Author: HCNewton Page 558 of 625

The Younger Gods by Michael R. Underwood

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On May 12, 2015

In Authors, Fiction, Michael R. Underwood, P-U, Urban Fantasy

yyyyyeeeeesh, almost, but not quite 6 months late. What is wrong with me? Let’s see if I can remember enough to make this work:

The Younger GodsThe Younger Gods

by Michael R. Underwood
Series:The Younger Gods, #1


ebook, 280 pg.
Pocket Star, 2014
Read: November 20 – 22, 2014

Are you quite sure you don’t want to even try to seek cover?” I asked.
“Cover is what stands between me and stabbing things,” [Carter] said by way of response.
Let it not be said to my resident assistant that I constrained my roommate. He was his own man. Even if that man was insane at times.

One of Michael R. Underwood’s most impressive traits is his versatility. We’ve got the fun Urban Fantasy adventures of Ree Reyes, the strange superheroes of Audec-Hal, and now, this darker UF about a cult’s white sheep trying to stop the apocalypse.

Jacob Greene — of those Greenes (apparently) — has come to New York to attend university — and get away from his family and their demon-worshiping apocalyptic cultish practices that will usher in The End of the World as We Know It. He’s had enough of all of it, and is trying to get beyond their teachings, their practices, their . . . murderous ways. It’s more difficult than he expects, especially when his sister comes to town in order to usher in Doomsday.

Jacob finds himself surrounded with a motley crew of allies — mostly in the mold of the-enemy-of-my-enemy — trying to keep his sister from accomplishing her Ultimate To-Do list. Let me tell you, this particular UF version of NYC is full of quite the assortment of magical cultures/subcultures. The rules governing them, the way they interact with each other are one of the strengths of this novel — a nice little bit of world-building that was revealed, not dumped on the reader.

Jacob, understandably, spends a good deal of the book sorting out his identity in light of his family — as well as his feelings for/about them. There are no easy answers waiting for him. It’s here, not his running away from his family, not his attempts to stop his sister, that Jacob finds that bit of humanity that he’s been missing.

Was it still love if the people that loved you were monsters? Did their actions taint everything they did, or was there some humanity in the family? Had they ever really loved one another, or was it a mask, a role that each Greene has played to further the goals of the Bold and awaken the unborn? There was a film, some film, that matched this feeling. I’d heard someone talk about it in class.

Jacob’s ending gambit had me groaning, “Underwood’s not going to do that, is he?” Turns out 1. He did; and 2. It totally worked. I couldn’t believe it. I was expecting a cheesy car wreck, but he nailed it. Note to self: don’t doubt Michael R. Underwood again.

My biggest gripe was Jacob’s language. He starts off with the most formal, stilted dialogue this side of an Austen novel; slang was a foreign language he was trying to adopt. By the end of the novel, however, a lot of that was gone. Now, it’s possible, I just got used to his language — but I don’t think so. Mostly, it was his use of slang that improved dramatically. Now, if it had happened slower — over a book or two, I wouldn’t have noticed — or, more likely, I’d have given Underwood props for it. But . . .this book covers events of a few days, far too quickly for Jacob to pull that off. Still, as far as gripes go . . . that’s pretty small.

It’s not Underwood’s best — but it’s a good start, and I can eventually see me saying something different about the series as a whole. Great magic system, a situation I’ve never encountered in any of the UF I’ve read, a solid group of characters to build from — I can honestly say that I have almost no idea what’s up next for Jacob Greene et al. But I’m looking forward to finding out.

—–

3.5 Stars

Saturday Miscellany – 5/9/15

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On May 9, 2015

In Books, News/Misc.

Odds ‘n ends over the week about books and reading that caught my eye. You’ve probably seen some/most/all of them, but just in case:

    This Week’s New Releases I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:

  • Unseemly Science by Rod Duncan — didn’t realize the sequel to strong>The Bullet-Catcher’s Daughter was this close to being released when I read it recently. This should be really good.
  • The Worst Class Trip Ever by Dave Barry — an MG book by Barry about a field trip gone bad? Should be a fun way to kill an hour or so.
  • Revision by Andrea Phillips — this looks to be a trippy read.
  • Corsair by James L. Cambias — Computer hackers and space pirates, sounds like a winning combo
  • Lois Lane: Fallout by Gwenda Bond — Lois Lane in high school (and, thankfully, not the version from Smallville).
  • Burning Down George Orwell’s House by Andrew Ervin — the tagline, “A darkly comic debut novel about advertising, truth, single malt, Scottish hospitality—or lack thereof—and George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four” is enough to get me looking for it.

