophus are the benevolent, peace-loving ones. The truth is more complicated than that, however, and it may surprise you. This book delves further into the nature of Quasings, as well as the role human history played in shaping the Prophus-Genjix war. Speaking of which, if you’re a history buff, you’ll really get a kick out of these books; Chu still regularly makes references to historical events that Quasings have secretly taken part in, as well as famous figures who have served as hosts.
I’ve enjoyed every moment of this trilogy, and as a reader it’s also awesome to see a series that ends even more strongly than it began. The author has done a great job building upon the story since the first book. We’ve also seen fantastic character development particularly when it comes to Roen, who has grown immensely as a person from when we first met him. Sure, he’ll never reach Adonis Vessel levels of excellence, but he’s taken his new responsibilities in stride and has never failed to do the best he can as a Prophus agent, husband and father.
I highly recommend these books if you like sci-fi thrillers and comedy. This third book was everything I’d hoped for, a wonderful end to a trilogy that has been a wildly entertaining ride from the get go. It’s funny, action-filled, and manages to tie up all the loose ends that count, while still leaving things open-ended enough for future stories set in this universe. I look forward to the announced follow-up sequel series The Rise of Io.
Other reviews in this series:
The Lives of Tao (Book 1) (Mogsy), The Lives of Tao (Book 1) (Tiara), The Lives of Tao (Book 1) (Wendy), The Deaths of Tao (Book 2)
Book Review: Touch by Claire North
Posted on March 30, 2015 19 Comments
A review copy of this book was provided to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Genre: Science Fiction, Thriller
Series: Stand Alone
Publisher: Orbit (February 24, 2015)
Author Information: Website | Twitter
Mogsy’s Rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
Does the idea of a unique, sc-fi thriller excite you? Read this book. Love wild, mind-trip movies like Inception? Read this book. If you’re looking for a smart, entertaining, and psychologically hard-hitting novel, this is what it looks like. READ THIS BOOK.
Touch was, in a word, fascinating. “Have you been losing time?” I don’t think I can ever hear or read this phrase again without getting a shiver down my spine. Imagine, if you will, a group or species of near-immortal people (they call themselves “Ghosts”) that can jump from body to body, taking their hosts over and seeing through their eyes, feeling what they feel. They can choose to be anyone they want, live any life they want…and all it takes is a single touch – and JUMP. Whether the possession is for two seconds, two days, or twenty years, the hosts won’t remember after the Ghost jumps away to another body again. Have you ever looked at your cellphone and see a call you don’t remember making? Or found yourself somewhere, without knowing how you got there? Have. You. Ever. Lost. Time?
Our protagonist is one of these Ghosts, given the name “Kepler”. The story begins with Kepler dying in her/his latest body Josephine Cebula, gunned down in a Turkish Metro station by a man who is clearly aware of Kepler’s nature and unique abilities. Kepler jumps bodies in pursuit of the mysterious killer hoping to get answers, and ends up wearing the killer’s body itself. Someone or some organization has been hunting down and destroying the Ghosts, and Kepler is determined to find the truth and avenge her/his beloved Josephine.
This book is getting lots of love from me based on the inventiveness and ingenuity of the premise alone. It’s especially a great read if you enjoy what-if stories and thought experiments, though imagining possible scenarios based on the theories in this novel might take you places you don’t want to go. Imagine being an unwilling victim of a Ghost, waking up having no idea where you are, with these people you don’t know who claim to be your children, finding out it’s suddenly twenty years later, and the last thing you remember is shaking hands with a stranger – a lifetime ago. Imagine the violation and trauma of knowing someone else had been in your body, using it doing God knows what. Imagine the memories and experiences you’ll never get the chance to have, because precious time was stolen from you.
Some Ghosts give very little thought to their hosts but Kepler is different, having cherished her/his hosts through all the centuries he/she has been jumping bodies. But everyone, even Ghosts, have their limits when pushed, and will do anything it takes to stay alive. At times, Kepler might come across as selfish and callous, but these situations only arise when he/she feels threatened and cornered. Small consolation for the victims who lose their lives because of Kepler’s actions, perhaps, but it does make me think slightly better of her/him.
This book reads like a mystery for the most part, relying on the unknown and strategically dropped hints to keep the plot moving evenly along, though it also has a handful of the most memorable action sequences I’ve ever read. Claire North makes good use of a Ghost’s body-jumping talents, almost taking them to gimmicky heights, to write some insanely good gunfight scenes. Just think about it. Yes, they are as awesome as you can imagine.
