Book Review: The Grendel Affair by Lisa Shearin
Posted on January 9, 2014 2 Comments
Book Review: Be My Enemy by Ian McDonald
Posted on January 8, 2014 Leave a Comment
Waiting on Wednesday 01/08/14
Posted on January 8, 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!
At the end of The Scroll of Years, the poet Persimmon Gaunt and her husband, the thief Imago Bone, had saved their child from evil forces at the price of trapping him within a pocket dimension. Now they will attempt what seems impossible; they will seek a way to recover their son. Allied with Snow Pine, a scrappy bandit who’s also lost her child to the Scroll of Years, Gaunt and Bone awaken the Great Sage, a monkeylike demigod of the East, currently trapped by vaster powers beneath a mountain. The Sage knows of a way to reach the Scroll — but there is a price. The three must seek the world’s greatest treasure and bring it back to him. They must find the worms of the alien Iron Moths, whose cocoons produce the wondrous material ironsilk.
And so the rogues join a grand contest waged along three thousand miles of dangerous and alluring trade routes between East and West. For many parties have simultaneously uncovered fragments of the Silk Map, a document pointing the way toward a nest of the Iron Moths. Our heroes tangle with Western treasure hunters, a blind mystic warrior and his homicidal magic carpet, a nomad princess determined to rebuild her father’s empire, and a secret society obsessed with guarding the lost paradise where the Moths are found — even if paradise must be protected by murder.”
Book Review: A Guile of Dragons by James Enge
Posted on January 7, 2014 Leave a Comment
A Guile of Dragons by James Enge
Genre: Fantasy
Series: Book 1 of A Tournament of Shadows
Publisher: Pyr
Date of Publication: August 21, 2012
Author Information: Website | Twitter
James Enge’s A Guile of Dragons is actually the first book of a “prequel” series called A Tournament of Shadows featuring his celebrated character Morlock Ambrosius. Not having read the original books, I’m sure my experience is probably going to differ wildly from that of a reader who is already familiar with the world and character, but knowing beforehand that I was going into an origins-type story was good preparation for what to expect.
Most of the book covers the life of young Morlock. We begin at a point before he is even born, then watch as he is given to the dwarves as an infant. Morlock’s real father is Merlin — yes, that Merlin — though he is raised among the dwarven folk; as such things go, the character’s struggles with his birthright and mixed feelings about his heritage eventually emerge as one of the overarching themes of the story.
But on top of that, the book is also an adventure, with an ancient war between dwarves and dragons at its heart. When the dwarven territories are invaded, their defenders taken prisoner or placed under the corrupted influence of dragonspells, it falls to Morlock to protect his surrogate family and the people who raised him.
This was a good story, well told in its complexity and showing of relationships between different characters, but I have a feeling I’m not clicking with it as much as I should. I’m sure a lot of it had to do with the book and I getting off on the wrong foot, with the introductory chapters throwing me off with its pacing. The sections that take place before Morlock’s birth and up to the brief scenes of his childhood with the dwarves feel like they should have been a prologue, separated from the rest of the book.
I understand the importance of including this time of his life as part of his back story, but I don’t know if it meshes that well with everything that comes afterward. The first part of the book felt like a running commentary on the circumstances behind Morlock’s birth, resulting in a disconnect between myself and the character. Fortunately, the book really gets going once he reaches adulthood and we get into the meat of the story, when we encounter the dragons and their violent confrontations with the dwarves.
What follows is a very intriguing take on the history behind the dwarven-dragon conflict, and the intricacies in the nature of the two societies. The character dynamics also pick up, and as factors like bitter resentment or shifting loyalties start to come into play, things get a lot more interesting. The author throws in a lot of surprising twists, and I have to say one of my favorite aspects of this book is how Enge incorporates elements from legend and Arthurian fantasy into the world lore.
My overall feeling is that you can definitely read A Guile of Dragons on its own, but I have no doubt I’m also missing out on a lot of the subtleties. Yet despite delving into this one without any context, I was on the whole impressed. After seeing how the events of this book has shaped Morlock as a character, I admit I find myself curious about him and his future exploits.
Book Review: Kushiel’s Mercy by Jacqueline Carey
Posted on January 7, 2014 Leave a Comment
Kushiel’s Mercy by Jacqueline Carey
Genre: Epic Fantasy, Romance, Erotic Fantasy
Series: Kushiel’s Legacy #6, Imriel’s Trilogy #3
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Publication Date: June 2008
Author Info: www.jacquelinecarey.com
Wendy’s Rating: 3 of 5 stars
Kushiel’s Mercy is the sixth book in Carey’s Terre d’Ange adventures, and the third book in the Imriel de la Courcel’s story. It is the conclusion of his trilogy and honestly, I only read it for the sake of completion. Thus far, neither of the two trilogies that followed Phédre no Delauney’s own have been nearly as good, mostly because of the main characters.