Lastly, I’d like to say hi and welcome to legalreader for following the blog this week — and the tip — check out her blog, there’s some good stuff there. Thanks also to andrewknighton for the interaction.

Thicker Than Water by G.M. Ford

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On May 8, 2015

In Fiction, Mystery/Detective Fiction/Crime Fiction/Thriller

Thicker than WaterThicker than Water

by G. M. Ford
Series:Leo Waterman, #7

Kindle Edition, 264 pg.
Thomas & Mercer, 2012
Read: April 29 – 30, 2015
So, I stumbled onto this series in ’06, I think — and read them in a pretty quick succession. I don’t have crystal clear memory of them, but I remembered Waterman, the lovely (and smart) Rebecca, the homeless people that he uses to help, his wit — and a scene or two from books 1-5. I remember book 6, The Deader the Better pretty well — I really remember how much I wanted to go on to to the next one, and how frustrated I felt when I discovered there was no book 7. How could Ford leave us hanging like that? Just when I was really getting to like the guy (see also: Koryta’s Lincoln Perry; Levine’s Solomon vs. Lord; Lehane’s Kenzie and Gennaro).

So imagine my delight when I stumbled onto a new Leo Waterman (even if I found it a few years late). It took me very little time to get back into things — Ford quickly reminded me of the details I’d forgotten while plunging Waterman (and the reader) into the thick of things.

I’d forgotten how quotable Ford can be. This description of a lifelong, um, acquaintance and current gun dealer probably beats the competition in this book (by a hair):

Junior Bailey couldn’t have been more than a couple of Oreos short of three hundred pounds. A corpulent corpuscle in a hideous purple suit, he looked like a Cuban headwaiter who had been held hostage in a doughnut shop. Except for the rosebud lips, he bore little or no resemblance to his father.

How can you not like a book with lines like that? 1. It’s funny, 2. You have a clear picture of this guy in your head, 3. Given the phrasing, you’re pretty sure just what the narrator thinks of ol’ Junior Bailey. This kind of writing keeps me turning pages — I almost don’t care about plot or character. Almost.

But despite the years, Ford hasn’t lost a step with these characters — Leo is still Leo. Yes, aged, and clearly affected by Rebecca’s moving on. But still the same man — and when called upon to come to her aid, he dives right in. The folks at the bar are still as fun (and tragic) and silly as remembered.

And the case? Rebecca’s gone missing, her bad choice of husband is, too — and no one seems to care other than her mother. Granted, she thinks Leo would’ve been a worse choice for Rebecca, but she knows that if anyone will look for Rebecca it’d be Leo. There’s some brutal action, some good twists and turns to the tale, a few criminals that are requisitely evil and demented, and more than enough chuckles before reaching a very satisfying conclusion. I’m so glad to see that Ford’s at work on another in this series.

And I truly wish I could say more about the biggest laugh, but it’d take too long and it’d ruin it for you, so I’ll just conclude with this:

That last chapter? Reader, I lol-ed.

—–

4 Stars

The Midnight Plan of the Repo Man by W. Bruce Cameron

By

On May 7, 2015

In Dogs, Fiction, Mystery/Detective Fiction/Crime Fiction/Thriller

The Midnight Plan of the Repo ManThe Midnight Plan of the Repo Man

by W. Bruce Cameron
Series: Ruddy McCann, #1

Hardcover, 319 pg.
Forge Books, 2014
Read: May 6, 2015
Disgraced college football star, ex-con, turned hometown shame and repo man, Ruddy McCann suddenly finds himself hearing voices — well, a voice, one that claims to be a local Realtor who disappeared 8 years earlier. Ruddy eventually convinces himself that he’s not going crazy, there’s actually a ghost living inside his brain, one who used to be Alan Lottner. Alan was murdered by someone he vaguely recognizes and a complete stranger, for reasons unknown to him. He also doesn’t know why he’s in Ruddy’s mind. There are a couple of things he does know: Ruddy needs to take better care of himself and his home; and that Ruddy can help him figure out what happened to him, and why.

