Travis
I received an ARC of this book from Tor.com Publishing in exchange for a fair and honest review.
I think I can safely say that I've never read another book like Gideon the Ninth. Which is hardly surprising, given that the majority of the story involves queer necromancers and rapier-wielding warriors competing against each other in a haunted palace while slowly being killed off by eldritch horrors...in space.
Sounds like just another Tolkien clone hero's journey that's been done to death, right?
Muir wastes no time in establishing that Gideon is not your ordinary SFF hero. Sure, she may be an orphan with mysterious parentage who longs to escape her miserable life as a servant of the Emperor's Ninth House at the edge of the universe. But she wouldn't dream of doing that without her dirty magazines, vulgar jokes, and almost-but-not-quite occasional breaking of the fourth wall.
Gideon's chance at escape comes when the immortal Emperor summons the necromantic heirs of each of the nine houses to a deadly trial of skill and wit. Harrowhark Nonagesimus—bone necromancer extraordinaire, heir to the Ninth House, and Gideon's lifelong nemesis—forcibly recruits Gideon to be her cavalier. As cavalier, Gideon will have to use her considerable skill with the sword to protect Harrow throughout the competition...if she can avoid killing her first.
Harrow and Gideon are brilliant characters in their own right, and the murderous semi-sexual tension between them never grew old. Harrow's unbending need for total control and Gideon's irreverent inability to take anything completely seriously made them wonderful foils for each other as well. There are plenty of interesting side characters, some more memorable than others, but the core cast were some of the most interesting characters I've read in years.
For a book that so strongly centers around the characters, I was floored by the carefully structured plot and intricate worldbuilding. Muir unapologetically borrows elements of murder mysteries, gothic horror, and sword-swinging dungeon crawls, stitching them together into a beautiful abomination of necromantic awesomeness. If you like detailed, visceral magic systems that make you want to pump your fist in excitement and simultaneously take a long, hot shower...this is for you. Muir's necromancy doesn't come cheap, and sweating copious amounts of blood is nowhere near the worst cost the characters have to pay.
For much of the story, we're as clueless about what's going on as the characters. But once the pieces start to fall in place... Let's just say I'll be preordering the sequel as soon as I possibly can.
This was the perfect book to pull me out of a months-long reading slump. Muir's debut novel is bone-rattling great and will undoubtedly make waves when it releases in September 2019.
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Two things were immediately apparent to me as soon as I finished this book. First, this is the best book in the series yet. And second, this will be the most divisive book in the series so far. The former is just my opinion, but the latter seems to be coming up in many of the reviews I've seen.
So why the division?
The Hod King has an unusual narrative structure. Instead of going linearly from start to finish, we get the story told from three distinct POVs. We start with Senlin entering the ringdom of Pelphia on a mission for the Sphinx, rewind to show the same time period from Voleta's perspective, and then rewind once more to see what Edith is up to. While we don't experience the exact same timeframe with each head hop, there is a good bit of overlap.
This slows down the pacing a bit, but I loved every moment of it. I'm a sucker for revisiting a scene from another POV and having to readjust my entire understanding of what actually went down. Plus I've always seen the Babel books as more character-driven than plot-driven, so there was no retreading the same ground from a character arc point of view.
Picking up immediately after the end of the second book, The Hod King follows Senlin and the others on a series of misadventures in Pelphia. Marya has never been so close to being rescued before, though Senlin is plagued by doubt as to whether she desires rescue in the first place. Voleta and Iren are sent in to infiltrate high society, and Edith is charged with the duty to collect Pelphia's Ogier painting for the Sphinx. Things don't go easy for any of the crew, and it's almost always their fault.
Whenever gray morality is mentioned, it's often referring to grimdark antiheroes who are willing to commit heinous acts of violence to accomplish their goals. This has always seemed a narrow application of the term to me. There are more variations than good, bad, and halfway between.
Take Thomas Senlin, for instance. Some readers love him, finding him a relatable everyman hoping to rescue his wife. Others hate his self-absorption and harmful naivete. Neither are wrong, and that's one of the reasons why I love Senlin as a character. As the story progresses, I don't know if I can call him “good”, but I certainly wouldn't label him “evil”. He's somewhere between, but bears no resemblance to the gritty antiheroes that rose to popularity in recent years.
The same is true for most of the other characters. They're all complex individuals with flaws they struggle to overcome. Well, it might be more fitting to say their flaws propel them through one unfortunate turn of events after another, and if they grow from their mistakes it's because they've somehow survived. When the characters are unlikable, it's not because they're acting in ways that are utterly repulsive. It's because we as readers can see in them our own shortcomings, and their mistakes could easily mirror our own. With a bit of dramatization, of course.
