Category: Fiction Page 32 of 314

Proxies by James T. Lambert: The Marx Brothers, Interstellar Threats, a Meddling Mother—Proxies Has it All

DETAILS:
Publisher: Bert Books
Publication Date: August 13, 2022
Format: Paperback
Length: 246 pg.
Read Date: July 19-20, 2023

What’s Proxies About?

Jair Howard is a tech working to maintain the Faster-Than-Light network. Lambert doesn’t give us a lot of details about it, so I’m going to give you even less. The pilot he works with during his maintenance runs, Merab, is his girlfriend. Or maybe. Jair’s reluctance to commit to starting a family has put things on the ropes.

A bigger—or more pressing, anyway—concern is that during their last trip, Jair found some disturbing evidence of hacking into the security network. He’s having trouble convincing anyone of it because the evidence is largely gone. Jair keeps digging, though, he knows what he saw and anyone who can do what he saw—and remove all traces of it—is someone to worry about. Then some of the evidence reappears, and it points at Jair. Suddenly everyone who doubted what he said about a security breach believes it and is coming for him.

To keep his freedom for a little while longer—and hopefully to find proof of what’s really going on—he needs to get into space and get access to the network. The only way that’s going to happen is with Merab’s help.

Remember When AI Wasn’t the Enemy?

Jair doesn’t work alone—in fact, he doesn’t do most of the work. He has a team of AIs helping him. Jair’s a classic movie fan. Black and White Movies that we consider classics today—he’s far enough into the future that he has to think of them as practically ancient. He’s such a fan that he’s given his four primary AIs the names and personalities of the Marx Brothers.

He spends a lot of time tweaking their personalities and humor to get them to better match the versions he knows from film—and finding a way to get Harpo to be able to communicate what he needs to while capturing the essence of the silent brother. It’s something for him to fiddle with while waiting during interstellar travel or while a report generates and the like.

It’s a fun bit of whimsy in the book—and it felt very strange to read while being hit with headline after headline after headline about the problems with AIs this summer.

So, what did I think about Proxies?

The heart of this book isn’t the threat posed by the hacking that Jair found and then lost, etc. Nor is it the efforts that he and Merab undertook to expose and maybe stop the threat. It’s in Merab and Jair’s efforts to get their relationship to work. The bulk of that is on Jair, to be sure—but Merab has some work to do, too.

That’s about all I’m willing to say about that, although it deserves more—because Lambert did a great job with that. As much as I enjoyed the relationships that the protagonist of his first book found himself in, they didn’t feel as grounded as this one. They were clearly there to serve a story, create conflict, and so on. Here, the relationship is the story—and that makes all the difference. If he continues to grow as an author this way, I’m going to be happy reading him for a long time.

This is a Space Opera, so the details of space flight and other science-y stuff don’t need to be really well worked out or discussed—which is good, because Lambert doesn’t bother to (whether that’s because of the genre, or he went with the genre so he didn’t have to doesn’t matter). And a lot of the detailed work into the investigation can be waved away with “Groucho and Zeppo did a thing and came back to tell Jair the results.” I both wanted to see more of the science-y/investigation bits and was perfectly satisfied with the lack of them, because that left time for all the people-y stuff. (I’m clearly in the mood to talk in generalities today).

If you’re looking for some light Space Opera with a lot of heart—you’ll want to pick up Proxies. If you’re not looking for that, you still might want to try it, it’s a fun way to spend a few hours.

3 Stars

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COVER REVEAL: The Fake Wife by Sharon Bolton

By HCNewton

On September 4, 2023

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

I’m excited to welcome the Compulsive Reader’s Cover Reveal for Sharon Bolton’s upcoming novel, The Fake Wife this morning (and I hope I did the math right so this posts when it’s supposed to). This looks like a solid thriller with a great hook, but why read my speculation? Let’s get some details about the book.

Book Details:

Book Title: The Fake Wife by Sharon Bolton
Publisher: Orion Publishing Co.
Release date: November 9, 2023
Format: Hardcover/Ebook/Audiobook
Length: 368 pages

About the Book:

‘You’ll never guess where this book is going’ SAMANTHA DOWNING
‘Totally gripping, with characters who draw you in’ JP DELANEY
‘A thriller that had me desperate for answers. I loved it!’ HARRIET TYCE

Olive Anderson is dining alone at a hotel when a glamourous stranger joins her table, pretending to be her wife. What starts as a thrilling game quickly turns into something dangerous. But as much as the fake wife has her secrets, Olive just might have more…

The Fake Wife is an unputdownable thriller that will shock and surprise you like the best television boxsets. If you enjoyed Netflix shows like Behind Her Eyes, The Stranger, and Obsession you will love The Fake Wife.

Pre-Order the Book:

Multi-Retailer Link

and now…

The Trailer/The Cover

The Fake Wife Cover Reveal

I love that cover. Arresting design.

My thanks to Tracy Fenton and Compulsive Readers for the invitation to participate in this tour and the materials they provided. The opinions expressed by me are honest and my own.

The Lemon Man by Keith Bruton: One (Hit) Man and a Baby

By HCNewton

On September 1, 2023

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

The Lemon Man

by Keith Bruton

DETAILS:
Publisher: Brash Books
Publication Date: May 27, 2022
Format: eBook
Length: 264
Read Date: August 3, 2023

I murdered a young father today. Shot him in the head. This is my job. Call me all the names you want— scumbag, snake, sneaky little lowlife, murderer. I don’t care what you think. This is what I do. I take care of (kill) people when they don’t obey the rules. The rules of the streets. The rules to life.

I do the work 99.9 percent of people don’t want to do. You hire me and I guarantee you will be happier because I’m getting rid of your problems. Sometimes it’s just a warning, you know, a slap on the wrist. But most of the time I’m here to kill.

What’s The Lemon Man About?

When Dublin hitman Patrick Callen finds a baby living in the squalor-filled apartment of his latest victim, he’s overcome by empathy. It’s not like he can call the authorities to come help or anything, right? On an impulse, an unexpected burst of compassion, or temporary insanity—he grabs the baby (after looking up how to change a diaper on YouTube and taking care of a much-neglected task) and takes him home.

