Comic Review: Silk #1 by Robbie Thompson
Posted on February 25, 2015 8 Comments
I’m doing something a little different here in lieu of my usual comic stack, and you’ll see this from time to time. My intention was to make this a post all about books with leading ladies, but once I got around to writing about Silk, it become so wordy that I decided it merited its own post today.
Genre: Superheroes, Leading Ladies
Publisher: Marvel (February 18, 2015)
Art: Stacey Lee | Cover Art: Dave Johnson
Tiara’s Rating: 4 of 5 stars
When I first started back to doing these little comic blurbs on Wednesdays, I mentioned that I probably wouldn’t do too many mainstream books unless I felt they warranted a mention. Silk #1 is worth a mention. There are too few mainstream books with women of color placed squarely in the center. (Cindy Moon is Asian-American.) Not only do I feel this book is important for that reason, but this is really a good female-led comic despite a few bumps I’ll talk about later.
Before I talk about the book itself, here’s the gist of how Cindy Moon got her spider powers. I apologize that this is probably not going to sound like the greatest story when condensed down to these few lines, but it is what it is. The spider that bit Peter Parker also managed to bite another person, Cindy Moon, giving her the same powers. (More importantly, she can weave clothing from her fingertips. Aesthetics.) Instead of having the free range that Peter Parker had, a man named Ezekiel Sims kept her in isolation for 10 years until Peter found her. Yes, that’s a fairly small view of what happened, but to talk about this in any more detail will require an aside just for this purpose.
This book starts with Cindy fighting a fairly cartoonish villain, named Dragonclaw. She equates to a Pokémon. (Side note: I freaking love Pokémon!) While fighting him, her powers begin to short out whether this relates to her decade in isolation or not is unknown, but things start to go downhill from there. She’s helped by your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man who jokingly accuses her of not calling, but their interactions say there was something there and something might still be there.
“Good talk…” seems to be a running gag between them because of their strange “something.”
I enjoyed this book, especially that I’m usually not the biggest fan of Spiderverse, but I almost always love the Spider-Women of that verse. Cindy joins Jessica Drew and Anya Corazon (Araña) in my heart. Her story focuses a bit on her past and her present, giving readers a brief glimpse of who she was before she became Silk and who she is now, shifting between a brilliant, headstrong teenage girl on the edge of adulthood and a socially awkward adult woman who’s trying to find her place as a person and a superhero. Despite the funnier moments in the book, Cindy is a woman lost, a woman struggling with her past for various reasons, a woman who wishes things were “quiet,” and a woman who still doesn’t completely understand her own strength. I’ll pause to compliment Thompson for managing to catch the nuances of a teenager butting heads with her parents over love, sports, and school without seemingly being over-broody or over-cheesy. There is a fair bit of cheesiness in this book, though, but Cindy even mentions that she’s got to work on her quips.
Pop culture features prominently in this book. That can be a good or bad thing depending on your tastes. However, much like the pop culture Marvel has used in other newer titles, I find it chuckle-worthy and well-timed while being a tad more finely clever (if such a statement can be used with memes) in terms of wit with this book. We don’t get doge memes here, which many people don’t know, instead we get my personal favorite #AskingForAFriend, which is easily understood in the right context because we’ve all had those “asking for a friend” moments. Not that I’m downing the doge meme. Sure, some of it won’t stand the test of time when my kids read this 20 years later, but it adds a little fun to the book. Also, kudos to this book for that Sleepy Hollow/Supernatural mash-up shout out. Robbie Thompson writes for Supernatural, and Orlando Jones, one of the stars of Sleepy Hollow, is known to tweet avidly about Supernatural and mashing the two shows up.
Next up: I loved the art in this book. It’s fun. There’s an anime-ish quality about it while making me think of the Teen Titan cartoon (the 2003 show, not Teen Titans Go to be clear). Yes, I can accuse it of being a little “girly” at points, but it’s not done in a way that makes me feel like someone went heavy on the glitter because this is a girl (and all girls like pink and glitter, duh). It’s subtle, it’s pretty, and it fits the feel of the book. It manages to be both bright and dark, if that makes any sense, and it’s so busy. Okay, maybe “busy” isn’t what I meant. I mean, the panels feel like they move and flow with their actions. It feels active.