Rather than eliminating players once they've been taken off the board, Bancroft simply slips them back into his pocket to be brought back out again later. But rather than this feeling like cheating, we simply realize that the game being placed is different than what we though all along.
This was also my first experience with the Books of Babel series in audio. John Banks captured the essence of each character in their voices, building them up in a way I hadn't experienced in the text alone. And for a series with characters as brilliant as the Books of Babel, that's saying a lot.
The Hod King was a strong addition to the series, and I'm thrilled to see where the final book goes.
After a couple false starts on my Discworld journey, I've finally fallen in love with Sir Terry's masterful Discworld series.
Guards! Guards! is a brilliant satire of both modern society and classic fantasy tropes. The plot was well-crafted and silly in equal measure, the humor had me laughing out loud, and the witty one-liners had me making notes of meaningful quotes more than any book I read last year.
I can't wait to dive into the next one.
Someone better fucking hold me, because that was intense.
This is not a book for the faint of heart. I don't always do these in reviews, but this merits a content warning: There are graphic depictions of domestic violence, emotional manipulation, and mental illness. If that's not for you, please steer clear from this book.
Someone Like Me kicks off with Liz's ex-husband, Marc, returning their kids after a weekend spent in his custody. Liz and Marc get into an argument while the kids are waiting in the car, and Marc nearly kills her. He would have killed her, if not for the alter-ego that suddenly manifested in Liz and allowed her to fight back.
For the first 20% or so of the story, it's not clear whether there are any speculative elements. Is Liz's alter-ego something psychological or magical? Over time, we slowly find out, and the answer is not a clear-cut as you'd think.
The other POV character is Fran, a 16-year-old girl who is still emotionally traumatized from being kidnapped as a child. She's coping better than she used to, but her trauma still presents itself in the form of vivid hallucinations.
Don't go into this expecting a fast read. The pacing is very slow and much of the plot focuses on the mundane rather than the fantastic. That said, if you stick with it, there are some incredible twists and turns that I never saw coming.
The story is equal parts magic realism, slice of life, horror, and hopepunk. If that seems like an unusual mix, I'd agree. This is an unusual book.
Someone Like Me is like watching a car crash in slow motion. It's horribly painful just to witness as a bystander, but there's a dark fascination that makes it impossible to look away. This was by no means a “fun” book, but it was a powerful and deeply thematic read.
Domestic violence, the cycle of abuse, and toxic relationships are explored in depth. Thankfully, so are the themes of family and standing up for oneself.
Carey brilliantly balances the inescapable darkness and stubborn hope in humanity. There are plenty of awful things in the world that we often don't have the strength to face on our own. This is a story that embraces that darkness, while showing that it can be overcome... for a price.
I can already tell that this will be one of the most moving books I'll read this year. Just like One of Us by Craig DiLouie last year, this book will have me thinking about it for a long time to come.
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I picked up Symphony of the Wind because it made the finals of this year's Self Published Fantasy Blog Off competition. It was one of the frontrunners for a while, and for good reason. Fans of Brandon Sanderson, Brian McClellan, and Brent Weeks will love the unique worldbuilding that blends epic fantasy and steampunk, the frantic fight scenes you can picture with crystal clarity, and the constant conflict that builds to a grand conclusion.
This story follows two main characters:
Serena is a green-haired 16-year-old orphan apprenticed to the Raincatcher Guild. Years after a brutal war was put on pause by what's essentially an atomic bomb, the dystopian city of Dalthea's water supply is ruined. The Raincatcher Guild flies airships outside the city to collect what little water they can.
Tyson Gallows is a former soldier struggling with severe PTSD after his time in the war, and he now makes a living as a bounty hunter / monster exterminator. When a prominent city official is assassinated, his path crosses with Serena's and shit hits the fan.
Much of the plot is a multi-layered mystery. Who are the villains? What do they want? Most of my favorite villainous archetypes are touched upon in Symphony. There's the evil politician committing heinous crimes for the “greater good,” a mad scientist who doesn't believe a silly little thing like ethics should get in the way of progress, and a ruthless drug lord overseeing a vast criminal underworld. And these are just some of the colorful antagonists opposing Serena and Tyson.
Tropes from epic fantasy, steampunk, dystopian fiction, and mythology are all combined in exciting ways throughout Symphony. Throw in some romance, coming of age, tragedy, and actual zombies and it's hard to predict where the story will go next. I'm impressed with the author's ability to juggle so many different concepts with such satisfying results.
We do get answers to most of the questions raised throughout the book, leaving me with little idea how the story will continue. I'll definitely be picking up book 2 when it releases.
