Shadows of the Short Days by Alexander Dan Vilhjálmsson
1 August 2019
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Alexander Dan Vilhjálmsson, Shadows of the Short Days
Shadows of the Short Days is a difficult book for me to review. It contains so much promise, is packed with vibrant imagery and magic, myths and folklore not to mention horror and yet I really struggled to get through it, which I think in the main part boils down to the fact that I didn’t really like the two central characters plus I think it was maybe a little too brutal.
So, how to describe SotSD. Well, at its core it’s about revolution. Here we have an alternate Reykjavik where magic and industry combine, where graffiti carries subliminal messages if painted with the correct ingredients and where prejudice runs rife. Sæmundur is literally the mad scientist of the piece. Expelled from University because of his radical ideas concerning magic, he’s a sorcerer on the edge. Fuelled by drugs and his own sense of self importance he is determined to show the world his brilliance – no matter what the cost. Garún, ex girlfriend to Sæmundur, uses magic to infuse her art and graffiti with messages in the hope of inspiring an uprising. Garún has been oppressed her entire life for reasons completely outside her own control. She is half human and half-huldufólk (hidden folk) which means she is accepted by neither. The two of them will become the catalyst for violent change.
I have to confess that, even though this didn’t work it’s magic on me, there are some exceptional scenes in this book. It’s truly a work of breathtaking creativity and a number of the chapters where we look at the past are really well crafted and downright enjoyable to read. The seedy underbelly of the city and the underworld, accessed via unusual hidden portals are all brilliantly imagined and coupled with the very real tension that the author manages to create just gives the whole place an incredible sense of danger.
In fact, even at this point I find myself still thinking about this book, the strange sense of place and the underlying political messages. To me, a book that makes me think about it after I’ve put it down has to be applauded, but at the same time this isn’t a book that I can say I enjoyed, and at the back of my mind there’s almost a niggling feeling that perhaps this shouldn’t be a book that you can say you enjoyed. The oppression and sense of wrong together with all the hate that simply pours off the central characters all lead to a very dark and disturbing read yet at the same time one that demands attention and can’t be ignored even when put down.
In terms of my criticisms. Well, in some respects I’m going to admit that this is probably more an example of ‘it’s me not you’. This is simply too grim for my own tastes, and the horror is a little too near the knuckle – the sort that makes me squirm uncomfortably – also be aware that there is one particular scene that contains animal torture – so be warned. Plus, as I mentioned above, both the MCs are difficult to like. Don’t get me wrong, I have a good deal of sympathy for Garún and I can see why she’s consumed with such uncontrollable anger, but at the same time she’s so completely self absorbed that she really isn’t capable of making good or rational decisions, she wants change no matter how many people have to suffer in order to achieve it. Sæmundur, well, he’s in a whole other class of unlikable, I don’t even want to think about him long enough to number them in this review.
Strange, surreal, violent, dark, disturbing, brilliant – I could reasonably apply all these words to this book. If you like a good dose of weird and you’re not averse to grim horror then I certainly don’t want to dissuade you from picking this up – even though it was a little too much for me.
Rating 3 stars of 5
I received a copy courtesy of the publisher, through Netgalley, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.
#SPFBO5 My second batch of books
Today is the second month of the Self Published Fantasy Blog Off. As with previous years I have divided my 30 books into five batches of six books (selected using a random sequence generator). Each month I will highlight that month’s selection at the start of the month, providing details about the books and the authors. As the month progresses I hope to have a clear favourite out of each batch – although things don’t always go to plan of course – I will provide mini reviews for each book and hopefully a full review for each semi finalist – which I’m thinking should be five books in total. The aim being to then choose a finalist from those semi finalists.
I’d like to wish everyone the best of luck and I hope you all enjoy the competition.
On a separate note, if any of my authors wish to pay me a visit for either an interview, a guest post, or anything else then let me know. Also, if any of my books have audio versions available then let me know – I’m happy to use audio too.
Without further ado here are my six books for August:
Healer’s Ruin by Chris O’Mara
Chalos the Healer is marching to war. As the Ten Plains King lays siege to the mysterious kingdom of the Riln, the Healer realises that if he is to survive, he has to think and fight like a soldier.
But Chalos isn’t a soldier. He doesn’t even own a sword.
To make matters worse, the famed Wielder of Aphazail, a mage of extraordinary power, has come to the aid of the Riln… and is slaughtering the invaders in droves.