Of course, it also wouldn’t be such a unique book if it didn’t present its own set of potential problems. There will be moments of confusion, and it can’t be helped. The narrative jumps around a lot because of the constant body switching. There are flashback chapters that help us understand the main character, but they can also break up the pacing and slow things down. The story builds and builds and gets so complicated at times that it stumbles over itself. But for me, all that is a small price to pay for such an incredible and original story. As always, YMMV!
All told, Touch was a delightful surprise. Above all, I adored the concept and I think this would make an excellent movie, if only someone could pull it off (quick, someone send a copy to Christopher Nolan!) Thrilling, imaginative and entertaining, this book kept me reading well into the night.
Book Review: The Exile by C.T. Adams
Posted on March 29, 2015 8 Comments
A review copy of this book was provided to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Series: Book 1 of The Fae
Publisher: Tor (March 10, 2015)
Author Information: Website | Twitter
Mogsy’s Rating: 3.5 of 5 stars
C.T. Adams has written books as Cat Adams, a dual-partnership writing team with Cathy Clamp. I’ve never read anything by either author before, so I was looking forward to starting out with Ms. Adams’ first solo full-length novel The Exile, especially since I love stories about the fae.
The protagonist Brianna Hai lives a double life as necessitated by her own very nature. By day the half-human, half-fae young woman runs an occult shop selling innocent knickknacks to tourists, while hanging in her home is a magical painting which acts as a portal between our real world and the world of the faerie. As the daughter of High King Leu of Fae, Brianna enjoyed a childhood living amongst the wonders and delights of her father’s realm until her mother, a powerful human witch, changed the Veil that separated the worlds. All crossings between them are now governed by a new set of strict rules.
One day an unexpected attack by doxies on her apartment lands Brianna and her colleague David and his brother Nick back in Leu’s court, where she also discovers that her father may be in trouble. Having spent most of her life living as a human, Brianna is unused to the dangers of Fae politics, but she’ll have to deal with them in order to bring herself and her friends safely home.
This was a great book; I loved the story. However, from a technical standpoint, I stumbled a little with the writing.
The Exile will wow readers with a luscious, excitement filled plot. There’s very little downtime as we’re ushered from scene to scene, and something important happens in every one. The book is also filled with rich, beautiful descriptions of the Fae world, everything from the surroundings of King Leu’s palace and the huge variety of different fae that live in his magical domain, right down to the finest details about what the court lords and ladies wear and to the decadent food they eat. I seriously loved this.
I also enjoyed the characters and was impressed with Brianna most of all. The author paints a very unique picture of the fae, but at its heart they are still the conniving tricksters that make their stories such a delight. Being able to survive their world of ruthless politics and backstabbing is no mean feat, but Brianna manages to navigate this quagmire with aplomb. Despite being rusty in her knowledge of the ways and traditions of the fae, she’s frequently able to use her quick thinking and resourcefulness to get out of trouble.
The writing itself was what I struggled with most of all, along with the pacing of the story. Simply put, too much happens much too quickly, and not exactly in a way that’s desirable. The plot elements and the events in the timeline feel disjointed, particularly because there are so many character perspectives and so many point-of-view changes, all within a relatively short period of time. This gives the book an aura of confused, disorganized energy. Stylistically, there’s also something about Adams’ prose that I find distracting. I get jarred out of my immersion when I come across passages like:
“Nick didn’t consider himself overly modest, but he had never particularly liked being naked in front of strangers…”
Apparently, Nick has had plenty of experience to be naked in front of strangers…or it sounded that way in context, at least. Also, I imagine not too many people do, so I find his musing sort of unnecessary. Another example:
“Ulrich’s voice sounded strained and strange.”
Strained and strange? I imagine the former would already suggest the latter. Little redundancies like this along with other instances of awkward phrasing gave me pause and stalled my reading somewhat.
That said, overall The Exile was a pretty good read. It’s entertaining and grabbed my attention right away, which is by far the most important criterion, especially considering that it’s the first installment of a series. It’s an urban fantasy, but to me it also feels very different from the usual standard UF fare. The way things are going, I believe these books will go above and beyond simply chronicling the main character’s life and her immediate interactions and surroundings. Instead, the world-building feels very important too, and the narrative seems just as focused on the bigger picture. To me that means future plot developments will probably surprise us with large scale repercussions for both the human and fae worlds.
I’m definitely planning on sticking around to see what happens next.