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Early on, it was obvious that this book was something different. Instead of a violent, action-packed story about the fall of civilization, A Boy and His Dog at the End of the World is a quieter, more introspective novel told from the perspective of someone born long after the end of society.
The book is marketed as similar to Station Eleven, and I think that's an apt comparison. Rather than exploring how human culture survives the apocalypse, this is a story about the importance of family and the powerful bond between humans and dogs.
Griz is born over a hundred years after the Gelding ended the world. There was no nuclear disaster, no sudden societal collapse. One day, humanity simply found that it had become almost entirely infertile. The apocalypse happened slowly over the course of the decades that followed as the world's population grew old.
A few thousand people remain. Griz and his family live peacefully on an island all to themselves, along with their two dogs. Every now and then they take their boat to go foraging, which is how Griz finds the various books (like McCarthy's The Road and Adams' Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy) he makes references to throughout the novel.
And then the thief came. The rest of the story is Griz's journal chronicling his quest to be reunited with his stolen dog.
As a brief side note, I do wish more time had been spent building up Griz's relationship with his dog at the beginning of the story, but this was more than made up for as the story progressed.
Fletcher's prose is hauntingly beautiful and offers poignant insight into our world through Griz's exploration of its ruins. There is very little dialogue in the book, and it's presented without quotes or any form of easily recognizable punctuation. The dialogue, like the story, is just written down as Griz remembers it. Sometimes it's necessary to read past what Griz actually writes, since he records words he doesn't recognize phonetically.
I hope you have tissues with you, because you'll need them. A Boy and His Dog doesn't pull punches. That said, it's never bleak. There's an underlying current of hope that courses through the story. Most of the remaining humans still have some basic decency and Griz is a capable protagonist with more agency than he often realizes.
Early on it was obvious that this book was something different. But it soon became obvious that the story is something truly special.
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I'm a bit conflicted on this one.
On the one hand, the story is my favorite in the series. I loved the emphasis on working together rather than simply powering up. Chris is used to being a famous gamer, but he has to navigate Euphoria Online as one of its weaker players. While he creatively solves the problems he encounters and levels up quickly, this final book forced him to admit the need to accept help from others and adopt an almost managerial role.
I loved this. There was even a particularly delightful “side quest” where Chris spent his time leveling up some of his friends instead of himself.
On the other hand, I felt this book (especially the later parts) had a significant departure in theme from the rest of the series.
Minor spoilers ahead. I'll be as vague as I can.
After emphasizing the need for teamwork for 2.5 books, Chris decides to just do his own thing. Side characters that have had a wonderful arc so far are killed off and never mentioned again. We don't see their impact on Chris, they're just... gone. Heavy ideas such as the whole concept of a Death March mode are pretty much brushed aside to quickly show how evil a villain can be. And Chris's relationships with both Brianna and his brother Justin don't get the attention I was hoping for.
The disappointing ending didn't hurt my love of the book much, though. As quickly as I read this series, I finished the audiobook and was left with a feeling of euphoria (heh) at experiencing such a fun story. Most of the issues I had with the book were only apparent days later, after the story had time to sit a little.
All in all, I thought this was the weakest book in the series, but it was still a great book. If you enjoyed the first two books, I think you'll like this, too.
Say one thing for Joe Abercrombie, say he writes a damn good book.
Nearly the entire book takes place around a hill in the North called The Heroes, named for the famous warriors who are supposedly buried beneath giant slabs of stone. There's been an ongoing war for years between the North and the Union, which both sides are growing tired of.
Abercrombie manages to work in some important worldbuilding throughout the book. While The Heroes works as a standalone novel, with viewpoint characters that at most played minor roles in the previous books, some questions from past books are answered. What happened to Shivers after the events in Best Served Cold? What's the general state of the North and Union after The Last Argument of Kings? And so on. Plus, there are some technological advancements mentioned briefly in this story that lay the groundwork for the new trilogy Abercrombie is planning to launch in 2019.
True to form, most of Abercrombie's characters are various shades of “likeable” asshole. Beautifully-written, complexly flawed assholes. They are motivated by fear, greed, self-preservation, lust, and generally anything that you're not likely to find associated with heroic figures.
There are roughly six main POV characters, evenly split between the armies of the North and the Union. Each POV is carefully chosen to show us a different experience of war. Fighting for the North, we get to see the story through the eyes of a disgraced former prince, an elderly and honorable warrior who just wants to retire, and a young man determined to win glory in battle. Fighting for the Union, there's an ambitious wife of a mild-mannered officer, a depressed and nearly suicidal fighter with an unhealthy appetite for killing, and a jaded corporal who has to help the new recruits.
