Atlanta Burns by Chuck Wendig

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On April 29, 2015

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

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

Atlanta BurnsAtlanta Burns

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


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

—–

3.5 Stars

Fairest by Marissa Meyer

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On April 28, 2015

In Fiction, YA/MG/Children's Books

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

—–

FairestFairest

by Marissa Meyer
Series: The Lunar Chronicles,#3.5

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

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

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

—–

3 Stars

Saturday Miscellany – 4/25/15

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On April 25, 2015

In Books, News/Misc.

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

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

  • Second Olympus by K. A. Stewart — I’ve liked Stewart’s stuff before, and this Percy Jackson for grown-up looking book seems like a good read. (and that’s just trying to describe it in less than a sentence, not trying to unfairly caricature the thing)
  • The Mad Apprentice by Django Wexler — heard Wexler talking about this series (of which this is volume 2) on The Once and Future Podcast recently. Sounded like a fun read for the MG crowd.

Lastly, I’d like to say hi and welcome to smithnskarry and paynepills for following the blog this week. Ditto to Books Direct for following the BookLikes version.

The Tomb by F. Paul Wilson

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On April 23, 2015

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

The TombThe Tomb

by F. Paul Wilson
Series: Repairman Jack, #1

Paperback, 426 pg.
Tor, 2004 (Revised ed.)
Read: April 16 – 21, 2015
After the success of my last try following up FaceOff, I figured I might as well try another. Glad I did, although this wasn’t as entertaining as Vanished.

Jack (insert random last name) is a Fixer. You name it, some sort of sticky situation that the authorities can’t handle, Jack will take care of it. He gets two calls at the beginning of this book. One is from the love of his life — her ex-husband’s (very wealthy) aunt has vanished without a trace, the police have nothing (and don’t seem to care). Missing persons aren’t really his thing, but for the chance to see Gia again? He’ll go for it. The other phone call was from an Indian representative to the UN, a family heirloom was taken from his ailing mother during a mugging and he wants it back. This is exactly his thing, and so he takes on two jobs at once.

Because none of us are new to this, I can say the obvious: neither of these jobs are going to end up being what anyone expects and that the two are linked in a way that Jack could never guess. Oh, and seeing Gia again isn’t going to go well.

There was a very — shall we say, frustrating? — portion of the novel (that went on far too long) where the reader knows or strongly suspects everything that Jack needs to know — everything (yes, there’s a revelation or two that add some color lately, but make no material difference). And this shows up pretty early on in The Tomb, I know it all and Jack knows nothing — he doesn’t even know what he doesn’t know. I can take that for a little while, but this went on far too long.

It takes a while to build, but there’s enough going on to keep it interesting. There’s plenty of history and backstory is woven in — and you get to meet the most entertaining gun dealer I think I’ve ever read. The supporting characters alone justify sticking with this until the action slips into gear.

There’s an element of this novel that touches on the supernatural. Not enough (if you ask me) to call this an Urban Fantasy. Maybe this is a Thriller with UF tendencies? I don’t know what to call it. But if you like Suspense/Thriller novels and don’t mind a sprinkle of something like magic — give this a shot. Good characters, solid story, fine action sequences, enough resolution to call it a “The End,” and enough left unresolved that you want to come back for more. As frustrating as it was, it kept me turning the pages, and (eventually) There’s a daunting list of titles following this one, but one that I think I’ll keep plowing through if the quality keeps up.

—–

3 Stars

The Diamond Conspiracy by Pip Ballantine & Tee Morris

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On April 21, 2015

In Fiction, Steampunk

The Diamond ConspiracyThe Diamond Conspiracy

by Pip Ballantine & Tee Morris
Series: Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences, #4

Mass Market Paperback, 357 pg.
Ace, 2015
Read: April 9 – 15, 2015
Most authors let a series go for awhile before they break formula, but not these two — here were are in Book #4, and they’re shaking things up in this follow-up to that intriguing cliffhanger. On the one hand, I wish they’d given us a one or two more of the standard Brooks & Braun head off on a mission somewhere (even to another country or something like their trip to the States) before this one — but I’m not sure it could’ve waited.

This is not a good year for me and Book 4s. Like, Pocket Apocalypse, this one took me far too long to get into. There was no point where I wasn’t interested, where I thought the story dragged or anything — but I think it took 5 days to read half of this book, but only one other to read the last half. I’m not sure what to make of that, honestly, but it’s annoying, if nothing else.

You get a glimpse of what’s coming in the previous book — the Ministry has been decommissioned. The agents who served the Crown so faithfully are now hunted by her government. Yet, they stay true to their mission, as you’d expect. Not the easiest task, even for these agents, used to the peculiar and the impossible. And what they’re about to go up against is a lot more peculiar than they’re used to. I’m always a sucker for tales of second chances — and we got a few here, to boot. This book really has a little bit of everything.

Beyond the events of the story, there is just so much here to blow the reader’s mind — events, revelations, characters — in the last hundred pages that I cannot talk about without utterly ruining the experience for anyone. But if you don’t sit up in your chairs a little straighter, mouth agape, at least twice in Chapters 14 and 15 (for example), there’s something wrong with you. And the last chapter? Great, just great.

