Saturday Miscellany — 7/19/14

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On July 19, 2014

In Books, News/Misc.

Odds ‘n ends over the week about books and reading that caught my eye — apparently I spent more time at io9.com than I realized. 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 a.k.a: Half a King and a couple of other things:

  • Half a King by Joe Abercrombie — one of my favorite epic fantasy writers steps into YA, and it sounds great.
  • Traitor’s Blade by Sebastien de Castell — This one sounds like a good time. Read the Big Idea about it here
  • MindWar by Andrew Klavan — this first installment of the trilogy of the same name may not be my thing, but I’m sure I’ve got a couple of teens who’ll eat it up (as they did his Homelander’s series)
  • The Outsorcerer’s Apprentice by Tom Holt — this sounds like a hoot and a half

All Fall Down by Jennifer Weiner

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On July 17, 2014

In Fiction, General Fiction/Literature

All Fall DownAll Fall Down

by Jennifer Weiner

Hardcover, 400 pg.
Atria Books, 2014
Read: July 10 – 12, 2014

Out for the day with her daughter, our protagonist encounters a homeless woman about her own age. A few minutes later, on their way to suburbia, she thinks:

I was a world away from the woman we’d seen. That woman — she was what addiction looked like. Not me. Not me.

And that, my friends, is what heavy-handed irony looks like. When Chapter 1 ends this way, you know it’s going to be a rough ride.

I wasn’t sure what to expect out of this one — from the description alone, it was clear that Weiner was going for something out of the norm for her — this wasn’t going to be comedic, not that romantic. Instead it’d be dark, dealing with a very serious subject matter. The prose wouldn’t be as breezy, the character probably wouldn’t be that likeable. Sounded good to me — I wanted to see how she could pull it off. It’d be different, but I figured she could (and I welcomed that). Would this be the thing that got her that literary cred she seems to be looking for?

It was a valiant effort. But it just didn’t work for me.

She was close though. Really close. Which just served to underline how she didn’t reach her goal.

Allison Weiss (who I couldn’t help but seeing as an out-of-shape version of Orphan Black‘s Alison Hendrix) is a mom (of an impossible child), a successful blogger (possibly too successful to believe), wife, daughter of a man in early stages of Alzheimer’s, and a pill-popper in deep denial.

Part 1 sets the scene for us — introduces us to the major characters, Allison’s friends, family, and boss — and her pills. Part 2 shows how the wheels start to come off for her — in terms of work, her marriage, her family and her addiction. Part 3 gets her into rehab and coming to terms with her problem. Part 4 picks up following that in a rushed wrap-up.

Part 1 was okay enough — it got the job done. Part 2 was rough — it’s hard enough watching a character you like, that you’re invested in run into trouble — but an unsympathetic character surrounded by characters she hasn’t let us get to know well enough to like? It’s just so rough. I had to force myself through this part, knowing that rehab was on the horizon. That part was worse — the rehab facility, clients, workers, counselors — all of that jibed with what I know about rehab facilities and 12-step programs; and even Allison’s reaction seemed textbook. But something about that part bothered me. Maybe because it was all so textbook. Weiner’d done her homework and she let it be shown. But it’s more than that — here was her chance to make us like Allison, see her doing the work she needed to do. For the reader to start to like her. But it didn’t happen.

Part 4 was the worst. In her rush for a conclusion, Weiner left a lot of things hanging. Which isn’t the same as unresolved — I’m not talking about a need to tie everything up in a pretty little bow. Weiner simply abandoned so many things in that it took away from the closure she gave (or at least strongly suggested).

I actually had a laundry list of complaints and problems with this, but I’m going to forgo it. It’d be hard to avoid spoilers and I just don’t think it’d be that interesting to read. Let me just leave it as — I was disappointed in this one and would advise passing on it.

—–

2 Stars

Shield and Crocus by Michael R. Underwood

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On July 16, 2014

In Authors, Fiction, Michael R. Underwood, P-U, Science Fiction

Shield and CrocusShield and Crocus

by Michael R. Underwood

Paperback, 391 pg.
47 North, 2014
Read: June 26 – July 02, 2014

The level of detail in this world is astounding, it reads like it could be the 4th installment or so in a long-running series — the worldbuilding is just fantastic. I don’t know for a fact that Underwood has the history of Audec-Hal, of these races all mapped out for centuries before, and these characters lives detailed going back to birth — but it reads that way. He seems to know them all that well — but best of all, he doesn’t share all the homework he’s done with you, but you can tell he’s done it. The care, the detail, the intricacy, the strangeness of all of this — I mean strange in a good way, that somehow makes total sense in context — is so impressive. I don’t think I can adequately express my appreciation of the imagination and craft here.