Of course, it’s hard to achieve a work-home balance as a busy hitman, so Callen calls on the escort he’s been seeing lately for help. This spurs some

Meanwhile, Callen’s been having trouble with his work—it doesn’t seem like he has the taste for it anymore and is having trouble completing a few tasks. But he’s busier than ever and it seems like something’s changing for the crew he’s with. Maybe this is the first step toward a new phase of life for him. Assuming he can survive his current assignments (and all the life changes that taking care of an infant brings), that is.

So, what did I think about The Lemon Man?

As I’m leaving, Jack says, “It’s not the gun you’re having the problem with.”

Stories about hitmen turning a corner due to love or a child aren’t new—and I’m a sucker for them. So this is right up my alley. The mix of humor and tension/action fits this situation well. A bicycle-riding hitman alone is a fun idea. Bruton pulls off all of this with style and confidence.

Bruton takes full advantage of the strange—ludicrous, even—situation he puts his characters into. Callen running from the police while pushing a stroller is a fantastic scene and it had me grinning and chuckling throughout. His jobs that don’t go right (I’m thinking of one killing and one attempted threatening in particular) are the kinds of things we need to see more of in Crime Fiction—not necessarily played for laughs, either—but not all criminals succeed in their first attempts—targets don’t always respond the way one plans on, etc.

But it’s not just fun and games—sure, Callen has some doubts about his profession, he’s more than a little worried about what his boss is up to, and he’s not so sure he can get away with everything he’s trying to do (keep the child, save his friend that he’s discovering feelings for, etc.)—but this is what he does. It’s all he’s known. He doesn’t—can’t—just walk off into the sunset with his strange new family. Does he really want to?

Take out the lightness and quirks and you’re left with a pretty solid novel (although the baby would be hard to explain without that part). With them, you have a really fun and rewarding read.

I’m struggling to find something more to say without getting into the nuts and bolts of the plot and how it works out—so I’ll spare us all my attempts to struggle through. Here’s the main takeaway: this is a good, quirky, fast read that’ll leave you with putting Bruton on your radar like he is on mine.

3 Stars

This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase from it, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, the opinions expressed are my own.

Norah’s Ark by Victoria Williamson: I Think This is the Beginning of a Beautiful Friendship

By HCNewton

On August 31, 2023

In Book Tour, Fiction, General Fiction/Literature, YA/MG/Children's Books

Norah’s Ark

by Victoria Williamson

DETAILS:
Publisher: Neem Tree Press
Publication Date: August 29, 2023 
Format: eARC
Length: 304 pg.
Read Date: August 26-28, 2023

What’s Norah’s Ark About?

This is a book about a couple of eleven-year-olds in the English city of Hull who bond over their mutual attempts to help animals. Starting with a nest of baby birds who’ve been orphaned by a hungry cat, these two overcome various barriers (largely in the form of their parents) to various stray and abandoned animals they encounter. Along the way, they end up helping each other through some of the bigger challenges they’ve faced.

Norah (and her father)

Norah’s father lost his job a few years ago, which led to them losing their home. Since then they’ve bounced from one temporary housing situation to another, barely scraping by on his benefits and whatever short-term and low-paying jobs he can get. They attend a church regularly—and gorge themselves on the post-service snacks. They also use a food bank from time to time—but it’s hard for her father to swallow his pride and deal with the judgemental looks they receive when they do (how many of these looks are only in his mind, it’s hard to tell—but some of them are real).

Norah has some learning disabilities, too—and she’s never in one school long enough to really get the help she needs. Which leaves her open to being bullied while she falls further and further behind.

Norah loves animals and would do anything for a pet. Because she can’t get one due to their housing situation—well, other than the spiders she keeps on her window sill—she does what she can for whatever strays she finds like the aforementioned birds. She takes care of them for a while until one day they’re missing. They and their whole nest—what could’ve possibly happened?

Then she sees some rich boy on the other side of the fence carrying that nest. It’s not fair—he has so much already, a great house, a big yard, a treehouse, fancy clothes (that fit!), and whatever he wants to eat (he is a little overweight).

Adam (and his parents)

Adam and his parents moved from London to Hull a few years ago to help him get the specialized treatment he needed for leukemia. It’s in remission now, but his mom has become overprotective following his diagnosis. Since she had to leave her job to care for him (and hasn’t thought about going back to work), his father has to work harder than before and really has no time for anything else—even Adam.

He can’t go anywhere without her. He can’t go back to school—even if the doctors say he’s not as immunocompromised as he once was, his mother still insists on a private tutor. He can’t go swimming—he’d dreamed of going to the Olympics before he got sick—again, because of all the exposure to germs, people, and other things that could hurt him. His treatments and lack of exercise have left him out of shape. He’s lonely. All he wants is a friend and to do something outside his home.

When he discovers that the neighbor’s mean (at least to him) cat has eaten the mother bird, he takes the nest up to his treehouse (without his mother noticing and panicking about the filthy animals). He notices a girl on the other side of the fence quickly riding off on her bike—what a great life she must have—able to go wherever she wants!

The Grass Ain’t Always Greener…

Soon, the two actually meet and decide to work together to help the birds get to safety.

They learn more about each other—both discovering the struggles the other has gone through. They have unfortunate encounters with bullies and thieves—and discover their parents want them to have nothing to do with each other.

But neither of them has really had a friend in a long time and they’re unwilling to lose their new one. So they do what they can to keep that friendship—even if that means being disobedient. Both kids soon have to deal with new problems with their parents and need someone to rely on.

So, what did I think about Norah’s Ark?

That’s a really good question, one that I’ve been chewing on for a few days now.

I do have a few concerns. For example, both Norah and Adam (Adam is a bit more prone to this) can be too mature and understanding for their ages when it comes to their parents and what motivates them. Most of the time, Williamson gets them right—unreliable narrators (not because they’re dishonest, but because they’re 11 and don’t get everything the adults are doing) who are doing their best to make it in the world and cope with the information they have, with the impulsivity and insufficient emotional control you’d expect. But occasionally, they’re too perceptive, too wise…basically, they sound like they’ve sat through a decent amount of therapy and have internalized it. Which would be fine if they’d been in therapy, or were in their twenties. But they’re a decade and change away from being fully believable on some of these fronts.