Abercrombie is renowned for his skill with crafting characters. He's mastered the art portraying characters with contrasting values and motivations. For example, a character might seem like a misunderstood man bent on redemption, and yet also be a depraved murderer who thinks only of themselves.
It isn't easy to sum up the plot of a book that is mostly one giant battle. In a broad sense, the story covers the climactic end of the war between the warriors of the North and the armies of the Union.
However, the story is more accurately described as a series of six interwoven character arcs that take place before, during, and after the battle. Unlikeable characters come close to redemption, likable characters fall from grace, and some find themselves nearly exactly where they started.
More than half the book is a multi-day battle, but I never felt like the fight scenes drug on too long. One fight scene, in particular, might be my favorite in all of fantasy, with a brilliant use of POV switching. There were plenty of “quieter” scenes that focused on character interactions to complement the bloody scenes.
The prose and dialogue are both skillfully done. Characters talked like real people, and the banter had me laughing out loud on more than one occasion. Abercrombie also manages to string together words that are both crass and beautiful, never spending too long on descriptions or resorting to flowery prose.
One of the central themes of this book was that there are no heroes. People act in their own self-interest more often than not, and those that are truly selfless are quickly forgotten. A little bleak, maybe, but still a powerful theme for the book.
The characters, humor, grit, and dynamic worldbuilding all made this a fantastic read. The audio narration is done by the incredibly-talented Steven Pacey, who manages to make an excellent book even better.
We Ride the Storm is one of the finest works of grimdark fantasy I've ever read. Devin Madson has masterfully crafted a world that is both intricately detailed and brutally unforgiving. Though the characters go through hell in this novel, there's an underlying element of hope that prevents the story from feeling too hopeless.
The book kicks off with a vivid description of Rah e'Torin, leader of the Second Swords of Torin, sawing off the head of a fallen warrior. Rather than simply providing shock-and-awe violence for the sake of “realism,” this scene manages to provide backstory on the Levanti culture, introduce and flesh out the key characters in Rah's early story, and set the stage for conflict soon to come.
Rah is an incredible character, and his unwavering sense of honor manages to get him into trouble more often than not. He holds the Levanti traditions sacred, even when the rest of his people do not.
There are three main viewpoint characters, with each point of view being told in first person. They don't have much in common and each come from a separate culture, but they all struggle to claim what power they can at the fringes of political upheaval. Their separate storylines gradually begin to converge over the course of the book. And as much as I enjoyed Rah, he's probably my least favorite of the three. Miko and Cassandra are some of my favorite characters in fantasy, period.
Miko is a princess of the Kisian Empire. She's also a hostage, unable to leave the palace at will. Miko's an excellent example of a strong female character who is more than just physically strong—though she is physically formidable, displaying a skill for archery that would put Katniss to shame. As a princess, Miko has to thrive in a complicated political structure and learn how to be a compelling leader. Her character arc is a joy to read and when you hit that one scene—trust me, you can't miss it—you'll be hard-pressed not to name Miko your favorite character.
Then there's Cassandra, the whore-turned-assassin navigating the dregs of society and addicted to drugs to drive out the parasitic voice in her head. She could easily be an unlikable antihero, but something about the way she's written keeps you emotionally invested from the start. She's my personal favorite character in We Ride the Storm, and our best glimpse of the world's magic system.
Madson plays her cards close to the vest, only offering hints at the world's soul-based magic system. This is very much a low fantasy story, with occasional displays of magic. When you see them, I think you'll agree the wait was worth it. There's a character known for being a hermit mad scientist that studies souls to understand magic, and I can't wait to learn more about that.
The world feels like it's based off of Feudal Japan, though it's more of an inspiration than a straight adaptation. Similarly, the various cultures feel complex and real, all without being direct analogues to actual cultures.
Madson has said she doesn't see the “movie in your mind” and thus doesn't go into great detail with her imagery and description. That said, she manages to utterly capture the feel of each scene and I felt as if I could picture every scene vividly.
Fans of Kate Elliot, Robin Hobb, and George R.R. Martin will likely find much to love in We Ride the Storm. Though this book takes place after The Vengeance Trilogy, no prior knowledge is needed. We Ride the Storm is a strong contender in this year's Self Published Fantasy Blog Off. And if she wins, it wouldn't be the first time Madson has won a prestigious fantasy award, having won the 2017 Aurealis Award for her novella, In Shadows We Fall.
The sequel, We Lie With Death (how awesome are these titles?), is due to release later this year. In addition, a webserial and audio drama set in the same universe are also scheduled to begin in 2019. Together, the three of these stories make Madson's universe one of my most anticipated fantasy projects of the year.
