Friday Face-Off: Landscape I’d Like To Visit

Posted on July 2, 2021 6 Comments

Welcome to The Friday Face-Off, a weekly meme created by Books by Proxy! Each Friday, we will pit cover against cover while also taking the opportunity to showcase gorgeous artwork and feature some of our favorite book covers. If you want to join the fun, simply choose a book each Friday that fits that week’s predetermined theme, post and compare two or more different covers available for that book, then name your favorite. A list of future weeks’ themes are available at Lynn’s Book Blog.

This week’s theme is:

~ a cover featuring a LANDSCAPE I’D LIKE TO VISIT

The Gospel of Loki by Joanne M. Harris

So what if Asgard isn’t real? I’d still love to visit. Highly entertaining and original, the novel I’m featuring today chronicles the epic rise of the Norse gods all the way through to the coming of Ragnarok, completely retold from the point of view of none other than the trickiest trickster of them all – Loki.

From left to right:
Gollancz (2014) – Saga Press Hardcover (2015)

Saga Press Paperback (2016) – Polish Edition (2015) – Italian Edition (2015)

Russian Edition A (2016) – Russian Edition B (2018) – Chinese Edition (2017)

Winner:

I won’t lie, I already had the Gollancz e in mind when I saw this week’s prompt. While the art is highly stylized, this is still one of my all-time favorite landscape covers.

But what do you think? Which one is your favorite?

Thursday Thriller: Red Widow by Alma Katsu

Posted on July 1, 2021 19 Comments

I received a review copy from the publisher. This does not affect the contents of my review and all opinions are my own.

Red Widow by Alma Katsu

Mogsy’s Rating: 2.5 of 5 stars

Genre: Thriller, Mystery

Series: Stand Alone

Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons | Penguin Audio (March 10, 2020)

Length: 432 pages | 10 hrs and 10 mins

Author Information: Website | Twitter

Red Widow is my third novel by Alma Katsu, and the first one that’s not a historical or supernatural horror. This book wasn’t all terrible, I suppose, but as a spy thriller, I thought it fell completely flat on its face. I also got the sense that maybe the author was in way over her head when it came to the genre or subject.

The story opens with an intriguing scene. On a flight from Moscow to the United States, a passenger suddenly falls ill and dies, despite the best efforts of the flight crew to save his life. And in a bedroom in Washington DC, a CIA operative named Lyndsey Duncan wakes up in the middle of the night to a phone call telling her to report to headquarters in Langley first thing in the morning. Having just been recalled from a mission in Lebanon for breaking some serious protocols, Lyndsey believes this means she is being dismissed from her position. However, she soon finds out that the meeting is to be with her old boss Eric Newman, and instead of firing her, he gives her a new assignment.

As it turns out, the man who died on the flight enroute from Moscow had been an important Russian asset, someone who was very close to Lyndsey from when she had been his handler back when she worked in Russian Division. Eric suspects that the spy had found out his identity was compromised, and was in the process of fleeing when his enemies caught up to him and poisoned him. In recent weeks, many of the CIA’s assets in Russia had been exposed, and Eric fears they may have someone on the inside giving away their secrets. Thus Lyndsey, with her reputation for being a human lie detector, became his first choice to flush out the mole.

Still reeling from her change of fortune, Lyndsey moves back into Russian Division, ready to get to work. She is reacquainted with some of her old colleagues, including Theresa Warner, known around the office as the Red Widow due to the death of her husband Richard, a highly ranked and CIA agent who was killed in an operation in Russia a few years back. The “Red” in her sobriquet refers to the color of her bright lipstick, and the fact that she still keeps her late husband’s blazing red Jaguar in his old parking spot, almost as a message to everyone to remind them of what she has lost. Now raising her young son alone, Theresa has a lot of anger towards the higher ups in the agency, whom she blames for failing Richard. Lyndsey is warned not to get too close to her, lest she catch any of the blowback.

Still, Lyndsey can’t help but be drawn to the widow, and soon, the two of them form a special kind of connection. But when Theresa gets some shocking news, reigniting her conflict with the CIA, Lydnsey will have to decide what to do about their friendship and how to proceed with the information she has learned.

