Book Review: The Tower Broken by Mazarkis Williams
Posted on March 14, 2014 Leave a Comment
The Tower Broken by Mazarkis Williams
Genre: Fantasy
Series: Book 3 of Tower and Knife Trilogy
Publisher: Jo Fletcher (UK: November 21, 2014)
Author Information: Website | Twitter
Mogsy’s Rating: 4 of 5 stars
Finishing a series is always a little bittersweet, isn’t it? I find this is absolutely the case with Mazarkis Williams’ Tower and Knife trilogy. Of course, I’m thrilled to have finally reached the stunning conclusion to find out how it all ends, but I also know I’m going to miss this world and its characters.
It is also a wonderful thing to see an author’s skills grow and evolve as time goes on. Though I think I’ll always be a little in love with Williams’ beautiful writing, I was admittedly much more taken with these last two books in the trilogy than I was with The Emperor’s Knife. All three novels had their own individual strengths, but in general I found Knife Sworn and The Tower Broken to have much better flow and greater complexity than the first book.
In fact, I now find myself at a dilemma. The last two books have both been very strong, and I really can’t decide which one I liked better. The Tower Broken, having a much darker plot and effectively raising the stakes, obviously appealed to me a lot. After the events of Knife Sworn, the fate of the world is teetering on the edge, threatened by a malignant force moving itself across the land and devouring everything it touches. The storm moves ever closer to the city of Cerana, and Emperor Sarmin finds he is powerless to do anything to stop its path of destruction. Things are definitely heating up in this one.
On the other hand, I LOVED the chapters about Grada, Nessaket, and Rushes from the last novel. Having the narratives of these three female characters was one of the best things about that book, but in this one they have once again faded back into the background, giving other characters the chance to step into the spotlight. Mesema and of course Sarmin both have their own chapters, but this time we also meet the fruit-seller-turned-mage Farid as well as Duke Didryk, whose point of view adds even more mystery to the already shadowy plot line.
While these new perspectives brought a heightened sense of intrigue and tension to the table, I still missed Grada, who has become the Emperor’s royal assassin, and even found myself wondering after Nessaket, Sarmin’s mercurial mother. But most of all, I missed following Rushes, the poor slave girl who has gone through such an ordeal in the course of these two books. I won’t deny I was a little disappointed to see so little of the three of them in this novel, but fortunately I was able to get over it quickly, because Williams does such a good job making all her characters interesting. Much like the series, I felt that many of the protagonists especially Sarmin and Mesema have finally come into their own. The transformation of their relationship was the highlight for me in this one; by the end I could see where the author had wanted to go with the two of them all along.
I also think I would be remiss if I ended this review without making mention of the magic in the Tower and Knife world. The first book introduced us to the complex dynamic between mages and spirits, with the former harnessing their abilities by imprisoning the latter into their bodies, then sucking them dry of the energy required to power magic spells. We get to see a lot more of that here, as well as insight into the concept of “pattern magic” which is central to this entire trilogy. I think it’s great how the last book ends with a much more detailed look into the mechanics of this system, because I’d always felt the story needed it.
So the the trilogy may be over, but I would read any future books by Mazarkis Williams in a heartbeat! Pulling off the final installment of a series is always a doozy, but it was done well here, even if everything wrapped up a little too neatly. I would still take a “complete” and satisfying ending like this over an open-ended one any day. Ultimately I think Williams made all the right calls, and at the end of the day served up an impressive conclusion.
Tour Review: Night Owls by Lauren M. Roy
Posted on March 13, 2014 Leave a Comment
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Series: Book 1 of Night Owls
Publisher: Ace (February 25, 2014)
Author Information: Website | Twitter
Mogsy’s Rating: 3.5 of 5 stars
Score one to this book for having a protagonist who is a bookseller. And bonus points for her being a vampire too. The title of this novel is actually in reference to the bookstore she runs, a quaint little place on a college campus called Night Owls which is open to 3am every night. Now why can’t there be something that awesome around where I live? I’d spend all my insomnia-ridden nights there with a big mug of tea and a good book.
