Here we are at the end of June, one-third of the way through the summer, and I’m roughly one-third of the way through the challenge. That worked out nicely. I’ve made one substitute because I had some trouble getting my hands on the one non-fiction book that was on the list. And, hey, I just read a non-fiction book, so might as well put that one in. Otherwise, I’m on track for finishing the list as originally conceived.
I thought this would be a fun little tool to use to look back over the first part of 2020. I saw this one over on One Book More’s blog, and it seemed to have been created by Moon Creations.
No doubt about it. Epic in scope, but with personal story at its heart. If I really start talking about it, I won’t shut up. I talked about it a little here.
That’s a tough call, there’ve been a few. But I think I’m going to go with:
As I said here, I should’ve read this shortly after I read The Drifter in the summer of 2018. The third in the series, Light It Up is coming soon.
Winslow’s The Border stands between Broken and me–so hopefully, I can get to this novella collection by September.
er, um…that’s a good question. I should probably say Betty by Tiffany McDaniel, because her debut novel was sood and I frequently have pretensions about being all literary and hoity-toity, proving that being an English Major wasn’t just a passing fancy. But if I’m being completely honest, there’s no contest:
(it’s not cheating to say that–it was one book that was split into two…). I’m a rabid Dresden fanboy and we’ve been waiting so long!
The Ella Gray series in general. I really enjoyed the way this series started, and while I never figured these would be in the Toby Daye/Harry Dresden league, I didn’t expect that I’d get to the stage where I was disappointed in them, but I hit there. I haven’t even posted about it yet, guess I spoiled that one, eh?
Highfire. I never expected Colfer to write a novel about a Dragon for adults–if anything, I expected something along the lines of Screwed or Plugged. So that’s surprise number one. Surprise number two is that the dragon is a Drunken, Netflix-binging, Lousiana swamp-dwelling, crotchety one. Funny and full of heart–entertaining from snout to tail.
Runners-Up: The Audiobooks Back to Reality by Mark Stay & Mark Oliver, narrated by Kim Bretton and The In Between by Michael Landweber, narratoed by Brittany Pressley and Mark Boyett.
Darynda Jones has several novels published already, and I don’t think I’d heard of any of them until I was finished with this intro to her new series. She’s the favorite new to me author and the book has a couple of strong contenders for favorite new characters of 2020, as I stated here.
I’ve never gotten into the whole Book Crush thing–I’m already in a long-term relationship. Still, I have to admit, as happily committed as I am, there’s something about Vira, the tough, spirited, brilliant Golden Retriever with a troubled past that just makes me want to make her part of my pack.
But please, no one tell this girl that I said that:
Other than Betty, Peace Talks, and Battleground, right? Five upcoming releases and one book I’m tired of beating myself up for not having read yet (not unlike Burning Bright above, I should have read the Cartmel book in the Fall of ’18)
As usual, I’m not tagging anyone in this—but I’d like to see what you all have to come up with.
I want to start off thanks to Beth Tabler for some research help—she saved me a whole lot of time and effort.
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American Demonby Kim Harrison eARC, 496 pg. Read: June 1-4, 2020 |
First off, I want to talk about two things that Harrison did that really have nothing to do with the plot. First, in the last chap of The Witch with No Name, we’re treated to a glimpse into Rachel’s future, twenty-five years after that novel. At the time, I said we could’ve lived without it, but it was a nice way to say goodbye to the series. Now, it seems all the more ingenious of her to do. Twenty-five years provides several opportunities for Harrison to spin new tales. I don’t know if it was purposeful or not at the time, but it sure worked out well.
I was a little intimidated about coming back to this series after such a long break—Harrison’s novels were typically stuffed (occasionally, overstuffed) with plot—multiple storylines tying the novels together. There was just no way I could remember them all—much less remember all the various characters. The preface to American Demon consists of a portion of Rachel Morgan’s Inderland Security file, sketching out her escapades as well as her associates. It’s a wonderful refresher course in all things Rachel Morgan and did enough jogging of my memory that I was ready to dive in.