This novel left me highly conflicted, because I usually enjoy Alma Katsu’s storytelling and think she writes great characters. Problem is, the entire premise of this book felt impractical and hardly convincing. Despite Red Widow being marketed as a spy thriller, in truth, there’s not much in the way of mystery, espionage, or even thrills in this. The story also feels as if it’s written by someone with a very shallow or naïve understanding of how spycraft actually works. So many things seem unrealistic or they just don’t add up. Neither Lyndsey or Theresa are believable as CIA. The mood around their headquarters also feels a lot like high school full of gossipy women and supervisors who sleep with their underlings. Everyone seems to go around just casually discussing classified information, with the excuse being, “Oh, we all have the same level of security clearance around here anyway” which is really not how that works, not to mention, ahem, YOU ARE TRYING TO HUNT A MOLE, LYNDSEY. Maybe try to show a little discretion?

Then there’s Theresa, who when we first meet her is this intimidating woman with a commanding presence. Her nickname is the Red Widow, for God’s sake. Sadly, that picture is quickly shattered long with any of my initial respect for her when it is soon revealed just how dumb she is. Though to be fair, she’s probably no dumber than most of the other characters in this book, none of whom seem to know anything about what real spying entails. Those elements come across as very rudimentary and paper-thin, and Lyndsey, for all that she is being touted as this amazing human lie detector, hardly uses any of her skills or does any real operative work to find the mole. The story is quite predictable on that front, because there’s really no finessing of the plot at all when the main character contributes nothing to solving the mystery and you are pretty much handed all the answers on a silver platter.

Ultimately, as much as I’ve enjoyed some of Katsu’s previous novels, I just can’t recommend this. If you’re looking for some light entertainment, I guess it’s all right, but if you have even the slightest experience with spy fiction, I think the story behind Red Widow is going to feel really half-baked and flimsy. Admittedly I’m no a big reader of this subgenre, but I still came away feeling frustrated and disappointed. That said, I’ll still happily follow the author’s future work and pick up her books, but yeah…probably not if it’s another spy thriller.

Waiting on Wednesday 06/30/21

Posted on June 30, 2021 20 Comments

Waiting On Wednesday” is a weekly meme that first originated at Breaking the Spine but has since linked up with “Can’t Wait Wednesday” at Wishful Endings now that the original creator is unable to host it anymore. Either way, this fun feature is a chance to showcase the upcoming releases that we can’t wait to get our hands on!

Mogsy’s Pick

The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi (March 22, 2022 by Tor Books)

I’ll be honest, I didn’t love Scalzi’s Interdependency trilogy but his next project looks like it’s going to be very different and perhaps more up my alley. Still, I can’t be the only one disappointed by this cover when they did the reveal, right? Here’s this book about Kaiju, and that’s seriously the cover we’re getting. Arrgh.

“Something BIG is coming… John Scalzi’s first standalone adventure since the conclusion of his New York Times bestselling, Hugo-nominated Interdependency trilogy.

When COVID-19 sweeps through New York City, Jamie Gray is stuck as a dead-end driver for food delivery apps. That is, until Jamie makes a delivery to an old acquaintance, Tom, who works at what he calls “an animal rights organization.” Tom’s team needs a last-minute grunt to handle things on their next field visit. Jamie, eager to do anything, immediately signs on.

What Tom doesn’t tell Jamie is that the animals his team cares for are not here on Earth. Not our Earth, at at least. In an alternate dimension, massive dinosaur-like creatures named Kaiju roam a warm and human-free world. They’re the universe’s largest and most dangerous panda and they’re in trouble.

It’s not just the Kaiju Preservation Society whose found their way to the alternate world. Others have, too. And their carelessness could cause millions back on our Earth to die.”

Book Review: The Witness for the Dead by Katherine Addison

Posted on June 29, 2021 18 Comments

I received a review copy from the publisher. This does not affect the contents of my review and all opinions are my own.

The Witness for the Dead by Katherine Addison

Mogsy’s Rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Genre: Fantasy, Mystery

Series: Book 2 of The Goblin Emperor

Publisher: Tor Books (June 22, 2021)

Length: 240 pages

Author Information: Website

The Witness for the Dead is marketed as a standalone sequel to Katherine Addison’s The Goblin Emperor, but to tell the truth, it’s more of a separate story rather than a direct continuation. The story follows protagonist Thara Celehar, who holds the titular role of Witness for the Dead, or someone who has the ability to speak to the recently deceased. Sometimes, he may even glean the final moments of their life—what they saw, what they thought, what they felt. You might remember him from the first book as the court Prelate of Ulis who helped Maia find out the truth about the deaths of his father and brothers, but even if haven’t read it, it won’t matter. This novel works perfectly fine as a self-contained story, and it’s something of a murder mystery, which held the greatest appeal for me.

