Tshania Sedai

Timely.

The Slow Regard of Silent Things is a bit of an odd story. It follows Auri, one of the characters from The Kingkiller Chronicles, as she goes about her week. Auri is probably one of the more interesting characters in the series - a clearly broken slip of a girl who lives in The Underthing, the forgotten passages and chambers below the University attended by Kvothe and many of the other characters in the main series. Auri personifies all of the objects around her, and has an obsessive need to have everything in its proper place. She spends the majority of this story trying to find an appropriate gift for Kvothe while trying to find the proper places for some of her new acquisitions.

By many of the ways people tend to judge successful writing, this should not be a good book. To be totally honest, it is not the most exciting story - it's a bit like reading about someone going grocery shopping. As Rothfuss himself points out, he spends 8 pages detailing the process of a girl making a candle. On the other hand, this is a beautiful bit of writing. Seeing the world through the eyes of a girl who isn't quite all there makes everything strange, and wonderful, and fascinating. Seeing the world through Auri's eyes is wonderful and heartbreaking all at once. As the story goes on, it is increasingly easy to empathize with this poor girl, and a lot of her seemingly crazy observations hit a bit close to home.

My only quibble with the book has been echoed my many a Rothfuss fan - the Forward and Afterwards are unnecessary. He starts off telling you not to like the book, and sort of concludes by making you feel awkward if you didn't. These bits would have been fantastic blog posts for his fans, but they didn't need to be bookends for this piece of writing. It is strong enough to stand on its own.

For fans of the Kingkiller Chronicles, no, this is not the book we have been waiting for. It does not answer all of our burning questions or conclude the tale of Kvothe. It gives us tidbits, and hints, and glimmers, but it doesn't really tell us anything we didn't already know, or at least strongly suspect. And while that is probably wildly frustrating for some, I'm perfectly ok with it. I love this awkwardly rambling story about this tiny broken girl and her need to put things right in the world. It is the subtleties and hints and unspoken things that make it such a great piece of writing. It is a completely opposite tone from Kvothe's bombastic telling of his own story, and that makes it absolutely perfect for a look at Auri's world. This probably isn't the sort of story for people who see themselves as the hero in their own life, and want to read about sweeping tales of adventure on a grand scale. But for those of us who see ourselves as the broken sidekicks in the stories of others, well, this is a story for us. It isn't exciting or adventurous, but it is sad, and sweet, and beautiful. And that is enough.

Everyone should read this book.

I read Brandon Sanderson's first Legion novella when it first came out a few years ago, and totally fell in love with Stephen Leeds and his amusing assortment of “aspects.” So to say I was ecstatic when a sequel was announced is a bit of an understatement. I preordered Legion: Skin Deep as soon as I was able, and was recently excited by its arrival - both in ebook and hardcover forms.

Like its predecessor, Legion: Skin Deep, is a bit of a departure for Brandon Sanderson, who is more well-known for his lengthy epic fantasy sagas. The main character is Stephen Leeds, a detective who is brilliant, but a bit eccentric. He has a mental condition in which he creates personalities to house his vast collections of knowledge. The only problem - he has to pretend that his imaginary friends are real, which means providing them with food and shelter, which can be a rather costly enterprise. Hence his desire to use his special consulting skills to bring in an income. In this story, Stephen is hired by one of his friends to investigate a missing corpse that has company secrets stored in its DNA, which leads to a fun detective story full of the usual hijinks one would expect when dealing with spies, assassins, and imaginary bodyguards.

While I really enjoyed this installment of the Legion story, I have to say I didn't like it quite as much as the first novella. The novelty of Stephen's unique condition has worn off somewhat - the reader already knows how it works, so we don't need to spend any time trying to figure that out. There are additional tidbits about his condition that pop up in this story, which are quite interesting, but aren't really critical to the story as a whole. Although Stephen has dozens of aspects, many of the same personalities are heavily featured in both stories, and I really wish we had been able to meet more of his wacky personalities in this book. I also wish we had found out more about the quasi-mysterious woman from his past. These, however, are only minor complaints - this was still a fun story that was quite enjoyable to read. And, while the amount of information revealed about Stephen's past is annoyingly small, the lack of it does seem to indicate that there will be further installments of Legion in the future, which makes me a happy fan. All in all it was a quick, fun read full of a bunch of crazy characters I have grown to love, and, although I didn't find this story to be quite as riveting as the first installment, I very much look forward to the further adventures of Stephen Leeds and his imaginary band of of crime-fighting counterparts.

Wolf in White Van is the story of Sean Phillips, a severely disfigured man who spends his time as a game designer for a mail-in version of a Dungeons and Dragons meets The Gunslinger type RPG called Trace Italian. The book is a non-chronological look at events in his life, and how Sean exists (or doesn't) in both his real life and fantasy worlds after his disfigurement from a shooting accident.

This book is much more about the use of language, and conceptual ideas than it is about the setting, character, or plot. The main character has many interesting thoughts and observations about the world he lives in, but we never really get a sense of his actual emotions. They can be filled in with the reader's empathy, but they aren't really provided as part of the description. Perhaps an important part of this causes the reader to examine themselves - how would they treat Sean in real life? Sean is constantly confronted with being different - his disfigurement causes him to remain on the outskirts of society, and he hides in his home where he works at sending replies to people who participate in his games. At one point he is confronted by a child who asks point blank, “What happened to your face?” The reader is left wondering if this frank, blunt approach is any less painful than the way that the adults in the novel try to look away from Sean, or the way that his parents try to pretend the he, and his accident, don't really exist. One of the driving forces of the novel is the fact that Sean is sued by parents of gamers whose children attempted to live out the events of their Trace Italian adventure, and ended up dead or dying because of it. This is an interesting nod to the D&D Satanism scare of the 1980s, with the adults in the novel attempting to blame every bad thing that happens on fantasy worlds and games of make-believe, yet still failing to face the reality of their own situations anyway, while Sean manages to find deeper connections to players he never meets than he does to people he interacts with in the real world.