Anyway, what about the novel itself? It’s been a few months since the events of The Witch with No Name and those events have caused ripples throughout society (both the supernatural and mundane) as well as the in the lives of the series’ characters. Trent’s struggling with his bank balance and his relationship to the rest of the elves (although Rachel seems to be having more difficulty with both than Trent is), Rachel and Jenks are struggling to put their church back together, Ivy’s dealing with her new reality (and the city is looking for a new Master vampire), Rachel’s trying (not too successfully) to cope with the changes to her abilities, and…that’s just a taste. As much as things seemed wrapped up, life (even fictional life) isn’t that clean. Unlike my usual M. O., I’m not going to get further into the plot—fans don’t need it, and new readers won’t appreciate it without Rachel explaining what it all means.
Harrison manages to bring back every major, and many minor characters—even working in mentions to the major dead characters from the past. It may just be fan-service to let all the cast make an appearance, but it was done so smoothly, so organically, that it really doesn’t matter.
At the same time, Harrison brings in some new faces (and most seem like they’ll around for a while)—there’s a new elf, a new vampire, a new demon, and a whole new supernatural species. Each of them moves the series in a new direction and add aspects to the ongoing storylines that are very satisfactory. I can see Harrison adding one of these characters per novel—but all of them at once. She’s more than shaking up the status quo, she’s making a bold move forward for the series.
If I’d fallen into a coma shortly after reading The Witch with No Name and had just woken up in time to read this, I wouldn’t have known that Harrison spent anytime away, much less that she’d start a new series that was entirely distinct from The Hollows. For example, in this age of TV continuations—fans of the originals can easily tell the difference between the series that went off years ago, and the new episodes that aired recently. I assumed the same would be true here—not that the book would be bad or anything, just a little different—and I couldn’t have been more wrong.
By the way, since I expect some will ask—sure, this is a decent jumping-on point. A lot won’t make sense, but you’ll be entertained enough to shrug that off and keep going both with this book and those that are waiting in the wings. You’ll be given enough reason to go back and read the previous volumes.
From wrapping up a series very nicely with one book to telling a complete story in the next while setting up 4+ (depending on how you count them) multi-book arcs in the next is a pretty nice trick. This could’ve just been a nice little reunion, but Harrison has done more than that—she’s breathed new life into this series as well providing some solid entertainment. Welcome back to the Hollows, folks.
Disclaimer: I received this eARC from Berkley Publishing Group via NetGalley in exchange for this post — thanks to both for this.
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, opinions are my own.
I want to start off thanks to Beth Tabler for some research help—she saved me a whole lot of time and effort.
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American Demonby Kim Harrison eARC, 496 pg. Read: June 1-4, 2020 |
First off, I want to talk about two things that Harrison did that really have nothing to do with the plot. First, in the last chap of The Witch with No Name, we’re treated to a glimpse into Rachel’s future, twenty-five years after that novel. At the time, I said we could’ve lived without it, but it was a nice way to say goodbye to the series. Now, it seems all the more ingenious of her to do. Twenty-five years provides several opportunities for Harrison to spin new tales. I don’t know if it was purposeful or not at the time, but it sure worked out well.
I was a little intimidated about coming back to this series after such a long break—Harrison’s novels were typically stuffed (occasionally, overstuffed) with plot—multiple storylines tying the novels together. There was just no way I could remember them all—much less remember all the various characters. The preface to American Demon consists of a portion of Rachel Morgan’s Inderland Security file, sketching out her escapades as well as her associates. It’s a wonderful refresher course in all things Rachel Morgan and did enough jogging of my memory that I was ready to dive in.
Anyway, what about the novel itself? It’s been a few months since the events of The Witch with No Name and those events have caused ripples throughout society (both the supernatural and mundane) as well as the in the lives of the series’ characters. Trent’s struggling with his bank balance and his relationship to the rest of the elves (although Rachel seems to be having more difficulty with both than Trent is), Rachel and Jenks are struggling to put their church back together, Ivy’s dealing with her new reality (and the city is looking for a new Master vampire), Rachel’s trying (not too successfully) to cope with the changes to her abilities, and…that’s just a taste. As much as things seemed wrapped up, life (even fictional life) isn’t that clean. Unlike my usual M. O., I’m not going to get further into the plot—fans don’t need it, and new readers won’t appreciate it without Rachel explaining what it all means.
