The BiblioSanctum

Book Review: The Waking Engine by David Edison

Posted on February 7, 2014 Leave a Comment

The Waking Engine by David Edison

Genre: Science Fiction Fantasy

Series: Stand Alone

Publisher: Tor (February 11, 2014)

Author Information: Website | Twitter

Mogsy’s Rating: 2 of 5 stars

Not for the first time, I wish I had a system in place for giving two ratings to a book: 1) An objective rating in which I give a book stars based on its own merits, uninfluenced by my personal feelings, and 2) A subjective rating which is based on how a book worked for me personally, or how well it meshed with my personal tastes. This is going to be a very tough review for me to write, simply because I’ve never read a book like this, where those two ratings could not be any more different, but I’m also glad I have the chance to explain why.

The book begins with a young man named Cooper waking up in an unfamiliar place to two strangers fussing over his sudden appearance, and the answers he gets are decidedly not reassuring. Apparently, he is dead. Contrary to what we know about death, when someone dies they merely wake up as themselves somewhere else, appearing on one of a possible million universes where they will once again live out their lives and the whole process repeats itself. That is, until you reach the end and wind up at the City Unspoken, also known as the City of the Dead, because only on this world a person can find true death.

This is where Cooper wakes up. But he has also come at a very unsettling time, where something seems to be preventing True Death from happening, leading to widespread frustration and panic among the denizens of the city. There are some who believe Cooper may be the solution to the problem, as he is different. For one thing, he has a belly button. A navel is really nothing but a scar left over from the attachment of the umbilical cord, and because all are born only once but die many times, waking up on new worlds with their bodies whole and unmarred, the fact Cooper has one holds great significance. He may not be really dead.

And from here on out, it gets even stranger. But hey, you’d be strange too if you were Cooper, dragged across the metaverse by a goddess, kidnapped by faeries, drugged by Cleopatra, engulfed by a machine-flesh creature, and pursued by undead monsters and evil elf beings. I love it when I find a unique book with very different, offbeat ideas, but The Waking Engine treads into seriously bizarre territory. More bizarre than I could handle, perhaps. It’s the kind of book I can’t tackle at night right before bed, because I wake up in the morning and can’t remember if I actually dreamed or read these weird images. I tried really hard to embrace the weirdness, but it soon became clear that I was in way over my head.

And that’s a real shame, too. It almost breaks my heart to say I didn’t like this one as much as I thought I would. The ideas in this story are some of the most original ones I’ve ever encountered in science fiction and fantasy, and the characters are unconventional and diverse as well. Unfortunately, the strangeness was a barrier for me, preventing me from appreciating all of the positive aspects of this book to its fullness. It’s difficult to connect to a character, for instance, when instead I’m putting all my effort into trying to make sense of everything that’s happening. The world is also wildly imaginative, which is another huge plus to this book, but words cannot describe just how amazing and fantastical it is. I mean that literally in this case; I get the sense from Edison’s writing that the environments he pictures in his mind are so vast and visionary that they transcend mere language.

I wanted to like The Waking Engine so much because objectively, it is a great book, deftly and beautifully written with ground breaking ideas, interesting characters, and incredible world building. But I have to be honest, it was just not my style. There’s lots to love about this book, but it just has to find its intended audience, which unfortunately is not me. On the other hand, I think fans of “un-reality” or the metaphysical or more abstract elements in their speculative fiction will be very well pleased with this one. Give it a shot if that’s the type of stories you like, I guarantee you won’t be disappointed.

A review copy of this book was provided to me by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thanks to Tor Books!

PANELS: Locke and Key

Posted on February 7, 2014 Leave a Comment

Kinsey takes some time to herself.

Locke and Key

Book Review: Broken Homes by Ben Aaronovitch

Posted on February 6, 2014 8 Comments

Broken Homes by Ben Aaronovitch

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Series: Book 4 of Peter Grant

Publisher: DAW (US: February 4, 2014)

Author Information: Website | Twitter

Mogsy’s Rating: 4 of 5 stars

New rule: if you are an urban fantasy starring a London policeman-turned-wizard named Peter Grant, then I MUST READ YOU. Let’s just say I have waited a long time for this! After devouring the first three books last spring, I was left with a void that only this series’ dry wit and magical action could provide, and now book four has finally made its way to the US.

Ben Aaronovitch does not hold back for Peter’s latest adventure, which involves our favorite magician-constable working to solve yet another string of odd deaths happening around the city. The first red flag goes up when a chance car accident leads him to a murder victim, who may have a link to the mysterious “Faceless Man.” That’s the big baddie that Peter and his supervisor Nightingale have been hunting over the course of the last couple of books.

