#WyrdAndWonder Fantasy 5 Tuesday: Mentors
Posted on May 4, 2021 19 Comments
Back in November I ran a series of posts called “Sci-5 Tuesdays” to celebrate Sci-Fi Month, so for Wyrd & Wonder, I thought it would be fun to do something similar to highlight some of the fantasy tropes and themes that I find simply irresistible! In the last few years, I’ve also been fortunate to read some wonderful new books in the genre, so to give them some extra attention, for each Tuesday’s topic I will also be featuring five titles that I recently enjoyed.
To kick off our first week, today we will be looking at MENTORS in fantasy fiction. Where would Bilbo Baggins be without Gandalf, or Harry Potter without Dumbledore? All heroes need a good teacher to guide them and lead them down the right path, and the following are some great books that feature some of my favorite mentor/apprentice relationships.
Race the Sands by Sarah Beth Durst
Race the Sands was one of my favorite reads of 2020. There’s literally nothing I disliked about this book, a spectacular effusion of excitement, action, adventure, and yes, an excellent mentor and student bond! In the world of Becar, where reincarnation exists, good souls are reborn as humans while evildoers come back forever trapped as monstrous kehoks. Their only chance at breaking this cycle is to win one of the kehok races that all of Becar flock to see each year. Gutsy individuals who are bold enough to impose their wills on these beasts can also compete as kehok riders, earning fame and fortune if they win. Tamra Verlas used to be one these champions, and now she makes her living by training new riders. However, an unfortunate incident last season has all but ruined her reputation, forcing her to scout her own rider and kehok to enter in the races. She ends up finding both at the market—a freshly captured lion-like kehok, as well as Raia, a young runaway from an abusive home. Raia has never ridden a kehok before, but she is desperate for a job, and Tamra is also desperate for a new student. Obviously, racing motifs feature prominently in this book, but there is also the theme of the disgraced trainer who needs to make a champion out of an inexperienced rookie, and there are also a few added twists so that this story will contain plenty of surprises. (Read the full review…)
Age of Assassins by RJ Barker
Age of Assassins is only the first book of The Wounded Kingdom trilogy, but really the entire series is a great example of a heartwarming master and apprentice relationship. “To catch an assassin, use an assassin…” This is the situation Queen Adran has found herself in when she discovers a plot against her son. Opting to handle the matter quietly, she turns to her old friend, killer-for-hire Merela Karn, tasking her to root out the would-be assassin. Enter our protagonist Girton Clubfoot, who is Merela’s young apprentice. Pretending to be a squire while his master dons the guise of a traveling jester, Girton is put through combat training with the other castle boys to maintain the deception. Hiding behind a mask of clumsiness and ineptitude, he secretly begins gathering information that would help them discover who might want the prince dead. Without a doubt though, the highlight of this novel for me was the bond between Girton and Merela. Merela is almost as much a mother to Girton as she is his teacher, encouraging him to see past the disability for which he is named in order to reach his full potential. It’s really quite rare to come across a master-apprentice relationship that feels so genuine and developed. (Read the full review…)
Spellslinger by Sebastien de Castell
In Spellslinger, we’re introduced to Kellen, a young mage-in-training. Problem is though, he’s not exactly mage material. With his sixteenth birthday looming on the horizon, the time for him to take is trials is quickly approaching, but he still doesn’t have much control over his magic. In fact, his ability seems to be diminishing by the day, and that’s a big problem. If he can’t pass his trials, he’ll be relegated to the serving class, looked down upon by the rest of the mage society and bringing shame to his family. For Kellen, it’s an unthinkable fate, and he’s willing to do anything to avoid it, even if it means putting his own life on the line. But then enter Ferius Parfax, a visitor from out-of-town whom everyone thinks is a spy trying to steal secrets to take back to her masters. However, there’s more to the outsider than meets the eye, especially when she helps Kellen see things from a new perspective, forcing him to re-evaluate everything he thought he knew about his world and his place in it. With her experience and worldliness, she offers Kellen possibilities he’s never dreamed of. I confess, few YA series openers these days are actually compelling enough to make me want to keep reading. Spellslinger, however, made me want to grab up the next book as soon as I was finished! (Read the full review…)
The Queen’s Road by R.S. Belcher
I loved this so much! I’m a big fan of R.S. Belcher, and The Queen’s Road introduces a whole new world full of wild surprises. At the center of it all is Ray, a young man who has been down on his luck but is still trying his best to keep his life running. Unfortunately, Ray also owes a lot of money to some very dangerous people, and they’ve threated to kill his mother unless he pays it all back. So when a dying stranger comes out of nowhere one night, bequeathing to Ray his vintage Ford Galaxie and a mysterious jeweled ring, our baffled protagonist couldn’t believe his luck. His mom would be saved, and he even has a sweet ride now to make some money street racing. But of course, as Ray will soon find out, some gifts come with strings attached—forever, in this case. It turns out that the dying man was one of the Queen of the Universe’s Rangers, a guardian who travels the network of hyper-space highways that connect all the planets and galaxies in creation, protecting its laws and its people. They are identified by the rings they wear, the very same one given to Ray which will now stay on his finger until the day he dies. Like it or not, Ray is a Ranger now, and he’s got a lot to learn. Luckily, he soon meets Chain, an experienced Ranger who ends up being the young man’s mentor, guiding him through a system of infinite possibilities. (Read the full review…)
