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
Showing posts with label eight. Show all posts
Showing posts with label eight. Show all posts
Thursday, April 9, 2015
Friday, March 27, 2015
I missed one, so today you get two
Sorry to my 1-2 loyal fans. Sometimes having a real job means you have no energy left to fun things, like read or write. I'm not reading nearly enough books to keep up with a 2 post per week schedule, but we'll try to persevere through and get some books I have read in the past. Or maybe I'll start getting guest reviews, or reviewing other things, like movies. Movies of books even!
Anyway, here's the first post for today.
Title: The World of Ice and Fire
Author(s): George R. R. Martin, Elio Garcia, Linda Antonsson
Format: Hard Cover
Time to Finish: A long time
I'm an aSoIaF fanatic, so when I heard about this book I started to giving subtle hints to those around me that it would be a wonderful gift. I then started giving less subtle hints. Finally I bought it for myself. It was cheaper than I expected, but to be honest I was willing to pay way too much money to get this coffee table decoration.
To anyone interested in reading this: it is not a story, novel, or epic. It is a history book about a made up world. Unless you are the most diehard of fans, this book be something you look at a few times and then leave to collect dust. You may even ignore the words and just look at the illustrations, which are fantastic. They're probably worth the cost of the book alone. This is also not worthwhile to TV series only fans. The books and series have started to diverge, and this text is true to the books (as the show should be, but that's an argument for elsewhere). The bottom line is: unless you are obsessed, stay away.
Now that I've scared off the weak of heart: this book is awesome. The book is a text book, but contains tons of information and stories that are not found within the books. The book is "written" by a maestar of the Citidal as a gift for King Tommen I and charts the history of the realm. It starts with the Targaryens and there flight from old Valyria. After spending some time on the great kingdoms of those early days, it is chronicle the reign of the Dragon Kings. It goes through them one by one, in order, explaining the deeds and failings of each ruler. Upon reaching the fall of the dragons, the tome turns to the seven kingdoms. It goes through each one, exploring its history prior to the Andal Invasion and integration through modern day. After the kingdoms are through, the maestar turns to the rest of known world, from the free to cities to the shadow lands. As I mentioned before, this is written by a person within the fantasy realm, so we are only privy to the information he knows about these realms and legends. The further away in time or location, the less concrete fact there is.
I loved this because I'm a nerd, but this is the type of book that needs to be taken in small doses. It is a history text, and the language is a mix between that and a bard telling a story. It's a long, tiring read, which fills your head with completely useless knowledge. But it's fun useless knowledge, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.
8/10
Anyway, here's the first post for today.
Title: The World of Ice and Fire
Author(s): George R. R. Martin, Elio Garcia, Linda Antonsson
Format: Hard Cover
Time to Finish: A long time
I'm an aSoIaF fanatic, so when I heard about this book I started to giving subtle hints to those around me that it would be a wonderful gift. I then started giving less subtle hints. Finally I bought it for myself. It was cheaper than I expected, but to be honest I was willing to pay way too much money to get this coffee table decoration.
To anyone interested in reading this: it is not a story, novel, or epic. It is a history book about a made up world. Unless you are the most diehard of fans, this book be something you look at a few times and then leave to collect dust. You may even ignore the words and just look at the illustrations, which are fantastic. They're probably worth the cost of the book alone. This is also not worthwhile to TV series only fans. The books and series have started to diverge, and this text is true to the books (as the show should be, but that's an argument for elsewhere). The bottom line is: unless you are obsessed, stay away.
Now that I've scared off the weak of heart: this book is awesome. The book is a text book, but contains tons of information and stories that are not found within the books. The book is "written" by a maestar of the Citidal as a gift for King Tommen I and charts the history of the realm. It starts with the Targaryens and there flight from old Valyria. After spending some time on the great kingdoms of those early days, it is chronicle the reign of the Dragon Kings. It goes through them one by one, in order, explaining the deeds and failings of each ruler. Upon reaching the fall of the dragons, the tome turns to the seven kingdoms. It goes through each one, exploring its history prior to the Andal Invasion and integration through modern day. After the kingdoms are through, the maestar turns to the rest of known world, from the free to cities to the shadow lands. As I mentioned before, this is written by a person within the fantasy realm, so we are only privy to the information he knows about these realms and legends. The further away in time or location, the less concrete fact there is.
I loved this because I'm a nerd, but this is the type of book that needs to be taken in small doses. It is a history text, and the language is a mix between that and a bard telling a story. It's a long, tiring read, which fills your head with completely useless knowledge. But it's fun useless knowledge, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.
8/10
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
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