Sean

In the afterword of this book, Scalzi acknowledges that it's hard to write sequels, especially when the first book in the series was as acclaimed as OLD MAN'S WAR was. THE GHOST BRIGADES, while interesting and thoughtful in its own right, was simply not the same “feel” as OMW and sort of falls short, but was interesting enough to keep reading through to the end.

In OMW, one of the characters we meet is Jane Sagan, a member of the Ghost Brigade, the Colonial Defense Force's Special Ops group. This book is partly Jane's story, and partly the story of Jared Dirac, a Ghost Brigade clone of Charles Boutin, a man who has turned traitor against the CDF and has unified three alien races in an unprecedented alliance to stop the CDF once and for all. Dirac and Sagan must race against time to figure out why Boutin has sold out the CDF, and Dirac tries to piece together his “father's” story.

All in all, it was a good book. It obviously won awards. Scalzi's simplistic prose is still crisp and interesting, but John Perry was missing from the book. After OMW, I wanted more Perry, and without him and his glib dialogue, this felt like an entirely different book in an entirely different series. It was still worth reading, but I felt a little cheated because of the change in characters.

That's the author's prerogative, though. I still enjoyed the book and downloaded the next one in the series, THE LAST COLONY. Perry is back in that one. I hope I will enjoy it, as well.

Two of my favorite books: THE THREE MUSKETEERS by Alexandre Dumas and SCARAMOUCHE by Rafael Sabatini.

What both of these have in common: Swordfights.

The film version of Scaramouche contains one of the best swordfights ever put on film, an eight-and-a-half minute romp that became the blueprint for the swordfight between Wesley and Inigo in THE PRINCESS BRIDE.

The modern-day heir to the swordfight in novels has to be Sebastien de Castell, author of the Greatcoats series.

I picked up the first Greatcoat book (TRAITOR'S BLADE) two years ago and was hooked by the end of the first act. I've since read all three books in the series (so far) and eagerly await the fourth book (and possible final book in the series) which is due out in April.

First Cantor Falcio val Mond, his best friend and one-time Saint of Swords, Kest, and the arrogant archer Brasti are basically a modern-day Athos, Porthos, and Aramis. De Castell's dialogue is sharp and witty, the characters are well-constructed and interesting, and the action is fast. More importantly, de Castell created actual heroes, guys that you care for and WANT to win, despite the massive odds they face.

I love these books and de Castell's style of writing. The characters are wonderful and vivid. The world he built is compelling. I heartily recommend them.

A solid outing, but it wasn't the book I wanted it to be. It was good for what it was, though.
I think my problem lies in that I would have been happy reading a whole book about the works of a reclusive author getting outed to the public by a teen trying to save his family from poverty. I didn't need the other stuff in the book. The Rothschild story was compelling by itself.

I'm still looking forward to the last book in the series, though.

I was able to read this book in a single sitting, thanks to the Black Friday slowness at work. (No one buys paint on Black Friday.)

As usual, the text was tight and flowing. The characters were unforgettable. The setting was pristine in its backwoods poverty.

However, with this book, a tale of revenge and power, Bledsoe created in Bo-Kate Wisby one of the most memorable and interesting villains in recent literary memory. She is at once a despised character, but also someone you cannot stop watching. Absolutely riveting!

I've been working my way through CJ Box's catalog for a while. I enjoy his work a lot, but it's not pressing for me. I like Joe Pickett, but some of his decisions frustrate me. The family dynamic is compelling, though, and with Endangered, Box proves that an old dog can sometimes have new tricks. It is, by far, one of the best books in the Joe Pickett series.

Joe's daughter, April, ran away with a cowboy at the end of the previous book, and in the first chapter of this one, Joe receives word that April has been found beaten severely, unconscious, and near death. The likely suspect is the cowboy she ran off with, Dallas Cates.

Those of you who know Joe know that if you mess with his family things are like to get a little Western...

The mystery of who really hurt April comes together nicely, and there's a subplot with the enigmatic Nate Romanowski, of course. The story twists and turns well until it arrives at a climax that merges all the loose ends into a well-written knot.

Dallas Cates's family, particularly his mother, Brenda, are an interesting nest of vipers, and Box allows that to shine through.

This is a worthy entry in the Pickett series. Well worth the time.

Solid debut novel for Mr. Eskens. The mystery was not completely unfathomable (you figure out where he's going with it pretty quick if you're familiar with the mystery genre in the least), but the characters are likable, the action is swift, and you root for the protagonist because he's trying to rise above the station he was born into. I liked it.