Harrison manages to bring back every major, and many minor characters—even working in mentions to the major dead characters from the past. It may just be fan-service to let all the cast make an appearance, but it was done so smoothly, so organically, that it really doesn’t matter.
At the same time, Harrison brings in some new faces (and most seem like they’ll around for a while)—there’s a new elf, a new vampire, a new demon, and a whole new supernatural species. Each of them moves the series in a new direction and add aspects to the ongoing storylines that are very satisfactory. I can see Harrison adding one of these characters per novel—but all of them at once. She’s more than shaking up the status quo, she’s making a bold move forward for the series.
If I’d fallen into a coma shortly after reading The Witch with No Name and had just woken up in time to read this, I wouldn’t have known that Harrison spent anytime away, much less that she’d start a new series that was entirely distinct from The Hollows. For example, in this age of TV continuations—fans of the originals can easily tell the difference between the series that went off years ago, and the new episodes that aired recently. I assumed the same would be true here—not that the book would be bad or anything, just a little different—and I couldn’t have been more wrong.
By the way, since I expect some will ask—sure, this is a decent jumping-on point. A lot won’t make sense, but you’ll be entertained enough to shrug that off and keep going both with this book and those that are waiting in the wings. You’ll be given enough reason to go back and read the previous volumes.
From wrapping up a series very nicely with one book to telling a complete story in the next while setting up 4+ (depending on how you count them) multi-book arcs in the next is a pretty nice trick. This could’ve just been a nice little reunion, but Harrison has done more than that—she’s breathed new life into this series as well providing some solid entertainment. Welcome back to the Hollows, folks.
Disclaimer: I received this eARC from Berkley Publishing Group via NetGalley in exchange for this post — thanks to both for this.
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, opinions are my own.
One summer.
Three months.
93 Days.
20 books.
Here’s the kickoff post on 746 Books in case you want more details. I’ve seen people do this the last couple of years, and it seemed like fun. I’ll be reading more than 20 books over this period, anyway. I’ve found myself having a hard time staying focused lately when it comes to reading lately–although the WWW Wednesdays have helped a bit. I figure this is the same principle, just expanded over a few weeks rather than the next couple of days. Anyway, here’s my list (subject to change, but I’m going to resist the impulse to tweak as much as I can).
The Top 5 Saturday weekly meme was created by Amanda at Devouring Books.
This week’s topic is: Sibling Relationships. If the Weasley family doesn’t immediately spring to mind once you think about siblings, there might be something broken in your mind—ditto for the Pevensies. But I wouldn’t let myself use them. The more I wrote in this list, the more relationships came to mind that I don’t have space for–that’s very annoying (a lot of fun, too), I hate to leave some of these off. I don’t know why I didn’t grab sibling relationships that are more than a pair (the aforementioned groups, the Spellmans or Tropper’s Altmans would’ve worked)—I’m assuming it’s because I had one sibling myself, so I tend to think of pairs rather than 3+?
Sibling relationships are tricky to depict—they’re all a little different, but there are some typical aspects. There’s a shared history (even if individuals react pretty differently to them, and remember them differently); jealousy/rivalry—usually tempered by some sort of affection and loyalty; usually a bit of reflexive self-sacrifice (frequently malgré lui); and a kind of honesty you don’t get from anyone else.
from: Dragonlance Chronicles, Dragonlance Legends
by
Margaret Weis, Tracy Hickman
This is the first sibling relationship that really sticks out at me (post-juvenile fiction, anyway). They need each other (in healthy and unhealthy ways), but really don’t like each other. There’s a love and a bond that’s nigh-unbreakable, don’t get me wrong, but man…Raistlin treats his brother like trash. I remember regularly being so upset with him for that (and a little bit now just thinking about it), but Caramon keeps coming back for it. He never gives up on his twin. Even when—especially when—he absolutely should. It’s a nuanced and complex relationship and is likely one that I judge many other fictional representations by.