As such, Broken Homes probably wouldn’t be the best jumping on point if you’re new to the series, albeit the central plot within the bigger picture is still wildly entertaining. When it is discovered that the odd deaths are all connected to a controversial housing estate “designed by a nutter, built by charlatans, and inhabited by the truly desperate”, Peter and his fellow investigators come up with an insane plan to get to the bottom of the mystery. What do they do? They move in and go under cover. Trouble ensues. And with that, tons of amusement for readers.

Here’s why I think it would be a good idea to at least tackle the previous book first before reading this one: if you’re not familiar with the overall story arc with the Faceless Man, the first half of the book will probably feel pretty slow. I personally was interested in the investigations because a lot of it had to do with uncovering the identity of the enemy and trying to capture him, but without that context I think a lot of the happenings will feel disjointed or only tenuously connected.

But as someone who has been following this series, I think it is clearly starting to come into its own. With that comes a greater appreciation for the little quirks only found in these books, like London’s rivers personified as semi-divine spirits, Peter’s esoteric interests into the city’s architecture or even his frequent funny jabs at the Metropolitan Police. All this made even some of the more low-key bits of the book very fascinating and engaging — such as the scene with the spring celebration, or descriptions of Peter’s magical training sessions.

However, I have to say the second half of the book — which includes the subsequent build-up to the climax — and ending is simply phenomenal. As the main protagonist and narrator, I thought Peter would always be my favorite character in these books, but Nightingale may have just given him a run for his money. His anachronisms and total fail with modern technologies notwithstanding, the guy is awesome. You might think you know wizarding duels, but you don’t — not until you read about the one near the end of this book, with Nightingale versus the Russian Night Witch. I think I may have a crush.

Then, there’s the climax and the shocking “twist”. I put the quotations there because I’m not sure how truly surprising it is if you’ve been following the series and the characters. It was shocking yes, but it wasn’t completely unexpected. The clues leading up to it weren’t entirely subtle, though that might just be me. All the same, the excitement and snappy pace in these final chapters will make you ache for more, and leave you desperate to find out what happens next.

Sigh, which leads me back to this familiar place, of pining for the next book. The waiting does not get easier!

A review copy of this book was provided to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. My thanks to DAW Books!

Book Review: Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas

Posted on February 5, 2014 3 Comments

Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Magic

Series: Throne of Glass #2

Publisher: Bloomsbury USA

Publication Date: August 2013

Author’s Info: sarahjmaas.com

Wendy’s Rating: 3 of 5 stars

As much as I enjoyed Throne of Glass, one thing that bugged me (other than Celaena’s arrogance) was the fact that Celaena is supposedly the renowned and feared Adarlan’s Assassin, but beyond her own boasting, she didn’t do anything assassiny. Crown of Midnight initially made me believe I was finally getting to see what I wanted to see, but we quickly find out otherwise. The King’s Champion proves herself conniving, with questionable negotiations, but she certainly doesn’t prove herself deadly. It made me wonder if Maas was having trouble truly associating her character with the more negative aspects of being known as Adarlan’s Assassin – namely, the assassin part. This is remedied half way through the book when she unleashes her darkness in a way that I can only describe as Mary Sue the Ninja. The scene, which I could probably re-enact with Catwoman in a Batman: Arkham Asylum challenge map, was a bit too over the top for my liking.

My second problem with this book (other than Celaena’s arrogance), is the heavy focus on cloying romances. Celaena, now moved on from her romance with Prince Dorian, is paying more attention to the captain of the guard, Chaol Westfall, which, on top of her arrogance, results in a book that spends far too long being the kind of YA book that I don’t particularly enjoy.

Having to deal with all of this for half the book made it very difficult to continue, but I generally try to finish what I start. Fortunately, the actual plot picked up and started to move along at the half way point with Princess Nehemia’s plotting, the slow, seeping return of magic, and Queen Elena’s mysterious absence. We finally get to focus on the dark past Celaena is running from and the destiny she is trying her hardest to avoid.

The big revelation at the end still has Mary Sue smatterings, no matter how often Maas reminds us of what Celaena has lost and what she suffered as a slave in the mines, but it is still interesting enough for me to consider continuing. At the very least, circumstances seemed to have caused her to mature a bit. While I don’t want her to lose her arrogance completely, as it is part of her coping mechanisms, I do hope the swagger is toned down a bit for future installments – which I still am intrigued enough to want to read.