As the book begins, we discover that Celehar is now residing in the city of Amalo, far removed from the royal palace setting we were introduced to in The Goblin Emperor. His new post allows him to serve the common people, which he finds rewarding, though as we’ll soon find out, he has not been able to completely escape the world of politics. His latest assignment takes him to the glamorous Vermilion Opera where he must investigate the death of Arveneӓn Shelsin, one of their star performers whose body was pulled from the canal in one of the seedier parts of town. As the elven singer was something of an arrogant and petulant prima donna when she was alive, there is no shortage of people who disliked her, but did any of them despise her enough to kill her? If Celehar is to do his job properly, which means burying Shelsin with the respect she is due, then he needs to know the truth. Unfortunately though, this means he must interrogate everyone close to the victim, and before long Celehar is faced with the unpleasant possibility of having to confront some powerful and dangerous people.

My impression is that Katherine Addison has a fondness for writing mysteries, given that her last novel The Angel of the Crows was pretty much Sherlock Holmes fanfic with angels. But for several reasons, I felt The Witness for the Dead is a much better book and a lot more effective. One, the world of The Goblin Emperor is entirely her own and so is the character of Thara Celehar, who is one of the best protagonists I have had the pleasure to come across in ages. Two, I loved being back in the Elflands, despite—or perhaps because of—the fact that the setting is so different from the first book. Don’t get me wrong, I had fun exploring the glitz and glamor of the royal court with Maia, but personally I found the bustling city of Amalo to be much more interesting. Certainly, we got to meet a greater diversity of characters and experience a more varied slice of life in this world than we got from the palace.

But ultimately—and I feel it’s worth reiterating again and again—it was really Celehar who stole the show. I liked that he was a unique character, with endless layers to his personality and thought process, making him a rather unconventional detective. The religious piety and respect for rituals that he showed in the first book are emphasized here, as on the whole the common people of Amalo are more devout than the nobility at Court, and so our protagonist finds himself in his element. Still, he is painfully formal in all his interactions, but also likes to speak frankly. While on the surface, this combination of traits might not make him seem very appealing, I have to say it had the effect of endearing him to me even more. It’s also important to note that he’s not just being overly polite for the sake of etiquette, but because he relies on some of that formality as a shield in uncomfortable social situations. This somehow made him come across as more authentic to me, a narrator I could easily sympathize with, and I liked how Addison was able to subtly convey all that about his personality through just his conversations and actions.

And obviously, I can never resist a fantasy mystery. I thought the storyline was well done here, with the author utilizing a number of plot devices and genre elements to great effect. As Celehar conducts his investigation, clues are dropped aplenty, with seemingly unrelated side arcs ending up playing a role later on. Sure, the novel didn’t have the same glowing softness and aura of opulence that The Goblin Emperor had, but to me, that’s a good thing. To be honest, I much preferred the murder mystery feel to the courtly drama and political intrigue, and admittedly my mood at the time was probably better suited for the more down-to-earth vibes of The Witness for the Dead.

As such, this book gets my recommendation for readers with a penchant for mystery fantasy fiction, especially if you enjoy character-focused stories. Thara Celehar is an unforgettable protagonist whose incredible characterization and unique voice will stay with me for a long time. I also wouldn’t be too concerned with reading the series books in order. Since The Witness for the Dead reads more like a spin-off than a true sequel, not having the first book under your belt isn’t going to disadvantage you at all, not to mention that as much as I enjoyed The Goblin Emperor, I actually think this book was better.

Audiobook Review: The Wolf and the Woodsman by Ava Reid

Posted on June 28, 2021 11 Comments

I received a review copy from the publisher. This does not affect the contents of my review and all opinions are my own.

The Wolf and the Woodsman by Ava Reid

Mogsy’s Rating (Overall): 3.5 of 5 stars

Genre: Fantasy

Series: Stand Alone

Publisher: HarperAudio (June 8, 2021)

Length: 13 hrs and 10 mins

Author Information: Website | Twitter

The Wolf and the Woodsman takes us to a small pagan village called Keszi, where our protagonist Évike is the only young woman among her wolf-girl peers without any powers. This leads her to be shunned by the rest of the villagers, who whisper behind her back about her parentage, blaming her Yehuli father and his corrupted bloodline for her lack of magic. Every few years though, the Holy Order of Woodsmen will travel through the village, taking a magic-wielding wolf-girl as a sacrifice to their king as tribute. Évike figured she would be of no interest to them, but when the soldiers arrive on that fateful day demanding a seer, she is handed over to the Woodsmen by Keszi’s leader under false pretenses.

