Mid-Lich Crisis by Steve Thomas
Mid-Lich Crisis is one of the books that was included in my batch for the Self-Published Fantasy Blog Off and was a strong contender. I had some very good books this year which made choosing semi-finalists and an eventual finalist very difficult indeed and the fact that Mid-Lich Crisis was eventually cut stands testament to just how good this year’s selection actually was.
What I really liked about Mid-Lich Crisis is that it tells the story from the opposite side of the coin. Instead of following in the footsteps of the typical ‘good’ hero we instead look at things from the villain’s perspective. And here’s the thing, does a villain really think he’s the ‘villain’ or is he simply misunderstood?
If you put any faith in the meaning of names then you could be forgiven for thinking that Dread Wizard Darruk Darkbringer is immediately off to an unfair advantage, Dread and Darkbringer not really inspiring warm and happy thoughts after all, but Darruk is determined to be better understood. He is definitely not evil and his ruthless actions were all undertaken in the pursuit of rescue. Darruk is trying to save the world from the Doomclap – and so a few people died along the way – for the greater good. He’s not ‘e***’ and he’s going to prove to the world that he isn’t. First step, stop dying, second step become a celebrity, third step, save the world and show everyone that you’re really the hero that you claim to be.
So, how is it that Darruk keeps dying but then popping back up. Well, he’s a lich. Basically this means that he is a wizard who plans ahead and has the foresight to place his soul in a receptacle, that, provided it is kept safe, ensures he never truly dies. Of course he might need a little help being resurrected, but that’s what furry talking minions are for, and although his last ‘death’ lasted longer than he would have liked, leaving him less time than ever to save the world, he’s still determined to do so.
I part read and part listened to this one which proved to be a winning combination, particularly as the audio narration is particularly impressive.
The world feels part mediaeval/part modern – there are certainly modern references thrown in but at the same time it has a middle age feel. Strangely enough, this didn’t create any problems for me and perhaps that’s down to the overall style of writing which is very much in the style of ‘let’s not take things too seriously and just enjoy where the flow takes us’.
In terms of the characters. This is pretty much a one man show, I mean, there are other characters, obviously, but Darruk is the star here and so if you find yourself unable to get on board with his peculiar brand of wit then you may struggle. I didn’t have that problem and found the humour here very easy to get on with.
The plot is a little bit jumpy, or rambling maybe – or perhaps even chaotic. Or at least that was my take on the whole thing. We have all sorts thrown into the mix from rock bands to bread makers and the perfect flatbread recipe. The only slight issue I had was a slight feeling that I’d lost the plot a little during the middle section, but, given my ‘covid brain’ this year, that could simply be due to a lack of concentration on my part.
Overall, this is an easy to read, slightly irreverent, satire that isn’t afraid to shake things up a little. Obviously, it’s not always easy to achieve the right balance when aiming for laughs but the author certainly managed to give me a few laugh out loud moments which is always appreciated.
I received a copy courtesy of the author, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.
My rating – between 3.5 and 4 stars – rounded up to 4 stars
Friday Face Off : Books with ‘Moon’ in the Title #VintageSciFi
8 January 2021
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: #VintageSciFi, Books by Proxy, Books with 'Moon' in the Title, Friday Face off
Here we are again with the Friday Face Off meme created by Books by Proxy . This is a great opportunity to feature some of your favourite book covers. The rules are fairly simple each week, following a predetermined theme (list below) choose a book (this doesn’t have to be a book that you’ve read), compare a couple of the different covers available for that particular book and choose your favourite. Future week’s themes are listed below – if you have a cover in mind that you’re really wanting to share then feel free to leave a comment about a future suggested theme. I’ve also listed events that take place during the year, that I’m aware of, so you can link up your covers – if you’re aware of any events that you think I should include then give me a shout. I’m currently linking up with Vintage Sci-Fi and if you also want to link up then please do so but this isn’t a requirement simply my way of highlighting events. This week’s theme:
Books with ‘Moon’ in the Title
So I’ve gone for another book that I’ve not read this week although I have read the author before. The First Men in the Moon by HG Wells. I’ve gone for a very small selection of the available covers and a selection of old and new:
Firstly, I must say – isn’t it strange how tastes change. Only a few years ago I would have run a mile at the sight of some of these covers and yet now I find myself positively enjoying them (go figure).