While working on this quest, Ruddy works on some repo jobs, tries to help a friend out of a jam, and attempts to help keep his sister’s bar afloat — oh, and he’s met this great gal that he can’t stop thinking about. The fact that she’s Alan’s daughter just complicates things.

Cameron doesn’t bother explaining much about how Alan and his host were linked, why it took so long for Alan to become aware, or anything like that. It doesn’t even pretend to. And that’s okay, it works, somehow — even though I wouldn’t generally stand for that kind of thing.

I didn’t find this as funny as most people seem to — I found bits amusing, I thought the characters were drawn with a comedic brush, but that Cameron played it straight — rarely going for jokes or laughs, but finding the humor in these people just living — a more grounded, and genuine kind of humor. The Midnight Plan of the Repo Man is a pretty solid suspense story, with a side of romance, a few people looking for a second chance (maybe a bit of redemption), a loyal dog, and some silly characters. This one hit the spot.

—–

3.5 Stars

Goodbye Ginny Madison by Dave Gehrke

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On May 6, 2015

In Fiction, Mystery/Detective Fiction/Crime Fiction/Thriller

Goodbye Ginny MadisonGoodbye Ginny Madison

by Dave Gehrke
Kindle Edition, 300 pg.
Amazon Digital Services, 2014
Read: May 1 – 5, 2015
This just didn’t work for me. It was cute enough, I guess — and the solution was pretty clever (although I saw the heart of it very early on). But at the end of the day, it just wasn’t well-written. I’m getting ahead of myself a bit.

Here’s the gist of the book, from the Publisher’s Description:
Greg Monroe writes romance novels under the nom de plume Ginny Madison. That’s what he’s “gotta do”. What he wants to do is write mysteries; hard-boiled mysteries with bite. But his publisher tells him his mysteries lack originality, his plots are simplistic and his characters… well, they just aren’t real.

Complicating matters, Greg’s live-in Uncle George brings home an attractive new housekeeper. Hattie Fulton is intelligent, capable, resourceful and not who she pretends to be.

But before Greg can uncover the truth behind the attractive Hattie Fulton, Uncle George becomes the main suspect in a real murder mystery. Suddenly thrust into the role of a real detective, Greg digs into the mystery hoping to prove his uncle’s innocence while at the same time struggling to meet his next publishing deadline. And surprisingly, Greg’s fictional plots suddenly become edge-of-the seat compelling and his characters take on a life of their own. If you discount the strong resemblance to both Hattie and Greg and the sparks that are flying between them.

Now all Greg has to do in order to clear his uncle, finish the best mystery novel he’s ever written and win over his housekeeper is uncover the real murderer, without revealing to everyone that he’s really a romance writer pretending to be a mystery writer.Sounds like a straight-to-DVD Rom Com, doesn’t it?

Greg, simply put, is a chauvinist. Mystery novels are “real ‘guy’s’ books” and no guy should come anywhere near a romance novel. He’s doing well enough writing full-time under a nom de plume to afford a nice house for himself and his uncle, which can’t be easy. Yet, somehow, someone who thinks, “I mean what the hell does a guy know about romance? Beer, sports, guns. That’s guy stuff. Romance; female stuff” can write well enough for a female audience to support himself, despite a lousy work ethic. I guess it’s the Melvin Udall-phenomenon. He’s really pathetic, professionally and personally — if not for his uncle, it’d be easy to see him holed-up in his house forever.

Uncle George is a fire-cracker of a guy, pushing Greg into the world by any means necessary. Beyond his healthy nest-egg, poker buddies and bookie, he has a pretty full life on his own — think Stephanie Plum’s Grandma Mazur, but more together and grounded.

Hattie? Hattie’s a fantasy come to life — a knockout who can drive, shoot, take down bad guys with a couple of martial arts and cook. Did I mention she was hot?

And these are the well-drawn characters. The murder suspects are stock characters, as are the mobsters that Greg runs into. The police detectives are worse.

I really don’t want this to turn in to a litany of complaints, because I’ve really covered the major ones already, but I do have a few more, that I’ll just list without too much expansion:

  • The samples of Greg’s writing are, like almost every fictional example of someone’s fiction, are over-written. More adjectives and adverbs than any published author would use, lousy dialogue, unnatural vocabulary choices. This tendency occasionally spills over into the narrative, too.
  • Gehrke seems incapable of writing out the words “Lieutenant” and “Sergeant.” Sorry, man, but only using abbreviations? That’s just lazy.
  • Along the same line — this thing is just riddled with typos. Most are forgivable/easy to ignore. But there are some that are just nasty. If Gehrke got “losing”/”lose” right once, it slipped by me. Sure, it seems minor — but if you have to re-read the sentence because the wrong word (i.e., “loosing”/”loose”) was used, it takes you out of the moment.
  • Greg, George and Hattie spend so, so, so much time bantering about their choice of words in conversation it gets annoying. If he used that joke maybe one-third (or less) as often as he did, it could be amusing. But he just goes to that well too often, and it’s off-putting.

The murder mystery itself was well done. The steps that Greg and the rest went through to solve it were pretty rambling and chaotic — but they were supposed to be. The tone was generally right — except when he wrote the same joke 15 times.

Cute enough, like I said, and pretty amusing. It’s the literary equivalent of the straight-to-DVD Rom Com I mentioned earlier. Goodbye Ginny Madison is entertaining enough to justify the time — just entertaining enough. Still, if you’re looking for novel about a rookie detective on his first murder case, check out Jim Cliff’sThe Shoulders of Giants.

—–

2 1/2 Stars

The Bullet-Catcher’s Daughter by Rod Duncan

By

On May 5, 2015

In Fiction, Steampunk

The Bullet-Catcher’s DaughterThe Bullet-Catcher’s Daughter

by Rod Duncan
Series: Fall of the Gas-Lit Empire, #1

Mass Market Paperback, 364 pg.
Angry Robot, 2014
Read: April 27 – 29, 2015

This, my friends, is how you create a world. And populate it with a great character — and several really good supporting characters. Oh, and manage to tell a rollickingly good story while you’re at it.

The back of this book says that this is supposed to be shelved in “Fantasy,” which is just about the last thing that I’d have put it under, but . . . sure, why not? This is a very alternate history — 1973, but operating on Steampunk-ish technology after a global moratorium on technological advancement (this is just a quick and dirty summary, read the book to really get it). Edwin Barnabus makes ends meet (and that’s about it) working as a Private Intelligence Gatherer with a little help from his twin, Elizabeth, they’re looking for the missing brother of a Duchess — who is more than capable of helping ends meet for quite a while.

Here’s the thing: Edwin doesn’t exist. And underneath her Victorian-era dress, Elizabeth keeps fairly decent disguise so she can go out and about as a male when necessary. There is one pretty noticeable flaw with her disguise, but she’s pretty good at covering it up — but the fact that’s there’s such a chink in her armor makes me like it all the more.

Elizabeth is smart, resourceful, kind — and haunted by a threat from the past. You can easily see this as a later entry in an ongoing series, sort of where everything Elizabeth has worked to establish is jeopardized. The search for this missing brother will push Elizabeth to her extremes, as she dodges debt collectors, representatives of two different pseudo-governmental forces, and some very driven circus performers.

The narration is crisp, and Elizabeth is charming. Her few friends, and at least one person who may be some sort of ally — or patient enemy — are well used to round-out her universe and give her the aid she needs to get the job done.

Give it a shot. This is the first of a duology, and I’m afraid that just might not be enough.

—–

4 Stars

Saturday Miscellany – 5/2/15

By

On May 2, 2015

In Books, News/Misc.

slim pickings this week, but here’s a few odds ‘n ends over the week about books and reading that caught my eye. You’ve probably seen some/most/all of them, but just in case:

    Just one New Release that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon for you this week.

  • Darkened Blade by Kelly McCullough — the sixth installment of McCullough’s Fallen Blade series. Wait? Sixth? I knew I was behind, but not that behind.


Image credit: Grammarly

Dark Heir by Faith Hunter

By

On April 30, 2015

In Authors, F-J, Faith Hunter, Fiction, Jane Yellowrock/Soulwood, Urban Fantasy

Dark HeirDark Heir

by Faith Hunter
Series: Jane Yellowrock, #9

Mass Market Paperback, 363 pg.
Roc, 2015
Read: April 22 – 24, 2015
So, how much trouble does Jane Yellowrock find herself in this time out? Almost all of it, I think.

Even as she left his desiccated near-corpse hanging on the wall in Leo’s sub-basement, we all knew that Jane was going to have to deal with The Son of Darkness sooner than later. So did she. Turns out it’s a lot sooner than anyone expected or wanted (well, maybe some readers wanted it now, so sooner than Jane et al. wanted it). Joses Bar-Judas is probably the nastiest, toughest, most despicable supernatural creature we’ve encountered in these books — and I don’t see him being topped any time soon (well, maybe his brother).

The body count in this one is high — and the ramifications for that are probably going to be felt for a book or two. Oddly, the police and people of New Orleans don’t take kindly to an out-of-control vampire. Relations between the general populace and the Mithrans are near the breaking point.

But that’s not the worst — whatever this original vamp* is capable of doing — it’s far more than Jane’s ready for. Keeping fairly spoiler-free, let’s just say that whatever punishment our Skinwalker’s taken thus far is nothing compared to what she’s got coming.

Along the way, Jane learns some things — thanks to the vamps playing everything super, super close to their chests — that changes how she thinks about and understands almost everything that’s happened since she first came to New Orleans.

Which isn’t to say this is a perfect book — I’ve about had it with Molly, really. I’ll always be interested in her daughter (and the way Beast thinks of that little kit), but Hunter needs to do something interesting with Molly soon. I didn’t like the way that Jane’s church (particularly their baptismal waters) were depicted. I’ve always appreciated how in the middle of all this crazy supernatural stuff, there’s been a real drive in Jane for a connection to this church, which was fairly realistically depicted. Hunter sorta tossed that out of the window this time, and made it just as supernatural as everything else. I understand that impulse and how it fits into this world — I just like it less. Lastly, there were plenty of opportunities for Jane and Jodi (and the rest of the police) to work together here, or at least for Jane to do a better job explaining things to her pal with the badge. But for the most part, all that was shoved to the sidelines in a pretty poor way. Yes, there’s only so much Hunter can fit into 360 pages, but still.

Nevertheless, in the grand scheme of things, these are minor complaints when weighed against what Hunter did accomplish here. The chapters involving the final show-down were some of the best things I’ve read in this series, and were definitely filled with all the “what the — ?!” moments you could ask for and a couple “did I just read that?” paragraphs as well.

In the midst of things at their worst — we get some really nice moments with her not-boyfriend, Bruiser. Best of all, we’re treated to some great, heartfelt, “Awww” inducing developments with Eli and Alex. I’ve liked Alex from the get-go, but Eli is about to become my favorite character in the series (sorry, Jane).

For most of the time I’ve been reading this series, I’ve pretty much thought of it as a decent UF series to tide me over between installments of my favorites. But as of the last two or three, I think I’ve come to realize that this is one of my favorites and that I’m really, really looking forward to seeing what comes next.** Dark Heir is probably the best so far, and it’ll take something big to top it.

—–

* Not to be confused with the CW’s collection of teen heart-throb Originals.
** Which I fear means that Hunter will wrap things up in a book or two.

—–

4 1/2 Stars

Atlanta Burns by Chuck Wendig

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On April 29, 2015

In Fiction, Mystery/Detective Fiction/Crime Fiction/Thriller, YA/MG/Children's Books

I’ve got a bet with myself involving how many words I can get into this thing without mentioning a certain UPN/CW show about a teenage P. I. I don’t have high hopes of winning.

Atlanta BurnsAtlanta Burns

by Chuck Wendig
Series:Atlanta Burns, #1-2


Kindle Edition, 381 pg.
Skyscape , 2015
Read: March 20 – 23, 2015

Morning— well, late morning— well, let’s just call it “noon”— arrives, and Atlanta awakens in a dreary, bleary-eyed sweat. Her spirits lift a little— not a full, bounding leap, but like a balloon whose helium hasn’t gone all the way out— when she realizes that this is the first day of summer vacation.

Sleep is evasive, ducking and feinting, slippery like a pig slathered in its own grease. The day was hot, but somehow the night seems hotter . The air thick and stuffy like she’s a piece of French toast puffing up and sweating on the griddle . Summer’s not even here yet, but the season has sent an early preview.

No matter what you think of Ms. Burns and her (mis?)adventures, getting lines like that is half the fun. This is my second book by Wendig and the one thing I can say for certain is that this man has a way with prose that really, really like.

Thankfully, this time, I like his protagonist and the stories that she’s finding herself in.

Atlanta’s in a new-ish school in a new-ish town, and is hating it. She’s already got herself a (deserved) reputation for reckless violence, which comes in handy when she comes across some bullies attacking a Hispanic kid. She disrupts things for them, earning herself a couple of new enemies and a friend she doesn’t want. Before she knows it, Atlanta’s got a new reputation — as someone who bullies the bullies, who can get your revenge for you.

Atlanta’s a mess — dealing with PTSD (or something akin to it), her relationship with her mother’s in shambles, isn’t good with people — especially those in authority, mixes up non-prescribed pharmecuticals and caffeine in a way that can’t lead to long-term phscial or mental health. Probably not in the short-term, either, come to think of it. She makes mistakes — big ones, potentially lethal ones. She may be a contemporary Sally Kimball — but she’s nowhere near as perfect as Sally (or her partner). It wouldn’t have shocked me if she was killed in all of her nosing around. (it would’ve fit the tone of the book, too).

Some of the characters here are very well drawn, some aren’t. The English teacher who takes an interest in her is like every English teacher you’ve read/seen on TV who takes an interest in a troubled kid. Her nerdy friends, or her drug/gun dealer, on the other hand, are sharply and fully drawn. Ditto for the bullies, criminals and low-lifes she comes into contact with. I’m torn about Atlanta’s mother, I’m not sure what to think of her as a character, really. She’s largely extraneous to the plot, but when she’s around, it counts.

The violence seems real. It’s messy, sloppy, not a series of precision moves/shots/etc. like you’d get from…well, about everyone else. It hurts. It takes people down and takes time to recover. Nowhere near as entertaining (at least not in the same way) as Reacher talking about how much force is required to break bone X, or Vinnie Morris making the impossible shot, or Elvis Cole delivering a precision kick to the face. Instead, what we get is visceral, bloody, and wrong. Sort of what violence is supposed to be.

This is one of those books where you quickly learn to stop thinking, “it’s not going to get worse than this.” It does, and soon. And then it does it again. Which isn’t to say that there aren’t victories — some are minor, some are Pyrrhic, but they’re there. There’s even a little joy. The ending is satisfying, while leaving the door open for more. Atlanta has more in common with Frank Castle than Flavia de Luce, more Lisbeth Salander than Veronica Mars, more Beatrix Kiddo than Kinsey Milhone, but there’s a little of all of them in her. I look forward to more from her.

—–

3.5 Stars

Fairest by Marissa Meyer

By

On April 28, 2015

In Fiction, YA/MG/Children's Books

How’s this for embarrassing? As I typed this up, I noticed I hadn’t blogged about the previous volume in the series, Cress. Man, I hate that.

—–

FairestFairest

by Marissa Meyer
Series: The Lunar Chronicles,#3.5

Hardcover, 222 pg.
Feiwel & Friends, 2015
Read: April 25, 2015
Most of the time, when I see a .5 in a series, it’s a 30-70 page tale to fill in a narrative gap, or keep the fan base appeased, or something that doesn’t come across as unintentionally offensive. Leave it to Meyer to toss in a 200 page .5 instead.

So ever wonder what turned The Lunar Chronicles Queen into the evilest royal this side of the Brothers Grimm? Yeah, me either. But, Meyer answers the unasked question. From her horrible childhood to her mortifying adolescence to her even worse adulthood (aside from ruling the Moon), this book takes us through the Levana’s development — descent? — while planting all the seeds we need to see how the events of Cinder etc. are set in motion.

At the end of the day, I didn’t need this book. Sure, it humanized Levana a bit, but the Chronicles doesn’t demand that (well, I might be wrong on that front — I might revise this after I read Winter). But, it was a quick read. It was interesting enough to see the wheres, whys, and hows behind the Moon’s approach to Earth. It kept my interest, and more than once, I forgot I was reading a prequel. That’s a plus in my book.

—–

3 Stars

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