Michael Cummings

Where to begin this review? A lot of people like to highlight that Saladin's book is a nice break from Euro-centric fantasy, but to be honest, when you're reading it, that's not what you're paying attention to. What you're watching is the story and characters. Does Saladin deliver?

Almost.

We're presented with good characters and a classic but compelling tension. Something dark and evil is rising up, we have ghuls of all variety, a were-lion, a fighting dervish, magic, the mystery of the desert - where do we go wrong?

For me, the problem was twofold. First, I don't think we had enough depth. The brush strokes are so broad that there's a lack of definition with some of the characters. This might just be an artifact of the fact that its the first book in the series, and Salidan plans on giving more depth later.

My other problem with the story is that the end seemed a bit rushed. After so much time spent circling around the central mystery, the actual confrontation was a bit short and lackluster. Two sides meet and one walks away, in about as many words as this review will end up being.

Don't get me wrong - I really enjoyed this book, and it was a fun read. My dissapointment is because I expected more from the book than it actually promised. I settled on four stars because I felt it was a 3 1/2 star book with a lot of potential to be more.

Like every Tad Williams book I've read, it takes 100+ pages to get the story going, but once set it's worth the wait. My only complaint (hence the spoiler marker, sorry) is that the answer to one of the mysteries was very much Deus ex Machina - the death caused by a thing we hadn't even heard of until the moment it was revealed to be the murderer. Otherwise, a great read, looking forward to the rest of the series.

Reading a classic is always a scary proposition. There is a story and expectation built up in the mind, its easy to fear that the actual reading will be a disappointment.

Luckily I had never seen either of the films made out of this book, so my only expectations were that it was a “classic” and that it sat on the edge of the dark noir crime genre. While much shorter than I anticipated (though fitting for a novel written 80 years ago, granted), it was a fun, quick, titillating read of love, murder, and a hot California summer.

I grabbed the kindle edition, so these notes are particular to that release:

* Formatting: bleh. Not a single consistent font though the book. Pages that have two lines of text. At least the formatting made for a quick read (I see goodreads lists the book as having 200+ pages? More like 50. I read the bulk of it in an hour.)
* Content: I (mistakenly) expected something with a bit more discussion. This book is to Britain what Foxworthy is to Red Necks - largely a collection of “you know you're British if...” punchlines without any actual framing discussions.

Somewhat disappointing, to be honest. In chapter 3 there's a quiz for how British you are - I came out decidedly British, which was fun/amusing, but that was really about as deep as the book got.

More a travelogue than anything else, an entertaining peek at paranormal research in the UK. It's been about 30 years since I read this kind of book, so I found it entertaining.

Not my favorite Honor book so far. I read these for fun military action and a kick ass protag. What I got was a lot of side action (relevant, but long), and a lot of telling about what happened instead of showing. I appreciate brevity in books, but I felt like the wrong parts were summarized.

I started reading this during the recent onset of rainy weather here in Virginia, starting with the hurricane last month. There's is something in my brain, a trigger, that associates cool, rainy weather with the trifecta of Saturday evenings, comic books, and pulpy science fiction/fantasy. It doesn't get much pulpier than Weber's Mutineer's Moon, book 1 of the Dahak trilogy. (I'm actually reading the omnibus edition, but thought it would be more fair to list the books individually as I finished them.)

Its a little startling to realize that this book is just shy of twenty years old - the politics and climate of international affairs in the book, while a bit simplistic in some ways, still manage to resonate as being right on cue for modern day to near future Earth. You know, except for the fact that the moon is really a giant, orbiting alien space craft set to look like a moon when the proto-human population on the ship faced a mutiny. Except for that, of course.

I called it pulpy, and I'll stand by that - don't pick this book (or series) up if you are looking for deep discussions on human nature, highly correct science and scientific conjecture, or really deep, introspective science fiction. This is big explosions and quick action scenes that don't necessarily always make sense in retrospect, but that work nicely in the context of the fast paced story that Weber has written.

If you've read the kind of books I review high, especially in the science fiction category, and agree with me, then this is probably a good fit. Its eye candy for the brain, in all the brain rotting sweetness our mother's used to warn us about. And keep an eye on the moon, because there might be something up there keeping an eye on us, too.

The second book in the Dahak trilogy picks up right where Mutineer's Moon left off. Earth faces attack from the Achuultani, while Colin is off looking for help and what happened to the Fourth Imperium. The book covers a lot of ground quickly as Weber almost rushes to get us to the point where we see some action. Without being a spoiler - yes, there are answers to most of the big questions from Book One.

