Michael Cummings

I loved the first book, and that is what drove me to finish this volume. The plot was fine, the characters ok, but I was constantly distracted by the seemingly infinite varieties of the word “wry” that the author used and the editor let through. I really do think Islington can be a great writer - but as tweeted, I hit a wryly wry threshold of wryliness that led me to screaming into the aether.

I feel like this was the victim of the pandemic. I read the first issue just before lockdown started, and it was great - corny, maybe, but that kind of science fiction corny you enjoy. A spaceship is found buried in the ice, the final panel of the issue ending with WHAT, NEANDERTHALS ON ICE?!?

That first issue would have earned a five-star rating because it scratched all the right, fun itches. Every other issue of this miniseries knocked it down a star. Storylines left unfinished, the mystery of the spaceship undramatically resolved with some handwaving “the aliens created us - we're their failed experiment!” I'd like to believe that this series had more going for it, but the restrictions and restraints of a pandemic gripped world stifled this project. I'd like to believe that. It's more believable than what this storyline turned into.

Pevel returns to seventeenth century France in this second novel of the Cardinal's Blades. A new threat rises to threaten the future of France. La Donna, an Italian spy known for her subterfuge and intrigue and, of course, inescapable and beguiling beauty, possesses information of a plot against the King and is willing to share it, for a price.

As a French adventure story that is supposed to remind us of Dumas - if Alexandre had had a penchant for dragons, dragonnettes, and dracs running rampant in the streets of Paris and the French countryside alongside the musketeers, that is - Pevel succeeds.

There is a flavor to this novel that is very reminiscent of nineteenth century adventure
novels, doused liberally with fantasy elements. This novel isn't without its difficulties, though. As a sequel, it stumbles a little. Certain revelations from the first book are largely ignored in this sequel, a flaw that only can be overlooked thanks to stronger writing on Pevel's part. The reader has to be prepared to do a little bit of work as Pevel traces a path through Paris street by street in what can be a confusing list of streets. Pevel, like Dumas (but sometimes without the same grace), suffers the crime of random information dumps, which mire this story in unnecessary complexity at times. Too much information, especially when revealed in a story utilizing the third person omniscience of the all knowing, all seeing, all explaining author, lends a detachment to the reader that makes it difficult to invest fully in the characters.

“The Alchemist in the Shadows” is a good read, but you may have to
work for it a little bit. .

I had tried reading this years ago and had a hard time with it - this time I read it in three days :) This sequel to Dune takes place not long after that seminal work, with Paul and Alia at the head of the new Imperium. I was surprised when reading this how tight Herbert's writing was. It was a quick read because Herbert didn't waste time on details that weren't germaine to the moment, which might put off some readers. If Kyle MacLachlan pops in your head when you think Paul Atreides, approach with caution. This Maud'Dib is a ruler, stuck with all of the problems and dilemmas a super powered emperor with a wife, mistress, and a back from the dead friend would expect to face.

This was far better than I expected it to be. I couldn't help but wonder if this influenced Sanderson at all. Just saying there's some similarities between spren and furies, both use Knights...

I'm 2 or 3 chapters into the book. Hoping the horrific data drops stop soon.
[update]

I just can't do it. The book is beyond my ken for enjoyability.

Great book, solid entry in the Polity universe. Recommend avoiding the ebook if typos bother you - the publisher was lax with typography. Paper edition is perfect.

It's not a flawless book. There were parts that were barely three star worthy and parts that shone at five stars. In the end I read half the book in an afternoon, a sure sign I must have eventually gotten hooked and overlooked the parts that didn't work for me.

A great read! Felt like a missing chapter from one of King's other books, like an appendix to Needful Things or Nightmares and Dreamscapes. It had the vibe of his pulpier 80's horror stories. I realize this was a collaboration, but I had a hard time telling who's voice was which (ie, it was a success!)

Hellbent was my first foray into the world's of Cherie Priest. I've heard wonderful things about her steampunk series, the Clockwork Century, but of her vampire series, beginning with Bloodshot, I'd heard very little.

Let me put that to rest.

If you're just looking for all that glitters, this isn't the spot. Nor is Priest's take on vampires entirely horrific, though. What she is is blunt and snarky and very engaging.

You can almost forget that Ray (Raylene) is a vampire, except maybe when she's rescuing a kitten that's tracked through a crime scene because its paws smell so good, what with all that fresh blood. Ray is a thief. A very, very good thief, who's hired to track down some magical artifacts and relive their current owner of them. The maniac witch that's threatening to bring down heaven and hell with them is just a complication in the plan, right?

The other major plot threads of the novel center around blind Ian (another vampire) and his former House, and Adrian's (a human) search for what happened to his sister. While a lot of the historical details to these plots is left unsaid, enough context was given (and even an outright “This is what happened before” blurt) that you didn't feel lost if you hadn't read the first book. It also didn't feel like Priest overly did the recap, as most of it was up front early on, letting the story progress on its own from there.

Hellbent was a splendid mix of action and comedy, and of course magic, vampires, ghouls, and some tasty, bloody kitten paws. Probably a few too many jokes about the objects Ray is hired to steal (I'd hate to be the one to reveal that spoiler), but other than that a solid, fun read.

There's talk these days of good retro-scifi, and in its own way I think this accidentally fits. Not because it's retro - it was written in its time - but because it has that perfect blend of 50's vernacular with future society problems. Pohl and Kornbluth took a stab at what the future would look like, and for all that they failed and missed with, they still managed to hit a few things dead on. A good read.