Now, to get the “bad” out of the way. One thing that sort of bothered me is that, while Peter definitely doesn’t overshadow Cindy in her book, I didn’t really like her following in Peter’ footsteps by working for JJ (okay, she’s technically not working for him, but you know), using her own secret identity for stories. I understand why they did it in context of the story, but it felt like they could’ve given her something more unique than that. It’s a small complaint really.
Next, I will concede that Silk might be a little confusing for newcomers because it does require some knowledge that you’ll likely have to Google for (or ask me!). It’s not nearly as new reader friendly as Squirrel Girl. It was a little disjointed for me, so I can only imagine how it might make someone new feel. However, I think this book is still worth the effort of reading after you have a grasp of her background. I just feel like they were just trying to cover a little too much ground this issue. I’m hoping subsequent issues will be less harried.
Overall, did Tiara love this book? I think one panel can sum it all up my feelings:
Okay, no… that doesn’t really sum things up. But she loves punching things, and I love her.
Waiting on Wednesday 02/25/15
Posted on February 25, 2015 8 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:
End of Days by Susan Ee: May 12, 2015 (Skyscape)
It feels like I’ve been waiting forever for this finale to Penryn and the End of Days, but I’m also sad that yet another one of my favorite Young Adult series is coming to a close later this year. “End of Days”, what a great title with an apt cover image to match.
“End of Days is the explosive conclusion to Susan Ee’s bestselling Penryn & the End of Days trilogy.
After a daring escape from the angels, Penryn and Raffe are on the run. They’re both desperate to find a doctor who can reverse the twisted changes inflicted by the angels on Raffe and Penryn’s sister. As they set off in search of answers, a startling revelation about Raffe’s past unleashes dark forces that threaten them all.
When the angels release an apocalyptic nightmare onto humans, both sides are set on a path toward war. As unlikely alliances form and strategies shift, who will emerge victorious? Forced to pick sides in the fight for control of the earthly realm, Raffe and Penryn must choose: Their own kind, or each other?”
Tiara’s 2015 Audiobook Challenge
Posted on February 24, 2015 12 Comments
Hanging on to the coat tails of my fellow co-blogger, Mogsy, I’m entering a 2015 reading challenge a bit late. I didn’t really want to commit to any challenges for 2015 because 2014 turned out to be quite a year for me, which ended up with me going on semi-hiatus for most of last year as I dealt with life issues. I said that this year was going to be the year of buddy reads, classic reads, and chopping down my TBR pile instead of focusing hardcore on any challenges. However, there are a few challenges that I’ve unofficially joined because they coincide with my reading goals for this year, but nothing major.
I chewed on this for a while before deciding to take the plunge on this one. During the time that I was just thinking about it, I’ve managed to finish 3 audiobooks already. I’ve started listening to them more when I’m doing my daily commute, working out, or roaming the fields of the Hinterlands in Dragon Age: Inquisition or slumming around force-choking things with my Sith/Jedi in Star Wars. I also spend a fair amount of time doing some immersion reading particularly before bed.
This challenge is hosted by by The Book Nympho and Hot Listens. It’s going into its third year, but this will be my first year taking on the challenge. Right now, I’m going to be lazy and just copy and paste the rules and challenge levels from Mogsy’s post.
The challenge details are as follows:
- Runs January 1, 2015 – December 31, 2015. You can join at anytime.The goal is to find a new love for audios or to outdo yourself by listening to more audios in 2015 than you did in 2014.
- Books must be in audio format (CD, MP3, etc.)
- ANY genres count.
- Re-reads and crossovers from other reading challenges are allowed.