Empires clash, gods walk, kingdoms tremble and sorcery carves a bright and blazing path across an ancient and mysterious land… a path that leads to HEALER’S RUIN.
The Owl & the Dragon by Randy Nargi
Hytwen and Ortwen: two remote villages on the southern edge of the Empire of Harion. Separated by a misty lake. And a deadly family secret.
When ex-Imperial Investigator Bander arrives in the village of Hytwen, ragged and half dead after a savage attack on the road, all he wants is the aid of a healer and a new pair of boots. But he’s soon pressed into service by the wealthy lord of Hytwen to find a twelve-year-old girl who’s been abducted from the manor. Everyone suspects the neighboring village, and with the drums of war beating, time is running out.
As Bander digs deeper, he confronts a brutal gang of trained killers, a mysterious barmaid, and a sinister mage plotting destruction from the shadows. Soon it becomes clear that things aren’t what they seem, and the hunt for the missing girl is just part of a diabolical mosaic of murder and chaos that threatens to destroy scores of innocent people.
But not if Bander can help it.
The Lore of Prometheus by Graham Austin-King
John Carver has three rules: Don’t drink in the daytime, don’t gamble when the luck has gone, and don’t talk to the dead people who come to visit.
It has been almost five years since the incident in Kabul. Since the magic stirred within him and the stories began. Fleeing the army, running from the whispers, the guilt, and the fear he was losing his mind, Carver fell into addiction, dragging himself through life one day at a time.
Desperation has pulled him back to Afghanistan, back to the heat, the dust, and the truth he worked so hard to avoid. But there are others, obsessed with power and forbidden magics, who will stop at nothing to learn the truth of his gifts. Abducted and chained, Carver must break more than his own rules if he is to harness this power and survive.
Realm of Beasts by Angela J Ford
An enchantress and a wizard get tangled in the grisly plans of an undead creature.
Tor Lir, the Nameless One, is unsure what he is. However, he knows he was born to bring balance to the powers of good and evil.
Forsaking his birthplace and fleeing from suggestions of a dark knowledge he’d rather not discover, he decides to take his fate into his own hands.
A chance encounter with a dead body, a dangerous beast, and a desirous creature lead him on the path to Paradise, where he senses imbalance.
Banished from her village and lost in a wicked forest, Citrine makes a deal with a dark creature, but that was before she found Paradise—the legendary land of a friendly giant.
Falling in love with the land, Citrine takes advantage of her time to study the lore of herbs and craft a spell of protection for her mythical beasts.
When darkness creeps into Paradise, bringing the mysterious Nameless One and an omen of death, Citrine realizes the consequences of her actions spell danger for herself, her beasts, and Paradise.
As time runs out the undead come to life. Citrine faces the ultimate showdown as everything she holds dear is ripped away.
The Prince of Cats by Daniel Olesen
To stay alive, Jawad must succeed where all others have failed: he must catch the Prince of Cats. More legend than man, the Prince is draped in rumours. He can steal the silver teeth from your mouth in the blink of a smile. He is a ghost to walls and vaults, he laughs at locks, and Jawad must capture him before powerful people lose their patience and send the young rogue to the scaffold.
Ever the opportunist, Jawad begins his hunt while carrying out his own schemes. He pits the factions of the city against each other, lining his own pockets in the process and using the Prince as a scapegoat. This is made easy as nobody knows when or where the Prince will strike, or even why.
As plots collide, Jawad finds himself pressured from all sides. Aristocrats, cutthroats, and the Prince himself is breathing down his neck. Unless Jawad wants a knife in his back or an appointment with the executioner, he must answer three questions: Who is the Prince of Cats, what is his true purpose, and how can he be stopped?
Immortals’ Requiem by Vincent Bobbe
There are beings that live a shadow’s breadth from our reality. They are the dreams and nightmares of humanity, the ancient seeds of fairy-tale and superstition.
These are the Immortals, creatures of magic that should live forever… and they are fading.
When a horror two thousand years dead returns to contemporary England, creatures long thought lost to myth and legend collide in a scramble for survival that could tumble civilisation back into the dark ages of blood and death.
If you like grimdark fantasy, ravening zombies, terrifying shapeshifters, scheming vampires, and vast supernatural worlds, you’ll love Immortals’ Requiem!
*Final note: if I have any of your details wrong then please let me know.