First of all, what is Serial Box? It's advertised as “HBO for Readers” and offers novel-length story content in both audio and e-book formats. Each episode takes around an hour to read or listen to, and the total cost for a season is often between $10 – $20. This can make it a little more expensive than an Audible credit, but you get both the text and audio formats, plus optional “previously on” character and plot summaries.
The Witch Who Came In From the Cold was created by Lindsay Smith and Max Gladstone. Episodes are written by Lindsay Smith, Cassandra Rose Clarke, Fran Wilde, Max Gladstone, Ian Tregillis, and Michael Swanwick. The audio is narrated by Christine Lakin and John Glouchevitch.
Whew. On to the story.
It's hard to go wrong with a Cold War spy thriller featuring an underground world of magic. Throughout the entire story, there are two conflicts. First, there's the political conflict of the CIA versus the KGB. There's also the magical struggle of the Consortium of Ice (who want to preserve the world) and the Acolytes of Flame (who want to burn the world down and start anew). Things are complicated enough with the fear of political double agents and inter-agency espionage. But both the CIA and KGB have secret members of Ice and Flame.
Gabe Pritchard is a veteran CIA agent who's hit a dry spell in his career. If you can consider the powerful Elemental living inside his head a dry spell, of course. He's thrust into the underground world of magic against his will and has to learn how to survive.
Tanya Morozova is one of the Ice's most skilled witches and a senior agent in the KGB. After meeting Gabe, she's forced to reconsider everything she thinks she knows about the Consortium she's served faithfully for years.
The story beautifully and vividly depicts Prague in 1970. It's not a common setting for a fantasy story and it was done brilliantly. Both audio narrators have are incredibly talented and can switch between authentic-sounding American and Russian accents at will. And the magic system, something fantastical by definition, feels realistic and bound by a consistent set of rules that prevent random deus ex machina.
While primarily told from the perspective of Gabe and Tanya, there's a varied cast of side characters. From the magical bartender who refuses to take sides to the young CIA agent attempting to hide his sexual orientation, I always wanted to learn more about these characters.
So, what's different due to the serial format?
For a start, each of the six authors wrote a couple of the episodes. When starting a new episode, there are noticeable stylistic differences. And I loved that. While I could tell I was experiencing the story through a different writer, the overarching plot felt cohesive and episode had a unique flavor. As someone who listened to the audio, keeping the narrators constant across various authors helped to further solidify the overall story. Similar to a TV series, each episode told a complete (though not standalone) story arc and ended in a cliffhanger that made the book difficult to put down.
The Witch Who Came in From the Cold is one of the best stories I've read in a long time. Combining the best parts of spy thrillers and secret magical organizations, you can expect one hell of a ride.
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I'm not often a fan of “Mary Sue” characters. They're overpowered and everything seems to go their way for the sake of the plot. Miles Vorkosigan could easily be considered such a character, except for two things.
First, he's severely crippled. His mother was poisoned by an assassin while he was still in her womb, and the result was a twisted spine and brittle bones. Second, he's unintentionally successful. He doesn't realize his own brilliance and charisma, which leads to him hilariously stumbling from one victory to the next.
After flunking out of military academy for failing his physical tests, Miles has his dreams of following in his legendary father's footsteps crushed. In an attempt to fix his financial difficulties, he purchases an old spaceship. From there, he ends up recruiting a ragtag team for a smuggling expedition, and things spiral wildly out of control.
I don't read a lot of sci fi—perhaps because I suffer from the mistaken impression that it emphasizes technology over people—but this is exactly the kind of book that makes me want to fix that. It's got humor, heart, and prose that makes me forget it was written more than thirty years ago.
The Warrior's Apprentice is a fun read that offers and exciting jumping-in point to Bujold's Vorkosigan Saga. I look forward to continuing the series.
The Mechanical is a steampunk alternate history set in the late 19th century full of espionage, intrigue, and clockwork mad scientists. The story explores the issue of free will vs. slavery through the titular mechanical “clakkers.”
Clakkers are a combination of mechanical genius and magic alchemy, resulting in what I can only describe as a steampunk fantasy version of Asimov's robots. But instead of having three laws that bind their wills to the service of humans, clakkers have countless restrictions. These “gesha” are magical bindings that cause clakkers excruciating pain if they try to disobey an order. Resisting for too long can even lead to death.
Jax is one of these clakkers. He's been resigned to his fate for over a century, until a rogue clakker named Adam is publicly executed for disobeying orders. As far as anyone knows, Adam is the first clakker in history to even be capable of this act of defiance.