Meet Valerie McTeague, sleeping the sleep of the dead by day, providing the students of Edgewood a study haven by night. No more hunting Jackals for her; she’s done with that life and has left it all behind, settling into a quiet routine with the help of her human servant Chaz.
But unfortunately for Val, that life isn’t done with her. Trouble lands on her doorstep in the form of Elly Garrett, who has a magical book the Jackals want. However, the book manages to transfer its information into the mind of Justin, a Night Owls employee who gets more than he bargained for when he unwittingly trips the wards on the old tome. The werewolf-like shapeshifting Jackals have already killed Elly’s mentor, so you can be sure nothing would stop them from killing Justin too. Val and Chaz have no choice but to seek help from the warlock Cavale, who also happens to be Elly’s estranged brother.
Overall, Night Owls has a plot that is both clever and brisk, full of windy twists and turns and yet someone all those story threads manage to come together in the end. That said, the flow felt a bit disjointed until I grew more accustomed to the structure and style of storytelling. We have several perspectives in play here and with Val being a vampire, the book almost has this day-night cycle feel going on as one of our main protagonists always has to sleep away the daylight hours. You won’t get a lot of rehashing as the main narrative is always picked up by the next POV right where the last one ends, so if you don’t keep up you’ll feel like you’re missing something.
Happily, the book firmly establishes its rhythm once the characters are united and find their synergy. The story picks up considerably at this point, and the different relationships made it even better. There are clearly some serious issues between foster siblings Elly and Cavale, which causes a lot of tension in spite of the obvious love they have for each other. Something also seems to be brewing between Elly and Justin, a future romance perhaps? And unless my eyes deceive me, Val and Chaz seem to have something to work out too, in their complicated vampire-Renfield relationship.
In the end, I liked this one. Because I read so much urban fantasy though, I can’t help but be a bit picky. When it comes to this genre, I don’t often find myself blown away by “Book 1s”, but a lot of my favorite series have started out by hooking me with the first book and only wowing me later on. This book has that feel, and as such it’s definitely one I’ll want to stick with.
Admittedly, you’re probably not going to find anything too new in Night Owls at this early stage, but if the story description interests you and if you enjoy the genre it should settle quite comfortably. An action-filled plot, a “Scooby Gang” type ensemble cast, and a world full of supernatural creatures and beings should make the UF fan feel right at home. All things considered, it has everything to make it a promising start to a new series — great world, great characters, and most importantly, a great story with lots of potential for more!
TV/Book Review: Legend of the Seeker and Wizard’s First Rule by Terry Goodkind
Posted on March 12, 2014 7 Comments
Wizard’s First Rule by Terry Goodkind
Legend of the Seeker (2008)
A while back, I had myself a Legend of the Seeker marathon. The show was tastefully cheesy, fantasy fun and I enjoyed it enough to finally read its source material. Consequently, this will be as much a review of The Wizard’s First Rule, as it is a comparison to Legend of the Seeker.
Both book and show begin in much the same way, with a beautiful woman escaping the clutches of nasty soldiers. Woodsman Richard Cipher witnesses this and comes to her rescue, only to learn that she really isn’t a mere damsel in distress. Though he doesn’t know her true nature, when she touches one of her attackers and he turns on his companions, Richard realizes that Kahlan Amnell is no ordinary woman. From there, Richard takes her to see his old friend Zed, whom Richard believes can help Kahlan find the wizard she seeks. Low and behold, Zed has been that wizard all along, and as identities and destinies are partially unravelled, Richard accepts the Sword of Truth and becomes the Seeker, destined to join Kahlan and Zed to stop the evil Darken Rahl from taking over the world.
The TV interpretation of these three main characters is more or less the same, save for Richard, who is a little larger and prone to anger in the book, something the Sword feeds off of. The show didn’t go very deeply into the magic of the Sword of Truth and its connection to Richard, so this became a very interesting topic for me as I read on. The book, unsurprisingly, delves much deeper into the magic of Goodkind’s world, with each form, each type of user, and each use of the particular forms having very specific details.