- You do not have to be a book blogger to participate; you can track your progress on Goodreads, Shelfari, Facebook, LibraryThing, etc. – I’ve created a Goodreads Group for the challenge, feel free to join.
- If you’re a blogger grab the button and do a quick post about the challenge to help spread the word. If you’re not a blogger you can help by posting on Facebook or Tweeting about the challenge.
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+
My official goal is Stenographer for the challenge, but my unofficial goal is Socially Awkward. I’ve set up a Goodreads shelf and joined the Goodreads group and added an update post, so we’ll see how I fare.
Audiobook Review: The Legend of Drizzt: The Collected Stories by R.A. Salvatore
Posted on February 24, 2015 12 Comments
The Legend of Drizzt: The Collected Stories by R.A. Salvatore
Genre: Fantasy, Gaming
Publisher: Wizards of the Coast (February 2011)
Author Info: rasalvatore.com
Wendy’s Rating: 4 of 5 stars
I call myself a geek, and yet, up until last year, I had not watched any Doctor Who. Similarly, I play roleplaying video games, but I have never played Dungeons and Dragons and know very little about the vast lore behind it. Thanks to this book, I have since remedied both of these problems and can now truly fly my geek flag high.
The Legend of Drizzt is a collection of Salvatore’s early works, read by a star-studded cast. It is introduced by Salvatore himself, who recognizes the flaws of his earlier writing, but none the less presents these stories proudly as part of the continuing process required of a writer. For this intro alone, I give the book four stars, and will be lenient on the stories themselves because they are his early works, and because they are pieces of a much greater whole.
Still, not knowing much about the greater world of DnD did not preclude me from understanding and enjoying the tales. The characters were all unique, interesting, and memorable, and I am sure I would easily recognize them if I did ever sink myself into this world.
Perhaps the more frustrating part was the fact that each story was delivered by a different narrator, with varying success. This first came to my attention when the internet got wind of Ice-T’s complaints about all the fantastical names, and while he probably had the toughest time of it, everyone stumbled or at least differed on the pronunciation of the legendary Drizzt Do’urden’s name.
If I have to choose, I will say that Felicia Day did the best job in her tale, and of the stories, my favourite is “Guenhwyvar,” which tells of how the deadly panther companion came into existence.
Book Review: The Kingdom of Gods by N.K. Jemisin
Posted on February 23, 2015 21 Comments
The Kingdom of Gods by N.K. Jemisin
Genre: Fantasy
Series: The Inheritance Trilogy
Publisher: Orbit (October 2011)
Author Info: nkjemisin.com
Wendy’s Rating: 3 of 5 stars
It’s taken me almost three years to finally finish The Inheritance Trilogy Omnibus. As I’ve mentioned numerous times before, the previous books tied me up in emotional knots. This one? Not so much.
This book follows the godling, Sieh, son of the Three who created the world and all who live in it. Their love and their jealousy almost broke that very same world and killed many of their children. At the end of the Gods War, Sieh, his father Nahadoth, and several other godlings ended up trapped in mortal bodies, enslaved to the whims of Arameri people. When they were finally freed, they had their revenge against the god Itempas who allowed the Arameri to imprison them, by exiling him to mortality. But through all of the hate in millennia that past, there was always love, and that is what Jemisin explores through the eyes of a god whose nature is that of childhood, who in turn is cursed with mortality again and forced to grow up, literally and emotionally.
Unfortunately, this was all very tedious for me. Particularly because of Sieh’s nature. He is a trickster god, the god of play, and his antithesis is growing up. A Peter Pan, per se, who constantly has to remind you about all of that. And about the nature of all the other gods and godlings he meets, as well as the arrogant Arameri that rule the Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, two of whom Sieh is in love with. This book is also about the depths of loneliness that Sieh experiences and sees in those he lovehates – which Jemisin also frequently reminds the reader of.