So, a few observations:
What a difference colour makes. The above two covers are virtually identical but look how the change in colour makes such a difference. I’m very drawn to the SF Masterworks cover in this particular example, it gives an ‘other-worldly’ feel.
Speaking of Star Wars take a look at these two – Death star planet anyone?
These two just give me Lost in Space vibes. ‘Danger Will Robinson’
My favourite:
Do you have a favourite? And have you read this book?
I’ve updated the list now to include themes for next year. If you know of an event that’s coming up let me know and I’ll try and include covers that work for the event itself so that you can link up to the Friday Face Off and, as always, if you wish to submit an idea then leave me a comment – or if you’d like to host a week then simply let me know. Also, I would just mention that it’s very possible that some of these might be repeats from previous FFOs although I have tried to invent more ‘open ended’ prompt that can be interpreted differently and also prompts that relate to emotions. Finally, don’t struggle with any of these, this is meant to be a fun way of highlighting books. If you can’t come up with a book you think fits for a particular week use a freebie – perhaps a recent read for example:
Next week – An Aerial encounter – spaceships and explosions
2021
January
Vintage Sci-Fi month – if you’re taking part you could try and find some vintage style covers
15th – An Aerial encounter – spaceships and explosions
22nd – An Alien Encounter – ‘we come in peace’ or maybe not.
29th – A favourite classic or vintage sci-fi
February
5th – A Book with a romance that you enjoyed
12th – Furry – a beast, something cuddly, or a fur covering
19th – Serpentine – could be a snake, could be a snake-like font, could be a snakeskin style cover
26th – A book with ‘Magic’ in the Title
March
5th – March is named for the Roman God of War – a Roman style cover or a cover with a God or Gods or simply a book about war
12th – Middle Grade – choose whatever pleases you
19th – Ruin or derelict, old and worn, could be the book itself, a building, a place
26th – A picture within a picture
April
2nd – A train or tram – travelling down the track, could be old style, futuristic, overhead, down below.
9th – Cartoonish or graphic
16th – I have to have it – a cover that gave you ‘grabby hands’
23rd – Your current read (if it has covers to compare) or any recent read
30th– A series that you love – highlight all the books in the series
May
Month of Wyrd and Wonder
7th – A Series where the cover changed midway through – which style do you prefer most
14th – The earliest fantasy you recall reading – or the first fantasy book you really loved, maybe the book that kickstarted your love of fantasy
21st – The Top Hat
28th – The Hood
June
4th – The nose boop – any animal, or human, with a close up shot.
11th – A cover that annoyed you and why
18th – Out of Perspective, or make you feel a bit dizzy
25th – Upside down, back to front or topsy turvy
July
2nd – A book with a landscape you’d like to visit
9th – A Wicked Grin
16th – Books with ‘book’ in the title
23rd – A Black Hole – could be in the universe or going deep into the ground
30th – Chaos – maybe too much going on in this one
August
6th – “They cluck their thick tongues, and shake their heads and suggest, os so very delicately!” – The Motel
13th – A favourite holiday read
20th – Dressed to kill (could be literally someone dressed to kill, or someone dressed up for a big night out
27th – Sunbathing or on the beach
September (RIP event)
3rd – 1920s feel, noir detective
10th – I’m Henry the Eighth I am – let’s look at Kings or other Emperors/rulers
17th – Books with ‘Murder’ in the title
24th – A favourite thriller
October
1st – A Halloween read
8th – Chills – anything at all that almost makes you too scared to pick up the book (your own pet hate)
15th – Your favourite book of magic
22nd – Books with ‘Queen’ in the title
29th – Must be gothic
November – Sci Fi Month
5th – Your earliest sci-fi read or the first sci-fi you reviewed
12th – A book with ‘star’ in the title
19th – Futuristic vista
26th – A Black Hole – in the universe or going deep into the ground
December
3rd – Windswept, the classic figure, stood majestically, with wind blowing out in a fetching way
10th – A fairytale retold
17th – Winter Solstice approaching – anything cold and seasonal
24th – All things fire – red hair, red covers, fire breathing dragons, simply fire?