One thing that I really loved about the show was the romance between Kahlan and Richard. Richard is the perfect gentleman who respects the fact that Kahlan cannot be with him in a full romantic capacity due to the nature of her powers. In the show, I appreciated that they didn’t drag out the reason behind her shying away from him, and when she does confess that she is a Confessor and why she can’t be with him physically, he simply accepts it and lets her know that simply being with her is enough. The bond they form along their journey becomes very real, and, while the final result is super lovey-dovey, gag-me-with-a-spoon, it makes sense.
The show lifted this aspect of their relationship straight from the book, with the only differences being that Goodkind did drag out the secret keeping, with Kahlan not telling Richard about her abilities until somewhere near the end.
When I first mentioned that I wanted to read this series, a fellow book blogger commented on the role women play in Goodkind’s world. Initially, I thought his negative assessment was wrong. Kahlan is a great character and stands as Richard’s equal. She’s more than just a love interest and she’s no damsel in distress, though I appreciate that the show places more emphasis on her fighting ability, showing that she can hold her own as a human being, and not just a person endowed with magic. Kahlan’s significant role in the story and her place as Richard’s apparent equal lulled me into a sense of acceptance over the role of women in general. But toward the end, I realized the error of my ways. When Kahlan goes full Mother Confessor, the evil queen and her spoiled kid are confronted, and the man-hating Mord Sith appear to work their dominatrix goodness over Richard. I realized that the females in Goodkind’s story, while seeming to be empowered, are really just an exercise in misogyny disguised as misandry.
The Confessor’s power can be used on anyone, yet the examples of its use are most often males, with emphasis on how it subjugates them, turning them into mindless slaves to the Confessor’s will. While Kahlan is at least developed as a character beyond her power, the only female whose purpose isn’t to dominate males is Rachel, who, with a little encouragement, proves herself to be the bravest and strongest of all of them. But Rachel is only a little girl when we meet her. By the precedent set, she’ll grow up to rule over men too. If she’s really lucky, she’ll be tortured and raped and made into a Mord Sith.
Kahlan’s return to full on Mother Confessor status seemed to be a major turning point in the book, not only in terms of plot, but in terms of where my rating started to fall and my feminist rage started to rise. It’s good that I watched the show first because the creators clearly found the better aspects of the book and did a much better job of tempering the far more disgusting ones. The female aspect in particular was handled much better in the show, with Confessors shown to deal with both males and females equally. The Mord Sith still exist and are still a source of man-hating torture, but the show’s decision with the characters of Denna and the introduction of Cara softened the blow and made for much more interesting and justifiable reasons for Richard’s subsequent actions after meeting them. The show did continue on to introduce a group of witches and there were a few other dangerous sorceresses along the way, but at least it did a better job of leveling the playing field and making some of the women a bit more than just angry archetypes.
In the book, the Mord Sith and then a dragon and finally, the attempted rape of Kahlan were jarring additions to what had otherwise been a pretty good story. But these elements were kind of crammed into the end in a manner that made them feel like they were last minute decisions in order to get the characters to their final conflict through literal torture and pain.
Thankfully, Kahlan’s assault is not needed in the show for the purpose it serves in the book, and the show could take the time and liberty to make the introduction of other elements, such as the Mord Sith, much more organic and much less…ugh.
I’m not sure how much more story Goodkind tells of Kahlan and Richard in the Sword of Truth series, but I went from wanting to know more, to quickly shelving the rest. I’ll stick to my much more enjoyable TV memories.
Waiting on Wednesday 03/12/14
Posted on March 12, 2014 Leave a Comment
“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!
But now the bodies of children are being pulled from the Thames… and Bond is about to become inextricably linked with an uncanny, undying enemy.”