Despite the RPG backdrop and interesting themes, this is a book that I found myself appreciating more than enjoying. On an intellectual level, I admire the use of language, and I appreciate the themes that ran through the book. But I never really found myself loving this book. It is beautiful, in a way, but it is also disturbing and occasionally (slightly) boring. The structure of the book almost makes it seem like the purpose of the story is to figure out why Sean's accident occurred, but, once you get to the end it becomes apparent that that really wasn't the point of the book at all. The story meanders through Sean's life the way some of the players meander through his game - seemingly with purpose, but never really reaching an ultimate goal. I almost feel as though I need to re-read it to fully appreciate the craftsmanship of its construction and use of language, yet I feel no actual desire to revisit this character or this world. Perhaps this is the sort of book that needs a lot of breathing room between reads.

As far as my recommendations go, I think this is the sort of book that will either be loved or hated by a reader. I've seen this recommended as “literature for a genre nerd” because of the RPG backdrop, but I don't know if that connection will be enough to carry a reader through this novel. Genre readers typically enjoy a book with complex world-building, a dynamic plot, and enjoyable characters. Considering that a notable portion of the story consisted of Sean contemplating ceiling tiles, I can't say that Wolf in White Van had any of these things. Though I also don't know that it matters. I think this book accomplishes what it was trying to achieve, and I think it does it very well. I don't think it is going to convert genre-loving folks over to the literary side, but I suppose it might. I think it is just as likely to leave them wishing for weighty text on dragon flights or warp drives. In either case, I think this is the sort of a novel that a reader needs to experience for themselves before deciding how well they like it. Personally, I'm glad I read it, even if it wasn't exactly a fun book to read. I can't say that it will have the same impact on another reader though. I think readers who tend to favor a book for its use of language will rather enjoy Wolf in White Van, while readers who are more interested in character and plot may not. It is the sort of book I would encourage people to try, not because I expect everyone will like it, but because I think it would be a good novel for expanding literary horizons.

I read this book quite some time ago, and found the story disturbing and haunting. I recently had the occasion to re-read this book, and found the story even more compelling than I remembered. In this book, Jon Krakauer describes the events on Mount Everest that resulted in the deaths of so many experienced and well regarded mountain climbers. The firsthand account is well researched and brutally honest. The story drives the reader toward the conclusion with an obsession that makes it easy to understand the mindset of the climbers on Everest, and have compassion for everyone on the summit that day. A great piece of journalistic writing, highly recommended.

The Goblin Emperor can perhaps be described as the most interesting book I've ever read in which nothing really happens. I mean, things happen, but not in the epic way that I think many fantasy readers have come to expect. The Goblin Emperor is the story of Maia, a half-elf, half-goblin who falls into the position of Emperor of Elfland when his father and half brothers are killed in an airship crash. Maia is whisked to the capital where he has to learn how to navigate tricky political waters and govern his kingdom. The entire novel resolves around the policies Maia must learn and the rules he must abide by, as he tries to fit in to the world of the Elven elite, while trying to maintain his own individual identity.

I have to say that I really enjoyed this book. Maia is the sort of character who will win over a reader with his utter goodness. He has a sort of wide-eyed innocence that isn't uncommon to people thrust into a new situation, but he somehow manages to maintain it even as he learns to deal with the less glamorous side of politics. Some people have complained that this makes him too good, or uninteresting, but I think the writing of Maia is so good I don't really care. I don't think this book would have worked any other way, really. It would have caused to book to completely loose its charm. And it's Maia - once you've read the story it is very difficult to imagine him any way other than how he is written.

Throughout his journey through the realm of Elven politics, Maia is lucky to have a (mostly) great team of advisors and staff to help him (Especially Csevet. Love me some Csevet.), but he must learn to deal with the history of his family (and the loss of them) on his own. The characters are fun and interesting, though it is not an uncommon complaint about the internets that the names did not have to be quite so difficult to pronounce. I don't know if I agree with this - the names really are quite beautiful once you grasp the sounds of them - and honestly many of the longer, more complex names have stuck with me over the shorter or more common ones precisely because of their interesting collection of sounds. In a book with so little action (we barely leave the palace), the naming conventions really did help me feel like I was in another world. I think the world building is really fantastic - you get a very real sense of what life (well, court life at least) is like in Elfland, and how the cultures are different elsewhere. Some of the themes of the book a bit obvious (he's building a bridge!), but none are out of place or bring the story to a stop.

All in all I have to say that this was a great book. It is a quiet story - not a typical epic hero's journey at all - but that is what I like about it. Maia is the sort of heartwarmingly good character you need in your life every once in a while. Especially if you've just read Game of Thrones. He's like chicken soup for the fantasy reader's soul. The writing is good, the world is interesting, and the story is full of interesting and subtle court driven politics. Definitely a fun read for anyone who likes historical fiction or fantasy, though I think any reader would fall in love with Maia and enjoy his story. Highly recommended.

Great book for an introduction to the problems with the modern food system and on how to read dietary research papers. A bit basic for people who have a background in science/research. It does cover some really interesting studies. Audio book narration was a bit too much like that really dry professor everyone had to try to stay awake through in college.

The Martian tells the tale of Mark Watney, a NASA astronaut who accidentally gets stranded on Mars when a dust storm cuts his mission short. Using his wits as a mechanical engineer/botanist, Mark is forced to come up with a survival plan using only his team's leftover supplies and any other piece of NASA debris he can find near his campsite.

Now, in the interest of full disclosure, (1) I am a science nerd, (2) Apollo 13 is one of my favorite movies, and (3) I loves me a character full of some snark. So, basically, I am this book's target audience. So when I go on to say I obsessively loved it, you might have to take that with a grain of salt.

This book definitely had a feeling of MacGuyver/Cast Away/Apollo 13 all mixed together, but that only made it more fun for me. If you aren't excited by a character doing math to figure out exactly when, why, and how they are going to die you might not be super excited by this story. On the other hand, the main character's sense of humor might be enough to pull anyone through, even during the mathematical bits. Also, despite the fact that there was a lot of discussions of “technical” things the story moved at a quick pace and never felt bogged down. The author definitely has a skill with comedic timing that lent the book a perfect balance of excitement, danger, and humor.

