Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Characters You’d Like To Check In With
Posted on April 7, 2015 17 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: Top Ten Characters You’d Like To Check In With
With a little clarification quoted from the site:
Top Ten Characters You’d Like To Check In With (meaning, the book or series is over and you so just wish you could peek in on the “life” you imagine they are leading years down the line after the story ends). Does this prompt make sense?? It makes sense in my head! Let me know and I can clarify haha
Tiara’s Picks
I did something a little different with my picks. All my picks feature couples, would-be couples, friends, families, and people whose lives have shaped by one person even if they don’t know one another (but I feel they will soon). I have an interest in learning to what happened to them as a duo or how their lives may eventually converge.
NONE OF THESE ARE PARTICULARLY SPOILERISH, BUT I WILL THROW UP A SPOILER WARNING JUST IN CASE SINCE THIS TOPIC DOES DEAL WITH CHARACTERS AFTER THEIR STORIES END!
George and Heather from the Lathe of Heaven by Ursula K. Le Guin. What I loved about the love story in this book is that it didn’t overshadow the story taking place. Heather serves as more than just the love interest in George’s story, and their romance is unconventional and cautious. In fact, romance may be a strong word to even call what happens between those two. The way this book ended made me hopeful for the Heather and George romance, and it made me wonder, “Where are they now?”
Oskar and Eli from Let the Right One In by John Ajvide Lindqvist. This is another very unconventional friendship/almost-romance between a young vampire named Eli and a young boy named, Oskar. This is a very dark and uncomfortable story. When I first read it I hailed it as one of the best vampire stories I’d read in years because it didn’t even try to be pretty. Oskar and Eli’s love/friendship is based on a very symbiotic premise, but it’s also dangerous for both parties, and my mind run wilds thinking about the trouble they’re likely getting into, but how they do really care for one another in their twisted way.
Kim and Alana from Tamara Vardomskaya’s Acrobatic Duality, which is about a pair of acrobatic partner who are perfectly matched in gymnastics, but they have a secret. Their bodies belonged to to two other people, but they can actually remember being one conscious person at some point. Their thoughts are shared. They always know what the other is thinking or going to do. No one will be honest with them about, but by the end of the story Kim and Alana have decided they will not continue the charade. I find myself wondering if they were able to finally become individuals, if they found out more about the girl they used to be, if they find out about the girls whose bodies they possess. This was a Tor short story that can be read for free on the site or via Kindle.
Kirsten Raymonde and Jeevan Chaudhary from Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel. These two don’t know each other personally, but the night Arthur Leander died, Jeevan was the man who consoled Kirsten who was just a child at the time. In the post-flu ravaged world, their footsteps seem to be bringing them closer and closer after twenty years. Part of me knows they may never actually meet again, but they’re so close to that point that it could happen, and despite Kirsten being young when the flu first happened she holds many memories about that particular moment.
Logan and Baby Banner from Mark Millar’s Old Man Logan. This takes place in an alternate Marvel timeline fifty years in the future. The supervillains formed a coup putting aside their differences and masterfully executing a plan that leaves many of the world’s superheroes dead. The ones who do manage to survive go into hiding to survive. There’s one exception to this story—Logan. He doesn’t live in hiding, and he’s taken a vow to never unsheathe his claws again, which we know doesn’t happen. The Hulk was one deciding factor in the war, and he sided with the villains. After a series of events that leads to Logan having to face down the Banners including Hulk, She-Hulk, and their offspring. Logan leaves one alive–the baby. Who he straps to his back and decides they’re about to make a better future. Very bittersweet. (Note: Just read they’re expected to publish another book for this which had been rumored on and off for years in 2016. I’m excited, but scared that it’s going to ruin what I loved about this comic.)