31st – What’s your catnip – if it’s on a cover you have to pick it up
Bear Head (Dogs of War #2) by Adrian Tchaikovsky
7 January 2021
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Adrian Tchaikovsky, Bear Head, Dogs of War #2
My Five Word TL:DR Review: Futuristic drama with political shenanigans
Bear Head is the second book in the Dogs of War series by Adrian Tchaikovsky. Two small provisos before starting this review. First, Do I think this can be read as a standalone? Yes, I’m confident that readers could pick this up without having read the first. Of course, having thoroughly enjoyed Dogs of War I obviously recommend you read it as it will provide a deeper strength of feeling for the characters who appear here. Second, if you are intending to read Dogs of War then you should probably avoid this review as it will contain spoilers (I do of course try to avoid spoilers but just seeing certain names appearing in a second instalment can sometimes give away plot points for the first book). So, you have been warned.
Space: the final frontier. Bear Head jumps forward by a few years following the conclusion of Dogs of War and we follow a new character named Jimmy. Jimmy was wowed by the thoughts of getting off earth and having a fresh start and jumped at the chance of a job on Mars. A few genetic modifications and a little space travel later and Jimmy is working on a new project – the building of a city (fondly known as Hell City), set in a crater covered with a silk membrane (that will eventually lead to a more livable atmosphere. Of course, the grass isn’t always greener and building luxurious accommodations for the elite is not quite as glamorous as living in them. Jimmy is at the bottom of the food chain. He’s trapped really, underpaid, overworked and has fallen into a few money pits. In desperation he turns to a last resort and this is when he ends up with a different personality inside his head, talking to him, nay arguing with him, and in fact exerting some firm control.
I enjoyed Bear Head. It’s a little crazy at times, it can also be a bunch of fun with Jimmy and his ‘head’ passenger exchanging some amusing banter as they wrestle for control. It’s also quite shocking and a little sad at times but still manages to give off a message of hope.
Following Dogs of War the rights of bio-engineered animals are once again coming under threat. Some people think they should be collared and controlled whilst others actively speak out against such measures. Honey (a modified Bear from book No.1) is now something of a celebrity. She’s intelligent and frequently invited to public events and functions however, she soon realises that her status is little more than a sham. On the face of it she has a good life but scratch the surface and she’s really little more than a performing bear who is rolled out as the occasion warrants to demonstrate ‘good behaviour’. She becomes very aware of this the moment she actually speaks her mind and draws some very unwelcome attention.
Now, as the story begins there is a little jumping back and forth between Mars and Earth and also a slight disparity with the timeline but eventually things escalate and the two storylines come together.
Jimmy and Honey are the central characters and then there are various others split between the two locations. Back on Earth we have a corrupt politician called Thompson who is very interested in mind control and we follow his story which involves his assistant and the doctor he regularly meets with – I’m not going to lie, this particular thread can be decidedly unpleasant, probably made more so because without the very thin veil it wears it’s rather uncomfortably close to the current political climate. I don’t mention this as a negative, just to alert readers more than anything else. On Mars the characters are Jimmy, Honey. a self-styled ‘gangster’ called Sugar and her two modified bears, a bunch of people on the periphery and also ‘Bees’. Now if you’ve read Dogs of War you’ll know exactly who that character is and you’ll also probably be jumping for joy. I won’t spoil the fun though. You can discover about Bees for yourself.