We come into this city which is a shadow of itself — no longer in the heyday of its republic, it’s now a city controlled by competing tyrants. Where the citizens live in a sort of fearful servitude, a new generation being raised to know only this reality, and their elders in danger of forgetting what came before. Now where most writers would put a scrappy insurgency here, made up of soldiers, former government officials, and young ideologues, Underwood zigs instead of zags. Instead? We get the Justice League — or maybe the Justice Society (last time I checked, JSA was more welcoming of elderly heroes) — a band of costumed vigilantes doing what they can to destabilize the tyrants and protect the citizenry.

Right there, that’s enough. I’m in. I’m buying the T-shirts, pre-ordering any sequels, seeking out fanart (feel free to direct me to any shirts or art, btw).

The team’s leader, the Fist Sentinel is a Batman/Blue Beetle (Ted Kord)-esque figure. Getting by on his wits, fists and gadgets (tho’ some of his are magic, something that Batman and Beetle couldn’t say). He’s advanced in years, and doesn’t have much fight left in him, but he’s too stubborn/committed to quit. Then there’s the Shield — a sort-of guardian of the city, a mystic mantle that passes to new bearers after the death of the previous — a literal shield, which gives the bearer increased strength, etc. is the mark of the mantle. The current Shield is the Sentinel’s adopted son — think Captain America dosed by magic instead of revolutionary science. There’s a speedster, a woman with super-strength, someone who can control rocks with her mind, someone with mental powers — and a loosely organized group of mundane types who act as spies.

I’m getting into recapping too much here — this should be enough to whet your appetite. And there’s so much more to say in the setup, the details, the people.

Wonderfully told, well-plotted, well-paced. It’s everything I hoped and expected from Underwood.

But.

I didn’t care about these people. I was curious how things would turn out, I was pulling for The First Sentinel and the Shield. But honestly? I didn’t care about them. I know Underwood is capable of making me care about characters — seemingly effortlessly. But something here was off. I’m able to rave about this as a display of care, skill, and imagination — but there’s a distance between the reader and the characters and I just don’t think he bridged it.

A couple of items other things worthy of note: Both before and immediately upon release, I heard a lot of talk about the map in this book — which seemed a bit odd, but then I saw the map. It is so cool. Possibly the greatest map in the history of fantasy fiction — it’s like nothing you’ve seen before. Underwood states, “It all started with a doodle on the back of a grocery list. Now, rendered by a professional, it is amazing. :)” He’s right. The cover art’s pretty great, too.

Basically, this is a book I admire more than I enjoyed. What Underwood constructed here was fantastic, I just couldn’t connect with it emotionally the way I wanted to (the way I can with most of the people in his Ree Reyes series). His care for the world, for his characters is more than evident. He just didn’t do enough to get me to share that. Your results may vary, you might think I’m out to lunch here. That could be — I still really recommend this novel, just not as strongly as I’d expected to.

—–

4 Stars

Shattered by Kevin Hearne

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On July 15, 2014

In Authors, Dogs, Fiction, Iron Druid Chronicles, Kevin Hearne

Shattered (The Iron Druid Chronicles, #7)Shattered

by Kevin Hearne
Series: The Iron Druid Chronicles, #7

Hardcover, 335 pg.
Del Rey, 2014
Read: June 21 – 22, 2014

If there’s any justice left in this world, Hearne’s inclusion of a 3 page “The Story so Far” recounting the main events from every book in the series should earn him many 5 star ratings, it’s something that more people should do. The last two lines of his retelling should earn him a few more.