On the way back to the capital though, their party was ambushed by monsters, leading to the slaughter of all save for Évike and the lead Woodsman. His name is Gáspár, and it turns out he is actually the crown prince. Furious that Évike is not who she claims to be, he is nonetheless aware that they must work together if they are to survive. Of course, it helps that Gáspár knows what it’s like to be an outcast. His own people distrust him because his mother is a foreign queen, and he also worries that his brother, Nándor, will try to usurp the throne. To keep Keszi from being destroyed by the king’s wrath, Évike enters into tenuous agreement with the prince, promising to help him stop his fanatical brother.

As their alliance strengthens, the feelings between Gáspár and Évike also continue to grow. What follows is a tale of action and adventure, palace intrigue, beguiling magic systems and world-building, and tender romance. On a deeper level, each of the characters also embark on their own journeys of self-discovering and acceptance. The world has given Évike very little reason to show mercy, having lived her whole life treated like a second-class citizen by the villagers of Keszi, and yet she will not allow the darkness of the past overshadow the goodness in her heart, no matter how full of rage she may be. Gáspár too has led a troubled life, despite being royalty. His father is a power-hungry maniac, and his cruel and vindictive brother Nándor isn’t any better. Gáspár had no need to risk his life, but for the sake of his people and their future, he would not stand by and let evil continue.

The story and themes behind The Wolf and the Woodsman are also heavily influenced by Jewish mythology and folklore, as well as Hungarian history and fairy tales. So if you enjoyed the works of Rena Rossner like The Sisters of the Winterwood and The Light of the Midnight Stars, or books like Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik, this definitely falls within the same vein and might be one to check out as well. The sources from which the author draws her inspiration are varied and rich, and it’s fascinating the ways she incorporates and transforms them for the story. There’s also a strong dash of horror elements, a smattering of traumatic sequences with descriptions of violence, blood, and gore. So it’s good to keep in mind while there is plenty of magic and beauty in this novel, it’s not so gentle either.

So why not a higher rating? Like so many debuts, The Wolf and the Woodsman suffers from pacing issues. The typical pattern applies here: a strong intro peters out into a dragging middle, made slower and more meandering with a romance arc and general overcomplication of the plot, and then finally finishing with an explosive ending. To be sure, there are high points as well as the low points, but I would say the latter seem more frequent and prolonged. While listening to the audio version, there were parts where I tuned out when my attention wandered, but found I couldn’t really be bothered to go back and relisten, and in the end it didn’t even matter because it turned out I missed nothing important anyway. Too often, the narrative takes far too long to get to the point, leading to a too busy plot and a lack of focus, ultimately dragging down the experience.

Still, it’ll likely be worthwhile for the right audience, say, if you are a fan of the aforementioned authors and books, and certainly if you are a fan of fantasy romance or folklore and mythology inspired stories you may wish to give The Wolf and the Woodsman a closer look. The audiobook edition I reviewed was also well done, read by the very talented Saskia Maarleveld who is one of my favorite narrators.

Bookshelf Roundup: 06/26/21: Stacking the Shelves & Recent Reads

Posted on June 26, 2021 17 Comments

Bookshelf Roundup is a feature I do every weekend which fills the role of several blog memes, like Stacking the Shelves where I talk about the new books I’ve added to my library or received for review, as well as It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? where I summarize what I’ve finished reading in the last week and what I’m planning to read soon. Mostly it also serves as a recap post, so sometimes I’ll throw in stuff like reading challenge progress reports, book lists, and other random bookish thoughts or announcements.

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Summer is in full swing, which means with school out and me still working from home, the last week has been one of schedule changes and adjustments. I didn’t get time to read as much, and even less to write reviews, which is why I haven’t been as active around the blog or with comments, so please bear with me while I sort things out! With long weekends and vacations coming up, it might be take a few weeks, but I’m determined to get through my stack of beach reads this summer, and nothing’s gonna stop me!

Received for Review

My thanks to the publishers and authors for the following review copies received, and be sure to click the links to their Goodreads pages for more details and full descriptions!

