The Dresden Files are one of the best selling fantasy series on the market today, and as of a week ago I had avoided them at all costs. I did this because I was confident that I had already covered this niche in the genre. As a Glen Cook fan, I had read four of his Garrett PI series and that was more than enough for me. I figured that if I got bored of the way Cook covered detective in magical world, then Butcher didn't have a chance. Then my brother told me to give it a chance, so I did.
Title: Storm Front
Author: Jim Butcher
Format: Audio
Fun fact. I always assumed the name Butcher was pronounced with the French pronunciation, but it turns out that it's not. The benefits of audio.
Second fun fact. This is nothing like the Garrett PI series. The Garrett PI is a noir style detective who just happens to live in a magical fairyland. Storm Front, on other hand, takes places in our own world, albeit with magic and mystical creatures.
Harry Dresden is a wizard for hire. He even has an advertisement in the phonebook (the story is from 2000). The only problem is that this is the real world, where science can explain everything. Not only do few people have need of a magician, even fewer believe in magic. With his rent on the line, Harry is hired to find a shy woman's missing husband, and simultaneously contracted by the police to explain how two people's hearts exploded as though they were small bombs. Added to the mix is a street drug that can reveal the magic, some fairies, a vampress madam, and an air spirit trapped in a skull, and there are enough characters to keep everyone excited.
There are two main strengths to this story. The first of these is the world that Butcher creates. It is apparent from the first few pages that Butcher is not making things up as he goes along. He has a concrete plan of exactly who all his players are, many of which I'm sure we d not meet in this first book, and what their intentions are. This displays a mastery over the source material and Butcher's world that is rarely seen in writing. His world is different than ours, but in a well defined way, allowing the reader to suspend their disbelief and fall into the story.
The second and most important asset for the story is Harry Dresden. The story is told in first person, and so it is essential that we understand and empathize with our guide to the story. Butcher creates a wonderful balance of a character with great power, but also an inferiority complex. Dresden understands where he is on the magical food chain and that there are many things can end him. But as the book continues and we are able to watch our narrator instead of just listening to him, we see that an angry wizard is not a creature to be taken lightly. This allows Butcher to avoid cliches such as the overpowered superman while still allowing his readers to revel in badassery.
My main critique of the book would be that the world is actually too developed. There are many throw away references to other creatures or events that exist, but then nothing ever comes of it. We hear all about all sorts of creatures and the white council and "never never," but none of those are explored or developed (yet). It is a good tactic that leaves the readers wanting more and excited to continue the series, but it also leaves things a little unsatisfying.
Another problem: for such a complicated world, the plot itself was rather simple. I won't say too much, but it comes down to: there is a bad guy, he is very bad, and Harry is the only one able (for various reasons) to stop him. That summary is not quite doing the book credit, but the surprisingly banal story arc is excusable because the actions and characters are all fantastic.
The final problem: all the women are attractive. Very attractive. It's a little much.
I got nitpicky because I enjoyed the book. It was quick, only an eight hour audiobook, which is maybe 250 pages. Urban Fantasy fans should enjoy this, but wizard does not mean the same thing here as Harry Potter.
7/10
Showing posts with label Fantasy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Fantasy. Show all posts
Thursday, April 16, 2015
Thursday, April 9, 2015
The Crimson Campaign
I lucked out with the Powder Mage Trilogy. I didn't start listening to them until after all three had been published, so I can read them whenever I want. It's pretty convenient. I'm pacing myself a little bit so I don't get completely saturated with the series and start to dislike it for that reason rather than any fault in the books themselves. Anyway, here goes.
Title: The Crimson Campaign
Author: Brian McClellan
Format: Audio
A month or so after the finish of the first book, we return to our characters. Tamas has joined the front, ready to lead his army to another crushing victory over the Kez. He plans a ambush with his two elite battalions only to find all his plans no long matter due to a new type of warden. Instead of destroying the Kez he and his battalions are force to flee across enemy territory to try to reenter Adro before the Kez destroy everything in their path. Taniel, the god-killer, has resorted to keeping himself in a constantly drugged state to try to forget the past few months, but once his father goes missing Taniel is called back to the front as the last hope of the Adran army. Meanwhile, Inspector Adamat has only two goals left in his life: to find his wife and child and to make Lord Vetas pay. Of course nothing is ever so easy. There are traitor's and double crossings and every sort of machination imaginable. Then there's always the question of: is it even possible to kill a god?