Graphic Novel Review: In Real Life by Cory Doctorow and Jen Wang
Posted on April 7, 2015 12 Comments
In Real Life by Cory Doctorow and Jen Wang
Genre: Gaming, Fantasy, Young Adult, Economics, Social Studies
Publisher: First Second (October 2014)
Author Info: craphound.com
Artist Info: jenwang.net
This is a graphic novel about gaming and economics, as it states in the long intro that perhaps delved more deeply into these topics than the actual comic does. In Real Life also claims to explore the role of gender in gaming. It stars a young girl named Anda who, along with others in her class, are invited to join a guild in the multiple online roleplaying game, Coarse Gold. The stipulation is that she must choose to play as a female character. When Anda enters the game, we learn why through a player named Lucy, who has had to work her ass off to prove herself worthy within an industry largely dominated by men.
First off, as a gamer — as a woman gamer — this bothered me. Oh yes there are gender-based issues in gaming, but I am and know many other women who play these games and play as female characters and can hold their own just fine against any other player, man or woman. Lucy’s experience is very limited and poorly representative of the current state of the industry. Worse, it’s glossed over in favour of the economics plotline — which itself glosses over a whole lot.
Through Lucy, Anda gets involved in a gold farmer assassination project wherein they are paid by real people to eliminate the players who farm in-game currency in exchange for real money. This is a very real thing that has been going on in online games for years. By allowing players to purchase in-game currency in exchange for real currency, the economics of the game itself are disrupted.
The problem is that this is only mentioned in passing. If you’re not an online gamer, you’re not likely to understand just how this is problematic, and Doctorow really doesn’t bother to give you much detail. If you’re a gamer, you most likely do know about gold selling, have probably been spammed by gold sellers, or perhaps have even purchased gold yourself. Perhaps you do know how gold selling affects gameplay and in-game economics, in which case, you can skip to the next Important Message: Gold Sellers Are People Too.
Many of the people who spend hours upon hours grinding away at boring tasks in order to earn in-game currency to be sold to players are doing so for ridiculously low wages. They are most often Asian. In some cases, they are criminals tasked with this chore, sometimes students, sometimes gamers who wish to support their hobbies. But they are most certainly, people (well, most of them are. In Real Life once again only mildly touches on the automated “bot” programs.) In her adventures, Anda befriends one of them and learns the reality of his life and tries to help him, which of course causes more trouble. Then she manages to save his world with some more superficial storytelling, and proves herself worthy of the project she was initially tasked with — a project whose purpose was, I think, something about playing as a female character, but to what end? I know not.
I was given this book by a non-gamer friend who thought I’d appreciate more than she did, but it’s failed to work for either of us. This should have given her insight into some elements of online gaming culture, but instead, it left her confused by vague concepts. It should have tugged at my heartstrings as a gamer by making me more aware of the intricacies of gold selling and gender issues, but thanks to the same vagueness that plagued my non-gamer friend, were just annoyances for me.
Ah well. At least the art was fantastic.
Interview with Seth Skorkowsky, Author of Dämoren and Hounacier
Posted on April 6, 2015 8 Comments
Last year I read and reviewed a book called Dämoren, an urban fantasy/horror novel about a character named Matt Hollis and his magical sentient gunblade. I was blown away by the author Seth Skorkowsky’s world building and fresh take on angels & demons, so when I heard about the sequel Hounacier from Ragnarok Publications, I jumped right in.
Hounacier greatly expanded the world of the Valducan series with a story that explored the spiritual traditions of voodoo through the eyes of another knight, Malcolm Romero (see the review). While reading it I knew I wanted to find out even more — so I went straight to the source! Seth kindly agreed to chat with me about his series. Enjoy the interview!
* * *
Hello Seth, and welcome to The BiblioSanctum!
Seth: Thank you very much for having me.
To start off, how would you describe the Valducan series to the uninitiated?
Seth: The Valducan series follows an order of modern-day knights that hunt demons. When someone is possessed with a demon, they take the form of a monster, such as a werewolf, oni, wendigo, etc., and the only true way to kill them is with a holy weapon, which each knight is bonded to a unique weapon. They’re a lot of action with some horror thrown in for flavor. I usually describe it as a mixture of Hellboy, Supernatural, and Hellsing.