Side note: I really need to re-read the first couple of Dragonlance trilogies.
from: Wayward Children
by
Seanan McGuire
(art by Rovina Cai)
While I do wonder if McGuire had come back to this well one time too many in this series, there’s clearly something about this fractured relationship (huh, another set of twins, with one more to come…didn’t mean to do that) that clearly resonates with readers and the author. If there’s anything healthy in their relationship when we first meet them, it’s gone by the most recent volume—but they’re the textbook definition of inextricably linked. To their detriment, yes, but that’s beside the point. Fascinating pair.
from: To Kill a Mockingbird
by
Harper Lee
Scout worships her brother (doesn’t stop her from being frustrated with him frequently) and Jem’s clearly devoted and protective of her. I’ve loved reading about these two since I first met them in Mme. Dobbs’ English class* in high school and I’ll probably love it for the rest of my life. They’re not ideal, but they’re pretty close.
* she also taught my French class, so I reflexively think of her with that title)
from: How to Talk to a Widower
by
Jonathan Tropper
Alas, I don’t have a picture of them—Tropper doesn’t inspire a lot of fan art. Yeah, Doug and Clair’s relationship echoes any number of the sibling relationships in Topper’s work. This is honestly the first pair that jumped to mind when I compiled this list. The honesty, the humor, the prodding/pushing, and care between the two is one of the best parts of this novel (probably my favorite of his). Great interplay between the two. Neither Doug or Clair remind me of my sister or myself individually, but for some reason, their relationship made me think about our relationship.
from: Dresden Files
by
Jim Butcher
(art by Mika-Blackfield)
Sure, these two weren’t aware of each other for most of their lives, so their shared history has only to do with their mother. Still, the bond, the love, the loyalty that everyone thinks of when it comes to brothers is perfectly depicted with these two. They’re probably my favorite sibling pair that’re still being written about—I just hope they both survive ’til the end.
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Smoke Bittenby Patricia Briggs Hardcover, 342 pg. Read: March 24-28, 2020 |
There’s just so much going on in this novel, it’s hard to know where to start—this may be the busiest Mercy Thompson novel yet. Well, okay, we’ll start with the titular bit. Something/Someone has escaped from Underhill. This seems fairly impossible, but I guess even nigh-omnipotent sentient spaces make mistakes every now and then. Doubtlessly the Columbia Basin pack would’ve gotten involved at some point, but since Mercy recognized the threat before the Fae—or anyone else—did, they were on the front line for this. Whoever it bites, it controls. It can shape-shift to look like anyone, too. It’s deadly and doesn’t seem to have much of a plan beyond creating as much chaos and gathering as much power as it can.
While dealing with that, another threat to the pack presents itself. There are some new werewolves in the area, and their goal is simple: become the new pack in town. As Adam’s pack is now independent of The Marrok, these wolves have decided they’re ripe for a takeover. None of these are wolves to be taken lightly—some have recently left a pack run by very dominant Alpha, which took some strength. All of them have strong reputations amongst the wolves (generally positive), although one is known as the wolf who’d do things that Charles Cornick wouldn’t do for his father. These are not going to be easy to face off against.
The thing that’s the most distressing (and given what I’ve just talked about, that’s saying something) for Mercy is that there’s a problem between her and Adam. The roots of the issue go back to before we met Adam, but something happened in Storm Cursed to tip Adam over the brink. The latest meddling by Adam’s ex, Chrissy, made it all boil over and threatened the peace and stability of the pack—as well as their marriage. We see Mercy at her most vulnerable since…well, probably since the attack at the garage (or what The Monster tried to do in Bone Crossed), which stresses for the reader how bad the situation is. The two take some positive steps, but things aren’t resolved wholly here—and I hope Briggs doesn’t patch things up quickly between the two between novels. I think we need to see the pair continuing to work through things.