Nevernight by Jay Kristoff
Nevernight is so titled because it introduces us to a world where its three suns almost never set. Our main character is Mia Corvere, a young woman whose father was a military leader who led a failed rebellion and was consequently executed. Mia was seized along with her mother and little brother, but she managed to escape, surviving alone for the next few years in the cold, merciless shadows of the city. Well, not entirely alone. She is always accompanied by a shadowy presence, a cat-shaped familiar she has come to call Mister Kindly. As well, Mia has the help of her mentor, a shady man named Mercurio. A former assassin, he took Mia in after she was orphaned, teaching her all he knew. Driven by the desire for vengeance on her father’s enemies, Mia ends up following Mercurio’s instructions to train at a secret academy, because she knows she’ll need to be at her very best in order to get at her targets, some of whom work at the highest levels of government. Even though his methods can be harsh and he might not always show compassion, Mercurio was extremely proud of Mia, regarding her as not only his best student, but also a daughter. (Read the full review…)
#WyrdandWonder Excerpt & US/Canada Giveaway: The Sword Falls by A.J. Smith
Posted on May 3, 2021 8 Comments
***The giveaway is now over, thanks to everyone who entered!***
As part of Wyrd & Wonder, we here at The BiblioSanctum are excited to be featuring an excerpt from The Sword Falls by A.J. Smith, the second standalone volume in the Form and Void series, published by Head of Zeus! Not only that, we are also hosting a giveaway of the book for readers in the US & Canada, so definitely check out the end of the post for more information on how you can win a copy!
The Sword Falls by A.J. Smith
A MAN OF THE DAWN CLAW WILL BE THE ALWAYS KING.
It will ever be so. They will always rule… but they will not always lead.
Prince Oliver Dawn Claw, heir to the Kingdom of the Four Claws, is thrust into a world he doesn’t understand as he waits for his father to die. Away from home, with few allies—and too many enemies—he faces a new and otherworldly threat from beneath the sea. Alliances break and masks fall, as the Dark Brethren reveal their true master.
Meanwhile, Adeline Brand—called the Alpha Wolf—refuses to wait, and becomes the edge of the sword that swings back at the Dreaming God. Assembling allies and crushing resistance, she enters a fight she doesn’t know if she can win, as the sea begins to rise.
Excerpt from The Sword Falls by A.J. Smith, published by Head of Zeus. Copyright © 2021 by A.J. Smith
The void sky was a shimmering black, with pinpoints of light, playing across my vision. In the realm of form, the landscape was filled with stone and wood, packed together as buildings, streets and walls. Beyond the glass, in the realm of void, the world was more elegant. The hold of the Silver Dawn was visible only as a faint net, forming boundaries and structures. But only the most significant buildings had actual form in the spirit world. Everything else I could see was pale blue, flowing like sand dunes or rolling waves. Spirits flew through the air, as sparkling birds; or scuttled across the ground, as small, woodland animals, each with a distinct energy, unknowable to the mortal men and women of the Eastron from across the sea. There was a profound sense of peace, as if the troubles of the world could not reach me.
“Highness, let us not stay here too long,” said the man at my side.
I looked down at him. “Does the peace of the void disagree with you?”
“It disturbs me,” he replied. “Because I know it isn’t real. I prefer the realm of form.”
His name was James Silver Born, called Silver Jack, and he’d come with me only because he refused to leave my side. He didn’t like the void, and distrusted spirits. We were both Winterlords of First Port and our people claimed kingship over the Eastron from across the sea. Our power radiated in the void, shining as globes of wyrd across our limbs and framing our heads. Jack’s wyrd was strongest in his arms and over his heart. Mine was a vibrant nimbus across my whole body, flaring at the head and torso.
“We will speak to the Lord of the Quarter,” I stated.
He hung his head. Silver Jack was short for a Winterlord, barely reaching six feet in height, and far shorter than me. But he was a cunning little bastard, and had been my closest adviser since I left First Port. I’d survived an assassin’s blade at the Severed Hand, and my father, the Always King, had insisted I be accompanied at all times. I’d disregarded the multitudes of hulking duellists who’d volunteered, and the knights of Falcon’s Watch, and chosen a middle-aged man named Jack. He hadn’t even volunteered. He’d been drunk in the Eagle House, waiting for one of his many reprimands. When I found him, he’d muttered that he was a terrible duellist and would rather drink his own piss than follow a prince around. It was broadly the answer I was looking for.
“We’ll be missed,” said Silver Jack. “People will worry.”
“David will worry,” I replied. “And you. And you worry about everything.”
“What about the seven Dark Brethren who are following you, highness?”
I sighed, my calm significantly eroded. It was easy to forget who I was in the void. It was the only time I wasn’t constantly required to be Prince Oliver Dawn Claw, Protector of First Port. One day I would be the Always King. I would be the seventh since Sebastian Dawn Claw arrived from across the sea and founded the Kingdom of the Four Claws. It was the kind of burden that was impossible to walk away from.