My only minor quibble with the book is that I wasn't sure if the ending provided quite enough closure for me. However, in light of the title of the book, the chosen end point does make quite a bit of sense. And I think the ending is appropriate for the characters of the story - just not sure if it is quite emotional enough for me as the reader. I don't know that the story needed to continue, but perhaps something like a brief Afterword would have been appropriate in this situation. Overall I was quite satisfied with the book though, so, like I said, minor quibble.

This review is a bit short as the book has only been out a few months and I want to avoid spoilers as much as possible. And this book is really hard to talk about without giving away spoilers. But it is good. So, so good. I will say that if you find curse words incredibly offensive you may not like this book (they aren't used overly much, but often enough when the main character finds himself in dire straights, which is, well, often enough), or you may not want to let younger children read it, but otherwise it really is fantastic. The book remains quick, light, and fun despite dealing with a somewhat fantastical life and death situation, and avoids get bogged down in its own technical jargon and seriousness. It is a fantastic read and I highly recommend it.

This review is coming several months after I've read Annihilation, the first installment ofJeff VanderMeer's Southern Reach Trilogy, but I thought it was about time I got around to reviewing it. The books in this collection have been getting quite a bit of buzz and has won the 2014 Nebula for Best Novel, the 2014 Shirley Jackson Award for best novel, and was the Sword & Laser book club pick for February of this year.

Annihlation is the first in a trilogy about the mysterious Area X, a region that has been quarantined from civilization due to the odd things that keep happening in the area. The only people who enter Area X are the members of occasional expeditions of specialists who are attempting to understand what is creating this strange region. In Annihilation, the expedition consists of four female scientists who are trained in anthropology, biology, psychology, and surveying. The women start the expedition by working together, but, after an odd fungus infects the biologist, the others start to disappear in strange ways.

Based off of the description this seems like the sort of book that would be right up my alley - scientists, strange biological beings, mysteries to be solved. Unfortunately, I can't say that I was very excited by the events of the book. The story is told from the perspective of the biologist, who, despite having recently lost her husband, was not the most exciting character to read about. Her husband had been a member of the previous Area X expedition, but returned to civilization unexpectedly with no memory of his travels, and died shortly thereafter from cancer. These odd series of events happened to every member of his expedition, which should add to the mystery and create suspense for the well being of our current explorers. However, as I felt almost no emotional connection to the biologist, it was difficult to concern myself with her prolonged well being. The biologist is a very stoic character (it has been argued that she may feel so emotionless due to some odd influence from being inside Area X, but she makes enough references to her life outside of Area X that I tend to think it really is just her personality), which makes it difficult to really care about her journey to understand Area X and its connection to her late husband. The book itself isn't poorly written, and it clearly has done quite well with the critics and on the awards circuit. I just never really connected with it. There was nothing that grabbed my attention, or made me care about the characters or the plot. It was the sort of book I had to force myself to read, and one where I found my attention wandering away from the words on the page as I read it. I wonder if I would have enjoyed it more as an audiobook, though I tend to think I would have just tuned it out if I'd read it that way instead of on paper.

Originally, the Southern Reach Trilogy was meant to be published as one novel. As Annihilation is the first book of the trilogy, I had considered that perhaps I would have a greater appreciation for the work if I read the series as a whole. After listening to Tom on the Sword & Laser Podcast, I thought maybe the other two books in the series might be necessary to pull the whole story together, but looking at some of the reviews on Goodreads, I'm not sure that either of the follow-up stories will do that at all. And a lot of the less than favorable reviews are from people who admittedly liked the first book. I've gotten a lot of “meh” reports about the series as a whole, and since I wasn't overly excited by the first novel, I'm having a difficult time finding the motivation to read the other two books. I sort of wish that these books had been published together, because then I would have read the story in its entirety, but, on the other hand, since I didn't really enjoy this book all that much, perhaps I should be grateful that I only had to read a third of the story?

This is one of those books that wasn't really a bad in any discernible way, yet it was incredibly difficult for me to get through. I suppose it comes down to personal taste; for me to have enjoyed the book I think I either needed a more complex main character, or a more complex plot. The idea of Area X is rather interesting, but the book never made my curiosity about the region strong enough to entice me to read any further than necessary. I don't want to say that I don't recommend it - it has won some rather significant awards, so clearly it has some merit in the science fiction genre - but I can't say that it was a great read for me. It is, however, a rather short novel on its own, so if you are curious it isn't too much of a time investment to give it a try.

Despite the fairly high page count (around 450 pages, depending on the version), it was actually a very quick read. And that, unfortunately, is about all I can say in favor of this book. I mean, it seems like the sort of book I would love - waring thief guilds, characters trying to outwit each other, a lot of action sequences. And yet this book fell completely flat for me. All of the characters just sort of felt like tropes, without anything personal or endearing to recommend them. I'm all in favor of character-heavy stories, but I think too many important characters were introduced too soon - you didn't have enough time to get to know them before you had to meet (though in this book it might be more appropriate to say “meat”) someone else. You sort of had to assign the characters to tropes to keep it all straight. The sad thing was that they never really broke away from those classifications.

Another issue I had with this story is that the ploty-ness of the characters didn't really feel organic. Too many characters just flat out telling you too much about their plots. The reader sort of knew what was going to happen at all times, and sort of knew if the plan was going to work of fail right away. There was no time to really have that “oncoming train-wreck” feeling that sort of forces you to have an empathetic connection to a character. Although things didn't always go according to plan, I don't think there was any point in the book where I felt truly surprised.

I also wasn't a fan of all of the violence in the book. I mean, let's be honest - there tends to be a lot of violence in fantasy and science fiction. Death lends itself well to epic-ness. And most of the time it doesn't really bother me, but for some reason in this book it did. I think, perhaps, because I didn't feel anything while reading about it? Normally when reading about tragic events happening to a beloved character it creates some sort of emotional response, but I had none of that in this book. It made reading about their terrible situations feel rather awkward and uncomfortable. The fighting and resulting body count seemed to be just a bit over the top - everything was just a bit too obviously a pissing match to see which character was the most badass. Everyone being so incredibly skilled and having a near-infinite supply of daggers didn't lend much credence to the fight scenes either.