The significant difference between this book and its predecessors is that it is told in first person through the eyes of a godling who perhaps believes he knows more about mortals and gods than he actually does. The natures of the different dieties and the mortals is part of how Sieh sees the world and interacts with it. But it was frustrating for me as the reader to deal with the constant reminders. Perhaps if the story had been told through Shahar Arameri, the heir to the Arameri kingdom, I would have appreciated this book more.
Along with her twin, Dekarta, and Sieh, Shahar makes up the third in an unusual tryptic whose friendship threatens everything. That’s not the major threat though. Similar to The Broken Kingdoms, there is a group and a sudden new enemy, conveniently hidden away all this time, who seeks to end both the Arameri reign, and the reign of the gods. The Big Bad – Kahl – is meant to pull on the heart strings when we discover who he is, but his existence lacked enough justification for me to feel anything for either him, or for Sieh because of him.
Magic and the power of the gods themselves feature prominently, with particular focus on how that magic is distributed through the bloodlines. I always love unique explorations of magic in fantasy stories, and for the most part, this doesn’t fail me, particularly with the newer godlings and demons learning what they can go do with their abilities. Still, some of their abilities seem a bit too convenient, and the characters themselves not fleshed out quite enough for me to appreciate them.
Two whole stars go to the appearances of Nahadoth, whom I’ve already gushed over in a character appreciation post. The Nightlord is a beautiful and elegant creature of chaos. We have seen him in wrath, in utter desolation, in sadistic pleasure, and in passionate and complete love. Here, we get to see yet another side to his mutable appearance, as a parent who loves his child dearly. Because, while I am disappointed in this book as a whole, I have always loved Jemisin’s gods and her exploration of their volatile emotions and relationships. Perhaps an entire book from Sieh’s point of view was too much, but Jemisin still gave me an interesting insight into the very human nature of creatures who believe themselves to be well above mortals.
Audiobook Review: The Mime Order by Samantha Shannon
Posted on February 22, 2015 11 Comments
The Mime Order by Samantha Shannon
Genre: Fantasy, Dystopia
Series: Book 2 of The Bone Season
Publisher: Audible Studios (January 27, 2015)
Author Information: Website | Twitter
Mogsy’s Rating: 4 of 5 stars
The Mime Order is the second book in Samantha Shannon’s dystopian series, the follow up to The Bone Season which I had the pleasure of listening to in audio format when it came out. Now that book two is released, I’m happy for the opportunity to review the audiobook of the sequel as well.
The story picks up immediately from the end of The Bone Season, with the daring escape of our main protagonist Paige Mahoney from the prison camp of Sheol I. But even back in London, she is not safe; the security forces of Scion still see voyants and people with supernatural abilities as the enemy and will stop at nothing to hunt down Paige and others like her, selling them as slaves to the otherworldly race known as the Rephaim. As Scion’s iron grip closes in on Paige and her organization, she is forced to use all her resources to lie low and keep moving.
Meanwhile, the clairvoyant community is shattered by a shocking event. As the leaders of the city’s gangs gather for the Unnatural Assembly, all eyes are on Paige and her mime-lord Jaxon Hall as they join the fray and make their play for power. They’re not the only ones taking an interest in our protagonist, however. The Rephaim have come to London and they’re not content with hiding in the shadows anymore, nor are they happy with Paige and what she and the other survivors did to disrupt life back in the prison camps.
This is a very different book compared to its predecessor, with the attention shifting away from Sheol I to focus back on London, and it deals mainly with the aftermath of what happened at the end of The Bone Season. Consequently, there’s much less about the Rephaim and information about their society. What we get instead is a much deeper and more detailed look into the inner workings of the London underworld, ruled by the gangs. It’s almost like an entire new world, as we head back to explore the city where everything first started. If you didn’t feel like you got your fill of London’s darker, grittier side in the first book, you definitely won’t be disappointed here.