“Why aren’t you wearing your armour?” asked Silver Jack.
I looked down at my blue tunic and laced black trousers, tucked into heavy, leather riding boots. I had a short sword at my side, but was otherwise not equipped for combat. My broadsword and armour were in the Golden Keep, casually discarded on a coach. I didn’t like wearing them. Partially because they signalled my station, but mostly because they made my large frame even larger. People were always afraid of me, but with my armour and a sword, I rarely saw a pair of eyes that was not pointed at the ground.
“The Lord of the Quarter,” I repeated, ignoring his question.
He screwed up his face, but resisted further nagging. He followed me across the soft grass of the void, towards a tall tree, with tangled branches stretching out like gnarled hands. Small spirits scuttled away from us, as if repelled by our powerful wyrd. But larger ones – mostly birds of prey – remained imperiously on their perches. On the highest branch, flaring its wings at my approach, was a huge eagle, with gold and silver feathers and ageless eyes of deep bronze. It was the Dawn Claw, totem spirit of the Winterlords.
Ninety years ago, when my great grandfather, King Hector, abandoned the Silver Dawn for First Port, he left the totem behind. The bureaucracy that remained became the Silver Parliament, and vowed to always protect and revere the mighty eagle. Opinion was divided on how faithfully they had kept their vow. Many Winterlords, my father included, believed that the parliament was unnecessary, and the Kingdom of the Four Claws should once again be under the absolute rule of the Always King. He used to muse that, one day, a man of the Dawn Claw would again be the Forever King.
I took a knee. “My Lord of the Quarter. I am Prince Oliver and I bear your name. I pay you my respects and ask for your wisdom.”
The huge spirit took wing and gracefully glided to the ground. Its majestic feathers ruffled in the gentle breeze, and all nearby spirits paused to marvel at its presence. It was the greatest spirit the Eastron had ever found, and the symbol of all that allowed the Winterlords to rule. It craned its neck downwards to regard me. I was tall and bulky, even for a Winterlord, but the huge eagle made me feel like a child. I would be a worm in its enormous, hooked beak, but I sensed warmth and recognition.
The glass has broken. Soon the sword will fall. Then the sea will rise. The Old Bitch of the Sea has been vanquished. The Night Wing has been corrupted. The Kindly One is ignored. But my voice can still be heard.
The spirit did not speak. Its thoughts vibrated into meaning and entered my head as words and emotions. I shared a glance with Silver Jack, confirming that he had also heard the words and felt the emotions. The Dawn Claw knew that the realm of form was teetering on the edge of something, and it struggled to make us understand. It wanted us to act, but its emotions felt like huge, churning clouds, with no definite form or direction. Perhaps I was just too simple to comprehend the thoughts of so mighty a spirit.
You will be king. You must be king. Or all is lost.
“We should leave,” said Silver Jack. “I think its angry.”
“Angry?” I queried, backing away. “I’d have said it was scared. Maybe sad.”
The Dawn Claw let us leave, but we did so only slowly, muttering to each other about what the spirit wanted us to know. It flared its wings, becoming even larger, and curling its huge talons into the shimmering grass of the void.
“I will visit you again,” I said, by way of a farewell.
We turned from the tree and left the presence of our totem. My time in the void was coming to an end. The glass was a thin barrier, but it held back a world of responsibility and a sea of questions I didn’t want to answer. Unfortunately, the Dawn Claw had offered no advice as to how best to deal with the Silver Parliament. And yet its cryptic words would linger.
About the Author
A.J. SMITH is the author of The Black Guard, The Dark Blood, The Red Prince and The World Raven. He spent 12 years devising the series. When not writing fiction, he works in secondary education as a youth worker.
The Sword Falls Giveaway
Well, I hope I’ve been able to pique your interest in The Sword Falls because with thanks to the publisher and amazing folks at Kaye Publicity, we have a few print copies up for grabs! With sincerest apologies to our international readers, due to geographical restrictions, this giveaway is only available to addresses/residents in the US and Canada only.
As to how you can enter, this part’s super easy. All you have to do is leave a comment and make sure to state somewhere that you wish to be entered into The Sword Falls giveaway, and have a way for me to contact you should you win. That’s it! Winners will be randomly selected when the giveaway ends at the end of one week.
So what are you waiting for? Good luck!
#WyrdAndWonder Book Review: The Helm of Midnight by Marina Lostetter
Posted on May 2, 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 Helm of Midnight by Marina Lostetter
Mogsy’s Rating: 3 of 5 stars
Genre: Fantasy
Series: Book 1 of The Five Penalties
Publisher: Tor Books (April 13, 2021)
Length: 464 pages
Author Information: Website
The Helm of Midnight is rich, dark, and atmospheric, but everything that made it such an immersive and mysterious read also worked against it at times, leading me to have mixed feelings about the book.
