Tag: 4 Stars Page 72 of 88

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

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

The Stolen Ones by Owen Laukkanen

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On April 8, 2015

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

The Stolen OnesThe Stolen Ones

by Owen Laukkanen

Hardcover, 358 pg.
G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 2015
Series: Stevens & Windermere, #4
Read: March 24 – 26, 2015

Stevens felt his stomach drop out as he descended from the Black Hawk onto the Atlantic Prince‘s bow. Wondered how a Minnesota state cop found himself in this kind of predicament all the time.

You do kind of have to wonder about that, don’t you, Stevens? The readers, however, are just glad you do find yourself in these predicaments.

I don’t have a lot to say about The Stolen Ones that I didn’t have to say about Laukkanen’s previous novels. But let’s see what I can dig up.

Irina’s from Romania — not having the best life (but not a bad one, no matter what she thinks), so she’s easily suckered by a handsome American man into the chance to come here and become rich and famous. Her little sister, Catalina, comes along for the ride. Sure, they have to be smuggled into the country with a large number of women in a shipping container, but hey — it’s worth it, right? America! (cue the Neil Diamond song)

Once they get here, of course, rich and famous are out the window. The best they can hope for now is, alive and doing more than surviving. The shipping container is loaded onto a truck and driven through a variety of states, with drop offs at various brothels, strip clubs and nastier places, were a selection of the women are left behind. Along the way, Irina and Catalina attempt an escape — Irina makes it, Catalina doesn’t, and an off-duty Minnesotan sheriff’s deputy is dead.

Kirk Stevens is brought in to investigate the deputy’s death, and soon starts to figure out what’s going on. Which is clearly beyond the scope of his office, but hey! He’s conveniently just been named to a task force with the FBI and his buddy, Carla Windermere. The two race around the country, looking for Catalina (who they really don’t expect to find) and the rest of the women — and, more realistically, they want to stop the people who smuggled them into the country.

As always, Laukkanen does a great job with the villains of the piece — whatever the particular crime (or crimes, usually) that they’re committing, he makes them people. People with hopes, dreams, problems — not just committing crimes. In fact, for the most part Stevens and Windermere are distractions, complications — not the enemy, just an irritant (an irritant that gets worse and worse the further we get in the book).

The Stevens family is always a good way to ground these characters — Mrs. Stevens (can’t believe I forgot her name) gets to do more than nag Kirk about being safe and talk dirty to him. The whole 16-year-old daughter with boyfriend parallel to the safety of the Romanians was a bit too one the nose for me, but Laukkanen pulled it off. And when else is he going to have the “first boyfriend” story? In Book 5 with Stevens having flashbacks to this case? Nah, that wouldn’t have worked.

With 158 chapters in 358 pages, The Stolen Ones moves along at a good clip. The pacing’s tight, the narrative gripping — everything you want — and readers have come to expect — from this series. It makes for a decent jumping on point, too. Highly recommended.

—–

4 Stars

The Hero’s Guide to Being an Outlaw by Christopher Healy

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On April 7, 2015

In Fiction, YA/MG/Children's Books

The Hero’s Guide to Being an OutlawThe Hero’s Guide to Being an Outlaw

by Christopher Healy

Hardcover, 516 pg.
Walden Pond Press, 2014
Read: April 2 – 6, 2015
I started talking about the last book in this series by noting that it wasn’t as good as the first. So I should start off here by noting that this is at least as good as the first book.

It’s somewhat criminal that after reading 900 or so pages of this before that I didn’t mention Todd Harris’ art work. The covers are great, but the interior art is what seals the deal. It’s the perfect match for tone and content of writing. Not since Mary GrandPré decorated the Harry Potter books (maybe you’ve heard of them), have I enjoyed illustrations in a book so much. He’s at his best in these pages.

Following the events of Storming the Castle, our friends have scattered, (for the most part) returning home and to their lives as they knew it. They’ve had a rough go of things the last couple of years and have earned a little normalcy.

Until bounty hunters show up hunting them. Which tends to shake things up.

