Tag: From the Archives Page 15 of 28

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I was almost disappointed by this one, on second thought, maybe I was disappointed by this installment in the Anna Strong series.

Stein introduces us to her version of werewolves (different, a la Meyer, than the shapechangers we’ve already met). Her take on the species isn’t my favorite, but I dig what she’s doing with them and the backstory for vamps/werewolves/demons she worked up.

I wasn’t crazy about how Anna “solved” the real world job (which she really didn’t do), but I thought she handled the supernatural “case” okay. On the whole, though, this book showed Anna at her most clueless, which may be what Stein intended–as long as she’s denying one side of her nature, she can’t be what she needs to be, etc.–but I doubt it.

For a page or so I thought we were done with the Max subplot after book #3, but no. I thought we were done with the Gloria thing, but no. I thought the David stuff had turned a page and onto something new there, but no. And so on.

Basically, this book served to shuffle the characters around a bit to (potentially, hopefully) do something with next time around.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m back for (at least) #5 and #6. Just hoping I don’t regret it.

Dusted Off: God’s War by Kameron Hurley

By HCNewton

On March 10, 2011

In Fiction, Science Fiction

God’s War by Kameron Hurley

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

On a planet colonized by Muslims using insect-based technology in the far-flung future ravaged a multi-sect religious war, in the midst of which a scrappy band of pansexual assassins try to scrap out a living (selling the occasional organ to pay bills). Ho-hum. Nothing we all haven’t read a thousand times before, right?

Well, maybe not. Fantastic concept, well-written, heckuva world built by Hurley here.

But here’s the problem — I couldn’t force myself to care about any of these characters, particularly the protagonist Nyx. Unpleasant people, no real moral core, no reason to root for/against them, to care about their lives, their missions, their wars. I kept trying and trying and trying to find a reason to get invested in this beyond trying to figure out exactly how the insect-tech worked and utterly failed at every turn.

You can have the coolest, most inventive setup imaginable, but if you don’t fill it with people readers can give a rip about, it’s just not worth the effort.

Dusted Off: Ex-Boyfriend’s Handbook by Matt Dunn

By HCNewton

On March 9, 2011

In Fiction, General Fiction/Literature

Ex-Boyfriend’s Handbook by Matt Dunn

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The book begins with our hero, Edward, receiving one of the (if not the) worst Dear John letters imaginable. What’s worse is that Edward soon realizes that every nasty thing enumerated in the letter is true. In her letter, Jane essentially has given Edward three months to fix himself, which will at least open the door for a discussion of their future.

So, with the guidance and help of his best friend/ladies’ man/cad, the lady bartender from their pub, his lecherous/man-chasing boss, and his new personal trainer, Edward starts a process of self-improvement to become the kind of guy he imagines Jane wants him to be.

This was very funny book, a quick, light read that makes no pretensions of being anything but. It’s a Nick Hornby/Jonathan Tropper book without the depth (which isn’t a knock, Dunn doesn’t seem to be going for depth–just enjoyment), it’s more along the lines of a Mike Gayle or Jennifer Weiner book. Apparently the first of a series, I’m intrigued to see where they take things from here.

A lot of heart, a lot of laughs. All you can ask from it.

Dusted Off: The Lover’s Dictionary by David Levithan

By HCNewton

On March 8, 2011

In Fiction, General Fiction/Literature

The Lover’s Dictionary: A Novel by David Levithan

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I was really looking forward to reading this one, I mean, what a concept — tell a love story through a series of personal dictionary entries. Amazon gives a sample or two (I’d provide my own, but I don’t have the book on me): “breathtaking (adj.),” the unnamed narrator explains, “Those moments when we kiss and surrender for an hour before we say a single word.” For “exacerbate (v.),” he notes, “I believe your exact words were: ‘You’re getting too emotional.'”

Some of the entries are short, not even a sentence long; some go on for a page or two. Some are funny, some are bitter, some are lovey-dovey and sweet. The entries are listed alphabetically, rather than chronologically, so the reader has to piece together the story from beginning to end.

Great, great concept.

And that’s pretty much all it is.

Sure, it was skillfully accomplished. Can’t complain about the execution. But beyond that, there’s little to be said about it. It comes across as little more than a clever exercise for a Creative Writing course.

I was pretty disappointed in case you can’t tell.

