Tag: Fantasy Page 52 of 54

Dusted Off: Dragon Precinct by Keith R.A. DeCandido

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On May 19, 2014

In Fiction

Dragon PrecinctDragon Precinct

by Keith R.A. DeCandido
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

What a great concept–take a typical D&D-ish city, filled with Elves, Half-Elves, Halflings, Dwarves, Magic Users, etc. and throw in a typical Law & Order-ish police force investigating a variety of crimes. Most notably, a serial killer knocking off legendary members of a band of heroes embarking on an epic quest.

Not the greatest fantasy novel I’ve read in the last few months–but such a fun one, I hated for it to end. The detectives (and most of the supporting cast) were a lotta fun, and I could spend a lot more time with them, just bantering at the tavern after their shifts, much less working their cases.

—–

3 Stars

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

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On April 29, 2014

In Fiction, General Fiction/Literature

Oy vey. After this, I’m forty-five books away from being caught up. 45.

—–

Outlander (Outlander, #1)Outlander

by Diana Gabaldon

Mass-Market Paperback, 870 pg.
Dell Publishing Company, 2005
Read: March 7 – 19, 2014

So when the announcement was made that this was going to be a TV series, the descriptions offered sounded intriguing — a mix of historical fiction and time travel. I figured the series was at least worth a look. I mean with that many sequels, it had to have something going for it. 50,000,000 Elvis fans can’t be wrong, you know?

Well, they’re probably not wrong, but they sure aren’t talking for me. What an exercise in futility. I literally knew nothing more about the key plot point on page 870 than I did on page 100. While I don’t demand to understand everything fully (even if there weren’t a half-dozen sequels to explain things), but I want to learn something, not just watch hundreds of pages of plot go by to get us nowhere.

So, in the days after the end WWII, an English nurse and her husband — both back from the War and reunited — go off on a second honeymoon in the Scottish Highlands. While her husband, the historian, is off talking about local history, Claire goes off for stroll and (skipping details here) finds herself face-to-face with her husband’s great-great-something-grandfather. Who turns out to be not-a-nice-man. So Claire ends up running away from this British officer with a group of Scots. Eventually, she finds herself married to one of them, falling in love with her second husband and having loads of sex. And there’s some running from the Brits, dealing with local politics, merging 18th century medicine with 20th century medicine, and getting some sort of religious instruction.

Outlander is big, sweeping, well-written, maddeningly dependent on coincidence, with one-dimensional villains and wayyyyy too much sexy-time — and, worst of all, it’s ultimately pointless. There is literally no point to this all. getting to the expected point is really what kept me going for the last 600+ pages. There are people who will love this (obviously, just do a quick Google search), but I won’t be joining that number.

—–

2 Stars

Kinslayer by Jay Kristoff

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On January 3, 2014

In Fiction, Steampunk

Kinslayer (The Lotus War, #2)Kinslayer

by Jay Kristoff

Hardcover, 432 pg.
Thomas Dunne Books, 2013
Read: Dec. 6-13, 2013

It’s a law that the second part of a trilogy is going to be darker in tone than the rest and will leave things in a precarious position. The mark of a really good second part of a trilogy is that even as you expect that, the tone and direness of the events affect you as they ought, and don’t just seem as ways to advance the overall story arcs to get through the third installment.

Kristoff’s Kinslayer delivered on that. And then some — I’m not sure where I expected/wanted things to go following the calamitous events at the close of Stormdancer — obviously there’d be fighting between the Guild, the Kagé rebellion, and various groups trying to fill the void left by the death of Yoritomo. And, of course, Buruu and Yukiko would be smack dab in the middle of it. Beyond that, I really had no idea.

Which is fine and dandy, because I was pretty wrong — yes, there’s conflict between the Kagé, the Lotus Guild and various Shōgun, but not all-out warfare (mostly). And for the bulk of the novel, Yukiko and Buruu aren’t directly involved in that story — they are off on an important quest on their own, their storylines intersect with the rest at the beginning and end of the novels (like Luke and R2 off to Dagobah in another noted second part of a trilogy).