So it seems that that Brair Rose is dead — killed. And who else would anyone suspect but the League of Princes and the Princesses so closely associated with them? So large bounties were put on their heads, and they’ll need all the skills, courage, panache and dumb blind luck they can muster to evade capture and find the people truly responsible.

Meanwhile, the villains that the League, etc. were sure had died at the end of the last book? Yeah, well . . . maybe not. Put the two of these storylines together, add in some pirates, bards and a ghost and you’ve yourself a heckuva read.

Like the best kids’ entertainment, this includes a few reference and jokes fit for adults while sailing right over younger heads (without slipping into innuendo). My favorite example was when the (however temporarily) imprisoned Princesses met the imposing woman Val Jeanval who stole a baguette in order to use it as a weapon.

I started to list off all the goodies this book contains, when I realized my list sounded like someone else’s, so I’ll just borrow Grandpa’s: “Fencing, fighting, torture, revenge, giants, monsters, chases, escapes, true love . . . ” throw in pirates, ghosts, and witches and a lot more royalty than that other book, and you’ve just about described this. It was a fun series, with a fittingly great end. Grab it for your kids, and when they’re not looking (if they won’t share), give it a read yourself.

—–

4 Stars

Pocket Apocalypse by Seanan McGuire

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On March 31, 2015

In Authors, Fiction, InCryptid, Seanan McGuire, Urban Fantasy

Pocket ApocalypsePocket Apocalypse

by Seanan McGuire
Series: InCryptid, #4


Mass Market Paperback, 341 pg.
DAW, 2015
Read: March 14 – 17, 2015

Airplanes: essentially buses that fly, and hence have the potential to drop out of the sky at any moment, spreading your insides — which will no doubt become your outsides sometime during the collision — across whatever you happen to have been flying over. Since we were flying mainly over ocean, I was sure the sharks would appreciate our sacrifice.

So where, pray tell, are Alex and Shelby flying off to? Her home country of Australia, to help out her family and the cryptozoologist group/alliance/whatnot they’re part of deal with the continent’s first outbreak of the werewolf virus. Unlike everyone else there, Alex has dealt with werewolves before, and he’s a Price — that has some benefit (although how much is debatable, as he soon learns). He’s also going to meet Shelby’s family for the first time. It’s pretty unclear which of these two items are the most hazardous to his health.

We’ve had a lot of exposure to the idea that the Price family isn’t like the Covenant — in motives or means. Now we’re introduced to the Thirty-Six Society, who aren’t as nasty as the Covenant is to cryptids; but nowhere near as interested in understanding and cooperating with them as the Prices are. Also, they’re not so sure that the Price’s are all that different than the Covenant (which is really odd to think about from the point-of-view of the reader). So, all told — they’re not to interested in a know-it-all Price coming in from the U. S. to tell them how to take care of a problem. Particularly when that Price is sleeping with one of their own, and perhaps leading her away from them.

I did tire a bit — more than a bit, to be honest — with the way that Alex and various members of the Tanner family had the same conversation over and over about his allegiances, intentions toward Shelby, and methods. I realize in Real Life™ that you do repeat yourself, but so much of these conversations were essentially “second verse, same as the first,” and got pretty darn tiring. It would’ve been better if Alex wasn’t quite as right as he was all the time, too.

But that’s the backdrop, really. The very real likelihood that Australia is going to be overrun with werewolves in the coming weeks is the main concern (although I’m not convinced the word count would reflect that). With so much exposure to Patricia Briggs and Carrie Vaughn (not to mention Jim Butcher, Kim Harrison, Kevin Hearne, and so on) it’s easy to forget that werewolves used to be a horror movie staple. Leave it to McGuire to remind me that werewolves are generally thought of as monsters. These werewolves are pretty monstrous, and what they do to their victims isn’t pretty.

We don’t see as many of the native cryptids as we get hints of them — the couple that we do see are pretty interesting, but I could’ve used more. As with any inCryptid novel, you have to talk about the Aeslin mice. If for no other reason than they’re fun. This is probably their best showcase yet — they’re more than comic relief here, they help out — in a way that Alex could never have predicted. Some of the raw-est emotion (and not just joy and rapture over a new religious observance) comes from these little guys. I honestly don’t know if I’ll ever tire of these mice.