I think my only complaint about this book was the lack of effort on Weber's part to deal with real universe physics. Not the complicated parts, like how warp missiles would function at a quantum entanglement level, but just the basics of: if ships are on opposite sides of a solar system (which is presumably at least a few light hours in width), how is it they see each other in real time?!? Sorry, I know this isn't something most folks care about, but ever since I read The Dread Empire's Fall series by Walter Jon Williams, this is the kind of thing I think about in epic space battles that make these kind of mistakes (detection based on hyper signal? sure! based on seeing the ship appear on the other side of the system instantly? Light doesn't work that way!!!)

But I digress, because despite that physics problem, the story is about the characters and the struggle, and as with the first book, it continues in good spirits here. Off to the third book!

Insomnia is really a Dark Tower novel. I takes about 500 pages to get there, but then you are smacked in the ka with a tower, a dark figure, a king with guns on his hips, and the meaning of the whole struggle of the book as a footnote in the levels of the world. A fun read even if you haven't read any of the Dark Tower, there are moments where it drags. But at 700 pages, that's not a shock.

Good read! I'm looking forward to getting my hands on the arc so I can review this for YAFantasyGuide.com. As with all “epic fantasy” novels, it isn't whether we can read what the author telegraphs us in advance (no spoilers, but if you read this and don't see some things coming, bah!) - but its the anticipation and reveal that makes it worth it. Certainly a worthy read.

I'm a little late in reading this, I realize - the sequel is now out, and here I am just getting to it. I remember when “The Magicians” came out, critics likened it to “Harry Potter, but with older kids.” Of course, the fans called it “Harry Potter, but with older kids!” I guess it was whether you used an exclamation mark that made the difference.

Personally, I found the novel a little uneven. Prior to going off to magic university, I liked the protagonist, Quentin. At school he was a jerk, but ok, not following some of your decisions or comments, a little out of the blue, but I can move along past the angst of entering a new world. By the end of the book I cared less and less about his choices, what he was doing, or even why. I cared more for the secondary characters than for Quentin, and I never got that emotional bond that's supposed to tie you to book and make it impossible to put down.

The coolest part of the book was the laying out of the Narnia like story the characters grew up with, and then interacting with the real thing. But even here the story was uneven. Some of it was the gritty underbelly of a pseudo-Narnia you know is lurking in the shadows, but then it stopped and became all quick brushstrokes again, glossing over any sense of depth and leaving it all feeling hollow.

The parts of this novel that were good, were really, really good. Sadly, the parts that weren't dragged this down a couple of stars in my opinion.

I have never read a Jack Reacher novel. I picked up Killing Floor about a year ago, but never made it far. The context just wasn't right for me at the time. Someday, I may pick it up and read it in a sitting. It was the same time the first time I tried to read Foundation. I was 11 or 12, and it was the first time I think I tried reading a book that had such dramatic jumps in timelines. The fact that the protagonist for both parts of the book had the initials H.S. made it hard for me to follow. I don't know why. But a few years later I picked it up again and proceeded to read the entire series over the course of a week.

So why did I pick up Reacher Said Nothing? Because even knowing so little about Reacher, I am always fascinated by the process authors take to create. Martin's book delivered that, though a bit unevenly. To be fair, the book was never sold as only being about the writing process. My three stars are only because I found it uneven in representing the narrative. It was good, but it wasn't the best example of this kind of book. It does have the distinction of being one of the only I've seen that was written by an observer rather than autobiographical. It does add a slightly objective angle that can be lost – most folks don't write about all of their bad habits while creating.

Probably more interesting to Reacher fans, but still a decent insight into yet another writers process. Or lack thereof.

I'm trying to read these in publication order, so broke away from the main line at the start of Bonehunters to read this. I enjoyed Esslemont's writing and thought the story did a great job of fitting into the shared universe while also filling in a few gaps along the way. Highly enjoyed.

Shadow's Lure is the second book of Sprunk's Shadow Saga, following the debut of “Shadow's Son” last year (2010). In this volume, we return to Othir immediately after the events of “Shadow's Son” as Caim heads north, looking for answers to his past and the murder of his parents. What he finds is a land under the grip of the Shadow, personified in the witch Sybelle and the hints of shadow born magic that darken the land. Meanwhile, Josey, as Empress, is struggling with the politics of a land that seems beset with chaos, not to mention assassins out to remove her. And then there's the fae Kit, who early in the book is whisked away from Caim as she has to deal with her own troubles.

“Shadow's Lure” needs to be read in sequence with the rest of the series, unfortunately. Sprunk gives the new reader nothing to identify with with the characters, plunging the reader into a world where the three main characters have very little direct interaction with one another. readers coming to this book directly from the end of book one, though, will appreciate that this book picks up within days of the first book.