Big thanks to Tachyon Publications for an ARC of Arch of Bone by Jane Yolen, which has a fantastic premise. Described as a story continuing from where Moby Dick left off, this adventure follows 14-year-old Josiah Starbuck and his dog Zeke as they they journey to discover the secrets of the Pequod and what really happened to his dad.

Also thank you to Margaret K. McElderry Books for a hardcover copy of Wings of Shadow by Nicki Pau Preto, the final book of the Crown of Feathers trilogy. I’m looking forward to see how everything will end, and I love that cover so much!

Thank you as well to Subterranean for an ARC of The Best of Dark Terrors edited by Stephen Jones and David A. Sutton. As of this writing this book still isn’t on Goodreads and I can find little about it beyond what’s on the publisher website (which I’ve linked), but if the cover is any indication, this is going to be one terrifying collection. I might even check it out, as there are a quite a few authors on the list I’m familiar with.

On to the digital review copies, which is really the audiobook pile these days! With thanks to Tantor Audio for a listening copy of Darling by K. Ancrum, a Peter Pan retelling. ‘Nuff said!

And with huge thanks to Penguin Random House Audio, I received the following haul: Half Sick of Shadows by Laura Sebastian, The Book of Accidents by Chuck Wendig, The Lost Girls by Jessica Chiarella and Kill All Your Darlings by David Bell. Gotta get my mystery/thriller fix in, after all.

Reviews

Adrift by W. Michael Gear (5 of 5 stars)
Razorblade Tears by S.A. Cosby (4.5 of 5 stars)
Blood Like Magic (3.5 of 5 stars)

Roundup Highlights:

What I’ve Been Reading

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Have you heard of or read any of the books featured this week? What caught your eye? Any new discoveries? I hope you found something interesting for a future read!

Friday Face-Off: Upside Down, Topsy Turvy

Posted on June 25, 2021 6 Comments

This week’s theme is:

~ a cover that is UPSIDE DOWN or TOPSY TURVY

The Possession by Michael Rutger

The Possession opens with the arrival of a journalist in Birchlake, a quaint little village nestled in the hills of northern California, with its curious network of low stone walls that twist and turn across its wooded landscape. Kristy has come searching for more information on the disappearance of a14-year-old girl whose social media accounts show signs that the girl may have a victim of harassment. But to Kristy’s frustration, her questions around town seem to lead nowhere, and worse, strange things suddenly start happening around her. Queue her ex-husband Nolan and the crew of his YouTube documentary series “The Anomaly Files.”

Most of these covers give off a certain vibe, but if you go into this one expecting horror or a paranormal thrill ride, I think you’ll be disappointed. The story does place more emphasis on the atmosphere of intrigue though, so I’d say it’s probably more suited for mystery lovers. Let’s take a look at the contenders:

From left to right:
Grand Central Publishing HC (2019) – Grand Central Publishing PB (2020)

Zaffre HC (2019) – Zaffre PB (2020)

Winner:

These covers are definitely going for the creep factor. A shame that many these are so dark though, it’s hard to see a thing. With that said, I’m going to have to go with the Grand Central Publishing hardcover as the winner, as it’s the only one with a splash of color and enough light to make out all the details.

But what do you think? Which one is your favorite?

Thursday Thriller Audio: Razorblade Tears by S.A. Cosby

Posted on June 24, 2021 17 Comments

I received a review copy from the publisher. This does not affect the contents of my review and all opinions are my own.

Razorblade Tears by S.A. Cosby

Mogsy’s Rating (Overall): 4.5 of 5 stars

Genre: Mystery, Thriller

Series: Stand Alone

Publisher: Macmillan Audio (July 6, 2021)

Length: 12 hrs

Author Information: Website | Twitter

Narrator: Adam Lazarre-White

I wish I had the words to describe Razorblade Tears. A crime novel at its heart, the story also has elements of a gritty revenge thriller, but it is also about so much more. The book follows two men, Ike Randolph and Buddy Lee Jenkins, a couple of rough-around-the-edges ex-cons whose lives would never have crossed had fate not put them on the same path for truth and retribution.

One might even think all this sounds just a bit like the beginnings of a buddy vigilante story, had the circumstances not been so tragic. Ike, a black man, got out of jail fifteen years ago and vowed to turn his back on the criminal world after he saw how it nearly cost him his family. But when his son Isiah came out to him and announced that he was going to marry the love of his life Derek, Ike couldn’t find it in himself to accept it, tearing a new rift in their relationship. Derek’s father Buddy Lee, who is white, was not so supportive of his son either when he found out, but things between them were already strained due to the older man’s alcoholism and multiple stints in prison.