This is a good series. I enjoy the premise, the characters are entertaining, and the plot is complex but followable. One thing that many fantasy novels struggle with is the suspension of disbelief. An author must determine how far they can take characters and ideas without having their readers through their hands up in frustration and say "this is too much." McClellan has walked this line perfectly so far, invoking gods, guns, and magic, while making the reader not only believe that all of this is possible in his world, but that it all makes sense. I worry with a development near the end of the book that he may be starting to cross that line, but we shall see what happens in the Autumn Republic.
This book is slightly weaker than the previous book. The main reason I can cite is that the start of the book did drag a little bit. We knew the characters already, but it still took a while to catch up with what had happened since the previous book and to establish where each character would go. Once the story took off, it was fantastic, but it took McClellan just a little too much time to get there. The other potential flaw I've found is McClellan usage of female characters. There are many, and luckily their femininity is not their defining characteristic, but few are truly center stage. Nila, a character returning from the first book, is the only female whose perspective we see are given. Sadly she is also the least interesting and most frustrating female we've been exposed too. It is unfortunate that she is the most visible example when there are many better options to choose from.
That aside, I still think the book is great. One of my favorite aspects is that McClellan took the opportunity to expand, both geographically and in terms of characters. Rather than remaining in Adro and the mountains we get to explore Kez, Additionally we meet a host of new characters. Some are mentioned only briefly to help move the plot, but there are many more who are well thought out and intriguing, and I hope to learn more of them. A philosophy I hold to in writing is to never treat a character as if they are secondary or unimportant. They should have a story that they are the main character in. We may not get to see this story, but it stills adds a logic and reality to the characters motives and actions. McClellan embraces this concept and so we have a plethora of relatable figures.
Anyone who liked the first one will also enjoy this one. Of course, read them in order.
8/10
Title: The Crimson Campaign
Author: Brian McClellan
Format: Audio
A month or so after the finish of the first book, we return to our characters. Tamas has joined the front, ready to lead his army to another crushing victory over the Kez. He plans a ambush with his two elite battalions only to find all his plans no long matter due to a new type of warden. Instead of destroying the Kez he and his battalions are force to flee across enemy territory to try to reenter Adro before the Kez destroy everything in their path. Taniel, the god-killer, has resorted to keeping himself in a constantly drugged state to try to forget the past few months, but once his father goes missing Taniel is called back to the front as the last hope of the Adran army. Meanwhile, Inspector Adamat has only two goals left in his life: to find his wife and child and to make Lord Vetas pay. Of course nothing is ever so easy. There are traitor's and double crossings and every sort of machination imaginable. Then there's always the question of: is it even possible to kill a god?
This is a good series. I enjoy the premise, the characters are entertaining, and the plot is complex but followable. One thing that many fantasy novels struggle with is the suspension of disbelief. An author must determine how far they can take characters and ideas without having their readers through their hands up in frustration and say "this is too much." McClellan has walked this line perfectly so far, invoking gods, guns, and magic, while making the reader not only believe that all of this is possible in his world, but that it all makes sense. I worry with a development near the end of the book that he may be starting to cross that line, but we shall see what happens in the Autumn Republic.
This book is slightly weaker than the previous book. The main reason I can cite is that the start of the book did drag a little bit. We knew the characters already, but it still took a while to catch up with what had happened since the previous book and to establish where each character would go. Once the story took off, it was fantastic, but it took McClellan just a little too much time to get there. The other potential flaw I've found is McClellan usage of female characters. There are many, and luckily their femininity is not their defining characteristic, but few are truly center stage. Nila, a character returning from the first book, is the only female whose perspective we see are given. Sadly she is also the least interesting and most frustrating female we've been exposed too. It is unfortunate that she is the most visible example when there are many better options to choose from.
That aside, I still think the book is great. One of my favorite aspects is that McClellan took the opportunity to expand, both geographically and in terms of characters. Rather than remaining in Adro and the mountains we get to explore Kez, Additionally we meet a host of new characters. Some are mentioned only briefly to help move the plot, but there are many more who are well thought out and intriguing, and I hope to learn more of them. A philosophy I hold to in writing is to never treat a character as if they are secondary or unimportant. They should have a story that they are the main character in. We may not get to see this story, but it stills adds a logic and reality to the characters motives and actions. McClellan embraces this concept and so we have a plethora of relatable figures.
Anyone who liked the first one will also enjoy this one. Of course, read them in order.
8/10
Monday, April 6, 2015
City of Stairs
I needed something to read on my kindle, and sometimes I feel as though I've exhausted much of the fantasy genre. I am obviously mistaken. I was looking through goodreads and found this mentioned as a good or great book, depending on which review you looked at it. I decided to give it a try.