I love that the series is centered around the idea of sentient holy weapons. What inspired you to write these books?
Seth: Originally I had two separate ideas. The first was that the classic monsters of old were really demonic possessions, and that mortal weapons like silver bullets could only kill the host’s body, while the demonic spirit just moved on to another. The second idea was how to make a magic gun. Magic swords have been a staple to stories for centuries and I wanted a modern variant. The trick was figuring out how the magic moves from the gun to the bullet. Eventually, I realized that those ideas fit together really well and the rest just grew from there.
What kind of research did you do? What was the coolest or most fascinating thing you came across while researching for Dämoren or Hounacier?
Seth: For Dämoren I did a lot of research on folklore monsters and 19th century handguns. With Hounacier I spent most of my research time on Voodoo. I really wanted to be more authentic and respectful toward it than how its normally treated. I knew my perceptions of it had been skewed by Hollywood myth, but didn’t realize how much until I started digging.
The books Dämoren and Hounacier are both named for the holy weapons wielded by their main characters. There are many more of these fantastical weapons featured in this series, all with some very interesting names! Where do you get the ideas for them?
Seth: The majority of the names are rooted in real words. Dämoren is based on the German word ‘Dämon’, which means demon. Hounacier is a mixture of ‘Houngan’, which is a Voodoo priest, and ‘-mancer’, like necromancer. Some of the weapons, like Feuertod, are literal translations (That means “Death by Fire”). Others, like Ibenus, are completely made up.
I love the fact that the holy weapons and their owners have a very special bond. Do you personally have a favorite weapon from your books, one you would choose to bond to if you could?
Seth: My favorite is Dämoren. She was the first and became the most special for me. Many of the other weapons have some pretty cool abilities, but I’ll always love her the most.
The main protagonist of Dämoren is Matt Hollis while the second book Hounacier follows the story of another Valducan knight named Malcolm Romero. Why did you decide to switch characters for the sequel, and what made you choose Malcolm?
Seth: I decided to switch characters to keep it fresh. Matt’s big mystery about himself is solved by the end of the first book and I didn’t want to keep re-hashing the same story over and over. There’s a lot of characters and each one has their own strengths and weaknesses, and focusing solely on Matt would get boring.
Originally, I’d planned to make the second book Ibenus, and follow Allan Havlock. Hounacier was originally going to be Book Three. But a few weeks after finishing Dämoren, my wife and I went to New Orleans and I had a stroke of inspiration. So I just had to follow along with it and make Hounacier the second one.
Now that I’ve picked your brain about your books, I’d love to know more about you, the author! Did you always want to be a writer?
Seth: When I was younger I really wanted to be a writer, and my 8th Grade English teacher even helped me submit some stories for publication. Then in high school I got distracted with girls and punk rock. I became very involved in debate and public speaking. Everyone told me that I had a great radio voice, so I went off to school to go into broadcasting. It wasn’t until after college, and deciding that I didn’t actually want a career in radio, that I picked up writing again.
Which authors or books have been your greatest influences?
Seth: Probably the biggest influence was Clive Barker. I love his prose, and despite his reputation as a horror author, the bulk of his work is fantasy. Imagica was the first time a book really blew me away. After him I would say William Gibson. His ability to describe things is simply incredible. Virtual Light is a standby audio book on my iPod. I’ve listened to it more times than I’ll ever admit.
What are your hobbies, or favorite pastimes for when you want to have fun or take a break from writing?
Seth: Tabletop role-playing games have been a major part of my life for years. We still play once a month, usually Dungeons & Dragons or Cyberpunk2020. Renaissance fairs are also a huge part of who I am. I used to work them in college, performing or selling in shops, but now I just go to have fun. Lastly travel. The world is such an amazing place and I love experiencing the history and culture of different parts of it.