Don’t get me wrong — it’s not all doom and gloom. There are more than a few chuckles, some fun times to be read here. Early on in the book, I wrote the note, “the conversations between Yukiko and Buruu are fantastic — the playfulness, the teasing, the love — it’s like Temeraire with snark.” But then things started to turn — in the capitol, in the Kagé wilderness and even with the thunder tiger and his stormdancer. Yukiko is having trouble controlling her powers, there’s division in the rebellion’s ranks, and it seems that nobody in the capitol is telling the truth to anyone about anything. Betrayal courses through this novel. It’s raw and powerful.

What makes all the betrayal effective isn’t how it moves the plots forward, but because with established and new characters, Kristoff has created characters you can believe, characters you can empathize with, identify with, care about — no matter their allegiance in the conflicts. So that when plans go awry, trust is broken, loved ones abandoned (or worse), it matters to the audience.

True to form, things are bleak — if not worse — as the novel closes, but Kristoff has set the stage for something very exciting, and many things that I’m not even going to pretend to predict. Can’t wait for what’s next.

Lastly, I am indebted to Kristoff for the Character Reference pages at the beginning and wish that more serial fiction people did something like that — an easy way to re-orient yourself in this strange world. If only there was a pronunciation guide, too. But now I’m getting greedy.

—–

5 Stars

Dusted Off: False Covenant by Ari Marmell

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On December 3, 2013

In Fiction

False Covenant (Widdershins Adventures, #2)False Covenant

by Ari Marmell
Series: Widdershins Adventures, #2

Hardcover, 281 pg.
Pyr, 2012

It doesn’t matter what Ari Marmell writes — whether the fantasy is YA or not — it’s gripping and intense. The only difference is the swearing and amount of blood.

Still reeling from the events of the first volume — the death of a close friend, a showdown with a demon, a burgeoning friendship with an up and coming star in the Guard (not a good move for a professional thief)– this adventure will push Widdershins even further and harder and will keep the pages turning ’til the jaw-dropping end.

Marmell has created a rich and elaborate world for Widdershins — the magic/mythology system, the thieves’ guild, it’s a soil that many volumes could be grown in, I certainly hope they do.

—–

4 Stars

Dusted Off: Thief’s Covenant by Ari Marmell

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On December 2, 2013

In Fiction

Thief's Covenant (Widdershins Adventures, #1)Thief’s Covenant

by Ari Marmell
Series: Widdershins Adventures, #1

Hardcover, 273 pg.
Pyr, 2012

Marmell’s first foray into YA is exactly what it should be–his kind of story, without the adult-y material, which he managed to do without feeling like he watered anything down. There’s some light moments–and some flat-out clever writing–but on a dime, Marmell can turn things dark and gruesome

Adrienne/Widdershins/insert-alias-here is a heckuva character — tough, but vulnerable; wise, yet naive; reckless, yet skilled–a good YA character. She’s good at what she does–maybe even great–but not perfect, which I really appreciated.

A good, solid fantasy in a package that’s smaller than a doorstop. I’ll be back for more.

—–

3.5 Stars

Dusted Off: The Conqueror’s Shadow by Ari Marmell

By

On November 25, 2013

In Fiction

The Conqueror's ShadowThe Conqueror’s Shadow

by Ari Marmell
Hardcover, 448 pg.
Spectra, 2010

What a rollicking good read! This book has it all…great battle scenes; the fate of the world in the balance; wise crackin’ tough guys; wicked witches; ugly, brutish trolls; snarky demons…

Sure, it’s a story we’ve read/seen before–baddest of the bad guys retires, reforms (at least sorta), and has to come out of retirement to stop a new bad guy.

This telling of that familiar tale is done with panache and a clever trick or three to shake things up. Well done, and more than primes the pump for reading more in this world.

—–

4 Stars

Dusted Off: The Riddle of the Wren by Charles de Lint

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On November 11, 2013

In Fiction

The Riddle of the WrenThe Riddle of the Wren

by Charles de Lint

This was not the best fantasy I’ve read lately, and I know (well, strongly believe) I’m going to read at least one this year that will dwarf its quality by a magnitude I can’t calculate. BUT…

there pretty much has to be a but here, right?

BUT…this character, this world (better, these worlds), the supporting characters…there’s something about them all that just works. More than works, charms you and wins you over.

de Lint does a great job of introducing the incremental changes happening to Minda as she journeys to and through worlds she didn’t know did or could exist until she’s thrown into them. Not only the changes that are happening to her that she’s unaware of, but the ones she sees–and decides to make in herself–as she travels. It’s absolutely believable, utterly winning.