Ian Tregillis has crafted an exquisitely fascinating world in The Mechanical. Clakkers come in all shapes and sizes; there's Jax's servant class, deadly war machines that have enabled the Dutch empire to conquer most of the world, mysterious centaur-like machines that keep other machines in line, and all sorts of bizarre contraptions besides. France has been driven out of its nation and New France is struggling to hold its own against the technologically superior Dutch. Catholics have gone into hiding and are forming terrorist cells to oppose the Dutch. And there are little hints dropped throughout that there just might be a land of free clakkers up in the arctic, led by someone called Queen Mab.
At times, the story takes some rather dark turns. There's one chilling scene featuring brain surgery on a conscious patient that had me glued to the page in horror. And sometimes, the compulsion of the gesha forces likable characters to commit heinous acts of violence.
The Mechanical was a fascinating read and I can't wait to dig into the sequel. Despite all the intrigue and unresolved mysteries in this story, my biggest question is why aren't more people reading this series? It's nothing short of excellent.
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Early on, it's apparent that this is not Kloss's first rodeo. The story is fast paced, cleanly written, and introduces the world to us only as it becomes relevant to the plot and characters.
And that world is a dark one.
The Five Provinces have forbidden magic use, with gifted people being hunted down and killed. Rather than simply providing a bleak setting for the story to unfold in, this becomes one of the central conflicts.
Jeric—the second son of a king and known as the Wolf for his ruthless ability to hunt down his prey—has dedicated his life to tracking down and killing an entire race of people he deems a threat to his country. When Jeric's father falls ill, he's sent on a mission to retrieve Sable for her remarkable healing powers.
Sable discovered her magical powers when she accidentally caused the death of her younger sister. A decade later, she's forged a new life for herself in the frigid Wilds as a healer under a false name. When Jeric offers her a staggering sum of money to heal the dying king, she has no choice but to accept.
Sable and Jeric are polar opposites and are only forced together by necessity. They each represent everything the other despises. And yet, over the course of the story, they slowly develop feelings for each other. The romance is a slow burn over the course of the novel and I thought it was well written. Nothing felt rushed and each step was believable.
Note: There are no explicit sex scenes in this book. There are also quite a few implied incidents of sexual violence against women, but nothing that takes place “on screen.”
One thing I love in books is multiple villains. Off the top of my head, there's at least four in Gods of Men. Each has their own motivations and range from fairly likable to evil beyond any hope of redemption. Maniacal necromancers, creepy sorcerers with tongueless henchmen, demonic monsters, and twisted sadists all have a role to play.
While the central plot following Sable and Jeric is one I'd expect to see in a sword and sorcery novel rather than an epic fantasy, there's a broader story at play that's gradually revealed as the book progresses. I never felt like the worldbuilding was dumped all at once and the information that was revealed always left me wanting more.
Overall, this was an excellent read. The sexual violence felt a little gratuitous at times but it was included for a reason rather than tacked on for shock value. The story picks up speed quickly and doesn't relent until the grand finale of an ending. I'm curious to see what happens next in the story and am looking forward to the sequel.
It was pretty obvious from page one that I probably should have read Dark Nights: Metal before I read this. Thankfully, you really don't need to know much. The Justice League won a pretty major battle, and in the process kind of broke the universe.
One minor consequence of that is the four cosmic world-devouring titans that have been unleashed.
Every planet contains varying amounts of mystery, wonder, wisdom, and entropy. Most have a particular affiliation for one of the four, and that can draw the interest of one of these titans.
However, that's not the opening conflict. Instead, the genius supervillain Brainiac attacks Earth and neutralizes the entire Justice League without breaking a sweat. Setting aside my concerns about villains having wildly inconsistent power in the DC universe depending on the particular story being told, it was kind of awesome to see a villain just steamrolling over the good guys.
Just as it seems that things are going, uh, less than great for the heroes, Brainiac reveals the real reason why he's come to Earth: his home world has drawn the attention of the Wisdom titan and is about to be destroyed. The only way to save it is to follow Brainiac's master plan, which involves creating four super teams of various heroes and villains.
One of my favorite parts of superhero comics is the banter exchanged between rivals, and these team arrangements allow for that in spades.
There was a lot going on in for a fairly short story. We get the initial smackdown on Earth, the four separate teams working together to save Brainiac's home world, and how Earth reacts to suddenly losing most of the Justice League. There was never a dull moment, and many classic characters had to bend their personal codes in the face of a world-annihilation event. Some characters die (though I doubt it'll stick), so don't expect everyone to be safe just because they are big names.
Due to the large number of characters featured, no single person gets a lot of page time, but that's to be expected in a story with stakes this large. If you like hero/villain team ups and high stakes battles, this is the graphic novel for you.
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Tucker never fails to deliver a wild ride. Death March was my introduction to the LitRPG genre, and what a fantastic introduction it was.
Awesome World: +1!