Wrapping up, are there any other projects you’re working on currently or in the near future that you’d like to share, either writing or non-writing related? Will there be more Valducan books?
Seth: I just released a series of pulpy sword & sorcery adventures titled Mountain of Daggers, which follows a thief/assassin called the Black Raven. While they’re different short stories, they’re linear, so it’s like a Season One. The second book, Sea of Quills will be coming out this October.
I’m currently writing the third Valducan novel, Ibenus. But I’m also working on several short stories that take place in that world prior to the events in Dämoren. The first of those will be coming out later this year.
Definitely looking forward to those. Thank you so much for the interview!
Seth: My pleasure. Thanks for having me.
*** For more information about Seth Skorkowsky and his books, please visit his website at http://skorkowsky.com! ***
Book Review: Vision in Silver by Anne Bishop
Posted on April 5, 2015 13 Comments
A review copy of this book was provided to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Vision in Silver by Anne Bishop
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Series: Book 3 of The Others
Publisher: Roc (March 3, 2015)
Author Information: Website
Mogsy’s Rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
More and more, I’m understanding why these books are so universally loved by urban fantasy readers. I suppose I’m a bit of a late convert; I certainly enjoyed the first two novels of The Others, but I don’t think the addiction really started to creep up on me until this latest installment. I found it difficult to put down at times.
Part of it is the fact that all the seeds planted in the previous books are finally starting to come to fruition. No more messing around, things just got REAL with the Cassandra sangue and the Humans First and Last (HFL) movement. I’m so glad I decided to catch up with Murder of Crows before tackling this one, because my experience with Vision in Silver would not have been so enjoyable otherwise. So if you’re thinking about picking up this series, definitely start from the beginning with Written in Red – and not least because you wouldn’t want to spoil anything for yourself, not when it comes to The Others.
This book continues two major plot threads that have been brewing for a while: 1) the fate of the blood prophets who were confined to compounds and then freed, and 2) the rise of the HFL and their increasingly aggressive resistance against the Others. Both have dire repercussions for the humans and terra indigene living across Thaisia.
With Meg Corbyn’s help, the Others of Lakeside Courtyard are trying to put together a plan to integrate the freed blood prophets into their new communities, helping them deal with the drastic changes to their lives and the uncontrollable urge to cut themselves. The details about the girls’ previous lives at the compound under the Controller just got even more terrible in this book. After what I read in Murder of Crows it’s hard to imagine that things could get any worse, but there you go. Meg may have escaped on her own, but she’s not immune from the effects either; now Simon Wolfgard is even more protective of her, making sure that her own efforts don’t put her even more at risk.
It’s the HFL storyline that wins, though. This whole ugly situation with anti-Others movement was a lit powder keg just waiting to blow, and the moment has finally come. It also makes you wonder, just who are the monsters here, really? Granted, the Others of the Lakeside Courtyard under the rule of Simon Wolfgard are more benevolent than your average terra indigene, but thus far this series has been painting them as the beasts that they are, the savage predators of humankind. But the depravity of the acts committed by some of the humans in this book are just despicable, not to mention the sheer stupidity of the HFL for even thinking about messing with the Others. THEY HAVE CONTROL OVER THE NATURAL WORLD, PEOPLE! If the elementals want to cause a huge storm or make the waves rise up to sink your ship to the bottom of a lake, they have their ways. For time eternal, humans and the terra indigene have existed side by side but only out of necessity; the former may have developed some useful and advanced technologies over the ages, but it is the latter who control the natural resources. By seeking to upset this precarious balance, HFL is going to open themselves up to a whole world of hurt, and there have already been casualties from both sides. Something tells me that there will be lot more craziness before this is over (*munches popcorn*).