The other thing (and I’ll get into vague spoilers for the rest of this paragraph, so feel free to skip it) that has bugged me since before I finished it—the ending is a bit hard to swallow. It’s too easy. It’s too unearned for my tastes. It’s like Williamson took a page from Wayne’s World and went with the “Mega Happy Ending” and just imposed it at a certain point. Please, don’t misunderstand me—I want Adam and Norah to get happy endings. I like where the book puts them in the last chapter—I’d have been displeased if they didn’t end up where they did. But…it would’ve felt more real if it didn’t go that way. Or if it took slow, incremental work for them to get there—with a few big jumps along the way, sure. To use a bad illustration—you know how in some movies the uncoordinated guy goes through a training montage and suddenly can do all sorts of things they couldn’t before the song started? Well, it was like that—but Norah and Adam skipped the montage and went from clumsy to ready to win the dance/singing/martial arts contest.

Now this is likely just me—I’m willing to bet that most readers in the target audience aren’t going to have those issues. But I’d quite like to ask a few about their experience reading the books, particularly the ending.

Ignore all that for a moment (as I’ve said over and over again—it takes many more words to explain a problem I have with a book than to say all the good things I want to say). This novel nails the struggles for both these children and their parents—who are clearly trying their best (even if the kids don’t always see that)—no one in this book has an easy time of it. They’re all in extreme circumstances, with the cards stacked against them—and everyone is just trying to get through it as intact as they can for themselves and their family.

I loved, loved, loved that someone wrote about these situations in a Middle Grade book—you just don’t see enough things like this (or at least, I don’t, I shouldn’t suggest it doesn’t exist). I remember when I was in that audience, and Wooly Mammoths roamed the earth, that I got seriously excited when I came across a book that dealt with things like this, even if it made for hard reading. Since then, I don’t see it too often.

It’s impossible to read this without feeling empathy for Norah or Adam—or their parents—and to extrapolate that empathy and sympathy toward non-fictional people in similar circumstances. I’m not saying that this book is going to fix all sorts of prejudices that a child might have and fill playgrounds everywhere with mini-Brené Brown clones. But it should make it a little easier for them to put themselves in someone else’s shoes, to understand that peers—or strangers—could be going through something.

If you’ve read and enjoyed When We Were Vikings by Andrew David MacDonald, you’re going to want to check this one out. If you haven’t—read both books. I think readers young and old will find a lot to admire and commend in these pages. I feel strange saying you’ll enjoy a book about so much suffering—but you will, particularly when the characters find a moment of joy or peace. It’s very effective—and affective—to watch these two become heroes and get different endings than either expected for most of the book.

Disclaimer: I received this eARC from Neem Tree Press via NetGalley in exchange for this post—thanks to both for this.

3.5 Stars

My thanks to The Write Reads for the invitation to participate in this tour and the materials they provided.

BOOK SPOTLIGHT: Norah’s Ark by Victoria Williamson

By HCNewton

On August 31, 2023

In Book Tour, Fiction, General Fiction/Literature, YA/MG/Children's Books

This morning, I’m very pleased to welcome The Write Reads Ultimate Blog Tour for Victoria Williamson’s Norah’s Ark. In addition to this Spotlight, my post about the book will be coming along soon. In the meantime, go check out https://twitter.com/WriteReadsTours—starting last week and going through tomorrow, a lot of bloggers have been writing interesting things about this book and you can find them all there. But for now, let’s learn a little bit about the book, shall we?

Book Details:

Title: Norah’s Ark by Victoria Williamson
Genre: General Fiction
Age Category: Middle Grade
Publisher: Neem Tree Press
Release date: August 29, 2023
Format: Paperback/Audiobook
Length: 304 pages

About the Book:

Two very different lives. One shared hope for a brighter future. No time to waste. The flood is coming…

Eleven-year-old Norah Day lives in temporary accommodation, relies on foodbanks for dinner, and doesn’t have a mum. But she’s happy enough, as she has a dad, a pet mouse, a pet spider, and a whole zoo of rescued local wildlife to care for. Eleven-year-old Adam Sinclair lives with his parents in a nice house with a big garden, a private tutor, and everything he could ever want. But his life isn’t perfect – far from it. He’s recovering from leukaemia and is questioning his dream of becoming a champion swimmer. When a nest of baby birds brings them together, Norah and Adam discover they’re not so different after all. Can Norah help Adam find his confidence again? Can Adam help Norah solve the mystery of her missing mother? And can their teamwork save their zoo of rescued animals from the rising flood? Offering powerful lessons in empathy, Norah’s Ark is a hopeful and uplifting middle-grade tale for our times about friendship and finding a sense of home in the face of adversity.

Book Links:

Amazon UK ~ Goodreads

About the Author:

Victoria Williamson is an award-winning author who grew up in Scotland surrounded by hills, books, and an historical farm estate which inspired many of her early adventure stories and spooky tales. After studying Physics at the University of Glasgow, she set out on her own real-life adventures, which included teaching maths and science in Cameroon, training teachers in Malawi, teaching English in China and working with children with additional support needs in the UK. Victoria currently works part time writing KS2 books for the education company Twinkl and spends the rest of her time writing novels, and visiting schools, libraries and literary festivals to give author talks and run creative writing workshops.

Victoria’s previous novels include The Fox Girl and the White Gazelle, The Boy with the Butterfly Mind, Hag Storm, and War of the Wind. She has won the Bolton Children’s Fiction Award 2020/2021, The YA-aldi Glasgow Secondary School Libraries Book Award 2023, and has been shortlisted for the Week Junior Book Awards 2023, The Leeds Book Awards 2023, the Red Book Award 2023, the James Reckitt Hull Book Awards 2021, The Trinity School Book Awards 2021, and longlisted for the ABA South Coast Book Awards 2023, the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize 2020, and the Branford Boase Award 2019.