—–

4 Stars

The Arrivals by Melissa Marr

By

On November 7, 2013

In Western

The Arrivals
The Arrivals

by Melissa Marr
Hardcover, 274 pgs.
William Morrow, 2013

This is a very hard book to describe, which is a positive in this case — a portal fantasy involving sympathetic vampires, semi-domesticated dragons, outlaws and magic — in a Wild West-ish setting. On second thought, guess it’s not that tough to describe after all.

That may sound like Marr’s tried to throw too many things into the mix, and technically she made have — but she made it work well enough to get through almost 300 pages. Decades ago, a brother and sister (Kitty and Jack) from the Berkeley Area in the late 1800’s vanish and reappear in a new world, called The Wasteland. Some time later, they’re joined by others — including a Prohibition-era mobster, Edgar and then others from various periods in America. And other than one particular event in their background, there’s virtually nothing these people have in common.

Once they arrive in The Wasteland — each new person has to make a decision, to live with Jack and “The Arrivals” or to become a henchman to a pretty twisted proto-mafioso. Independence or some sort of servitude. The majority opt for the security and safety of the latter.

Oh, did I mention there are demon-summoning monks roaming around?

Jack and his people make ends meet doing odds and ends for the local governor, and other miscellaneous figures. Just trying to eke out a living, have a little left over for fun (read: whiskey).

It could be coincidence, it could be a matter of timing, or maybe it’s just the new presence of someone who showed up from 2013 Earth — but things that have been pretty much the same for decades start to change — and the Wasteland will never be the same.
quickly develop into well-rounded characters. This is probably Marr’s strength (not a knock on anything else she did here), as we see that the heroes aren’t always that heroic, most of the villains aren’t that bad either (most of them).

It’s a fun read, a quick read in an incredible world, with well-build and realized characters. Worth your time.

—–

3 Stars

From the Mailbag: Whither Pratchett?

By

On October 11, 2013

In Books, News/Misc.

Received this e-mail today from someone submitting a comment to the “Suggest a Book” form:

Do have reviews on ANY Terry Pratchett book. Would love to “hear” your thoughts…

Thanks for the question! Not just because I like getting suggestions/e-mails, but also because I had nothing else to post today, having opted for sleep and time with my family over finishing a book.*

Pratchett’s a legend — almost universally praised and adored. I read the first two Discworld novels back in 2011, and didn’t care for ’em. Which I assume is an indictment of me, my taste, and very likely my morality, patriotism and love for my wife. So, readers, is it just these first couple of books? Should I start with a different Pratchett book? I’d like to bask in his particular brand of genius, just need a hand.

Anyway, I wasn’t going to bother dusting these off as they’re so short, but since you asked, here are my 2-star reviews for the first two Discworld novels.

The Colour of Magic (Discworld, #1)The Colour of Magic

by Terry Pratchett
Hardcover, 183 pg.
St. Martin’s Press, 1983

It was amusing enough–chuckle-inducing in more than one place–but I never connected with it, not the story, not the characters, not the world. Left me pretty durn blah.

Probably just me, eh?

The Light Fantastic (Discworld, #2)The Light Fantastic

by Terry Pratchett
Hardcover, 189 pg
Colin Smythe, 1987

I liked this one better than The Colour of Magic — it was better constructed, the characters were a touch more believable as characters, and I certainly laughed more. But, I had the same issues with this as I had with the previous.

I just didn’t care about anything or anyone, and saw no reason why I should.

Funny, clever stuff, and I couldn’t wait to be done with it.

—–

* Not that I didn’t try for all three

Dusted Off: Wolfsbane by Patricia Briggs

By

On October 7, 2013

In Authors, Fiction, Patricia Briggs

Wolfsbane (Sianim, #4 - Aralorn, #2)Wolfsbane

by Patricia Briggs
Mass Market Paperback, 304 pg.
Ace, 2010

A fun, solid read with characters you end up caring a lot about without even noticing, just a touch of action, a splash of romance, and at least one character who switches between species. In other words, it’s a Patricia Briggs novel.

Like its predecessor Masques, this was written pretty early in her career, and it shows. It’s still a heckuva story, and I’d jump right into a third adventure of Wolfe and Aralorn.

—–

3 Stars

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