Another year, and in addition to posting the December site update, it's time to reflect on the past twelve months' worth of reviews.
January started light and sweet with Stephanie Burgis's The Dragon with a Chocolate Heart. I also delved into Ken Liu's doorstop silkpunk The Grace of Kings, a refreshingly different epic fantasy based on ancient China, and revisted Carl Hiassen for a fun but ultimately disappointing outing in Scat. (And apparently hardcover coloring books are a thing, as I discovered with Jonny Marx's The Book of Beasts - though I suspect the hardcover price is why I found it so cheap on clearance.)
In February, I ranged from a book on illuminated manuscripts (Janice Anderson's aptly-titled Illuminated Manuscripts) through romance (Samantha Chase's This Is our Song) and politics (Thomas Paine's The Rights of Man), and even an illustrated biography by an internet celebrity (Ryan Higa's How to Write Good, by Ryan Higa.) James Islington's epic fantasy The Shadow of What Was Lost and Genevieve Cogman's The Invisible Library failed to engage me, though the main theme of the month turned out to be interplanetary sci-fi: Dennis E. Taylor's second Bobiverse book (For We Are Many), the fourth Expanse installment (Cibola Burn, by James S. A. Corey), Killing Gravity by Corey J. White, and Jeff Lemire's graphic novel Descender: The Deluxe Edition Volume 1 universally impressed.
March wasn't a good month for reading. Of six titles posted, five were graphic novels; the exception was the Expanse novella The Churn, a prequel by James S. A. Corey. Two more Descender titles, Katie O'Neill's cutesy but enjoyable The Tea Dragon Society, Grant Snider's examination of creativity in the cartoons of The Shape of Ideas, and the groundbreaking (yet inevitably dated) The Mercenary, Volume 1 by Vicente Segrelles rounded it out.
April got me back into reading a few more word-based stories, kicking off with Tom Reiss's The Black Count, the biography of mixed-race general Alexandre Dumas, who rose to prominence in Revolutionary France only to be betrayed by Napoleon - later immortalized in the works of his son, Three Musketeers author Alexander Dumas. I was unexpectedly impressed by the young adult romance/sci-fi tale Don't Even Think About It by Sarah Mlynowsky, which deftly avoided potential pitfalls of telepathic teenagers and pulled off a rare "first person plural" perspective. Tor's eBook-of-the-month club once again delivered an interesting read as I finally got around to All Systems Red, the award-winning first installment of the Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells. Still, graphic novels and picture books dominated, as I continued with Joshua Williamson's portal fantasy twist Birthright series (volumes 5 and 6) and Brian K. Vaughan's time travel adventure Paper Girls (volume 4), encountered the mysterious shapeshifter at the heart of Noelle Stevenson's Nimona, and took a pleasant trip aboard Dashka Slater's The Antlered Ship.
May started off with a major misfire of a dragon adventure in Stephen Deas's The Adamantine Palace, a throwback fantasy that successfully prevented me from caring about any character, two-legged or otherwise. Further disappointment awaited in the alternate history heist tale River of Teeth by Sarah Gailey, in which hippos - imported as a potential food source following a real-world proposal - have overrun the lower Mississippi, and Mechthild Glaser's The Book Jumper, in which a teenager persistently acted like a preteen while exploring a newfound ability to enter stories. I paid homage to nostalgia with an Andre Norton title, Catseye, that couldn't help showing its age despite the imaginative premise. It wasn't all bad news, though. Katherine Applegate's wishtree offered hope in the face of prejudice and fear, Kurt Busiek's first Autumnlands graphic novel explored a post-apocalyptic future dominated by mages and anthropomorphic animals, and Chris Impey's Beyond offered a glimpse of an interplanetary future already in the works today.
In June, I finally threw the proverbial switch with the year-long main site overhaul. In reading, I revisited Seanan McGuire's Wayward Children series with her third installment, Beneath the Sugar Sky, and wrapped up Dennis E. Taylor's Bobiverse trilogy with the enjoyable finale All These Worlds. Sebastien de Castell hooked me into his Greatcoats series, a fantasy homage to The Three Musketeers, with Traitor's Blade. The month's low point was the attempted romance/sci-fi mashup The Down Home Zombie Blues by Linnea Sinclair, which stumbled haplessly into every pitfall imaginable and even a few unimaginable ones.
July again had a bit of a sci-fi bent, starting with the fanciful exploration of our neighboring planets in Olivia Koski and Jana Grcevich's Vacation Guide to the Solar System and continuing with James S. A. Corey's sixth Expanse book (Nemesis Games) and Binti by Nnedi Okorafor, not to mention the graphic novel of astral-projection journeying in Leila del Duca's Afar and Blake Crouch's thriller Pines. Derek Alan Siddoway explored a world of griffin riders in Windsworn, while a wayward dragon cursed into human form sought to rebuild her hoard in the Scales and Scoundrels graphic novels by Sebastian Girner; of the two, Windsworn was the more absorbing, despite the promise of the latter. Political parody met picture book in "Marlon Bundo" and Jill Twiss's A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo, a fun tale of bunny love and the "stink bug" who stands in its way. The month wrapped up with an unfortunately pointless graphic novel, Elian Black'Mor's In Search of Lost Dragons.
August started with yet another return to the Expanse universe (so sue me - I like the series) with the Origins comics omnibus by James S. A. Corey, Hallie Lambert, and others, exploring the histories of the main characters as presented on the SyFy/Amazon Prime television show, with mixed-to-good results. High points of the month included Brandon Sanderson's second installment of his mammoth Stormlight Archives series, Words of Radiance, and Peter Cawdron's sci-fi thriller on Mars, Retrograde. Disappointments ranged from Lynn Viehl's alternate-world fantasy/romance Disenchanted & Co. to Tahereh Mafi's middle-grade fantasy Furthermore, capped off by Ada Palmer's Too Like the Lightning - impressive from a worldbuilding and Literary-with-a-capital-L standpoint, and undeniably different, but an utter failure insofar as giving me a single character to like or maintaining my interest. Michael Dante DiMartino also dropped the figurative ball in Rebel Genius, which reads like a cartoon that never wanted to be pinned down as writing.
September was a wide-ranging month for reading. From the freeform picture book poetry of Margaret Wild's The Dream of the Thylacine to Dan Rather's autobiographical examination of America's past, present, and future challenges in What Unites Us; from Seanan McGuire's adaptation of the "Phantom Prom Date" urban legend in Sparrow Hill Road to the suspense-filled romance in Rachel Grant's Incriminating Evidence; from escaped experimental military animals in Grant Morrison's graphic novel WE3 to Sarah Beth Durst's tale of stone creations seeking a carver to renew the story-marks keeping them alive in The Stone Girl's Story; even from the incredible true tale of a girl partially raised by wild monkeys in Marina Chapman's The Girl with No Name to an exploration of creativity in Art and Fear (David Bayles and Ted Orlando); I wandered all over the literary map. (And, yes, I checked in with the Expanse universe again with the novella Gods of Risk.)
October opened with an impressive novella from P. Djeli Clark, The Black God's Drums, set in an alternate-world New Orleans steeped in voodoo. I found myself less impressed than I'd hoped to be by Andy Weir's Moon-based heist novel Artemis, Jodi Lynn Anderson's alternate-world middle-grade road trip My Diary From the Edge of the World, and Scott Westerfield's spooky The Secret Hour, though I was far more disappointed by C. J. Darlington's Jupiter Winds as it nosedived into religion and Creationism. Bill Nye explained the "nerd" mindset and offered hope that it might someday save our future in his autobiographical Everything All At Once. Naomi Novik's fairy tale adaptation Spinning Silver entertained me, and I also enjoyed yet another Expanse novella by James S. A. Corey, The Vital Abyss.
I started November with the fun picture book Everyone Loves Bacon by Kelly DiPucchio. The classic one-time-award-winner The Snow Queen, by Joan D. Vinge, unfortunately showed its age (or its author's assumptions about women needing men to complete their lives) badly, though the month's true low point had to be Kirk Kjeldsen's The Depths, a thriller that largely failed to thrill. Surprise "hits" were Fonda Lee's Jade City, which mashed up genres I don't generally enjoy (martial arts and mafia) into an engaging fantasy, and Elle Katharine White's Heartstone, a Pride and Prejudice riff with dragonriders that may not have been a favorite, but was more enjoyable than I'd anticipated. Nnedi Okorafor gave Harry Potter-like hidden magical worlds an African twist in Akata Witch, and old Atari classics found new life in the graphic novel Swordquest: Realworld by Chad Bowers and Chris Sims, based on the real Swordquest franchise. Warren Ellis captured the sense of wonder behind the best sci-fi in his graphic novel Ocean/Orbiter Deluxe Edition, and I caught up through Book 6 of The Expanse with Babylon's Ashes. The month wrapped up with another Tor eBook-of-the-month-club offering, Victor Lavalle's tale The Ballad of Black Tom, which gives the bigotry of 1920's New York City a Lovecraftian twist.
December began with Gareth L. Powell's space tale of a self-aware war ship turning its back on combat in Embers of War, which had potential but ultimately felt a little too familiar to stand out. Mary Robinette Kowal explored an alternate history of the space race in The Calculating Stars, as humanity is forced to push interplanetary colonization efforts with Apollo-era tech after an extinction-level event in the 1950's. I revisited a favorite childhood movie with the graphic novel prequel Jim Henson's Labyrinth Coronation: Volume 1, though ultimately I enjoyed the film more. Another movie-inspired read was The Art of How to Train Your Dragon 2, by Linda Sunshine. An anthology by the Western Writers Group, Wanted: A Western Story Collection, failed to break my streak of mixed-bag anthology experiences, and I also found disappointment (despite great potential and glimmering ideas around the edges) in JY Yang's The Black Tides of Heaven. December's high points included Kings of the Wyld by Nicholas Eames, an unexpectedly enjoyable mashup of sword and sorcery with rock and roll culture, and yet another Expanse novella, Strange Dogs, which would work better as a standalone than more than one of those Western tales in that anthology.
Here's hoping 2019 brings pleasant surprises, both on and off the bookshelf.
Monday, December 31, 2018
Saturday, December 29, 2018
The Realm Volume 1 (Seth Peck)
The Realm Volume 1
The Realm series, Issues 1 - 5
Seth Peck, illustrations by Jeremy Haun
Image Comics
Fiction, Fantasy/Graphic Novel
*** (Okay)
DESCRIPTION: Fifteen years ago, civilization came to a sudden end when monsters out of legend emerged around the world. In the desolate wastelands that used to be America, pockets of humanity struggle to rebuild, but so far nobody has figured out just what the beasts want, or how to send them back where they came from... and there seem to be more of them every day.
Will Nolan makes a living escorting people through the monster-filled countryside, doing the odd rescue mission on the side, though the people he deals with hardly seem more civilized than the orcs and goblins and other beasts he dispatches along the way. His latest gig - escorting a small group, including a pair of scientists, to what used to be the American heartland - looks like just another job, but he and his sometimes-partner Rook soon find themselves up against forces unlike any they've yet seen. A would-be sorcerer king, a mysterious lone monster hunter, and a strange boy who seems unable to die will make this the most dangerous journey Nolan has undertaken, one with consequences that could save the world - or destroy what's left of it.
REVIEW: There's a line between revealing too much information - drowning the reader in facts and backstories and subplots and such that don't really matter - and withholding too much, leading to detachment and confusion. The Realm falls on the latter side of that line. The story introduces several characters and subplots, but isn't always clear on how they relate or how they matter in the main story, certainly not clear enough to lift any of them above "been there, read that" genre tropes to become something compelling. Nolan's a typical post-apocalyptic mercenary with a Dark Secret (which, thanks to the subplot clutter, is little more than a pointless footnote in this volume), the sorcerer Eldrich could come from any given vaguely-Lovecraftian story, the monster-hunter Ben stalks beasts and broods and reveals nothing of his motives or goals... I just found nothing here to interest me, nothing to differentiate it from countless other post-demonic-apocalypse tales. While I'm sure more will be revealed in future installments, my reaction to reaching the end was more of an indifferent shrug than anything else - certainly nothing like a desire to revisit these characters or the setting.
You Might Also Enjoy:
King: The Graphic Novel (Joshua Hale Fialkov) - My Review
The Dark Tower 1: The Gunslinger (Stephen King) - My Review
Monstress Volume 1: Awakening (Marjorie Liu) - My Review
The Realm series, Issues 1 - 5
Seth Peck, illustrations by Jeremy Haun
Image Comics
Fiction, Fantasy/Graphic Novel
*** (Okay)
DESCRIPTION: Fifteen years ago, civilization came to a sudden end when monsters out of legend emerged around the world. In the desolate wastelands that used to be America, pockets of humanity struggle to rebuild, but so far nobody has figured out just what the beasts want, or how to send them back where they came from... and there seem to be more of them every day.
Will Nolan makes a living escorting people through the monster-filled countryside, doing the odd rescue mission on the side, though the people he deals with hardly seem more civilized than the orcs and goblins and other beasts he dispatches along the way. His latest gig - escorting a small group, including a pair of scientists, to what used to be the American heartland - looks like just another job, but he and his sometimes-partner Rook soon find themselves up against forces unlike any they've yet seen. A would-be sorcerer king, a mysterious lone monster hunter, and a strange boy who seems unable to die will make this the most dangerous journey Nolan has undertaken, one with consequences that could save the world - or destroy what's left of it.
REVIEW: There's a line between revealing too much information - drowning the reader in facts and backstories and subplots and such that don't really matter - and withholding too much, leading to detachment and confusion. The Realm falls on the latter side of that line. The story introduces several characters and subplots, but isn't always clear on how they relate or how they matter in the main story, certainly not clear enough to lift any of them above "been there, read that" genre tropes to become something compelling. Nolan's a typical post-apocalyptic mercenary with a Dark Secret (which, thanks to the subplot clutter, is little more than a pointless footnote in this volume), the sorcerer Eldrich could come from any given vaguely-Lovecraftian story, the monster-hunter Ben stalks beasts and broods and reveals nothing of his motives or goals... I just found nothing here to interest me, nothing to differentiate it from countless other post-demonic-apocalypse tales. While I'm sure more will be revealed in future installments, my reaction to reaching the end was more of an indifferent shrug than anything else - certainly nothing like a desire to revisit these characters or the setting.
You Might Also Enjoy:
King: The Graphic Novel (Joshua Hale Fialkov) - My Review
The Dark Tower 1: The Gunslinger (Stephen King) - My Review
Monstress Volume 1: Awakening (Marjorie Liu) - My Review
Tuesday, December 25, 2018
The Black Tides of Heaven (JY Yang)
The Black Tides of Heaven
The Tensorate series, Book 1
JY Yang
Tor
Fiction, Fantasy
***+ (Okay/Good)
DESCRIPTION: From the moment of their conception, the twins Mokoya and Akeha were meant to be pawns in the games of their iron-fisted mother, all-powerful Protector of the realm. They are raised in a monastery, studying discipline and the five veins of slackcraft that power their world, and from the start vow that, whatever their mother intends, they will live and die for each other alone. But vows made as children rarely last into adulthood, and when Mokoya's strange dreams prove to be prophetic, the start of a wedge grows between them. Driven into different lives with differing loyalties by the black tides of the heavens, the twins must reconcile or see their mother's blood-slicked grip on the land become absolute.
REVIEW: One of the reasons I so enjoy fantasy and science fiction stories is the chance to explore new and unusual worlds, to immerse in the wild and the grand and occasionally bizarre. Unfortunately, this can also lead to a serious disconnect between me and the story, when for whatever reason I find myself shut out of the wonders at hand. This can happen for a variety of reasons - characters I don't like or can't believe, plots that bore or confuse, or simple failure to connect to the author's style. I cannot say for certain which was the culprit here, but through the entire tale, despite tantalizing hints and promise of Yang's imaginative Tensorate, I never once managed to truly visualize and immerse in it. Characters tend to be stiff or overly dramatic, though this may have been a result of me never understanding the world enough to recognize the stakes or what compelled them to take (or not take) action. The plot proves a dense web of rebellion and politics and love triangles that I couldn't care about for lack of connection. As for the world, it seems like an intriguingly unique land: the sun apparently cycles several times in each day or night cycle, there are five powers in the "slack" corresponding roughly to Asian elemental magic, tamed raptor packs serve as trackers, a budding industrial revolution threatens the absolute powers of the Tensors (magic-wielders) and majority race... but I felt shut out of most of these wonders, peering in through inadequate slats in the fence boards and never quite finding that sense of immersive understanding that would let me truly experience what Yang was writing. It's not a terrible story for all that, but ultimately not one I could care about, and not one I care to pursue through the remainder of the series.
You Might Also Enjoy:
Range of Ghosts (Elizabeth Bear) - My Review
Jade City (Fonda Lee) - My Review
The Grace of Kings (Ken Liu) - My Review
The Tensorate series, Book 1
JY Yang
Tor
Fiction, Fantasy
***+ (Okay/Good)
DESCRIPTION: From the moment of their conception, the twins Mokoya and Akeha were meant to be pawns in the games of their iron-fisted mother, all-powerful Protector of the realm. They are raised in a monastery, studying discipline and the five veins of slackcraft that power their world, and from the start vow that, whatever their mother intends, they will live and die for each other alone. But vows made as children rarely last into adulthood, and when Mokoya's strange dreams prove to be prophetic, the start of a wedge grows between them. Driven into different lives with differing loyalties by the black tides of the heavens, the twins must reconcile or see their mother's blood-slicked grip on the land become absolute.