Her latest novel, The Pawnshop of Stolen Dreams, is a middle grade fantasy inspired by classic folklore. Twenty percent of the author royalties for this book are donated to CharChar Literacy, an organisation working to improve children’s literacy levels in Malawi.

You can find out more about Victoria’s books, school visits and free resources for schools on her website: www.strangelymagical.com.

Author Links:

Website ~ Twitter

My thanks to The Write Reads for the invitation to participate in this tour and the materials they provided.

Some Disorganized Thoughts on the Excellence that is Light Bringer by Pierce Brown

By HCNewton

On August 29, 2023

In Fiction, Pierce Brown, Red Rising, Science Fiction

Light Bringer

by Pierce Brown

DETAILS:
Series: Red Rising, #6
Publisher: Del Rey Books
Publication Date: July 25, 2023
Format: Hardcover
Length: 672
Read Date: August 14-24, 2023

This Post

Yeah, this isn’t going to be my typical kind of post. I know deep in my bones, the way you know about a good melon, that if I tried my typical approach I’d probably finish this in December. And since I don’t have that kind of patience—and this book was due back at my library on August 19. I’m in deep sh…aving cream already.

So, I’m just going to mention a few things I think are worth saying—and hopefully think of a conclusion to wrap it all up (but no promises).

bullet I need to start with the fact that I went into this with a wrong assumption—I misunderstood something I saw Brown say on Twitter some months ago and thought that this was the finale of the series. I started wondering pretty soon how that was going to be the case, but it took me far too long to admit that I misunderstood him and shouldn’t expect any kind of bow to be put on things by the end of Light Bringer. Once I gave that up, most of my lingering questions about pacing and character went away.

bullet Lyria. If Brown had done nothing else impressive with the post-Morning Star books, what he’s done in creating and growing this character would justify the time reading them. I just cannot get over her. At this point, I enjoy her more than Darrow, Virginia, or the rest. Kavax and Sevro are the only characters that compete with her for my affection. Also, Brown did an excellent job of faking the reader out when it came to her character arc after the last book.

bullet Darrow grows more in these pages than he has since…maybe The Institute. Or probably with Lorn. And a lot of that has to do with the right book being given to him at the right time in his life. (maybe my libro-fixation makes me focus on that part, but, I’m right). I want to see this change in action more—but what Brown does here gives me a lot of hope for our hero. Assuming The Reaper is our hero by the end.

bullet I really, really, really, really want to know how long Brown has been plotting out the major events of this novel—has he been building up to them since Iron Gold or before? Or were they things that came into focus when he started planning Light Bringer? It won’t change what I think of them (devastating, brilliant, etc.)—it’ll just help me understand how he works.

bullet The bonds between so many of these characters are fantastic. Particularly between the classmates turned colleagues turned friends turned enemies turned uneasy allies turned brothers. (or relationships that follow similar paths) How these people can be bound up so tightly with each other after all they’ve gone through is something else. So many times I start off thinking, “There’s no way that Darrow/Lysander/Victra/Whoever is going to trust them is there?” And then they do—and I buy it every single time, just the way that Darrow/Lysander/Victra/Whoever does. And I’m caught as off-guard as they are in the significant percentage of times they end up getting betrayed.

bullet I cannot believe how often these people make me laugh—genuinely laugh. In the midst of all of the death, destruction, revenge, societal upheaval, and uncertainty—there’s a core humanity at work in them all.

bullet After all these thousands of pages (especially when I count re-reads and audiobook listens)…how can Brown completely surprise me the way he does? I can’t even count how many double-crosses that become triple-crosses then go awry and end up becoming alliances that are quadruple-crossed in this book alone. (And that’s not a spoiler, if you’ve read the series, you know that’s going to happen—and I likely left off at least 5 backstabbings).

bullet Speaking of stabbing…Brown’s action scenes—particularly when it comes to small groups of people fighting—one on one, two on two, one on five, etc.—are just great. He’s never been shabby at this, but it felt like he topped himself here. (as he has in each successive book).

bullet Sevro, Sevro, Sevro…I felt so bad for him through so much of this book. Even before he inadvertently found out what happened to his family in Dark Age. But you never want to count the Goblin out, right?

bullet Although, the fox Sophocles just might have done a better job of breaking my heart. Not that it’s a competition.

bullet There’s a fantastic potential spin-off series introduced around the mid-way point. I hope Brown doesn’t give it to us (although I’ll read it if he does), I think I’d prefer my imaginary version of it.

bullet The bond that I referred to earlier is seen in loyalty, forgiveness (and the ability to work together when that forgiveness hasn’t been granted), and best of all, a humor based on shared experiences and attitudes. The humor in this book is almost never situational (too grim for that), or physical (outside maybe of Sophocles)—it comes from old friends being rude to one another, making a joke in reference to something that happened a decade or more ago, etc. And it works—you can’t help but chuckle alongside these men—even when they’re likely saying goodbye for the last time, they can make you laugh. Well done, Mr. Brown.

Let’s See If I Can Wrap This Up

I really think I could just keep going flipping back and forth through the pages of the book and coming up with more and more bullet points to ramble about. But who wants to read that? (especially now that I see that I’ve repeated myself)

I really wish I spent time in discussion groups, fan sites, etc. for this series, so I’d have known that this wasn’t the ending before I started. That preconceived notion really skewed things for a while. Oh well. Like I said before, once I started thinking of this as penultimate—everything clicked.

I do think it’s time for Brown to tie this up—as much as I love this series, readers can only take so many Master Plans that go awry when they meet other Master Plans only to uncover someone else’s Deeper Master Plan working against both.

But it’s been—and will be—quite the ride. These characters are so full of honor, and nobility (of various types), that even when they’re “on the wrong side” it’s hard to think poorly of them until they’ve turned into hypocrites or something. Brown gives us a great picture of so many people working for the common good—if only they could agree with what that is. Chess masters vying against one another to help their picture of the best for society to come about. Sadly, their moves aren’t made with game pieces, but with thousands or millions of lives at a time.