Title: City of Stairs
Author: Robert Bennett Jackson
Format: Kindle
The story takes place in Bukilov, the capital city of "the Continent." The Continent had conquered much of the world because they had Gods or "Divinities" aiding them. Then a man emerge from Saypur, a small conquered and oppressed island, and killed the gods, helping Saypur replace the Continent as the dominant world power. Our story takes place four generations later in modern Bukilov. A prominent Saypuri historian is murdered and a representative from the foreign ministry, Shara, arrives to investigate the crime. Within days she finds herself barely avoiding assault and potentially talking to gods. All is not as it seems in Bukilov and Shara's curiosity leaves her no choice but to unravel all the twisted threads.
I think the simplest, but most important thing I can say about this book is that the story is much better than the writing. There was a slow start, but the story became more and more engaging and the style less distracting as each page turned. When I say that story isn't particularly well written, I'm referring to a few specific things. Firstly, the story takes place in third person present, with us inside the head of whoever is the main focus of each section (mainly Shara). This is an odd and off putting choice, but the reader gets used to it after a hundred pages or so. The second problem is a pet peeve of mine. Jackson's method of writing dialogue is incredibly frustrating. He puts more than two separate lines of dialogue in one paragraph. This drives me crazy. It's cluttered, confusing, and amateurish and I hate when authors do this. Even worse, at points he has multiple people talking within the same paragraph. Could he not find the enter key while he was writing the manuscript?
The plot itself is enthralling. To potential readers, ignore the first chapter, it's by far the section of the entire book, and while it sets up the plot for the rest of the novel, it's a boring chapter about bored characters doing boring thing. Just get through it. On the plus side, in the rest of the book there are gods, demons, intrigue, death, sex, and good old fashion monster fighting. Jackson gets a little bit of everything into the story, and does so in a surprisingly coherent and entertaining way. I would recommend this book to most fantasy fans, but I'd warn them that parts of the book can be quite a struggle. I don't think I'll be exploring the rest of the series. Good luck.
6/10
Title: City of Stairs
Author: Robert Bennett Jackson
Format: Kindle
The story takes place in Bukilov, the capital city of "the Continent." The Continent had conquered much of the world because they had Gods or "Divinities" aiding them. Then a man emerge from Saypur, a small conquered and oppressed island, and killed the gods, helping Saypur replace the Continent as the dominant world power. Our story takes place four generations later in modern Bukilov. A prominent Saypuri historian is murdered and a representative from the foreign ministry, Shara, arrives to investigate the crime. Within days she finds herself barely avoiding assault and potentially talking to gods. All is not as it seems in Bukilov and Shara's curiosity leaves her no choice but to unravel all the twisted threads.
I think the simplest, but most important thing I can say about this book is that the story is much better than the writing. There was a slow start, but the story became more and more engaging and the style less distracting as each page turned. When I say that story isn't particularly well written, I'm referring to a few specific things. Firstly, the story takes place in third person present, with us inside the head of whoever is the main focus of each section (mainly Shara). This is an odd and off putting choice, but the reader gets used to it after a hundred pages or so. The second problem is a pet peeve of mine. Jackson's method of writing dialogue is incredibly frustrating. He puts more than two separate lines of dialogue in one paragraph. This drives me crazy. It's cluttered, confusing, and amateurish and I hate when authors do this. Even worse, at points he has multiple people talking within the same paragraph. Could he not find the enter key while he was writing the manuscript?
The plot itself is enthralling. To potential readers, ignore the first chapter, it's by far the section of the entire book, and while it sets up the plot for the rest of the novel, it's a boring chapter about bored characters doing boring thing. Just get through it. On the plus side, in the rest of the book there are gods, demons, intrigue, death, sex, and good old fashion monster fighting. Jackson gets a little bit of everything into the story, and does so in a surprisingly coherent and entertaining way. I would recommend this book to most fantasy fans, but I'd warn them that parts of the book can be quite a struggle. I don't think I'll be exploring the rest of the series. Good luck.
6/10
Monday, March 16, 2015
Needful Things
Stephen King is one of the best known authors of our time. His works have been adapted for television and movies, many of which are well respected and even award winning. He attacks various topics from innumerable directions. I had read the first two books in the Dark Tower series and had given up, but I'd heard from many that those were different from his other work, so, when I saw Needful Things at a used book sale I decided to give it a try.