We also get a much heavier emphasis on character development this time around. While I like Paige, I must confess that she never truly managed to impress me in The Bone Season. On paper, she was a bit bland and uninspired for a main protagonist, and it was the audiobook narrator Alana Kerr who I credited for bringing Paige to life. In this book, however, I feel Paige is a stronger protagonist in every sense. Samantha Shannon seems to have hit her stride when it comes to writing her main character; I have a better idea of who Paige is and what her motivations are. Her experiences in Sheol I have also hardened her, putting her in a better position to lead
Still, I have a lot of questions about where the series might be going, due to the drastic changes brought on by The Mime Order. It’s a difficult book to review in that sense. At times I felt overwhelmed with all the plot threads and characters to keep track of, while at others there didn’t seem to be enough going on. I was also left wondering where Warden was for much of the story, the Rephaim keeper who was established as a major presence in the first book but doesn’t make his appearance until quite late in this one. I wasn’t that convinced of his and Paige’s relationship in The Bone Season, and I don’t know how much his role in this book helped. There’s certainly not enough to make it a true romance, yet I have the feeling we’re slowly being nudged in that direction. Furthermore, the events in this novel (exciting as they were) seemed rather unplanned and thrown together haphazardly, almost like the author decided to take the story down this path at the very last minute. I thought I knew where things were going after the first book, but now I’m not sure anymore, because it seems we’re taking a very different track.
Granted, my curiosity about the future of this series also makes it quite likely that I will be picking up the next book. Alana Kerr’s narration with her pleasing Irish lilt has also grown on me, so I’ll probably be sticking with the audiobooks as well. I recall stating in my review of The Bone Season that the narration suffered a little because Ms. Kerr could not pull off a broader range of voices, making it difficult to tell which character was speaking, but I have to say her performance is much improved here and I didn’t have the same problem.
The story took a lot of surprising turns in The Mime Order, many that I didn’t see coming. Only time will tell where these new developments will take us, but in the meantime I’m enjoying learning more about the world of these books. Samantha Shannon continues to impress. Several significant revelations were also dropped on us at the end, so I’m looking forward to the next installment.
A review copy of this audiobook was provided to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. My thanks to Audible Studios!
Click below to hear a sample of THE MIME ORDER audiobook, narrated by Alana Kerr, courtesy of Audible.
Graphic Novel Review: Mind the Gap, Volume 1: Intimate Strangers by Jim McCann and Rodin Esquejo
Posted on February 22, 2015 4 Comments
Mind the Gap, Volume 1: Intimate Strangers by Jim McCann
Genre: Supernatural, Mystery, Crime
Publisher: Image Comics (October 2012)
With thanks to Netgalley and Image Comics for the opportunity to read this graphic novel in exchange for an honest review.
Elle Peterssen is young, rich, beautiful, smart. She has a loving boyfriend and a wonderful best friend. She’s also on someone’s hit list and an attack at a subway station leaves her in a coma. Cover ups , suspicion, and deception surround the events of her attack and her current condition, but the only person who can figure that out is Elle herself, who’s spirit has detached from its body.
Many stories explore what goes on within the minds of people in a coma. Mind the Gap has its own unique take, introducing Elle to a world of wandering souls, some of whom know more about her than she does. Some seem to want to help, but, since Elle remembers so little about herself, can they be trusted? I liked the concept presented here, particularly when Elle is forced to confront some of the greater fears that are hindering her recollection, but the real twist was the step even further into the paranormal with Elle’s unique ability to communicate through the recently dead.
The credit pages of the graphic novel listed several songs that immediately had me humming along, with the lyrics scrawled across the page. Elle and her friends also work at a theatre, but my hopes that the music and arts would take on a greater role in the story has no paid off thus far. The focus remains on casting suspicion on all those around her, while she tries to figure things out for herself.
The artwork is sharp and realistic and I love the colours. Each panel is uncluttered by too much imagery and detail, allowing the focus to remain on the characters at the heart of the story.
As is to be expected, volume one ends on a cliffhanger, with the mystery deepening, and Elle’s abilities manifesting in a surprising manner. Of course I want to know what comes next. Once again, Image Comics impresses me with unique stories that continue to break the comic mould.