Fist-Pumping Action: +1!
Lovable Characters: +1!
The story has very little fluff. We hit the ground running on page one with Chris being invited to play Euphoria Online for free. He's skeptical of the invitation at first—after all, a weekend pass costs $3,000!—but it comes from his rich gamer ex-girlfriend Brianna.
Chris jumps at the opportunity, since his brother Justin may be facing the death penalty for looting the flooded shores of a future United States of America. If Chris survives six months of Euphoria Online in death march mode, he can ask a boon of the artificial intelligence that rules the world.
Note: That's six months in-game, which is only about a weekend of real-world time. The time dilation aspect of the game is pretty cool and used in some creative ways.
The book reminded me of my days playing World of Warcraft. The fun of new discovery, teaming up with online friends, and strategically trying to optimize your skillset are all here. And even though the constant threat of death looms over Chris, there's quite a bit of humor to balance out the bleakness. I can think of about seventeen reasons why the green liver goblins were amazing.
It's worth noting that I listened to the audio book, narrated by the wonderful Vikas Adam. He enhances an already incredible story and I can't recommend listening to this book enough. I only wish that I could have enjoyed the lovely artwork that comes with physical copies of the book.
Lexicon has one of the most gripping beginnings I have ever read. It's creepy, it hits the ground running, and the combination of a familiar setting and horribly fucked up situation is incredibly compelling.
Emily is a clever street kid who makes a living from conning people out of their money. She draws the attention of a mysterious organization's recruiters and is flown out to take the entrance exams at a school for learning the magical art of persuasion.
Wil is missing significant chunks of his memory and is the key to a secret war between rival factions of poets—those who have survived to graduate from the strange school of magic and learned to control others.
Their two stories slowly begin to interweave as the novel progresses, often skipping around in time to tell things in a nonlinear order that maximizes suspense. I'm a huge fan of Claire North's works, and Lexicon reminded me strongly of books like The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August and Touch.
If you're interested in linguistics, nonlinear storytelling, or a darker take on magic schools, you're in for a treat with this book. For those of you who enjoy audiobooks, both narrators were fantastic. The audio was also able to pull off some neat tricks that normally wouldn't be possible with a single narrator.
Overall, I loved this book. It was by no means perfect (one particularly unpleasant near-rape scene comes to mind), but I enjoyed it immensely.
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This graphic novel collects the first six issues of DC's new Damage comics. The first issue was originally released in January 2018.
I'd never heard of Damage before, but this is a re-imagining of the character originally created back in 1994. Damage is a lot like the Incredible Hulk, though instead of a brilliant scientist, his secret identity is a soldier with dreams of becoming a hero.
Ethan Avery, a 21-year-old soldier, volunteers to take part in an experimental program. The goal: to create a super-weapon capable of taking out enemies without losing any lives. The program succeeds, allowing Ethan to become the unstoppable monster known as Damage.
There's a catch, though. Ethan can only become Damage for an hour at a time, and needs to recharge for a day between each transformation. Damage also has its own personality, fighting with Ethan for control of their body.
There was a lot of action in this. Every volume had Damage going on a rampage for an hour. He takes on superheroes, supervillains, and the military. As cool as this was, I would have enjoyed more non-fighting scenes. There are hints of a larger story within the DC universe throughout, which I found more interesting than the action.
Overall, the graphic novel was an enjoyable read, though I won't be in a rush to pick up the next volume.
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Balam is a cozy little town by the sea where everyone knows each other. Nothing exciting happens...until, of course, the town's white mage dies to an unknown sickness. To make matters worse, other townspeople begin to fall ill with the same symptoms.
Balam's new white mage, Aava, teams up with a bored ex-mercenary to get to the bottom of the mysterious illness. The stakes rise when insectoid monsters are drawn to the corpses of those killed by the disease. Together with the help of a young schoolteacher, the three attempt to stop the illness before it afflicts the entire town.
Unlike many fantasy stories, this book doesn't have a grand villain, end-of-the-world stakes, or even a focus on magic or violence. Instead, it's a slice-of-life mystery that explores the various lives of the townspeople of Balam in depth.
The heart of this story is the characters. We get to spend a lot of time inside each of the main characters' heads, seeing their thoughts, hopes, and memories. This was a bit of a double-edged sword, though. A good bit of the characterization was accomplished through lengthy description and detailed flashbacks rather than showing someone's personality in the moment. I much preferred the characterization through little quirks and how each POV saw the world around them, which the author excelled at.