Waiting on Wednesday 02/05/14

Posted on February 5, 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!

Wendy’s Pick

N.K. Jemisin’s books are emotional rides that I have to take in very small doses. I own all of her books, but have been reading through them very slowly because it takes me so much time to recover from each. This will definitely be added to my shelves, and I will prepare myself for all the flails and tears that will go with it.

The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin – August 2014 (Orbit Books)

This is the way the world ends. Again.

Three terrible things happen in a single day. Essun, a woman living an ordinary life in a small town, comes home to find that her husband has brutally murdered their son and kidnapped their daughter. Meanwhile, mighty Sanze — the world-spanning empire whose innovations have been civilization’s bedrock for a thousand years — collapses as most of its citizens are murdered to serve a madman’s vengeance. And worst of all, across the heart of the vast continent known as the Stillness, a great red rift has been been torn into the heart of the earth, spewing ash enough to darken the sky for years. Or centuries.

Now Essun must pursue the wreckage of her family through a deadly, dying land. Without sunlight, clean water, or arable land, and with limited stockpiles of supplies, there will be war all across the Stillness: a battle royale of nations not for power or territory, but simply for the basic resources necessary to get through the long dark night. Essun does not care if the world falls apart around her. She’ll break it herself, if she must, to save her daughter. – See more at: http://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/n-k-jemisin/the-fifth-season/9780316229296/#desc

Mogsy’s Pick

I can think of no situation that cannot be improved with dragons. Throw in magic, love, and adventure, and you have a winning combination. Just a couple more weeks until this book releases!

Moth and Spark by Anne Leonard – February 20, 2014 (Viking Adult)

“A prince with a quest. A commoner with mysterious powers. And dragons that demand to be freed—at any cost.

Prince Corin has been chosen to free the dragons from their bondage to the Empire, but dragons aren’t big on directions. They have given him some of their power, but none of their knowledge. No one, not the dragons nor their riders, is even sure what keeps the dragons in the Empire’s control.

Tam, sensible daughter of a well-respected doctor, had no idea before she arrived in the capital that she is a Seer, gifted with visions. When the two run into each other (quite literally) in the library, sparks fly and Corin impulsively asks Tam to dinner. But it’s not all happily ever after. Never mind that the prince isn’t allowed to marry a commoner: war is coming to Caithen.

Torn between Corin’s quest to free the dragons and his duty to his country, the lovers must both figure out how to master their powers in order to save Caithen. With a little help from a village of secret wizards and a rogue dragonrider, they just might pull it off.”

Book Review: Dreamwalker by C.S. Friedman

Posted on February 4, 2014 1 Comment

Dreamwalker by C.S. Friedman (DAW)

Genre: Young Adult Science Fiction Fantasy

Series: Book 1 of Dreamwalker

Publication Date: February 4, 2014

Author Information: Website

Mogsy’s Rating: 4 of 5 stars

To my surprise, Dreamwalker turned out to be a pretty big departure from C.S. Friedman’s previous works. Still, I was no less charmed by the remarkable story and characters than I had been before I realized this was a book more geared towards the young adult audience. After all, YA fantasy has so much to offer these days, and as someone who enjoys reading this category quite a bit, I found Dreamwalker to be a promising start to what has the potential to become a great new series.

I was hooked right away with the introduction to the Drake siblings, Jessica (“Jesse” to her friends) and her little brother Tommy. The book starts off by throwing them into some pretty heavy situations, and I don’t doubt for a second that this had something to do with why I was so taken with these characters. Jesse and Tommy’s father, who doesn’t actually appear in this novel, still casts a dark shadow on the family even years after he walked away from them, by claiming that Jesse is another man’s child. To prove to him that this is not true, Jesse’s mom takes her to get a paternity test.

Yikes, what an awful situation for anyone let alone a teenager to find themselves in, but Jesse’s composure and steadfast support for her mother made me appreciate her more as a protagonist and narrator. But of course, these problems are just the beginning. When the DNA test results come back, that’s when Jesse’s true mettle will be tested. What would you do if you discovered that you weren’t the person you thought you were? What would you do if you found out you might not even be part of this world? A new term has gained significance with Jesse: Changeling. Desperate to make sense of her life, Jesse goes on the search for answers and instead finds many others who are in similar situations like hers.