I’m not going to be one of those, I really want to be — I spent most of the novel thinking I would be — but in the end, I have to settle with a 4-star. In the end, I think Hearne tried to do too much in too little space, hurting the overall book — think Spider-Man 3. The use of multiple POV characters might have contributed to my problems — having spent 5 (and most of the next) inside Atticus’ head, spending as much of this book outside of it gives added distance to those events not from Atticus’ POV in a way it wouldn’t have if we’d been bouncing between Atticus’ and Granuaile’s viewpoint from the beginning. That said, I’m not opposed to it — and I really liked the Granuaile chapters, and would’ve been willing to do a whole book from her POV. Even the Owen (Atticus’ Arch-Druid who was introduced at the end of Hunted) chapters were fun, but again, it made it hard to get attached to Atticus’ story.

That said, I think the Granuaile story is probably the best part of Shattered, but it would’ve been better if we hadn’t taken off to see what Atticus was up to, or laughing at Owen trying to figure out how to make his way in the 21st Century. Laksha Kulasekaran calls and asks her for help, so Granuaile and the hounds are off to India for an adventure. One that pushes Granuaile to the edge of her abilities, and to her emotional breaking point — so much so that you wonder why Atticus isn’t around. Not that she’s not capable on her own, a strong, independent woman and all that — but because she’s a rookie druid and could really use her mentor’s guidance — and as the guy who loves her, he should’ve been there to support her in this trial. Along the way, she learns a bit more about magic in general, and meets some supernatural creatures that are about as odd and fun as you could ask. If the whole novel had been this story, I’d have loved it. But the power and impact of it were dented.

While Granuaile is running around Asia, Atticus is looking into who exactly is up to no good in Tír na nÓg, stirring up trouble (rebellion?) amongst the Tuatha de Danann, trying to take out our favorite Druid and generally causing all sorts of trouble. As investigations go — it was pretty weak, and pretty easy for Atticus to suss out what’s going on. What he found on the other hand — well, that was pretty big. And Hearne capped it off with a big ol’ Celtic can of whoop-ass. It wasn’t quite Hammered‘s level of insane fight scenes, but it was close. And (tiny spoiler) neither side came out unscathed.

What exactly the ramifications of this for the Tuatha de Dannan, the druids, and the various and sundry deities we’ve met (and probably will meet)? Well, obviously, we’ll have to wait and see — but it’s going to be big.

Still — and again, sing along with me — take out a lot of the Owen goofiness and Granuaile’s story, devote that space to Atticus’ story — and this is so much better. It’s so frustrating to read something that’s so close to be great, but falters.

Enough complaining, I really did enjoy this book. What positive things can I say? Hardcover! Yay. That’s a sign of success for the series, right? I even got one signed. Doesn’t mean anything to the review, I just like to see that.

I really liked Orlaith, it’s good for Granuaile to have a companion like this. I also appreciated she’s not just a feminine Oberon, but she has a distinct personality and is the proverbial Lady to Oberon’s Tramp. Owen Kennedy is an amusing addition to the cast — and potentially a powerful ally for Atticus and Granuaile as things heat up — and I look forward to something more substantial from him. While she’s not my favorite character, I’m glad to see Laksha hasn’t been abandoned — nor are other folks from earlier in the series (not sure why I’m so protective of this relatively minor spoiler — but it tickled me so to see Atticus deal with ______ at ______ I don’t want ruin it for anyone else).

Oh, and of course — Oberon. Really, for people who’ve read the IDC, that’s enough to say, right? Oberon. Read that and try not to smile.

At the end of the day, when it comes to wise-crackin’, magic-throwin’ dudes, The Iron Druid takes a backseat to almost no one (there is that guy in the Chicago yellow pages . . . ), and this book almost lives up to its predecessors. Any complaints are really just a sign of how good Hearne’s been before this. Bring on IDC #8!!

—–

4 Stars

Dusted Off: Savages by Don Winslow

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On July 14, 2014

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

Savages (Savages, #1)Savages

by Don Winslow

Hardcover, 302 pg.
Simon & Schuster, 2010
Read: September 2, 2012
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

At this point, I just need to be honest with myself and just buy everything this guy has written/will write. I was nervous about starting this, as it wasn’t in The Dawn Patrol-verse. Would it be as good? Would it be better, making me like Boone, et al. less? Stupid, yeah.

Winslow’s books are the kind of cool I thought Tarantino was after Pulp Fiction (not saying QT isn’t great, I just don’t think he’s the kind of great I did then)–an insane mix of hip, crime, violence, honor, love and fun.