The story is told through multiple POVs and timelines, and we first begin with an introduction to Krona Hirvath as she and her fellow Regulators must solve the curious theft of a death mask belonging to Louis Charbon, the most notorious serial killer to ever stalked the streets of Lutador. What made it such a powerful and dangerous object is the fact that Charbon’s memories and abilities can be accessed and channeled by someone in possession of the mask, which is a frightening thought indeed. Not only that, another deadly artifact was also stolen during the heist, a jeweled brooch that is said to be steeped in so much negative energy, it would drive a wearer to take their own life. Needless to say, recovering these two items is of the highest priority for the Regulators, and Krona will be racing against the clock to find out who stole them, and why.
Meanwhile, in chapters that take place a few years before the present, readers also get to meet Melanie, a young girl from the country has recently arrived in the city to track down an enchanted mask which she hopes would help heal her mother. However, her plans do not go as she expected at all, and before long, Melanie is in way over her head, dealing with something far beyond her naïve comprehension. And finally, in a surprising twist, we are given a glimpse into the tortured mind of the serial killer himself, Louis Charbon. His perspective is one of the story’s main threads, as chapter by chapter, the horrifying details of his past crimes are revealed.
Gradually, these separate threads will eventually come together to form a coherent narrative, but I’m going to be honest here—you’ll need to be patient, because it does take a while. In a style that can be described as sumptuous and detailed—exhaustively so, at times—author Marina Lostetter spends a great deal of attention on world-building as well as explaining the motives of her characters. As much as I appreciate an author who wants to take the time to get everything just right, it was also impossible not to feel a little antsy and bored, wishing she would move it along a little faster and get to the point.
Of course, it didn’t help that the story was so damn grim and bleak. Now, I don’t mind an element of darkness in a book, and in fact, I eat it up when it’s written well. But combined with the slow pacing, the forbidding atmosphere of the setting was less advantageous and became more stifling. This effect needed to be offset by more action and initiative by the characters, and to be fair, we saw some of that here and there, but in the end, I did not think it was nearly enough to overcome the general sensation of ennui. The characters themselves were also fascinating, but I felt like I was reading a detached account of individual people going through the motions, reacting to certain events. Any relationships between them felt strangely dispassionate, preventing me from connecting with them on a deeper level, and because of the way the narrative was structured, there wasn’t as much mystery in the plot as I’d expected.
That said, there are still plenty of reasons to read The Helm of Midnight if you are a fan of fantasy mysteries. There is a good story here, if you don’t mind not getting as many surprises or action and are content with a book that deals mostly with character motives and conflict, which lets the interest build slowly—but surely—as events unfold. The world-building is sublime too, and that’s where Lostetter’s talent really shines. Granted, maybe there could have been more balance between the different aspects of the novel, because there were times where the prose would get carried away with excessive detail into the magic systems, political and historical lore, as well as the people’s connection to the powers of the five gods that make up the religion of this world. However, no one can deny the sheer originality and creativity of the ideas found here.
If the world-building and premise behind The Helm of Midnight appeals to you, I would definitely check it out. Personally, I would have liked a little more mystery and a bit more personality and punch to the characters, but those with a fondness for dark fantasy featuring highly detailed and rich world-building will probably enjoy this a lot more.
Bookshelf Roundup: 05/01/21: Stacking the Shelves & Recent Reads
Posted on May 1, 2021 21 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.
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!
With thanks to Tor.com for sending me an ARC of A Spindle Splintered by Alix E. Harrow. I love her work, and I’m looking forward to this new novella featuring a bold new retelling of Sleeping Beauty!
I’m also grateful to Tor Books for a review copy of Immunity Index by Sue Burke, author of the excellent Semiosis duology. But after reading some of the very mixed reviews, I have concerns this pandemic sci-fi might be more agenda-driven to the detriment of character and story development. To be honest, I’m just not interested in reading anything like that right now, so we’ll see how it goes.
Also thank you to Orbit for a finished copy of The Broken God by Gareth Hanrahan, the third book in The Black Iron Legacy series. I’m loving the story so far, and can’t wait to get back into the world! It’s also encouraging to hear that there are more books planned beyond this one, so this is not the end.
In the digital haul this week, with thanks to Brilliance Audio for a listening copy of The Next Wife by Kaira Rouda. I’ve really enjoyed this author’s books, so when this new one of hers seemingly popped up out of nowhere, I was really happy to be offered a review copy. With thanks also to Hachette Audio for a review copy of Shards of Earth by Adrian Tchaikovsky. This one isn’t going to be released in the US until August, so it was a nice surprise to see the ALC available now.
From Random House Audio, I also received listening copies of Star Wars: Thrawn Ascendancy: Greater Good by Timothy Zahn, the sequel to Thrawn Ascendancy: Chaos Rising (I realize I have some catch-up to do), as well as Goblin by Josh Malerman, described as a “novel in six novellas” revealing the sinister secrets of a small town one by one.
Finally, courtesy of Macmillan Audio I received Blade of Secrets by Tricia Levenseller, which I hope to start before the weekend is out. I had so much fun with The Shadows Between Us, and can’t wait to read another of the authro’s books! From the publisher, I also grabbed a listening copy of The Perfect Daughter by D.J. Palmer, because I really liked the sound of this thriller about a mother’s horror when her teenager with dissociative identity disorder is charged with the brutal murder of a complete stranger, with no conceivable motive.