Mogsy’s Bookshelf Roundup: Book Haul, Backlist, What I’ve Read
Posted on March 28, 2015 19 Comments
Another busy fortnight for new books, and I’ve been naughty on NetGalley by requesting three new titles — that’s a lot for me, considering I still have a couple from last month to read:
Received for Review
Sword of the North by Luke Scull – Physical ARC, with thanks to Penguin. This is the sequel to The Grim Company, and also one of my most anticipated books this year. I’m very excited about this one.
Day Four by Sarah Lotz – Physical ARC, with thanks to Little, Brown and Company. Another highly anticipated book of 2015! This is the follow up to The Three, which if you recall was a favorite of mine last year.
Oathkeeper by J.F. Lewis – Physical ARC, with thanks to Pyr. This title was completely new to me, though when it came I looked it up and saw that it is a sequel to another ARC that I have (Grudgekeeper) so it is most definitely going on the considering list.
The Grace of Kings by Ken Liu – Review copy, with thanks to Saga Press. Simon and Schuster’s new SFF imprint seems to be off to a running start with some great titles, and not least of all is this first full-length novel by Ken Liu that I can’t wait to dive into.
Hounacier by Seth Skorkowsky – Review copy, with thanks to Ragnarok Publications. The sequel to Damoren, I’m curious to see what’s next in this series about blessed sentient weapons.
Joe Steele by Harry Turtledove – Review copy, with thanks to Penguin. This was an unexpected arrival, and though I like alternate history, I’m not sure if Harry Turtledove is my style. Still, it’s going onto the seriously-considering pile.
Emissary by Betsy Dornbusch – Review copy, with thanks to Night Shade Books. Another unexpected arrival, and I’m not sure if I’ll get to this one since it’s a sequel to a book I’ve not read yet. As it so happens though, Exile is on my to-read list so this might be good motivation to start it.
Stories of the Raksura Vol. 2 by Martha Wells – Review copy, with thanks to Night Shade Books. I still haven’t started the Raksura books in the actual series yet, but I’m pleased to continue with the short story collections, especially after the good time I had with the first volume.
The Dangerous Type by Loren Rhoads – Review copy, with thanks to Night Shade Books. Very interesting looking novel that seems to be a mix of space opera and military sci-fi.
The Rebirths of Tao by Wesley Chu – From NetGalley, with thanks to Angry Robot. The exciting conclusion to the Tao series, and I’d just like to say I actually finished the book earlier this week, and it’s AWESOME. No question about it, my favorite of the trilogy.
The Waterborne Blade by Susan Murray – From NetGalley. with thanks to Angry Robot. This was featured as my Waiting on Wednesday last week, so you know I’m looking forward to it!
Hunt for Valamon by D.K. Mok – From NetGalley, with thanks to Spence City Books. This was recommended to me by a friend on Twitter, and I’m glad he did. A superb mix of epic fantasy and light humor.
Back to the Backlist
Here’s what’s on tap from the backlist bar this week:
My Real Children by Jo Walton – I think it’s high time I read something by the renowned Ms. Walton. My Real Children has been on my to-read list January 11, 2014 according to Goodreads. Enough waiting.
What I’ve Read Since the Last Update
In the last two weeks, I managed to complete several review books as well as many books in my personal TBR — including a bunch of YA titles thanks to the wonderful audiobook collection at my library. Keep an eye out for my reviews of these books in the coming weeks. You can already read my review for The Dragon Conspiracy and Murder of Crows.
2015 Audiobook Challenge Update
Posted on March 27, 2015 9 Comments
Spring is finally sort of here for some of us, and it’s time for an update on our Audiobook Challenge status. This challenge is brought to you by The Book Nympho and Hot Listens, and, as avid audiobook listeners here at Bibliosanctum, we’ve been very keen to participate.
Levels:
- Newbie (I’ll give it a try) 1-5
- Weekend Warrior (I’m getting the hang of this) 5-10
- Stenographer (can listen while multi-tasking) 10-15
- Socially Awkward (Don’t talk to me) 15-20
- Binge Listener (Why read when someone can do it for you) 20-30
- My Precious (I had my earbuds surgically implanted) 30-50
- Marathoner (Look Ma no hands) 50+
Tiara’s Progress
Since I took on this initial challenge, I have hit the books required for Stenographer. I’m starting to set my sights on Socially Awkward. At the rate, I’m going I’m probably going to end up somewhere between Binge Listener and My Precious, but I’m not trying to put too much pressure on myself. I retroactively counted one book which I’d finished right before I decided to do the challenge (The Haunting of Hill House). Some of these books have upcoming reviews, and some of these books I haven’t reviewed for this site, specifically the non-speculative related books. I’ve been listening to quite a few short stories/novellas, so I’m counting every 3 shorts listened to as one novel read to be fair.