Book Review: Night Broken by Patricia Briggs
Posted on March 11, 2014 5 Comments
Night Broken by Patricia Briggs
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Series: Book 8 of Mercy Thompson
Publisher: Ace (March 11, 2014)
Author Information: Website
Mogsy’s Rating: 4 of 5 stars
Mercy Thompson is a favorite urban fantasy of mine, one of the long-running series that I’ve kept up with NO MATTER WHAT. Clearly so much has changed in these books since the beginning, not least of all the marriage between Mercy and the werewolf Alpha Adam. I’ve always thought having the main character tie the knot was a gutsy but smart move — after all, there’s only so far you can take the romantic tension between Mercy and the men in her life, and I can appreciate a series that’s not afraid to evolve.
As it happens, I’ve started enjoying these Mercy books so much more since she formed a mate bond with Adam and was subsequently integrated into the Columbia Basin pack, albeit to some dissent and opposition from the other wolves. Inviting a coyote shapeshifter into a den of werewolves was apparently quite the scandal! It leads to no end of conflict in these books, which is just the way I like it. It’s hard to resist tuning in to each installment just to watch the fur fly, er…so to speak.
But wow, Night Broken really takes things to the next level. Let’s just put it this way: there’s the drama you think you know, and then there’s the invite-your-ex-wife-to-live-with-you-and-your-new-wife drama featured in this book. Throughout this series, Mercy’s faced all sorts of nasty things that go bump in the night, including evil vampires, overzealous fae, a river demon and now a volcano god in Night Broken. But Adam’s ex-wife Christy might just give them all a run for their money.
I adore Mercy’s character so much which is why in the end I still loved this book to bits, but I have to say I spent most of this book feeling awfully indignant. If Patricia Briggs had set out to make her readers squirm, then she was definitely successful. I wanted so badly to wring Christy’s neck, and then maybe go beat up each and every one of wolves in the hopes of smacking some sense into their heads. Whatever respect I gained for Adam in the last book, I’m sorry to say I lost some of it again here. Alphas may have a natural instinct to protect those in need, but letting someone walk all over your wife is also NOT okay. And I wanted to shake Mercy too, for not fighting back earlier and just letting it all happen.
Ironically, Christy the mundane human may have seized the throne as the most loathsome antagonist of this entire series ever. It’s not often that a fictional baddie can make me see red, but Christy managed to do it single-handedly. I resent her for rendering Mercy self-conscious and powerless to act in a lot of situations, and I also dislike the effect she seems to have on the rest of the pack. Christy doesn’t have any supernatural powers, but she does possess the uncanny ability to manipulate others, and all the werewolves act as if they’ve taken a bunch of silly pills when they’re around her. It’s always rankled me how “pack magic” can sometimes override human common sense when it comes to the wolves, and Christy’s the dangerous catalyst that makes many of them act out of character.
Despite my roiling emotions, I have to say Night Broken is my favorite Mercy Thompson book yet, simply due to the reactions it invoked from me. I’m mad at a few characters but certainly not mad at the novel, and when it comes to a ongoing series and eight books under my belt, at this point I’d gladly take stories with emotional impact over the same-old-same-old that leaves me cold. It’s nice to see I can still be surprised. I would also love to see the return of Gary Laughingdog, Mercy’s sort of half brother who was introduced in this book, and given how past characters in this series have a penchant for returning in later installments, things are looking good for me!
This one opened my eyes to how much I am invested in these characters, especially when it comes to Mercy; I felt anger and offense on her behalf even if she was too polite and courteous to show it. In a way, the ex-wife drama even overshadowed the main storyline involving the hunt for Christy’s stalker (which was why she had to stay with Adam and Mercy in the first place) but in the end there’s action aplenty to complement the social conflict, making this one hell of an entertaining book.