That said though, I think the series also took a step backwards when it comes to certain things, mainly when it comes to the portrayal of Meg’s character. I’ve always wondered why Meg is so special to everyone in Lakeside Courtyard. Yes, she’s a Cassandra sangue, a human-but-not-quite-human-and-therefore-not-prey blood prophet who has stolen the hearts of the Others by helping them a few times, but that still doesn’t really explain why they defer to her or bend over backwards to treat her like a queen – especially since that goes against everything we know about the Others’ nature. Meg is an idealized character, an observation that has been sitting in the back of my mind since the beginning of the series, but it’s a lot more noticeable in this book, enough to finally push me over the edge to question it. It says a lot too, that out of all the books, Meg’s POV was the most limited in this one but I didn’t really notice or even mind too much. It’s a minor flaw, but it bothered me enough that I had to mention it.
Am I really pumped up for the next book, though? Yes, a thousand times yes. I enjoyed Vision in Silver as much as I did the previous two books, but something about it just took it to the next level. Despite my dissatisfaction with Meg’s character, everything else was amazing. The story was superb, more engaging than ever before. The ending was also somewhat abrupt, which was torturous – I wanted more right away. I’m glad I’m all caught up with this series…but of course, that means I now join the waiting game for book four.
Other reviews in this series:
Written in Red (Book 1), Murder of Crows (Book 2)
Book Review: Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas
Posted on April 5, 2015 15 Comments
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Series: Book 3 of Throne of Glass
Publisher: Bloomsbury Children’s (September 2, 2014)
Author Information: Website | Twitter
Wendy’s Rating: 3 of 5 stars
I really enjoyed the first book in this series, Throne of Glass, but came away disappointed after the second, Crown of Midnight. A lot of my disappointment had to do with the main character, Celaena. I put up with her arrogance in the first book because it was balanced by many other elements, including her self-loathing. The second book delved into a cloying romance between herself and Chaol Westfall, the captain of the king’s guard. By the end of the book, Adarlan’s Assassin finally reveals in assassin-y skills in a scene to rival a Batman: Arkham game. Now, Celaena has become the Avatar, and, on top of more self-loathing, as heaped on by the tragedies she’s just lived through, and her returning memories, she gets to learn how to wield her firebending powers.
Throughout this series, Celaena has not been a likable character, though Maas is trying very, very hard to ensure that she is and offers all sorts of supporting characters who do like her. I don’t mind characters who are brash and arrogant and unlikable. I don’t like it when everything about them feels forced. In this case, Celaena just feels like too much of a Mary Sue for me, even, or perhaps especially, with the piles and piles of suffering and trauma Maas heaps onto her. I’m supposed to see a survivor, a woman who has lost so much and hurts deeply and struggles with guilt and with the responsibilities others place on her shoulders because they see in her their saviour.
All that is fine, but I get tired of hearing about it from Celaena, over and over and over and over again.
Thankfully, Maas has always allowed the other characters in this series to speak their mind, with many scenes written from their points of view. Prince Dorian, Chaol, and now, several new characters are introduced. They all have a stake in Celaena’s life and it is through their views of Celaena and her purpose, as well as their own, that I appreciate this story.
As I mentioned, Celaena is now a firebender and the titular heir of fire. She is on a mission as the King of Adarlan’s assassin, but Chaol’s true motives in sending her away was to bring her closer to the fae–her people. She is not actively seeking them out, but her nihilistic behaviour makes it easy for them to find her. Enter: Rowan, the brooding fae warrior, blood bound to a fae queen, who’s suffered much loss of his own. He is tasked with training Celaena in the use of her powers. Cue flaming “Eye of the Tiger” montage. A lot of time is spent with these two characters, and I know from the Goodreads and Tumblr posts, that the teasing regarding their potential romantic relationship has worked well. I admit, I kinda got caught up in that too, but appreciate that, after the lovey-dovey-fest that was book two, Maas allows for a little more maturity in the relationship between Rowan and Celaena, and I’m really pleased with where things end up by the end of this book.
Like I said, there are a lot more characters now and many of them get to tell the story through their point of view. Most notable among them are Aedion, the King’s general whom Prince Dorian and Captain Chaol have hated for some time, with what they thought was good reason. Now, Chaol’s sleuthing reveals some surprising depth to Aedion and his motivations.
There is also Manon Blackbeak, an heir to one of the many witch clans we learned about in book two. Manon is the only character that does not relate directly to Celaena in some way (for now, though the future connection seems fairly obvious), so her part plays out almost as a separate book altogether as she deals with the trials and pressures of her people as they prepare to serve the King of Adarlan as his soldiers.
Magic is also a thing unto itself, as Celaena learns to use hers, Dorian tries to hide his, and corruption stalks the fae.
While I am not getting as much out of this series as I initially did, I am still curious enough to find out what comes next. Not for Celaena, but for everyone else.
YA Weekend: An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir
Posted on April 4, 2015 22 Comments
A review copy of this book was provided to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Series: Book 1
Publisher: Razorbill (April 28, 2015)
Author Information: Website | Twitter
Mogsy’s Rating: 4 of 5 stars
An Ember in the Ashes was a great read, and so far probably one of my favorite “mainstream” Young Adult books this year. I can definitely understand the excitement surrounding it, and the book might actually live up to all the attention. That said, the novel is not without its flaws, ultimately falling prey to the many pitfalls of its genre. For a debut, though? I thought it was fantastic.
The book takes place in the heart of the ruthless Martial Empire, following the strife filled lives of two young people. Laia is a simple Scholar girl, forced to join the Resistance after her brother Darin, the only family she has left, is arrested by the military. In order to free Darin, she agrees to go undercover to spy on the Commandant of the empire’s military academy. Then there’s Elias Veturius, one of best soldiers to ever graduate from that academy. Deep down though, he wants nothing more than to escape from the empire and leave its brutal traditions behind forever.
The empire’s Augurs, however, have a different plan in mind. It has been foreseen that without an heir, the current Martial emperor’s line will end this year. The next ruler of the greatest empire this world has ever seen is to be chosen amongst the finest crop of the academy’s latest graduates – which means Elias is to be thrown into a series of competitions that will test his resolve and push him to his limits. Meanwhile, Laia is tasked by the Resistance to find out more about the process, plunging her into the cruel and unrestrained world of the Trials, binding her fate to Elias’s forever.
The plot is quite intriguing to say the least, in spite of the fact that we start things off with what appears to be the two most foolish protagonists on the planet. Elias, who is about to attempt the riskiest decision of his life by deserting, can’t even seem to muster up the ability to at least look innocent. Then there’s Laia, who keeps berating herself over and over again for being such a useless, weak coward. I’m sure it will come as a surprise to absolutely no one that when you say something enough times, you’ll actually start to believe it. Which is why, very quickly, Laia began to really get on my nerves.
But then the amount of character growth by the end of the book, at least for Elias, was astounding. Despite the book having two main protagonists, for me it was all about him. His chapters are more exciting, but more importantly, he has his beliefs plus the determination, strength and courage to stick by them. I’m also captivated by the relationships. A bizarre dynamic exists in Gens Veturius, with Elias’s grandfather General Quin as its patriarch, but it is his daughter, Elias’s mother, who holds the deadliest power. That’s because she’s also the military school’s Commandant. Yes, the very same one Laia was ordered to spy on.
As the Commandant, Keris Veturius is one of the best YA villains I’ve ever encountered. It’s rare that a bad guy actually becomes one of my favorite characters, but there’s a cold, well-crafted complexity to her that we don’t see a lot in this genre, and that immediately made her fascinating. Not only does she have total authority over all the Masks, she also possesses a disturbing tendency to just know things. Her relationship with Elias is also a curious subject. There’s certainly no love lost between mother and son, and in fact the Commandant seems repulsed by Elias. The relationship between Elias and his grandfather Quin on the other hand appears warmer and more genial, and you really have to wonder just what on earth happened to make this family so screwed up like this. We get some hints at the end, but there’s definitely a much bigger story there, and I have a feeling that it might have something to do with the identity of Elias’s father.