The family’s problems have touched Jesse’s brother Tommy’s life as well, though they have affected him in different ways. I have to say his obsession with gaming in the wake of his father’s departure broke my heart a little; having spent years playing online games myself and in doing so meeting people who have used this hobby as an avenue of escape, I understand all too well how someone could turn to virtual worlds and internet friends in order to drown out painful feelings. It could happen to anyone, young or old. For me, it is another point to Jesse’s character that she doesn’t judge her brother, and instead tries to share in his interests by letting him use her weird and disturbing dreams as inspiration for his roleplaying campaigns.

When a stranger comes poking around the Drakes’ lives and Tommy is kidnapped however, Jesse begins to have the dreaded suspicion that it is all because of her and her dreams. Her mission to get her brother back is what leads her and her new friends on a journey to another world, one that the author has done a phenomenal job of creating. I really enjoyed the premise of this novel, which explores parallel universes and alternate realities. In doing so, Friedman also addresses important social issues like race, poverty and human rights. Overall this is a fun and adventurous novel, but there are definitely some weighty topics of discussion in here.

Perhaps my only issue with the book is how jumbled it feels at certain times, perhaps due to the frequent switching of first-person to third-person between some chapters. This doesn’t usually bother me in other books, but for some reason it is quite noticeable here. My guess is it has something to do with chapter length and how short some of these third-person intervals are. Some parts of the plot are also resolved too neatly, or too conveniently. For example, at one point in the novel Jesse and her friends meet a character who essentially hands them everything they need to succeed in their quest, though how that character managed to obtain the tools and information in the first place is not really addressed.

There are also lots of ideas in play, and how they all relate to each other does make itself apparent until much later in the book, so the first half of the story may feel a bit disjointed. Personally I don’t mind stories like this, which are like mysteries that I know will unravel in time. As such, this was a fast read for me because I found I couldn’t stop myself from turning the pages. Every person you encounter is a question, because you don’t know whose side they’re on. I just couldn’t wait to see how all the puzzle pieces would fall into place, and the ending was sadly over much too soon. I was actually a little surprised at how quickly it wrapped up.

Even so, the ending leaves things wide open for more of Jesse’s story (though it is not a cliffhanger, thank you!), and I know I will want to be there to see what happens next. I think as long as you go into this with the knowledge it is going to be different from the author’s other books, Dreamwalker may yet surprise you. This is C.S. Friedman tackling the young adult fantasy genre, and I feel she did an impressive job.

A review copy of this book was provided to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. My thanks to DAW Books.

Novella Review: John Golden: Freelance Debugger by Django Wexler

Posted on February 3, 2014 Leave a Comment

John Golden: Freelance Debugger by Django Wexler

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Series: Book 1 of John Golden

Publisher: Ragnarok Publications (February 3, 2014)

Author Information: Website | Twitter

Mogsy’s Rating: 4 of 5 stars

I’m a tough sell when it comes to novellas. Even tougher when it comes to urban fantasy. Don’t get me wrong; I love this genre, but the truth is there’s also a lot of books and series out there. These days, ideas in urban fantasy have to be special and different enough in order to stand out and hook me.

But as soon as I read the description for this book, which is about a character whose job as a “freelance debugger” involves getting fairies out of computers, I knew it had me. Speaking as someone who is often convinced she has problems way worse than fairies mucking about in her PC, I think I need this John Golden guy in my life.

Django Wexler is also the perfect person to write this. That might come as a surprise if you’ve only read his epic fantasy, but I’ve discovered that he’s also an amazingly versatile author. And as a former programmer and someone clearly used to being called upon for impromptu IT work, he definitely knows his way around computers and networks. He’s taken that knowledge and mashed it up with elements from urban fantasy, creating a world where the land of the fae exists as part of a “Wildernet”, and its denizens wreck havoc on our servers and systems by infesting them with their nasty “burrows”.

I think the first thing most readers will notice is “Hey, there’s a bunch of footnotes in this!” Wexler has decided to do something different here by using footnotes for humorous effect, having John Golden’s business partner Sarah fill us in with her commentary in the form of annotations. Sarah is an interesting character, with her being a … well, I think I’ll just leave that little bit out as a surprise for now! In any case, I personally appreciated the footnotes as part of the book’s unique flavor, though they did trip me up a little at the beginning. Ultimately though, it’s worth your time to read Sarah’s snarktastic comments, since they often add to the narrative or give you more details about the world. Not to mention she’s downright hilarious.

I would recommend this to everyone. It’s the perfect urban fantasy for computer geeks, with its IT jokes and references, but it’s also fun for those who are not. Take me, for example. I wouldn’t say I’m hopeless with computers, but at the same time what I don’t know could fill an Olympic-size pool, and yet I still loved this book! It’s quick, it’s entertaining, and I have to say I got a real kick out of its geeky pop culture references and humor.