Book Review: Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson
Posted on March 10, 2014 2 Comments
Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson
Genre: Epic Fantasy
Series: Book 2 of The Stormlight Archive
Publisher: Tor (March 4, 2014)
Author Information: Website | Twitter
Mogsy’s Rating: 5 of 5 stars
I don’t know what was more intimidating, the size of Words of Radiance when I first beheld it, or the thought of having to write the review when I finished. I took me about seven days to read this giant tome, and then five more just to let everything sink in. So many emotions. So amazing. Even now, I don’t know if I can completely separate my subjective feelings for this novel, simply because of the MAJOR soft spot I harbor for this particular series. See, I wasn’t always a fan of epic fantasy. I was the type to take one look at the page count and run the other way! Of course, that was before The Way of Kings became one of my favorite books. I guess you could say that I credit Brandon Sanderson and that book for being my gateway into this genre, and I’ve always been glad for that.
To finally read Words of Radiance was like fist-pumping excitement and all my restless giddiness rolled into one. In this second volume, the world of The Stormlight Archive becomes even more incredible and captivating. My favorite thing about Sanderson’s stories are his magic systems, and I know everyone always says that but I don’t care! It bears saying again because it’s true. Here I thought he was done laying down the ground rules for his world’s magic in The Way of Kings, but clearly he was just getting started. It’s actually getting so elaborate that part of me is beginning to worry this could become too confusing before long. But if you love Surgebinding, rest assured the storyline continues to build upon basic principles regarding stormlight and its uses in the various types of surges. When it comes to beefing up his magic systems, Sanderson never ceases to amaze.
I’ve also noticed he has a way of writing inherently good people in the roles of main protagonists. This certainly applies to the important characters here — Kaladin, Shallan, Dalinar, Adolin, etc. — all decent folks with decent intentions, natural leaders who always in the end succeed. It took tension out of the story at times, but it’s also nice to feel exultant when a character gets ahead. That said, there were still plenty of twists and a couple of big surprises in this book, and of course when bad things happened, the impact of those setbacks felt all the more powerful. Sanderson knows how to pull me in and make me care, even when it comes to his more minor characters.
 |
| From Tor.com Illustration by Ben McSweeney |
But what I really didn’t expect was how things turned around when it came to the major ones. Kaladin pretty much made the first book for me, so I was shocked to see that his chapters in this one failed to hold my attention the same way. Kaladin himself, the ex-soldier and former bridgeman who has become a Knight Radiant, spirals into self-pity, anger, and impulsion because of his new powers and responsibilities, and I just didn’t like the man he was for most of this book. On the other hand, Shallan (who didn’t really impress me in The Way of Kings) comes into her own, literally becoming a new woman.
While Kaladin shrank into himself, Shallan branched out, becoming more adventurous and daring. Every time the story focused on her again, I was completely rapt, drawn into her research and personal journey to find the mythical city of Urithuru. I was also impressed by the way Sanderson handled her different relationships with other characters, especially the surprising one developing between her and Adolin. There’s no question, Words of Radiance is where Shallan steals the show and gets a lot more of her background filled in, plus the illustrations of “her drawings” do add so much to the narrative (and I agree, Shallan, Adolin is totally *sigh*). I just have to cheer for a fellow artist too, you understand.
As for the story, what can I say? It’s moving along, and in a big way. Everything is now converging in on the Shattered Plains, with all the main characters and their plot threads finally weaving together to become more cohesive. There’s a countdown to something huge, and while this is the main source conflict in the novel, I like how the side themes continue to play a role. Factors like the infighting between the Highprinces or the social class disparities between Lighteyes and Darkeyes or humans and parshmen only add to the immersion and world building.
I have to say that with Sanderson, you don’t often get “epicness for the sake of being epic”. Others may disagree, of course, but all I know is with 1000+ pagers like these I always tend to forget a lot due to information overload. However, three and a half years after The Way of Kings, I still find myself remembering almost all the details of Roshar, of its peoples and cultures, lore and magic, the different creatures and spren. My memory’s not the best either, so the fact I can remember even the little things means that they really stuck with me, and that simply does not happen with fluff or filler. It tells me the details in The Stormlight Archive are there for a reason, and not just to pad a book. Even the Interludes, which I don’t really care for, I can still appreciate because something tells me they will be important at a later stage.