Title: Needful Things
Author: Stephen King
Format: Book
Time to Finish: 34 days
I read the introduction and first chapter and was hooked. The stories revolves around the small town of Castle Rock, Maine, where a new business has opened. It is called Needful Things, and sells exactly what you're looking for, but at a price. Part of the price is to play a trick on someone else, but the tricks, seemingly innocent at first become more and more dastardly and harmful. Soon the town is in chaos and watching it all is Mr. Gaunt, the proprietor of this new shop.
The solid premise, and King's writing is good enough to not distract most readers from the content. He's the problem with the book: being hooked for the first twenty pages does not guarantee you will devour the 630. I, in fact, did not. About 250 pages into the story I was ready to be done with the book, but was too stubborn to completely give up on it. I can read a 700 pages book and enjoy every word (A Song of Ice and Fire, King Killer Chronicles, Acacia) because often those books are developing a few characters very well, allowing them to endear themselves to the reader. In this doorstop of a novel, King spends his pages creating brief caricatures so that...SPOILERS...he could kill them a few minutes later. It's extremely tiresome and makes it so that you could not care less what actually happens to most of the characters. Creating a character 500 pages in for the sole purpose of killing some one and/or dying is lazy and meaningless to the story at large. The reader becomes so jaded about these people and their forced in stories that they are wont to roll their eyes and moan, "not another one." The multitude of undeveloped killable characters means that there is no emotional investment, and without that, readers start to wonder why they even bother. For me it was stubbornness, others may just worship Stephen King. Regardless, I'd say give this book a pass. It's not scary, creepy, or horrifying, but most tragically, it's not even interesting.
3/10
Title: Needful Things
Author: Stephen King
Format: Book
Time to Finish: 34 days
I read the introduction and first chapter and was hooked. The stories revolves around the small town of Castle Rock, Maine, where a new business has opened. It is called Needful Things, and sells exactly what you're looking for, but at a price. Part of the price is to play a trick on someone else, but the tricks, seemingly innocent at first become more and more dastardly and harmful. Soon the town is in chaos and watching it all is Mr. Gaunt, the proprietor of this new shop.
The solid premise, and King's writing is good enough to not distract most readers from the content. He's the problem with the book: being hooked for the first twenty pages does not guarantee you will devour the 630. I, in fact, did not. About 250 pages into the story I was ready to be done with the book, but was too stubborn to completely give up on it. I can read a 700 pages book and enjoy every word (A Song of Ice and Fire, King Killer Chronicles, Acacia) because often those books are developing a few characters very well, allowing them to endear themselves to the reader. In this doorstop of a novel, King spends his pages creating brief caricatures so that...SPOILERS...he could kill them a few minutes later. It's extremely tiresome and makes it so that you could not care less what actually happens to most of the characters. Creating a character 500 pages in for the sole purpose of killing some one and/or dying is lazy and meaningless to the story at large. The reader becomes so jaded about these people and their forced in stories that they are wont to roll their eyes and moan, "not another one." The multitude of undeveloped killable characters means that there is no emotional investment, and without that, readers start to wonder why they even bother. For me it was stubbornness, others may just worship Stephen King. Regardless, I'd say give this book a pass. It's not scary, creepy, or horrifying, but most tragically, it's not even interesting.
3/10
Thursday, March 12, 2015
Monster Hunter International
I listened to this book a few years ago, and noticed that the most recent book in the series had been getting some press. I was in between books, so I figured that I'd give it another listen.
Title: Monster Hunter International
Author: Larry Correia
Format: Audio
Time to Finish: 12 days
The book follows Owen Pitt, an accountant, whose boss transforms into a werewolf and attacks him. He barely survives the encounter and is recruited to join MHI, Monster Hunters International. They are a group of skilled monster hunters for hire. It turns out that monsters are not only real, there are a lot of them and there's good money to be made hunting them. The big enemies for this story is a powerful being known as the Cursed One, who has bent a number of master vampires to his will. It's up to a reluctant alliance between government monster hunters and MHI to stop him before he fulfills his prophecy to "breaks time" and ends the world.
Oof, this story does not hold up to a second reading. In all honesty, I only finished because I wanted an opportunity to write my first negative review.
That said, I actually gave some thought to why this book seemed terrible this time around and came to a few conclusions. The first is that this book is pure gun porn. Correia was a fire arms instructor before becoming an author, and I think it's safe to say he's a bit of a gun nut. This becomes apparent very early on with intimate, loving descriptions of every firearm imaginable. It's kind of cool at first, but for those who do not believe guns are man's greatest invention, the weapon worship becomes tiresome. The book would likely be forty pages shorter without that content.