Prince Imriel de la Courcel is the son of the beautiful traitor, Melisandre Sharizai. He was kidnapped into slavery, rescued and later adopted by Phédre and her consort, Joscelin, and has since gone off on his own adventures. In the last book, he was betrothed to a woman he didn’t love, but then perhaps matured with the brutal murder of his wife and unborn son and the subsequent vengeance he enacted upon the culprit. And within that all of that, he fell in love with Sidonie de la Courcel, the dauphine of Terre d’Ange, and daughter of the queen whom Imriel’s mother sought to depose. Unsurprisingly, there are those who are quite opposed to their union, in spite of the precepts of blessed Elua: “Love as thou wilt.” Queen Ysandre will only allow them to be married, if Imriel brings his long missing mother to justice. But before he is able to do so, Prince Astagal of Carthage orchestrates an incredible piece of magic that ensorcels half of Terre d’Ange, even convincing Sidonie that she not only has never loved Imriel, but that Imriel does not even exist.
This wasn’t a bad story. It contained all of Carey’s epic, world hopping fantasy, her beautiful people, intriguing characters, wonderful mythology and theology that touches on our reality, while still being wholly hers, sweeping political intrigue and more. The problem is that, at the centre of all this are Imriel and Sidonie and their cloying romance. I can be as hopelessly romantic as the next person, but it gets tiresome when it’s the main plot and purpose. The beauty of Phédre and Joscelin’s romance was that they didn’t spend the whole time pining for each other, even when they were together. But Imriel and Sidonie’s story is made to be a fairy tale romance (and is repeatedly referred to as such). I suppose it doesn’t help that the characters have never endeared themselves to me. I appreciate them, but they lack the depth of their predecessors. And Imriel spent the last two books being an annoyingly self-centred teenager.
One thing I do find annoying about the subsequent books in this series is the constant and repeated reference back to past events. It’s usually quite unnecessary, though perhaps it might be less so for someone who has not read the previous books. However, I do appreciate the scope of the history Carey creates with each new epic addition to her world.
Book Review: The Emperor’s Blades by Brian Staveley
Posted on January 6, 2014 1 Comment
The Emperor’s Blades by Brian Staveley
Genre: Fantasy
Series: Book 1 of Chronicle of the Unhewn Throne
Publisher: Tor
Date of Publication: January 14, 2014
Author Information: Website | Twitter
Looks like epic fantasy in 2014 is off to a running start with The Emperor’s Blades, a novel by Brian Staveley featuring an intricate plot about a murdered sovereign and his trio of offspring who survive him. As debuts go, it was a great book despite a few hitches in the story that tripped me up. Still, I don’t doubt for a second that Staveley will be winning himself a lot of fans with this one, and you can count me in amongst those who are looking forward to his future work.
From the very beginning, the author has my undivided attention with introductions to Emperor Sanlitun’s two sons and daughter. First things first: take those images you have of pampered princesses and princelings living in luxury in a cushy decadent palace and throw them out the window, for the lives of Sanlitun’s children are about as far removed from that as you can imagine.
Kaden the heir has spent the last eight years sequestered in a remote monastery in the moutains, learning the mysteries of the monks who live there. It’s also where he gets beaten bloody on an almost daily basis, for not grasping his lessons quickly enough. Meanwhile, younger son Valyn trains with the Kettral (an elite group of the empire’s warriors — think of them as the emperor’s special forces) but leads a life no less brutal for all the dangerous tests he is made to go through before earning his place on a Wing. Finally, back at the capital Sanlitun’s only daughter Adare fights treachery, conspiracy and political unrest in order to maintain stability in the heart of the empire in the wake of her father’s murder.
The scope of the story turned out to be not as vast or immense as I’d expected, maintaining a tight focus on the perspectives of these three characters for much of the novel. That’s not a bad thing at all, especially if character development is as important to you as it is for me; narrowing down the interest and activity to Kaden, Velyn and Adare allowed me to get acquainted with them more closely.
If the three plot lines have a common thread, it’s that nothing ever seems to go right for the siblings. Kaden can’t seem get anything right in his mentor’s eyes, Valyn comes off almost as incompetent in his failures during training while simultaneously trying to root out a plot against him, and Adare is mostly helpless and unable to take action. For much of the novel it’s almost painful to read about how each of them are outmaneuvered, outsmarted, outgunned. But you know what they say about experiences that are upsetting, humiliating, or distressing: it builds character! That’s literally the case in this book. And really, there’s plenty enough action and excitement in Kaden, Valyn and Adare’s lives to keep things interesting, certainly enough to keep the novel’s pace up and maintain its level of epicness even when following just a handful of characters.