I also really like the character of Helene, Elias’s oldest and closest friend at the academy. I really wish she had been a point-of-view character; somehow I think I would have had enjoyed seeing through her eyes more than Laia’s. I think the dynamics between Elias and Helene are also more interesting, and I couldn’t have been more pleased with how their story played out, taking us along on an unpredictable ride full of twists and turns, wondering all the while how things are going to end for these two best friends. There are so much more I want to know about Helene, but unfortunately we don’t get a lot of information. No reason has been given yet as to why they only choose one woman per generation for the military school, for instance. But still, her relationship with Elias interests me, and I’m looking forward to see how that plot thread will resolve.
Now on to the novel’s weaknesses. For me, the big one was Laia. While Elias grew as a character, Laia continued to be infuriating as hell. She agrees to be a spy, jumping into this nigh impossible situation without any serious consideration, fueled only by her obnoxious bullheadedness. She makes a terrible spy too, by the way, and everyone knows this including herself. Yet she never actually makes the effort to find out how to be a better one, and if it weren’t for advice given to her by others she would have kept making the same mistakes again and again. The worst part is, she laments incessantly about how weak she thinks she is, and instead of making me sympathize with her, it just makes me angry. Through all this she never grows her own backbone, until literally the very last chapter when it’s too late for me to care. The rest of the book, it’s always her brother Darin’s voice in her head giving her encouragement instead of her own, Darin giving her a reason to take action instead of her own will. She shows very little growth in that sense, despite the brave face she tries to put on. Her chapters aren’t as interesting either, and mostly I just couldn’t wait until they were over so I could get back to Elias’s point of view.
Also, if I had to pick a few nits, firstly I wished the author had gone with different names for the world’s people rather than “Scholar” or “Martial”. It reminded me too much of Divergent, not exactly one of my favorite YA novels and certainly not a book I’d want to associate with this one. Secondly, there are some logical inconsistencies in the story (like if Blackcliff Academy was such a hotbed for Resistance spies, you’d think the military would have a better system in place to vet their slaves and servants. Of course, if they did, Laia’s incompetence would have never have gotten her through and there would be no story).
And thirdly, there is this bizarre love triangle. Actually, make that two love triangles. When the book started off with Elias and Helene, Laia and Keenan (another Resistance member), I was really hoping Sabaa Tahir would stay on this path with these two pairs and avoid having to resort to overused love geometrics. Alas, ultimately she decided to adhere to convention, and to my further dismay, instead of just having a single love triangle we end up with this two-girls-for-one-boy and two-boys-for-one-girl situation. A bit unnecessary, if you ask me.
So yes, there definitely are some punches you just have to roll with. But fortunately, they are small punches. The last few that I mentioned are insignificant to minor flaws, none of which are nearly as big as the issue I had with Laia’s character, which is probably the main reason I’m not embracing this book as wholeheartedly as I could be.
I really did enjoy this book though, and the fact that I’ve already written so much in this review is probably a good testament to how much I liked it. I found it quite addicting, especially Elias’s chapters and the terrible things he had to go through in the Trials. I admit, when I started the book I truly thought the results of the completion would be a foregone conclusion, but I was wrong – there are a lot of surprises and unexpected twists and turns in the search for the Martial’s new Emperor and Blood Shrike. With the way it ended, I can’t imagine there not being a sequel. Who knows what it’ll be and who knows when it’ll come out, but what I do know is that I’ll be checking it out for sure.
Book Review: Hounacier by Seth Skorkowsky
Posted on April 3, 2015 15 Comments
A review copy of this book was provided to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Genre: Urban Fantasy, Horror
Series: Book 2 of Valducan
Publisher: Ragnarok Publications (March 14, 2015)
Author Information: Website | Twitter
Mogsy’s Rating: 4 of 5 stars
Last year I discovered the awesome world of magic, demons, and sentient spirit-imbued weapons in Seth Skorkowsky’s Dämoren, so when I was offered a chance to read the sequel, I didn’t hesitate.