Grisham is sort of hit or miss for me. I'm not really into legal thrillers, but as far as legal thrillers go, this was a good one. Grisham really hammers home the horrific details of how Big Coal conducts business, and the rock and a hard place that the poverty-stricken miners and people in Appalachia have are put in daily between testing their love for the land that surrounds their little towns and the desperate need for the jobs offered by the mining industry–and all the ramifications that come with them.

Grisham is no slouch when it comes to prose, but after so many books, he has a definite beat-sheet, and you can feel him writing to it. When the “big twist” happens about 65% of the way through the book, you might be a little surprised, but the second it happens, you know EXACTLY how the rest of the book will proceed. And it does.

I liked this book, but found myself raging at the world during parts of it because we, as people, should not treat our fellow human beings the way some folks in this book get treated. Unfortunately, that's not a writer stretching the truth. It was born out of a writer stating plain, hard truths that we don't care to always acknowledge.

Really interesting to hear the inside stories about that fabled Godspell production, and the last three chapters concerning his wife's cancer diagnosis and eventual demise were heartbreaking and beautiful.

Get the audiobook so you can hear his character work. Definitely worth a listen.

A very enjoyable detective book from the Man Himself. It was not what I was expecting, but at the same time, like most of King's work, it was very readable and paced itself quite well. I enjoyed the character of Hodges. I liked the villain. I liked the secondary characters. I'm looking forward to reading the next two in this trilogy.

I saw “Captain America: Winter Soldier” by myself in the theater, as I do many movies. With work schedules and the kid's various clubs and events in the way, it's easier for me to carve out a solo window of time and sneak off to see the comic book movies that I love so much. “Winter Soldier” is still the best of the Marvel films, to me. I remember vividly that when that movie ended, I was hit with the biggest wave of depression. The Germans call it “weltschmerz”—the depression that comes from seeing how the world is, and knowing how it should be. Chris Evans was so good as Captain America, that I wanted Captain America to be real, and I wanted Chris Evans to be that guy. I wanted someone to be that positive, that good, that pure. I felt like America—no, the world needs beacons of positivity and goodness like that. Too often, we get dragged down into the darkness and cynicism, so we need things that will give us that uplift our souls so desperately crave, even if they are fictional. This is why I always look forward to the next John Flanagan book.

I discovered THE RANGER'S APPRENTICE series a few years ago when I was trying to find books for the kid to read. I brought home the first in that series and gave it to her. She was uninterested (she is a reluctant reader, which breaks my heart—but what can you do?). So, I read it myself. In the stories of Will and Halt, I found that same sort of goodness that I got from “Winter Soldier.” When I discovered the RA series, eleven books were out. The twelfth, and final book, was on the way. I tore through the whole series in a week. I couldn't put them down. Sure, Will was a big Mary Sue. Sure, I knew that things were going to work out in the end for the main characters. I still enjoyed them.

John Flanagan started a spin-off series from the RA series after he completed Will and Halt's adventures. THE BROTHERBAND CHRONICLES were the stories of a group of Scandian (Vikings) sailors. Forged by the trials of their community's coming-of-age rituals, the boys become a brotherband—a sailing unit. Hal, their leader, has a small, but crafty wolfship, THE HERON, and they sail it to various adventures. Seven books deep into this series, and I actually enjoy it more than I did the Ranger's Apprentice series.

Sure, Hal is a big Mary Sue. Sure, Lydia is too cool for her own good. Sure, Stefan, Jesper, and Edvin are underused characters. Sure, Ingvar is cool, but he's become one-dimensional. Same with Stig. And Ulf and Wulf. And Thorn. (How about a little more conflict within your characters, John?) But, the books are good and pure. They're clever. The relationship of the brotherband is wholesome, and every time I finish reading one of these books, I'm struck with that same wave of depression I got after “Winter Soldier.” –I want this to be real, and I want to be one of them. To me, that's the highest compliment I can give any book.

The books are written for kids (4th-8th grade). They're not difficult reads. I tore through this one in a few hours. They get a little formulaic at times, but I don't mind that. Flanagan always finds a way to give them a new twist that keeps them from being the same as the last one. (Take a note, Dan Brown...) These books are not going to change the world, but whenever I read one, the world is a better place in my own head, at least for a little while.

I can't wait until the next one comes out.