Wyrd & Wonder
In other news, in case you missed my earlier coverage this week, Wyrd & Wonder is kicking off! Starting today, in fact! For the month of May, The BiblioSanctum will be joining other bloggers and readers in a celebration of all things fantasy. My first related post is a review scheduled for tomorrow. For more information about this event, check out my intro write-up here.
Reviews
The Last Watch by J.S. Dewes (4.5 of 5 stars)
Break Out by Paul Herron (4 of 5 stars)
Win by Harlan Coben (4 of 5 stars)
Roundup Highlights:
What I’ve Been Reading
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! Let me know what you plan on checking out. Until next time, see you next Roundup!
Friday Face-Off: A Favorite Series
Posted on April 30, 2021 17 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 covers from a FAVORITE SERIES
Mogsy’s Pick:
The Wounded Kingdom by RJ Barker
Book 1: Age of Assassins
Orbit (2017) – Italian Edition (2018) – French Edition (2018) – German Edition (2018)
Book 2: Blood of Assassins
Orbit (2018) – French Edition (2019) – German Edition (2019)
Book 3: King of Assassins
Orbit (2018) – French Edition (2019)
Winner:
The Wounded Kingdom trilogy has become one of my favorite fantasy series in recent years, but I think might be my first time seeing covers for editions other than the US/UK Orbit. I’m just floored by how beautiful the French covers are, so much more epic and evocative than the originals!
But what do you think? Which one is your favorite?
Thursday Thriller: Break Out by Paul Herron
Posted on April 29, 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.
Mogsy’s Rating: 4 of 5 stars
Genre: Thriller, Action
Series: Stand Alone
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing (April 6, 2021)
Length: 304 pages
Author Information: Website | Twitter
I recently found out Paul Herron is the pseudonym of Paul Crilley, a television, comics, and games writer who has also written a couple fantasy novels I’ve enjoyed. Breakout is his debut thriller. My verdict? It’s like your classic high-octane action movie meets Arkham Asylum—as over-the-top and popcorny as expected, but still shockingly good! You’ve got your tortured antihero ex-cop with nothing to lose. A rookie prison guard whose first day on the job goes horribly wrong. A perfect storm created by two Category 5 hurricanes coming together, barreling down on the Floridian coast. And right in its path sits the infamous Ravenhill Correctional Facility, home to the worst criminals in the country.
One of these inmates is former police detective Jack Constantine, currently serving ten years for brutally gunning down one of the men who killed his wife and unborn child. As the story begins, the warden has ordered all the prisoners to fix up a dilapidated but sturdier part of the old penitentiary to make it more suitable for them to ride out the storm. When Jack hears that his wife’s two remaining killers will be among those who will be relocated to this section of the prison, he can’t believe his luck. He’s never regretted his crime; he’s only sorry that he never got to finish the job. But soon, it seems he may get his chance to do so after all.
Meanwhile, Kiera Sawyer is trying not to freak out as she reports in for her first day at Ravenhill. She knows she probably shouldn’t have come. A monster of a storm is blowing in, and there’s been talk of mandatory evacuations for this part of the state. No one would blame her if she had simply decided not to show up. But Sawyer knows she can’t risk anything jeopardizing this job. She desperately needs it, for the sake of herself and her younger brother. In the end though, keeping the job becomes the least of her worries. The superstorm hits, and it’s worse than anyone could have imagined. Out of time, the warden decides to evacuate his people. As for the prisoners, it is too late for them. As a final act of mercy, one of the officers unlocks the doors to all the cells, giving their occupants at least a chance to survive the rising flood. Once the inmates realize that there’s no one left to guard them though, bitter rivalries are reawakened and old scores are settled, turning the prison into a bloodbath in the middle of the raging storm.
In all the chaos, no one notices that someone had gotten lost and left behind. Someone so new on the job, she’s not even on any of the staff rosters yet, let alone the evacuation list. Sawyer, left to fend for herself in all this madness, knows her only chance of survival is Jack Constantine, a man who doesn’t really belong in here with the rest of the habitual criminals and psychopaths. The only question is, can he move past his own demons to save them both?
I won’t even bother explaining why Break Out would make a good movie, as it already reads like an off-the-shelf screenplay. Here, the author’s experience as a television and script writer was clearly on display. Reading this book felt a lot like watching old school Bruce Willis in Die Hard or Nicolas Cage in The Rock. In other words, it was fucking awesome. If you’re looking for something intellectual, original, and deep, this is not the book for you. If you want stories that are realistic and plausible, again, this is not the kind of book for you. But if, on the other hand, a furiously entertaining, non-stop action thriller that checks off all the genre boxes is to your liking, then this will do for you nicely.