Even the resolution of the story was dissatisfying. I understand that this is part of a trilogy, but the end of the first book didn't have much of an ending, with a lot of plot points unresolved, and a lot of characters lacking a follow-up after the climax of the story. Granted, the lack of point of view can be a very effective way to achieve a cliff hanger, but I don't think it was used to full effect here. I wasn't really concerned about any of the characters, the story just seemed to end because the night was over and everyone was heading back to their hidey-holes.

So, yeah, I wasn't a fan of this book. Which is too bad because it came highly recommended and I was excited to read it at first. It had the makings of a good fantasy story, but nothing really felt fully flushed out. Fantasy books tend to be long for a reason - you need a lot of details to create a believable world with believable characters and interesting plot. This book lacked lacked the details, and thus lacked the interest for me. The one thing I will say is that in reading this book and being readily able to pick out its flaws, it made it much more evident what is required to make a good fantasy novel actually work. Obviously, I am not going to give this novel a high recommendation, as I really don't think got enough enjoyment to justify the time spent on it. However, I do think it could be useful for aspiring writers to read it - juxtaposing it with something like A Song of Ice and Fire can be extremely informative as to why and how long epic stories work. Hint: having a complicated plot, badass characters, and shiny weapons isn't it.

The adventure continues and I love it.

Let's send criminals back in time to steal alien technology to end the Cold War! Dang. I almost made it sound interesting.

I'm months behind in writing my book reviews, and while I feel like I should finish my older reviews first, I couldn't help but jump in to the current discussion surrounding Ernest Cline's latest novel, Armada.

Before I start my review, I feel the need to state that I am a huge Ready Player One fan. I simply adore that book. It is like a love sonnet to 80s pop culture, and it is honestly one of the best books I have read in recent years. I also got to meet Ernest Cline (briefly) while I was at San Diego Comic-Con this year. He seems like a really cool guy, genuinely enthusiastic about everything nerdy, and very grateful for his fans and all of the excitement over his first novel and upcoming film. I was honestly really excited about the release of Armada. Of course, the fancy Comic-Con swag didn't hurt much either.

I had pre-ordered a copy of this book almost as soon as it was available, and I've been waiting in anticipation for months. When it came it had quite possibly the coolest inside of a book jacket I've ever seen, which definitely only made me more excited for the story that was contained inside.

The back of the book of the book also had a cool feature - an old Maxwell mix-tape of the main character's father's collection of gaming songs entitled “Raid the Arcade.” As someone who had used the Castle Anorak blog's soundtrack list to create a Ready Player One Playlist, clearly I would have to continue my love for all things Ernest Cline by creating an Armada Playlist as a follow-up.

This was the sort of book I knew I was going to love before I even started reading it. Video games, 80s pop culture, Ernest Cline, what could go wrong? I even created a ridiculous hashtag on my social media: #ForgetGoSetAWatchmanImReadingArmada - attempting to gently prod my more literary friends who where almost overcome with excitement about Harper Lee's novel that had been released on the same day. Suffice it to say, I was beyond excited to read this book. Which is why, I'm sad to say, I'm finding it almost physically painful to write this review.

Armada is an alien invasion story about Zack Lightman, a teenage boy who spends too much time playing video games. However, it turns out his youth is not wasted, as his high ranking in the game world means he is actually a highly trained drone pilot ready to defend the earth from alien invaders! Beyond that premise, the story essentially consists of Zack learning about his family, and comparing everything to events from 1980s pop culture.

I really wanted to be absorbed in this story, fearing for the lives of the main characters, worrying at their peril from the alien invaders, but I never really had that emotional connection. Possibly because I was never really able to believe that these characters were teenagers in 2015. This story's main failing is that it is set in the present-day, but the characters feel hopelessly stuck in the past. While in school the students are tormenting each other with spitballs. Spitballs! I'm sorry, but in today's world when you have an uninterested math teacher you don't pelt spitballs across the room. You hide your cell phone on your lap and psychologically torment your neighbor through texts, tweets, and facebook. I'm not trying to downplay the seriousness of physical bullying, which is still a problem in schools, but, honestly, today's kids tend to be more sophisticated and less obvious than that. In a world without internet it would make sense, but, as computers and modern technology are a large part of this story, its lack of presence in the classroom feels a bit... odd.

Secondly, it was a bit difficult to believe how much 80s and 90s pop culture the main kids had absorbed. Zack's obsession with his father's possessions explain his knowledge, which was fine, but his friends were a bit too old-school to be believable. Honestly, their conversations would have confused many of my high school friends, and we were in high school when the original Lord of the Rings trilogy was being released. Clearly, my ability to grasp a majority of these references means I'm the Zack of my high school group. I'm not sure how I should feel about this.

Thirdly, and perhaps most importantly, I never really believed that the alien invasion felt real. I remember being three quarters of the way through the book and thinking, “This can't actually be happening. Like, it just doesn't make sense.” Unfortunately, the main character points out many of the logical inconsistencies of the book, but even in his attempt to “figure it out,” it just makes the events seem even more ridiculous. Everything just felt so... derivative. I hate saying it, but there wasn't ever really a moment when I accepted this scenario as realistic. The ever critical suspension of disbelief never really happened for me, and, unfortunately, without that the premise of this book really falls flat.

It could have possibly been remedied by an interesting protagonist overcoming difficult obstacles, but even then I can't find much merit in this book. Despite the difficulties Zack had in childhood, he sort of gets everything handed to him on a platter during the invasion. He gets the royal treatment as a top-ranked player from the Armada video game. He sits next to the love of his life who, surprisingly, is pretty interested in a relationship despite knowing Zack for only a few minutes. (Yes, yes, the impending doom of the Earth could be a nice incentive to hurry things up a bit, but still.) He even finds a wise sage with all the knowledge and wisdom and advice he could possibly want (not saying who, because, spoilers). Sure, he has a bit of emotional trauma to deal with, but, on the scale of all-out alien invasion, well it wasn't as bad as it could have been. Even the ending felt a bit like a pat on the head. I sort of assume than an epic war-like event involving an alien invasion would make things feel different for the characters, but, while the story sort of sums up the aftermath of the invasion, if felt as though nothing had really changed.