—–

5 Stars

Dusted Off: The Informationist by Taylor Stevens

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On July 14, 2014

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

The Informationist (Vanessa Michael Munroe, #1)The Informationist

by Taylor Stevens

Hardcover, 307 pg.
Crown, 2011
Read: September 19 – 20, 2012

Heckuva ride. Vanessa Michael Munroe is Lisbeth Salander with a healthier mental state (not saying she’s perfectly well adjusted…she’s just better adjusted). Same intensity, same ferocity, same tenacity. A character you want to see more of.

I think the novel had a couple too many twists and turns–don’t ask me which could be cut out w/o sacrificing the whole, though. But really, if my major complaint about the novel is that the mystery is too complex, keeps you guessing too much? Is that really a knock?

—–

3 Stars

Dusted Off: Fool Me Twice by Michael Brandman

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On July 14, 2014

In Fiction, Jesse Stone, Mystery/Detective Fiction/Crime Fiction/Thriller, Robert B. Parker

Robert B. Parker's Fool Me Twice (Jesse Stone, #11)Robert B. Parker’s Fool Me Twice

by Michael Brandman
Series: Jesse Stone, #11

Hardcover, 288 pg.
Putnam Adult, 2012
Read: September 26, 2012
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

sigh…I shouldn’t have been able to finish this in an hour.

It was fun enough, and I think this was an improvement over Brandman’s first try. But…it was just slight, I guess. Sort of like this review–not a lot to it, but gets the point across.

Not that all of Parker’s Stone books were dynamite, but it was easier to overlook his weaker works because of all the others. Brandman doesn’t have others, just this weak tea.

—–

2 Stars

Saturday Miscellany — 7/12/14

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On July 12, 2014

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:

  • Rowling writes story about 30-plus Harry Potter — You probably didn’t hear about it, but a children’s author released a short story this week as a follow-up to an older series. Maybe a news site or two mentioned it. Probably worth a read (I haven’t yet, not sure why).
  • A couple of good extra-Internet pieces this week: First, last week’s Face the Nation featured a discussion with several mystery/thriller writers, including Lee Child: Mystery writers discuss their favorite summer reads — During this discussion, Child said, “The best book is not watching the detective work on a crime, it’s watching the crime work on the detective.” Something about that really registered with me, and I’m going to write something in response to this soon. I hope.
  • The second is a nice NPR piece prompted by Landline: Rainbow Rowell Does Romance With A Subversive (Read: Realistic) Twist
  • When I’m not reading, I’m generally watching TV (or working or sleeping, or spending time with that group of people I live with and share a name with — I think you call them a family). This week it was announced — after years of rumors and bad starts — that Lev Grossman’s The Magicians is getting a Syfy pilot and that Terry Brooks’ Shannara is getting a full season on MTV. I’ve seen a lot of backlash about the MTV part of the deal — but I don’t see why. They’ve done some pretty good scripted stuff lately. And, most importantly — Shannara’s going to be on TV. Who cares where?
  • Five Plum Reasons to Read Top Secret Twenty-One by Janet Evanovich — The other day, I wondered why I keep reading this series. Paul Goat Allen gives me 5 reasons. (well, not me, really — but I can pretend, can’t I?)
  • Map of the City Where Every Novel Takes Place — Well, not every Novel. But a whole lot of them. Great concept, great execution. *cough*165 shopping days ’til Xmas*cough*
  • Top ten fictional bookshops — Who doesn’t love bookstores? They’re not reading this blog, for sure. Sure, I’d have included Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore. But still, fun list.
  • Speaking of Grossman, The Magician’s Land by Lev Grossman Book Trailer This trailer features a few (I’m guessing) paragraphs from the upcoming book read by fans/fellow authors, taking a sentence or so each. It’s just a great section, don’t care what book it is. But as it’s this one? Just makes it better. I’ve watched this a few times already.
    This Week’s New Releases I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:

  • Tail of Vengeance by Spencer Quinn — a Chet & Bernie short story. Wa-hoo.
  • The Competition by Marcia Clark — The fourth Rachel Knight book, this time Knight and the gang are dealing with a school shooting.
  • Landline by Rainbow Rowell — Can a magic telephone fix a troubled marriage? (There’s a sentence I never expected to write.)