Both our protagonists saw themselves as failed fathers. Neither were able to accept that their sons were gay, declining to attend the wedding. But mere months later, Ike and Buddy Lee receive the devastating news—their boys are dead, gunned down outside an upscale wine store in Richmond, Virginia. Meeting for the first time at their sons’ funerals, the two of them recognize in each other their pain and regret, and when the police turn up no leads, Ike and Buddy Lee decide to team up and do right by their children by finding their killer. For some reason though, people seem reluctant to come forward with any information. It almost seems like they’re afraid. Fortunately, Ike and Buddy Lee still have their contacts in the underworld, and unlike the authorities, they don’t have to do things by the book or worry about getting their hands dirty. They might not have been there for Isiah and Derek when they were alive, but they’d be damned if they were going to let those who killed them walk free…and when they catch them, there will be hell to pay.

Still, I promise this won’t be like any revenge story you’ve read before. It doesn’t matter how much violence and chaos and death Ike and Buddy Lee leave behind, the book never lets us forget why the two men are doing it in the first place. Despite this being first and foremost a mystery crime thriller, with some brutal action thrown in, it was also a heartbreaking read. Here we have two fathers grieving the loss of their beloved sons. It’s a pain that’s always near the surface, the idea that some things are just too late, and there’s no way to go back in time to right the wrongs. So not only is Razorblade Tears a tale of vengeance, in many ways it is also a tale of redemption, for both Ike and Buddy Lee realize they will never be able to see their boys again and tell them they love them, or say they’re sorry. All they have is the way forward, and while it won’t ever be enough, knowing that the corrupt system has failed to bring Isiah and Derek justice, finding out who killed them will be a good first step to absolution.

There are also some powerful messages here, handled in incredibly meaningful, nuanced ways. At first, a tenuous bridge is built between the racial divide as Ike and Buddy Lee team up, brought together by their shared grief and anger towards those responsible for their sons’ murders. But this partnership gradually grows into a genuine friendship of trust and loyalty as both men start to better understand each other. Together they also share stories of fatherhood, their guilt at having rejected their sons for being gay, lamenting their past mistakes and all that they wish they could take back. Years of ingrained upbringing and viewpoints might not be changing overnight, but by the end of the book, the main characters definitely reach a point where they are willing to open their minds and see things differently.

If there was a single weak point in the novel though, it might be the story. Still, these are relatively minor issues, like a few instances where the plot leans heavily on tropes, or where someone might act out of character or do something irrational just for the sake of moving things in the right direction. And although the identity of the killer was obfuscated behind layers of motivations and even the involvement of a rough biker gang, ultimately it was still pretty easy to guess who was behind it all.

Still, I loved this book. Razorblade Tears is easily the most hard-hitting thriller novel I’ve read so far this year. If you’re looking for crime fiction that’s unflinchingly brutal, emotionally cutting, and moves at a relentless pace, then you need to pick this up. Also kudos to Adam Lazarre-White, the narrator the audiobook. Some of his voices could use a bit more emotion, but overall I loved his portrayal of the characters. Highly recommended if you want a suspenseful and thought-provoking read. This one definitely needs to be made into a movie.

Waiting on Wednesday 06/23/21

Posted on June 23, 2021 14 Comments

Mogsy’s Pick

Cytonic by Brandon Sanderson (November 23, 2021 by Delacorte)

I’m going through Sanderson withdrawal! But just a few more months until book 3 of the Skyward series. I know what I’ll be reading this Sci-fi November!

“Spensa’s life as a Defiant Defense Force pilot has been far from ordinary. She proved herself one of the best starfighters in the human enclave of Detritus and she saved her people from extermination at the hands of the Krell—the enigmatic alien species that has been holding them captive for decades. What’s more, she traveled light-years from home as an undercover spy to infiltrate the Superiority, where she learned of the galaxy beyond her small, desolate planet home.

Now, the Superiority—the governing galactic alliance bent on dominating all human life—has started a galaxy-wide war. And Spensa’s seen the weapons they plan to use to end it: the Delvers. Ancient, mysterious alien forces that can wipe out entire planetary systems in an instant. Spensa knows that no matter how many pilots the DDF has, there is no defeating this predator.