**Other SPFBO posts:
My Process My 3 covers for the cover competition Author Interview - Elise Kova My First Batch of BooksMy First Batch of Books Feedback on My First Batch of Books
July : My Month in Review
Goodbye July, you’ve been warm and busy but I quite liked you anyway. Hope everyone had a good month, I probably didn’t read as much as I wanted or planned, but on the upside I’ve nearly caught up with reviews – so, silver linings. And, August is a whole new month so let’s see what’s happening and what I’ve got planned.
My month in review:
Books read: this month = 7
- Soul of the Sword by Julie Kagawa
- The Toll by Cherie Priest
- This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone
- Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia Storm
- Good Girl, Bad Girl by Michael Robotham
- A Little Hatred by Joe Abercrombie
- Shadows of the Short Days by Alexander Dan Vilhjálmsson
(I’ve also made good progress on House of Sacrifice and Cry Havoc)
My month in covers was published yesterday.
Backlist books
None this month
Unfinished series completed:
None this month
Books Bought:
The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison, this book comes highly recommended by Lisa at Way Too Fantasy so I’ll be excited to pick this one up.
Audio Books Bought:
- None this month
Review Books:
I haven’t shown quite as much restraint this month as last, well, at least on the face of it – but, when I really look at these titles, I’ve already read one and I’m a third of the way through one of the others, and most of the other books on here are for review in September and October so I am at least requesting books whilst keeping an eye on my shelf – phew. I would be in a flat out panic if all of these were due in the same month!
- The Bone Ships by RJ Barker
- Turning Darkness Into Light by Marie Brennan
- Impossible Causes by Julie Mayhew
- The Undoing of Arlo Knott by Heather Child
- Survivors by GX Todd
- The House of Sacrifice by Anna Smith Spark
- A Shadow on the Lens by Sam Hurcom
- Brightfall by Jaime Lee Moyer
- Black Rock Bay by Brianna Labuskes
- A Little Hatred by Joe Abercrombie – already read and RTF
- Violet by Scott Thomas
- Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo
- The Resurrectionist of Caligo by Wendy Trimboli; Alicia Zaloga
- The Lost Puzzler by Eyal Kless
Cover compare:
Which is your favourite? I like the one with the helmet – I think both work really well with the book to be honest but I like the little touches on the second cover, such as the shout out to the industrial revolution and the wolf.
In terms of SPFBO – I’ve completed my first batch of books. My feedback is here. I will be posting about my next batch of books tomorrow.
Hope you’ve all had a good month.
Can’t Wait Wednesday : Starsight (Skyward #2) by Brandon Sanderson
31 July 2019
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Brandon Sanderson, Can't wait Wednesday, Skyward #2, Starsight, 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 : Starsight (Skyward #2) by Brandon Sanderson. Why, because I loved the first book Skyward, and also I just love Brandon Sanderson – which is why he’s on my auto buy book list. Read a little bit more about Starsight here and check out the lovely cover:
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Reckoners series, Words of Radiance, the Mistborn trilogy, and the Stormlight Archive comes the second book in an epic series about a girl with a secret in a dangerous world at war for humanity’s future.
All her life, Spensa has dreamed of becoming a pilot. Of proving she’s a hero like her father. She made it to the sky, but the truths she learned about her father were crushing. The rumors of his cowardice are true–he deserted his flight during battle against the Krell. Worse, though, he turned against his team and attacked them.
Spensa is sure there’s more to the story. And she’s sure that whatever happened to her father in his starship could happen to her. When she made it outside the protective shell of her planet, she heard the stars–and it was terrifying. Everything Spensa has been taught about her world is a lie.
But Spensa also discovered a few other things about herself–and she’ll travel to the end of the galaxy to save humankind if she needs to.
Expected publication: November 2019
July : My Month in Covers
30 July 2019
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: A Little Hatred, Gods of Jade and Shadow, Good Girl Bad Girl, July, My month in covers, Shadows of the Short Days, Soul of the Sword, The Toll, This is How You Lose the Time War
Hi everyone, hope you’ve all had a lovely July and the weather has treated you gently. I’ve had a slow sort of month in some respects. Not many books this month as I’ve been too busy with other things. Anyhow, feast your eyes on this months covers. I’ve also included my SPFBO covers and my update is here for the first month of the competition.
And here are my SPFBO covers. I’ve read at least the first 30% of all of these and chosen one book to read completely:
