Tag: Fantasy Page 53 of 54

Oo-de-lally, what is there to say about this that hasn’t been said 3 million times already? Epic, sweeping, yet deeply focused on the individual. Rich characters–with a depth that Tolkein wouldn’t bother with (not a slight on Tolkein, btw).

The fantasy series for those who aren’t into fantasy–this book has a lot of villains, but no real heroes. There’s a lot of black, a little white, and a whole lotta gray to the events, morals and characters here.

A great, great read…easy to see why this series has so many devoted fans, and will for years to come.

—–

4 Stars

Dusted Off: Before They Are Hanged by Joe Abercrombie

By HCNewton

On September 23, 2013

In Fiction

Before They Are Hanged by Joe Abercrombie
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Volume two of a fantasy trilogy is the volume where everything goes bad. The First Law trilogy is no exception. Of course, what most fantasy authors consider disastrous, Joe Abercrombie considers minor plot complications. Things get really, really, really bad in Before They are Hanged. But given Abercrombie’s skill and the voices employed in narrating various characters, it’s still very, very fun to read about all the various dooms that are impending on this world.

If you’ve read The Blade Itself, what are you waiting for? Get to reading! If you haven’t–this isn’t the place to start, but it’s a great place to carry on.

Wisp of a Thing: A Novel of the Tufa by Alex Bledsoe

By HCNewton

On September 17, 2013

In Alex Bledsoe, Authors, Fantasy, Fiction, General Fiction/Literature, Tufa

Wisp of a Thing: A Novel of the Tufa by Alex Bledsoe
Series: Tufa, #2
My rating: 4.75 of 5 stars

Back in 2011, I tried a new book by Alex Bledsoe with a bit of trepidation — it clearly wasn’t the same kind of thing as his Eddie LaCrosse novels that I’m a big fan of, and what I’d read about the book as a whole seemed kind of vague. But I gave it a shot, and ended up reading one of the best books I’ve read this decade (no review on my part to link to here, I couldn’t come up with anything to say that seemed to rise to the level of the book). So when I saw that Bledsoe was releasing a sequel, I was excited and filled with a new sense of trepidation, tinged with dread. I just didn’t see how he could equal The Hum and the Shiver, much less top it.

And honestly, he didn’t. But he got close — so, so, close. A Herculean feat unto itself, so I count that as a win.

In this novel, we see what happens when real outsiders come into the land of the Tufa*. There’s the honeymooning couple — the husband who finds out a bit more about his heritage than he bargained for, and his wife who has other things on her mind than genealogical research. The central figure this time is the other outsider, Rob Quillen, a reality television star trying to recover from a very public, heartbreaking tragedy. So desperate for healing, he comes in search of a song that will erase his pain — as difficult as that is to believe, he has to take the chance.

Sadly for Rob, his search puts him in the middle of a struggle that goes back centuries — if not longer. He has to risk his life, his sanity, and that of others to find his song — and then just to survive.

The characters and conflicts that shaped The Hum . . . are still there, this is just a few months later, but they’re not quite as prominent while Rob and his new friends and foes settle their business.

There’s beauty here, determination, battling against (and trying to understand) fate and destiny. And ultimately, hope. Hope tainted with real loss and real pain, but hope and healing nonetheless.

Do yourself a favor and grab this one.

—
* Don’t know what a Tufa is? That’s fine. Go put down whatever you have in your hand, get a copy of The Hum and the Shiver. Go ahead, I’ll wait. It’s about music, and magic, and community, and place, and tradition, and family, and the magic of music . . . and it’s just good.

City of Dark Magic by Magnus Flyte

By HCNewton

On August 13, 2013

In Fiction, General Fiction/Literature

City of Dark Magic by Magnus Flyte
My rating: 2.5 of 5 stars

Doctoral candidate Sara Westen gets a summer job (that she didn’t apply for) in Prague to help a royal Czech family in the creation of a museum displaying the greatness of that family over the centuries, as they’ve recently been reunited with their treasures after the pillaging of the Nazis and Communists. Once there, she stumbles into international (as well as inter-chronological) intrigue, the mysterious apparent suicide of her mentor, and paranormal events of some order. Oh, and there’s sex, too. Can’t forget that, it’s part of the sales pitch.