To be honest though, something never quite sat right with me when it came to their situations. It’s one thing to send your royal children away to pick up new skills, see the world, or learn of what real life is like outside the palace, but it’s quite another to expose your only (and therefore presumably precious) heirs to such terrible risk and brutality. In the book, we are told that Kaden and Valyn were victims of a kidnapping or assassination attempt when they were very young, but the perpetrators were caught and executed summarily for their troubles. However, Sanlitun is apparently happy enough to let monks and the Kettral do any more would-be assassins’ jobs for them, by sending his sons to places where the punishments equate to child abuse and torture in Kaden’s case, while Valyn is made to go through the type of training exercises where a single mistep could snuff his life out at any second.
I’m also a bit mystified by all the people around Kaden and Valyn who have the guts to treat the emperor’s sons so poorly, knowing full well that these young men are only a heartbeat or two away from the Unhewn Throne and being the supreme ruler of your land able to order your head lopped off from your shoulders on a mere whim. Maybe it’s just me, but crown princes aren’t exactly people I’d want to offend, let alone bully, because payback would be a real bitch in this case. Adare also has her own troubles with garnering respect in the capital, and here I’m also a little frustrated that her character was not given as much attention. Her chapters make a few brief appearances between long stretches, but for the most part she is underrepresented in this story. It’s a shame since I get the feeling she possesses just as much strength and intelligence as either of her two brothers, and that needs to come to the forefront.
The truth is, Kaden and Valyn take center stage here, and the story heats up even more when the two finally reunite for a showdown against their enemies. As endings go, the novel finishes off in style, wrapping up the major threads while leaving plenty more to tease the next installment. You can be sure I’ll be picking it up and continuing this epic series, with high hopes for more action, a deeper look into the world’s magic and history, as well as a larger role for Adare. Several parts of The Emperor’s Blades may exhibit the type of rawness not uncommon in debut novels, but it’s certainly still a hit in my eyes.
Authors Just Wanna Have Fun: Freya Robertson
Posted on January 5, 2014 1 Comment
It’s one thing to love an author’s books, especially when you recognize how much of themselves they put into their written worlds. It’s something more when you realize that these authors are actually *gasp* real human beings with hopes and dreams and even similar interests!
Freya Robertson isn’t shy about her love of gaming and it’s no secret that one of her favourite past times has snuck into her epic fantasy, Heartwood. I love the gorgeous world of Anguis she has created and the epic sense of adventure she has packed into the quests her characters undertake. I could certainly feel that MMORPG influence and was very excited to discover that she counts Guild Wars 2 as one of her many influences. She even writes fanfic about the adventures of Freya Wildstorm for the Chronicles of Tyria.
I love doing author interviews and digging beyond the story they’ve written, but this time, I just wanted to have fun with someone who clearly shared my love of a wonderful game. Freya indulged my whims and voila! We ended up running around Tyria completing hearts, poking at strange objects, exploring…
And, in honour of our uncoordinated gaming club, we even dared to try a jumping puzzle or two, making it almost all the way to the top before we crashed and burned!
We had such enormous fun, that we called for everyone to come! That is, we invited my co-bloggers Tiara and Mogsy to hop on board for the Winterfest Infinitarium dungeon. After overcoming obstacles that included overheating laptops and chicken wings, we successfully completed the dungeon.
Many thanks to Freya, her husband and Mogsy and Tiara. Gaming is always that much better with friends and it was fantastic to get to spend the time with you!
YA Weekend: Pantomime by Laura Lam
Posted on January 4, 2014 Leave a Comment
Graphic Novel Review: Locke & Key vol.6: Alpha & Omega by Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez
Posted on January 4, 2014 Leave a Comment
Locke and Key, Vol. 6: Alpha & Omega by Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez
Genre: Horror
Series: Collects Locke and Key Omega #1-5 and Alpha #1-2
Publisher: IDW Publishing
Publication Date: February 2014
Wendy’s Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Dodge has all the keys, as well as little Bode’s body and, with all the prom kids in the horrible cave, he’s all set to unleash hell on earth and build himself a nice demon family. Kinsey, Ty and all those that aren’t dead or under Dodge’s control must fight desperately to stop Dodge from making his violent dream come true.