Michael Connelly is a best-seller for a reason. He writes a compelling mystery with interesting characters and tight dialogue. Harry Bosch and Mickey Haller are two of the most compelling characters in modern mystery fiction, and when you pair them, you get magic.

I listened to this one on audiobook. It was read by Titus Welliver, who stars as Bosch on the Amazon Prime TV series. He was great as a reader and the book just jumped to life. I highly recommend taking it in through Welliver's interpretation.

I prefer the Dunk and Egg stories to Game of Thrones. Dunk is a better protagonist than anyone in caught up in the crazy war for the Iron Throne and the stories about him are more hopeful and noble.

The Dunk and Egg novellas are about the old Targaryan line a couple generations before whole Khaleesi/Stark/Lannister throwdown in Westeros. A Hedge Knight, Ser Duncan the Tall, and his squire, Egg, travel Westeros looking for fortune and adventure and getting a lay of the land.

I really wish GRRM would hurry up and pump out a few of the stories he says he is working on, the stories that are promised to us at the end of this volume.

Solid work.
Very different from what you'd think you'd get when you see him on stage, but that's good.

Saget is much more talented than most people give him credit for. I have no doubt he could be a really killer dramatic actor if the right role popped up.

One of the best sci-fi novels I've ever read. It was riveting, funny, and had a satisfying conclusion. The science in it was allegedly true, as well.

An interesting piece of fantasy. It's atypical of most fantasy novels because of the lack of violence and sword play, but the political realm Addison builds is worth visiting.

I've read that she wasn't planning any sequels for this book, but may revisit the world she created for a different book. I hope she does more. It's worth it.

This is not a mystery.

It's not supposed to be a mystery. The moment the story begins, you will instantly understand how it ends. Obviously, since it's about the past, you know that the three main characters of the story will end up okay.

But, like the story of “A Christmas Carol,” which serves as an undertone to this tale, the point of the story is the journey.

The story of a young Walt Longmire pairing up with a recently-retired Lucian Connolly to save a young girl's life on the cusp of a hellacious winter storm in 1988 is nothing short of a roller-coaster of plane ride.

It's a bit different than the tales that Craig normally tells, but he does it so well that you won't really mind. Johnson's ability to turn a phrase and write dialogue that crackles is what sets him apart from most writers and this book has plenty of that.

If you're looking for a traditional Walt Longmire mystery, you'll be disappointed. But if you're looking for a story about hope and courage, with a hint of the sort of chutzpah that society seems to lack nowadays, then you're in for a treat.

Vol. 2 was every bit as good as Vol. 1.
Bring on Vol. 3.

When I picked up THE HUM AND THE SHIVER, I was doing it out of a sense of loyalty to the author. Alex Bledsoe currently lives in my hometown (Mount Horeb, Wis.) and he and I have been Twitter/Facebook pals for some time. I enjoyed his Eddie LaCrosse books, but that's more my speed: swords and banter. Love it. There was nothing about THE HUM AND THE SHIVER that actually made me want to read it. I just figured I ought to to support Alex.

And damned if he didn't make me love it. There was just something about it. The mystery of the Tufa, the music, the gentle backwoods cast, the setting...it was just perfect. I went out immediately and put the next two books in the series on my reading list. But, like most people, my “to-be-read” pile tends to grow faster than my “has-been-read” pile, so it took me a couple of months to get to WISP OF A THING.

By the third chapter, I was kicking myself for not getting there sooner. Alex is a gifted storyteller, and the world-building he's done with Cloud County is as magical as its residents. His prose is Tupperware tight, but effortlessly readable and pages tick past like miles on a country road.

I found it strange that he chose not to follow the main characters of the first novel, but in doing so he's given himself a much larger, much more interested sandbox in which to play. While I would have liked to hear more about Bronwynn Hyatt and her life, I didn't miss her. Bliss Overbay, Rockhouse Hicks, and the rest of the Needsville townies more than make up for her absence, and in some ways surpass it.

WISP OF A THING is one of those books that sticks with you because of it's haunting nature, and because of the revelations about the Tufa that it provides. While THE HUM AND THE SHIVER was a good bait novel, WISP OF THING is where Bledsoe really yanks back on the rod and sets the hook.

I finished the book last night before I went to sleep. Upon waking, I cracked my copy of LONG BLACK CURL over breakfast. I can't stay away from Cloud County for too long anymore. Maybe it's the Tufa magic...