So, what merits does this book have? Well, to be honest, I still think Ernest Cline is great at writing banter between characters well versed in geek culture. I honestly wish I could be a part of these conversations. They are the sort of ultimate argumentative geek out that people in convention lines are too polite to engage in and your real life friends aren't well-versed enough to keep up with. I appreciate Cline's ever present sense of humor, and his creation of screen-names is really a treat. You can feel his enthusiasm bleed through the page, which is really what kept me reading this book, more than anything else. The quality of the writing itself is pretty good, it is just the story itself which is lacking.

I don't really want to compare this book to Ready Player One, because, honestly, they aren't really the same sort of story. However, it is a bit of an interesting exercise to try and figure out why the first novel was so successful, and why this one isn't. Ultimately, I think it comes down to believability. Ready Player One is set in the quasi-not-too-far-ish future, which, theoretically, means that the kids in that novel should be even less interested in 80s and 90s pop culture than the kids in Aramada are. However, the RPO kids have a strong motivating factor that the Armada kids don't - a desire to get out of the utter shit-hole they've been living in. Let's be honest - if the only distraction you had was the internet and an Easter-egg hunt based on 80s trivia with the potential for lots of money as a prize, then you'd be watching the heck out of Family Ties too. The idea that humanity will have wrecked the environment to end up in such a state isn't too hard to imagine either. And from there the rest of RPO is an exciting adventure mixed with a fun romp through 80s nostalgia, which easily pulls the reader through the story. With Armada, the idea of kids playing video games isn't weird. The idea of an alien invasion isn't weird (or, at least, not new). The idea of using kids and their computer game skills to fight an alien invasion also isn't new. And yet I never felt invested in this world. I never loved these characters. I never cared if things got better for them. And I think it really comes down to the fact that I never really believed that these kids were the characters they were written as. The older generation we meet later in the book felt almost indistinguishable from the younger, and I think that was a major problem - everyone felt kind of the same.

So, ultimately, I can't say I really recommend Armada. There are better things in the kid vs. alien genre out there. And, honestly, if you are considering this book stop and go read Ready Player One instead, because it really is fantastic. If I think about what I really get from this book it boils down to about three things: (1) my Comic-Con swag is still pretty cool, (2) “Raid the Arcade” is a pretty kick-ass playlist, and (3) Go Set A Watchman hasn't been getting good reviews either, so at least my hashtag doesn't make me look like too much of an idiot.

Shadows of Self is the sequel to The Alloy of Law, and continues the story of Waxillium Ladrian and his sidekick Wayne. Wax comes from a wealthy family, but spent quite a few years as a vigilante lawman in The Roughs. He has returned to the city life of Elendel, but he is having a hard time fitting into a world with politics, police, and ever-changing technology. As with the first novel about Wax and Wayne, you get a fun detective story mixed in with some awesome magic and cool fight scenes. However, this novel also has much more development of the changes to politics, religion, and technology since the original Mistborn trilogy. We get to find out what happened to a lot of the cool creatures that were major plot points in the original books as well. This novel also has a fair bit of character development as well, and shows a much more introspective side to a group of characters that could have come across as excessively comedic in the first novel. Shadows of Self doesn't have quite as much action as The Alloy of Law, but I actually appreciate the change of pace, especially because it allows for more world building. Anyone who has read the original Mistborn series is going to love how the events of those novels have influences the religion and politics of the newer stories in such a logical way. There are also quite a few Cosmere nuggets sprinkled into this text, so all of the obsessive Sanderson fans should be quite pleased with that as well. I don't think knowledge of the Cosmere, or even reading the other Mistborn novels, is necessary to enjoy the story, but I do think being able to geek out over the key sentences scattered throughout the book did substantially increase my enjoyment of it. Aside from the Cosmere geekery, I also have to applaud the ending of this book. Sanderson always delivers a great ending, but I believe the only appropriate way to describe this one is that it gives you “all the feels.” I'm trying to avoid spoilers as much as possible, but I will say that if you think the middle of the book gets slightly too focused on the politics and plotting, don't worry - there will be too much emotion to handle by the end. And if you are worried that you won't be able to deal with the emotional ending, don't worry - the third installment of Wax and Wayne trilogy, The Bands of Mourning, will hit stores January 26, 2016. I don't know if this is the fastest publication sequence for two novels in a series like this, but fantasy fans are used to waiting at least a year (or two, or three, or six...) between books, so this quick release sequence is actually really exciting. Although this book had a satisfying ending, I'm really excited for the conclusion to the Wax and Wayne trilogy, so I'm very excited for the end of January. Overall I think this was a great addition to Sanderson's Mistborn series. I think it could be enjoyed by anyone, even without having read the other books in the series, however, this story is one that I think readers will enjoy more if they have at least read The Alloy of Law or the original Mistborn trilogy. It was a great read, with nerd-tastic world building details and enough emotional punches to last me the winter. Highly recommended.

Promise of Blood is a fantasy story about a French-Revolution-esque uprising in a world where powder mages use gunpowder to fuel their abilities. The revolt is led by Tamas, a soldier who is willing to do whatever he feels is best for the people of Adro. He employs Adamat, a detective, to find out secrets from the previous regime, and to discover who may be trying to bring down his new republic from the inside. He is also willing to exploit the powder mage talents of his son Taniel to keep both him and his new government safe.

When I was starting the book it seemed that we were jumping perspectives quite quickly, and I was worried that that it might fall into the trap of too many people with too little personality like a certain other book I'd just read may have done. Happily, while the character introductions are a bit overwhelming up front, the remainder of the story is told from the perspectives of the five or six main characters you meet in the beginning. Which was nice because it gave time to understand their quirks and personality traits, while still having enough points of view to explore the world and see how all the various plot points needed to come together.

I enjoyed many of the themes explored in this book - especially toying with the idea that leadership is a divine right. It takes a lot of religious and political tenets that have been displaced throughout history and makes them central plot points in the story. Historical fantasy seems to be increasing in popularity of late, and I have to say the idea of introducing magic and gods into settings like the French Revolution is actually rather enjoyable, and somewhat thought provoking reading.