I’ve always enjoyed the back and forth between the Brooks and Braun, but now they’ve added this flirtatious (and then some) aspect to it, making the scenes between two cackle with a new energy. The growth in their relationship feels natural, and doesn’t go too far. Sure, they’re ga-ga over each other, and in the first blush of new love — but they’re still professionals, with work to be done. Now that there’s a little more trust in each other, maybe that works better, but it’s still the same base relationship we’ve been following since Phoenix Rising.

One final thought: Is it just me or does that position Eliza is in on the cover look: 1. really uncomfortable, and 2. not that useful for shooting?

A dash of steam=punk, a bit of romance, some intrigue, some “you’ve got to be kidding me” moments, and good character progression. This is one of my favorite series going, and this entry just solidifies it.

—–

4 Stars

Saturday Miscellany – 4/18/15

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On April 18, 2015

In Books, News/Misc.

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

    This Week’s New Releases that look interesting. A couple of YA titles caught my eye this week:

  • Hit by Delilah S. Dawson — the underlying concept of this book is so good, it almost doesn’t matter what Dawson does with it.
  • The Prom Goer’s Interstellar Excursion by Chris McCoy — looks like the silly kind of fun that could make for a pleasant evening.

Lastly, I’d like to say hi and welcome to byclarkellis for following the blog and Injoy’s Blogs + Book Reviews for following the uglier mirror at booklikes this week.

Reread Project: The Commitments by Roddy Doyle

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On April 17, 2015

In Authors, Blog Series, Fiction, General Fiction/Literature, Reread Project, Roddy Doyle

The CommitmentsThe Commitments

by Roddy Doyle
Series: The Barrytown Trilogy, #1

Paperback, 165 pg.
Vintage Contemporaries, 1987
Read: April 15, 2015

Will yeh please put your workin’ class hands together for your heroes. The Saviours o’ Soul, The Hardest Workin’ Band in the World, —Yes, Yes, Yes, Yes —The Commitments.

This is a tough one for me to talk about — I’m a long-time fan, I’ve read it a dozen or so times, it’s all I can do to not turn total fan-boy and just gush. eh, I might not try too hard.

My college roommates and I became fans of the music video for “Try a Little Tenderness” from the soundtrack for the movie adaptation, and we waited for what seemed like a interminable amount of time before the movie came to the art-house theater in town. I loved it from the opening sequence on and tracked down the novel the next day. It blew my mind (for reasons I’ll get into in a bit), and I read it a dozen or so times over the few years until I loaned it (and the rest of the trilogy) to someone at work. Naturally, I never saw him again (I ended up with a copy of Gaines’ A Lesson Before Dying and another book in the transaction). I finally let myself buy a replacement copy a few years ago (found a used copy with the same cover), and have now read it twice. And, if anything, my appreciation grows each time.

It’s the late 80’s and three young Dubliners (from the poorest part of Dublin) have formed a band — sort of. Not everyone in it are musicians yet, but they’re working on it. Thanks to the direction of their keyboard (defined in the loosest possible way) player, they’re going to play synth-pop and go by the name “And And! And” (and, yes, I got the exclamation point in the right place). Their first order of business (while learning how to play) is to hire a manager. Jimmy Rabbitte is the guy from their school/neighborhood who’s the area’s music/music industry expert. As evidenced by the fact that he’s the first one anybody knew of that was aware of Frankie Goes to Hollywood — and, even greater — he’s the first to realize how bad they were. Jimmie gets things going immediately by dropping the name (especially that !) and the keyboard player.

Instead, they’re going to play American soul music — and then put an Irish twist on it — local slang, geographic references, and so on. Jimmie puts an ad in the paper to recruit some musicians, hits up a coworker he heard at a company party, and so on. As a result, he collects a very strange crew of musicians — including a trumpet player decades older than the rest of them, with plenty of professional experience (the trumpet in “All You Need is Love,” for example). The rest, as they say, is history.

The story of The Commitments is told through a very unconventional prose and dialogue style. It’s like Doyle took Leonard’s 10 Rules to the furthest point possible (other than #7, which he violates in every line). You can hear these characters talk, you can feel the energy in the room — heck, this book comes closer to capturing musical performances better than anything this side of Memorex or vinyl. Couldn’t tell you what anyone looks like (well, The Commitmentettes are pretty attractive — especially Imelda), what their homes are like, the weather, or anything of that other stuff that tends to fill the pages of novels. But I can tell you what happened, to whom, and how all related reacted. Which is good enough for me.

This isn’t one of those books that gives you diminishing returns upon re-reading. It’s fresh (while dated — no idea how Doyle pulls that off), funny, and full of soul. Dublin soul, of course. Just like the rag-tag musicians that come to life in its pages.

Oh, if you can get your hands on the soundtrack albums (or find them streaming somewhere) to listen to while reading, it makes it all better (even though there’s almost no overlap between songs).

