Lord what fools these mortals be!
11 March 2015
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Fae, Fantasy Review Barn, Tough Travelling
This week over at the Fantasy Review Barn we are once again tough travelling with our trusty guide Nathan. This week our topic for discussion is FAE
Surprisingly not in the Tough Guide. How can this be? Fairies are a constant in the fantasy world and it is time they get their own week. Give us your Fae, be they sweet or nasty.
- The Rebel Angel series by Gillian Philip – sithe – some of these are nice (Seth) – some not so much (Kate McNiven)
- Dreamer’s Pool by Juliet Marillier – good old fashioned style fae, tricky, beautiful, ethereal – be careful what you agree to.
- Tithe/Valiant and Ironside by Holly Black – I loved this series and it’s the first I read that portrayed the fae as maybe not always so nice!
- The Tiffany Aching Series by Terry Pratchett – first the Wee Free Men, a type of fae (pictsies??) and then in the Wintersmith Tiffany gets embroiled with fae – if I remember correctly?? Maybe it wasn’t this book – doh – Nathan, chuck me a bone??
- Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream – ‘methought I was enamoured of an ass!’ Full of Fairies – The King and Queen of the fae no less not to mention pesky Puck.
- Alex Bledsoe’s The Hum and the Shiver – appalachian fae – a unique read. Very good.
- The Blue Girl by Charles deLint – ghosts and fae in Newford Town – I’ve only read the one from Newford but I do intend to return.
- Melissa Marr’s Wicked Lovely series – great books
Can I say the elves from LotR – and perhaps somebody can help me out here – are elves sort of related, in a far removed kind of way, to fae?? Or no????
His Own Good Sword by Amanda McCrina
10 March 2015
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Amanda McCrina, His Own Good Sword, Mark Lawrence, Self Published Fantasy Blog Off
His Own Good Sword gets underway the first of my reviews for the Self Published Fantasy Blog Off, brainchild of Mark Lawrence (in collaboration with Bookworm Blues) the details of which are here.
I randomly chose His Own Good Sword to start off with and actually I was pleasantly surprised with this book. It did get off to a little bit of a slow start but I soon became quite intrigued with the story of Tyren Risto.
This is very much what I would describe as alternative history with the Roman-like Varenos having conquered the Cesins. This has been far from a smooth occupation and over the years a number of rebellions have flared up. At the start of the story Tyren, second son to the noble Risto family, has been sent his new commission. Unfortunately he’s been posted to Souvin, not only an outlying backwater but something of an insult to the Ristos. It turns out that the Ristos have a long standing history of bad blood with the powerful Marro family and following a spat between Tyren and one of the Marros this Commission is a demonstration of just how powerful that family have become.
There are two strands to the story. Tyren’s posting in Souvin and the difficulties he encounters there in terms of rebellion and potential uprising and the story of the Risto family and the political maneouvering taking place behind the scenes to undermine not only them but the Senate itself.
I guess I’d call this something of a gentle read and I suppose what I really mean by that is that it crept up on me unexpectedly. Also, although the story involves conflict and bloodshed it’s not particularly violent or gory. The details of the fighting and injuries are almost delivered in a calm and measured tone. I don’t mean to underplay it by describing it that way – just that it has a realistic feel but narrated in a non-dramatic style. I liked, for example, the fact that during battle Tyren does become exhausted and the injuries he sustains have a real impact that knock him out for days and continue to cause him problems even later in the story.
We read primarily from the POV of Tyren with occasional chapters being led by his father Torian and this helps the plot to unfold in a fairly easy to follow style with a view on the bigger picture rather than focusing only on the potential uprising in Souvin.
I would say the story is primarily character led with Tyren being the main protagonist and quite a good supporting cast although that isn’t to underplay the plot which builds subtly to become quite compelling. The world building is fairly low key – not a problem although I thought it could have been added to a little just to give it a bit more flavour.
In terms of criticisms. Well, the pacing was a little slow and the dialogue felt a bit unpolished, particularly at the start of the story. Also, I did at times feel a bit put out with Tyren – he certainly didn’t make the best decisions and his lack of foresight and naivety proved costly to quite a few others – I sort of tempered this with the fact that he’s an idealistic 19 year old finding himself in charge of a garrison soldiered by older and more cynical men. I was also a bit perplexed with Tyren’s sudden liking for one of the rebel women – it just felt like it came out of nowhere and wasn’t entirely believable. I would say it took me a little while to become truly invested in the story but once I did it was definitely a good read and to be honest one that I would continue with.