I don’t know. I just don’t know.

On the one hand, this is well-written, clever, surprising, all the twists and turns you could ask for (and then some), a novel approach to time travel and supernatural-ish storytelling. The hero, Sarah Weston is great — the kind of strong women character you can relate to. The writing is brisk, and often amusing. The conclusion is wild, heart-warming, and not what anyone would expect. It’d almost seem worth reading just for the depiction of Beethoven and the way his music effects even people in the 21st century.

But it left me cold and apathetic. I had to force myself to push beyond page 100, and the only urgency I felt towards the finish was so I could move on to something else (although it was pleasant enough while reading, there was just nothing that kept me going). As amusing as I found some of the characters — the blind girl/musical savant, the impossible and very talented dwarf, a very American Czech prince, the gun-loving Asian from Texas, — I didn’t care about any of them. I wouldn’t have been surprised if the villain of the piece had twirled her moustache at some point. (yes, her moustache…I’d believe she’d have grown one just to twirl at appropriate moments).

And don’t get me wrong, I’m neither a prude nor the son of a prude, but the sex was a too graphic. It felt very incongruous to the rest of the book — especially the first “encounter” Weston had in Prague, which appears to be only semi-consensual for all involved. That really put me off, and I’m surprised two women writers would’ve included that and put it in even a slightly positive light.

The Hero’s Guide to Saving Your Kingdom by Christopher Healy

By HCNewton

On August 10, 2013

In Fiction, YA/MG/Children's Books

The Hero’s Guide to Saving Your Kingdom by Christopher Healy
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I like to think that I’m an involved parent — with a finger on the pulse of whatever media my kids are consuming (and, yeah, occasionally slamming my foot down on it. But I do have some trouble when it comes to my daughter — sure, I promote her Whovian impulses, I’ve encouraged her to petition her guitar teacher to help her with some Coulton songs, she’s the only one of my kids to read The Chronicles of Prydainon her own — but there’s no way I can listen to an entire One Direction album; Sam & Kat doesn’t interest me at all; and I just can’t bring myself to read The Dork Diaries, no matter how much she implores me. So when she comes to me and tells me I should read The Hero’s Guide…, I was pretty relieved that it looked interesting.

And, as you’ll have seen earlier this week, I thought the opening paragraphs were great — I almost typed in the whole Prologue, but I’m too lazy and worried about how much I can safely cite. The voice and story-telling method are instantly charming, it reminded me of The Princess Bride almost instantly and draws you in so effortlessly that you know Healy worked hard to pull it off. In many ways, this is Jim C. Hines’ Princess books for the MG crowd — but this is far more amusing, and doesn’t border on the preachy or sanctimonious like Hines’ can.

We first meet Ella and her Prince Charming, she’s relishing her new-found freedom and ability to do many of the things — both ordinary and extraordinary — that she’s been dreaming of for years. He’s been raised in the contemporary equivalent of a bubble. He’s to be safe, to look good, and live an uneventful life. Despite their affections for each other, they aren’t suited to live together and so Ella goes off seeking adventure — with Frederic chasing after her, in his own pathetic way.

While Ella finds adventure, as well as Zaubera, the witch who’d been holding Rapunzel. Frederic runs into another Prince Charming — Gustav, the youngest of a (very) large family, doing all he can to step out of the looming shadows of his brothers. He’s brave, reckless, and not terribly bright. But he gives his all to rescue Rapunzel, and help out others in his land. It doesn’t always work out for him.

To help them with their quests, these two track down the help of Liam. This is a Prince Charming who’s taken the whole hero thing very seriously. He’s devoted his life to becoming everything he’s supposed to be — a wily warrior who can rescue any damsel in distress. Even if she doesn’t deserve it, like Briar Rose, a sleeping beauty when awakened shows that her beauty is all on the outside.