A little heavy on the eco side at random intervals, but all in all a fun romp through the Spirit world with the Trickster (and maybe some other characters, but he was my favorite).

I loved the Saga of the Seven Suns.

The story was ok, but the actual writing was far under par compared to other Anderson books. I would still be willing to try the sequel - I really did love the original saga - but expected better writing than this.

Rawr

This is the roar of a dinosaur evolving into a primate and making a statement. One part manifesto, one short story, and some open letters. Its a format you don't see often these days, but its all Ken.

[Slow clap] Well done. Fans of Hamilton will recognize the reuse of old mechanics - instant portals, neural augmentations, at least one character is an investigator of some sort. Salvation reminded me a lot of the first Commonwealth book with the StarFlyer. A fun read, recommend at 4.2 stars.

A good read, I couldn't help but hear Bogart in my head every time Marlowe spoke. I was a little surprised by the maturity of some of the content (filmed today, it would definitely be rated R), as well as some of the homophobic comments. I recognize and acknowledge that it is a product of its time and don't hold it against the book, but it was still unexpected.

Read this in just a few days - somewhat of a record for me in these modern times. First, let me repeat sentiments from my review of the first Paladin book - Dalgish packs a nice, old school epic fantasy punch in a short amount of space. The book is only 250ish pages long (hence my being able to read it so fast), and avoids being overly complicated. At the same time, a wonderful reminder that you can have fun in fantasy still. A book doesn't need to be 1000 pages long to be enjoyable.

A bit darker than the first book, book 2 sticks with the general formula of dealing with only one major plot line successfully. Enjoy!

Like Dave Barry giving writing advice (am I dating myself?), Resnick's book is a somewhat humorous collection of anecdotes focussed on reminding writers bad things happen, it's a career not a hobby, and the rewards aren't always greater than the investment. And yet we keep doing it.

A lot more fun than a second book deserve to be. Actually enjoyed this one more than the first. Plus, ALIENS! yay!

Overall, I enjoyed Terry's book. It was a lot of rough around the edges at times (repetition of phrases, one case of bad math, or at least unclear math), but I'm sure this is something improved on in later books. As for the story, they're the kind of tropes I love reading - human empires broken of from old Earth, lost and alone, attempting to regain contact. There were some elements that reminded me a lot of Weber's Dahak books (in a good way :) )

The fourth Lukien novel John Marco has published, “The Forever Knight” is a break from the format and story of the previous books, giving new readers an excellent opportunity to dip into this saga. Cursed with immortality by the spirit living within his sword, Lukien begins this novel restless and aimless. He's a man who lives a life without consequence. When the ancient spirit in your sword can heal you of any wound, mortal or benign, what challenge is there in living?

Despite the teaser for this book, this book does not dwell on the Inhumans or Lukien's roll as their protector. With the usual grace of a fantasy novel, Lukien is cast out into the world on a quest, sword in hand and companion at his side. While the stated goal of the quest is to find answers to his companion, Cricket's, past, it's obvious what is really the objective - to find a purpose and challenge to satisfy an immortal knight.

In my mind, two things set this novel apart from many fantasy novels. The first was the decision to present this tale in the first person. For new readers especially, this can be daunting in second world fantasy, where there is no frame of reference for understanding the environment and cultures around the POV. Marco succeeds here by painting with broad strokes, sketching a world and people we can almost see, without lingering on the details that aren't relevant. Not a common choice, but the first person worked well for this story.

The second factor that set this novel apart from so many other epic fantasy novels these days was breadth. At 282 pages, it's a relatively light contender compared to other tomes available. I would continue to argue that this isn't a bad trend to see in books these days. Presenting readers with a single, well drafted adventure can be so much more satisfying than a collection of adventures sewn together for the sake of bulk.

In both efforts I think Marco succeeded with “The Forever Knight.” An entertaining adventure story that was extremely accessible for a first time reader, and a well written introduction to a new chapter in this character's journey.

I'm of the opinion that this quartet of books would have been better suited as just one long volume rather than 4 shorter works. That said, it fills the itch it was intended for - sword and sorcery with a touch of pulp.

How a Python was born

Cleese's autobiography is, on the surface, the story of his life leading up to the Python years. But really? A subtle farewell note to Graham Chapman. And a lot of background material. ☺

Let me caveat this by saying that where this anthology shone, it was blinding. There were a few stories that could have used an editorial redraft, though, with strong ideas but awkward execution. And then there were those stories that made this anthology completely worth it - “Twisted Words” by Andy Stockton is so reminiscent of a good gothic that its scary to think this might be one of his first publications; Rebecca Snow's “He's Not Heavy” is just awesome; “Forgive Me, Father, For I Have....Burp” is a touch comic, but certainly a fresh (and senses engaging) story; “The Overpass” by John Lemut really should be expanded and made into a novel in its own right. 4 out of 5 to balance the yin with the yang - all had strong stories and concepts, the balance of the stars coming from polished and still rough.

I'm still wrapping my head around stories in the Who-verse without the Doctor being present. This story was intended as a spin-off back in the late 60's and survives the test of time - barely. It takes a little while to build up, and there are some assumptions made that current readers/fans might find odd (in particular, an argument for why women should enjoy not having to work and just live a life of relaxed choices). That said, still a good Dalek's rising story :)