I do have to say that, while I did enjoy this book, I don't think I was quite as impressed with the writing as I wanted to be. It was good, but it wasn't brilliant. The problem, I think, is that I've read other stories that have attempted similar things, but done them better. The idea for the magic system is cool, but it feels a little unfinished. Like maybe all the rules weren't quite in place when he wrote it. Of course, it could be that we just haven't been given all the information yet, but still some things (like the special abilities of the individual powder mages) felt a bit inconsistent. The fight for political power was similarly interesting, but not quite as subtle or complex as I've seen in other books. (I mean, if I want a good revolution story I'll just re-read Les Miserables. Now that is some fantastic writing right there.) Similarly, while I like a lot of the characters (especially Taniel and Ka-poel), I don't really love them in a way that I've loved characters in other fantasy series. Overall McClellan has produced a good story with interesting concepts, but I don't think this book will go down as being one of my all time favorites.

Promise of Blood is only the first book of the Powder Mage Trilogy, and the ending definitely acts more like a set-up for the start of book 2 than as a conclusion for book 1. I think there was enough of interest in this story that I'm willing to spend the time to read the second book and see where things go. The first story leaves a lot of questions about the world and the state of our characters unanswered, so I don't really feel as though I've gotten a satisfying conclusion, and I'm invested enough with these characters to care about finding out what happens to them. So I expect I will read the other books in the trilogy at some point, though I don't feel the need to rush out and power through them right away. Definitely on my long-term list of to-read books though.

In the end I would say that I give this book a “maybe” recommendation. If you love fantasy then I think this story deals with some common tropes in an interesting way, and it is probably worth the read just to keep up with the modern authors and stories in the genre. Otherwise... I might say that you can give this book a pass. I think there are better fantasy series out there at the moment, with more compelling characters, more complex worlds, and more sophisticated writing. This book was good, and worth the read if you decide to pick it up, but I also think you can skip it without missing out on too much.

Steelheart is the story of David, a teenage boy, who wants to join a resistance group called the Reckoners as they attempt to rid the world of evil super heros known as Epics. The story takes place in Newcago (the city formerly known as Chicago) after Steelheart takes over the city as the center of his evil empire. The government has given up trying to control the Epics - they might as well try to forbid a hurricane from blowing. The city is a dangerous place - Epics can kill you on a whim if you live above ground, though the seedy underground isn't much safer. Most Epics are nearly indestructible - unless you know their one weakness and can find a way to exploit it. But since each Epic's weakness is completely unique this is a nearly impossible task. Most people have given up and simply try to find a way to exist.

The Reckoners are the only real resistance group taking a stand against the Epics. And even they tend to pick off the weaker ones rather than facing the stronger Epics head on. David's father was shot and killed by Steelheart when he was just a boy. David narrowly avoided death himself, and has made it his life's mission to see Steelheart destroyed. This book follows David as he attempts to join the Reckoners, find out new secrets about the city's most infamous Epics, and finally take revenge on the being that murdered his father.

All in all I have to say I thought this was a pretty good book. This is the first time Sanderson has really done anything in the urban fantasy genre, and while I much prefer his work in epic fantasy, I thought he created an interesting post-apocalyptic world. Perhaps I have read too much of his work, but I thought a lot of the story was somewhat obvious. At least until the end. I could see some of the “twists” coming a mile away, but a lot of the events at the ending were still pretty exciting. I thought the pacing of the book was good - it was a very fast read and there was always something exciting happening in the book. It didn't really leave a ton of room for as much character development as I would have liked, though that does keep me interested to learn more about these characters in the upcoming sequel. And, well, considering that this is geared for the teen market I think the story pacing is spot on - it is hard to put the book down once you have started, and the action picks up as you approach the climax of the story.

In the end I would have to say I recommend the book depending upon the reader. If you haven't read any of Brandon's works I recommend you start with another book - Mistborn is my favorite of his works so far. If you have read and enjoyed Brandon's other works I think you will enjoy this story - it has the great world building and exciting ending that are the hallmarks of most of his tales. I highly recommend this if you are looking for a book for a younger reader - perhaps a bit too much violence for very young readers, but definitely suitable for the pre-teen crowd. It isn't one of my all time favorites, but it was a quick read and a fun story so I am glad I read it.

Sense and Sensibility was Austen's first full novel. It tells the story of the Dashwood girls (Elinor and Marianne) as they search for love and companionship. This book provides an interesting look at how two sisters deal very differently with similar situations of lost love and betrayal. At times I found I very much identified with the more logical and cool headed Elinor, as I am definitely one to think through situations and I try not to let my emotions run wild, especially in a crowded room. At other time, though, I found I could much more identify with the wildly passionate Marianne, who could barely control or hide her true feelings and emotions. In the end both girls come to better understand one another, as they discover the secrets each other has been hiding throughout the course of the novel.

I have to say that while I did very much enjoy reading this book, I didn't enjoy it as much as I have enjoyed the other works of Austen that I have read so far. While there were moments that I could fully identify with the two main heroines, I found that most of the characters in this story were, on the whole, rather annoying. Now, I usually appreciate Austen's ability to write a wide range of characters - but here I felt that anyone who wasn't Elinor or Colonel Brandon was either too dramatic, too silly, or too annoying to feel like an actual person. Everyone almost felt like a caricature of some undesirable trait rather than a character made of varied emotions and feelings. In her later works I feel that Austen has a better balance of the ridiculous and the tragic, and it works much better to create a believable world.

I also have to say that I am not entirely sure how I felt about the ending. While I have no qualms about the male-female pairings at the end of this story, I am not entirely sure I really bought the long drawn-out explanation that Willoughby forces Elinor to hear. It seemed unnecessary and also somewhat unbelievable. I suppose that, in the end, it had little bearing on the outcome of the story, but that serves to make the exchange all the more unnecessary. The ending of this story feels a bit muddled - as though Austen had intended to completely villainize Willoughby, but changed her mind as the story progressed. While I suppose the not-quite-happy endings her characters receive in this story are a bit more realistic than many of the fairy-tale-ish endings in her other novels, the resolutions for these characters felt a bit forced and unexpected, whereas the endings in her other stories feel a bit more earned.