Sprunk keeps the secrets of his world at bay, giving us only hints and suggestions. For now, this is enough, though the third book, “Shadow's Master,” has a lot of promises to deliver on. Sprunk's books will appeal to the sword and sorcery fans - assassins, magic, and action litter the novel, leaving very little room for the doldrums to creep in.

I have a confession to make - I'm not the biggest fan of Tom Lloyd's books. It isn't the mythos, or the violence, or even the characters. There is something in the way that Lloyd constructs sentences that hurts my brain.

I realize that sounds petty and weak, and it is, but it makes reading a full length novel of his difficult. I'm sure listening to a narrated version would be fine - I've learned that lesson with a few other authors lately - but something in the word to brain translation breaks down and I begin to develop a book induced migraine. My internal critic screams at what seem like run-on sentences devoid of punctuation.

Which is why I'm as surprised as you now are to know I'm going to recommend the God Tattoo so highly. This collection of “Untold Tales from the Twilight Reign” follows the same universe as his other Twilight Reign novels, replete with White Eyes and magics and forces both terrible and dark. But somehow, distilled into these short vignettes, each chapter a story in itself, it was actually a really fun and entertaining read.

Of course, like any story collection, not all stories are created equal, and some are better than others. Fans of Lloyd's will enjoy the collection, and fantasy readers interested in a collection of fun fantasy adventures will find something entertaining here as well. This companion book contains a well rounded collection of mysteries, gothic fairytales, and classic adventure stories - set in the world of the Seven Tribes.

Enjoy!

In this final installment of the Aeon's Gate trilogy we journey to the island of Jaga. Death has followed, chased, and clung to our crew of adventurers, and a soujourn to Jaga won't change the fact that they are walking into the gaping maw of Ulbecetonth herself. An island surrounded by the statues of lost gods, occupied by lonely hostile warrior lizardmen, and under attack by wave after wave of longfaced purple warrior women who are only content in battle.

So, a lot more of the same, which isn't a bad thing. Sykes picked up the gauntlet where it lay when we finished Black Halo and carried it to an almost satisfactory conclusion. Some questions remained, and Sykes has all but admitted that's because he plans on writing more stories in this universe. The questions that did remain after reading this novel were the larger picture questions, the kind that are called “spoilers.”

What should returning readers look forward to? Expect to find resolution between Lenk and Kat (as much resolution as possible between a man with voices in his head and a shickt who's people are sworn to eliminate the human infection from the face of the planet). The answers you wanted for Denaos' history or Asper's hand are covered. We even get a glimpse of where the Netherlings come from.

All in all, this third book did a great job of bringing this chapter of the story to a conclusion, while still leaving room for expansion in the future. As the conclusion of a trilogy, this book was probably the least accessible to new readers, but that's not to be unexpected in a series. I think returning readers will find that this book balances well against the first book in terms of amounts of action and pace.

RHEGA!!!

If you read through the reviews for this book, they boil down to two camps - the haters and the lovers. I have to admit, I originally qualified as the former the first time I tried reading this book. The book initially feels like a transcript from a frat boy fantasy RPG, with a vibe that just left me disinterested.

Time passed and the world turned, as they say, and I gave the book another shot. Read it in a week, and will probably try and get a hold of the sequel(s) at some point to boot (there's only one as I write this, but I think Sykes has mentioned that the third volume is already done). The book is a fantasy action lark without any redeeming quality, which is the first clue to the kind of reader that will enjoy this. If you loved Abercrombie's First Law books, but wished they had a metric ton more magic, then you'll probably enjoy Tome. The characters aren't really heroes or heroic, and yet by the end you understand what makes them tick (mostly), and why they are the crappy examples of morality that they are.

Cons? “Adventurers” just sounds too much like we're describing a bunch of my fellow geeks on a Saturday night, and really shouldn't be in a self respecting book. Also, the book can be pretty evenly divided into the half where we think everyone's a jerk, and the half where we learn, one by one, what each character's motivating secret is.

Pros - everything else. Don't go looking for a lost ballad and you'll have a blast. Watery tarts, magic fire, purple skinned warriors, elf-like pro-antagonists, demons, gates to hell, the works, all wrapped in a neat, tidy package.

I have to admit, going solely on the back cover blurb, I was skeptical about this book, putting it off as a TBR for the last few years. I finally found a copy at a used bookstore and was in the mood for something that was a bit more meaty than usual faire of Sci-Fi I'd been reading later.