The second thing I realized is that this the book equivalent of a B-movie. Not a good B-movie that borders on becoming a quality movie, just a story of simple characters doing very predictable things. As one would expect, it's chock full of corny lines and over the top action scenes, but there's very little substance or heart to the story. This didn't seem like a problem, especially as early on the book is a bit tongue in cheek about how ridiculous some of it is. Sadly, as the story progresses this self-effacing sense of humor disappears and all we're left with is a cheesy plot taking itself much too seriously.
Probably the worst aspect is the characters themselves. Rather than deep, meaningful individuals, none of them has any depth. Instead we are left with caricatures and mediocre ones at that. The women are beautiful the men are defined by one feature and the goodguy always gets the girl. We know all these things to be true, so there's no sense of risk or urgency at any point of the story.
Don't get me wrong, parts of the story were fun and enjoyable, those just didn't do close to enough to salvage the book.
4/10
Title: Monster Hunter International
Author: Larry Correia
Format: Audio
Time to Finish: 12 days
The book follows Owen Pitt, an accountant, whose boss transforms into a werewolf and attacks him. He barely survives the encounter and is recruited to join MHI, Monster Hunters International. They are a group of skilled monster hunters for hire. It turns out that monsters are not only real, there are a lot of them and there's good money to be made hunting them. The big enemies for this story is a powerful being known as the Cursed One, who has bent a number of master vampires to his will. It's up to a reluctant alliance between government monster hunters and MHI to stop him before he fulfills his prophecy to "breaks time" and ends the world.
Oof, this story does not hold up to a second reading. In all honesty, I only finished because I wanted an opportunity to write my first negative review.
That said, I actually gave some thought to why this book seemed terrible this time around and came to a few conclusions. The first is that this book is pure gun porn. Correia was a fire arms instructor before becoming an author, and I think it's safe to say he's a bit of a gun nut. This becomes apparent very early on with intimate, loving descriptions of every firearm imaginable. It's kind of cool at first, but for those who do not believe guns are man's greatest invention, the weapon worship becomes tiresome. The book would likely be forty pages shorter without that content.
The second thing I realized is that this the book equivalent of a B-movie. Not a good B-movie that borders on becoming a quality movie, just a story of simple characters doing very predictable things. As one would expect, it's chock full of corny lines and over the top action scenes, but there's very little substance or heart to the story. This didn't seem like a problem, especially as early on the book is a bit tongue in cheek about how ridiculous some of it is. Sadly, as the story progresses this self-effacing sense of humor disappears and all we're left with is a cheesy plot taking itself much too seriously.
Probably the worst aspect is the characters themselves. Rather than deep, meaningful individuals, none of them has any depth. Instead we are left with caricatures and mediocre ones at that. The women are beautiful the men are defined by one feature and the goodguy always gets the girl. We know all these things to be true, so there's no sense of risk or urgency at any point of the story.
Don't get me wrong, parts of the story were fun and enjoyable, those just didn't do close to enough to salvage the book.
4/10
Monday, March 9, 2015
Promise of Blood
I started reading this book because a Goodreads book club I am in assigned it for March. Of course no one has commented on it other than me saying I liked the beginning. Hopefully as the month progresses I'll get to talk about it more.
Title: Promise of Blood
Author: Brian McClellan
Format: Audiobook
Time to Finish: 6 days
This is a very good book, without a doubt the best I've encountered for some time. The book is set in a magical fantasy realm in a region known as the Nine. The Nine refer to the Nine Kingdoms of the area, each of which is ruled by a king and his Privileged Cabal (privileged is the word for magician). The nine is also symbolic as the kingdoms were created by the Nine Gods, whose church is a major power in their own right with millions followers. One of the Nine, the kingdom of Andro, is ruled by a weak king, and the powdermage (Powermages are another sort of magician who use gunpowder to fuel their magic) Field Marshal Tamas organizes a coup. Sadly, no character can be trusted and soon what should have been a quick bloody coup has repercussions beyond anyone's wildest imagination.
The story primarily follows three characters. The first of these is Tamas as he tries to rule his new kingdom and keep the peace. The second is Taniel, Tamas' son, as he is tasked with killing a mysterious privileged whose power is beyond anything he comprehends. The third is Adamat, a retired police officer asked by Tamas to investigate the meaning of the dying words of Royal Cabal.
The setting and technology are similar of that to of late 1800's with non-automatic guns galore.
It's hard to explain why this book stands out from many other fantasy series. The magic is certainly unique and entertaining, especially after the reader learns exactly how it all works. And the book is well written, with moments of comedy, action, and suspense all interwoven into a fun and compelling narrative.