YA Weekend: Seeker by Arwen Elys Dayton
Posted on February 21, 2015 16 Comments
Genre: Young Adult, SFF
Series: Book 1 of Seeker
Publisher: February 10, 2015 (Delacorte Books for Young Readers)
Author Information: Website
Mogsy’s Rating: 1 of 5 stars
When I requested this book from NetGalley, this was in the description: “For readers of A Game of Thrones and The Hunger Games comes an epic new series.” I realize similar claims get thrown around a lot. Still, even in cases where I don’t agree, most of the time I can at least understand why a comparison to ______ might be made.
When it comes to this book though, I’m mystified. This is nothing like Game of Thrones OR The Hunger Games. Not even a little bit. I knew an ambitious declaration like that should have immediately put me on my guard, and I guess I really should have trusted my instincts. “Epic” is also debatable. While we have a story spanning the globe, from the highlands of rural Scotland to the bustling streets of Hong Kong, the scope of the narrative is actually quite limited. Most of what we get is personal drama revolving around just a handful of characters.
Needless to say, Seeker wasn’t exactly my cup of tea. It always pains me to write a negative review, so rather than expound on all the things that didn’t work for me, I’ll just list and briefly talk about them.
- First, I’m not in the habit of DNFing. I read this whole book from beginning to end, but even now I would be hard-pressed to tell you what a Seeker is exactly, or even what they do, beyond the very generic fact that they should be “fighting evil”. That it’s never explained in detail just seems like a gross oversight to me. When most of the characters are Seekers and the ACTUAL TITLE of the book is Seeker, you’d think something like that would be at the forefront. Instead, there is very little to no “Seeking” going on in the book…or whatever it is that Seekers do.
- What exactly are the Dreads? I know they’re supposed to be witnesses, mediators or judges (Judge Dreads?) but how do they fit into this picture? Where do they come from and what is their history? How did they get involved with the Seekers? I. Have. Absolutely. No. Idea.
- Unsurprisingly, I found world-building to be sorely lacking, practically non-existent. You have to understand, I’m not asking for info-dumps or to have my hand being held through the whole book, but I do need a starting point, SOMETHING to anchor me. I felt like I was thrown into this world and the author just expects me to know everything and doesn’t see the need to provide any background information.
- The writing is simplistic and contrived. There are a couple chapters where things aren’t so bad, but most of the prose feels clumsy. The dialogue feels forced. There’s a lot of telling, and not enough showing. Many strange quirks in the writing, like poorly executed time jumps (I actually thought I missed a few pages) which probably relates back to the lack of world-building.
- Speaking of time jumps, just when exactly are we supposed to be? One moment it seems like we’re in medieval Scotland and the next, BOOM, we’re in present day (or futuristic?) Hong Kong. If you’re going to have your characters jump back and forth through portals, you should establish both time and place!
- The characters are pretty bland and unengaging. Quin is a far cry from the kickass heroine she’s meant to be; instead, it feels like her whole purpose is to be a trophy for the two boys who are in love with her. It was so frustrating to watch John and Shinobu fight over her like she’s a piece of meat. The plot thread that involves her losing her memory also makes me understand now why some readers hate amnesia storylines. So she spent more than a year essentially suppressing her own memories? And she’s suddenly a healer? All that “brutal training” she supposedly received didn’t seem to amount to much.
- The romantic side plot is unimaginative and I wasn’t convinced of any of the relationships. I think this is partly due to the awkward writing style, and unnatural dialogue (especially when the characters were discussing their feelings for each other, I couldn’t help but cringe).
- This probably comes as no surprise, but for most of the book, I felt like I had NO IDEA what was going on. More than a few times, I wondered to myself if my ARC was missing huge chunks of the story, as so much of it made no sense. I’m sure there’s a good overall premise in here somewhere, but it was not well executed. Instead, we are left with a whole lot of confusion.