Nothing too complicated to it, really. No elegant grand plan, beyond setting all the violence and chaos in a maximum-security prison in the middle of a colossal hurricane, and that’s because all the ingredients for mayhem are already there. Remove the law and order, and what do you get? Killers, robbers, kidnappers, abusers who now have the run of the place but nowhere to go. Alliances are swiftly formed in a battle for dominance between warring gangs, but even those who survive this initial slaughter must then contend with the raging storm, which threatens to drown them all in an endless torrent of rain and seawater. In this arena of death, only the most ruthless and insane survive…or those who try to play it clever, like Constantine and Sawyer. The two of them make a great team, along with Constantine’s cellmate Felix.
Bottom line, I had such a wild and crazy time with this. Not the kind of novel I would recommend to everyone across the board, obviously, but if your tastes happen to run towards books that read like an action movie in prose form, then Break Out might just surprise you, like it did me. It’s the epitome of a popcorn read—undemanding and fun, and just in time for beach read weather. Paul Crilley/Paul Herron, please write more thrillers.
Waiting on Wednesday 04/28/21
Posted on April 28, 2021 10 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 Retreat by Elisabeth de Mariaffi (July 20, 2021 by Mulholland Books)
Since the beginning of the year, my TBR of “locked room psychological thrillers set in snowy, isolated places” has included Shiver by Allie Reynolds, The Sanatorium by Sarah Pearce, and now The Retreat. Hmm, I’m sensing a growing trend here…one that I enthusiastically support! No matter how much of it I read, I’m always up for more.
“A “gorgeously written and atmospheric thriller” following a woman on a long-awaited visit to a mountain arts retreat—where she soon finds herself trapped among strangers and in a deadly race to survive (Robyn Harding).
“Magnificently absorbing and haunting . . . With a dabble each of Hitchcock thriller, cozy mystery, and domestic noir, The Retreat offers a terrifyingly fun read.” —Amy Stuart, author of Still Water
She came looking for inspiration.
Instead, disaster strikes.
Maeve Martin arrives at the High Water Center for the Arts, a gorgeous lodge nestled deep in the Rocky Mountains, determined to do one thing: begin her own dance company. A retired performer and mother of two, time is running out for her to find her feet again after the collapse of her disastrous—and violent—marriage. And at first, there’s a thrill to being on her own for the first time in years. Isolated in the snowy beauty of the retreat, Maeve can forget the ghost of her past for an hour, for a day.
But when an avalanche strikes, Maeve finds herself trapped with six other guests. They’ve lost all power, phone service, heat, and the road back to town. At first, there’s a sense of camaraderie—the fire is warm, the freezer well-stocked. But as the days pass and the storm rages on outside, tensions start to run high. Help is coming, so they just have to hold on, right?
Then the first guest meets an unspeakable death.
Followed by another.
Soon Maeve must admit how little she knows about these strangers . . . and how useless a locked door is if the darkness is already inside.”
May is Wyrd & Wonder: A Fantastical Month Of Fantasy
Posted on April 27, 2021 25 Comments
May is right around the corner, so you know what that means! Wyrd & Wonder is back for 2021, once more spearheaded by our lovely hosts imyril, Lisa and Jorie! The BiblioSanctum is excited to be a part of the fun again, joining other fantasy fanatics around the blogosphere and other social media outlets to celebrate this month-long event emphasizing all things fantasy.
What will this mean for the blog? Well, we certainly won’t stop covering other genres, and rest assured you’ll continue to see the usual book reviews, weekly memes, spotlights and features. The difference is, there will also be more fantasy-themed posts, which will be marked with Wyrd & Wonder tags or the banner you see above.
As this will be my second year participating, I feel like I’m a little bit more organized and prepared this time around, but quite honestly, it’s not by much! Luckily, Wyrd & Wonder is super casual and easy to join up if you feel like jumping on board. Just head on over to the sign up sheet and add your details anytime. Even then, this a stress-free and low-commitment event with no obligation to read any particular books or make a certain number of posts. It’s not even limited to just literature! From movies and TV shows to comics and video games, any medium goes if it’s fantasy-related. The only objective here is to have a good time.
So without further ado, let’s move on my my “plans” for Wyrd & Wonder 2021! Mind you, I’m notoriously bad at sticking to reading lists and my TBR can change on a whim depending on my mood which is why those quotation marks are there, but here’s what I hope to accomplish next month. First, fantasy-themed Waiting on Wednesdays and Friday Face-Offs are a given. Similar to what I did during Sci-Fi Month last year, I’d also love to put together a series of posts highlighting my favorite genre themes and tropes. Ideally, I’d like to come up with my own ideas, but here’s also an amazing calendar of prompts that our event host has put together for each day in May in case anyone needs extra inspiration.
And finally, we come to my favorite part, which is the reading list!
It’s highly unlikely that I’ll get to all of these, and I don’t expect I’ll even come close. As usual though, I like stacking my TBR with a mix of new releases and older titles so I’ll have a large pool of options to draw from, and something to suit any mood.
How about you? Are you planning to participate in Wyrd & Wonder this year? If so, what’s on your reading list? Make sure to grab a banner and a button if you haven’t done so yet, and let’s dive right in!
Book Review: The Last Watch by J.S. Dewes
Posted on April 26, 2021 23 Comments
I received a review copy from the publisher. This does not affect the contents of my review and all opinions are my own.