I’m, of course, ignoring the few giant vacuums of decency with a hunger for power and destruction that are also running through the pages.

In Dark Age (and I’m going to be vague just in case someone hasn’t read it yet)—there’s a scene when someone holds down a dying foe, cuts out two giant strips from their back to reveal their ribcage and organs—and pour salt on the wounds. There are a couple of scenes in this book that felt like that. (except for the fact that I was in my recliner sipping on something cool while reading). And with at least one of those scenes the person I was having my heart torn up about was a character I either was bored by or didn’t bother to form an opinion of until this book. But over the course of the novel, Brown’s able to get every one of these modified humans to become a person practically as real as any flesh and blood creature you run into.

It took me less than 50 pages into Red Rising to be awed by Brown and thousands of pages later, he’s still doing it to me.

Go read this series.

5 Stars

This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase from it, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, the opinions expressed are my own.
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Minor Threats: A Quick End To A Long Beginning by Patton Oswalt, Jordan Blum, Scott Hepburn: They’re Going to Save the Day?

By HCNewton

On August 28, 2023

In Comics, Fiction, Science Fiction

Minor Threats: A Quick End To A Long Beginning

by Patton Oswalt, Jordan Blum, Scott Hepburn (Artist), Ian Herring (Colorist)

DETAILS:
Series: Minor Threats, Vol. 1
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Publication Date: July 12, 2023
Format: Trade Paperback
Length: 136 pg. 
Read Date:  August 11, 2023

Not Sure Why I Feel Compelled to Say This, But…

I’m going to make a lot of allusions to other comics/superhero stories. This is intentional and, I think, warranted. Oswalt and Blum are satirizing, paying tribute to, and playing with tried-and-true superhero ideas. When I say they’re doing something ____-esque, or in the vein of, etc. I’m not criticizing, I’m describing. Their work is derivative of more things than I’m aware of because they’re commenting on those things. Oswalt and Blum know their stuff, they’ve drunk deeply from more comic wells than I can imagine and used that to produce this series.

Frankie

When she was a kid, Frankie was the costumed sidekick of her mother, a supervillain/thief. At some point, they were arrested and Frankie went to prison. When she got out, she tried to go straight and get a decent job, but we all know how hard it is for an ex-con to get a job, when that ex-con is a Meta? Forget it—door after door slammed in her face. Finally, she found a job working as a bartender in a bar that catered to supervillains. Not really the elite-level villains, but the “lower ranked” ones—with just enough power to typically need a superhero instead of the police. Think the sillier ones in the Suicide Squad.

I’ve seen this kind of bar in Spider-Man comics, a superhero version in The Tick (animated), and a few other places like that. Frankie is friendly with a couple of her regulars but regards most of them with a kind of contempt/pity mixture. Frankie’s the stereotypical Alcoholic in Recovery working as a Bartender—just her addiction is using the abilities that got her locked up.

Not-Jason Todd/The Joker/Batman

So remember what Batman wanted to do to the Joker after he (assisted by the readers of DC Comics) beat the life out of Jason Todd? What would’ve happened if Superman hadn’t stepped in? Well, we get the answer here—after a Joker-esque character (The Stickman) kills the kid sidekick (Kid Dusk) of a Batman-esque hero (The Insomniac), The Insomniac goes on a vigilante rampage looking for The Stickman—and woe to anyone who gets in his way. The story kicks off with someone stumbling into the bar holding the beaten near-corpse of one supervillain who was “interrogated” by The Insomniac.

This leads to the biggest crackdown on Meta criminals ever—the heroes and the police are trying to lock them all up for their own safety more than because of any crimes. It’s wreaking all sorts of havoc. To put a stop to this, Frankie and some acquaintances/customers decide they need to find The Stickman themselves and kill him themselves. Why wait for the good guys to do the job? If Stickman is out of the picture, The Insomniac might be able to be stopped—or maybe stop himself.

Sure, none of these criminals are the best choices for this—and most are past the prime of their abilities—but it’s not like they have a better idea.

The Art

I can’t put my finger exactly on how to describe the art—it reminded me of a lot of mid-80s Marvel Comics art, with shades of Gotham Central. That’s going to help precisely no one, but it’s the best I can do.

I really dug it—the art fits the story and the characters well. It wasn’t too flashy or too polished—neither would fit this story. There’s a roughness to it (but not in a negative way) that really suited what Oswalt and Blum were doing.

So, what did I think about Minor Threats: A Quick End To A Long Beginning?

This is dark. It’s twisted. It’s funny—and it’s not really funny at all. There’s some tragedy to this, too.

I want more. Now.

Is it the greatest comic story I’ve come across lately? Nah, but the way the creative team is playing with, exploring, exploiting, and so on with tropes, stand-bys, themes, character-types, etc. is just so much fun and so interesting.

There’s just a solid story in the midst of all this, too. It’s more than meta-commentary on superhero stories, it’s a good one itself. But for me to really dig into it the way it deserves would take more time and energy than I’m willing to devote to it. So I’ll just leave it at this—you’re going to dig this.

4 Stars

These Dog Days Aren’t Over

By HCNewton

On August 26, 2023

In Books, Dogs, Fiction, News/Misc., Non-Fiction

(Updated and Revised 8/26/23)

It’s National Dog Day, the annual celebration of “all dogs, mixed breed and pure. Our mission is to help galvanize the public to recognize the number of dogs that need to be rescued each year and acknowledges family dogs and dogs that work selflessly each day to save lives, keep us safe and bring comfort.” So it seemed like a good day to post another version of this.

These Dog Days Aren't Over This was a hard post to come up with a name for‡, essentially this post came from a comment not too long ago about being hesitant to read books about animals if the reader doesn’t know if they survive the book. I get that, I absolutely do. I still bear the scars of Where the Red Fern Grows and Marley and Me (sure, that wasn’t that long ago, but the wound still stings). So, for readers like my correspondent, here are some perfectly safe books prominently featuring dogs!

I plan on updating this regularly, so by all means, chime in with comments about Dogs I’ve forgotten about/haven’t encountered yet!