Honestly, sometimes I still have a hard time wrapping my head around the idea that I’ll probably be well into my fifth decade by the time the last book of this vast, sweeping series comes out. It’s an accepted reality for epic fantasy fans I’m sure, but you can bet your spheres that I’m in this one for the long haul. Premature as it is to say, but I think things are shaping up real nicely, and if you enjoyed the first book then picking up this one will be a must as well. Needless to say, Words of Radiance gets 5 hearty stars from me. Really, was there ever any doubt?
Mogsy’s Book Haul
Posted on March 9, 2014 Leave a Comment
The beginning of every month always sees a ton of amazing new releases, so I may have picked up a couple of those this week…and then some. This week also saw more than the arrival of just books though, for my highly-anticipated package filled with The Iron Wolves–related goodies arrived from across the pond! Included in it is this really awesome shirt, a couple of signed photos and a bunch of bookmarks. My thanks to the author, Andy Remic!
The Copper Promise – another lovely from across the pond, this book was on my to-read list for the longest time and I finally got tired of holding my breath for a US release date. Being on the wrong side of the ocean be damned, I just went ahead and bought the book. Book Depository to the rescue! I look forward to tackling this one very soon.
Blood and Iron – this week’s awesome is brought to you by Pyr Books. First up was this copy of Blood and Iron. I’d actually written a review for the ARC which went up earlier in the week, check it out! I like what the story did to set up the series.
Nebula Awards Showcase 2014 – up next we have this volume which collects and reprints the winning and nominated stories in the Nebula Awards. I’m not a big reader of anthologies, but I’m definitely not averse to them either. This looks like one that I’d happily dive into.
The Silk Map – this is the sequel to the first book The Scroll of Years featuring the much beloved couple Persimmon Gaunt and Imago Bone. I thoroughly enjoyed the first book, so I was really excited when this one came.
The Leopard – I am so excited about this one! Featured as one of our top anticipated SFF novels of 2014 written by women The Leopard isn’t the first book written in the world of Marakand created by K.V. Johansen, but it is the beginning of a new series and can be enjoyed even if I haven’t read her earlier work. I can’t wait, and just look at that gorgeous cover art. Thanks, Pyr!
Second Star – kicking off the digital pile is this one I requested from NetGalley and I credit Tammy at Books, Bones & Buffy for putting Second Star on my radar (she is making a habit of loading books on my TBR!) I’m not generally into contemporary YA, but this is a sort of retelling of the Peter Pan story and I couldn’t resist when I heard. I also heard it boasts a love triangle between Peter, Wendy and Hook and now I’m just too damn curious for my own good.
Omega Days – a review copy of this was actually offered to me, but I’m already quite loaded down for the month. Still, the premise looks really interesting and I’m in the mood for some zombies, so ultimately I decided to just buy this one on my own.
Written in Red – the sequel of this just came out, which was probably the reason for the Kindle price drop! Anne Bishop’s The Others series been recommended to me many times by many people, so I jumped on this as soon as I saw.
The Tropic of Serpents – and now for the new releases, I adored Marie Brennan’s A Natural History of Dragons when I read it last year so of course I had to pick up book two. I’m regretting not getting the physical book now though, since if it’s anything like the first book it’ll have some gorgeous illustrations in it as well. Regardless, this is pretty high on my list to read soon.
Words of Radiance – so you might have heard Brandon Sanderson’s Book 2 of The Stormlight Archive was released on Tuesday (Thursday in the UK). I already finished my review copy, but I’m weird in that when it comes to books I love, I enjoy having multiple copies in different formats. So earlier in the week I picked up the audiobook version of this as well and it is brilliant, the narrators did an amazing job. My review of Words of Radiance will be going live tomorrow so be sure to keep an eye out for that.
Book Review: Talus and the Frozen King by Graham Edwards
Posted on March 9, 2014 Leave a Comment
Talus and the Frozen King by Graham Edwards
Genre: Mystery, Fantasy
Series: Stand alone (so far)
Publisher: Solaris (March 25, 2014)
Author Information: Website | Twitter
Mogsy’s Rating: 4 of 5 stars
Well now, this book was a pleasant surprise. Meet Talus, touted by the book’s description as the world’s first detective, which is indeed as marvelous as it sounds. The book has the feel of a Sherlock Holmes type mystery set in an icy Iron Age inspired fantasy world, but what really clinches this one that our “detective” is a bard! If you don’t know, I have a serious soft spot for those traveling poets and teller-of-tales types.