Hounacier builds on the first book, which introduced us to an order of modern-day knights called the Valducan. All the monsters or the world are actually human beings possessed by a demon, and the type of demon in turn determines the type of monster and the transformation into werewolf, ghoul, lamia, wendigo, etc. A Valducan knight makes it his or her life’s work hunting and killing these demons, with the help of a holy weapon which the knight is bonded to with their whole heart and soul.
Book two expands upon these themes, but the story is also very different. For one thing, we have a change in protagonist. While Dämoren follows the life of a rogue demon hunter named Matt Hollis, Hounacier instead features another Valducan knight named Malcolm Romero. Dämoren was a jet-setting action/adventure thriller that took us on an ass-kicking demon hunt across the globe, while Hounacier takes place mostly in New Orleans and the story reads more like a mystery. The pacing is thus slower, but this is a good thing because it also sets the book up nicely for a heavier and more macabre horror vibe.
This dark fantasy series just got even darker, which is how I like it! Eleven years after he faced his first demon and became apprenticed to a Voodoo priest, Malcolm receives news about the grisly murder of his mentor. Now he returns to New Orleans in order to catch the killer, armed with his holy weapon, a machete named Hounacier. As the investigation deepens and the details surrounding it becomes more disturbing, Malcolm finds himself betrayed. With his soul violated and his holy blade stolen from him, Malcolm is plunged into a nightmarish existence of violence and terrible dark magic. Seth Skorkowsky kept me on my toes the whole time, and it’s such an intense and brutal tale that I couldn’t even begin to guess how everything would turn out.
In many ways, the scope of Hounacier is smaller than that of its predecessor; we’re mainly in a single setting, there aren’t as many characters, and we also don’t see a big variety of demons in this book. Still, the narrower focus serves an advantage here, because it immerses us deeply into the culture and traditions of Voodoo magic. The author has clearly done a lot of research in order to make his portrayal of it as authentic and accurate as possible.
We also get to know the protagonist a lot better. Malcolm was a side character in Dämoren, one of the lead knights who gave Matt Hollis a hard time because the Valducan believed Matt was demon-touched. So in the first book, Malcolm was painted as this huge asshole and admittedly that’s how I remembered him too. Imagine my surprise then, when I read Hounacier and realized how much I liked him and sympathized with him. Malcolm is awesome – he’s interesting, deep, and conflicted, and this makes him an engaging character to follow. I think I ended up liking him even more than Matt Hollis. The powers granted to Malcolm by the mystical properties of his weapon are also unique and new. Matt Hollis may have his blood compasses, but Malcolm Romero has his magical tattoos, including one that can see through your soul to tell if you’re pure or tainted by a demon. Very cool stuff.
I would consider these Valducan books to be Urban Fantasy, but there’s also a great deal of Horror thrown into the mix. The horror element is even more prominent in Hounacier, as we follow the trail of a murderer and then come face-to-face with a werewolf demon. The werewolves here are the savage, psychotic and bloodthirsty variety, with the monster in control rather than the human. More than once, the terrifyingly gruesome scenes in here evoked a visceral reaction from me. If you like your UF dark, brutal and completely unflinching about the fact, then Valducan is the series for you.
One final thing I’m grateful to Mr. Skorkowsky for is that these books can be read as stand-alones. Hounacier has some connections to Dämoren, like Matt Hollis showing up near the end to team up with Malcolm, etc. but for the most part both novels are self-contained stories. Pick up either one (they’re both good!) and read away. Highly recommended.
*** Curious to know more? Be sure to stop by The BiblioSanctum next Monday for our interview with Seth Skorkowsky ***
Other reviews in this series: Dämoren (Book 1)
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…”
The BiblioSanctum 