Non-Fiction

bullet The Particulars of Peter by Kelly Conaboy—this is a collection of humorous essays giving Conaboy the opportunity to rave about her dog, Peter. In her eyes, Peter is a perfect dog, and as you read this, you’ll be tempted to agree. (my post about it)
bullet Olive, Mabel & Me by Andrew Cotter—Cotter’s charming book describes his life with the two dogs that rocketed to international stardom (and brought him along). (my post about it)
bullet My Life as a Dog by L. A. Davenport—Davenport’s short little book about the relationship between the author and his dog, Kevin, a black and tan, pure-bred dachshund. It focuses on what the two of them did over two days and then a weekend selected from the years they spent together. (my post about it)
bullet Dogtology: Live. Bark. Believe. by Jeff Lazarus—Humans are so obsessed with their dogs, we’ve devoted so much time, energy, and work into them that it’s become a religion, with humans essentially worshipping their pets. This book is a look at that devotion and the rituals and beliefs that accompany it. It’s technically humor, but a lot of it seems pretty on-target. (my post about it)
bullet What the Dog Knows: The Science and Wonder of Working Dogs by Cat Warren—Warren basically covers three topics: there’s the science and history of using working dogs (of all sorts of breeds, not to mention pigs(!), birds, and even cats) to find cadavers, drugs, bombs, etc.; there’s the memoir of her involvement with cadaver dogs via her German Shepherd, Solo; and anecdotes of other cadaver dogs and trainers that she’s encountered/learned from/watched in action. (my post about it)
bullet What the Dog Knows Young Readers Edition by Cat Warren, Patricia J. Wynne—The above book adjusted for younger readers, with some great illustrations. It’s not dumbed-down, just adjusted. (my post about it)

Fiction

bullet Mace Reid K-9 Mystery series by Jeffrey B. Burton—A Dog Trainer/Cadaver Dog Handler and his dogs get involved in serial killer cases. Warning: Like many heroes in action novels, most of Mace’s dogs get beat up/injured. Some pretty badly. (my posts about them)
bullet Suspect by Robert Crais—One of my all-favorite books, a cop with PTSD gets assigned to the K-9 Unit and works with a dog fresh from Afghanistan combat. (my post about it) The pair also plays a major role in The Promise.
bullet Pug Actually by Matt Dunn—Doug, a loyal pug, plays cupid for his owner. This is a cute rom-com with a charming canine narrator. (my post about it)
bullet Stepdog by Nicole Galland—A love story where the major impediment to happily ever after is her dog (a gift from her ex). (my post about it)
bullet Noodle and the No Bones Day by Jonathan Graziano, Dan Tavis (Illustrator)—This picture book relates the origin of the Internet Craze and the wonderful, photogenic pug behind it. (my post about it)
bullet Oberon’s Meaty Mysteries by Kevin Hearne (Audiobooks narrated by Luke Daniels)—Oberon, the scene-stealing Irish Wolfhound from The Iron Druid Chronicles narrates this series of novellas (my posts about them).
bullet Neah Bay series by Owen Laukkanen—Lucy is a dog who is trained by prisoner Mason Burke, who has to track her down when he gets out. She’s a service dog for Marine Vet Jess Winslow. Lucy connects the two humans in her life and helps to keep them safe when a corrupt deputy comes after Jess. (my post about them)
bullet I Thought You Were Dead by Pete Nelson—I’m not sure how to sum this one up in a sentence. It’s a pretty typical novel about a troubled writer with a romantic life and family in shambles. But his dog is the thing that makes all the difference. (my post about it)
bullet Chet and Bernie books by Spencer Quinn—Bernie Little is a PI in Phoenix. Chet’s his four-legged partner and the series narrator. It’s too much fun to miss. (my posts about them)
bullet The Right Side by Spencer Quinn—”a deeply damaged female soldier home from the war in Afghanistan becomes obsessed with finding a missing girl, gains an unlikely ally in a stray dog, and encounters new perils beyond the combat zone.” (my post about it)
bullet Woof by Spencer Quinn—The beginning of an MG series about a with a penchant for trouble and her dog. (my post about it)
bullet Andy Carpenter books by David Rosenfelt—Andy Carpenter is New Jersey’s best defense lawyer and a devoted dog owner. He helps run a rescue shelter, too—and almost every client he takes as some sort of connection with a dog. These books aren’t dog-centric like the others on this list, but they’re dog-heavy. (my posts about them)
bullet The K-Team books by David Rosenfelt—a spin-off from the Andy Carpenter series. This features a PI team made up of Andy’s wife/investigator, Laurie; the near super-heroic Marcus; and Corey Douglas, a freshly-retired K-9 officer. His canine partner, Simon Garfunkel, comes along, too. Simon Garfunkel doesn’t play a giant role in the books, but he gets at least one good action scene per book. (my posts about them)
bullet Sharp Investigations by E.N. Crane—A series of comic investigations about an Ex-MP and her K-9 partner in Ohio. Both are pretty skilled and are walking disasters at the same time. (my posts about them)
bullet Voyage of the Dogs by Greg van Eekhout—SF for all ages about a team of dogs on a long-distance space flight. (my post about it)

Supportive Roles

These dogs aren’t as significant a presence in their books as the prior group, but they’re important enough to mention.
bullet Mouse from The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher. (my posts about them)
bullet The Midnight Plan of the Repo Man by W. Bruce Cameron and the sequel Repo Madness by W. Bruce Cameron— (my posts about them)
bullet Edgar from the Washington Poe books by M. W. Craven. (my posts about them)
bullet Rutherford from The TV Detective series by Simon Hall (my posts about them)
bullet Oberon from the Iron Druid Chronicles by Kevin Hearne . (my post about them)
bullet Ruffin from the I. Q. series by Joe Ide . (my posts about them)
bullet Dog from the Walt Longmire books by Craig Johnson (my posts about them)
bullet Purvis (and Beau) from The Good Kill by John McMahon (my post about it)
bullet Trogdor from The Golden Arrow Mysteries by Meghan Scott Molin (my post about them)
bullet Mingus from The Drifter by Nicholas Petrie (my post about it)
bullet Herbert and Daisy from Adult Assembly Required by Abbi Waxman (my post about it)