I'd been meaning to start this series for ages. I've heard nothing but good things (at least about the first 30 or 40 issues). Blown away is the only words I have to describe how good this series is when it starts. From the premise, to the art, to the dialogue–it's all extremely strong an inventive. It's adult, but accessible. It's dark, but endearing. It's Romeo and Juliet meet Star Wars meet Jim Henson. Every bit as good as anything else out there. I could not wait to get my hands on Vol. 2 after finishing Vol. 1.

Interesting storytelling, great art, likeable characters. I just don't know if it “clicked” with me...and I hate to be that shallow. I'm currently reading SiP 2, so we'll see if I start to enjoy it more. (Moore?)

If it's fall, that means Craig Johnson is back with another trip around Absaroka County, and I'm here for it.

After the events of the last book, HELL AND BACK, where Walt found himself in a weird half-world of supernatural events and eternal darkness, Johnson is back to the formula that makes Walt Longmire one of the most readable mystery series out there: Wyoming, good banter, and a solid, non-supernatural mystery that ties in a seventy-year-old murder to a series of events in the present day.

Like all Longmire books, the heart of the book is Walt's easy-going, but pragmatic approach to solving crime. Sprinkle in some wisdom from Henry Standing Bear or some foul-mouthed jibes from Vic Moretti, and you've got a winning combo.

I tore through this book in three days. Would have done it in two or less if I didn't have to work. Any time spent in Absaroka County is a good time, and I'm glad to see Johnson return to form after the departure from reality in the last book.

THE LONGMIRE DEFENSE is a worthy entry into Johnson's long list of hits.

Despite the fact that Mary Roach prefaces the book by telling you that you won't be finding any answers to the great mysteries of life in this book, I read it with the hope that I would. As promised, I did not get any profound answers, but I did enjoy myself for a little while.

Roach writes with good-humored prose and tackles the weirdness that is the search for life after death with good spirit (forgive the pun). The experiments she participates in were fun to read about, and the history lessons she provides were interesting.

I had hoped for something more, though. The book feels like it only scratched the surface. It didn't deliver any big punches, just little set-up taps. Usually, when I finish a book I like, I'm driven to grab up other books by that author and tear through them. When I finished Spook, I closed it, returned it to the library from which I'd borrowed it, and had zero desire to pick up any of her other books. That's no knock against Roach's writing or the subject matters, mind you. I enjoyed this book very much, but it's just not something that compels me to her other work.

I am always on the lookout for books that I think my thirteen-year-old daughter might like. She's a reluctant reader, at best. (I think it's symptomatic of a society where kids have all the video-on-demand they want.) So, when a thread on a fantasy novel board I visit started talking about Tamora Pierce's “Alanna” series, I thought I'd check it out. Now, given that's it's written for 11-15 year olds, the prose isn't quite what I was used to for fantasy novels, but it was on par with John Flanagan's stuff in the “Ranger's Apprentice” series. After I got past that, and the intro chapter that set up the rest of the story much too quickly, it was a highly enjoyable romp with an ultimate Mary Sue.

I understand fully why people bag on Mary Sues. I get it. As much as writers try to make complex, deep characters, Mary Sue-ing them tends to happen. There could even be made an arugment that Mark Lawrence's dark and gritty Jorg Ancrath is something of a Mary Sue. Alanna of Trebond is a girl who wants to be a knight. Her twin brother wants to be a sorcerer. Using a highly implausible tactic, they switch places when their father sends them to training schools, and Alanna (using the identity of her brother, Alan) becomes a page and begins training to be a knight.

Pierce guides us through the first three years of Alanna's ordeals of being a page and having to hide her identity. She is the smallest and weakest of the boys in the school, but she grits her teeth and puts in the extra work to become formidable in her own right. She has to deal with a bully. She has to contend with a teach who is clearly a bad guy in disguise, and she has to deal with becoming a woman, as well.

The book was worth the read, and I clearly understood how a young girl reading this could find a hero to emulate and aspire to be. For that, it has incredible value. I've already begun reading the second book in the series. I need to see Alanna achieve her goal.

It's readable, but it's basic in terms of fantasy novels. This book is thirty years old at this point. Fantasy has come a long way, but it's fun to revisit some of the cliches and clunky dialogue that launched the genre. Feist is a capable author and creates characters and situations that will bond you to them, but there are better books. Feist's later works are good examples of that.

Great prose. Great premise. Great storytelling.
What more do you want?