There’s a few more things going on, too, including some fun with Sherwood (who is quickly becoming a favorite character), some interesting developments with Jesse’s life, and some interesting character development in general with pretty much each of the pack members we usually get time with. Oh, and lest I forget, an old friend comes back.
One final thing to mention: last year, while talking about Storm Cursed, I said:
There’s something that happens in the climactic battle scene that I want to talk about more than I want to talk about anything else in this book—because in the long run it’s going to be bigger and more important than anything else that happens or I’ll eat my hat. It’s so small, so quick that it’d be easy to miss—2 sentences on one page, then twelve pages later 2 more sentences. And Briggs has at least one novel’s worth of plot seeded right there. I love when I see an author do something like that and make it look effortless. And I think I’m underselling it. But I’ll have to leave it there—maybe in book 12 (or 15) when it happens, I’ll remember to say, “Remember that thing I didn’t talk about in Storm Cursed? This is it.”
Well, Briggs gave that seed plenty of water and a little fertilizer in these pages. I still don’t feel comfortable talking about it in detail for reasons I can’t explain. But whoo-boy, I can’t wait to see what Briggs has in mind.
So, yeah, like I said—a lot of balls in the air. Or plates spinning. Pick a metaphor you like best. And I think Briggs did alright by them all—yeah, I’d have liked a bit more time with the new wolves, but we didn’t need it—and I’m not sure we’re done with them (maybe in the next Alpha and Omega book if not in an upcoming Mercy novel?). To deal well with all these elements and keep the novel moving quickly and resolving in a satisfactory manner (with a few more strings than usual left for the next installment) speaks highly of Briggs’ skill. Fans of Mercy Thompson shouldn’t wait to grab this, people who are curious about the series should be able to come on board now, too (although, you really ought to read them all). Briggs is at the top of her game now, and it’s just fun to watch.
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, opinions are my own.
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The Immortal Conquistadorby Carrie Vaughn eARC, 192 pg. Read: March 20-23, 2020 |
I’ve been a fan of the Kitty Norville series since the debut in 2005, and one of the supporting characters that fans seem most enamored of—and are given the least information about—is Kitty’s vampire ally, Rick (the Master of Denver).
For those (like me) who need a little brushing up on some of what went on toward the end of the series, Rick leaves Denver for a while in order to explore a different way to take on Dux Bellorum (the series’ Big Bad).
This book gives the reader some insight into what Rick was up to during this time. The book stitches together four short stories about Rick’s origin (some previously published, some not) while Rick introduces himself to the Order of Saint Lazarus.
I’d already read the first story, “Conquistador de la Noche,” in the collection Kitty’s Greatest Hits—but it worked really well in this setting, too—this sets the stage for the rest of Rick’s history and tells about him becoming a vampire. The next two stories show what happens when he first encounters the Vampire sub-culture and is first exposed to the rules (most) Vampires live by and how Rick skirts the edges of those rules and starts to make both a name for himself and build his different kind of power base.
The fourth story is my favorite detailing what happens when Rick meets a legendary Old West character. It was just a great story with an element of fun. It’s also something the reader is told that Rick’s never told anyone about before. It’s precisely the kind of thing that Kitty would kill to hear, she’s constantly asking vampires and other supernatural types for stories like this. That Rick would go out of his way to deprive her of this story (but we get to read it) was a little extra dash of fun.
I don’t know that this gave me a much better picture of Rick—the novels had pretty much done that. We know his character, we may not understand his past and what he was—but we know who he is. But this book rounds out our understanding of the man and gives the reader a little hope for his future.
Once I cottoned on to what Vaughn was doing—stitching together short stories—I was a little skeptical of the format. But I came around pretty quickly and decided it worked really well. It’s better than a simple short story collection, essentially giving us a bonus story. The stories (including the framing device) feel different from the Kitty series, but not so much that it doesn’t feel like the same world.
A cool bonus of this—you can read it totally independent of the Kitty Norville series. It’s not dependent at all on the events or people of the series (there are references to certain antagonists, but not in any way that makes familiarity with the series necessary for understanding).