Probably the most important aspect of this story, and I would argue of any story, is the characters. McClellan creates three men all of whom have a military background, and two of whom are powdermages. It would be easy for the characters to all seem exactly the same, but that is not the case. Instead they are individually fleshed out and their personal motivations are separate and equally compelling. While there are similarities, each has his own strong identity and is likeable enough to make the reader care about him and his story.
All in all, this is a great book about magic, religion, revenge, honor, and everything in between. Any fan of fantasy, especially those who like guns and war will love this book.
9/10
Title: Promise of Blood
Author: Brian McClellan
Format: Audiobook
Time to Finish: 6 days
This is a very good book, without a doubt the best I've encountered for some time. The book is set in a magical fantasy realm in a region known as the Nine. The Nine refer to the Nine Kingdoms of the area, each of which is ruled by a king and his Privileged Cabal (privileged is the word for magician). The nine is also symbolic as the kingdoms were created by the Nine Gods, whose church is a major power in their own right with millions followers. One of the Nine, the kingdom of Andro, is ruled by a weak king, and the powdermage (Powermages are another sort of magician who use gunpowder to fuel their magic) Field Marshal Tamas organizes a coup. Sadly, no character can be trusted and soon what should have been a quick bloody coup has repercussions beyond anyone's wildest imagination.
The story primarily follows three characters. The first of these is Tamas as he tries to rule his new kingdom and keep the peace. The second is Taniel, Tamas' son, as he is tasked with killing a mysterious privileged whose power is beyond anything he comprehends. The third is Adamat, a retired police officer asked by Tamas to investigate the meaning of the dying words of Royal Cabal.
The setting and technology are similar of that to of late 1800's with non-automatic guns galore.
It's hard to explain why this book stands out from many other fantasy series. The magic is certainly unique and entertaining, especially after the reader learns exactly how it all works. And the book is well written, with moments of comedy, action, and suspense all interwoven into a fun and compelling narrative.
Probably the most important aspect of this story, and I would argue of any story, is the characters. McClellan creates three men all of whom have a military background, and two of whom are powdermages. It would be easy for the characters to all seem exactly the same, but that is not the case. Instead they are individually fleshed out and their personal motivations are separate and equally compelling. While there are similarities, each has his own strong identity and is likeable enough to make the reader care about him and his story.
All in all, this is a great book about magic, religion, revenge, honor, and everything in between. Any fan of fantasy, especially those who like guns and war will love this book.
9/10
Thursday, March 5, 2015
Half the World
Another book finished, and the first Young Adult I've reviewed. With the amount of YA series becoming movies there has been some debate over the merits of adults (which many would argue I am) reading YA novels and series at all. I am not here to weigh in on such matters. I look for books that I think I'll enjoy. Today's review is of:
Title: Half the World
Author: Joe Abercrombie
Format: Kindle
Time to Finish: 4 days
This is the second book in the Shattered Sea Trilogy, Abercrombie's young adult trilogy. For those familiar with Abercrombie's work, they might wonder, how could one of the master's of dark, gritty fantasy write YA, wouldn't he lose all that makes him distinct and entertaining. The answer is no, it simply means there's no swearing, no in scene sex, and that the characters and teens. And yes, there is some angst. There is also bloodshed, death, back stabbing, and plans within plans. It is divided into four parts: 1 introducing assembling the crew, 2 traveling south, 3 time in the South, 4 events once they return to the North. Each part tells a slightly separate story and the divisions allows us to see the changes in the characters within the greater story.
The story picks up a few years after the end of Half a King, and follows two characters: Thorn and Brand. Thorn and Brand are teens who trained to be warriors, only to find the opportunity no longer available and themselves under the power of Father Yarvi (the protagonist from previous book). The book then follows their adventures as they search for allies for Gettland in wake of a war with the half the world controlled by the High King.
This is typical Abercrombie, albeit tempered to convince parents that the book is ok for their children to read. As usual, there are fantastic battle scenes, absurd events, hilarious dialogue, and general fun. There is also the fact that no character is exactly what they seem. Everyone has a dark side, whether they admit it or not, and no one finishes the journey unscarred.
One worry I had was that final climax would be too predictable. It wasn't even for Abercrombie twisted sense of humor and honor, it was rewarding and exciting.
There really isn't too much else to say, it was well written, funny, and very easy to read. It's a good book for anyone interested in Dark Fantasy. Give it a read even though it's technically YA.