What won me over in the end was that it was an Alastair Reynolds book. I loved his Revelation Space books; the same can be said for this first chapter in the Poseidon's Children series. It starts off as a future drama, but quickly unfolds into the kind of space opera I've come to enjoy. We worth the week long marathon I spent reading it :)

What could have been a four star book compromises its way up to three stars. First, the good. Tom Lloyd presents us with a world filled with gods and men, and all the fantastical tropes that walk in between. Lloyd tugs at all of the familiar strings – prophetically proclaimed saviors, curses, even vampires, and of course, the question of whether our protagonist will turn out to be the hero or the doom foretold. While a simple enough story, it is often the simple ones that speak truest to us. There is an appeal to these modern fairy tale, and Lloyd makes sure to pepper his story with just enough of these elements to intrigue us and keep us flipping pages.

So why the struggle up to three stars? This book failed for me on purely technical merits. It had all of the ingredients of the kind of book I normally devour – magic, prophesy, gods, big shiny swords with special names, world in peril, etc. Where did it lose me?

First, the list of characters, in addition to being too long to keep track of in such a short book, was tucked away at the back of the book. Literally. Readers of the paper edition might have seen it, by accident, when going to set the book down. Readers of the electronic edition, though, would suffer the entire length of the book before discovering that hidden away at the back there is a mild attempt at explaining who's who. Mild, because it isn't conclusive, and doesn't give us the information we need to fully appreciate the story that Lloyd is telling.

Tackling a new world, with politics and struggles between sides, with an obvious sense of depth and history, is nothing new to fantasy readers. Its part of what makes second world fantasy stand out, after all. As readers, we've come to expect that the author will use one of a few well trod mechanisms. The simplest, and least favored, is of course to just info dump, preferably somewhere near the start of the tale so we can get that nasty mess out of the way and move on. The more timid author will provide us with a glossary, or at least well populated and advertised appendixes, that explain the lay of the land, who the sides are, even a little cultural background. Some prefer this method as it leaves it up to the reader to determine what depth they're willing to explore and understand the underpinnings of the world they just engaged. Of course, the truly brave writer – and this is why epic fantasy is known for its lengthy tomes, I think – will layer their explanations and insights about their fantasy world through the telling of the novel, so that while you may start not knowing who Bahl is or what a white-eyes is, by the end of the story you'll catch yourself swearing in Bahl's name and cursing the blight that is a white-eye born man. These are the story tellers. And this is what is so infuriating about this book, because it is this final cusp that it fails to cross. Our understanding of the world is so incomplete we are left questioning what is happening for part of the book. Every time I felt I had a grasp, we were introduced to a new character that made me question whether we were speaking the same language.

In the end, I think this first book had potential, but never quite rises above these flaws to stand out. Recommended for genre readers looking for a new series, but be forewarned its rough around the edges.

Perhaps not as whiz bang as the first book in the trilogy, Before They Are Hanged was still a good read. As with any trilogy, this book was more about the getting from point A (book 1) to point B (book 3, presumably, where there is resolution), full of nice bits of action and the building up of tension for the third book.

I picked up the first book of the Dresden Files mostly because I was tired of friends - even people I respected - who said the books were really good. I'd seen the SciFi channel adaption, and frankly, hadn't been impressed. As it turns out, for good reason, since the SciFi channel version paled in comparison to the real thing, except for some names and professions. The book was a fun, quick read. Butcher's no Tolstoy - but then, when you're reading about wizards in Chicago, do you really want a Tolstoy telling the story? I intended to read the rest of the series now, and would even go so far as to recommend it :) So thank you Dan, E, and anyone else that said I should give it a whirl.

Wow. One or two cases of losing the POV, as with many early King books, but Firestarter lived up to everything I had hoped for and more. If you liked the movie, you'll love the book. I realize it's a truism that the book is always better and more in depth than the movie that was based on it, and Firestarter is no exception.

I don't often reread books, but with a sequel coming out this month it seemed like a good idea. Just as frightening as I remembered, though all these years later I'd forgotten how loose King was with POV in this early novel. Still a classic in my book, and still just this side of creepy to make me jump a few times :)

wow

Somewhat reminiscent of Enemy Mine, this first book was a fast paced, fun read. If you like your sci-fi to have aliens, fighting, and a lone human trapped in the middle of it all, you've come to the right place.

As someone who grew up in the 80's, I can only point at this book and say this - this is where all of my favorite TV shows were born. This is where the Rockford Files were seeded, Simon and Simon conceived, Riptide docked. This is where the Burn Notice was lit. If you've ever watched a show where the good guys are only mostly good, and every week they are helping some other unfortunate soul that's been dealt a rough hand fight back, then this book is for you.

The Deep Blue Good-By isn't a deep novel. What it is a great escape from the mundane, to a world where a guy living on a houseboat can solve crimes, right wrongs, and still has time to sip a beer at sunset. While at times a little dated, given the fact that it was published in the 60's, it stands up pretty well.