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Dusted Off: Dead Waters by Anton Strout

By HCNewton

On March 1, 2011

In Anton Strout, Fiction, Urban Fantasy

Dead Waters by Anton Strout

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Dead Waters displays the growth of Anton Strout as a novelist as much as it shows Simon Canderous’ growth as a person. This fourth installment in the Simon Canderous series is (like each installment before) better than its predecessors — which works out great for me, because I’ve enjoyed all four of them.

The best part of this series (next to the characters) is the way Strout mixes magic into the real world. The adversary in this go ’round brings the challenge in the best mix of magic, myth and technology I can remember. Worth the read just for this.

The humor sprinkled (sometimes heavily) throughout the tale isn’t forced, like I think it was earlier in the series. It flows from the characters and the situations naturally.

Simon’s partner, Connor, still doesn’t get as much screen time as he should, but the partnership does seem stronger this go around — and Connor’s character feels more like a person. Maybe its because Connor’s family situation is a bit more settled, or maybe it’s just the nature of the case. Doesn’t matter, it’s a lot of fun.

Speaking of fun, Jane, Simon’s girlfriend really gets to strut her stuff magically here, frankly, I’d love to read a solo adventure or two featuring her. More pressing for our hero, however, is the fact that she’s putting pressure on him to deepen their relationship — which causes Simon to go through a good amount of maturing (or at least to consider it).

The ending of Dead Waters is one I should’ve seen coming, it was telegraphed like crazy. BUT, I’d spent most of the book convinced Strout was telegraphing something else, so what do I know? Frankly, I’m not crazy about the major character development that happened at the end, I’m afraid it will lead to this series losing some of what sets it apart from the rest of the genre and become a little more like typical Urban Fantasies. But I figure Strout’s gonna pull this off right and show me I’m worrying for nothing.

I should add here, that almost immediately after finishing this, I sent a tweet Strout’s way bemoaning the ending, and in only a few minutes got a reply that made me laugh. Gotta love an author who’ll take a moment for a fan and this Internet thingy that makes that interaction possible.

Dusted Off: Blood Drive by Jeanne C. Stein

By HCNewton

On February 15, 2011

In Authors, Fiction, Jeanne C. Stein, P-U, Urban Fantasy

Blood Drive by Jeanne C. Stein

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is not the follow-up to The Becoming Anna Strong Chronicles 1 that I expected, it’s a lot better. Something struck me odd about the way Stein included the detail about our heroine’s dead brother in the first book, and I should’ve realized she was planting a seed.

The seed, no pun intended, is what just may be her brother’s heretofore unknown daughter. Her brother’s girlfriend at the time of his death appears, asking for Anna’s help tracking down her runaway daughter, claiming it’s Anna’s niece. Before Anna can start looking, the girl’s best friend turns up murdered in a grisly fashion with hints of the supernatural. While looking for the girl and trying to find the murderer, Anna deepens her understanding and awareness of the supernatural world that she’s now a part of, and is reminded that perhaps the greatest monsters are merely human.

Great pacing, taught writing, good action–and even though I knew the identity of the bad guy at least one hundred pages before Anna did, I was on the edge of my seat.

The big issue that Urban Fantasy writers have to deal with his how to treat vampires (at least those authors that deal with vampires). Some leave them as horrid monsters, most find some way of toning down the whole vicious, blood-drinking, killer aspect. Stein doesn’t do that, yet. If Anna ends up toning down the animalistic nature of her protagonist, it will be as a result of a lot of trial and error, and stubborn choices she makes. While I hope Anna never becomes someone that I want Ms. Summers and the Scooby gang to track down, I hope she doesn’t turn off that aspect of her nature like a light switch.

I’m more than a little bothered by the dynamics between Anna and her boyfriend, and Anna and her partner, if Stein doesn’t resolve or change them soon, it’s really going to drag the series down. But I’m inclined to give her the benefit of the doubt.

I don’t know why I keep comparing this series to the Rachel Morgan books as I read them, but I do. And, Anna Strong comes out looking better and better each time I do. I’m really looking forward to seeing where she takes this.

Dusted Off: Love in the Time of Fridges by Tim Scott

By HCNewton

On February 2, 2011

In Fiction, Science Fiction

Love in the Time of Fridges by Tim Scott

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

It’s not often that a book leaves me as uncertain as this one does. Parts 1 & 2 were odd, amusing, a bit confusing (but not in a way that really detracted from the experience). Part 3, alas, fell apart, leaving me feeling all sorts of…eh…towards the book.