Completed Listens:
Full-Length Novels
Short Stories
Upcoming Listens:
Wendy’s Progress
I hadn’t officially planned to participate in the challenge, but since I regularly listen to audiobooks — most often at work and on long drives — I’m kind of already participating by default. And since I’m a sucker for challenges… My Preciousssss….
Completed Listens:
Upcoming Listens:
Mogsy’s Progress
I’m going to go for broke and try for Marathoner…or at least try to hit the upper limits of My Precious. So far I think I’m on track.
Completed Listens:
Upcoming Listens:
Backlist Burndown: Murder of Crows by Anne Bishop
Posted on March 27, 2015 18 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!
The book I’m reviewing for this month’s Backlist Burndown has been on my TBR for almost a year now, but on top of that, it’s also part of my series catch-up challenge…
Murder of Crows by Anne Bishop
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Series: Book 2 of The Others
Publisher: Roc (March 4, 2014)
Author Information: Website
Mogsy’s Rating: 4 of 5 stars
This series is seriously great. There’s nothing out there quite like it; Anne Bishop is a talented storyteller and her characters are wonderful, but it’s the world of The Others that truly sets it apart. Just when you think you’ve seen it all, Bishop brings a fresh and unique take on urban fantasy to the table.
Remember, in this world, the supernaturals are the dominant race and we puny humans are their food. Murder of Crows picks up from the first book Written in Red, following the story of the cassandra sangue or blood prophet Meg Corbyn in her new life at the Lakeside Courtyard. A few months have passed since she escaped her keepers to seek sanctuary among the terra indigene, and she’s viewed as somewhat of an oddity due to the nature of her powers. Meg isn’t exactly one of the Others, but she’s not quite human either and that makes her not prey. Slowly she gains the trust of her hosts, and her relationship with Simon Wolfgard, the shapeshifting leader of Lakeside Courtyard, also continues to grow.
There are a couple other major plotlines in this book. Someone is out there killing terra indigene, specifically targeting crows and creating drugs that would dangerously alter the behaviors of the Others. The fragile peace is further shaken as humans are becoming more and more disgruntled with their place in the pecking order (pardon the pun), giving rise to groups like Humans First and Last. Tensions are at an all-time high between the two groups, and while the situation is much worse in other parts of Thaisia, Lakeside Courtyard has not been able to avoid the effects of the conflict.
With this second book, Anne Bishop seems to have hit her stride. In my review of Written in Red, I noted that it seemed rather lengthy for an urban fantasy novel, especially for a series starter. The story felt bulky, padded with what I felt were quite a few unnecessary scenes. In contrast, Murder of Crows has a much more reasonable page count and therefore a lot less filler, which in turn improved the flow and made the story feel more streamlined.
I also like how the series has made a turn for the darker. Not that Written in Red wasn’t dark enough to begin with, but there’s still a noticeable shift here with the themes gradually inching towards grimmer and more disturbing territory. Violence between humans and the Others is nothing new, but the people who used to hold Meg captive are up to their usual shenanigans as well, and you can see how she’s one of the lucky ones for managing to escape. Bishop does not attempt to sugarcoat or soften the details of what happens to the other cassandra sangue girls who suffer all kinds of abuse at the hands of the sinister and depraved man known as “The Controller”.
However, the darkness is also countered with moments of levity. An interesting but intentionally awkward dynamic starts to develop between Meg and Simon Wolfgard, due to the fact that their reactions to each other are so vastly different when the latter is in his human form versus his furry form. I doubt this shtick can continue for that much longer though, so let’s hope their relationship will progress a little further in the next book.
Also in the next book, I’d like to see more depth to the characters. The strength of the world-building seems to be overshadowing everything because it’s the most unique aspect at the moment. While Meg’s blood prophet powers are pretty cool, I’m not getting much of a feel for her personality. She’s meek and comes across slightly aloof, perhaps due to the style of narration which keeps her somewhat at arm’s length. A better balance between setting and characters would be nice, because I’d like to feel a stronger connection to the protagonist.
All in all though, this is definitely an interesting and enjoyable read. I’ll be jumping into Vision in Silver very soon and I’m really looking forward to it.
Other reviews in this series:
Written in Red (Book 1)
The BiblioSanctum 