Books with paws on both sides of the line

Some books that belong on this list, but might be a bit too close to not fitting on it for some readers
bullet Lessons From Lucy by Dave Barry—there’s a strong “my beloved dog is old and will die soon-vibe throughout this (it’s the whole point), so some may want to avoid it. But the focus is on what Barry is learning from his aging but still full-of-life dog. (my post about it)
bullet Dead is … series by Jo Perry—the canine protagonist in these mystery novels is a ghost, so there’s a dog death involved. But we meet her as a ghost, so she won’t die (again) in the series. (my posts about them)
bullet Dogtripping: 25 Rescues, 11 Volunteers, and 3 RVs on Our Canine Cross-Country Adventure by David Rosenfelt—For various and sundry reasons, the Rosenfelts decide to move their home and dog shelter from California to Maine. As anyone who’s had to get a dog (or a toddler) into their vehicle for a drive across town can imagine—getting 25 dogs moved across the country is a logistical nightmare. In Rosenfelt’s capable hands, if “tragedy plus time equals comedy,” “nightmarish logistics plus time” does, too. The shelter specializes in senior dogs, so not every dog mentioned or featured lives, but that’s not the focus of the book. (my post about it)
bullet E. B. White on Dogs—if this isn’t every short piece or letter White wrote mentioning dogs, it’s so close as not to matter. Some are witty, some are touching, some are somewhere in between. There are even a few written from the point of view of his dog! Sadly, this does include a eulogy for one dog, a few other mentions of canine mortality, so it can’t make the main list. (my post about it)
bullet Lessons from Tara by David Rosenfelt—a sort-of-sequel to the above. Inspired by the death of their dog, Tara, the Rosenfelts now operate a no-kill shelter for senior dogs. This is the story about the origins and day-to-day of that life. There’s discussion of Tara’s death, and he has to cover the end of days for dogs, but it’s not the focus of the book. It’s one some will want to avoid, but you probably shouldn’t. (my post about it)
bullet Max Boucher Mysteries by Troy Lambert—Max used to be with the Seattle Police, but became a P.I. after the deaths of his wife and daughter. Because of the events of the first novel, Max gains a reputation as an animal detective. Particularly specializing in missing/kidnapped dogs. Most of the dogs in the series get out okay, but some are injured or worse. (my posts about them)
bullet Stray Ally by Troy Lambert—this is an action novel featuring heroics from several dogs working alongside a special ops soldier to try to stop a white supremacist group from launching a terrorist action. Some dogs are hurt, and a few die along the way. (my post about it)

‡ I brainstormed this a bit with my family, and wanted to share some of those titles that didn’t make the cut, just because I enjoyed their creativity:
bullet These Dogs Didn’t Go To Heaven/Not All Dogs Go to Heaven implies these dogs aren’t wonderful creatures, and that’s a solid loser
bullet No Kleenex Required too vague, and not necessarily true, they’re just not required because of a death
bullet The Best Bois
bullet Books Where the Author isn’t A Heartless Bastard (Looking at You, Marley and Me) too long, and boy howdy, does it seem my son has bigger issues with the book than I did
bullet Books that Even PETA Would Be Okay With
bullet Books for the Vegan in You suggests the dog books I don’t mention are in favor of eating them…
bullet Paw Patrol I’m almost confident my daughter’s boyfriend suggested as a joke, for his sake I’m assuming it was
bullet Pawfect Dog Stories I refuse to resort to that kind of joke

(Images by S K from Pixabay and josmo from Pixabay

Stone of Asylum by Hilarey Johnson: A Clash of Cultures and Reshaping of Destinies

By HCNewton

On August 24, 2023

In Fantasy, Fiction, Literary Locals

Earlier this year, Johnson participated in my Q&A series about writing in Idaho and later this afternoon, she’ll be back to talk about her own writing and this book in particular. Be sure to come back for that!

Stone of Asylum

by Hilarey Johnson

DETAILS:
Series: Dance of the Crane, Part 1
Publication Date: March 17, 2017
Format: eBook
Length: 218 pg.
Read Date: August 2, 2023

What’s the Setting for Stone of Asylum?

While we spend a little time in California, this takes place largely in the Idaho territory (in what would now be considered North Central Idaho…I think) during the Civil War.

There are characters with strong sympathies toward both sides of the War, but it doesn’t come up much, really. Mostly I mention that because it helps locate the story. We do get to see a lot of the racism faced by Chinese workers (Asians in general, although they’re all considered Chinese) in the mines (and other places), as well as other kinds of bigotry and mistreatment of others.

It’s not a kind or forgiving world that Johnson gives us in these pages, but it’s one that seems pretty realistic. At least until you get to the man who can turn into animals. But I’m getting ahead of myself.

Yi Bae

Yi Bae is a Korean warrior who has made his way to San Francisco looking for his sister—they’d been separated sometime before as they traveled through China. He needs to find her to fulfill his mission in life—he is to protect her at all costs. Together they are the last two Watchers in the world—a duty his family has to protect a particular type of garnet with magical abilities.

His search for his sister brings him into conflict with a Chinese businessman/criminal in San Francisco. He then learns some things that convince him to look for his sister in Idaho, which is in the midst of mining booms of various types. He finds that same businessman—who Yi Bae is convinced has something to do with his sister’s disappearance. He also finds himself in the employ, however temporarily, of some less-than-decent people, but is doing what he has to do to track down the other Watcher.

Not only is Yi Bae very capable when it comes to hand-to-hand combat (and those scenes are a lot of fun to read), but that thing I said before about changing into animals? Well, he can do that, too. He’s more like DC’s Garfield Logan (Beast Boy/Changeling) or Jane Yellowrock than your typical lycanthrope, because he can change into various animals.

Eldora

Our other protagonist is Eldora—a young woman whose father is an employee of a wealthy family. Eldora is old enough to begin working as a servant on their ranch. Her primary duty is to be a companion to the family’s daughter. The reader understands quickly that Eldora thinks the relationship is closer than the daughter does—and far closer than the ranch’s owners do. Despite living in a part of the territory that is already fading from prominence in favor of other locales where the mining is better, they’re trying to cling to Southern gentility’s pretensions of position and class.