In general I don’t like to DNF, and not only because I’m a completionist. Sometimes a book can be weak in the beginning, but then redeem itself with a strong conclusion. There have been times where I almost put down a book, only to end up absolutely loving it when I finish. I admit it doesn’t happen often, but now I’ve developed a habit where when book that don’t blow me away at first, I always hold out in the hopes that it will get better. But unfortunately, this just didn’t happen with Seeker.
I did hear that there is talk of a movie adaptation for the book. Thing is, I actually think the book would work better as a live action film with its exotic settings, bombastic action sequences, and young attract protagonists. It would make a great cinematic experience, but to achieve a similar awe-inspiring feeling, I’m afraid large swaths of the book would have to be more rigorously edited and perhaps rewritten. There are lots of interesting ideas in here, with an intriguing mix of science fiction and fantasy, and it’s really just a shame that the book falls short of its full potential. I will not be continuing this series, sadly.
A review copy of this book was provided to me by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thanks to Delacorte Books!
Book Review: Atlanta Burns by Chuck Wendig
Posted on February 20, 2015 26 Comments
Genre: Young Adult
Series: Books 1 & 2 of Atlanta Burns
Publisher: Skyscape (January 27, 2015)
Author Information: Website | Twitter
Mogsy’s Rating: 4 of 5 stars
Atlanta Burns is the kind of book that takes time to percolate; after finishing the last page it had me feeling all discombobulated and I needed time to think on it for a bit. If you’re familiar with Chuck Wendig’s work then you’ll have some idea of what I’m talking about. Never let it be said that the guy ever holds his punches when he tells his stories, and you can be sure this is not your run-of-the-mill Young Adult fare.
The book’s protagonist Atlanta Burns is a high school student who no one wants to mess with. But she’s been through some traumatic stuff, and her reputation came at a high cost. However, Atlanta’s not going to let what happened to her stop her from doing the right thing, and she’s definitely not one to stand by while bullies prey on the weak and the defenseless. There are some terrible people in this world, and armed with her shotgun and the moxie to match, Atlanta is going to do whatever it takes to stop them.
Two stories make up this book, “Shotgun Gravy” and “Bait Dog”. Both are powerful, yet not easy to read. In the first, Atlanta and her new friends go up against Neo-Nazis, crooked cops and bigoted bullies. The second story sees her attempting to break up a dog fighting ring and deals with the themes of animal cruelty and abuse. Atlanta’s world is a bleak and brutal place to be, and reading about things like lynching, sexual assault, tortured puppies, kids being burned with cigarettes and such, it’s hard not to get through this book without thinking, wow, people SUCK. It made me sick sometimes, it really did.
But works like these also have a place in YA fiction. Like this quote in the book says: “Life is equal parts strange and beautiful and horrible, and we’re tossed into it without a map or an instruction guide. Poems and stories have a way of helping us make sense of things.” And that’s how I see these stories in Atlanta Burns. It might not be pleasant and it might not be comfortable, but it’s important to face some of these issues head-on and not soften the blow because it’s true – one can argue that Wendig is painting things too dark but the sad reality is the things in this book do happen, and it would be a mistake to pretend they don’t. Atlanta Burns is a book that explores difficult subject matters, and exposes them in all its ugliness so that we as readers can process it, make sense of it for ourselves.
Wendig has a message here. It’s not so surprising that he went with the Neo-Nazis as his main baddies, though this book is peppered with a lot of despicable scum-baggy types as a whole. Thing is, in any slice of society you look at there’s bound to be good folks and bad folks, but in Atlanta Burns there seems to be an overrepresentation of the bad, and if I’m to be honest, even Atlanta herself is not entirely likeable. To Wendig’s credit though, he does attempt to shine a light in the dark of this whole “things don’t get better” bleakness. In this world of bigots, bullies and corrupt cops are characters like Mrs. Lewis, Steve AKA “Chomp-Chomp” or Detective Holger who show Atlanta that things can be different.