Can’t wait for more, especially since Wexler has teased that the next book will have a gamer angle. I know his other fantasy series will likely take precedence, but I really hope he’ll keep finding time to write John Golden stories. A premise this amazing simply demands further exploration!

A review copy of this book was provided to me by the author and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. My thanks to Django Wexler and Ragnarok Publications!

Audiobook Review: Throne of Jade by Naomi Novik

Posted on February 2, 2014 Leave a Comment

Throne of Jade by Naomi Novik

Genre: Historical Fantasy

Series: Temeraire #2

Publisher: Del Rey

Publication Date: April 2006

Narrator: Simon Vance

Author Info: www.temeraire.org

Wendy’s Rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

The way Novik winds dragons into history is already fascinating, but now we get to see them within an entirely new environment and culture.

Two important things I must establish before getting on with the actual review:

1. This is absolutely one of the best Simon Vance performances I have ever listened to. His Temeraire is not what I imagined when I read the first book myself, but it forever will be now. Vance expertly captured every nuance of the young dragon with Chinese roots.

2. This is what Temeraire looks like in my head. Deal with it.

As I discovered in reading the previous book in the Temeraire series, His Majesty’s Dragon, this is not necessarily an action/adventure fantasy. Yes, there are skirmishes that Temeraire and the other dragons participate in and there are several other moments of action, but at the heart of this story is a beautiful friendship between man and beast – only, this beast is a massive, highly intelligent dragon.

Throne of Jade picks up right where the previous left off, with the Chinese demanding the return of their Celestial Dragon. Laurence risks the stockade with his adamant refusal to simply relinquish the dragon he has come to adore, much less lie to Temeraire as his superiors and the Chinese emissaries suggest. And Temeraire feels much the same way. But circumstances eventually force the pair into a seven month voyage from England to China in hopes of pleading their case before the Emperor himself.

The beauty of this series is in watching Temeraire grow and learn and watching Laurence grow and learn with him. If there was any doubt before, Laurence’s friendship with the dragon has clearly moved well beyond that of master and pet to a very deep bond that is thoroughly tested as Temeraire learns more and more about his homeland of China. Not the least of which is the vast difference in the treatment of dragons. The way Novik winds dragons into history is already fascinating, but now we get to see them within an entirely new environment and culture.

The ending was a bit of a disappointment, but I am curious to see what Temeraire and Laurence will do with what they learn in China.

Story

Narration

February’s Book Club Read: Vicious by V.E. Schwabb

Posted on February 1, 2014 Leave a Comment

LeVar’s Rainbow Book Club members perused the top 2013 reader’s choice fantasy books on Goodreads and settled on this book for the month of February.

Vicious by V.E. Schwabb

Victor and Eli started out as college roommates—brilliant, arrogant, lonely boys who recognized the same sharpness and ambition in each other. In their senior year, a shared research interest in adrenaline, near-death experiences, and seemingly supernatural events reveals an intriguing possibility: that under the right conditions, someone could develop extraordinary abilities. But when their thesis moves from the academic to the experimental, things go horribly wrong.

Ten years later, Victor breaks out of prison, determined to catch up to his old friend (now foe), aided by a young girl whose reserved nature obscures a stunning ability. Meanwhile, Eli is on a mission to eradicate every other super-powered person that he can find—aside from his sidekick, an enigmatic woman with an unbreakable will. Armed with terrible power on both sides, driven by the memory of betrayal and loss, the archnemeses have set a course for revenge—but who will be left alive at the end?

In Vicious, V. E. Schwab brings to life a gritty comic-book-style world in vivid prose: a world where gaining superpowers doesn’t automatically lead to heroism, and a time when allegiances are called into question.

Mogsy’s February Challenge: Review Copy Cleanup

Posted on February 1, 2014 Leave a Comment

Thanks to word of mouth, I discovered Review Copy Cleanup 4.0 over at Vicky’s Books, Biscuits and Tea. I desperately need something like this! My to-review books have been piling up lately and I was going to make it a goal to polish off a bunch this month anyway, so this could not have come at a more opportune time.

Anyway, what is this challenge, you ask? Pretty much what the title says. If you find you’re in the same boat, you should definitely check it out! There’s more information and guidelines at the link above.

And now, since it’s the first day of February, I might as well get organized and started right away. Don’t you love lists? I love lists!

Here’s what I’ll be reading this month for RCC: