Category: Fiction Page 310 of 349

The Severed Streets by Paul Cornell (Updated)

On June 17, 2014

Update: A representative of Audible.com, emailed me to ask if I’d like to post a clip from the audio book with this review. Sounded like a good idea to me (no pun intended). The sample’s at the bottom of this post, give it a listen.

The Severed Streets

by Paul Cornell

Hardcover, 416 pg.
Tor Books, 2014
Read: June 11 – 14, 2014

This Cornell guy can write.

I’m tempted to let that be all I say about this book. Won’t be (because I can’t help myself), but it’s tempting. The other thing I’m tempted to do is copy and paste the first three paragraphs of my London Falling review to start this one — I am a little annoyed to see that I spoke so much about the Bryant & May Peculiar Crimes Unit series last time, because the comparison really hit me repeatedly as I read this book. I hope neither Cornell or Fowler mind that comparison.

Straightaway, Cornell creates a world rich with atmosphere — the his depiction of the tension on the streets of London is visceral, and then when the first murder occurs, you start to wish for something a little less visceral. And that’s in the first handful of pages. Once the focus turns to the team of detectives, it takes almost no time at all to immerse yourself again in this world (one that I honestly was a little fuzzy on when I picked up the book, remembering everything about these characters took a page or two back with them). There’s a bit more esprit de corps amongst them now then when we left them in London Falling, they’ve spent more time together, are more familiar with each other — and, if nothing else, realize that they share something that no one else in the London Police does.

Now they’ve got their hands full, seeking a vicious killer that only they can see. One that seems to have connections to a popular protest movement (think the Occupy movement, but with masks) and maybe to Jack the Ripper. Add all those things together, and you’ve got yourself a real mess. To that, add multiple conflicting goals on the part of Quill and his team, a looming police strike, an overly-inquisitive media mogul, a meddling Security Service, and a city on the verge of riot — and you’ve got, well, I don’t know exactly what it is, but the word “mess” no longer can describe it.

This early in a series, I don’t have any strong emotional connection to characters — particularly in this series, which (to me) seems to lend itself to a distancing between reader and character. But when one of the team makes an unthinkable sacrifice, I realized that distance didn’t exist anymore for me, and I had to put the book down for a brief moment to think about what I’d just read. But I couldn’t keep it down for long and had to pick it up quickly — only to be hit with something worse not that long after.

Which is not to say that this whole novel is an emotional wringer, there’s more humor, more hope intrinsic to this book than its predecessor, while it doesn’t lose any of it’s edge. The celebrity cameo was hilarious in a book not typified by hilarity of any kind. And then it became more than a cameo, which was pretty cool — and then it became, brilliant. I mean, truly brilliant. And I really can’t say more about it than that without violating all sorts of my spoiler policies.

I want to say more about this book, and maybe I’ll come back and revise this later, but for now I’d better leave it at this or it’ll never get done. The Severed Streets is one of those books that will make you want to cancel plans, so you can spend more time with it. From the unnervingly impossible assassination at the beginning to the truly disturbing final sentence, and almost every point in between, this is a killer book — gripping, suspenseful, with no punches pulled on any level. Please let there be more of these soon.

—–

4 1/2 Stars

Dusted Off: The Girl in the Clockwork Collar by Kady Cross

By HCNewton

On June 16, 2014

In Fiction, Steampunk

The Girl in the Clockwork Collar

by Kady Cross

Hardcover, 416 pg.
Harlequin Teen, 2012
Jul. 16-18, 2012

A rollicking good read — lots of action, humor, a splash of romance. On the whole, a sequel that surpasses it’s predecessor (though most of that was due to world-building, set-up, and whatnot).

Sure, there was plenty of rehashing key conflicts from the first book, more than was needed. But once you accept that, it’s easy to deal with.

The villain is convincing, the plot twist is easy to spot a few miles away, but it still works. I’m hoping there are many more of these to come.

—–

3 Stars

Dusted Off: Team Human by Justine Larbalestier, Sarah Rees Brennan

By HCNewton

On June 16, 2014

In Fiction, YA/MG/Children's Books

Team Human

by Justine Larbalestier, Sarah Rees Brennan

Hardcover, 352 pg.
HarperTeen, 2012
Read: Jul. 19-21, 2012

Much more than a Twilight spoof (although, that’s there) this is a heckuva read. Mel’s a spunky high schooler with a lot on the ball, her friends see her as a fixer, the one who can help them deal with whatever crisis they’re dealing with. It’s a role she relishes, it’s her way of identifying herself. Particularly this time, when she’s trying to stop one friend from falling for a vampire, while another is coping with her dad abandoning the family for a vampire lover. Vampires are pretty low on Mel’s list.

Mel’s a flawed hero, in an endearing way. She’s bullheaded, fierce, dives into things without looking, she makes mistakes, but picks herself up and charges back into the fray with a minimum of self-doubt.

The rest of the cast are almost as well-rounded, were I in high school, I’d love to hang out with them (they’d probably be a bit too wild for me, honestly).

A fun, emotionally-satisfying novel for teens and adults who don’t mind reading below their grade level.

—–

4 Stars

The Intern’s Handbook by Shane Kuhn

By HCNewton

On June 12, 2014

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

The Intern’s Handbook: A Thriller

by Shane Kuhn
Series: John Lago Thriller, #1

Hardcover, 276 pg.
Simon & Schuster, 2014
Read: May 5 – 7, 2014

“Interns are invisible. You can tell executives your name a hundred times and they will never remember it because they have no respect for someone at the bottom of the barrel, working for free. The irony is that they will heap important duties on you with total abandon. The more of these duties you voluntarily accept, the more you will get, simultaneously acquiring TRUST AND ACCESS. Ultimately, your target will trust you with his life and that is when you will take it.

So says John Lago, in his unofficial handbook for employees at Human Resources, Inc. — a false front for an organization of hitmen. He Handbook is part memoir, part confessional, part how-to, part the reflections of a professional

Along with nice tidbits like this, we get to see John’s last assignment for HRI — he’s sent in as an intern at a prestigious law firm to identify a shady partner and eliminate him. Having reached the ripe-old age of 25, retirement is looming (hard to believe someone in their late 20s is an intern anywhere), and he’s determined to go out on top. But for the first time in his illustrious career — things don’t go well for John. And when that starts to happen, it goes bad fast and in several different ways.

Bad for John, good for us — because watching him try to navigate out of trouble, while maintaining his cover is a blast. John’s a real professional, and whatever misgivings are starting to creep into his subconscious, his instincts are sound. Alice — initially, a fellow intern and competitor, and eventually, more — isn’t exactly what she seems, but is a fun character no matter what angle on the character we’re seeing. The head of HRI, Bob, is exactly the kind of shady, manipulative scoundrel you’d expect the executive behind an army of paid assassins to be.

By page 3, I’d written in my notes “smart, funny, sharp — if he keeps this up, I’ll be happy.” He did keep it up, and did better, there was an unexpected genuine heart in this book (particularly the last couple of chapters). The voice was fitting (and great) — as a fan of movies like Grosse Pointe Blank and The Whole Nine Yards, John’s less-than-charitable musings on pop culture depictions of his field were quite amusing and had the ring of truth. The action scenes were well-written, you could see everything (usually from the edge of your seat). Recommended.

—–

4 Stars

Marked Man by William Lashner

By HCNewton

On June 11, 2014

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

Marked Man

by William Lashner

Hardcover, 421 pg.
William Morrow & Company, 2006
Read: June 6 – 10, 2014

I picked this one up on the recommendation of a reader. Normally, I don’t like to step into a series 6 books in, but every now and then I throw caution to the wind.

So Victor Carl is a criminal lawyer of some repute, but most of it not that positive, he has some serious relationship issues, a father in poor health, and an odd taste in clients. He’s got an investigator (whose name escapes me, and I’ve already returned the book) who seems awfully good at his job, has a strange speech pattern, and disappears completely and inexplicably half-way through the book. He’s got a partner in his law firm going though some sort of existential crisis that I’d probably only understand if I’d read the previous books.

Carl’s got a headache of a case at the beginning of the novel — an elderly Greek woman is on her deathbed (I only mention her ethnicity because she can’t seem to go more than a sentence without bringing it up) and she wants to say goodbye to her son, a fugitive. Carl’s job is to arrange with the authorities for that meeting to occur. It doesn’t take long for Carl to find out that it’s not just the authorities looking for the client, his former associates are as well. In the midst of that, speaking of headaches, Carl wakes up one morning, can’t remember much about the night before — other than there was a lot of alcohol, a blonde, and more alcohol involved — with a woman’s name tattooed on his chest. He just has no idea whose name that is.

Believe it or not — that’s not all there is to this book. A whole lot of plot lines — many of which overlap in very odd ways — Carl’s got to save his own skin, save his client’s, get his client to see his mother, find out who belongs to that name (and how it got on him), help his partner with a case and her crisis….aaand a few other things. On the whole, Lashner keeps things moving enough to keep you turning pages, yet doesn’t let the multiple storylines confuse the reader.

Each character here is something else — all individual, all worth more time than we end up spending with them. More than anything, his characters impressed me. Whether it’s the agoraphobic pervert, the taxi driver with a shady past, the lawyer with a dark secret, the stripper trapped by a childhood tragedy — they’re all real, they’re all human, they’re all fully formed. Really strong stuff there.

I wasn’t wowed by this book, but I was engaged and entertained. Victor’s not as fun as Andy Carpenter, nor his style and case up to the standards of Mickey Haller — but he’s no slouch. I’m probably sold enough to track down book one and dip my toe into this stream at least one more time.

—–

3 Stars

Hot Lead, Cold Iron by Ari Marmell

By HCNewton

On June 10, 2014

In Fiction

Hot Lead, Cold Iron

by Ari Marmell

Trade Paperback, 311 pg.
Titan Books, 2014
Read: May 19 – 27, 2014

This is the way to start a series, I mean, wow. Mick Oberon is a P.I. in the rough and tumble days of late-Prohibition-era Chicago. He mixes with the mob, political figures,and other assorted low-lifes, while eking out a living — just enough to afford milk, rent and the cheap suits he wears. He can take a beating like nobody’s business, and packs a wand rather than rather than a gun. Oh yeah, and he’s fae.

I’ve got a mental checklist that I use to evaluate a new (to me) Urban Fantasy: 1. Is there a strong voice? 2. Do I like the characters/world? 3. Is the magic system interesting? (you can replace vampire/werewolf/etc. system where applicable)

Hot Lead, Cold Iron passes this test easily. Oberon’s smart, snarky — a little disdainful of humanity (but it’s not like you can really disagree with him). This Chicago is right out of The Untouchables, and when you add in the supernatural to the world (plus the Seelie/Unseelie Courts) — this world is a riot. There is so much raw material here that Marmell is set for several books. The magic system? I don’t have it all worked out after just one book, but what I’ve seen, I’ve liked. Oberson plays with luck — he takes good luck from people and uses it to power his own, he magnifies people’s bad luck to cause mishaps/mayhem, and so on. No big fireballs, or dramatic spells, just little bits of luck here and there going his way. I think that’s pretty nifty — especially the way it’s working out so far.

I’ve enjoyed Marmell’s prose in the past, and this is no different, even as it doesn’t feel like his other books. The novel is filled with great lines that are the epitome of hard-boiled P.I.s like Phillip Marlowe or Dixon Hill such as, “clad in shirt and trousers creased sharp enough to trim hedges.” Or this description of the fae world:

The colors. . . They’re intense, impossible, almost painful; entities unto themselves, rather’n mere traits of other objects. They’re stark, standing out against each other, the richest greens, the sharpest reds, the deepest browns, the brightest yellows. you could try to capture ’em in a painting, but nobody’d buy it: too fake-looking. There’s no gradation, nothing muted; the dark and light emeralds of a leaf don’t blend into each other, but sit side-by-side with clear demarcation — as if no one color here would ever lower itself to blend with another.

I hope future books spend more time in the fae world (and there’s every indication that they will), it’s slightly bent/twisted hyper-reality was truly imaginative, and unlike anyone else’s take on it. The fae camera, for example, was sort of a mix of something you’d find in a store on Diagon Alley and in Bedrock. I realize that analogy probably makes no sense — read the book and it will.

Good action, good plot, strong protagonist, strange world and intriguing magic system — everything a series’ first novel needs. Bring on the next!

—–

4 1/2 Stars

Dusted Off: The Falling Machine by Andrew P. Mayer

By HCNewton

On June 9, 2014

In Fiction, Steampunk

The Falling Machine

by Andrew P. Mayer

Paperback, 284 pg.
Pyr, 2011
Read: Jul. 11-14, 2012>

This was an utterly okay book. I can’t say I didn’t enjoy it, and I certainly didn’t hate it, I felt a general “eh, whatever” towards it.

I do think the take on the status of women in 1880’s New York was a bit too heavy handed–most other steampunk authors can show strong women dealing with a less feminist age without sounding like they’re harping on it to the point you just don’t care anymore (see: Ballantine, Philippa/Morris, Tee, Cherie Priest, Steven Harper, Kady Cross for a few examples).

The Super-Hero story reminded me a lot of the one told in the superior After the Golden Age by Carrie Vaughn (as did many of the heroes).

Most of the characters were flat, the resolution was rushed and unfulfilling, the cliffhanger was more of a “they just stopped telling the story” than a “what will happen next?”

(okay, after reading what I just wrote, maybe it was less than okay…hmmm….)

—–

2 Stars

Dusted Off: The Descendants by Kaui Hart Hemmings

By HCNewton

On June 9, 2014

In Fiction, General Fiction/Literature

The Descendants

by Kaui Hart Hemmings

ebook, 247 pg.
Random House, 2007
July 14-15, 2012

I really should’ve read this before the movie…for the first 100 pages or so, I heard Clooney’s voice in my head narrating this. I did eventually get over it, and even before that, it stopped distracting me.

This is a tragic tale of a man losing his comatose wife while realizing he’d lost her months (at least) before the accident that left her in that state. About him finally becoming the father he should be to two very messed up daughters (tho’ one’s far worse off than the other, and it’s not the one he thought was worse).

It’s a story told with warmth, sadness (not moroseness–thankfully), touches of humor, and humanity. I laughed, I got misty, I got warm fuzzies. Really, really great book.

—–

4 Stars

No Colder Place by S. J. Rozan

By HCNewton

On June 6, 2014

In Authors, Fiction, Lydia Chin & Bill Smith, Mystery/Detective Fiction/Crime Fiction/Thriller, S. J. Rozan

No Colder Place

by S.J. Rozan
Series: Lydia Chin & Bill Smith, #4

Hardcover, 288 pg.
St. Martin’s Press, 1997
Read: June 5, 2014

Rozan was able to tap into her day job here and use her knowledge of architecture, construction — particularly the idiosyncratic way that construction is done in NYC. Bill, and the tune/atmosphere Rozan uses for his books, is able to be pensive, reflective, and almost poetic in thinking about the act of building. Lydia wouldn’t be able to do that. This type of thing is a real advantage to switching POV characters the way Rozan does.

The series feels different when Bill is at the center, and I found myself liking it more this time than last. I feel bad for him as far as Lydia is concerned. When the novel is told from her perspective, there’s something quixotic about his pursuit of her, and you can give a sympathetic chuckle when he tries. But from his point-of-view, it’s just sad.

There is just so much unsaid about Bill. The retreat to the cabin. His piano playing. Why he won’t move on from Lydia. Rozan’s walking a fine line between having an enigmatic character and just withholding information. I do want to see and learn more about him, but I’m not feeling cheated (for now).

Anyway, I should focus on the case in this book. Again we have Bill going undercover (also again, thanks to someone from his murky past) — with Lydia providing backup and support. This time on a construction site plagued by robberies, a disappearance — and perhaps a little bookmaking or drug dealing. Naturally, it doesn’t take long for things to get ugly and far messier than he’d expected. It’s deftly told with the right amount of twists, turns, and danger. Plus interesting and compelling sporting characters, and not your everyday detective novel crimes.

Come to think about it, that’s one of the best parts of this series — the crimes they are hired to investigate are not your typical mystery novel fare. Yeah, things eventually return to the mainstays (murder, blackmail, etc), but they start in interesting places.

No Colder Place is worthy entry to this series, and I’m ready for the next one.

—–

3.5 Stars

The Lives of Tao by Wesley Chu

By HCNewton

On June 5, 2014

In Authors, Fiction, Science Fiction, Wesley Chu

The Lives of Tao

by Wesley Chu
Series: Tao Trilogy, #1

Paperback, 460 pg.
Angry Robot, 2014
Read: May 29 – June 4, 2014

Last spring, it seemed that every writer I follow on Twitter was gushing about this book, but it really didn’t seem like my kind of thing. But last week, I saw it on the new book library shelf and decided to give it a shot. So glad I did. In case you haven’t seen it, the back cover blurb is:

When out-of-shape IT technician Roen woke up and started hearing voices in his head, he naturally assumed he was losing it. He wasn’t. He now has a passenger in his brain – an ancient alien life-form called Tao, whose race crash-landed on Earth before the first fish crawled out of the oceans. Now split into two opposing factions – the peace-loving, but under-represented Prophus, and the savage, powerful Genjix – the aliens have been in a state of civil war for centuries. Both sides are searching for a way off-planet, and the Genjix will sacrifice the entire human race, if that’s what it takes. Meanwhile, Roen is having to train to be the ultimate secret agent. Like that’s going to end up well…

Roen’s obviously not your typical hero, or even your atypical hero. But he’s a good guy that you eventually like (as difficult as that can be to imagine when we first encounter him). Which is good, because he’s our entry point in to this world, and an entry point that you can’t stand doesn’t make for fun reading. As he gets to understand his place in this new reality he’s been exposed to, as he begins to understand how these aliens have changed world history — we get to, too.

This doesn’t seem like Chu’s first book, he writes with panache, skill and confidence. His action scenes feel authentic, his world is intricate and believable, and he tells his story in a compelling manner that keeps you turning pages.

There’s some real heart here amongst the SF action. Often in SF, particularly the more high-concept SF, characters can be 1- or 2-dimensional. Not here, the most minor of characters seem real, seem like someone you could bump into at the water cooler, public transportation or a government office. You get to like them as people, not just as representatives of Prophus or Genjix — and that’s key. People with convictions, aspirations and relate-able motivations. As long as Chu keeps that up, this series will be one to stick with.

While I liked the banter, the back-and-forth between Roen and Tao, Roen and the others — but I didn’t find the book as hilarious as so many others have. I just see it as a good suspense novel (with a wicked twist) featuring some snarky characters. And that’s good enough to enjoy this and to bring me back for more.

—–

4 Stars