REVIEW: One of the reasons I so enjoy fantasy and science fiction stories is the chance to explore new and unusual worlds, to immerse in the wild and the grand and occasionally bizarre. Unfortunately, this can also lead to a serious disconnect between me and the story, when for whatever reason I find myself shut out of the wonders at hand. This can happen for a variety of reasons - characters I don't like or can't believe, plots that bore or confuse, or simple failure to connect to the author's style. I cannot say for certain which was the culprit here, but through the entire tale, despite tantalizing hints and promise of Yang's imaginative Tensorate, I never once managed to truly visualize and immerse in it. Characters tend to be stiff or overly dramatic, though this may have been a result of me never understanding the world enough to recognize the stakes or what compelled them to take (or not take) action. The plot proves a dense web of rebellion and politics and love triangles that I couldn't care about for lack of connection. As for the world, it seems like an intriguingly unique land: the sun apparently cycles several times in each day or night cycle, there are five powers in the "slack" corresponding roughly to Asian elemental magic, tamed raptor packs serve as trackers, a budding industrial revolution threatens the absolute powers of the Tensors (magic-wielders) and majority race... but I felt shut out of most of these wonders, peering in through inadequate slats in the fence boards and never quite finding that sense of immersive understanding that would let me truly experience what Yang was writing. It's not a terrible story for all that, but ultimately not one I could care about, and not one I care to pursue through the remainder of the series.
You Might Also Enjoy:
Range of Ghosts (Elizabeth Bear) - My Review
Jade City (Fonda Lee) - My Review
The Grace of Kings (Ken Liu) - My Review
Sunday, December 23, 2018
Paper Girls Volume 5 (Brian K. Vaughan)
Paper Girls Volume 5
The Paper Girls series, Issues 21 - 25
Brian K. Vaughan, illustrations by Cliff Chiang and Matthew Wilson
Image Comics
Fiction, MG? Graphic Novel/Sci-Fi
**** (Good)
DESCRIPTION: The four paper delivery girls Tiffany, KJ, Mac, and Erin from 1988 have come a long way, through space and time, from the night when they stumbled across temporal invaders in their small suburb outside Cleveland. Now, after visiting a Y2K-devastated year 2000 and picking up an adult Tiffany as traveling companion, they find themselves a few hundred years in the future, almost under the nose of their chief pursuer "Grandfather" Wari. While Mac pursues a thin hope that she might be cured of the leukemia slated to kill her, Erin tries to find a way back to their home time - but can they trust anything, or anyone, in the compromised timestream, or are they already destined to fail?
REVIEW: With the long gap between reading previous volumes and the increasingly-entwined and -compromised timelines, I'll admit it took me a bit to reorient myself, and even then I'm sure I've forgotten a few important details. Despite that, this maintains the quick pacing of the series, adding new pieces to a puzzle that is still far from complete, but is nonetheless compelling. Issues of fate versus free will become very personal, not only as Mac struggles with the possibility of knowing her own death but as Tiffany deals with traveling with an older version of herself. Skirting spoilers, by the end a few questions have been answered but more raised, and the girls find themselves in greater danger than ever. Another good installment in an interesting series.
You Might Also Enjoy:
The Time Keeper (Barbara Bartholomew) - My Review
When You Reach Me (Rebecca Stead) - My Review
Paper Girls Volume 1 (Brian K. Vaughan) - My Review
The Paper Girls series, Issues 21 - 25
Brian K. Vaughan, illustrations by Cliff Chiang and Matthew Wilson
Image Comics
Fiction, MG? Graphic Novel/Sci-Fi
**** (Good)
DESCRIPTION: The four paper delivery girls Tiffany, KJ, Mac, and Erin from 1988 have come a long way, through space and time, from the night when they stumbled across temporal invaders in their small suburb outside Cleveland. Now, after visiting a Y2K-devastated year 2000 and picking up an adult Tiffany as traveling companion, they find themselves a few hundred years in the future, almost under the nose of their chief pursuer "Grandfather" Wari. While Mac pursues a thin hope that she might be cured of the leukemia slated to kill her, Erin tries to find a way back to their home time - but can they trust anything, or anyone, in the compromised timestream, or are they already destined to fail?
REVIEW: With the long gap between reading previous volumes and the increasingly-entwined and -compromised timelines, I'll admit it took me a bit to reorient myself, and even then I'm sure I've forgotten a few important details. Despite that, this maintains the quick pacing of the series, adding new pieces to a puzzle that is still far from complete, but is nonetheless compelling. Issues of fate versus free will become very personal, not only as Mac struggles with the possibility of knowing her own death but as Tiffany deals with traveling with an older version of herself. Skirting spoilers, by the end a few questions have been answered but more raised, and the girls find themselves in greater danger than ever. Another good installment in an interesting series.
You Might Also Enjoy:
The Time Keeper (Barbara Bartholomew) - My Review
When You Reach Me (Rebecca Stead) - My Review
Paper Girls Volume 1 (Brian K. Vaughan) - My Review
Wednesday, December 19, 2018
Strange Dogs (James S. A. Corey)
Strange Dogs
An Expanse novella
James S. A. Corey
Orbit
Fiction, Sci-Fi
**** (Good)
DESCRIPTION: Though she was not born on Laconia, the alien world is all Cara has known. Earth, Mars, and the old solar system are just places she sees in picture books or hears about in school, places Mom and Dad talk about in worried tones now that no more news comes through the ring gates. She spends more time outdoors in the native woodlands than her scientist parents, and probably knows more about the wildlife than anyone - but even she is surprised when she discovers the pack of odd, doglike animals. Then, quite by accident, she discovers what they can do... a discovery that could change the very nature of the colony, unless the grown-ups ruin everything.
This novella, part of the Expanse universe, occurs chronologically between Book 6, Babylon's Ashes, and Book 7, Persepolis Rising.
REVIEW: This side adventure, with strong foreshadowing of things to come in the next volume, almost works as a standalone, having only passing involvement of a character from the greater series. Cara struggles to deal with being a first-generation colonist on alien soil, tied culturally and genetically (and metabolically - humans cannot process native food sources, and vice versa) to a planet of which she has no memory and to which she has no personal connection, yet she faces seemingly-insurmountable obstacles to truly embracing Laconia as a homeworld as she desperately desires. The "dogs" she encounters are not what they first appear to be, offering choices whose consequences she may not fully grasp, yet which seem to her better than any alternatives. The ending is a bit dark, especially given its implications for the next Expanse novel. Overall, I enjoyed it, though I almost clipped it a half-star for deceptive length; only sixty-odd percent of the file is Strange Dogs, the rest being two long excerpts from other Orbit books that aren't even related to Corey (and which I admit to skipping.)
You Might Also Enjoy:
Leviathan Wakes (James S. A. Corey) - My Review
Catseye (Andre Norton) - My Review
Dragon and Thief (Timothy Zahn) - My Review
An Expanse novella
James S. A. Corey
Orbit
Fiction, Sci-Fi
**** (Good)
DESCRIPTION: Though she was not born on Laconia, the alien world is all Cara has known. Earth, Mars, and the old solar system are just places she sees in picture books or hears about in school, places Mom and Dad talk about in worried tones now that no more news comes through the ring gates. She spends more time outdoors in the native woodlands than her scientist parents, and probably knows more about the wildlife than anyone - but even she is surprised when she discovers the pack of odd, doglike animals. Then, quite by accident, she discovers what they can do... a discovery that could change the very nature of the colony, unless the grown-ups ruin everything.
This novella, part of the Expanse universe, occurs chronologically between Book 6, Babylon's Ashes, and Book 7, Persepolis Rising.
REVIEW: This side adventure, with strong foreshadowing of things to come in the next volume, almost works as a standalone, having only passing involvement of a character from the greater series. Cara struggles to deal with being a first-generation colonist on alien soil, tied culturally and genetically (and metabolically - humans cannot process native food sources, and vice versa) to a planet of which she has no memory and to which she has no personal connection, yet she faces seemingly-insurmountable obstacles to truly embracing Laconia as a homeworld as she desperately desires. The "dogs" she encounters are not what they first appear to be, offering choices whose consequences she may not fully grasp, yet which seem to her better than any alternatives. The ending is a bit dark, especially given its implications for the next Expanse novel. Overall, I enjoyed it, though I almost clipped it a half-star for deceptive length; only sixty-odd percent of the file is Strange Dogs, the rest being two long excerpts from other Orbit books that aren't even related to Corey (and which I admit to skipping.)
You Might Also Enjoy:
Leviathan Wakes (James S. A. Corey) - My Review
Catseye (Andre Norton) - My Review
Dragon and Thief (Timothy Zahn) - My Review
Monday, December 17, 2018
Kings of the Wyld (Nicholas Eames)
Kings of the Wyld
The Band series, Book 1
Nicholas Eames
Orbit
Fiction, Fantasy/Humor
***** (Great)
DESCRIPTION: "We were giants, once..."
Many years ago, Clay Cooper was part of Saga, perhaps the greatest band of mercenaries ever to walk the realm of Grandual. With the wizard Moog, the knife-wielding rogue Matrick, the deadly warrior Ganelon, and their leader and frontman "Golden" Gabriel (not to mention their booker and an endless stream of ill-fated bards), they carved a swath through the monster-filled Heartwyld forests and a legend that persists to this day. But time marches on, and even legends dim and age. In the years since Saga dissolved, Clay has settled down in a quiet hamlet, building a peaceful life with the woman he loves, content to let his fame fade.
Then Gabriel turns up on his doorstep, and his plans for peaceful retirement end.
It turns out that Gabriel's daughter Rose has been bitten by the mercenary bug - which is how she wound up across the mountains in Castia, a fortress currently besieged by a monstrous horde the likes of which the world has never seen. Most people believe the inhabitants as good as dead already, but Gabriel refuses to give up hope. He plans to get the band back together for one last glorious ride - or one last glorious death.
Clay wants to tell him no. He wants to tell him their fighting days are over, that they're all old men now. But Clay has a daughter of his own, and if it were his girl, he'd face down every demon in hell and every god in the heavens to save her - so how could he refuse when his one-time best friend needs his help to do the same?
REVIEW: To be honest, I almost didn't buy this book. I'm not a huge fan of gore or grimdark, and it looked like this would have both in spades. But I was intrigued by the cover blurb for the sequel, and I never read a series out of order if I can at all help it... and there this title was, in paperback, daring me to give it a try. And so I did - and was immediately pulled in for a wyld (er, wild) ride.
With violence, humor, and shades of both sword and sorcery and rock and roll (the mercenary "band" culture has many trappings of the entertainment world), Clay's tale starts quickly and never lets go. Worldbuilding and character integrity are never sacrificed for the sake of a cheap laugh, and yet laughs there are, and plenty of them - often a grim, gallows humor, but still laughs. It's not just a road trip or eccentric buddy comedy in a fantastic realm, though; there are some truly touching moments and sacrifices along the way, and the bonds of friendship are tested to their limits. The story leans a bit testosterone heavy (understandable, given the genres it's not-so-subtly poking fun at), but in the end I was thoroughly and unexpectedly entertained, enough to grant it the full fifth star of a Great rating.
You Might Also Enjoy:
Jhereg (Stephen Brust) - My Review
Traitor's Blade (Sebastien de Castell) - My Review
Swords Against Deviltry (Fritz Leiber) - My Review
The Band series, Book 1
Nicholas Eames
Orbit
Fiction, Fantasy/Humor
***** (Great)
DESCRIPTION: "We were giants, once..."
Many years ago, Clay Cooper was part of Saga, perhaps the greatest band of mercenaries ever to walk the realm of Grandual. With the wizard Moog, the knife-wielding rogue Matrick, the deadly warrior Ganelon, and their leader and frontman "Golden" Gabriel (not to mention their booker and an endless stream of ill-fated bards), they carved a swath through the monster-filled Heartwyld forests and a legend that persists to this day. But time marches on, and even legends dim and age. In the years since Saga dissolved, Clay has settled down in a quiet hamlet, building a peaceful life with the woman he loves, content to let his fame fade.
Then Gabriel turns up on his doorstep, and his plans for peaceful retirement end.
It turns out that Gabriel's daughter Rose has been bitten by the mercenary bug - which is how she wound up across the mountains in Castia, a fortress currently besieged by a monstrous horde the likes of which the world has never seen. Most people believe the inhabitants as good as dead already, but Gabriel refuses to give up hope. He plans to get the band back together for one last glorious ride - or one last glorious death.
Clay wants to tell him no. He wants to tell him their fighting days are over, that they're all old men now. But Clay has a daughter of his own, and if it were his girl, he'd face down every demon in hell and every god in the heavens to save her - so how could he refuse when his one-time best friend needs his help to do the same?
REVIEW: To be honest, I almost didn't buy this book. I'm not a huge fan of gore or grimdark, and it looked like this would have both in spades. But I was intrigued by the cover blurb for the sequel, and I never read a series out of order if I can at all help it... and there this title was, in paperback, daring me to give it a try. And so I did - and was immediately pulled in for a wyld (er, wild) ride.
With violence, humor, and shades of both sword and sorcery and rock and roll (the mercenary "band" culture has many trappings of the entertainment world), Clay's tale starts quickly and never lets go. Worldbuilding and character integrity are never sacrificed for the sake of a cheap laugh, and yet laughs there are, and plenty of them - often a grim, gallows humor, but still laughs. It's not just a road trip or eccentric buddy comedy in a fantastic realm, though; there are some truly touching moments and sacrifices along the way, and the bonds of friendship are tested to their limits. The story leans a bit testosterone heavy (understandable, given the genres it's not-so-subtly poking fun at), but in the end I was thoroughly and unexpectedly entertained, enough to grant it the full fifth star of a Great rating.
You Might Also Enjoy:
Jhereg (Stephen Brust) - My Review
Traitor's Blade (Sebastien de Castell) - My Review
Swords Against Deviltry (Fritz Leiber) - My Review
Saturday, December 15, 2018
The Wild Book (Juan Villoro)
The Wild Book
Juan Villoro, translated by Lawrence Schimel
Restless Books
Fiction, MG Fantasy
*** (Okay)
DESCRIPTION: It was supposed to be another summer vacation spent playing with his best friends, but when his parents separate, plans change. His kid sister is sent to live with friends and Juan is packed off to the home of Uncle Tito, a man he barely knows. A lifelong recluse with the manners of an animal and almost no people skills, Tito has turned his house into a labyrinthine library - and, somehow, he's convinced that Juan himself has an inborn affinity for books. Indeed, he's certain the boy will help him find an elusive title hiding in his collection, The Wild Book, which has never let itself be read by anyone. At first, he thinks the man's just gone crazy after years with nobody but a part-time housekeeper for company... but soon Juan discovers that books have lives of their own - and some of them are quite dangerous, indeed.
REVIEW: I'm not sure if it's the translation or the basic story, but I couldn't connect with this one despite the promising subject. It seems to be trying too hard to cram Life Lessons down the reader's throat to remember that I need to care about the characters and be interested in unfolding events. Yes, the books move when nobody's looking, and there's a predatory Pirate Book lurking around the edges, but instead of feeling like I was immersed in a grand adventure in an amazing library, mostly I felt like I was, like Juan, stumbling around in cluttered rooms not doing much of anything, hoping that the elusive "wild book" would turn up by chance. Tito's overbearing and more than a little repelling, with a personality more like an oversized grade-schooler than a grown man; Juan comes across as the mature and reasonable one, except when he doesn't. (Character consistency wavers across the board, as the author tends to spell things out rather than let them act and react naturally.) There's a girl across the street who becomes a love interest, but again I wasn't really feeling the relationship, and his observations of her venture into creepy territory. For that matter, there are... I suppose I should say cultural overtones that don't translate particularly well and left a bit of a sour taste in my mouth. (Speaking of translation, part of me wonders how much of my reaction was due to the translator's efforts and not the author's; at one point, it refers to spiders as insects, which has to be a translation error unless Villoro thinks middle grade readers don't know spiders are arachnids and not insects, which is information found in basic picture books.) On the plus side, it reads fairly fast, but I've read other, better books about books and the magic of reading.
You Might Also Enjoy:
Storybound (Marissa Burt) - My Review
Inkheart (Cornelia Funke) - My Review
The Book of Story Beginnings (Kristin Kladstrup) - My Review
Juan Villoro, translated by Lawrence Schimel
Restless Books
Fiction, MG Fantasy
*** (Okay)
DESCRIPTION: It was supposed to be another summer vacation spent playing with his best friends, but when his parents separate, plans change. His kid sister is sent to live with friends and Juan is packed off to the home of Uncle Tito, a man he barely knows. A lifelong recluse with the manners of an animal and almost no people skills, Tito has turned his house into a labyrinthine library - and, somehow, he's convinced that Juan himself has an inborn affinity for books. Indeed, he's certain the boy will help him find an elusive title hiding in his collection, The Wild Book, which has never let itself be read by anyone. At first, he thinks the man's just gone crazy after years with nobody but a part-time housekeeper for company... but soon Juan discovers that books have lives of their own - and some of them are quite dangerous, indeed.
REVIEW: I'm not sure if it's the translation or the basic story, but I couldn't connect with this one despite the promising subject. It seems to be trying too hard to cram Life Lessons down the reader's throat to remember that I need to care about the characters and be interested in unfolding events. Yes, the books move when nobody's looking, and there's a predatory Pirate Book lurking around the edges, but instead of feeling like I was immersed in a grand adventure in an amazing library, mostly I felt like I was, like Juan, stumbling around in cluttered rooms not doing much of anything, hoping that the elusive "wild book" would turn up by chance. Tito's overbearing and more than a little repelling, with a personality more like an oversized grade-schooler than a grown man; Juan comes across as the mature and reasonable one, except when he doesn't. (Character consistency wavers across the board, as the author tends to spell things out rather than let them act and react naturally.) There's a girl across the street who becomes a love interest, but again I wasn't really feeling the relationship, and his observations of her venture into creepy territory. For that matter, there are... I suppose I should say cultural overtones that don't translate particularly well and left a bit of a sour taste in my mouth. (Speaking of translation, part of me wonders how much of my reaction was due to the translator's efforts and not the author's; at one point, it refers to spiders as insects, which has to be a translation error unless Villoro thinks middle grade readers don't know spiders are arachnids and not insects, which is information found in basic picture books.) On the plus side, it reads fairly fast, but I've read other, better books about books and the magic of reading.
You Might Also Enjoy:
Storybound (Marissa Burt) - My Review
Inkheart (Cornelia Funke) - My Review
The Book of Story Beginnings (Kristin Kladstrup) - My Review
Friday, December 14, 2018
The Art of How to Train Your Dragon 2 (Linda Sunshine)
The Art of How to Train Your Dragon 2
Linda Sunshine
Dey Street Books
Nonfiction, Art/Media Reference
****+ (Good/Great)
DESCRIPTION: The 2014 animated sequel How to Train Your Dragon 2 brought viewers back to the Viking village of Berk, where former misfit boy Hiccup and his dragon friend Toothless have ended the generations-long conflict between their people... but trouble is on the horizon, as a new threat to dragon and human alike arises. In this book, explore the Viking world and its dragons with behind-the-scenes concept art and production notes.
REVIEW: This movie managed the remarkable feat of taking the high bar set by 2010's How to Train Your Dragon and raising it in most every way, from storyline to animation. (I will concede that I preferred the first film's soundtrack.) With new software and an ambitious vision, the Dreamworks team created a bigger, bolder, more detailed world with even wilder dragons. The text offers notes on story and design decisions that shaped the final movie, including some major last-minute shifts and reworkings that ultimately made for a better film. If you enjoyed the movie, you'll enjoy this collection of art and design images and the smattering of trivia and production insight.
You Might Also Enjoy:
The Art of Kubo and the Two Strings (Emily Haynes) - My Review
The Art of How to Train Your Dragon (Tracy Miller-Zarneke) - My Review
How to Train Your Dragon / How to Train Your Dragon 2
- Amazon DVD link
Linda Sunshine
Dey Street Books
Nonfiction, Art/Media Reference
****+ (Good/Great)
DESCRIPTION: The 2014 animated sequel How to Train Your Dragon 2 brought viewers back to the Viking village of Berk, where former misfit boy Hiccup and his dragon friend Toothless have ended the generations-long conflict between their people... but trouble is on the horizon, as a new threat to dragon and human alike arises. In this book, explore the Viking world and its dragons with behind-the-scenes concept art and production notes.
REVIEW: This movie managed the remarkable feat of taking the high bar set by 2010's How to Train Your Dragon and raising it in most every way, from storyline to animation. (I will concede that I preferred the first film's soundtrack.) With new software and an ambitious vision, the Dreamworks team created a bigger, bolder, more detailed world with even wilder dragons. The text offers notes on story and design decisions that shaped the final movie, including some major last-minute shifts and reworkings that ultimately made for a better film. If you enjoyed the movie, you'll enjoy this collection of art and design images and the smattering of trivia and production insight.
You Might Also Enjoy:
The Art of Kubo and the Two Strings (Emily Haynes) - My Review
The Art of How to Train Your Dragon (Tracy Miller-Zarneke) - My Review
How to Train Your Dragon / How to Train Your Dragon 2
- Amazon DVD link
Thursday, December 13, 2018
The Reason for Dragons (Chris Northrop)
The Reason for Dragons
Chris Northrop, illustrations by Jeff Stokely
Boom Entertainment
Fiction, YA Fantasy/Graphic Novel
***+ (Okay/Good)
DESCRIPTION: High school outcast Wendell just can't seem to get the hang of his life, especially since his father died. He can't connect with his mechanic stepdad, his mom's working most the time, and he doesn't last a day without messing something up or being shoved around by bullies... which he figures he probably deserves for being such a loser. On a dare, he goes out the the old, abandoned fairgrounds in the woods - and meets a man claiming to be the last knight of the king's realm. He swears that the fire that destroyed the place years ago wasn't arson, but a dragon that still stalks the forests. Clearly the guy is insane... but if he's crazy, why is Wendell also hearing the strange roars and growls in the deep woods?
REVIEW: The Reason for Dragons is a decent, if not entirely unexpected, coming of age story about a misfit boy finding his courage. Wendell starts out, frankly, as a bit of a whiny jerk, though he naturally has his reasons; everything he tries to do goes wrong, so he not only stops trying, but starts actively resenting anyone who does. His stepdad tries to connect with him via shopwork, but Wendell's all thumbs around tools. The self-styled knight Sir Habersham manages to reach the boy in a way nobody else in his life can, and his quest against the dragon gives Wendell a purpose. It goes without saying that there's more to the story than Habersham being nuts (this is a Fantasy title, after all), though it all feels a trifle too rushed for the impact it was going for. The short stories following the main tale add a little ambiance, though they aren't strictly necessary and feel like padding. Not quite my cup of cocoa, but not a bad story in the end.
You Might Also Enjoy:
Swordquest: Realworld (Chad Bowers and Chris Sims) - My Review
I Kill Giants (Joe Kelly) - My Review
Crap Kingdom (D. C. Pierson) - My Review
Chris Northrop, illustrations by Jeff Stokely
Boom Entertainment
Fiction, YA Fantasy/Graphic Novel
***+ (Okay/Good)
DESCRIPTION: High school outcast Wendell just can't seem to get the hang of his life, especially since his father died. He can't connect with his mechanic stepdad, his mom's working most the time, and he doesn't last a day without messing something up or being shoved around by bullies... which he figures he probably deserves for being such a loser. On a dare, he goes out the the old, abandoned fairgrounds in the woods - and meets a man claiming to be the last knight of the king's realm. He swears that the fire that destroyed the place years ago wasn't arson, but a dragon that still stalks the forests. Clearly the guy is insane... but if he's crazy, why is Wendell also hearing the strange roars and growls in the deep woods?
REVIEW: The Reason for Dragons is a decent, if not entirely unexpected, coming of age story about a misfit boy finding his courage. Wendell starts out, frankly, as a bit of a whiny jerk, though he naturally has his reasons; everything he tries to do goes wrong, so he not only stops trying, but starts actively resenting anyone who does. His stepdad tries to connect with him via shopwork, but Wendell's all thumbs around tools. The self-styled knight Sir Habersham manages to reach the boy in a way nobody else in his life can, and his quest against the dragon gives Wendell a purpose. It goes without saying that there's more to the story than Habersham being nuts (this is a Fantasy title, after all), though it all feels a trifle too rushed for the impact it was going for. The short stories following the main tale add a little ambiance, though they aren't strictly necessary and feel like padding. Not quite my cup of cocoa, but not a bad story in the end.
You Might Also Enjoy:
Swordquest: Realworld (Chad Bowers and Chris Sims) - My Review
I Kill Giants (Joe Kelly) - My Review
Crap Kingdom (D. C. Pierson) - My Review
Sunday, December 9, 2018
Wanted: A Western Story Collection (The Western Writers Group)
Wanted: A Western Story Collection
The Western Writers Group
Solstice Publishing
Fiction, Anthology/Western
*** (Okay)
DESCRIPTION: A boy is trapped after encountering an enraged grizzly... a bounty hunter intervenes when a crooked cattleman bullies a family of sheepherders... a retired Pinkerton agent and his daughter run into trouble while buying horses... a pair of ex-outlaws find trouble on the trail while trying to go straight... These and other stories of the Wild West are compiled in this anthology.
REVIEW: It was cheap, and I need to explore outside my usual reading comfort zones/genres every so often, so I gave it a try. Like most anthologies in my experience, the results are mixed. Most of the tales here are part of larger series; the degree to which these adventures stand alone varies greatly by author. Likewise, my reaction - from interested page-turning to eye-rolls and barely-suppressed groans at hackneyed stereotypes - varied greatly by author. Though these are written by modern Western writers, a few felt so stale I'd have pegged them as relics from half a century ago. (I suppose this may be one of the attractions of the genre, but not for me.) I enjoyed two or three of these, actively disliked a couple, and the rest fell into a bland middle that already fades in my memory. It makes a decent sampler if one is looking for a new Western author to follow, though.
You Might Also Enjoy:
Killing Dirty (Pete Clark) - My Review
Six-Shooter Tales (I. J. Parnham) - My Review
Unwanted: Dead or Alive (Gene Shelton) - My Review
The Western Writers Group
Solstice Publishing
Fiction, Anthology/Western
*** (Okay)
DESCRIPTION: A boy is trapped after encountering an enraged grizzly... a bounty hunter intervenes when a crooked cattleman bullies a family of sheepherders... a retired Pinkerton agent and his daughter run into trouble while buying horses... a pair of ex-outlaws find trouble on the trail while trying to go straight... These and other stories of the Wild West are compiled in this anthology.
REVIEW: It was cheap, and I need to explore outside my usual reading comfort zones/genres every so often, so I gave it a try. Like most anthologies in my experience, the results are mixed. Most of the tales here are part of larger series; the degree to which these adventures stand alone varies greatly by author. Likewise, my reaction - from interested page-turning to eye-rolls and barely-suppressed groans at hackneyed stereotypes - varied greatly by author. Though these are written by modern Western writers, a few felt so stale I'd have pegged them as relics from half a century ago. (I suppose this may be one of the attractions of the genre, but not for me.) I enjoyed two or three of these, actively disliked a couple, and the rest fell into a bland middle that already fades in my memory. It makes a decent sampler if one is looking for a new Western author to follow, though.
You Might Also Enjoy:
Killing Dirty (Pete Clark) - My Review
Six-Shooter Tales (I. J. Parnham) - My Review
Unwanted: Dead or Alive (Gene Shelton) - My Review
Saturday, December 8, 2018
The Calculating Stars (Mary Robinette Kowal)
The Calculating Stars
The Lady Astronaut series, Book 1
Mary Robinette Kowal
Tor
Fiction, Sci-Fi
**** (Good)
DESCRIPTION: The meteorite struck the east coast of America in 1952, taking with it huge swaths of land, uncounted lives... and, in a matter of years, the future habitability of Earth. With survival on the line, the fledgling NACA space program becomes an international effort, a push to colonize space before a runaway greenhouse effect leads to mass extinctions.
Computer Elma York and her husband, rocket engineer Nathaniel, become key parts of the new push for space. As a WASP pilot who had to outfox enemy planes without even being allowed ammunition, Elma hopes to become an astronaut herself... but it soon becomes clear that white men only need apply. But why? She wrote several of the equations that make orbital flight possible, and she's a better pilot than some of the men selected, plus if the goal really is to colonize space women will have to go up at some point. Despite stubborn politicians and condescending superiors, Elma is determined to get into space, no matter what it takes.
REVIEW: Kowal takes a few minor liberties, but this alternate-history space story relies entirely on real-world physics and possibilities, positing a hastened space program that must prioritize interplanetary colonization over developments like Martian rovers, the space shuttle, or microcomputers. The extinction-level strike moves up the global warming timeline and urgency; even in Kowal's world, there are many who deny the impending cataclysm, even as the climate irrevocably shifts and prediction after prediction plays out true. As the space program fights budget cuts and skeptical politicians and even anti-space terrorists (with justifications ranging from religious fervency to conspiracy theories about corporations and governments inventing a climate crisis), Elma must fight the misogyny of the 1950's and her own crippling anxiety (not to mention anxiety about anxiety; even with doctorates under her belt and a fully supportive husband, she still hears her late mother whispering "What will people think?" whenever she defies gender expectations), a fight that extends to include racial bigotry as she realizes that gender isn't the only basis for discrimination among her colleagues. Surrounding her are friends and allies and enemies, not always clear distinctions, as she inadvertently becomes the face for the movement to create a "lady astronaut" program. Even her worst enemy, the arrogant pilot/astronaut Stetson Parker, becomes more than just a plot enabler. It starts fairly quickly and moves at a decent pace, establishing a strong sense of time and place in both the altered 1950's world and the Apollo-era space program, with the main flaw being that it's clearly just part of a larger story that will (theoretically) conclude with the second novel, The Fated Stars... which I suppose I'll have to add to my holiday wish list at this point. Dang it.
(This book also reminded me that I really need to see and/or read Hidden Figures sooner rather than later; Kowal includes that book in her bibliography at the end, and claims the movie as partial incitement to finish this story, which touches on similar themes, if in a fictional timeline.)
You Might Also Enjoy:
The Martian Chronicles (Ray Bradbury) - My Review
West with the Night (Beryl Markham) - My Review
AVIATRIX: First Woman Pilot for Hughes Airwest (Mary Bush Shipko) - My Review
The Lady Astronaut series, Book 1
Mary Robinette Kowal
Tor
Fiction, Sci-Fi
**** (Good)
DESCRIPTION: The meteorite struck the east coast of America in 1952, taking with it huge swaths of land, uncounted lives... and, in a matter of years, the future habitability of Earth. With survival on the line, the fledgling NACA space program becomes an international effort, a push to colonize space before a runaway greenhouse effect leads to mass extinctions.
Computer Elma York and her husband, rocket engineer Nathaniel, become key parts of the new push for space. As a WASP pilot who had to outfox enemy planes without even being allowed ammunition, Elma hopes to become an astronaut herself... but it soon becomes clear that white men only need apply. But why? She wrote several of the equations that make orbital flight possible, and she's a better pilot than some of the men selected, plus if the goal really is to colonize space women will have to go up at some point. Despite stubborn politicians and condescending superiors, Elma is determined to get into space, no matter what it takes.
REVIEW: Kowal takes a few minor liberties, but this alternate-history space story relies entirely on real-world physics and possibilities, positing a hastened space program that must prioritize interplanetary colonization over developments like Martian rovers, the space shuttle, or microcomputers. The extinction-level strike moves up the global warming timeline and urgency; even in Kowal's world, there are many who deny the impending cataclysm, even as the climate irrevocably shifts and prediction after prediction plays out true. As the space program fights budget cuts and skeptical politicians and even anti-space terrorists (with justifications ranging from religious fervency to conspiracy theories about corporations and governments inventing a climate crisis), Elma must fight the misogyny of the 1950's and her own crippling anxiety (not to mention anxiety about anxiety; even with doctorates under her belt and a fully supportive husband, she still hears her late mother whispering "What will people think?" whenever she defies gender expectations), a fight that extends to include racial bigotry as she realizes that gender isn't the only basis for discrimination among her colleagues. Surrounding her are friends and allies and enemies, not always clear distinctions, as she inadvertently becomes the face for the movement to create a "lady astronaut" program. Even her worst enemy, the arrogant pilot/astronaut Stetson Parker, becomes more than just a plot enabler. It starts fairly quickly and moves at a decent pace, establishing a strong sense of time and place in both the altered 1950's world and the Apollo-era space program, with the main flaw being that it's clearly just part of a larger story that will (theoretically) conclude with the second novel, The Fated Stars... which I suppose I'll have to add to my holiday wish list at this point. Dang it.
(This book also reminded me that I really need to see and/or read Hidden Figures sooner rather than later; Kowal includes that book in her bibliography at the end, and claims the movie as partial incitement to finish this story, which touches on similar themes, if in a fictional timeline.)
You Might Also Enjoy:
The Martian Chronicles (Ray Bradbury) - My Review
West with the Night (Beryl Markham) - My Review
AVIATRIX: First Woman Pilot for Hughes Airwest (Mary Bush Shipko) - My Review
Wednesday, December 5, 2018
Jim Henson's Labyrinth Coronation: Volume 1 (Simon Spurrier and Jim Henson)
Jim Henson's Labyrinth Coronation: Volume 1
The Labyrinth Coronation series, Issues 1 - 4
Simon Spurrier and Jim Henson (creator), illustrations by Daniel Bayliss
Archaia
Fiction, YA? Fantasy/Graphic Novel/Media Tie-In
***+ (Okay/Good)
DESCRIPTION: When young Sarah regrets wishing that the goblins would take her baby brother Toby away, Jareth the Goblin King gives her thirteen hours to retrieve him from the castle at the center of his vast, shifting Labyrinth - otherwise, the child will become a goblin. But this is not the first time a stolen baby has been sought by a loved one. Jareth himself was once a human boy not unlike young Toby, and it was his mother Maria who braved the Labyrinth in search of him, defying the wicked Owl King and the child's noble father, Lord Tyton.
REVIEW: Nostalgia's a hot commodity these days; I see graphic novel series revisiting The Dark Crystal and other favorites from childhood, plus there is a manga tale about an older Toby returning to the labyrinth world (which I have not read, but seen at the library.) Given that, a Labyrinth graphic novel revival was almost a given. This is not so much a retelling or a sequel as a prequel about Jareth, memorably played (and sung) by the late David Bowie in Henson's movie. Since I have a fair bit of nostalgia tied up here (I still own and listen to the soundtrack - I am a child of the 80's, after all), it was with some trepidation that I approached this title... and with some inevitable disappointment that I finish.
The framing story here supposedly occurs while Jareth watches Sarah make her way through the Labyrinth; between him and the goblin Beetleglum, the tale of Jareth's own childhood unfolds. There's an immediate issue here, as the graphic novel keeps reminding me of the movie source material, a comparison by which it can't help falling short. It's also obvious that something went horribly wrong with Maria's journey, or Jareth wouldn't be the Goblin King in Sarah's time; at some point, I couldn't help feeling toyed with on this account, especially as this is just Volume 1 of a longer arc and doesn't resolve anything. The Labyrinth itself is a remarkable and imaginative place where nothing is as it seems, though the version encountered by Maria is different than the one Sarah found in the movie; there's some implication that the place's aspect is at least partly in the eye of the beholder. Maria is not the impetuous, immature girl Sarah was at the start of her journey, but a determined and desperate mother willing to move heaven and earth to find her son. Unfortunately, knowing that she fails can't help robbing the story of some tension. The artwork is imaginative, but not quite up to the standard set by Jim Henson and Brian Froud in the film, though the characters definitely feel like they belong in the Labyrinth I grew up knowing and loving. Between (too-frequent) cutaways to Jareth and Beetleglum, the story takes a while to get going, and seems to just be hitting a decent stride by the time it ends, leaving me with mixed feelings.
On the one hand, I admit I'm a little curious about how Maria fails. On the other, if future installments are this riddled with interruptions (and keep reminding me, again, of a movie so deeply rooted in my childhood that it can't help coloring my perception of tie-in material), I'm not sure how far out of my way I'll go to find answers.
You Might Also Enjoy:
Every Heart a Doorway (Seanan McGuire) - My Review
Birthright Volume 1: Homecoming (Joshua Williamson) - My Review
The Labyrinth Coronation series, Issues 1 - 4
Simon Spurrier and Jim Henson (creator), illustrations by Daniel Bayliss
Archaia
Fiction, YA? Fantasy/Graphic Novel/Media Tie-In
***+ (Okay/Good)
DESCRIPTION: When young Sarah regrets wishing that the goblins would take her baby brother Toby away, Jareth the Goblin King gives her thirteen hours to retrieve him from the castle at the center of his vast, shifting Labyrinth - otherwise, the child will become a goblin. But this is not the first time a stolen baby has been sought by a loved one. Jareth himself was once a human boy not unlike young Toby, and it was his mother Maria who braved the Labyrinth in search of him, defying the wicked Owl King and the child's noble father, Lord Tyton.
REVIEW: Nostalgia's a hot commodity these days; I see graphic novel series revisiting The Dark Crystal and other favorites from childhood, plus there is a manga tale about an older Toby returning to the labyrinth world (which I have not read, but seen at the library.) Given that, a Labyrinth graphic novel revival was almost a given. This is not so much a retelling or a sequel as a prequel about Jareth, memorably played (and sung) by the late David Bowie in Henson's movie. Since I have a fair bit of nostalgia tied up here (I still own and listen to the soundtrack - I am a child of the 80's, after all), it was with some trepidation that I approached this title... and with some inevitable disappointment that I finish.
The framing story here supposedly occurs while Jareth watches Sarah make her way through the Labyrinth; between him and the goblin Beetleglum, the tale of Jareth's own childhood unfolds. There's an immediate issue here, as the graphic novel keeps reminding me of the movie source material, a comparison by which it can't help falling short. It's also obvious that something went horribly wrong with Maria's journey, or Jareth wouldn't be the Goblin King in Sarah's time; at some point, I couldn't help feeling toyed with on this account, especially as this is just Volume 1 of a longer arc and doesn't resolve anything. The Labyrinth itself is a remarkable and imaginative place where nothing is as it seems, though the version encountered by Maria is different than the one Sarah found in the movie; there's some implication that the place's aspect is at least partly in the eye of the beholder. Maria is not the impetuous, immature girl Sarah was at the start of her journey, but a determined and desperate mother willing to move heaven and earth to find her son. Unfortunately, knowing that she fails can't help robbing the story of some tension. The artwork is imaginative, but not quite up to the standard set by Jim Henson and Brian Froud in the film, though the characters definitely feel like they belong in the Labyrinth I grew up knowing and loving. Between (too-frequent) cutaways to Jareth and Beetleglum, the story takes a while to get going, and seems to just be hitting a decent stride by the time it ends, leaving me with mixed feelings.
On the one hand, I admit I'm a little curious about how Maria fails. On the other, if future installments are this riddled with interruptions (and keep reminding me, again, of a movie so deeply rooted in my childhood that it can't help coloring my perception of tie-in material), I'm not sure how far out of my way I'll go to find answers.
You Might Also Enjoy:
Every Heart a Doorway (Seanan McGuire) - My Review
Birthright Volume 1: Homecoming (Joshua Williamson) - My Review
Monday, December 3, 2018
The Magic Misfits (Neil Patrick Harris)
The Magic Misfits
The Magic Misfits series, Book 1
Neil Patrick Harris
Little, Brown Books
Fiction, MG Adventure/General Fiction
**** (Good)
DESCRIPTION: Young Carter never wanted to be part of his uncle's cons, but when a boy's magician parents vanish into thin air, he doesn't have much choice. He doesn't mind doing card tricks or sleight-of-hand illusions, but he vows he will never personally steal, no matter how hard he's pushed - a vow that sees him run out on the old thief and hop a train one night with nothing but empty pockets and his small satchel.
The train takes him to the small town of Mineral Wells. It looks like a picture postcard, the kind a place a boy would love to grow up... but he's hardly off the train before he finds trouble at Mr. Bosso's traveling carnival, a place where the games are rigged, the attractions are fake, and the clowns are burglars. He also meets magician Mr. Vernon and a collection of misfit local kids who, like him, are interested in illusion. Carter's gotten by his whole life by not taking on other people's problems and keeping to himself, but making friends has a way of changing a boy's mind... especially when they learn Mr. Bosso's true caper.
REVIEW: Celebrity-authored books can be hit or miss, but this proves to be a fun middle-grade debut. Carter's a clever boy with a good heart but a hard life; it takes him a while to learn to trust his new friends and realize he has something to contribute to their lives and their town. As with many middle grade titles, there's a certain exaggeration to the characters, especially the bad guys, and the setting; it takes place in a nebulous small-town yesteryear, the sort one usually encounters in old books or classic TV shows. The plot is a little exaggerated as well, but it does the job. Bonus chapters offer lessons in simple magic tricks, and there are hidden messages for those inclined to hunt for them. As for the writing, it's light and lively, and while not quite as sharp or laugh-out-loud hilarious as a few middle-grade writers I've read, Harris certainly entertains without trailing off on excessive tangents (usually.) It's fun and reads quickly (an afternoon for me), and younger readers - especially those interested in stage magic - will eat it up. (I do have to admit that, as a kid, I would've been disappointed at a lack of real, fantasy-caliber magic, though; the tricks here, though not all explained, are stage illusions, which are their own brand of fantasy.)
You Might Also Enjoy:
Curiosity House: The Shrunken Head (H. C. Chester and Lauren Oliver) - My Review
The Monster's Ring (Bruce Coville) - My Review
Dragon and Thief (Timothy Zahn) - My Review
The Magic Misfits series, Book 1
Neil Patrick Harris
Little, Brown Books
Fiction, MG Adventure/General Fiction
**** (Good)
DESCRIPTION: Young Carter never wanted to be part of his uncle's cons, but when a boy's magician parents vanish into thin air, he doesn't have much choice. He doesn't mind doing card tricks or sleight-of-hand illusions, but he vows he will never personally steal, no matter how hard he's pushed - a vow that sees him run out on the old thief and hop a train one night with nothing but empty pockets and his small satchel.
The train takes him to the small town of Mineral Wells. It looks like a picture postcard, the kind a place a boy would love to grow up... but he's hardly off the train before he finds trouble at Mr. Bosso's traveling carnival, a place where the games are rigged, the attractions are fake, and the clowns are burglars. He also meets magician Mr. Vernon and a collection of misfit local kids who, like him, are interested in illusion. Carter's gotten by his whole life by not taking on other people's problems and keeping to himself, but making friends has a way of changing a boy's mind... especially when they learn Mr. Bosso's true caper.
REVIEW: Celebrity-authored books can be hit or miss, but this proves to be a fun middle-grade debut. Carter's a clever boy with a good heart but a hard life; it takes him a while to learn to trust his new friends and realize he has something to contribute to their lives and their town. As with many middle grade titles, there's a certain exaggeration to the characters, especially the bad guys, and the setting; it takes place in a nebulous small-town yesteryear, the sort one usually encounters in old books or classic TV shows. The plot is a little exaggerated as well, but it does the job. Bonus chapters offer lessons in simple magic tricks, and there are hidden messages for those inclined to hunt for them. As for the writing, it's light and lively, and while not quite as sharp or laugh-out-loud hilarious as a few middle-grade writers I've read, Harris certainly entertains without trailing off on excessive tangents (usually.) It's fun and reads quickly (an afternoon for me), and younger readers - especially those interested in stage magic - will eat it up. (I do have to admit that, as a kid, I would've been disappointed at a lack of real, fantasy-caliber magic, though; the tricks here, though not all explained, are stage illusions, which are their own brand of fantasy.)
You Might Also Enjoy:
Curiosity House: The Shrunken Head (H. C. Chester and Lauren Oliver) - My Review
The Monster's Ring (Bruce Coville) - My Review
Dragon and Thief (Timothy Zahn) - My Review
Rebel of the Sands (Alwyn Hamilton)
Rebel of the Sands
The Rebel of the Sands series, Book 1
Alwyn Hamilton
Speak
Fiction, YA Fantasy
**** (Good)
DESCRIPTION: Amani's been an outsider in the small desert town of Dustwalk since she was born, her blue eyes betraying outsider parentage. When her mother was hanged for killing an abusive husband, she became even more taboo. Now her cruel uncle is talking about making her another wife, or maybe selling her to some other brute, so now is the time for Amani to escape.
Mother always talked about the capital city where her sister lives as a grand, adventurous place, so she sets her sights on distant Imzan, home of the Sultan. But her plans go awry when she runs into Jin, a stranger with a hidden agenda. Before she knows it, she's accused of treason and on the run, dodging foreign soldiers and the Sultan's forces as she finds herself in the company of rebels, not to mention halfblood children of legendary Djinni and powers that could destroy her desert home, and maybe the world itself.
REVIEW: Rebel of the Sands draws on Middle Eastern traditions with a bit of Wild West thrown into the mix, creating a unique world of sand and fire and elder powers at war with new technology, where tradition and innovation struggle for the future and innocent lives are too often crushed in the middle. Amani's a strong heroine, a sharpshooter with a sharp tongue, fighting cultural and personal oppression in a country where women are less valued than animals; her mixed ancestry places her even lower on the totem pole, as does her refusal to accept the lot in life she's been given. Even her best friend in Dustwalk, also looked down on for his limp, can't understand why she doesn't just become a man's property and find solace in prayer. Jin, whom she meets while disguised as a boy at an illegal shooting contest, is the spark that sends her life and plans up in flames in a relationship that's contentious from the start, both using each other even as they become dependent on one another for survival in a desert crawling with enemies. Fireside stories of First Beings and their descendants - the fading lines of immortal Djinni and Buraqi horses, the monstrous Skinwalkers and Nightmares that prowl the darkness and fear only the touch of iron that makes them mortal - have always been at the fringes of her life (though it's been years since even a stray ghoul wandered into her town, now a factory for the Sultan's firearms), but become central to the story as she ranges further from Dustwalk. Stakes are fairly high for Amani from the start, and only grow higher as she becomes part of a world larger than her small home town; more than once, she's responsible for suffering and even death as events move beyond her control. At times, especially past the halfway mark, the cast feels a little overloaded and events move a little too fast to keep up with, but it wraps up fairly well, even if it obviously leaves enough threads dangling for the second installment of the series. It's an enjoyable, quick read, starting a series I could see myself following (once I've pruned the reading backlog a little more, at least; seriously, the pile is threatening to crush me in my sleep.)
You Might Also Enjoy:
Vengeance Road (Erin Bowman) - My Review
Summoned (Rainy Kaye) - My Review
The Blue Sword (Robin McKinley) - My Review
The Rebel of the Sands series, Book 1
Alwyn Hamilton
Speak
Fiction, YA Fantasy
**** (Good)
DESCRIPTION: Amani's been an outsider in the small desert town of Dustwalk since she was born, her blue eyes betraying outsider parentage. When her mother was hanged for killing an abusive husband, she became even more taboo. Now her cruel uncle is talking about making her another wife, or maybe selling her to some other brute, so now is the time for Amani to escape.
Mother always talked about the capital city where her sister lives as a grand, adventurous place, so she sets her sights on distant Imzan, home of the Sultan. But her plans go awry when she runs into Jin, a stranger with a hidden agenda. Before she knows it, she's accused of treason and on the run, dodging foreign soldiers and the Sultan's forces as she finds herself in the company of rebels, not to mention halfblood children of legendary Djinni and powers that could destroy her desert home, and maybe the world itself.
REVIEW: Rebel of the Sands draws on Middle Eastern traditions with a bit of Wild West thrown into the mix, creating a unique world of sand and fire and elder powers at war with new technology, where tradition and innovation struggle for the future and innocent lives are too often crushed in the middle. Amani's a strong heroine, a sharpshooter with a sharp tongue, fighting cultural and personal oppression in a country where women are less valued than animals; her mixed ancestry places her even lower on the totem pole, as does her refusal to accept the lot in life she's been given. Even her best friend in Dustwalk, also looked down on for his limp, can't understand why she doesn't just become a man's property and find solace in prayer. Jin, whom she meets while disguised as a boy at an illegal shooting contest, is the spark that sends her life and plans up in flames in a relationship that's contentious from the start, both using each other even as they become dependent on one another for survival in a desert crawling with enemies. Fireside stories of First Beings and their descendants - the fading lines of immortal Djinni and Buraqi horses, the monstrous Skinwalkers and Nightmares that prowl the darkness and fear only the touch of iron that makes them mortal - have always been at the fringes of her life (though it's been years since even a stray ghoul wandered into her town, now a factory for the Sultan's firearms), but become central to the story as she ranges further from Dustwalk. Stakes are fairly high for Amani from the start, and only grow higher as she becomes part of a world larger than her small home town; more than once, she's responsible for suffering and even death as events move beyond her control. At times, especially past the halfway mark, the cast feels a little overloaded and events move a little too fast to keep up with, but it wraps up fairly well, even if it obviously leaves enough threads dangling for the second installment of the series. It's an enjoyable, quick read, starting a series I could see myself following (once I've pruned the reading backlog a little more, at least; seriously, the pile is threatening to crush me in my sleep.)
You Might Also Enjoy:
Vengeance Road (Erin Bowman) - My Review
Summoned (Rainy Kaye) - My Review
The Blue Sword (Robin McKinley) - My Review
Saturday, December 1, 2018
Embers of War (Gareth L. Powell)
Embers of War
The Embers of War trilogy, Book 1
Gareth L. Powell
Fiction, Sci-Fi
*** (Okay)
DESCRIPTION: The decimation of the sentient forests of Pelapatarn ended the Archipelago War between the Outward and the Conglomeration factions of humanity - but at an inconceivably steep cost that still reverberates though not just the human Generality, but the Multiplicity of alien races. Nobody who was there, soldier or medic or sapient ship, emerged the same. In the aftermath, the war ship Trouble Dog renounced her commission and joined the House of Reclamation, a neutral organization dedicated to interstellar search and rescue. Her captain, Sal Konstanz, still has nightmares about what she saw as a medic on Pelapatarn, and the officer Alva Clay etched her own memories into her skin as tattoos. All hope that saving lives instead of taking them will give them some measure of healing or atonement - but the stars are a dangerous place, and humans still seem determined to make it even more dangerous. The Trouble Dog's latest mission, reaching a downed civilian space liner on the edge of disputed territory, will test them all ways they never dreamed... and lead to discoveries that no one could ever have imagined. In the midst of it all, both ship and crew will learn the hard way that in order to preserve lives, sometimes it's necessary to remember how to kill.
REVIEW: A sapient war ship rejecting war? It sounded like a great concept, and it is... to a point. Unfortunately, Embers of War never quite dives as deep into its situations as I might've hoped, with a tendency to repetition as the characters - including the ship - rehash the same internal arguments and dilemmas, sometimes in the space of the same paragraph. What should be deep, troubled people end up feeling like fairly superficial entities, pushing into caricature more than once (particularly in the case of the new ship medic Preston, who is so green and incapable of coping with life I expected him to actually piss himself, or at least wet the bed, at some point in the book. For that matter, the only other males in the cast lean heavily on masculine stereotype bordering on parody, making me wonder if a Statement was being made or if this was a deliberate hamstringing to make the women look stronger, an unnecessary move that only weakened the characterizations further. But, I digress...) Even the alien mechanic Nod, an almost plantlike entity, seems a little too familiar under the surface, the sort of detached presence I've read and seen a few too many times to find truly, well, alien. The story itself has some nice images and ideas and action sequences - I was particularly intrigued by how the organic brains of the war ships were based not just on human genetics but canine as well, to give them loyalty and tenacity - but once the sheen wears off there's a certain... flatness, for lack of a better word, to those, too.
I liked the Trouble Dog, and it's a passable, fast-reading space opera, but the more I read the less I found myself buying into the story as a whole. By the end, instead of feeling I'd just consumed a satisfying meal, I was pushing scraps around my mental plate and wondering how to politely decline any offers of dessert.
You Might Also Enjoy:
The Warrior Within (Angus McIntyre) - My Review
The Ship Who Sang (Anne McCaffrey) - My Review
All Systems Red (Martha Wells) - My Review
The Embers of War trilogy, Book 1
Gareth L. Powell
Fiction, Sci-Fi
*** (Okay)
DESCRIPTION: The decimation of the sentient forests of Pelapatarn ended the Archipelago War between the Outward and the Conglomeration factions of humanity - but at an inconceivably steep cost that still reverberates though not just the human Generality, but the Multiplicity of alien races. Nobody who was there, soldier or medic or sapient ship, emerged the same. In the aftermath, the war ship Trouble Dog renounced her commission and joined the House of Reclamation, a neutral organization dedicated to interstellar search and rescue. Her captain, Sal Konstanz, still has nightmares about what she saw as a medic on Pelapatarn, and the officer Alva Clay etched her own memories into her skin as tattoos. All hope that saving lives instead of taking them will give them some measure of healing or atonement - but the stars are a dangerous place, and humans still seem determined to make it even more dangerous. The Trouble Dog's latest mission, reaching a downed civilian space liner on the edge of disputed territory, will test them all ways they never dreamed... and lead to discoveries that no one could ever have imagined. In the midst of it all, both ship and crew will learn the hard way that in order to preserve lives, sometimes it's necessary to remember how to kill.
REVIEW: A sapient war ship rejecting war? It sounded like a great concept, and it is... to a point. Unfortunately, Embers of War never quite dives as deep into its situations as I might've hoped, with a tendency to repetition as the characters - including the ship - rehash the same internal arguments and dilemmas, sometimes in the space of the same paragraph. What should be deep, troubled people end up feeling like fairly superficial entities, pushing into caricature more than once (particularly in the case of the new ship medic Preston, who is so green and incapable of coping with life I expected him to actually piss himself, or at least wet the bed, at some point in the book. For that matter, the only other males in the cast lean heavily on masculine stereotype bordering on parody, making me wonder if a Statement was being made or if this was a deliberate hamstringing to make the women look stronger, an unnecessary move that only weakened the characterizations further. But, I digress...) Even the alien mechanic Nod, an almost plantlike entity, seems a little too familiar under the surface, the sort of detached presence I've read and seen a few too many times to find truly, well, alien. The story itself has some nice images and ideas and action sequences - I was particularly intrigued by how the organic brains of the war ships were based not just on human genetics but canine as well, to give them loyalty and tenacity - but once the sheen wears off there's a certain... flatness, for lack of a better word, to those, too.
I liked the Trouble Dog, and it's a passable, fast-reading space opera, but the more I read the less I found myself buying into the story as a whole. By the end, instead of feeling I'd just consumed a satisfying meal, I was pushing scraps around my mental plate and wondering how to politely decline any offers of dessert.
You Might Also Enjoy:
The Warrior Within (Angus McIntyre) - My Review
The Ship Who Sang (Anne McCaffrey) - My Review
All Systems Red (Martha Wells) - My Review
Friday, November 30, 2018
November Site Update
The month's reviews have been archived at the main Brightdreamer Books website.
I also made more progress in cross-linking, and fixed various minor issues as I found them.
Enjoy!
I also made more progress in cross-linking, and fixed various minor issues as I found them.
Enjoy!
Thursday, November 29, 2018
The Ballad of Black Tom (Victor LaValle)
The Ballad of Black Tom
Victor LaValle
Tor.com
Fiction, Fantasy/Historical Fiction/Horror
***+ (Okay/Good)
DESCRIPTION: 1924 New York City isn't a good place to be a Negro, especially outside Harlem. After watching hard, honest work kill his mother in her thirties and leave his father a broken shell by his forties, Charles Thomas Tester decides only a fool or a sucker would even try to be honest. Instead, he uses his guitar and an innate sensitivity to the arcane to earn a living as a street hustler, specializing in cons just to the side of the everyday. He thought he'd found an easy mark in Robert Suydam, a wealthy white man with an unhealthy interest in the occult... but what should be a simple job may well cost Tester in ways he can't comprehend - and cost the world even more.
REVIEW: LaValle starts with the ugly racism of New York City in Prohibition and weaves in a layer of Lovecraftian horror, then places Tester in an ultimately-untenable situation. He starts out with good enough intentions, taking a secret pleasure in subtly sabotaging his errands for unscrupulous sorcerers and less savory clients, but Suydam's talk of elder gods and recreating the world taps into wells of rage in himself he didn't even know existed, and presents options he had never considered. While I understand what LaValle was going for, ultimately horror - particularly Lovecraftian horror, which many readers and writers evidently adore - isn't my cup of cocoa, costing it a half-star for a drawn-out, gruesome climax. I do give it marks for memorable imagery that gives tangible form to prejudices that continue to warp our national psyche and express themselves in horrific ways.
You Might Also Enjoy:
The Improbable Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (John Joseph Adams, editor) - My Review
Meddling Kids (Edgar Cantero) - My Review
John Dies at the End (David Wong) - My Review
Victor LaValle
Tor.com
Fiction, Fantasy/Historical Fiction/Horror
***+ (Okay/Good)
DESCRIPTION: 1924 New York City isn't a good place to be a Negro, especially outside Harlem. After watching hard, honest work kill his mother in her thirties and leave his father a broken shell by his forties, Charles Thomas Tester decides only a fool or a sucker would even try to be honest. Instead, he uses his guitar and an innate sensitivity to the arcane to earn a living as a street hustler, specializing in cons just to the side of the everyday. He thought he'd found an easy mark in Robert Suydam, a wealthy white man with an unhealthy interest in the occult... but what should be a simple job may well cost Tester in ways he can't comprehend - and cost the world even more.
REVIEW: LaValle starts with the ugly racism of New York City in Prohibition and weaves in a layer of Lovecraftian horror, then places Tester in an ultimately-untenable situation. He starts out with good enough intentions, taking a secret pleasure in subtly sabotaging his errands for unscrupulous sorcerers and less savory clients, but Suydam's talk of elder gods and recreating the world taps into wells of rage in himself he didn't even know existed, and presents options he had never considered. While I understand what LaValle was going for, ultimately horror - particularly Lovecraftian horror, which many readers and writers evidently adore - isn't my cup of cocoa, costing it a half-star for a drawn-out, gruesome climax. I do give it marks for memorable imagery that gives tangible form to prejudices that continue to warp our national psyche and express themselves in horrific ways.
You Might Also Enjoy:
The Improbable Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (John Joseph Adams, editor) - My Review
Meddling Kids (Edgar Cantero) - My Review
John Dies at the End (David Wong) - My Review
Wednesday, November 28, 2018
Alice: From Dream to Dream (Giulio Macaione)
Alice: From Dream to Dream
Giulio Macaione with Giulia Adragna
BOOM! Box
Fiction, MG Fantasy/Graphic Novel
**** (Good)
DESCRIPTION: Coming back to her home town of Cincinnati, where her best friend Jamie lives, should've been a happy time for Alice. They're even living in the same house she grew up in. Instead, Alice is barely holding herself together. Not only is she mercilessly bullied by the popular girls - spearheaded by Taisha, who has a crush on Jamie - but they're only here because her dad lost his job in Chicago, which means her parents are too stressed to care about her problems. On top of that, she's stuck rooming with her big brother Louis... which means that, every night, she slips into his nightmares.
Nobody understands it, how she involuntarily experiences the dreams of anyone she sleeps near. Her parents don't believe her; she only tried to tell them once, and it didn't go well. Jamie's the only one who knows, the only one she can confide in. So when he starts acting strange and pushing her away, she has nobody left to turn to. And when he gets hit by a car and falls into a coma, she may be his only chance at survival - if she can figure out what he's hiding in his dreams...
REVIEW: A quick-reading graphic novel, Alice: From Dream to Dream is less an exploration of the title character's peculiar ability and more about the secrets we all hide in our waking lives, the fears and stresses that come out in our sleep, and how one girl must cope with not just her own problems, but the problems of those around her, the ones they sometimes don't even admit they have. Between a distant teenage brother who resents having to share a room with her and ongoing friction between her parents (tied not only into Dad's joblessness and financial issues, but to a ghost from Mom's past who haunts her figuratively even as it haunts Alice literally), Alice really has nowhere to go for help except Jamie and, later, an unexpectedly understanding school counselor (who, by that alone, bears zero resemblance to any counselor I ever met in school... but, I digress.) When he discovers a secret from his father's past, he's so distraught he pushes her away... until he lands in a coma, and Alice risks her own life to reach out to him via her gift. Characters have a little more to them than is initially apparent, and even bullies have their demons; if the edges ultimately feel a little blunt, this appears to be aimed at the younger crowd. The imaginative dream imagery helps make up for some predictability in the overall story arc. In the end, while I wavered a little bit on what felt like unresolved or unexplored elements, I wound up giving it the benefit of the doubt given the target audience.
You Might Also Enjoy:
Afar (Leila del Duca) - My Review
The Girl In Between (Laekan Zea Kemp) - My Review
Free Fall (David Wiesner) - My Review
Giulio Macaione with Giulia Adragna
BOOM! Box
Fiction, MG Fantasy/Graphic Novel
**** (Good)
DESCRIPTION: Coming back to her home town of Cincinnati, where her best friend Jamie lives, should've been a happy time for Alice. They're even living in the same house she grew up in. Instead, Alice is barely holding herself together. Not only is she mercilessly bullied by the popular girls - spearheaded by Taisha, who has a crush on Jamie - but they're only here because her dad lost his job in Chicago, which means her parents are too stressed to care about her problems. On top of that, she's stuck rooming with her big brother Louis... which means that, every night, she slips into his nightmares.
Nobody understands it, how she involuntarily experiences the dreams of anyone she sleeps near. Her parents don't believe her; she only tried to tell them once, and it didn't go well. Jamie's the only one who knows, the only one she can confide in. So when he starts acting strange and pushing her away, she has nobody left to turn to. And when he gets hit by a car and falls into a coma, she may be his only chance at survival - if she can figure out what he's hiding in his dreams...
REVIEW: A quick-reading graphic novel, Alice: From Dream to Dream is less an exploration of the title character's peculiar ability and more about the secrets we all hide in our waking lives, the fears and stresses that come out in our sleep, and how one girl must cope with not just her own problems, but the problems of those around her, the ones they sometimes don't even admit they have. Between a distant teenage brother who resents having to share a room with her and ongoing friction between her parents (tied not only into Dad's joblessness and financial issues, but to a ghost from Mom's past who haunts her figuratively even as it haunts Alice literally), Alice really has nowhere to go for help except Jamie and, later, an unexpectedly understanding school counselor (who, by that alone, bears zero resemblance to any counselor I ever met in school... but, I digress.) When he discovers a secret from his father's past, he's so distraught he pushes her away... until he lands in a coma, and Alice risks her own life to reach out to him via her gift. Characters have a little more to them than is initially apparent, and even bullies have their demons; if the edges ultimately feel a little blunt, this appears to be aimed at the younger crowd. The imaginative dream imagery helps make up for some predictability in the overall story arc. In the end, while I wavered a little bit on what felt like unresolved or unexplored elements, I wound up giving it the benefit of the doubt given the target audience.
You Might Also Enjoy:
Afar (Leila del Duca) - My Review
The Girl In Between (Laekan Zea Kemp) - My Review
Free Fall (David Wiesner) - My Review
Drawn Together (Minh Le)
Drawn Together
Minh Le, illustrations by Dan Santat
Disney-Hyperion
Fiction, CH Picture Book
****+ (Good/Great)
DESCRIPTION: Sent to spend a day with his grandfather, a boy struggles to connect with the old man. The food is strange, the TV shows are weird, and they barely even speak the same language. Until the boy finds some blank paper and starts to doodle...
REVIEW: Another quick read during some slow time at work. This largely-wordless story presents bright visuals, mixing the simpler images drawn by the boy and the elaborate, Asian-influenced drawings of his grandfather. It goes without saying (almost literally) that art provides a bridge when words don't work. I actually think the story might've worked at least as well had it been wordless all the way through, but the little writing there is helps wrap things up. There's also a great Asian dragon, worth a half-star on its own. (I am an unabashed dragon-lover, after all...)
You Might Also Enjoy:
Imagine! (Raúl Colón) - My Review
The Tea Dragon Society (Katie O'Neill) - My Review
Sector 7 (David Wiesner) - My Review
Minh Le, illustrations by Dan Santat
Disney-Hyperion
Fiction, CH Picture Book
****+ (Good/Great)
DESCRIPTION: Sent to spend a day with his grandfather, a boy struggles to connect with the old man. The food is strange, the TV shows are weird, and they barely even speak the same language. Until the boy finds some blank paper and starts to doodle...
REVIEW: Another quick read during some slow time at work. This largely-wordless story presents bright visuals, mixing the simpler images drawn by the boy and the elaborate, Asian-influenced drawings of his grandfather. It goes without saying (almost literally) that art provides a bridge when words don't work. I actually think the story might've worked at least as well had it been wordless all the way through, but the little writing there is helps wrap things up. There's also a great Asian dragon, worth a half-star on its own. (I am an unabashed dragon-lover, after all...)
You Might Also Enjoy:
Imagine! (Raúl Colón) - My Review
The Tea Dragon Society (Katie O'Neill) - My Review
Sector 7 (David Wiesner) - My Review
Monday, November 26, 2018
Jade City (Fonda Lee)
Jade City
The Green Bone Saga, Book 1
Fonda Lee
Orbit
Fiction, Fantasy
****+ (Good/Great)
DESCRIPTION: The jade of the island nation of Kekon is prized around the world, source of great power - and great danger. It empowers wearers with superhuman abilities, yet can lead to addiction and insanity. Within memory of some, the Kekonese "green bone" warrior clans used their superior tolerance and training to throw off years of foreign rule... but, even as Kekon emerges as a modern country, the clan system that once brought victory may bring about their fall.
In the sprawling capital of Janloon, the Kauls of No Peak clan have been second only to Mountain clan for years. Though some thought Kaul Lan too young to be made Pillar after his grandfather grew too feeble for the job, he's managed to hold the clan together and stave off rivals in these rapidly changing times, as imported technology and ongoing international pressure over jade exports drag Kekon onto the world stage. Troubling news from the underground signals a shift in the long stalemate, as Mountain's ambitious Pillar seeks ultimate supremacy by violating the oldest codes of green bone honor and conduct. With Lan's war-hungry brother Hilo and long-absent sister Shae, the Kauls will face their greatest challenge in the history of No Peak, a challenge that will determine the fate of Janloon and the whole of Kekon.
REVIEW: It's not often one opens an epic fantasy to the requisite map and finds the international airport marked. As more than one praise-heaping quote mentions, Jade City is a strange blend of martial arts, mafia, and modern family saga. Being indifferent to martial arts films and not caring for mob stories, I'll admit I was initially skeptical that it would work, but the world Lee crafts and the characters she fills it with (not to mention the powers and dangers of Kekonese jade) quickly won me over. This is not just a thinly-redressed Earth, but a unique world with distinctive nations and cultures; Kekon clearly draws heavy inspiration from Asiatic nations, but is its own thing. Janloon comes alive as an ancient city thrust into modern times, where usurpers were thrown off only to become valued trade partners and investors and where old codes and family honor threaten to destroy the very prosperity they helped create. Within its streets, ranging from narrow tracks to modern thruways, an ever-shifting hidden network of clan allegiances and rivalries (not to mention the gangs of jadeless criminals) lives and breathes, changes tracked in the color of lanterns hung outside a given business and the quiet passing of tribute envelopes as much as open warfare between jade-wearing clan soldiers. For all that, as I mentioned, I've never been a fan of mob-based stories, I found myself drawn into the Kauls and their struggles, not just to reconcile tradition and modern times but to maintain peace within their own flawed family. The plot advances on numerous levels, from a controversial drug to counter jade addiction (which culiminates in "the Itches," a madness that sees victims mutilate themselves even as they crave jade contact) to clan attack and counterattack, through the boardrooms of power and back alley meetings, all the way down to a jadeless street thug who keeps finding himself in the wrong place at the wrong time. The story starts fairly quickly, with chapters that tend to be short but invariably kept me reading. By the end, some matters have been resolved, but much more waits to be dealt with in the sequel. Jade City is a very enjoyable and refreshing change of pace.
You Might Also Enjoy:
The Grace of Kings (Ken Liu) - My Review
The Dragon and the Stars (Derwin Mak) - My Review
Tiger (Jeff Stone) - My Review
The Green Bone Saga, Book 1
Fonda Lee
Orbit
Fiction, Fantasy
****+ (Good/Great)
DESCRIPTION: The jade of the island nation of Kekon is prized around the world, source of great power - and great danger. It empowers wearers with superhuman abilities, yet can lead to addiction and insanity. Within memory of some, the Kekonese "green bone" warrior clans used their superior tolerance and training to throw off years of foreign rule... but, even as Kekon emerges as a modern country, the clan system that once brought victory may bring about their fall.
In the sprawling capital of Janloon, the Kauls of No Peak clan have been second only to Mountain clan for years. Though some thought Kaul Lan too young to be made Pillar after his grandfather grew too feeble for the job, he's managed to hold the clan together and stave off rivals in these rapidly changing times, as imported technology and ongoing international pressure over jade exports drag Kekon onto the world stage. Troubling news from the underground signals a shift in the long stalemate, as Mountain's ambitious Pillar seeks ultimate supremacy by violating the oldest codes of green bone honor and conduct. With Lan's war-hungry brother Hilo and long-absent sister Shae, the Kauls will face their greatest challenge in the history of No Peak, a challenge that will determine the fate of Janloon and the whole of Kekon.
REVIEW: It's not often one opens an epic fantasy to the requisite map and finds the international airport marked. As more than one praise-heaping quote mentions, Jade City is a strange blend of martial arts, mafia, and modern family saga. Being indifferent to martial arts films and not caring for mob stories, I'll admit I was initially skeptical that it would work, but the world Lee crafts and the characters she fills it with (not to mention the powers and dangers of Kekonese jade) quickly won me over. This is not just a thinly-redressed Earth, but a unique world with distinctive nations and cultures; Kekon clearly draws heavy inspiration from Asiatic nations, but is its own thing. Janloon comes alive as an ancient city thrust into modern times, where usurpers were thrown off only to become valued trade partners and investors and where old codes and family honor threaten to destroy the very prosperity they helped create. Within its streets, ranging from narrow tracks to modern thruways, an ever-shifting hidden network of clan allegiances and rivalries (not to mention the gangs of jadeless criminals) lives and breathes, changes tracked in the color of lanterns hung outside a given business and the quiet passing of tribute envelopes as much as open warfare between jade-wearing clan soldiers. For all that, as I mentioned, I've never been a fan of mob-based stories, I found myself drawn into the Kauls and their struggles, not just to reconcile tradition and modern times but to maintain peace within their own flawed family. The plot advances on numerous levels, from a controversial drug to counter jade addiction (which culiminates in "the Itches," a madness that sees victims mutilate themselves even as they crave jade contact) to clan attack and counterattack, through the boardrooms of power and back alley meetings, all the way down to a jadeless street thug who keeps finding himself in the wrong place at the wrong time. The story starts fairly quickly, with chapters that tend to be short but invariably kept me reading. By the end, some matters have been resolved, but much more waits to be dealt with in the sequel. Jade City is a very enjoyable and refreshing change of pace.
You Might Also Enjoy:
The Grace of Kings (Ken Liu) - My Review
The Dragon and the Stars (Derwin Mak) - My Review
Tiger (Jeff Stone) - My Review
Friday, November 23, 2018
Akata Witch (Nnedi Okorafor)
Akata Witch
The Akata Witch series, Book 1
Nnedi Okorafor
Penguin
Fiction, MG Fantasy
**** (Good)
DESCRIPTION: As an albino born to Nigerian parents, twelve-year-old Sunny has always been an oddity: too white to be black, and too black to be white. She can't even go out in the sun without her sensitive skin burning. But after the family moves from America, where she was born, to Nigeria, she discovers she's even more different than she thought, when a new group of friends inform her that she's a "Leopard person," of magical spirit. She's initiated into a hidden community of mages, where her status as a free agent - born to nonmagical "Lamb" parents - and ignorance about the Leopard world make her even more of an outsider than her albinism ever did. Struggling to catch up with her peers and complete assignments from her new teacher, all while keeping her emerging powers hidden from her family, is hard enough. Then she learns that she and her new friends are supposed to challenge a ritual serial killer who has been mutilating local children - a killer seeking to summon a great evil and bring about the end of the world, and who may have a very personal tie to Sunny.
REVIEW: Some descriptions hail Akata Witch as the "Nigerian Harry Potter." There are definite similarities, particularly in the hidden magical world, but anyone expecting the whimsical overtones of Rowling's magic and (more or less) structured safety of Hogwarts is in for some some surprises here. Drawing on African magical traditions, comparisons to Rowling's European-flavored tale can't help feeling inadequate. The Leopard people deal with dangerous materials and entities on a daily basis; one healing powder causes cancer if held too long, and even minor spells risk serious consequences if they fail. Nor are students protected from those consequences the way they often are in middle-grade settings; Sunny and her friends are often sent on tasks that have the potential to maim or kill if they don't think on their feet. The Leopard rationale is that the world is dangerous, magic even moreso, with no quarter offered on account of ignorance and no one person - not even a "chosen" hero - being too important to fail or die; better to learn as early as possible, and lessons learned through hard knocks are more likely to stick. Accordingly, the magical community is less a charming, sheltered world where Sunny finds acceptance (as Harry did) than a constant series of tests that may build her into something great or leave her irreparably broken. There are occasional hints of humor and lightness, but always with the shadows lurking in the corners.
As for the characters, they all have darker sides, and their friendship can be rocky. Sunny is no perfect heroine, struggling and occasionally failing to balance her complicated world and growth from ignorant initiate to true Leopard student. Studious boy Orlu is perhaps the closest she has to a true friend among her covenmates - including troublemaker Sasha and mischievous Chichi - but even he can be impatient with her as her ignorance of Leopard culture constantly shows through. Peripheral characters tend to be stern, but not without reason and not entirely lacking heart; they just know they can't protect the children from life or magic. Punishments aren't just verbal, either; breaking Leopard laws can lead to caning or worse, necessarily strict rules that will very likely shock anyone expecting Hogwarts-style leniency. (This, of course, is nothing compared to the mutilations of the child killer Sunny and her friends are destined to confront. The squeamish are advised to find another book.) The kids also curse a fair bit - again, understandable given their circumstances - and deal with prejudice, sexism, racism, and other unpleasant topics that many children's books like to pretend don't exist, or if they do are easily dealt with.
The story itself moves fairly quickly, though I admit that it took me a while to find my footing as a reader, especially being used to more Eurocentric hidden magical worlds. During Sunny's initiation period, it can get a bit frustrating as characters tend to withhold information. The climax feels a trifle rushed; Sunny still hasn't really gotten the hang of the Leopard world and many of her powers before she and her friends are expected to fulfill their destiny. On the whole, though, it's an enjoyable tale, definitely something a little different from the norm, and if I felt uncertain about a few of the characters even by the end, I didn't dislike them enough to stop reading.
You Might Also Enjoy:
The Leopard's Daughter (Lee Killough) - My Review
Binti (Nnedi Okorafor) - My Review
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (J. K. Rowling) - My Review
The Akata Witch series, Book 1
Nnedi Okorafor
Penguin
Fiction, MG Fantasy
**** (Good)
DESCRIPTION: As an albino born to Nigerian parents, twelve-year-old Sunny has always been an oddity: too white to be black, and too black to be white. She can't even go out in the sun without her sensitive skin burning. But after the family moves from America, where she was born, to Nigeria, she discovers she's even more different than she thought, when a new group of friends inform her that she's a "Leopard person," of magical spirit. She's initiated into a hidden community of mages, where her status as a free agent - born to nonmagical "Lamb" parents - and ignorance about the Leopard world make her even more of an outsider than her albinism ever did. Struggling to catch up with her peers and complete assignments from her new teacher, all while keeping her emerging powers hidden from her family, is hard enough. Then she learns that she and her new friends are supposed to challenge a ritual serial killer who has been mutilating local children - a killer seeking to summon a great evil and bring about the end of the world, and who may have a very personal tie to Sunny.
REVIEW: Some descriptions hail Akata Witch as the "Nigerian Harry Potter." There are definite similarities, particularly in the hidden magical world, but anyone expecting the whimsical overtones of Rowling's magic and (more or less) structured safety of Hogwarts is in for some some surprises here. Drawing on African magical traditions, comparisons to Rowling's European-flavored tale can't help feeling inadequate. The Leopard people deal with dangerous materials and entities on a daily basis; one healing powder causes cancer if held too long, and even minor spells risk serious consequences if they fail. Nor are students protected from those consequences the way they often are in middle-grade settings; Sunny and her friends are often sent on tasks that have the potential to maim or kill if they don't think on their feet. The Leopard rationale is that the world is dangerous, magic even moreso, with no quarter offered on account of ignorance and no one person - not even a "chosen" hero - being too important to fail or die; better to learn as early as possible, and lessons learned through hard knocks are more likely to stick. Accordingly, the magical community is less a charming, sheltered world where Sunny finds acceptance (as Harry did) than a constant series of tests that may build her into something great or leave her irreparably broken. There are occasional hints of humor and lightness, but always with the shadows lurking in the corners.
As for the characters, they all have darker sides, and their friendship can be rocky. Sunny is no perfect heroine, struggling and occasionally failing to balance her complicated world and growth from ignorant initiate to true Leopard student. Studious boy Orlu is perhaps the closest she has to a true friend among her covenmates - including troublemaker Sasha and mischievous Chichi - but even he can be impatient with her as her ignorance of Leopard culture constantly shows through. Peripheral characters tend to be stern, but not without reason and not entirely lacking heart; they just know they can't protect the children from life or magic. Punishments aren't just verbal, either; breaking Leopard laws can lead to caning or worse, necessarily strict rules that will very likely shock anyone expecting Hogwarts-style leniency. (This, of course, is nothing compared to the mutilations of the child killer Sunny and her friends are destined to confront. The squeamish are advised to find another book.) The kids also curse a fair bit - again, understandable given their circumstances - and deal with prejudice, sexism, racism, and other unpleasant topics that many children's books like to pretend don't exist, or if they do are easily dealt with.
The story itself moves fairly quickly, though I admit that it took me a while to find my footing as a reader, especially being used to more Eurocentric hidden magical worlds. During Sunny's initiation period, it can get a bit frustrating as characters tend to withhold information. The climax feels a trifle rushed; Sunny still hasn't really gotten the hang of the Leopard world and many of her powers before she and her friends are expected to fulfill their destiny. On the whole, though, it's an enjoyable tale, definitely something a little different from the norm, and if I felt uncertain about a few of the characters even by the end, I didn't dislike them enough to stop reading.
You Might Also Enjoy:
The Leopard's Daughter (Lee Killough) - My Review
Binti (Nnedi Okorafor) - My Review
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (J. K. Rowling) - My Review
Tuesday, November 20, 2018
Babylon's Ashes (James S. A. Corey)
Babylon's Ashes
The Expanse series, Book 6
James S. A. Corey
Orbit
Fiction, Sci-Fi
**** (Good)
DESCRIPTION: The unthinkable has happened: the power of the inner planets of the solar system has been broken. Earth is dying, crippled by Belt-born Marco Inaros and his Free Navy, while Martian defector Duartes - now holed up on a colony world beyond the ring gates - left Mars in shambles and missing many of its fighter ships. Even Medina Station in the hub of the ring gates is under Free Navy control, choking off supply lines and any chance Earthers might have of fleeing their devastated world. But while Marco promised freedom for the Belt, he instead delivers instability and chaos... problems complicated by his ongoing obsession with his former lover Naomi Nagata and her new boyfriend, Earthborn James Holden. As Chrisjen Avasalara, OPA leader Fred Johnson, and others scramble to survive and respond to the Free Navy threat, the crew of the Rocinante are once again thrust into the heart of the danger, culminating in a mission where their legendary luck may finally run out.
REVIEW: After a fifth installment that focused more on the core Rocinante crew, if punctuated by the attack on Earth and the rise of Marco Inaros, the series again broadens its scope to deal with the system-wide chaos created by the Free Navy. Too many people learn too late that destruction, while easy and temporarily cathartic, is not a viable solution; the killing of Earth may be the death knell for a species that still depends on our only native habitat. The story brings in characters from previous books and a few new ones, fighting battles in space, in meetings, and in their own hearts as they struggle to find a way forward. It's a well-paced, action-filled tale with many nice human moments, as I've come to expect. (And if there are a few oddly Earth-centric ideas and idioms floating around in the depths of the Belt countered by equally-odd gaps in knowledge, and the occasional rare clunk in description and dialog, well, those are easy enough to overlook.) Another good series installment that sets up a major shift in the inner planet/Belter/colonist dynamic, one that will make things very interesting going forward.
You Might Also Enjoy:
Foundation (Isaac Asimov) - My Review
Leviathan Wakes (James S. A. Corey) - My Review
Trading in Danger (Elizabeth Moon) - My Review
The Expanse series, Book 6
James S. A. Corey
Orbit
Fiction, Sci-Fi
**** (Good)
DESCRIPTION: The unthinkable has happened: the power of the inner planets of the solar system has been broken. Earth is dying, crippled by Belt-born Marco Inaros and his Free Navy, while Martian defector Duartes - now holed up on a colony world beyond the ring gates - left Mars in shambles and missing many of its fighter ships. Even Medina Station in the hub of the ring gates is under Free Navy control, choking off supply lines and any chance Earthers might have of fleeing their devastated world. But while Marco promised freedom for the Belt, he instead delivers instability and chaos... problems complicated by his ongoing obsession with his former lover Naomi Nagata and her new boyfriend, Earthborn James Holden. As Chrisjen Avasalara, OPA leader Fred Johnson, and others scramble to survive and respond to the Free Navy threat, the crew of the Rocinante are once again thrust into the heart of the danger, culminating in a mission where their legendary luck may finally run out.
REVIEW: After a fifth installment that focused more on the core Rocinante crew, if punctuated by the attack on Earth and the rise of Marco Inaros, the series again broadens its scope to deal with the system-wide chaos created by the Free Navy. Too many people learn too late that destruction, while easy and temporarily cathartic, is not a viable solution; the killing of Earth may be the death knell for a species that still depends on our only native habitat. The story brings in characters from previous books and a few new ones, fighting battles in space, in meetings, and in their own hearts as they struggle to find a way forward. It's a well-paced, action-filled tale with many nice human moments, as I've come to expect. (And if there are a few oddly Earth-centric ideas and idioms floating around in the depths of the Belt countered by equally-odd gaps in knowledge, and the occasional rare clunk in description and dialog, well, those are easy enough to overlook.) Another good series installment that sets up a major shift in the inner planet/Belter/colonist dynamic, one that will make things very interesting going forward.
You Might Also Enjoy:
Foundation (Isaac Asimov) - My Review
Leviathan Wakes (James S. A. Corey) - My Review
Trading in Danger (Elizabeth Moon) - My Review
Sunday, November 18, 2018
Quantum Mechanics (Jeff Weigel)
Quantum Mechanics
Jeff Weigel
Lion Forge
Fiction, CH? Graphic Novel/Sci-Fi
**** (Good)
DESCRIPTION: Rox has lived her whole life at her father's spaceship repair yard, working on junkers with her orphan best friend Zam. They dream of building a racer from spare parts, maybe seeing the galaxy, but nowhere seems further from anywhere than their out-of-the-way asteroid home. Then the Quasar Torrent touches down... and Rox and Zam end up on the adventure of their lives, when the Torrent turns out to be a pirate ship and the gifted girl mechanics are "borrowed" by the crew in their quest of vengeance against the all-powerful Quarkcorp. Mysterious saboteurs, a mistrustful captain, and the ruthless Quarkcorp ship Neutron Storm make this a trip the girls will never forget - if they survive.
REVIEW: This is a lighthearted, imaginative space adventure for the younger sci-fi fan that doesn't sacrifice all of the grease under the fingernails. Rox and Zam are both talented but untested in the wider world (or galaxy, rather), and find their excitement at working on a real spaceship and earning respect from (most of) the crew at odds with their desire to return home... a conflict that becomes more personal for Zam as she discovers the cause of the multiple shipboard malfunctions. With the exception of the captain Red Myk, none of the pirates are particularly mean or scary; they're all people who have been hurt by Quarkcorp's stranglehold on galactic travel. Yes, character motivations can be a bit shallow and the adults tend to get outsmarted by the kids, but this is targeted at kids, and even when they're being outsmarted none of the grown-ups come across as complete idiots; they just weren't raised in an interstellar junkyard, and don't think like the girls do. (And, seriously, what kid reader doesn't dream of showing up the grown-ups in their lives and proving themselves like Rox and Zam?) An afterword at the end briefly describes the author/artist's creative process. Quantum Mechanics blends girl power and technobabble with a certain sense of wonder to create a story that may have blunted teeth but possesses a good heart.
You Might Also Enjoy:
Sun Dragon's Song #1 (Joyce Chng) - My Review
The Most Magnificent Thing (Ashley Spires) - My Review
Dragon Girl: The Secret Valley (Jeff Weigel) - My Review
Jeff Weigel
Lion Forge
Fiction, CH? Graphic Novel/Sci-Fi
**** (Good)
DESCRIPTION: Rox has lived her whole life at her father's spaceship repair yard, working on junkers with her orphan best friend Zam. They dream of building a racer from spare parts, maybe seeing the galaxy, but nowhere seems further from anywhere than their out-of-the-way asteroid home. Then the Quasar Torrent touches down... and Rox and Zam end up on the adventure of their lives, when the Torrent turns out to be a pirate ship and the gifted girl mechanics are "borrowed" by the crew in their quest of vengeance against the all-powerful Quarkcorp. Mysterious saboteurs, a mistrustful captain, and the ruthless Quarkcorp ship Neutron Storm make this a trip the girls will never forget - if they survive.