Occasionally, the humor feels forced — as if McGuire’s done a word-count since the last quip and shoves one in. This is typical for the series, and still occasionally works, oddly enough. But McGuire’s narrative flows better — and is funnier — when she allows the humor to flow naturally (as much as anything as crafted as one of her books is “natural”) and not imposed on the text.

This novel contains the word “denuded” more than I can recall ever seeing in a single work — there was one chapter, in fact, that nailed that record — but “denuded” showed up later, too. It doesn’t matter one way or the other, but it showed up so frequently (and so rarely anywhere else) that it couldn’t help but make an impression.

I don’t know why, but it took me forever to really “get into” this one. From page 1 it looked interesting and entertaining, but I kept putting it down after a half a chapter or so. When it did pick up, I didn’t take the time to jot it down because I didn’t want to stop reading, but I think it was a little after page 100. From that point on, I was into it the way I expected to from the get-go, and it kept my interest to the end. I think I like this more than the others (maybe Discount Armageddon was as good), and really look forward to the next one — it’ll be good to see Verity again.

—–

4 Stars

The Witches of Echo Park by Amber Benson

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On March 20, 2015

In Fiction

The Witches of Echo ParkThe Witches of Echo Park

by Amber Benson
Series: The Witches of Echo Park, #1

Paperback, 294 pg.
Ace, 2015
Read: March 18 – 19, 2015
So, you have a coven of witches (who don’t like to be called that) who connected to some global network of covens that are under attack. We’re not given much information on that part — just enough so that the threat of violence is real, if shadowing (and mostly so far removed as to not be a looming presence). The local leader of the coven –the last of a generation, it seems — is dying of cancer, and she recruits her great-niece (or something), Lyse, to take her place. Lyse had no idea her great-aunt (or something) was a witch — or in Lyse’s point of view, she had no idea her great-aunt was a little crazy, not full-blown insane, but unhinged enough to believe in magic. But she goes along with her dying wish, and is initiated into the coven. At which point in time, enough crazy stuff starts happening that Lyse has to admit that, yeah, there’s something to that magic stuff.

We don’t get nearly enough time with the rest of the coven to really connect with them — this is about introducing us to the world, about Llyse and Eleanora, and connecting Lyse to everything. It’s only in retrospect that I noticed that I didn’t get to know everyone as well as I wanted to. Lizabeth was close — but I think it’d take 200 pages devoted to her for me to have enough. I wouldn’t need as much time with the others, but, well, trust me on this — Lizabeth is one to watch. They all seem fun and interesting, but no one else comes close.

I’m really light on details here, because the novel’s an introduction to the series — so the details about characters and the tiny bit of plot are all there really is. Which is fine — for this book, not for #2 in the series. I did spend most of the last 50 pages thinking the ending would be unsatisfactory, but she pulled it off — again, for the first book of a series, not for anything later.

This is so different than Benson’s last series, the Calliope Reaper-Jones novels. Honestly, they don’t even seem like they were written by the same person. The characters, the world, the emotions at play, even the magic system feels more grounded, more realistic (if you can say that).

Most Urban Fantasy reads like a Detective/Mystery novel with Magic/Supernatural elements mixed in. This one felt like a Chick Lit (meaning that in the nicest possible way, and just to describe things) book flavored with magic. Which makes it stand out from the pack — by quite a ways. The cover reflects that, I think. Lyse (I assume) doesn’t look like she’s ready to kick butt and take names, she looks like someone who could be my neighbor in the middle of bad day. This is not going to appeal to every UF reader, but I dug it.

On the one hand, it doesn’t take too many pages before you’re pretty sure you know what kind of story this is, how things are going to go. It’s solid stuff, don’t get me wrong — nor is it predictable. It’s just a certain type of story. Yet even knowing that (and I was right, more than I was wrong, anyway) the way that Benson unspooled things drew me in further and further. She set the hook well.