Can’t forget Duncan, the clumsiest — and luckiest — Prince Charming around, who wanders his way into the story while giving Snow White a little break from his enthusiasm for . . . well, everything.

These four Princes Charming, and their respective princesses (including Liam’s plucky, brainy sister) are off to save Kingdoms, their nations’ entertainment/news industries, and very existences from bandits, monsters, Zaubera and even a band of outlaws run by The Bandit King.

It’s a nice read — written so that almost any child could enjoy it, and even entertain any adult who stumbles on to it. Lots of action, adventure, a touch of romance (just a touch, the cootie-wary need not be scared off from this). I laughed more than a few times, and grinned at lines and jokes even more often. A very pleasant way to spend an afternoon or two.

The ending clearly sets up a sequel or three. I’m in. My daughter did good putting this one in my hands — and its one that I can feel good about her reading.

a slightly briefer version of this appears on goodreads.

Indexing, Episode 4: Blended Family by Seanan McGuire

By HCNewton

On July 4, 2013

In Fiction, Indexing, Seanan McGuire, Urban Fantasy

Wow. Read the episode and am writing about it within two days of release? Yay me.

—-

Indexing by Seanan McGuire
Series: Indexing, #1.4

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Episode 4: Blended Family
McGuire’s feeling confident enough in this world she’s created to throw out her typical approach to this episode (it feels weird to say things like that about a 4th installment, but I’ve been reading this long enough now, that it feels like more). She plays with time, POV, structure and her reader’s expectations.

The result is a very strong episode. We get a much better idea of what makes’ Sloane tick, how her mind works in abeyance, the struggles she faces as someone in that state. We also get to see a Narrative Intrusion handled in a way we’re not used to (and we’re not the only ones who think that way).

Best of all, the ending sets up a potentially very exciting episode or more for the future. Possibly even the bulk of the series. Unlike the last episode, I thought this one displayed the strengths of this episodic method of story telling, and I’m looking forward to Episode 5 with a larger sense of anticipation than I have the rest of the series.

Indexing, Episode 3: Honey Do by Seanan McGuire

By HCNewton

On July 2, 2013

In Fiction, Indexing, Seanan McGuire, Urban Fantasy

One day, hopefully before the last episode, I will read/review the episode within 24 hours of it being posted. It’s a small goal, yet one I can’t seem to reach…

—-

Indexing by Seanan McGuire
Series: Indexing, #1.3

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Episode 3, Honey Do
This episode shows the weakness of this distribution model — McGuire had to wrap things up too quickly, too neatly. This was something that deserved more exploration, not to be wrapped up in a bow after so many words. If I were to read somewhere that McGuire realized that this part was too long, so she had to rush to the conclusion, I’d buy that in a heartbeat. I like that explanation better than anything else.

Is there any other training the group does besides on-the-job? Seriously. The Pied Piper is clearly not ready for field work — moreover, the team isn’t ready to work with her. Henry, in particular, throws her at a situation without thinking through the ramifications, and turns a bad situation worse. Are things really so dire that they have to rush the recruits into the field before anyone knows what to do with them? Was the team unable to handle things before she came aboard? (I mean, other than the incident that made them activate her).

This points to my biggest problem with this Episode: Henry. She’s a lousy leader. Other than tendency to bark orders at people, I saw nothing to make me think, “yeah, she’s a good leader — capable, competent, resourceful.” I was just unimpressed with her, and I’m pretty sure we’re not supposed to be.

Despite that . . . I enjoyed this one over all. Particularly the use of Sloane — who had been the part of the series I thought worked least. But we got a better picture of her as an agent, not just a comic foil, or shoe shopper. More of this, please. I thought the rest of the supporting cast — up to, and including, our Goldilocks — were just what they needed to be. Just need to get Henry to a better place and keep Sloane where she is now, and this thing will really start cooking.

Indexing, Episode 2: Musical Patchwork by Seanan McGuire

By HCNewton

On June 15, 2013

In Fiction, Indexing, Seanan McGuire, Urban Fantasy

Indexing by Seanan McGuire
Series: Indexing, #1.2

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Episode 2: Musical Patchwork

Now this is settling in to be something I want to read. Here in Episode 2, things are settling in — we’re getting to know these people as characters, not just as types or names, but as people.