The editing was superb. I can't recall a single typo or misuse of grammar, and every scene had a clear purpose. My only minor criticism of the writing style is the overuse of the past-perfect tense. Scenes would begin with a character recounting the events that brought them to the start of the scene instead of simply starting the scene at the start of those events (e.g. Theo had walked to the diner, where he'd eaten breakfast before arriving at the clinic). Some of the flashbacks were told this way, while others were told as if the characters were experiencing them in the moment.
In addition to being vivid and detailed, the world of Balam was also refreshingly hopeful. There are multiple characters across the LGBTQ spectrum portrayed in a positive light, women hold positions of authority, and nearly every character had more likable qualities than not. The world had some pretty dark aspects, but the overall feel was hopeful.
Balam, Spring was a cozy mystery centering around a cast of intriguing characters. Despite the story occurring in spring, this would make for an excellent cozy winter read. It's written as a standalone, but I could see future books written in this world. I enjoyed reading it and I look forward to seeing what the author writes next.
Talk about one hell of a debut.
Take a compelling murder mystery, set it in vivid new world, and populate it with brilliant characters, and you might begin to realize how great City of Lies is.
We experience the story through the eyes of Jovan and his sister, Kalina. Both serve the Chancellor's heir, Tain, with Jovan discreetly sampling all of Tain's food to check for poison. The idea of a food tester was something I'd seen before, but this explored the position in depth. Of course it makes sense for a “proofer” to be intimately familiar with subtle poisons and their antidotes. Why else have a poison tester in the first place?
Poison serves as a central theme in this story. When Jovan's uncle (his tutor in the art of poison) and the Chancellor are murdered by what seems to be a previously unknown poison, Jovan resolves to get to the heart of the mystery. Kalina and Jovan slowly uncover the deadly secrets hidden by the leaders of the city.
Throughout all of this, an army lays siege to the city and we discover alongside the main characters that magic might not be as impossible as they believed.
It's been a while since I've read characters as compelling as Jovan and Kalina. Both are decent human beings, have to overcome mental and physical health challenges, and don't resort to fighting an army of bad guys single handedly. Their alternating POVs (both in first person) complemented each other well, and their differing views of each other added depth to already nuanced characters.
There are so many things to love about City of Lies. The story is tightly plotted, with every little detail chosen with care and more relevant than it first seems. The world depicted is as imaginative as it is compelling. The themes of social inequality and cultural oppression make for fascinating reading and are relevant in today's world.
And the characters...if only every book could have a Jovan or Kalina.
Sam Hawke is one hell of a writer. I never would have suspected this was a debut novel if I hadn't known that going in. Once this story gripped me, it didn't let go until I'd finished the entire thing a day later. I can't wait to see where the story goes from here.
This book made me angry.
No, strike that. This book really pissed me off.
And I don't mean that in a bad way. Far from it. One of Us is the most powerful book I've read in recent memory. It tackles heavy topics that have always been relevant, but the issues covered seem particularly meaningful now.
Sometime in the 1960's, a sexually transmitted disease swept the world. Instead of killing people, it resulted in children born with...differences.
Some say these children are the old gods of myth and legend come again. They can have spectacular powers, ranging from mind control to flight to just about anything you can imagine. The flip side of that coin is that these children are often deformed, looking like monsters.
The solution? Put them in the Homes. These facilities are essentially modern day slave plantations, designed to save the regular people from having to remember that a different breed of human lives only miles away. The few kids who escape these Homes do so by working for top-secret branches of the government in the Cold War.
Starting to see why this book made me angry?
In the real world, prejudice is the disease. Even the most hateful people often believe their views are justified (if they admit to having those views in the first place). One of Us neatly sidesteps that mental barrier by showing us real-world issues applied towards fictional “monsters.” Throughout the story, some truly terrible things happen. If they make you uncomfortable, good. That's the point. And if they make you angry? Even better.
We get POV scenes from many characters throughout the book, some from the good guys and some from the bad. I'll let you make the distinction between the two, the line is blurred nearly beyond recognition. Every character, no matter how despicable, has an element of humanity that is easy to identify with. And that's important, because almost no one is cartoonishly evil. Atrocities are committed by regular people, and it's up to regular people to understand this and take action.
Like I said, the book is powerful.
It's exceptionally well-written, too, with compelling characters and a vividly imagined alternative history. Even if the underlying themes don't interest you, it's a fantastic story in its own right.
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Gaiman excels at creating vivid, imaginative worlds. That said, I just couldn't get into this book.
The characters are all interesting, but there wasn't anything about them that made me feel invested in their fate. We don't spend much time inside any POV character's head, but we do get vivid descriptions of the weird world beneath London.
Also, anything was possible in the story. When death is either ambiguous or not final, it's hard for me to really care if and when a character dies. There's no emotional impact.
Overall, this was a good book. It might even be a great book. But it wasn't the book for me.