Opening Lines – The Westing Game

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On July 10, 2014

In Blog Series, Currently Reading, Fiction, Mystery/Detective Fiction/Crime Fiction/Thriller, News/Misc., Opening Lines, Quotations, YA/MG/Children's Books

We all know we’re not supposed to judge a book by its cover (yet, publishing companies spend big bucks on cover design/art). But, the opening sentence(s)/paragraph(s) are fair game. So, when I stumble on a good opening (or remember one and pull it off the shelves), I’ll throw it up here. Dare you not to read the rest of the book.

—–

The sun sets in the west (just about everyone knows that), but Sunset Towers faced east. Strange!

Sunset Towers faced east and had no towers. This glittery, glassy apartment house stood alone on the Lake Michigan shore five stories high. Five empty stories high.

Then one day (it happened to be the Fourth of July), a most uncommon-looking delivery boy rode around town slipping letters under the doors of the chosen tenants-to-be. The letters were signed Barney Northrup.

The delivery boy was sixty-two years old, and there was no such person as Barney Northrup.

from The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin

Like any good novel (and this is a very good one), so much of the book is revealed in the opening paragraphs — not that we know that at the time, but in retrospect, it’s clear — we get the voice, we get themes, we get clues to the mystery (not that we know what the mystery is). As a kid, I got to that last line and was hooked. How could there not be such a person when the previous sentence said there was? What’s up with the Towers facing the wrong direction? What a strange book.

The Martian by Andy Weir

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On July 10, 2014

In Fiction

The MartianThe Martian

by Andy Weir

Hardcover, 369 pg.
Crown, 2014
Read: July 7 – 8, 2014

Also, I have duct tape. Ordinary duct tape, like you buy at a hardware store. Turns out even NASA can’t improve on duct tape.

Yes, of course duct tape works in a near-vacuum. Duct tape works anywhere. Duct tape is magic and should be worshiped.

More than just a love letter to duct tape (although I could’ve come up with more than those two quotations), The Martian is a taut survival thriller, filled with laughs, science, and attitude.

And attitude is the key — Mark Watney is full of it. From what I can tell, how you react to his attitude, his sense of humor, his personality directly correlates with your enjoyment of the book. When the book was first released, I read plenty of lukewarm or negative reviews that were about Watney as a character more than they were about the book as a whole. And that’s fair. Some times you can deal with a protagonist that you don’t like because you like the story, or the world, or the author — whatever. But The Martian‘s not built that way. It rises or falls on your appreciation for and attachment to the abandoned astronaut. By the end of chapter two, if you don’t like the guy, put the book down and move on to something else, because it won’t get any better.

Me? I liked the guy almost instantly — his self-deprecation, his sarcasm, his temerity, his MacGyver-esque abilities, his hatred of disco. Coupled with the severity of his situation, and the refreshingly original premise, I was hooked but good from the get-go.

We do eventually meet other characters — NASA executives, NASA non-executives, the rest of Watney’s team, and so on. We don’t get to know them as well as we do Watney — but what we do get are well-rounded characters working as hard as Watney is to help him survive. Racing against the clock — with the eyes of the world on them (think of the media coverage of Apollo 11’s landing — but in a 24-hour news cycle in the Internet age), these people are in a situation almost as extreme as his is.

Not only do the character moments work — and work very well — but the details are spot-on. The book is chock-full of scientific detail and explanations. Would you appreciate more of Weir’s work if you actually followed the details of the Chemistry and other science? Probably, but you can get the gist of it without really understanding it all. Jesse Pinkmans of the world can enjoy this book, not just the Walter Whites. Unless his science is wrong, I guess — in that case we liberal arts types are better off — but I’m betting he knows his stuff.

The plot moves along quickly — but not too quickly. Plenty of ups and downs, successes and failures, steps forward and steps back. There were times in this that the tension was so high I wondered if I should get back on my blood pressure medication. But then, like a seasoned professional, Weir would have me chuckling. A near-perfect balance of tension and release, enough to keep you on the edge of your seat without falling over. There’s some good emotional moments, too — particularly as things start to come together on the rescue mission, and more-so as the mission gets into trouble — even some inspirational moments. Weir put together the whole package — story, characters, style, and heart.

Do yourself a favor and grab this one.
—
Note:I received this book for free from Blogging for Books for this review. Which was generous and cool of them, but didn’t impact what I said about the book.

—–

5 Stars

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