Mogsy’s Rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
Genre: Science Fiction
Series: Book 1 of The Divide
Publisher: Paperback: Tor | Audiobook: Macmillan Audio (April 20, 2021)
Length: 480 pages | 16 hrs and 30 mins
Author Information: Website | Twitter
Narrators: Andrew Eiden, Nicol Zanzarella
Well, color me pleasantly surprised! I’m usually super skeptical with any book whose blurb invokes comparisons to The Expanse because, man, that’s one tough promise. Still, I must doff my hat to J.S. Dewes, because I have a feeling The Last Watch is about to become my next big sci-fi obsession.
To set the scene, imagine the dark and lonely reaches at the edge of the universe, beyond which simply nothing exists. This is the Divide. Here is where the Argus keeps its watch, the space station home to a ragtag crew of misfits known as the Sentinels. They are considered the dregs of society—criminals, exiles, court-martialed military personnel and ex-soldiers—all of them have nowhere else to go. However, at the Divide, they have a very important role and purpose. Their job is to patrol edges of space, maintaining the warning and defense systems in place to protect against any unknown threats. After all, it wasn’t that long ago when humanity was nearly wiped out by an alien species called the Viators, and only after multiple wars and untold number of deaths did they finally manage to drive the invaders out. Although that had been many years ago, the Sentinels aren’t about to take any chances, always remaining vigilant and on alert.
But now comes a danger no one was expecting. The Divide is starting to collapse, threatening to destroy everyone and everything with it. The commander of the Argus, a Titan veteran of Viator war named Adequin Rake, is suddenly faced with some difficult choices. With the lives of more than two thousand Sentinels now resting in her hands, their survival will depend on her next steps. First, they must find a way to stop the collapse, but with communications down and their resources stretched to the limits, the Argus finds itself isolated and cut off from all help. Left with no other recourse, Rake turns to the wise-cracking and irreverent Cavalon Mercer, an exiled prince from the Allied Monarchies of the Core. Cavalon had been sent to the Divide for apparently pissing off his family, though he alone knows the real reason. Still, while he may be a rogue and an asshole of the highest order, his upbringing and education had supplied him with a wealth of knowledge in a variety of different fields—knowledge that Rake hopes may help her get the Argus and the universe out of their current jam.
The initial setup felt a bit slow, especially those sections immediately following the opening chapters in which we first meet Cavalon, whose blithe attitude helped establish a snappy tone for the book. But once things switch to focus on Adequin Rake, the pacing takes a steep nosedive as the narrative turns to giving readers a detailed rundown of the world-building and story background. Needless to say, there’s a lot to take in, even if all the information is necessary. Then of course, we have Rake, whose personality is very different from that of Cavalon’s. As a leader, she runs a tight ship and does not tolerate any incompetence or disrespect. At the same time, she’s also compassionate and thoughtful, dedicated to her duties which includes maintaining the wellbeing of her space station and crew. Some might even say she cares too much. Regardless, this need to explain the history of the setting along with detailed backstories for all our disparate characters ultimately led to an unevenly paced introduction, and consequently a slower ramp-up.
Having said that though, I would be hard pressed to level any other criticism at The Last Watch, because simply put, the rest of the book was as close to perfection as you can get. The action? Awesome. The character development? Magnificent. As I mentioned, Rake and Cavalon may be polar opposites, but when forced to work together to stop the collapse, the efficient synergies they created were undeniable. Then there was the supporting cast. Dewes impressed me with the amount of thought and attention she must have put into creating each character, because from sidekicks to love interests, every single one of them was a well-rounded, memorable and important member of the team. Of this ensemble, I especially enjoyed Mesa, a genetically engineered human-alien hybrid known as a Savant, and Griffith, because I loved watching this tough old soldier turn all sweet and tender when he was with Rake. Honestly, though—Cavalon, Rake, Griffin, Mesa, Jackin, Puck, Emery—I could easily rave on for pages about each of them. These are people you want to root for and cheer them on when they succeed, or break down into blubbering, crying ball of tears when they go down. They feel like your friends and family.
So, I’d be careful before you go picking this up, because you will get hooked! Seriously, I needed the sequel, like yesterday. Luckily, the next book, The Exiled Fleet, is already slated for release this summer, just months away but which is still going to feel like a long time to wait. I anticipate an even more explosive and high-powered book, now that we’d be able to jump right into the action. Looking forward to it with unbounded excitement!
Book Review: Win by Harlan Coben
Posted on April 25, 2021 15 Comments
I received a review copy from the publisher. This does not affect the contents of my review and all opinions are my own.
Win by Harlan Coben
Mogsy’s Rating (Overall): 4 of 5 stars
Genre: Mystery, Thriller
Series: Book 1 of Windsor Horne Lockwood III
Publisher: Hardcover: Grand Central Publishing | Audiobook: Brilliance Audio (March 16, 2021)
Length: 375 pages | 10 hrs and 35 mins
Author Information: Website | Twitter
Audiobook Narrator: Steven Weber
Well, this was a fun one! I will preface this review by saying this was my first Harlan Coben, so the character of Windsor Horne Lockwood III was completely new to me along with the Myron Bolitar books, which this new series spun off from. I’ve always wanted to read this author’s books though, and figured this would be a perfect time and place to jump on board.