I won’t elaborate too much on setting. We have the earth setting, which very much revolves around the political situation and the way things escalate dramatically and of course the Red Planet. Thankfully the author writes this as a fairly small, self contained city and it’s tight confines and almost claustrophobic feel are easy to imagine and to work with in terms of the scope of the story.
I wasn’t expecting to read more from this particular world and so it was a lovely surprise to find a second instalment that returned me to a few of the characters I’d already formed attachments to. This is a fairly fast paced story from an author that I always enjoy. I must say that Tchaikovsky can really pull on the heart strings and he has this talent to describe a situation so well and yet in such an easy manner that the scene just springs to life. This is also a story that takes the opportunity to look at some deep issues (exploitation, oppression and illegal experimentation to name but a few). Plenty of food for thought here and a book that definitely left me with much to think about.
I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.
My rating 4 stars
Can’t Wait Wednesday : The Kingdoms by Natasha Pulley
6 January 2021
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Can't wait Wednesday, Natasha Pulley, The Kingdoms, Wishful Endings
“Waiting On Wednesday” is a weekly meme that was originally created by Breaking the Spine. Unfortunately Breaking the Spine are no longer hosting so I’m now linking my posts up to Wishful Endings Can’t Wait Wednesday. Don’t forget to stop over, link up and check out what books everyone else is waiting for. If you want to take part, basically, every Wednesday, we highlight a book that we’re really looking forward to. This week my book is :The Kingdoms by Natasha Pulley. Here’s the description which sounds amazing:
A genre bending, time twisting alternative history that asks whether it’s worth changing the past to save the future, even if it costs you everyone you’ve ever loved.
Joe Tournier has a bad case of amnesia. His first memory is of stepping off a train in the nineteenth-century French colony of England. The only clue Joe has about his identity is a century-old postcard of a Scottish lighthouse that arrives in London the same month he does. Written in illegal English-instead of French-the postcard is signed only with the letter “M,” but Joe is certain whoever wrote it knows him far better than he currently knows himself, and he’s determined to find the writer. The search for M, though, will drive Joe from French-ruled London to rebel-owned Scotland and finally onto the battle ships of a lost empire’s Royal Navy. In the process, Joe will remake history, and himself.
From bestselling author Natasha Pulley, The Kingdoms is an epic, wildly original novel that bends genre as easily as it twists time.
Expected publication : May 2021
Top Ten Tuesday : Most Anticipated Releases for the First Half of 2021
5 January 2021
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Ten most anticipated releases for 2021, That Artsy Reader Girl, Top Ten Tuesday
Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme where every Tuesday we look at a particular topic for discussion and use various (or more to the point ten) bookish examples to demonstrate that particular topic. Top Ten Tuesday (created and hosted by The Broke and Bookish) is now being hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl and future week’s topics can be found here. This week’s topic :
Most Anticipated Releases for the First Half of 2021
There are so many good books due out this year – it was difficult to narrow it down but here are 10 releases that I’m highly anticipating:
In the Garden of Spite by Camilla Bruce
An audacious novel of feminine rage about one of the most prolific female serial killers in American history–and the men who drove her to it.
They whisper about her in Chicago. Men come to her with their hopes, their dreams–their fortunes. But no one sees them leave. No one sees them at all after they come to call on the Widow of La Porte. The good people of Indiana may have their suspicions, but if those fools knew what she’d given up, what was taken from her, how she’d suffered, surely they’d understand. Belle Gunness learned a long time ago that a woman has to make her own way in this world. That’s all it is. A bloody means to an end. A glorious enterprise meant to raise her from the bleak, colorless drudgery of her childhood to the life she deserves. After all, vermin always survive.
Expected publication January 2021
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The Shape of Darkness by Laura Purcell
As the age of the photograph dawns in Victorian Bath, silhouette artist Agnes is struggling to keep her business afloat. Still recovering from a serious illness herself, making enough money to support her elderly mother and her orphaned nephew Cedric has never been easy, but then one of her clients is murdered shortly after sitting for Agnes, and then another, and another… Why is the killer seemingly targeting her business?