8/10
Title: Half the World
Author: Joe Abercrombie
Format: Kindle
Time to Finish: 4 days
This is the second book in the Shattered Sea Trilogy, Abercrombie's young adult trilogy. For those familiar with Abercrombie's work, they might wonder, how could one of the master's of dark, gritty fantasy write YA, wouldn't he lose all that makes him distinct and entertaining. The answer is no, it simply means there's no swearing, no in scene sex, and that the characters and teens. And yes, there is some angst. There is also bloodshed, death, back stabbing, and plans within plans. It is divided into four parts: 1 introducing assembling the crew, 2 traveling south, 3 time in the South, 4 events once they return to the North. Each part tells a slightly separate story and the divisions allows us to see the changes in the characters within the greater story.
The story picks up a few years after the end of Half a King, and follows two characters: Thorn and Brand. Thorn and Brand are teens who trained to be warriors, only to find the opportunity no longer available and themselves under the power of Father Yarvi (the protagonist from previous book). The book then follows their adventures as they search for allies for Gettland in wake of a war with the half the world controlled by the High King.
This is typical Abercrombie, albeit tempered to convince parents that the book is ok for their children to read. As usual, there are fantastic battle scenes, absurd events, hilarious dialogue, and general fun. There is also the fact that no character is exactly what they seem. Everyone has a dark side, whether they admit it or not, and no one finishes the journey unscarred.
One worry I had was that final climax would be too predictable. It wasn't even for Abercrombie twisted sense of humor and honor, it was rewarding and exciting.
There really isn't too much else to say, it was well written, funny, and very easy to read. It's a good book for anyone interested in Dark Fantasy. Give it a read even though it's technically YA.
8/10
Tuesday, February 24, 2015
The Providence of Fire
I know I said these would come out every week or two, but I figured as I had recently finished this one too I might as well post it. This was the sequel to the Emperor's Blades so why not make it the second post.
Title: The Providence of Fire
Format: Audiobook
Time to Finish: 11 Days
This sequel to The Emperor's Blades was better than I expected. My brother, who recommended the series, warned me that it was not as good as the first one, but I disagree. It was BETTER than the first book in the series.
Kadin, the Emperor, goes off to meet a different sect on monks and finds himself in way over his head. He flees and them sets about single-handedly trying to reclaim his empire.
After a battle with the Flea, Valyn finds himself and his wing stranded on the Steppe surrounded by hostile horsemen.
Adaire discovers her lover and the imperial regent is a regicide and she must ally with those who hate her most to stop him.
On top of all this, the Gods start seeming a lot less mythical and a lot closer to hand
I had two complaints about the first book: one, Staveley used his made up swear words too often; two, he didn't give us enough of Adaire. He fixed both of these problems in the first book, cutting back on his Kent Kissing and more evenly distributing the amount of time spent with each character. We even get a few chapters from the point of view of another female: Gwena, one of Valyn's wingmates. Staveley uses his second book to expand upon the world of the first, telling us more about the lands and the people in which his story takes place. Rather than just continuing the plot, he teaches us more about the religions and the regions, more about the cultures and characters. He does a fantastic job of making the second book do more than the first. On top of all that, the characters change and develop in unpredictable ways instead of always taking the predictable path. Ones thought to be good and innocent mature and start playing the game along with the others. It is all brutal, bloody, and breathtaking. I assume, for no real reason, that this is a trilogy, and I am excited to see how this all ends.
8/10
Title: The Providence of Fire
Format: Audiobook
Time to Finish: 11 Days
This sequel to The Emperor's Blades was better than I expected. My brother, who recommended the series, warned me that it was not as good as the first one, but I disagree. It was BETTER than the first book in the series.
Kadin, the Emperor, goes off to meet a different sect on monks and finds himself in way over his head. He flees and them sets about single-handedly trying to reclaim his empire.
After a battle with the Flea, Valyn finds himself and his wing stranded on the Steppe surrounded by hostile horsemen.
Adaire discovers her lover and the imperial regent is a regicide and she must ally with those who hate her most to stop him.
On top of all this, the Gods start seeming a lot less mythical and a lot closer to hand
I had two complaints about the first book: one, Staveley used his made up swear words too often; two, he didn't give us enough of Adaire. He fixed both of these problems in the first book, cutting back on his Kent Kissing and more evenly distributing the amount of time spent with each character. We even get a few chapters from the point of view of another female: Gwena, one of Valyn's wingmates. Staveley uses his second book to expand upon the world of the first, telling us more about the lands and the people in which his story takes place. Rather than just continuing the plot, he teaches us more about the religions and the regions, more about the cultures and characters. He does a fantastic job of making the second book do more than the first. On top of all that, the characters change and develop in unpredictable ways instead of always taking the predictable path. Ones thought to be good and innocent mature and start playing the game along with the others. It is all brutal, bloody, and breathtaking. I assume, for no real reason, that this is a trilogy, and I am excited to see how this all ends.