Except that Spensa is Cytonic. She faced down a Delver and saw something eerily familiar about it. And maybe, if she’s able to figure out what she is, she could be more than just another pilot in this unfolding war. She could save the galaxy.

The only way she can discover what she really is, though, is to leave behind all she knows and enter the Nowhere. A place from which few ever return.

To have courage means facing fear. And this mission is terrifying.”

Book Review: Adrift by W. Michael Gear

Posted on June 22, 2021 21 Comments

I received a review copy from the publisher. This does not affect the contents of my review and all opinions are my own.

Adrift by W. Michael Gear

Mogsy’s Rating: 5 of 5 stars

Genre: Science Fiction

Series: Book 5 of Donovan

Publisher: DAW (June 1, 2021)

Length: 512 pages

Author Information: Website

Every time I find out about a new book in this series, I simply cannot contain my glee. I do hope the W. Michael Gear keeps them coming, because I don’t think I could ever get tired of returning to Donovan, watching yet another group of know-it-all settlers think they can get the better of the planet only to be slapped down and shown just how wrong they were. Nope, it never gets old!

This time, Adrift takes us to the seas of Donovan, where the Maritime Unit has just set up their research facilities perched on the edge of a reef, hundreds of miles from the closest shore. Having survived the last ten years trapped aboard the Ashanti with a cult of cannibals, the members of this small team mostly made up of oceanographers and marine scientists are excited to have finally arrived on the planet and are eager to start studying its aquatic ecosystems. For many of them, Donovan represents more than just a new life—it’s also a fresh start for humanity. Vowing never to make the same mistakes as their ancestors back on Earth, this was their ultimate opportunity to put a lifetime’s worth of training and education to good use. They will respect the world’s creatures, study and understand them, and hopefully bring a wealth of knowledge back to their corporate sponsors and employers to aid in the colonizing efforts.

But this idealism is shattered almost immediately. Visiting from the mainland, Supervisor Kalico Aguila tries to warn the scientists that Donovan is not like Earth. Nothing can be inferred or assumed based on what they previously knew. Treat every living thing as a threat that’s out to kill you. Always carry a weapon and never let your guard down.

Unfortunately though, hubris proved to be Maritime Unit’s downfall. Even with Scientific Director Michaela Hailwood as their leader, the team has always been largely run by consensus, functioning more like a family than a workplace. Most of the members of this close-knit group are parents, their children having been born on the Ashanti, and this shared communal experience of raising their kids under those harsh conditions had brought them all even closer than before. Which is why, even at Michaela’s insistence, the unit could not be convinced to follow the supervisor’s directives, voting to go it alone even when threatened with a shutdown. Frustrated, Aguila decides to simply wash her hands of the matter, letting the scientists learn for themselves why the local saying “Welcome to Donovan” is less of a greeting and more a warning.

Obviously, for members of Maritime Unit, this spells very bad news. For readers though, what follows is a nerve-wracking, heart-pounding, gut-wrenching series of events, resulting in what might be the darkest, bloodiest Donovan novel to date. Considering all that we’ve been through already with the last four books, that’s definitely saying something! One of the reasons for this extra horror might be the fact that quite a few children are involved in this book, and if you find you that you are more sensitive to stories where bad or disturbing things happen to kids, then yeah, you might want to stay away. Just a warning.

As always though, Gear always keeps several plot threads going, and believe me, there’s much more happening out in the world of Donovan beyond the reef. In Adrift, we also get the chance to catch up with series protagonist Talina Perez, whose relationship with Dek Taglioni is certainly heading down some interesting roads. The former playboy and wealthy scion has made a complete transformation since his early days aboard Ashanti, and with quetzal TriNA now in his body, the changes just keep on coming.

Still, while the romance explored between Talina and Dek was compelling, their plotline was definitely not where my fascination yearned. I confess, as terrifyingly disastrous things were back at in the oceans, I just always wanted to get right back there to see how things were going. From deadly sea monsters to killer algae, poor Maritime Unit never catches a break. That’s what they get for disrespecting my girl Kalico Aguila! The no-nonsense, tough-as-nails supervisor is now officially my favorite character of the series, and I find I just love her more with every book.

But anyway, I could go on forever about how much I loved Adrift, how much I love the Donovan series if left to my own devices. This latest installment is proof that there is so much more of the planet to explore, and that author W. Michael Gear can still keep things new and fresh. If anything, these books just keep getting better and better, and I’m so glad that signs point to there being more to come.