Written in the tradition of the classics by Arthur Conan Doyle or Agatha Christie, I found Talus and the Frozen King to be a very enjoyable whodunit complete with all the ingredients that makes a good mystery. Talus, a wanderer and collector of stories, is a clever man and not without his little quirks. Then, because every good detective needs a trusty friend and assistant, we have stalwart Bran, who is the Watson to his Sherlock. And just to tease this book even more, let’s just say a true detective also needs an arch nemesis a la Moriarty, but that’s all I’ll say about that in this review!
I very much enjoy stories like this. Talus and the Frozen King is a quick read, tightly told with a clear direction and goal in mind, but the author still leaves plenty of room to develop the characters and define the world around them. The setup is admittedly simple but still very well done; after all, most of the activity is mainly confined to an island, where the king of the local settlement has been found murdered under bizarre circumstances. No one is above suspicion in this plot-driven mystery, not even the king’s six grieving sons, the women who love them, or the tribe’s shaman, who all have their reasons to see the old ruler dead.
As the reader, I was given the chance to engage in the very same process of deduction as Talus carries out his investigation, through interviewing suspects or gathering and interpreting the clues. In the interim, I also got to learn more about Talus and Bran individually, discovering the motivations that drive them as well as the details behind their unique relationship. It added an extra layer to this story, rendering the situation more than just another mystery to be solved, because along the way I grew to care about these characters and became invested in them.
Nothing is as it seems. Names are a continually added to the suspect list, then scratched off again as more clues come to light. As death strikes left and right, you can practically feel the urgency in the atmosphere as times begins to run out. Of course, you’re not going to be getting a ton of information about the wider world out there due to the tight focus of the plot, but we still get plenty about the culture, traditions and myths of Creyak island and its people, and for such a relatively short novel, I think it packs a lot of emotion and tension.
There aren’t a lot of books like this out there, that’s for sure. While there’s a strong element of fantasy in this one, at it’s heart it really is a variety of your good old detective story. The prehistoric ice age setting garners huge points from me, and like I mentioned, so does our protagonist being an eccentric bard. I think both mystery and fantasy readers alike will feel right at home with this one. A very entertaining and fast read.
YA Weekend: Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes
Posted on March 8, 2014 Leave a Comment
Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Series: Book 1 of Falling Kingdoms
Publisher: Razorbill (December 11, 2012)
Author Information: Website | Twitter
Mogsy’s Rating: 4 of 5 stars
I’ll admit, I had some serious doubts when I first heard about this young adult novel styled as an epic fantasy. I’m more of an adult fiction reader, so when I think about epic fantasy I can’t help but picture vast sweeping sagas in big fat tomes, and I have no doubt it was this bias making me skeptical as I eyed this relatively thin volume.
So you can imagine my surprise when it turned out I quite enjoyed this book. Still, I did don my YA hat as I was thinking about how to rate and review it. And furthermore, you should know that any time anyone anywhere compares anything to George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire, I take it with a grain of salt. On several levels, I suppose I can understand the reasons for some of the comparisons, or why a story like this would appeal to fans of Game of Thrones. And yet, to date I’ve never actually encountered anything else quite like Martin’s epic series and I didn’t anticipate it would happen now.
As such, you could say I went into Falling Kingdoms with a realistic outlook, along with an expectation for some of the usual YA trappings and perhaps a more delicate, dialed-down version of my beloved epic fantasy tropes. But putting it like that would also be doing this book a great injustice, because it also turned out to be a deeper and more intricate reading experience than thought. Despite having a central cast of mostly teenagers, some of the more mature and darker themes also took me by surprise.