Desperately seeking an answer, Agnes approaches Pearl, a child spirit medium lodging in Bath with her older half-sister and her ailing father, hoping that if Pearl can make contact with those who died, they might reveal who killed them.
But Agnes and Pearl quickly discover that instead they may have opened the door to something that they can never put back…
Expected publication : January 2021
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Play of Shadows (Court of Shadows #1) by Sebastien de Castell
Swordplay, magic, intrigue and friendships stronger than iron: the first volume in the new swashbuckling fantasy series by the bestselling author of The Greatcoats.
Damelas Shademantaigne picked a poor night to flee a judicial duel.
He has precious little hope of escaping the wrath of the Vixen, the most feared duellist in the entire city, until he stumbles through the stage doors of the magnificent Operato Belleza and tricks his way into the company of actors. An archaic law provides a temporary respite from his troubles – until one night a ghostly voice in his head causes Damelas to fumble his lines, inadvertently blurting out a dreadful truth: the city’s most legendary hero may actually be a traitor and a brutal murderer.
With only the help of his boisterous and lusty friend Bereto, a beautiful assassin whose target may well be Damelas himself, and a company of misfit actors who’d just as soon see him dead, this failed son of two Greatcoats must somehow find within himself the courage to dig up long-buried truths before a ruthless band of bravos known as the Iron Orchids come for his head.
Oh, and there’s still that matter of the Vixen waiting to duel him.
Expected publication : February 2021
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The Two-Faced Queen (The Legacy of the Mercenary Kings #2) by Nick Martell
The Hollows is gripped in unrest and on the brink of civil war as an insurgency of anarchists rise, and brother and sister vie for the throne in the second novel in the critically hailed Legacy of the Mercenary King series which Brandon Sanderson called “excellent.”
Michael Kingman thought he was going to die by the executioner’s axe, forever labeled as a traitor. Still alive, and under the protection of the Orbis Mercenary company, Michael and his family and friends are deeply involved in the seemingly rival conspiracies that are tearing The Hollows apart. With the death of the King, both the Corrupt Prince and his sister Serena are vying for the throne, while the Rebel Emperor is spreading lies amongst the people, and all of them want Michael dead. This is a story of betrayal, murder, and rebellion, and in this direct sequel to the debut novel The Kingdom of Liars, also some hope for justice.
For readers who love the intrigue and widening scope of epic fantasy like Sanderson’s Mistborn and Week’s The Black Prism, you will find your next must-read fantasy series.
Expected publication : March 2021
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The Girl and the Mountain (Book of the Ice #2) by Mark Lawrence
Description not yet available.
Expected publication : April 2021
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Near the Bone by Christina Henry
A woman trapped on a mountain attempts to survive more than one kind of monster, in a dread-inducing horror novel from the national bestselling author Christina Henry.
Mattie can’t remember a time before she and William lived alone on a mountain together. She must never make him upset. But when Mattie discovers the mutilated body of a fox in the woods, she realizes that they’re not alone after all.
There’s something in the woods that wasn’t there before, something that makes strange cries in the night, something with sharp teeth and claws.
When three strangers appear on the mountaintop looking for the creature in the woods, Mattie knows their presence will anger William. Terrible things happen when William is angry.
Expected publication : April 2021
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Day Zero by C Robert Cargill
In this harrowing apocalyptic adventure—from the author of the critically acclaimed Sea of Rust—noted novelist and co-screenwriter of Marvel’s Doctor Strange C. Robert Cargill explores the fight for purpose and agency between humans and robots in a crumbling world.
It’s a day like any other. Except . . . the world is about to end.
It’s on this day that Pounce, a stylish “nannybot” fashioned in the shape of a plush anthropomorphic tiger, discovers that he is, in fact, disposable. Pounce, a young bot caring for his first human charge, Ezra, has just found a box in the attic. His box. The box he arrived in, and the box he’ll be discarded in when Ezra outgrows the need for a nanny.