I am not one who often promotes the cinematic version over the book, but I feel that the movie version of Sense and Sensibility featuring Emma Thompson and Kate Winslet is perhaps one of the best adaptations of an Austen novel to the screen. Yes, the movie does somewhat deviate from the published story, but I feel that the film actually tightens up some of the weaker segments, makes some of the story's less credible connections more believable, and the excellent work by all of the actors make the characters feel more complex and nuanced than many of them seem in the book. I absolutely love the movie version of this novel, though I did not love the novel itself quite as much as I expected I would.

In the end, I still really liked this book. I find the works of Jane Austen to be superb, and I really do enjoy reading her stories. While I can nitpick and find flaws in Sense and Sensibility, I still enjoyed it immensely. It might not be my favorite Austen novel, but I am glad I found the time to read such a wonderful piece of classic literature. Hopefully I can find the time to read more of her works in the future (I think my next selection will be Northanger Abbey). In the meantime I highly recommend this book, and any of her other works, to anyone who enjoys reading classics or well written literature.

The Einstein Intersection is set far in the future on a post-apocalyptic Earth, where the humans have died out due to radiation from nuclear fall-out, and the planet has become inhabited by alien beings. Their myths and culture are based on the scraps of stories and knowledge they find left behind by the planet's former inhabitants, which leads to an interesting mixture of our present-day mythologies and popular culture (or, well, present-day for the mid-1960s). It follows the adventures of Lo Lobey as he falls in love with a woman named Friza, and tries to rescue her from her death. The story is an interesting blend of action, introspection, mythological quest, and cattle (well, dragon) herding western.

Upon finishing the book, I don't know if I can say that I liked it, exactly. There were quotes, phrases, and moments peppered throughout the text that I simply loved. Poignant or poetic, there was a relatable, timeless feel to some of the writing. However, there were other moments that felt forced, odd, or confusing, and the author including some of his personal notes in the text threw me out of the story somewhat. By making allusions to mythology and well know cultural icons, the ending of the story didn't feel surprising, but somehow it also didn't feel earned. I felt as though the characters in the story didn't have quite the emotional arc necessary to connect all the dots in a satisfying way.

I thought the book handled the topic of genetic mutations and environmental adaptability in a fascinating way. The alien culture is obsessed with genetics and creating functional beings. It isn't quite clear if their problems have to do with residual radiation or the fact that they were never really meant to inhabit the Earth, but I think either interpretation provides an interesting warning to those reading the story - especially in the context of the Cold War and the Space Race. Much of today's science is focused on mapping genes and discovering how they trigger developmental issues or chronic diseases, so I feel that much of the discussion on beneficial mutations and “functional vs. non-functional” beings actually still has great relevance today. I don't know that I was as enthralled with the story's exploration of metaphysics - it felt a bit info-dumpy at the end, rather than using principles from the works of Einstein and Gödel to explain events in the story.

Overall I have to say that the book was surprisingly thought provoking, for all that I may not have found it completely enjoyable. I read through it rather quickly, mostly because I was really interested to see where it was going, and I think that may have had something to do with my disappointment at the ending. The story itself didn't feel fully flushed out, especially when compared with more modern writing, but some of the concepts and ideas presented in the novel still have significance in today's world, and I find myself thinking about the book even a few weeks after I have finished reading it. I don't know that I would necessarily recommend this book - it definitely isn't something that everyone would enjoy - but the book is a quick read and covers some interesting topics. If you want something a bit more thought provoking or a bit “out there” in terms of writing style, then this might be a fun book for you to try. Otherwise you might want to stick with options already stacked up in your book stash.

Love this book! It is the book that started my enjoyment of Fantasy genre, and for that it will always be one of my favorites.

Julie and Julia is the autobiographical story of how Julie Powell decided to cook (and blog) her way through Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking in one year's time. Feeling lost at her government agency secretarial job, and facing the reality of her approaching 30th birthday, Julie decides she needs some goal or purpose in her life. Encouraged by her husband Eric, she embarks on her culinary journey that includes such feats as splitting a marrow bone, creating aspic, cooking a live lobster, and boning a duck.

If only the story had focused on her adventures in the kitchen, I may have been a bit more engrossed in the action. However, it seemed like a great deal of the book focused on the sexual adventures of Julie's friends. Which would have been ok (I get that a major theme of the book is her trying to compare fine foods to good sex) if only she weren't so whiny about it all. Whining about her job is one thing - being a secretary for a really depressing government agency overlooking the giant hole in the ground that was once the Twin Towers isn't fun - but whining because she married her high school sweetheart and isn't having all of the adulterous relationships enjoyed by her friends? Give me a break. Whining about her cramped kitchen space with dubious pipping? Sure, that can't be fun to deal with, especially when you are making mounds of dirty dishes on a daily basis. But whining because you have to cook amazingly delicious food on a daily basis? Umm, no, you signed up for that. Her attitude ping pongs between “I am so lucky I get to do this and have amazing support and an adoring husband” and “Woe is I, for I must cook, and work, and I have only had adult relations with very few men. Sniffle.” The inconsistency of her attitude is a really annoying and more than slightly off-putting.

On top of her attitude, the book itself has a somewhat scattered and unorganized tone. I mean, in general she recounts her tale chronologically, with the insertion of important flashback scenes, but she tends to ramble and wander from topic to topic as she slowly comes back to the point at hand. On occasion I found some of her thoughts to be witty, and I can see how her more conversational style would be good for a daily blog, where the scope was more limited and the content more focused. But more often the writing in the book left me re-reading sentences and trying to wrangle the mess of English in front of my into a cohesive thought. I found the most enjoyable segments to be the small inserts that speculate the lives of Paul and Julia Child. Honestly, Paul Child was my favorite character in the entire book and he only amounted to just over 10 pages of action. The only other consistently amusing segment was the highlighted reader comments from her blog.

Despite all this I did finish the book within a few days time. Which is good because I think if I had put it down I would not have picked it back up again. I am also grateful that the book was bought used - at least I didn't sink a ton of money into it, and I won't feel bad at all about selling it back to the bookshop. I love the movie, so I suppose it was fated that I would read the book. I almost wish I hadn't. In the film Amy Adams does a wonderful job of taking this neurotic and abrasive secretary and turning her into a quirky and relatable individual. The movie also does a much better job of focusing on the story at hand - enriching one's life through cooking - because it focuses on Julia Child's story (played by the sublime Meryl Streep) as much as it does Julie Powell's. I am not one who often champions a movie over a book, but in this case the movie is undeniably better, most likely because the screenplay was written by Nora Ephron (of You've Got Mail and Sleepless in Seattle fame) who knows how to tell a compelling and cohesive story. All things considered, my final recommendation is this: skip the book, watch the movie.