—–

5 Stars

Dark Digital Sky by Carac Allison

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On April 17, 2015

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

So . . . here’s where I talk about what a jerk I can be. Last September, I get this email from a pretty friendly author asking me if I’d like a copy of his book in exchange for a review. I said what I always say when offered a free book, “yes, please,” (or words to that effect). I read and enjoyed it — we exchanged a couple messages about the book, he answered a question or two. And then because: 1. it was a little more difficult than I’d think and, 2. I got distracted, I never got around to reviewing it. I noticed this yesterday, while looking for something else and felt horrible — which is the way I should feel, over half a year late with this. Can’t do much to make it up to Allison other than put this up now and promise to buy the next book as soon as it’s possible.

Dark Digital SkyDark Digital Sky

by Carac Allison
Series: Dark Pantheon, #1


Kindle Edition, 302 pg.
Crime Planet Press, 2014
Read: October 02 – 03, 2014

“Your real name is Chaucer?”
“My father was an English Professor. I’m not. Call me Chalk.”

In a genre where the names Marlowe and Spenser cast such huge shadows, of course it’s time for a Chaucer. Better yet? He hates the name.

Allison frequently begins chapters with a lengthy info-dump about something — a mini-essay from Chalk’s perspective. Sometimes the info-dumps these work, other times they’re pretty jarring. The information about say, medical insurance, prior to meeting the analyst for Blue Shield? That one worked for me. The listing of Chalk’s tattoos? Eh, not so much.

This starts off with a new client with a very 21st century kind of case, but still proceeds like something out of Chandler. The further that Chalk gets into it, the stranger and twistier it gets. But in the background, we keep learning about a spree of atypical robberies. The way that the various threads start to integrate is something I didn’t expect. And once integrated? The whole thing gets even more unexpected.

The action of the novel belongs to the present — to Chalk’s case, the drug crimes — but the heart, the grounding of the character? That belongs to the flashbacks, the doomed marriage, the child he doesn’t get to see, the hunt for a serial killer that no one else believes exists. The more outrageous parts of his character, the outlandish abilities, activities — that’s the fun, that’s the fantasy. The book as a whole is a great mix of the two.

Chalk is damaged, an outsider, an underdog in classic noir-style (see also: his name). At the same time — he’s very successful and impossibly gifted, something out of a science fiction novel, really. Giving this sort of a cyberpunk feel — but instead of being set 15 minutes in the future (which is how I see all cyberpunk), Dark Digital Sky is a cyberpunk novel set 15 minutes ago.

I’m not convinced these elements work on their own — but even if they do, this is definitely a “whole is greater than the sum of its parts” kind of thing, somehow this all works. I’ve never read anything like this before — which is probably good, because most people would make a wreck of it. Not Allison, this is a strong vision told with a sure voice. Can’t wait for more.

—–

Note: I was provided a copy of this by the author, who seems like a pretty cool guy — which made the fact that I really enjoyed even better. I like it when pretty cool people write pretty cool stuff.

—–

4 Stars

Dead Heat by Patricia Briggs

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On April 14, 2015

In Alpha & Omega, Authors, Fiction, Patricia Briggs, Urban Fantasy

Dead HeatDead Heat

by Patricia Briggs
Series: Alpha and Omega, #4


Hardcover, 324 pg.
Ace Books, 2015
Read: March 6 – 7, 2015
One of the biggest difficulties I have here on this ol’ blog is coming up with something to say about later books in a series. What (barring a significant shift in quality) can I say that I haven’t already said? I’m honestly not sure here, but I’ll give it a try.

It’s been three years since the jaw-dropping conclusion of Fair Game, and we’re finally able to get back to Brigg’s Alpha and Omega series. Things seem to have been pretty quiet for these two. We’re not given a lot (or any, as far as I can recall) of information about what’s been going on in the lives of Charles and Anna since then, but we can guess — they’ve grown closer, Charles has done a little enforcing for his father, Anna’s. . . well, honestly, I don’t know, she’s been doing her own thing.

Hunting Game is a nice departure from the typical setup for these books. There’s no assignment, no renegade werewolf, no investigation — just Charles trying to get a gift for Anna and introducing her to an old friend. Sure — something supernatural comes up, there’s something/someone that needs to be stopped before people die. Thankfully, conveniently, fortuitously, Charles and Anna are in town and they (with the help of the local pack) can take charge to protect those who need it the most.

There’s not a lot here that will progress the story of either series, no dramatic character growth or supernatural threat that will shake things up. It’s about spending time with these people, understanding them a bit better — at least in a new light. Seeing Charles away from his family — but amidst friends that might as well be, sheds a good deal of light on his character — not just his past. It’s also interesting seeing the way this particular pack acts together (as opposed to Bran’s or Adams’s).

There’s a warmth to this book, even when things got hairy and tense — which fits a novel about an Omega — the same way that Mercy’s books have a very different feel. A welcome addition to the growing Brigg’s world.

—–

4 Stars

Saturday Miscellany – 4/11/15

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On April 11, 2015

In Books, News/Misc.

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

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

  • The Rebirths of Tao by Wesley Chu — the trilogy concludes. I have high hopes for this.
  • Dark Heir by Faith Hunter — Jane Yellowrock is back.
  • Scent of Murder by James O. Born — a K-9 policeman on the hunt for a kidnapper


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