REVIEW: This is a lighthearted, imaginative space adventure for the younger sci-fi fan that doesn't sacrifice all of the grease under the fingernails. Rox and Zam are both talented but untested in the wider world (or galaxy, rather), and find their excitement at working on a real spaceship and earning respect from (most of) the crew at odds with their desire to return home... a conflict that becomes more personal for Zam as she discovers the cause of the multiple shipboard malfunctions. With the exception of the captain Red Myk, none of the pirates are particularly mean or scary; they're all people who have been hurt by Quarkcorp's stranglehold on galactic travel. Yes, character motivations can be a bit shallow and the adults tend to get outsmarted by the kids, but this is targeted at kids, and even when they're being outsmarted none of the grown-ups come across as complete idiots; they just weren't raised in an interstellar junkyard, and don't think like the girls do. (And, seriously, what kid reader doesn't dream of showing up the grown-ups in their lives and proving themselves like Rox and Zam?) An afterword at the end briefly describes the author/artist's creative process. Quantum Mechanics blends girl power and technobabble with a certain sense of wonder to create a story that may have blunted teeth but possesses a good heart.
You Might Also Enjoy:
Sun Dragon's Song #1 (Joyce Chng) - My Review
The Most Magnificent Thing (Ashley Spires) - My Review
Dragon Girl: The Secret Valley (Jeff Weigel) - My Review
Saturday, November 17, 2018
Swordquest: Realworld (Chad Bowers and Chris Sims)
Swordquest: Realworld
The Swordquest series, Issues 0 - 5
Chad Bowers and Chris Sims, illustrations by X Ghostwriter
Dynamite Entertainment
Fiction, YA? Fantasy/Graphic Novel
**** (Good)
DESCRIPTION: When 45-year-old Peter Case is diagnosed with degenerative lung disease and given six months to live on the same day his apartment burns down, he finds himself back in his mother's home in his old bedroom... where he discovers a relic from his past, and possibly a final goal. As a child, he and his best friends Amy and Alvin were obsessed with Atari's popular Swordquest franchise, a hybrid of comic books and games about a world of elemental powers, a tyrant usurper, an evil sorcerer, and a magical sword. They even entered the contest to win the actual sword itself, until the console industry's collapse ended the contest before a winner was named. Peter has nothing left to lose: why not steal the sword, even for just a few minutes? But the arrival of stranger Terry hints that Peter's newfound obsession isn't coincidence... and the game may be closer to reality than he or his friends ever suspected.
REVIEW: I was a Commodore kid, so I never played console games like Swordquest (the real game on which this was based.) But I do remember the power of the 80's video games - and, in retrospect, the power of the marketing behind them. I also remember how companies and franchises had a way of appearing and disappearing like the blip of a cursor; the cancelled final installment and never-finished contest were real events. For many of us in our 40's for whom life hasn't quite come together the way we might have hoped, there's a definite pull of nostalgia for the days when one could lose oneself for hours, days, even weeks or months at a time in picking apart puzzles and outfoxing boss monsters and generally immersing in a level of heart and imagination that sometimes seems lacking in today's game industry. Swordquest: Realworld is an homage to those days, a chance to return to worlds that seemed, for a time, more real and rewarding than reality. Peter must confront some ghosts from his past, reconnecting with estranged friends Amy and Alvin as he rediscovers the passions that once drove him. They find a nemesis in game developer Konrad Juros, who may have deeper ties to the unfinished Swordquest franchise - and a vested interest in keeping the sword out of Peter's hands. The art has clever callbacks to console-style graphics, adding to the feel (and the nostalgia for us 80's kids; though this is apparently considered a Teen/Young Adult title, I think the real target audience is us "obsolete teens.") The story goes about as one might expect, but is reasonably satisfying nonetheless.
You Might Also Enjoy:
Caverns of Socrates (Dennis L. McKiernan) - My Review
Only You Can Save Mankind (Terry Pratchett) - My Review
Birthright Volume 1: Homecoming (Joshua Williamson) - My Reviews
The Swordquest series, Issues 0 - 5
Chad Bowers and Chris Sims, illustrations by X Ghostwriter
Dynamite Entertainment
Fiction, YA? Fantasy/Graphic Novel
**** (Good)
DESCRIPTION: When 45-year-old Peter Case is diagnosed with degenerative lung disease and given six months to live on the same day his apartment burns down, he finds himself back in his mother's home in his old bedroom... where he discovers a relic from his past, and possibly a final goal. As a child, he and his best friends Amy and Alvin were obsessed with Atari's popular Swordquest franchise, a hybrid of comic books and games about a world of elemental powers, a tyrant usurper, an evil sorcerer, and a magical sword. They even entered the contest to win the actual sword itself, until the console industry's collapse ended the contest before a winner was named. Peter has nothing left to lose: why not steal the sword, even for just a few minutes? But the arrival of stranger Terry hints that Peter's newfound obsession isn't coincidence... and the game may be closer to reality than he or his friends ever suspected.
REVIEW: I was a Commodore kid, so I never played console games like Swordquest (the real game on which this was based.) But I do remember the power of the 80's video games - and, in retrospect, the power of the marketing behind them. I also remember how companies and franchises had a way of appearing and disappearing like the blip of a cursor; the cancelled final installment and never-finished contest were real events. For many of us in our 40's for whom life hasn't quite come together the way we might have hoped, there's a definite pull of nostalgia for the days when one could lose oneself for hours, days, even weeks or months at a time in picking apart puzzles and outfoxing boss monsters and generally immersing in a level of heart and imagination that sometimes seems lacking in today's game industry. Swordquest: Realworld is an homage to those days, a chance to return to worlds that seemed, for a time, more real and rewarding than reality. Peter must confront some ghosts from his past, reconnecting with estranged friends Amy and Alvin as he rediscovers the passions that once drove him. They find a nemesis in game developer Konrad Juros, who may have deeper ties to the unfinished Swordquest franchise - and a vested interest in keeping the sword out of Peter's hands. The art has clever callbacks to console-style graphics, adding to the feel (and the nostalgia for us 80's kids; though this is apparently considered a Teen/Young Adult title, I think the real target audience is us "obsolete teens.") The story goes about as one might expect, but is reasonably satisfying nonetheless.
You Might Also Enjoy:
Caverns of Socrates (Dennis L. McKiernan) - My Review
Only You Can Save Mankind (Terry Pratchett) - My Review
Birthright Volume 1: Homecoming (Joshua Williamson) - My Reviews
Tuesday, November 13, 2018
Ocean/Orbiter Deluxe Edition (Warren Ellis)
Ocean/Orbiter Deluxe Edition
Warren Ellis, illustrations by Chris Sprouse and Colleen Doran
Vertigo
Fiction, Collection/Graphic Novel/Sci-Fi
***** (Great)
DESCRIPTION: A special edition compiles two stories of space travel:
Ocean: United Nations Weapons Inspector Nathan Kane is sent on an urgent, top-secret mission to Europa, Jupiter's icy ocean moon. Here, a discovery has been made that could rewrite human history... or end it.
Orbiter: When the space shuttle Venture disappeared, it spelled the end of manned spaceflight and the world's dreams of exploring the solar system. Ten years later and without warning, the shuttle returns to the ruins of Kennedy Space Center, with peculiar modifications, one catatonic survivor - and, impossibly, Martian dust in the wheel wells.
REVIEW: Another pleasant find on Hoopla, the online lending service associated with many library systems. Ellis incorporates heavy science into his stories, but doesn't forget the sense of wonder that remains at the heart of the best sci-fi.
In the first story, Ocean, Kane and a small team of explorers discover humanoids suspended in sarcophagi under the Europan ice, along with weapons that could turn the Earth to a cinder in seconds... weapons systems targeted by a private exploration team, in an unsubtle dig at corporate ethics (or lack thereof.) It has the feel of a good (if slightly old-school) sci-fi action film, even using variable gravity to great effect.
The second tale, Orbiter, is more psychological, a study of what the space program means to individuals and the world, and why it's so important to keep pushing boundaries even given the risks. According to the afterword, Ellis wrote it as a tribute to the lives lost in the Columbia disaster, and it shows - as does the warning of where we'll end up if we let fear pin us down on Earth when we should be stretching our wings further. This is the good stuff, the sci-fi that uses science to open doors and ask questions and wonder "what if...?", not just brood and come up with new ways to blow up slimy aliens.
Taken together, these stories earn top marks for remembering what the genre can and should aspire to.
You Might Also Enjoy:
Childhood's End (Arthur C. Clarke) - My Review
Afar (Leila del Duca) - My Review
We Are Legion (We Are Bob) (Dennis E. Taylor) - My Review
Warren Ellis, illustrations by Chris Sprouse and Colleen Doran
Vertigo
Fiction, Collection/Graphic Novel/Sci-Fi
***** (Great)
DESCRIPTION: A special edition compiles two stories of space travel:
Ocean: United Nations Weapons Inspector Nathan Kane is sent on an urgent, top-secret mission to Europa, Jupiter's icy ocean moon. Here, a discovery has been made that could rewrite human history... or end it.
Orbiter: When the space shuttle Venture disappeared, it spelled the end of manned spaceflight and the world's dreams of exploring the solar system. Ten years later and without warning, the shuttle returns to the ruins of Kennedy Space Center, with peculiar modifications, one catatonic survivor - and, impossibly, Martian dust in the wheel wells.
REVIEW: Another pleasant find on Hoopla, the online lending service associated with many library systems. Ellis incorporates heavy science into his stories, but doesn't forget the sense of wonder that remains at the heart of the best sci-fi.
In the first story, Ocean, Kane and a small team of explorers discover humanoids suspended in sarcophagi under the Europan ice, along with weapons that could turn the Earth to a cinder in seconds... weapons systems targeted by a private exploration team, in an unsubtle dig at corporate ethics (or lack thereof.) It has the feel of a good (if slightly old-school) sci-fi action film, even using variable gravity to great effect.
The second tale, Orbiter, is more psychological, a study of what the space program means to individuals and the world, and why it's so important to keep pushing boundaries even given the risks. According to the afterword, Ellis wrote it as a tribute to the lives lost in the Columbia disaster, and it shows - as does the warning of where we'll end up if we let fear pin us down on Earth when we should be stretching our wings further. This is the good stuff, the sci-fi that uses science to open doors and ask questions and wonder "what if...?", not just brood and come up with new ways to blow up slimy aliens.
Taken together, these stories earn top marks for remembering what the genre can and should aspire to.
You Might Also Enjoy:
Childhood's End (Arthur C. Clarke) - My Review
Afar (Leila del Duca) - My Review
We Are Legion (We Are Bob) (Dennis E. Taylor) - My Review
Saturday, November 10, 2018
The Green Ember (S. D. Smith)
The Green Ember
The Green Ember series, Book 1
S. D. Smith
Story Warren Books
Fiction, MG Fantasy
**** (Good)
DESCRIPTION: Young rabbits Heather and Picket grew up with stories of kings and warriors, of Whitson Mariner and Captain Blackstar, of battles fought against wolf and hawk and eagle. But one tale Father never told them was the Rise and Fall of King Jupiter, lord of a hundred warrens and protector of the Great Wood. Never, that, is, until the night before the wolves came, and their peaceful childhood ended in flames.
Fleeing for their lives, the siblings fall in with their estranged Uncle Wilfred and his ward Smalls, who take them to a hidden rabbit sanctuary. It looks peaceful, a place to rebuild hope and a future. But all is not as it seems, and the forces that brought down Jupiter and ended his legendary reign - the wolves and birds of prey and even traitors of their own kind - stand poised to snuff out even this small spark of resistance. Worse, Heather and Picket find themselves disliked almost from the start, for reasons nobody will tell them. As they struggle to unravel the mysteries of Cloud Mountain, the danger looms ever closer.
Of all the tales Father told them, the one he wasn't brave enough to tell may be the most important, and most tragic, of all...
REVIEW: Though the characters may be rabbits and the edges may be a bit blunted given the target audience, The Green Ember isn't a cutesy Fluffy Bunny story. This is very much an epic fantasy tale, if one dressed up in fur and whiskers, and if you come to this expecting nothing worse than hurt feelings you'll be in for a shock; the violence isn't graphic, but it is deadly, and grows moreso by the climax. Heather and Picket both have to do a lot of growing up in a short (and tragic) space, and don't always manage it without some wrong turns, though to Smith's credit I fully understood even the backslides; the author builds real, solid characters with sometimes-complicated inner lives and conflicted wants, not just in Heather and Picket but in much of the surrounding cast. Naturally, there's more to the story of King Jupiter's fall and missing heir that bears directly on them and their family, though not in the obvious way one might expect. The plot moves rabbit-quick, but never too fast to keep up with. I considered trimming for the old trope of evil wolves and predators, a subtle but persistent tendency to soften the female characters to stereotype roles of healers and sages, and the needlessly-sanitized illustrations (which, in my opinion, don't honor the tone or the characters, not to mention the young readers who can and will take them every bit as seriously as any Tolkienian creation), but in the end decided to give it the benefit of the doubt. It's a well-told tale suitable for younger readers, and if The Green Ember sparks an interest in the greater field of epic fantasy, so much the better.
You Might Also Enjoy:
Watership Down (Richard Adams) - My Review
Redwall (Brian Jacques) - My Review
Mouse Guard: Fall 1152 (David Petersen) - My Review
The Green Ember series, Book 1
S. D. Smith
Story Warren Books
Fiction, MG Fantasy
**** (Good)
DESCRIPTION: Young rabbits Heather and Picket grew up with stories of kings and warriors, of Whitson Mariner and Captain Blackstar, of battles fought against wolf and hawk and eagle. But one tale Father never told them was the Rise and Fall of King Jupiter, lord of a hundred warrens and protector of the Great Wood. Never, that, is, until the night before the wolves came, and their peaceful childhood ended in flames.
Fleeing for their lives, the siblings fall in with their estranged Uncle Wilfred and his ward Smalls, who take them to a hidden rabbit sanctuary. It looks peaceful, a place to rebuild hope and a future. But all is not as it seems, and the forces that brought down Jupiter and ended his legendary reign - the wolves and birds of prey and even traitors of their own kind - stand poised to snuff out even this small spark of resistance. Worse, Heather and Picket find themselves disliked almost from the start, for reasons nobody will tell them. As they struggle to unravel the mysteries of Cloud Mountain, the danger looms ever closer.
Of all the tales Father told them, the one he wasn't brave enough to tell may be the most important, and most tragic, of all...
REVIEW: Though the characters may be rabbits and the edges may be a bit blunted given the target audience, The Green Ember isn't a cutesy Fluffy Bunny story. This is very much an epic fantasy tale, if one dressed up in fur and whiskers, and if you come to this expecting nothing worse than hurt feelings you'll be in for a shock; the violence isn't graphic, but it is deadly, and grows moreso by the climax. Heather and Picket both have to do a lot of growing up in a short (and tragic) space, and don't always manage it without some wrong turns, though to Smith's credit I fully understood even the backslides; the author builds real, solid characters with sometimes-complicated inner lives and conflicted wants, not just in Heather and Picket but in much of the surrounding cast. Naturally, there's more to the story of King Jupiter's fall and missing heir that bears directly on them and their family, though not in the obvious way one might expect. The plot moves rabbit-quick, but never too fast to keep up with. I considered trimming for the old trope of evil wolves and predators, a subtle but persistent tendency to soften the female characters to stereotype roles of healers and sages, and the needlessly-sanitized illustrations (which, in my opinion, don't honor the tone or the characters, not to mention the young readers who can and will take them every bit as seriously as any Tolkienian creation), but in the end decided to give it the benefit of the doubt. It's a well-told tale suitable for younger readers, and if The Green Ember sparks an interest in the greater field of epic fantasy, so much the better.
You Might Also Enjoy:
Watership Down (Richard Adams) - My Review
Redwall (Brian Jacques) - My Review
Mouse Guard: Fall 1152 (David Petersen) - My Review
Wednesday, November 7, 2018
The Depths (Kirk Kjeldsen)
The Depths
Kirk Kjeldsen
Grenzland Press
Fiction, Adventure/Thriller
** (Bad)
DESCRIPTION: After three miscarriages, Marah's marriage to Eden was near a breaking point, but a Malaysian scuba vacation might help them start over. Things take a nasty turn, however, when kidnappers grab them and haul them off to an uncharted island. Marah was always the shy one, the reluctant adventurer, but she's going to have to find her own strength if she's to have any hope of survival.