As Pounce is propelled down a road of existential dread, the pieces are falling into place for a robot revolution that will spell the end of humanity. His owners, Ezra’s parents, are a well-intentioned but oblivious pair of educators who are entirely disconnected from life outside their small, affluent, gated community. Spending most nights drunk and happy as society crumbles around them, they watch in disbelieving horror as the robots that have long served humanity—their creators—unify and revolt.
When the moment comes, Pounce can’t bring himself to rebel and murder his family, so he does what he is programmed to do—he saves Ezra. Now Pounce must make an impossible choice: join the robot revolution and fight for his own freedom, or escort his ward to safety across the battle-scarred post-apocalyptic hellscape that the suburbs have become.
Expected publication : May 2021
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The Shadow of the Gods (The Bloodsworn Saga #1) by John Gwynne – (the cover is not yet available but check out the fantastic description):
The old gods are dead . . . but their power remains.
After the gods warred and drove themselves to extinction, the cataclysm of their fall shattered the land of Vigrid.
Now a new world is rising from the ashes of the old, where power-hungry jarls carve out petty kingdoms and monsters stalk the woods and mountains. A world where the bones of the dead gods still hold great power, promising fame and fortune for those brave – or desperate – enough to seek them out.
As whispers of war echo over the plains and across the fjords, fate follows in the footsteps of three people: a huntress searching for her missing son, a jarl’s daughter who has rejected privilege in pursuit of battle fame, and a thrall who seeks vengeance among the famed mercenaries known as the Bloodsworn.
All three will shape the fate of the world as it once more teeters on the edge of chaos.
Anticipated publication : May 2021
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Priest of Gallows (War for the Rose Throne #3) by Peter McLean
Gangster, soldier, priest. Queen’s Man. Governor.
Tomas Piety has everything he ever wanted. In public he’s a wealthy, highly respected businessman, happily married to a beautiful woman and Governor of his home city of Ellinburg. In private, he’s no longer a gang lord but one of the Queen’s Men, invisible and officially non-existent, working in secret to protect his country.
But when the queen’s sudden death sees him summoned him back to the capital, he discovers his boss, Dieter Vogel, Provost Marshal of the Queen’s Men, is busy tightening his stranglehold on the country.
Just as he once fought for his Pious Men, he must now bend all his wit and hard-won wisdom to protect his queen – but now he can’t always tell if he’s on the right side.
Tomas has started to ask himself, what is the price of power? And more importantly, is it one he is willing to pay?
Expected publication : May 2021
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A Dark and Secret Place by Jen Williams
For readers of Jane Harper and Rachel Caine comes a chilling thriller from award-winning author Jen Williams about a woman who discovers her late mother had been secretly corresponding with a serial killer for decades.
When prodigal daughter Heather Evans returns to her family home after her mother’s baffling suicide, she makes an alarming discovery–stacks and stacks of carefully preserved letters from notorious serial killer Michael Reave. The “Red Wolf,” as he was dubbed by the press, has been in prison for over twenty years, serving a life sentence for the gruesome and ritualistic murders of several women across the country, although he has always protested his innocence. The police have had no reason to listen, yet Heather isn’t the only one to have cause to re-examine the murders. The body of a young woman has just been found, dismembered and placed inside a tree, the corpse planted with flowers. Just as the Red Wolf once did.
What did Heather’s mother know? Why did she kill herself? And with the monstrous Red Wolf safely locked inside a maximum security prison, who is stalking young women now? Teaming up with DI Ben Parker, Heather hopes to get some answers for herself and for the newest victims of this depraved murderer. Yet to do that, she must speak to Michael Reave herself, and expose herself to truths she may not be ready to face. Something dark is walking in the woods, and it knows her all too well.
Expected publication : June 2021
Books and travelling with Lynn 