First and foremost in this regard is Demi Santos, who we met last time, the Piper that came to the rescue — at the cost of her own lifestyle. Watching the others deal with her apparently great and uncommon power should prove compelling. Henry/Henrietta, our Snow White protagonist also seems a bit more like a person now, and more like someone I want to read the continuing adventures of (nicely — and not surprising — she’s not a Toby Daye or Verity Price clone). I could use a little more rounding of Andy, the actual, normal human (the guy who most authors would use as the protagonist, the reader’s entry way to this world), but I like what we have so far.

I think it’s entirely possible that Jeff, the cobbler elf, could be my favorite of this bunch — just for the fun to watch him and his particular traits be exploited by Henry while making him more content than anyone else we’ve met.

Sloane, the gothy Wicket Stepsister with a shoe-shopping fixation is still mostly a small collection of quirks and ticks. But it’s early days yet. I do get the impression that McGuire wants us to like her more than I do, but that’ll come.

The biggest development is what the dispatchers, in particular, Birdie (a character who starts off rounder than most in this book), seems to give us the central conflict of the book. That the stories the Agents are sent out to contain/manage seem to be one type on the initial analysis, but end up being another once agents are on the ground. Henry seems perplexed (to say the least) and I can’t say I blame her. I suspect the answer to this will be quite interesting.

Indexing, Episode 1: Attractive Narcolepsy by Seanan McGuire

By HCNewton

On June 5, 2013

In Fiction, Indexing, Seanan McGuire, Urban Fantasy

I’m having a hard time making any headway worth noting with my main read — Hemingway’s For Whom the Bell Tolls, so I was glad when I got the notification that Episode 2 of Indexing was ready to download. A great reminder to take a break from Robert Jordan, et al. and read Episode 1.

—-

Indexing by Seanan McGuire
Series: Indexing, #1.1

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Episode 1: Attractive Narcolepsy
What an intriguing concept — and difficult to explain without just quoting either the text or the publisher’s description. But essentially, seemingly at random, Fairy Tales come to life, taking over people’s lives, forcing them to reenact the basic plotlines over and over again — leaving ruined lives and corpses in their wake. There’s an MIB-type organization dedicated to controlling these events and preventing Muggles from realizing what’s going on.

It’s hard to know what to say about this episode, there’s a lot of pipe laying here — setting the stage, introducing the characters/world/concept — and only the barest of stories. But what we got was entertaining enough to keep me reading. As a short story, I’m not sure how engaging it was. As a first chapter, it’s a start — especially since it’s McGuire steering this ship. Future episodes likely can’t come fast enough.

On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness by Andrew Peterson

By HCNewton

On June 1, 2013

In Fiction, YA/MG/Children's Books

Let’s try that unfortunate review from yesterday again (think it came out better, but I know I forgot something I had last time)

—–

On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness by Andrew Peterson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It’s great when a book exceeds your expectations — especially when the expectations are pretty healthy to begin with. I knew Andrew Peterson could tell a story well — the best of his songs are stories. So I expected a nice little fantasy story for kids, well constructed, good imagery, and so on. I got more than that with On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness.

It is a pretty straightforward kids fantasy — three child protagonists, a quaint little village, some colorful characters, nasty villains (an occupying force of humanoid lizards that eat maggots and mucous) , dragons and other strange creatures, and missing treasure. There’s excitement, danger, a strong family bond, and well-rounded characters. All that’s good enough.

But you take all the above and tell it with the the sensibilities of a hodgepodge of C. S. Lewis, Douglas Adams, and Neil Gaiman. There’s a strong sense of play here — in the language, characters, and style. Peterson’s whimsy carries this story. A few examples: the scariest creature in the world is a cow, one heroic figure wears socks on his hands, there’s a running joke about rashes that speak to the inner twelve year-old in everyone.

It’s these sensibilities that elevate this from a standard read, into something more — fun, daring and at times delightful, that can be enjoyed by young and old alike.