This was a wonderful read. However, I would be remiss if I didn’t warn you against some of the shocking, horrible things that are in this book. It’s categorized as Young Adult, but definitely not typical of the genre. Calling Atlanta Burns a dark book is an understatement; it deals with some very mature themes, and even some adults may find parts of it difficult to read especially if they are sensitive to those particular subjects. I really enjoyed this book, but as always with Chuck Wendig, reader discretion is advised.
A review copy of this book was provided to me by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Any quotes contained above are from the advance copy and are subject to change. My thanks to Skyscape/Amazon Children’s Publishing!
Book Review: Ancillary Sword by Ann Leckie
Posted on February 19, 2015 11 Comments
Genre: Science Fiction
Series: Book 2 of Imperial Radch
Publisher: Orbit (October 7, 2014)
Author Information: Website | Twitter
Mogsy’s Rating: 3.5 of 5 stars
Looking back at my review of Ancillary Justice, it seemed that while I liked the book, it and I didn’t actually hit it off as well as I’d hoped. Mind you, I’m most definitely in the minority there. And despite not falling in love with the novel, I did appreciate its many merits and was pleased to see it win many awards and garner so much praise – all seriously well-deserved. In fact, I was so impressed with the concepts in the book and the sheer innovation that went into it, I knew that I would read the sequel if Ann Leckie were to continue with Breq’s story.
And lo and behold, we have Ancillary Sword, the second installment of the Imperial Radch series which picks up from the end of book one.
However, it is also very different novel. But hey, “different” can be good! “Different” changes things up. And “different” keeps things fresh. It’s tough to follow up a book like Ancillary Justice which took the SFF scene by storm, and Leckie definitely took a few risks here by greatly streamlining the story as well as departing from the first book’s distinctive style.
Did it pay off? I feel a bit torn on this, personally. On the one hand, the biggest challenge I had with the first book was the style of narration. Breq was formerly one of thousands of corpse soldiers all linked up as part of a massive starship, and the resulting “omniscient effect” was not only confusing but also a source of distraction. Now that she is a single mind in a single body, I found the story in this book so much easier to follow. Add to that, we’re no longer shifting back and forth in time, and there’s a lot less information to digest. On the whole, I would say simplifying the narrative and making it more linear worked wonders for me. It addressed a couple of the major issues I had with the first book, and I didn’t feel as overwhelmed.
However, the changes also affected the scope of the story, whittling what seemed to be a massive space-opera-in-the-making down to more modest proportions. Ancillary Sword almost reads like a character study, offering a more intimate and personal look into the mind of Breq. While the character development is superb, the pacing suffered. Compared to the first book, this one is far slower, and there’s almost no action at all. Furthermore, I’m not sure it contributed all that much to the overall story arc; this felt a lot like a “middle book”, a nice little detour to get a chance to better acquaint ourselves with the main protagonist.
I’m fine with the slower, tamer direction of Ancillary Sword. What I’m not so keen on though, was the lack of a sense of purpose. I wasn’t sure what I expected from the sequel, but it certainly wasn’t this. After all that effort and time working up to the jaw-dropping conclusion in the first book, I wanted the momentum to continue, and I wanted to see what the next big thing was for Breq. Most of all I wanted to see where Ann Leckie is taking this series, and unfortunately, I’m still none the wiser.
I wanted to like this book more than its predecessor, but in the end I think the pros balanced out the cons and I ended up liking it just the same. To sum up, I loved how much easier this book was to read and how it put me more in my comfort zone, and I appreciated the deeper look into Breq’s life and thought processes now that she is separated from the hive mind. On the downside, the story didn’t hold my attention too well, and certain parts dragged.
That said, Ann Leckie is a talented author with a way with words, and what I wouldn’t give to see what other creative ideas she has up her sleeve. If these books are any indication, the next Imperial Radch novel will be just as deep-seated and cerebral. I hope the third book will strike more of a balance for me, but as the author is clearly not averse to changing things up, I’m curious to see what it’ll bring regardless.
A review copy of this book was provided to me by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thanks to Orbit Books!
The BiblioSanctum 