The scope of the story was certainly extensive and far-reaching enough for my tastes; here we have a land where the rulers of three separate kingdoms are locked in a bitter struggle for power, thus creating a hotbed for intrigue, conspiracy, scandal and all that good stuff. I wasn’t expecting to see too much complexity, and indeed, the plot felt strained in certain places, I found myself questioning character motivations a lot, and some of the world building and story elements were lighter than what I’m accustomed to. And yet, when I look at the overall big picture, I was quite impressed with what I saw. It’s a lot more than I’d hoped to find in a YA novel, that’s for sure.
In a sense, this book reads exactly as it is described: an epic fantasy for teens. Since that was how I approached it, I thought it delivered everything that was promised and much more besides. If anything, the plot’s overall simplicity and straightforward nature of the narrative actually worked in the novel’s favor. It’s very accessible, easy to get into even if you aren’t an epic fantasy reader, and the story is just layered enough to be interesting but not confusing or overwhelming.
Falling Kingdoms proved to be a highly enjoyable read for me. Keeping in mind it is a YA novel, it’s probably not ideal if you’re looking for a more powerful, substantial epic fantasy, but I had a lot of fun nonetheless!
Book Review: The Chronicles of Amber by Roger Zelazny
Posted on March 7, 2014 3 Comments
The Chronicles of Amber by Roger Zelazny
Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: Gollancz
Publication Date: January 1978
Wendy’s Rating: 4 of 5 stars
“…and while I had often said that I wanted to die in bed, what I really meant was that in my old age I wanted to be stepped on by an elephant while making love.”
This book was fervently recommended by a friend, and, being an obsessive compulsive book shopper, I bought it almost immediately. When I started reading it, I was both surprised and impressed by the responses I got to my posts on Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads and Google+ – all praising the Chronicles of Amber and/or Zelazny himself. Clearly I had missed out on something very important and my impulse shopping was not in vain.
Amber is a realm that casts hundreds of shadows of itself, each one easily manipulated by those of royal blood, including Corwin, whom we first meet as an amnesia patient in the hospital under questionable circumstances. Despite his memory loss, his wits slip him out of captivity and into the home of his sister, where he slowly tries to piece his history together. Knowing nothing of Amber, who’s trying to kill Corwin, or the Trump cards that he finds, each depicting a person he comes to recognize as a sibling, the reader gets to tag along on this curious journey of discovery. Corwin is soon joined by his brother Random who is fleeing mysterious and deadly assailants. Together they make their way back to Amber in a bizarre process that sets the tone for the unusual way magic works in Zelazny’s world.
As the threads unwind and Corwin’s memory returns, we learn that the king of Amber is missing, presumed dead, and one of the nine princes, Eric, has assumed the throne. Corwin is determined to usurp his brother’s rule and sets about building an army.
After the first book, which managed to go from memory loss, to walking the Pattern, to all out war in such a brief time, I quickly came to understand that nothing would be as I expected – including the motivations of each of the siblings and their companions. Zelazny fashions an unbelievably intense story of sibling rivalry, within a fantasy setting unlike any other. The transitions between worlds is so smooth and the language a perfect blend of contemporary and everything else. But the most striking thing for me was the way, as each book progressed, I felt like Zelazny was simply writing everything that spilled from his mind. It felt like he was adding twists and turns and new elements as they came to him – but everything fit in place like the world’s most perfect Tetris game. And when I got to the end of book four’s big reveal. Well .. fuuuhhh….
Side note: The book focuses mainly on Corwin and his interactions with his male companions and brothers. Initially, his sisters and the other women who vaguely show up are considered little more than useless fools. Fortunately, Zelazny seemed to gain a bit more respect for females by book four and five and the women at least served a bit more purpose and earned the respect of the nice men in their lives.
I actually bought the The Great Book of Amber, which includes ten stories within this world. The first five deal with Corwin’s incredible journey, while the second half follows his son Merlin. I have heard that the second half is not quite as good as the first. While this doesn’t deter me from continuing on eventually, I decided to focus on Corwin alone for this review.
The BiblioSanctum 