Scott’s prose is light, breezy, charming, incredibly quotable (about 50% of this book is worth memorizing to sprinkle in conversation), with just a hint of profundity, and a touch of sadness.

Other than the protagonist, Huckleberry Lindbergh, the characters are more hints, or sketches, of characters–in a couple of cases, a hint of a sketch–rather than fully-developed characters. Given that this is a thriller (and a fairly satirical one at that), it works, we don’t need complete backstories. Fridges is about the plot and the world Scott’s imagined, not people.

This is a world where the Nanny State has run amok, drunk on marketing. In part of their benevolent(-ish) efforts to protect the citizenry, they’ve developed technology to listen to moods, and search, print, and erase 24-hours worth of memory (anything more than that will likely lead to severe damage).

Oh, and there’s the whole thing with sentient, verbal, and semi=intelligent appliances and furniture. No idea what that was all about.

The novel was built on a tight inner logic, and was a heckuva ride, until Part 3 where Scott found/created a loophole in that logic and gave his reader a sloppy deus ex Heisenberg uncertainty principle ending. And that’s where he lost me. I’m still giving it three stars for the fun leading up to that tho’.

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Dusted Off: Agatha H and the Airship City by Phil & Kaja Foglio

By HCNewton

On January 28, 2011

In Fiction, Science Fiction, Steampunk

Agatha H and the Airship City by Phil Foglio

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I’ve recently discovered–and become a fan of–the Foglios Girl Genius comics, doing so just before the release of the first novelization of the series was a nice bit of fortuitous timing.

There’s a part of me that wonders if they’ve been wasting their time, the Foglios have a wonderful, playful way of using their words. Certain phrases, sentences, and even whole paragraphs are filled with a whimsy that just makes me smile. Little things like:

“Now I am in control!” He followed this statement with a burst of laughter that showed the owner had done a fair share of gloating in his time, and had the basics down pat.

If you’ve read the comics, you’re not going to find a lot new here–they fill out some details here and there, spell out some things that the reader had to assume, that sort of thing. I honestly don’t know if someone who hadn’t read at least some of the comics could visualize the clanks, airships, Jägermonsters, etc. That’s the closest I can come to a negative to point out about this novel.

Full of laughs, romance, adventure, strong (and smart!) female characters, this is one fun read. Bring on the further adventures of Agatha and co.!

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Dusted Off: The Imperfectionists by Tom Rachman

By HCNewton

On January 26, 2011

In Fiction, General Fiction/Literature

The Imperfectionists by Tom Rachman

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I’m not sure I’m up to writing up my thoughts on this book, they seem pretty inadequate…but if I don’t do it now, I probably won’t at all. This is a really good book, a love letter to a medium that’s (almost certainly) dying and a rich character study. Touching, funny, moving, and more than capable of throwing a surprise at you.

At the center of the novel is an international English language newspaper based in Rome. The story of this paper, from its founding in the 50’s through its coverage of the U.S. Invasion of Iraq is told in brief (2-3 page) spurts between chapters telling us about the people who read and/or work for (and/or their families) the paper.

More than once, I was astounded by how invested I could be in a character I just met by the end of one of those chapters–each of these really could be a short story unto themselves. But when looked at as a whole–once you reach the end–it is a well-crafted novel, not just a series of semi-related short stories.

That’s not to say that all the chapters are great–there were a couple that almost missed the mark, and a one flat-out dud (I felt I’ve read the story of the novice reporter being taken advantage of by the veteran a few dozen times).

From the other reviews I’ve read (at goodreads and elsewhere), it’s easy to oversell or overhype this book–and I don’t want to do that, nor do I want to undersell it. It’s very good–not fantastic–not a “must read”, but a “really, really should read.”

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Dusted Off: I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore

By HCNewton

On January 25, 2011

In Fiction, Science Fiction, YA/MG/Children's Books

I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Overall, this was a fun, fast read, though it wasn’t the best written book.

The book opens with a scene that’s supposed to grab you by the lapels and not let go for the next 440 pages. Personally, it didn’t work at all, particularly because I could see the authors doing that.

Thirty pages or so later, the story did get rolling pretty well and before I knew it I was hip deep in the book, and fairly invested with some of the characters.

I had a list of quibbles I had with the writing, but decided not to bother. While they detracted from my enjoyment, they didn’t ruin anything.

The highpoint of the novel was the mix of SF and Magic. It’s not often that you come across that kind of thing, and when done right, it’s dynamite. These authors pull it off pretty well, as they do the rest of the story. I’ll be back for more.

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