I do have to wonder about the timing of this—the series ended almost five years ago, so I’m not sure I get why we’re getting this material in this format now. But that’s just me being curious, not complaining. Did I (or the series) need The Immortal Conquistador? No. But I’m very glad I got it.
Disclaimer: I received this eARC from Tachyon Publications via NetGalley in exchange for this post —thanks to both for the opportunity.
This is not what I typically post about, but it sort of fits.
I’m not a big tea drinker—but I dabble from time to time, and we’re in the middle of another attempt to drink more (health benefits, no sugar, etc., etc.—oh, and it tastes good, too). While I’m playing around with this blend and that, someone posts on one of the Dresden Files Fan Facebook pages a link to Dryad Teas’ Dresden Files inspired teas (and then someone posts about another company’s varieties, too!). I have to be honest, my mind is boggled, how do you come up with tea blends based on fictional characters? Sure, I can see a Picard-branded Earl Gray variety or something that Lady Mary or Count Grantham might drink; but thinking about a character and coming up with a tea blend based on them? I wouldn’t know where to start—and I’m freakishly impressed (and incredibly curious about it).
Anyway, I ordered some samples from Dryad’s Dresden teas, and thought I’d share a thought or two about them.
KarrinInspired by the amazing ‘Dresden Files’ book series by Jim Butcher, this blend is a thought provoking mix of peach and apricot with deep undertones of black tea.
I’m not sure that this says, Karrin Murphy to me. It does make me think of her house—left to her by her grandmother, and I don’t think she re-decorated it much (I’m ready to be corrected on that front). In the end, it was too fruity for me. It smells great, though, and tastes very pleasant.
Bob the Skull…this blend is a delicious mix of genmaicha and citrus. Notes of raspberry and lime pair with the depth of the genmaicha to create a light blend with promise, fitting for Bob the Skull.
Another one that I’m not sure about—it’s too floral, and too mild for me to drink regularly. I’m also not a big green tea guy. But there’s something about this blend of flavor that is very, very pleasant. I would absolutely drink it again (I’m not sure I’d buy it though). I think they drew too much from Bob’s love of Romance novels when they came up with the blend. (just a wild guess)
Dresden…this blend is inspired by Dresden. Smoky and spicy, the text of “The building was on fire, and it wasn’t my fault.” explains the character perfectly. This tea is no different.
Now this? This was my cup of tea.* Going from that quoted line, it’s smokey, dark, deliciousness. I tried to explain the flavor to my wife by saying it’s like “a tea made from pipe tobacco, but it tastes good.” She told me I shouldn’t ever tell anyone that. I tried explaining it to a friend, who is also a Dresden fan, by saying “Imagine the ashes of the building that was on fire (but wasn’t his fault), made into a tea, that somehow tastes good.” She didn’t tell me that I shouldn’t repeat that description, but her expression pretty much did.
Basically, I don’t know how to describe how things taste–this was strong, smokey, bold, full of flavor. I’d drink this by the gallon.
* Had to be done.
Anyway, check out Dryad Teas. Even if these don’t appeal, they have a lot of geeky teas/accessories.
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False Valueby Ben Aaronovitch Hardcover, 294 pg. Read: February 28-March 3, 2020 |
“Somebody else came during the night and magicked them,” I said.
“Is that a real term—’magicked?'” asked Guleed.
“And it’s spelt with a ‘k,’ too,” I said. “But the technical term is actually ‘enchanted.’ Only the trouble with that word is that everyone starts thinking glass slippers and spinning wheels.”
There’s very little that I don’t like in The Rivers of London series, you may have noticed, but the friendship and banter between Peter and DS Sahra Guleed is possibly my favorite part of the books. The way they slip between discussions of magic (or magick) theory, police procedure, family stuff, the cases they’re working without missing a beat—or doing so professionally or like a couple of teenagers having too much fun under the nose of authority figures. It feels real, it feels natural, and it’s fun.
It’s also much more beneficial for each character—and the Queen’s peace—than his friendship with Leslie May.