8/10
First Post
Hello to my one reader. I've decided that I'd like an easy forum in which to post all my book reviews. I'll try to post a review every time I finish a book, so hopefully every week or two. I also will post some reviews from books I've read in the past. No point ignoring those, both the bad and the good. We'll start with:
Title: The Emperor's Blade
Author: Brian Staveley
Format: Audiobook
Time to Finish: 5 days
My brother, a fellow fantasy nerd, recommended this book to me. For some reason I decided to trust his judgement. For the most part, I was not disappointed. The story follows the three children of an Emperor in the wake of his death. This is not a spoiler, his murder is the starting part of the story. The elder son and heir Kaden is training with ascetic monks, attempting to find their equivalent of Nirvana. The younger son Valyn is training with the Kettral, the elite fighting force of the empire. The daughter Adare (eldest sibling but not in line for the throne) is the minister of finance, having been kept in the capital to learn the intricacies of the bureaucracy. Each of the three faces major trials, and their stories become entwined as they must discover who is plotting to wipe out their entire family. Throw in the possibility of a longlived race believed to be extinct returning to destroy humanity and it's becomes a page turner (or audio equivalent).
The story is pretty good. Going into it, I was worried that it would be a bit derivative of The Acacia Trilogy by David Anthony Durham (great series), but other than the premise of following the lives of the children of a deceased monarch, they are completely different. The story has good exposition, moments of brilliant dialogue, and an interesting premise. There is magic, mystical beasts, and sword fights, but not in a campy, overdone manner. Instead the style is brutal and efficient, like the characters. By having the siblings do such different things Staveley is able to write mostly independent stories that inform each other, but do not necessarily rely on the others to be understood. This quite an accomplishment and allows each sibling to develop more fully.
I only have two complaints. One, we did not get to spend much time with Adare. She is a great strong female character, but unlike many similar figures in fantasy (or cross genre) her femininity is not her defining characteristic. She is an interesting, complex, and wonderful character who also is female. I commend this choice. But she has many fewer chapters than her brothers, which seems unfair and left me wanting much more of her.
My major complaint is that Staveley created his own swear words. There's nothing wrong with that in principle, but he creates very few, and overuses them to the point where I started to roll my eyes. Any reader will know the one I'm thinking of soon after starting.
I would recommend this book to any fan of epic fantasy. It's a good start to what could be a great series
7/10
Title: The Emperor's Blade
Author: Brian Staveley
Format: Audiobook
Time to Finish: 5 days
My brother, a fellow fantasy nerd, recommended this book to me. For some reason I decided to trust his judgement. For the most part, I was not disappointed. The story follows the three children of an Emperor in the wake of his death. This is not a spoiler, his murder is the starting part of the story. The elder son and heir Kaden is training with ascetic monks, attempting to find their equivalent of Nirvana. The younger son Valyn is training with the Kettral, the elite fighting force of the empire. The daughter Adare (eldest sibling but not in line for the throne) is the minister of finance, having been kept in the capital to learn the intricacies of the bureaucracy. Each of the three faces major trials, and their stories become entwined as they must discover who is plotting to wipe out their entire family. Throw in the possibility of a longlived race believed to be extinct returning to destroy humanity and it's becomes a page turner (or audio equivalent).
The story is pretty good. Going into it, I was worried that it would be a bit derivative of The Acacia Trilogy by David Anthony Durham (great series), but other than the premise of following the lives of the children of a deceased monarch, they are completely different. The story has good exposition, moments of brilliant dialogue, and an interesting premise. There is magic, mystical beasts, and sword fights, but not in a campy, overdone manner. Instead the style is brutal and efficient, like the characters. By having the siblings do such different things Staveley is able to write mostly independent stories that inform each other, but do not necessarily rely on the others to be understood. This quite an accomplishment and allows each sibling to develop more fully.
I only have two complaints. One, we did not get to spend much time with Adare. She is a great strong female character, but unlike many similar figures in fantasy (or cross genre) her femininity is not her defining characteristic. She is an interesting, complex, and wonderful character who also is female. I commend this choice. But she has many fewer chapters than her brothers, which seems unfair and left me wanting much more of her.
My major complaint is that Staveley created his own swear words. There's nothing wrong with that in principle, but he creates very few, and overuses them to the point where I started to roll my eyes. Any reader will know the one I'm thinking of soon after starting.
I would recommend this book to any fan of epic fantasy. It's a good start to what could be a great series
7/10
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)