REVIEW: The Depths is the written equivalent of those off-brand movies you sometimes find on TV on a Saturday afternoon. The characters are flat off-the-shelf plot enablers, the story nothing special, the dialog forgettable, and you honestly can't tell if it's been edited for broadcast or if it really was that bland originally, but it fills an empty house while waiting for something better to come on (and one can hope the checks didn't bounce, so at least someone got paid for making it.) Not much really happens (aside from the initial kidnapping and some generic roughing up), so mostly it's Marah in her own head rehashing her misery, her miscarriages, and her failed marriage. When she finally demonstrates some agency - at about 3/4 of the way through the book - it's so out of the blue it doesn't even seem in character, leading to a "surprise" plot twist that was telegraphed from the start. Then the story ends with a conclusion that dropped it below the Okay I nearly gave it. (No specific spoiler, but to be honest if you read the Description you can probably guess. Talk about a stale, stereotypical chestnut...) On the plus side, it reads fast. On the minus side, I was forgetting it even as I was turning pages. Next time a movie like this is on, I think I'll just pop in a DVD.
You Might Also Enjoy:
Evidence of Trust (Stacey Joy Netzel) - My Review
Rough Draft (Michael Robertson Jr) - My Review
Phoenix Rising (Cynthia Vespia) - My Review
Kirk Kjeldsen
Grenzland Press
Fiction, Adventure/Thriller
** (Bad)
DESCRIPTION: After three miscarriages, Marah's marriage to Eden was near a breaking point, but a Malaysian scuba vacation might help them start over. Things take a nasty turn, however, when kidnappers grab them and haul them off to an uncharted island. Marah was always the shy one, the reluctant adventurer, but she's going to have to find her own strength if she's to have any hope of survival.
REVIEW: The Depths is the written equivalent of those off-brand movies you sometimes find on TV on a Saturday afternoon. The characters are flat off-the-shelf plot enablers, the story nothing special, the dialog forgettable, and you honestly can't tell if it's been edited for broadcast or if it really was that bland originally, but it fills an empty house while waiting for something better to come on (and one can hope the checks didn't bounce, so at least someone got paid for making it.) Not much really happens (aside from the initial kidnapping and some generic roughing up), so mostly it's Marah in her own head rehashing her misery, her miscarriages, and her failed marriage. When she finally demonstrates some agency - at about 3/4 of the way through the book - it's so out of the blue it doesn't even seem in character, leading to a "surprise" plot twist that was telegraphed from the start. Then the story ends with a conclusion that dropped it below the Okay I nearly gave it. (No specific spoiler, but to be honest if you read the Description you can probably guess. Talk about a stale, stereotypical chestnut...) On the plus side, it reads fast. On the minus side, I was forgetting it even as I was turning pages. Next time a movie like this is on, I think I'll just pop in a DVD.
You Might Also Enjoy:
Evidence of Trust (Stacey Joy Netzel) - My Review
Rough Draft (Michael Robertson Jr) - My Review
Phoenix Rising (Cynthia Vespia) - My Review
Monday, November 5, 2018
Astrophysics for People in a Hurry (Neil deGrasse Tyson)
Astrophysics for People in a Hurry
Neil deGrasse Tyson
W. W. Norton and Company
Nonfiction, Science
****+ (Good/Great)
DESCRIPTION: Relativity theory, the Big Bang, pulsars, galaxy clusters, dark matter... Science news reports on all manner of new theories and discovered wonders in the universe these days, but to the average person, it can be more than a little overwhelming. Popular scientist Neil deGrasse Tyson breaks down the vast field of astrophysics for people who don't know where or how to start.
REVIEW: This title promises a quick, simplified "tour" of the vast (literally and theoretically) field of astrophysics and why it's so important. For the most part, it delivers. Starting with the "Big Bang" at the start of the (known current) universe, it touches on the terms, discoveries, and theories that inform our current understanding of reality as we know it... and how each breakthrough leads to more questions. From the stars at night to the very atoms that make up our bodies, we literally owe everything in existence to events billions of years ago. At the end, Tyson touches on why sciences like astrophysics, which seem to have no tangible short-term benefit, are really the most important of all if we're ever going to mature and survive as a species. (Given recent attitudes toward science by more than one developed country, I sadly suspect H. sapiens has chosen voluntary extinction over embracing the notion that we aren't the center of the universe, but I digress...) The organization can be a bit scattershot, and even in simplified terms some of the concepts are just too big to stuff into my undereducated primate gray matter, but it does live up to its title.
You Might Also Enjoy:
Beyond: Our Future in Space (Chris Impey) - My Review
Vacation Guide to the Solar System (Olivia Koski and Jana Grcevich) - My Review
Thing Explainer (Randall Munroe) - My Review
Neil deGrasse Tyson
W. W. Norton and Company
Nonfiction, Science
****+ (Good/Great)
DESCRIPTION: Relativity theory, the Big Bang, pulsars, galaxy clusters, dark matter... Science news reports on all manner of new theories and discovered wonders in the universe these days, but to the average person, it can be more than a little overwhelming. Popular scientist Neil deGrasse Tyson breaks down the vast field of astrophysics for people who don't know where or how to start.
REVIEW: This title promises a quick, simplified "tour" of the vast (literally and theoretically) field of astrophysics and why it's so important. For the most part, it delivers. Starting with the "Big Bang" at the start of the (known current) universe, it touches on the terms, discoveries, and theories that inform our current understanding of reality as we know it... and how each breakthrough leads to more questions. From the stars at night to the very atoms that make up our bodies, we literally owe everything in existence to events billions of years ago. At the end, Tyson touches on why sciences like astrophysics, which seem to have no tangible short-term benefit, are really the most important of all if we're ever going to mature and survive as a species. (Given recent attitudes toward science by more than one developed country, I sadly suspect H. sapiens has chosen voluntary extinction over embracing the notion that we aren't the center of the universe, but I digress...) The organization can be a bit scattershot, and even in simplified terms some of the concepts are just too big to stuff into my undereducated primate gray matter, but it does live up to its title.
You Might Also Enjoy:
Beyond: Our Future in Space (Chris Impey) - My Review
Vacation Guide to the Solar System (Olivia Koski and Jana Grcevich) - My Review
Thing Explainer (Randall Munroe) - My Review
Sunday, November 4, 2018
Heartstone (Elle Katharine White)
Heartstone
The Heartstone series, Book 1
Elle Katharine White
Harper Voyager
Fiction, Fantasy
**** (Good)
DESCRIPTION: When Aliza Bentaine met Alastair Daired, it was hate at first sight. Never mind that Aliza's younger sister had been killed by a horde of gryphons that had roosted near Merybourne Manor, and Alastair - scion of an ancient line of dragon companions - was one of the Riders sent to deal with the infestation. The man's arrogance and casual dismissal of any born lower than himself (most everybody in the realm of Arle, in other words) would try a saint's patience, and it's soon clear that he finds her headstrong ways even more irritating than most of the human race. But fate seems to keep throwing them into each others' paths, as the gryphons prove to be just one part of a much greater danger that will threaten the whole of Arle... one that will take more than dragonfire and Rider steel to defeat.
REVIEW: As one might surmise from the description, Heartstone is a fantasy riff on the Jane Austen classic Pride and Prejudice, transplanting the general story structure into an invented realm that vaguely resembles England. Some of the elements don't transfer as well as others; in White's world, women have more options for improving their lot than simply marrying well, so Aliza's mother's obsession with getting a good Rider match for at least one of her eligible daughters seems a little out of place. It also made parts of the tale predictable, such as the general arc of Aliza and Alastair's relationship and those of a few surrounding players. The fantasy trappings, though, made for interesting variety, not to mention more intense action sequences than Austen presented. (Then again, I think most classics would be improved with the addition of dragons, or at least gryphons, which is probably all you need to know about my literary taste - or lack thereof. But, I digress...) I also cared enough for the characters to keep reading; indeed, though the tale was fairly lightweight in many respects, it somehow drug me into a daylong binge. It was this ability to keep me turning pages that made me overlook a few forgotten loose ends and some over-complicated worldbuilding to give it a four-star Good rating. I might even read the second one, if I find it cheap enough (or, better yet, through the library.)
You Might Also Enjoy:
Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen) - My Review
A Natural History of Dragons (Marie Brennan) - My Review
His Majesty's Dragon (Naomi Novik) - My Review
The Heartstone series, Book 1
Elle Katharine White
Harper Voyager
Fiction, Fantasy
**** (Good)
DESCRIPTION: When Aliza Bentaine met Alastair Daired, it was hate at first sight. Never mind that Aliza's younger sister had been killed by a horde of gryphons that had roosted near Merybourne Manor, and Alastair - scion of an ancient line of dragon companions - was one of the Riders sent to deal with the infestation. The man's arrogance and casual dismissal of any born lower than himself (most everybody in the realm of Arle, in other words) would try a saint's patience, and it's soon clear that he finds her headstrong ways even more irritating than most of the human race. But fate seems to keep throwing them into each others' paths, as the gryphons prove to be just one part of a much greater danger that will threaten the whole of Arle... one that will take more than dragonfire and Rider steel to defeat.
REVIEW: As one might surmise from the description, Heartstone is a fantasy riff on the Jane Austen classic Pride and Prejudice, transplanting the general story structure into an invented realm that vaguely resembles England. Some of the elements don't transfer as well as others; in White's world, women have more options for improving their lot than simply marrying well, so Aliza's mother's obsession with getting a good Rider match for at least one of her eligible daughters seems a little out of place. It also made parts of the tale predictable, such as the general arc of Aliza and Alastair's relationship and those of a few surrounding players. The fantasy trappings, though, made for interesting variety, not to mention more intense action sequences than Austen presented. (Then again, I think most classics would be improved with the addition of dragons, or at least gryphons, which is probably all you need to know about my literary taste - or lack thereof. But, I digress...) I also cared enough for the characters to keep reading; indeed, though the tale was fairly lightweight in many respects, it somehow drug me into a daylong binge. It was this ability to keep me turning pages that made me overlook a few forgotten loose ends and some over-complicated worldbuilding to give it a four-star Good rating. I might even read the second one, if I find it cheap enough (or, better yet, through the library.)
You Might Also Enjoy:
Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen) - My Review
A Natural History of Dragons (Marie Brennan) - My Review
His Majesty's Dragon (Naomi Novik) - My Review
Saturday, November 3, 2018
The Snow Queen (Joan D. Vinge)
The Snow Queen
The Snow Queen Cycle, Book 1
Joan D. Vinge
Popular Library
Fiction, Sci-Fi
*** (Okay)
DESCRIPTION: The world of Tiamat is a world of two suns and two peoples. For 150 years, the Winter people and their Queens in white reign from the ageless capital of Carbuncle. Here, they enjoy the wealth of the interstellar Hegemony, who trade their technological wonders for a life-extending elixir made from the blood of a native species. But when the proximity of a rogue star makes the Black Gate unstable and equatorial regions inhospitable, the offworlders take their technology and abandon the world, while the rustic Summer people reclaim Carbuncle for the next century and a half under their Summer Queens. The ancient traditions of the Cycle ensure that the natives of Tiamat never gain enough independence to challenge the Hegemony, or threaten the flow of the "waters of life" to the other worlds... but Arienrhod, Winter Queen, tires of offworlders exploiting her people, not to mention the Change that sees the Winters revert to little more than primitives during the long summer. She and her consort Starbuck, lives extended unnaturally by the waters, have plans for independence - plans that may cost many lives on her world and beyond, and that have already cost her much of her own humanity and soul. Those plans begin with a single child in a distant land...
Summer-born Moon has known two things about her destiny since she was old enough to walk the island beaches of her home: that she would marry her halfblood cousin Sparks Dawntreader, and that she would become a sibyl, speaker for the holy Lady of the Seas. But when she finally hears the Lady's call, it tears her from Sparks's hands, setting her on a path that will lead her far from the islands, far from her homeworld - even as far as the palace in Carbuncle as Winter's reign ends. For the Winter Queen herself awaits the arrival of Moon, her chosen heir... and perfect clone.
REVIEW: The Snow Queen, a sci-fi story loosely inspired by the fairy tale of the same name, was first published in 1980. At the time, it was probably progressive - it makes a point of having women leaders resisting patriarchal societies - but it hasn't aged particularly well. For all the powerful women it tries to present, their motivations almost invariably boil down to a man. Moon's mutual bond with Sparks remains her driving need through the majority of the book, an inherent naivete that flattens her character and makes her come across as a teenager caught in puppy love... and more than a bit of a too-perfect character for whom anyone (particularly males) will do anything. Arienrhod has burned through lovers for her long life, part of her overall personality of using and ruining people for her own ends or mere amusement, but nevertheless becomes obsessed with the same man her clone covets, even as her former favored lover both seethes in hatred and pines for her lost affections. Commander Jerusha, the offworlder police captain who fought Hegemonic misogyny for her post, nonetheless discovers that her life is incomplete without a husband (not a strong subplot, but very much present.) There's even a minor female villain whose main problem is that she needs to be taught to coddle and nurture others ('cause you know a woman is incomplete without being Soft and Motherly.) Even when the characters discuss the unfairness of caste systems and patriarchal prejudices, those "all for a man" undercurrents - probably more glaring today than they were in the 1980's - drag things down.
Beyond that, the story itself has some decent moments, but too often loses itself in writing that tries too hard to be Writerly. Some of the dialog and descriptions, particularly toward the climax, almost had me laughing out loud at the melodrama, and Vinge's offworlder languages and cultures felt stilted. Though it starts at a decent pace, it soon bogs down, not helped by more than one predictable, borderline cliche turn. The final third feels unnaturally drawn out, even while leaving deliberate threads dangling for the next installment. For all that, Vinge presents decent ideas in Tiamat and the Hegemony. I can see how The Snow Queen won its cover-advertised Hugo in its day. Ultimately, though, I don't think time has been kind to this tale, and I doubt I'll pursue the rest of the cycle.
You Might Also Enjoy:
Green Rider (Kristen Britain) - My Review
Dragons in the Stars (Jeffrey A. Carver) - My Review
On Basilisk Station (David Weber) - My Review
The Snow Queen Cycle, Book 1
Joan D. Vinge
Popular Library
Fiction, Sci-Fi
*** (Okay)
DESCRIPTION: The world of Tiamat is a world of two suns and two peoples. For 150 years, the Winter people and their Queens in white reign from the ageless capital of Carbuncle. Here, they enjoy the wealth of the interstellar Hegemony, who trade their technological wonders for a life-extending elixir made from the blood of a native species. But when the proximity of a rogue star makes the Black Gate unstable and equatorial regions inhospitable, the offworlders take their technology and abandon the world, while the rustic Summer people reclaim Carbuncle for the next century and a half under their Summer Queens. The ancient traditions of the Cycle ensure that the natives of Tiamat never gain enough independence to challenge the Hegemony, or threaten the flow of the "waters of life" to the other worlds... but Arienrhod, Winter Queen, tires of offworlders exploiting her people, not to mention the Change that sees the Winters revert to little more than primitives during the long summer. She and her consort Starbuck, lives extended unnaturally by the waters, have plans for independence - plans that may cost many lives on her world and beyond, and that have already cost her much of her own humanity and soul. Those plans begin with a single child in a distant land...
Summer-born Moon has known two things about her destiny since she was old enough to walk the island beaches of her home: that she would marry her halfblood cousin Sparks Dawntreader, and that she would become a sibyl, speaker for the holy Lady of the Seas. But when she finally hears the Lady's call, it tears her from Sparks's hands, setting her on a path that will lead her far from the islands, far from her homeworld - even as far as the palace in Carbuncle as Winter's reign ends. For the Winter Queen herself awaits the arrival of Moon, her chosen heir... and perfect clone.
REVIEW: The Snow Queen, a sci-fi story loosely inspired by the fairy tale of the same name, was first published in 1980. At the time, it was probably progressive - it makes a point of having women leaders resisting patriarchal societies - but it hasn't aged particularly well. For all the powerful women it tries to present, their motivations almost invariably boil down to a man. Moon's mutual bond with Sparks remains her driving need through the majority of the book, an inherent naivete that flattens her character and makes her come across as a teenager caught in puppy love... and more than a bit of a too-perfect character for whom anyone (particularly males) will do anything. Arienrhod has burned through lovers for her long life, part of her overall personality of using and ruining people for her own ends or mere amusement, but nevertheless becomes obsessed with the same man her clone covets, even as her former favored lover both seethes in hatred and pines for her lost affections. Commander Jerusha, the offworlder police captain who fought Hegemonic misogyny for her post, nonetheless discovers that her life is incomplete without a husband (not a strong subplot, but very much present.) There's even a minor female villain whose main problem is that she needs to be taught to coddle and nurture others ('cause you know a woman is incomplete without being Soft and Motherly.) Even when the characters discuss the unfairness of caste systems and patriarchal prejudices, those "all for a man" undercurrents - probably more glaring today than they were in the 1980's - drag things down.
Beyond that, the story itself has some decent moments, but too often loses itself in writing that tries too hard to be Writerly. Some of the dialog and descriptions, particularly toward the climax, almost had me laughing out loud at the melodrama, and Vinge's offworlder languages and cultures felt stilted. Though it starts at a decent pace, it soon bogs down, not helped by more than one predictable, borderline cliche turn. The final third feels unnaturally drawn out, even while leaving deliberate threads dangling for the next installment. For all that, Vinge presents decent ideas in Tiamat and the Hegemony. I can see how The Snow Queen won its cover-advertised Hugo in its day. Ultimately, though, I don't think time has been kind to this tale, and I doubt I'll pursue the rest of the cycle.
You Might Also Enjoy:
Green Rider (Kristen Britain) - My Review
Dragons in the Stars (Jeffrey A. Carver) - My Review
On Basilisk Station (David Weber) - My Review
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