She is happy (naively so) and well-loved. Which is no small thing. If you can read about Eldora and not almost immediately like her, there’s something wrong with you. Sadly, you know that this happiness and (perhaps) loving environment isn’t going to last long.

I’ll skip over some nasty classist business that reeks of Austen/Brontë-esque villains to the turning point—she has some sort of seizure and is taken from the ranch almost immediately—without her father’s involvement. She’s placed in an asylum, which is exactly as pleasant an experience as you can imagine given the time and location. It might actually be worse. Now we get to find out exactly what Eldora’s made of.

A Chance Encounter

Eldora and Yi Bae do eventually (as we all expected) cross paths with each other—on her way from the ranch. This was my favorite part of the book and I was eager to see what would happen in that eventuality. Sadly, it didn’t last that long—but it did change things for both of them (sadly, only the readers really understand that, for now).

It was kind of a let-down when they didn’t spend too much time around each other, but that’s what future books in the series are for—and what we got was enough to make me want more. A lot more. Which is odd because it wasn’t like they struck up a friendship, or even had a really good conversation. But there was something about them in the same scenes that really worked for me.

The Part that Really Bugged Me

I’m not crazy about the way that Johnson ended this book. It was a bit too abrupt—it felt like she hit a word-limit or page-count and said, “Okay, that’s enough,” and just stopped.

That’s not at all what she intended (I trust)—but that’s what it felt like to me. The last chapter was likely to have been a cliffhanger ending to bring people back for book 2. And that’s fair—I’m not the world’s biggest fan of cliffhangers, but I can appreciate a good one (and can begrudgingly accept them). This wasn’t a good one. I think if she’d left the last couple of pages off and just resolved the arcs for this novel, the ending would’ve been more satisfying. Also, the closing pages and implied threat to one protagonist would’ve been a great hook to start the second novel. I was interested in seeing what happened next to both main characters and knew things weren’t that great for both of them already—I didn’t need the threat to carry me along.

That’s just me—I might be wrong and your results will almost certainly vary.

So, what did I think about Stone of Asylum?

This is a deceptively fast read—there’s a lot more to be mined* from this book if you stop and soak it in—Johnson makes that tough and you can easily just sail along with the current. This is a perfectly fine and enjoyable way to read the book, but you’ll be happier if you catch everything she’s doing.

* Sorry. Had to.

Her fight scenes are great—particularly the way she works in Yi Bae’s supernatural abilities and martial arts skills together. Even if I didn’t care about anything else, I’d probably give the book 3 stars just for these fight scenes.

Yes, I wasn’t happy with the last couple of pages, but the rest were an intriguing mix of family drama, action, fantasy, and cultures mixing (and/or trying not to mix). This blend is a great idea and I’m really looking forward to seeing how Johnson develops this and brings our heroes (and several other characters) through it. I’m also really looking forward to seeing some characters get their just desserts (I’m pretty sure Johnson’s going to be that kind of author) and our heroes figuring out everything they missed or misunderstood here.

In short—this is a solid first entry to a trilogy that I’m eager to see played out over the next two books. I think you will be, too.

3.5 Stars

This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase from it, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, the opinions expressed are my own.
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The Ballad of Bonaduke—Episode 32: Suspect number 1 by R. T. Slaywood: Whoops

By HCNewton

On August 18, 2023

In Urban Fantasy

The Ballad of Bonaduke—
Episode 32: Suspect number 1

by R.T. Slaywood

DETAILS:
Series: The Ballad of Bonaduke, #32
Format: Kindle Vella Story
Read Date: August 10, 2023

A surge of power that soudned like an old tube TV started up emanated from Zero as she laughed.

Everything changed.

The Story So Far…

A drunken Michael Bonaduke decides to use a grift (with maybe some sort of magic/magic-like “help”) to win on a scratch-off lottery ticket so he has money to buy more to drink. He pulls off whatever he did, gets his money and some booze and stumbles off into the darkness to drink himself into oblivion so he can start again the next day. He’s hit by dark memories (probably what’s driving him to the drinking) of fire, pleading, and screaming. There’s going to be a price to pay for his grift, and he’s trying to be ready.

He’s abducted by some representatives of a mysterious group who subject him to a test—if he passes, everything will be explained to him (and hopefully the reader, too). He passes—and is brought somewhere for answers, or maybe training, or maybe another test. Time will tell (or things are going to get really annoying). Answers aren’t quick to come—but the mysteries and questions keep piling up.

Things get hairy and Bonaduke leaves and finds himself back in the neighborhood he started from. He takes refuge in a homeless encampment shortly before a police raid. He’s apprehended and finds himself an interrogation room and shortly escapes after using his grift (but with results he didn’t quite intend). He finds himself by a group of squatters who seem to have strapped a woman to a chair for reasons that can’t be good. He attempts to rescue her before he even realizes what he’s doing, and seems to have succeeded—well, the two of them got away from the group anyway—breathing but bruised. They make their way to a fast-food taco joint and Bonaduke really needs to refuel to keep going. He tries, but fails to get food because he keeps passing out. Thankfully, the clerk is the same guy from the liquor store and he both recognizes him and gives him first aid. The woman (Zero) wakes up and shows some abilities of her on as she helps them escape from her captors who’ve tracked her down.

What’s Suspect number 1 About?

We get to see a little more of what Zero can do—and Eric (the clerk’s) car starts upgrading as they go along. But Bonaduke has run out of juice and can’t keep things going as much as they need him to.

So then, gripped by the spirit of Baldrick he comes up with a cunning plan. But like most of Baldrick’s plans, it doesn’t go so well.

So, what did I think about Suspect number 1?

First—Zero’s powers are as cool as I expected. But I need to know more.

Second—I don’t get what Bonaduke was trying to do, but I’m looking forward to figuring it out.

Third—this was another winner. Slaywood’s on a roll.

3.5 Stars