After the series-altering events of Lies Sleeping, the question most readers had was, “Will the series be any good post-Martin Chorley?” Most were likely like me, with a firm “Very probably. Hope so.” False Value demonstrates that things are just fine without Chorley—better than fine, really (although everyone is dealing with the aftermath of everything he did).
Also, as nice as The October Man was, it’s great to be back with Peter and the rest of the Folly.
Most of the books in this series are about a Wizard-in-Training who happens to be a police officer. This book was a Crime Fiction novel about a guy who happens to be a wizard in training.
With the suspension he received at the end of the last book, and his future with the Police uncertain, Peter Grant goes off in search of a new job. He ends up finding work investigating some internal shenanigans for a tech giant headquartered in London. Peter’s computer-geek gets the chance to shine a bit as well as flexing his investigative muscles.
It’s not long before he discovers the source of the shenanigans, and that’s where things get interesting. The source is associated with The New York Libraries Association, “the militant magical wing of the New York Public Library Services.” Which is one of the American analogues to The Folly (just without the official police sanction). He and his superior are also investigating the company—because they’re convinced that SCC is utilizing magic in a potentially hazardous way, paving the way for something huge. I am beyond curious about the Libraries Association and hope we get to see them in action again soon. The whole thing is ripe with possibilities and it’s going to be great to see it all play out.
If you were to draw a Venn diagram with circles for Charles Babbage/Ada Lovelace, Artificial General Intelligence, and Wizardry—the overlap is where you’d False Value. Who wants more? The mix of contemporary cutting-edge technologies and Newtonian magic is just fantastic.
This all leads up to a wonderfully exciting climactic showdown between Nightingale, Peter and the rest on one side, The Librarians on another, and SCC on the other.
If we act now we might be able to roll them up before they know what’s hit them.”
Nightingale frowned into his teacup.
“Perhaps,” he said.
“What have we got to lose?” I said.
Nightingale looked up and gave me a strange, sad smile.
“Oh, everything, Peter, “he said. “But then such is life.”
Yeah, sure, there’s plenty of things going on with Abigail, Molly, Foxglove, and (of course) a very pregnant Beverly. But I just don’t have the time to talk about it all. I think it’s safe to say that this is the busiest novel in the series with something for every fan (more than one something, too).
We also got to check in with our favorite FBI Agent. She was able to give Peter all sorts of background about SCC and its founder (an American), which proved vital and interesting (she got some information about the Librarians in return). Better yet, some of what she uncovered changed Peter’s understanding of some of what went on in Lies Sleeping (the reader’s understanding, too). I’m betting this will prove to be at the core of the next arc for the series.
So now we have an idea about two groups in the States, German practitioners, ,and then a smattering of some in the UK. I love how they’re all very diverse, while sharing a lot in common.
I stopped short in the first sentence of the book:
My final interview at the Serious Cybernetics Corporation…
Serious Cybernetics Corporation? As in,
The Encyclopedia Galactica defines a robot as a mechanical apparatus designed to do the work of a man. The marketing division of the Sirius Cybernetics Corporation defines a robot as “Your Plastic Pal Who’s Fun to Be With.” The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy defines the marketing division of the Sirius Cybernetic Corporation as “a bunch of mindless jerks who’ll be the first against the wall when the revolution comes,”
from The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. So I thought that Aaronovitch was having a little fun with an in-joke and moved on. But no, it was a theme throughout the entire tech company. HR is referred to as “the Magrathean Ape-Descended Life Form Utilization Service,” and Security (where Peter was applying) is “the Vogon Enforcement Arm.” The book is full of these things, and after page 14, I stopped counting them. There’s so many of these that around page 150, Peter says something about SCC “pushing copyright” after a particularly egregious example. I had a great time with this book anyway, but all this was a thick layer of icing on the cake.
A carefully and intricately plotted main story, some fantastic action scenes, and character growth—coupled with Aaronovitch’s signature style and wit. I just can’t think of anything wrong with this book—this is exactly the kind of book that I want to read.
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