I have been reading Brandon's work ever since he was chosen to finish the Wheel of Time series, and I must admit that he has quickly become one of my favorite story tellers. I find that all of his books are quick to read, and are full of interesting characters and interesting ideas. I always enjoy the way he crafts his worlds and magic systems - there is always something realistic and utilitarian about them, even though they are fantastical and set in completely made-up worlds.

I found that, while The Emperor's Soul does demonstrate many of the typical hallmarks of Sanderson's style, it is also somewhat of a departure from his other works. Most of Brandon's works comprise of a group of fun and interesting characters using a fascinating magic system to overcome some long-term problem faced by a society. (This is not always the case, but, in general it is. Of course, that is probably because that is the general structure of most fantasy and sci-fi stories, but, you know, the format works well.) Typically his stories involve the characters running about quite a bit, with many changes of settings and locations. Which is why it is very interesting to note that the majority of this story takes place in a single room. Instead of Brandon using his characters to explore the world that he has created, he uses his magic system to allow for a very introspective look at the characters. While the story may not be as inherently exciting as some of his other works, it was still a compelling read. It allows a reader to see how people become what they are, and it offers the reader an opportunity to examine their own past and question how life events have shaped their own choices and behaviors.

Overall I found The Emperor's Soul to be a quick and interesting read. Like all of Brandon's works I found it to be a fun escape from the real world, even if only for a few hours. It can certainly stand on its own merits, however, I feel that it would be best read in the context of some of Sanderson's other works. I would recommend new readers to Brandon Sanderson start with Elantris, Mistborn, or Warbreaker and then branch into his other works from there. For those who have read any of Sanderson's other stories, I think The Emperor's Soul is a great addition to his collection of other works and I highly recommend it.

I have to say, after the total awesome goodness that transpired in the third book, the fourth book left me wanting more. Which isn't to say that this wasn't a good book, but it did rather feel like a lul in the middle of the series. Half of the story felt like resolutions to plot points that had happened in the previous book, and the other half of the story felt like set-up for things to come. It isn't so much that I wasn't interested by the events that transpired (there was some great political and religious maneuvering that had been building up throughout the series), but rather that it didn't feel like much transpired at all. Or, well, perhaps it is just that this book focused almost completely on the political maneuverings of only a few of the characters, with very little insight into any of the magical happenings in this world. Which was important because the major political factions have been somewhat tidied up (or at least are more clearly defined), but compared to the previous novels where magic, religion, and politics were all so richly layered, this really only feels like half the story. A cake without the frosting, if you will. A perfectly baked, delicious cake, but, still, I want my frosting dangit! Ah, well, based on sneak peaks and hints from the peanut gallery it sounds like I will be getting my frosting in the next installment, A Dance with Dragons. Of course, I haven't yet acquired said book (no paperback available yet, boo) so I can't say how soon I will get around to it, but it is definitely at the top of my queue once it finds its way into my greedy little hands. If nothing else, this book definitely left me wanting more.

In the meantime I will just have to find something else to read...

So... my overall impressions after reading the book is that I am not as blown away as I had hoped to be. That doesn't mean this is a bad book. I think having read somewhere that this series is the equivalent of “literary crack” I just expected a bit much. I mean, the general consensus that this is a more realistic, gritty, shades-of-grey type fantasy world than can be found in other novels is a rather accurate depiction. And I actually do like that aspect of the book. The writing is very good, and I usually enjoy a political intrigue type of story. However, I am just not loving and obsessing over this book as much as I do with a lot of the other series I have read. I think perhaps it is because I just don't love a lot of the characters. I mean, I appreciate the characters - they are interesting and multi-dimensional. I wouldn't say a single character is boring. However, even the best of the bunch have their dark moments and there aren't a ton of characters who are entirely likable. Which, I suppose, is how it is with real people in real life. Which also adds to the realistic nature of this story. And even in this first novel there is some character growth and development, which is good. And yet... there were very few people I actually really liked. I ponder if it is because I don't feel like I can trust any of these characters, at least not fully. And even those I do trust... I worry about getting too attached because they seem to make some stupid, all be it noble, decisions that don't really give me much encouragement for their longevity.

The other lasting impression I have of this book is that it is very much a beginning. I think this books shows a lot of plot threads that could potentially all come together in a bout of awesome at the end of the series. I think that perhaps that is the other reason I am still not obsessing over this book is that I am still waiting for the series to go somewhere. Which isn't to say that important things didn't happen in this book, because they most surely did. However, all of these things leave the impression of events just starting to get into motion. Even the ending of the book (which was quite satisfying, I might add) feels more like the start of things yet to come, rather than a culmination of the events of this part of the story. I think many fantasy stories start with many of the characters together, then branching out on their own adventures, and finally coming together for an epic ending. However, in this case, I feel like most of the characters have been spread apart to begin with, and will hopefully come together in the end for some sort of epic ending.

Overall, I am not super obsessively loving this book. However, I do think it was a good book and well worth reading. I am starting in on the second book because I am afraid I will forget all of the little details if I wait too long. Also, the second book picks up right where the first book left off, so I think reading the entire series (such as it is, as it is yet unfinished) as continuously as possible will probably enhance the story. Hopefully the second book will leave me loving the series a bit more... I am hoping that my lackluster reaction really is due to the slow start and not me losing interest in fantasy novels and other nerdy pursuits. I mean, I haven't even seen the last few Harry Potter movies. Lately my sewing has been more practical than fantastic, and my bedside stack of “to read” has shifted from fat fantasy novels to technical sewing guides. I don't know. I seem to be having less of an interest in the nerd pop culture as of late and I wonder, am I losing my nerdiness? I hope not. But I suppose time and a few more fantasy novels will tell.

Loved it! Great writing, great story, great Audible narration.