By page 55 I was prepared to call this Benson’s best by a mile — and I only became more convinced the further I read. Friendship, family, devotion, screwy-beliefs, a touch of romance, and magic — Benson brings it all. If you’re up for an Urban Fantasy that doesn’t read like every other one you’ve read, give it a shot.

—–

4 Stars

Stone Quarry by S. J. Rozan

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On March 4, 2015

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

Stone QuarryStone Quarry

by S. J. Rozan
Series: Lydia Chin & Bill Smith, #6

Hardcover, 276 pg.
Minotaur Books, 1999
Read: March 3, 2015I feel a little awkward about this one, because I haven’t found (read: made) the time to review the previous book in the series, but I just finished this one and didn’t want to put it off, in case I forgot the experience. So far, the Bill Smith novels in this series haven’t thrilled me — they’re interesting, they deliver what they promise, it’s fun to see these two from a different perspective, etc. But I just don’t like them as much as the Lydia Chin novels.

Until now. (you saw that coming, didn’t you?)

And honestly, reading the book jacket copy saying that Rozan had won two pretty prestigious awards, both for Bill Smith books befuddled and annoyed me. But I think I’m over that now.

Like the other Bill novels, Rozan tends to get a bit more writer-y, more noir-ish, a bit more moody than the Lydia novels which tend to be more plot and character-driven.

We’re not in New York City this time — Bill’s been hired to work for someone upstate near the fishing cabin he retreats to from time to time. So we’re plunged into a new world — a world Bill is familiar with, but a stranger to. The case he’s investigating is quickly overshadowed by other events that concern people Bill’s semi-close to, and it’s not long before the bodies start to pile up, the secrets and lies start to get exposed, and Bill is repeatedly assaulted. Small town politics, police corruption, corporate — and garden variety — criminals are everywhere, and a few (relatively) innocent people are caught up in it all.

There’s been some progress/advancement/development/insert your own word in both the professional and personal relationships between Bill and Lydia, that’s obvious. But it’s all happening between the books — which is an interesting way to go about it, keeps the books focused on the mysteries and from changing into something else. Not that I’d necessarily mind what it changed into (and still may), but I appreciate the approach.

Something about Stone Quarry — and, no, I can’t tell you what, I wish I could — struck home with me — the ambiance, the characters, Bill’s reactions, the story, the strong sense of place (and the tie between the characters and the place) — in a way that nothing else in this series has. In reading breaks between the last few chapters, for some reason my mind when to the experience of reading Lehane’s A Drink before the War and Parker’s A Savage Place. Neither one of those books, or this one, have much in common at all — but they all left me feeling the same way. There’s a bit of melancholy, a sense of dissatisfaction (with the events — not the book), yet knowing that the author put you right where he/she wanted you the whole time and brought you to those feelings. Now, I don’t think this book is as good as those two (which is not a criticism, almost nothing can touch those two for me), but this was really satisfying.

—–

4 Stars

Firefight by Brandon Sanderson

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On February 16, 2015

In Fiction, YA/MG/Children's Books

FirefightFirefight

by Brandon Sanderson

Hardcover, 416 pg.
Delacorte Press, 2015
Series: The Reckoners, #2
Read: January 30 – February 2, 2015

…as she’d left, I’d glanced at her gun.
This time, when she’d pointed it at me, she’d flicked the safety on. If that wasn’t true love, I don’t know what was.

We’ve all been there, right?

In the months since David did the impossible by killing the Epic Steelheart, he and the rest of the Reckoners have continued their war against the Epics — successfully enough, that Newcago is beginning to rule itself (sure, with the puppet government that Steelheart allowed, but it’s starting to come into its own). The last few of these have been sent by the Epic that runs Babilar (Babylon Restored = Manhattan), Regalia. So, David, the Prof, and Tia leave the rest of the Newcago crew to keep order, and head to Babilar to see what they can do about Regalia.

Meanwhile, David’s trying to convince the Reckoners that Megan wasn’t a traitor and murderer, and while an Epic, she deserves a second chance. And not just because he’s gaga for her.