The best friend and once sidekick to former basketball star turned sports agent and ”accidental detective” Myron Bolitar, Windsor Horne Lockwood III, AKA Win, now takes center stage in his own mystery novel as he takes the reins on the case. And believe me, he has an interesting way of doing things. If you’re a longtime fan, I guess you already know this, but for a newcomer like myself, learning all about this guy was quite the whirlwind. For one, he’s richer than Scrooge McDuck and unironically compares himself to Batman, not only from the “I’m a mysterious, brooding, kick-ass vigilante” angle, but also noting that for people like him and Bruce Wayne, money is their superpower. While he may not have a superhero persona, Win does show different sides of himself when he’s with different people: a soft and flighty yet charming gentleman when he’s our in the public eye, for instance, but a cold, calculating and ruthless opponent when faced with his enemies. He’s also well-connected and has no moral qualms about pressing those connections or turning to less-than-ethical means to achieve his goals, which is how in this first novel of his new series, our eponymous protagonist winds up on the trail to track down the whereabouts of a group of fugitive bombers from the sixties known as the Jane Street Six.
But of course, Win probably wouldn’t have been so invested if he didn’t have a personal stake. As the story begins, he is summoned by the FBI to a penthouse apartment on the Upper West Side where its reclusive hoarder resident has just been found murdered. Soon, Win finds out why he is a person of interest. In the middle of all the mess, agents had found two items belonging to his family, including a priceless Vermeer painting that was famously reported stolen from the Lockwoods years ago, as well as a leather suitcase bearing his initials, WHL3. But as pleased as he is to have finally located the lost painting, it is the presence of the suitcase that has Win rattled, for it also has a history. Two decades ago, his cousin, heiress and philanthropist Patricia Lockwood, was kidnapped from her family estate. After killing her father, the attackers had told the then sixteen-year-old to pack that very same suitcase before taking her to an isolated shack in the woods, where she was subjected to unspeakable violence and abuse. Eventually, Patricia managed to break her chains and escape, but her captors were never found, and the fate of her suitcase also remained unknown…until now.
Could the deceased resident of that penthouse have been one of Patricia’s abductors? If so, the case just became even more startling and muddled when the dead man is identified as Ry Strauss, linked to an FBI cold case involving a deadly bombing in the sixties. Four men and two women, called the Jane Street Six, were wanted in connection to a Molotov cocktail attack which caused the accidental death of innocent bystanders. Part of a radical hippie network, the six of them immediately went underground following the incident, and the authorities have been trying to track each one down since, especially their charismatic leader, Strauss, who now may or may not be implicated in the theft of the Vermeer and the abduction of Patricia as well. This is why Win has been tasked to find out more, recruited by a friend and former FBI agent who also has reason to want answers.
After reading Win, I can see why Harlan Coben is considered a top mystery-thriller writer and why his books are bestsellers. This one was a prime example of excellent and compelling storytelling, juggling a number of side plots and branching threads, but as ever the focus remained laser sharp with no words wasted. The story itself is fast-paced, compulsive, and smartly edgy—and somehow Coben manages it all with effortless style and ease. I was amazed at the way everything came together, given the jumble of different cases and the complex web of characters and motives involved. It is only in the hands of an experienced author like him that a mystery with so many disparate strands and moving parts can be coherently narrated like this and be resolved so meticulously.
But for all that, I do have a couple criticisms, and it goes back to the main protagonist of Win. While Myron Bolitar fans have had the advantage of getting to know him as a secondary character through about a dozen novels over two decades, this was my first introduction to him, and let’s just say I believe he’s something of an acquired taste. Considering how descriptions of him have ranged from anti-hero to downright psychopathic, I think I’m being kind. Win is arrogant, pretentious, hypocritical, and obnoxious. He’s also completely unapologetic and shameless about it. While some protagonists can make that work for them, I spent much of the book wishing someone would come along and take this snooty, condescending rich asshole down a notch, because there were honestly times where being in his head made me feel gross and dirty. That said, he is not without some good qualities, and I guess I can see his appeal if you’ve had prior experience with him as a sidekick. Letting him take the lead for an entire novel, however, was a bit trying.
Still, in the end I read Win for the mystery and thrills, and I got both in spades so all in all I am a happy camper. I’m also glad I finally got to read a Harlan Coben novel, and I can promise you this will not be the last time I pick up his work. I may even check out the next Windsor Horne Lockwood III book if he continues developing this series, because that’s just how much I loved the storytelling (though hopefully he’ll find a way to make Win’s character a little less unpalatable). I was also fortunate enough to receive an audio copy for review, and it was once again a pleasure to listen to renowned actor and voice-over artist Steven Weber’s stellar performance as narrator. He was fantastic and believable as Win, giving his personality the weight it deserves, and also diligent in providing the voices and accents of other characters. Overall, a cracking good listen.
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