As far as epic battles go, this one is brutal. With all the keys at his disposal, Dodge unleashes all manner of chaos and debauchery, turning their friends and loved ones against Kinsey and Ty, while savagely murdering others. Once again, the seemingly cute and wide-eyed innocence of Rodriguez art powers through all of this, and then settles back into the quiet comfort and pain of a family dealing with all of their losses, hoping they can somehow heal.
But the end disappointed me. It felt too abrupt and too … perfect. It was a Pyrrhic Victory, and I expected it to be so and shed the appropriate tears, but I was disappointed in one particular aspect of the ending that wrapped things up too nicely. I’m not a fan of forced happy endings, but otherwise, I appreciate the steps the story went through in the end, especially with Ty.
With thanks to NetGalley and IDW Publishing for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this graphic novel in exchange for an honest review.
Book Review: Iron Night by M.L. Brennan
Posted on January 3, 2014 1 Comment
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Series: Book 2 of American Vampire
Publisher: Roc
Date of Publication: January 7, 2013
Author Information: Website | Twitter
All right, important things first: Urban Fantasy fans, you NEED to drop everything and check out Generation V by M.L. Brennan. Like, right now! I’ll wait. After you read it, you’ll be all caught up for Iron Night and then you will understand why I love this book so much, because if there’s one word I can use to describe this sequel, it is “Perfection”. I really enjoyed Generation V, but Iron Night takes things to the next level, and even goes further to address everything I had ever wondered or was skeptical about in the first book.
The best part is, you still get all the elements that made Generation V so great. Fortitude Scott is back, and though he may be one step closer to becoming a full-fledged vampire, he is still the underdog with a heart of gold that we know and love! Things seem to be finally looking up for Fort, too. His friendship with the kitsune Suzume Hollis is deepening, his brother is showing him the ropes to running the family territory, and though waiting tables isn’t exactly bringing in the big bucks, at least he’s got a job. And for once, he’s even got a pretty cool roommate.
It was all too good to last for Fort, though. That cool roommate of his ends up dead one night, killed by something unnatural. The powerful Scott family matriarch immediately throws her weight around and covers up the details, pinning the crime on a patsy. Fort is left as the only one trying to figure out the truth behind his friend’s murder, resolved to make the real killer pay. What he finds, however, is something more dangerous and terrifying than he could have possibly imagined.
First, what a great story, bolstered by incredible character development. If you’ve read Generation V you’ll already know that the protagonist Fortitude Scott was funny, sweet, cute, but — let’s face it — also kind of a doormat. Used and manipulated by everyone in his life, it almost got too painful to read! Like any underdog though, he comes into his own. I started to see that happening by the end of the first book, and I’d looked forward to seeing M.L. Brennan take that further in Iron Night and boy, does she ever! Fort’s kind heart and goodness still shines through and gets him into trouble, but he’s not letting just anyone walk all over him now (okay, Suzume still gets to but that’s because, well, she’s the Suze). A transitioning process like that has to be gradual and handled carefully, without making Fort go from “the little guy” to “top dog” overnight, and the author pulls that off flawlessly.
We also get to know more about the Scott family, along with those fascinating dynamics. Some of the best scenes in the book feature Fort’s interactions with his family members, and I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I’m actually beginning to really like his sister Prudence. I was very glad to see her greater involvement in this novel, even though she’s still insane and scary as hell. And finally, we get some answers and explanations into why Fortitude is “different” than his siblings. That was something I’d been itching to find out since the end of the last book!
Also, recall how I was completely blown away by the wildly original and unique ideas in Generation V. I bet you’ve never encountered vampires like M.L. Brennan’s vampires! She does it again in Iron Night, offering a fresh take on supernatural creatures…though this time, it’s with elves! Let’s just say after reading this book, I’ll never look at Legolas the same way again. And how can I review this book without talking about the humor? A lot of UF series these days feature humor, but this is one of the few that has actually made me burst out laughing. Incidentally, this was how I almost choked to death on the granola bar I was munching on while reading Iron Night, and that was only on page 2. Curse you, M.L. Brennan, your sharp wit will be my undoing!
There are just some amazing moments in this book. Having followed Fort’s story over these two installments, I am so invested in these characters, both main and supporting, and it’s nice to see the author has all kinds of surprises up her sleeve. I desperately wish I could go into one of my favorite scenes without revealing any spoilers, but for now I can only describe my reaction to it: the feeling I got at the end of the movie Se7en. All I can say is that the baddie in this book is one evil, ruthless monster. And it only made this story all the more awesome.
I can’t recommend these books enough. This sequel was simply amazing, and it was everything I’d hoped for and more. Earlier this year when I read Generation V, I knew this had the potential to become one of my favorite Urban Fantasy series. Well, Iron Night pretty much made that official!
The BiblioSanctum 