It’s possible that the city of Babilar is the happiest city in contemporary YA dystopias. It’s definitely one of the most upbeat depictions of Manhattan that I’ve ever read/seen. Which is saying something, considering that it’s pretty much flooded (and ruled by an Epic who can control water). But thanks to a religion/philosophy/frame of mind (depending who you ask) — possibly Epic-induced, possibly spontaneous — the people of Babilar are a lot more positive, have a certain joie de vivre, and are a lot less interested in the work of the Reckoners than anyone else we’ve heard of in this world (and poor Dave is rather befuddled by this). I don’t want to get too descriptive of it — Sanderson will do better than I ever could, anyway — so let me leave it with this: I’m not crazy about the water, and I might be persuaded to move to Babilar.

One thing I’d forgotten from Steelheart was Dave’s general goofiness and voice. I did remember how bad his metaphors were (particularly, as it was pointed out to him that they aren’t even metaphors at all), but I didn’t remember how fun Dave was as a character when he wasn’t being more driven and vengeful than a teen-aged Bruce Wayne. Maybe Sanderson didn’t stress it as much last time out, or given Steelheart’s death, he’s lightened up. My guess it was a failure of my memory — but I really enjoyed Dave’s voice here (think Peter Parker à la Bendis), and would’ve kept with the book just for it , even if I stopped caring about the rest of the story (little chance of that happening, I should say).

But even with Dave’s snappy narration and Babilar’s vibe, there’s a lot of suspense in Firefight. A lot of deception, treachery, and danger everywhere. In the brightest of moments lurks a real possibility of the world becoming a darker place than it has been since Calamity and the advent of the Epics. Sanderson attempted a real balancing act here, and pretty much pulled it off. Up to, and including a great cliffhanger that makes the wait for the final volume of this series all the worse.

The only other note I can think to say here is that Sanderson has the most creative use of Fortune cookies in fiction here. Inspired. Read it for yourself.

Fun, fast-paced, exciting tale of super-powered dictators and the people resisting them — give Firefight a read if you’ve already enjoyed Steelheart. But go back and grab Steelheart first if you haven’t.

—–

4 Stars

Agatha H. and the Voice of the Castle by Phil & Kaja Foglio

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On January 30, 2015

In Fiction, Steampunk

Agatha H and the Voice of the CastleAgatha H. and the Voice of the Castle

by Phil Foglio & Kaja Foglio

Hardcover, 485 pg.
Night Shade Books, 2014
Read: January 26 – 29, 2015
When I started this, I had one big question: since I hadn’t read the comics this one was based on (unlike the first two), would that effect my understanding or enjoyment of the novel? Nope. Not a bit. Which I think is a good thing.

Like the other two installments, this is just fun to read. The writing is full of joy, zip, and panache. The narration, descriptions, characters, and escapades are just fun. I couldn’t tell you how often I had to stop to chuckle (or more) at what looks like a throwaway line, but probably took 5-6 tries to get just right — and was absolutely worth the effort.

The whole gang is back — plus a few new characters, most of which I want to spend more time with (others I’ve already had my fill with). I think the city and residents of Mechanicsburg are great, and I hope we get to spend more time with both. Ditto for a certain self-aware piece of architecture. I still love the Jaegers, even if I typically have to stop and really think about the pronunciation of every one of their syllables — which, honestly, makes it more fun.

My only complaint — well, I have two, actually. The biggest is that the last 100 or so pages seem like the authors are just spinning their wheels. Which is just frustrating. The other is a common one for me — anytime another person takes over someone’s body, so that it’s hard to tell who’s doing what? Boring. Hate it. Silly plot contrivance that I hope goes away soon, but will probably stick around for a long, long time.

Still, not enough to crush my enjoyment of the book as a whole and or to keep me from wanting the next one soon.

If you’ve read the first two novels, there’s nothing for me to say other than, keep going. If you haven’t — don’t start with this, it won’t make sense. Go back to Agatha H and the Airship City and enjoy.

—–

4 Stars

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