The other thing I would mention is that if you’re expecting any fantasy elements in terms of dragons, swords or sorcery or unusual characters with pointy ears then you may be disappointed (well, not on the sword front maybe). This story is fantasy purely by dint of it being completely fictional. In other words it isn’t a work of fiction set in Rome and based on the wars and deeds of that time and place. The entire place, people and wars are fictitious.
I think that if you enjoy alternate history, particularly when based on the Roman Empire with politics, conflict and underhanded behaviour together with a protagonist who hasn’t yet proved himself but looks set to take events further with plenty of potential for development then this could be for you. I would continue with the series as I’m curious as to where it will go next.
I think this was a good start to the SPFBO
If you like ‘??’ (insert your favourite reading material) you’ll love this!
9 March 2015
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: If you love x you'll love ...., The Broke and the Bookish, Top Ten Tuesday
This week over at the Broke and Bookish the topic for Top Ten Tuesday is:
‘Top Ten books for readers who like????‘
Okay, yes of course I’m going to stick with fantasy – but I’m going to cover lots of different genres just to demonstrate how very flexible and all encompassing fantasy really is (some of these may be a bit tongue in cheek):
- Classical – Lord of the Rings by JRRTolkien – I had to go there.
- Horror – Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer – creepy as hell. You will need a cushion to cover your eyes. In fact, don’t read at night – particularly if you’re sat downstairs with a large picture window at your back and the curtains open – you’ll be scared to turn around! I actually tried it just so you wouldn’t have to.
- Murder/Mystery – The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher. private detective (and occasional magician) working out of Chicago with a trusty sidekick (good cop/bad cop) called Bob.
- Political intrigue – The Mechanical by Ian Tregillis – spies and espionage, nay, double agents, coupled with steampunk aplenty.
- Chick Lit – bit of a stretch here so stay with me – The Parasol Protectorate by Gail Carriger. Look, it’s a period drama with lots of attention on bonnets and parasols so that’s all I have. I like this series, it feels like a steampunk updated version of Austen (ahem) – it could be….okay, there’s also a rather dishy werewolf.
- Historical – The Iron Age by Angus Watson, the clue’s in the title!!
- Children – The Dark Materials trilogy by Philip Pullman – great crossover series that can be read by children and adults alike.
- Adventure – The Copper Promise by Jen williams – swamped with derring do! There are also dragons – I don’t really know how much more adventure you want – but, okay, war, an army of green, sharp teethed warrior women and, well, lots of other bloody cool stuff.
- Food and Drink – again, work with me here – Scott Lynch’s Gentleman Bastard Series – we’re talking about some serious world building here complete with some rather delicious sounding food and some rather tasty beverages – I’m not kidding – I actually tried to make some of these – I recommend the Ginger Scald!
- Comics and Graphic novels – the Sandman Series by Neil Gaiman – Morpheus, that is all.
Inspector of the Dead by David Morrell
9 March 2015
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: David Morrell, Inspector of the Dead, Murder/Mystery, Thomas DeQuincey series
Just finished reading Inspector of the Dead. I did get off to a bit of shaky start with this before I managed to get fully immersed but then it did hold my attention most successfully.
Set during the reign of Queen Victoria Inspector of the Dead is a crime/mystery story with a protagonist consumed with the desire for vengeance. The story is set during the Crimean War with many of the events, dates and places being based on real events.
The story gets off to a pretty immediate start with the death of a lady from the upper echelons of polite society – murdered in cold blood and apparently in full view of everyone attending Church! From there onwards the murder of society’s most prominent figures seems to spiral upwards and each death seems to deliver a grim message.
I’m not clear as to why this was a slow starter for me – it certainly wasn’t due to the lack of action or pacing. Maybe there was just too much going on and the police and others seemed to be running around like headless chickens – on reflection I think that was a very cunning ploy by the author to instil in the reader the same feelings of chaos and mayhem that the murderer was instilling in the people of London. At the time though I confess I was getting slightly irritated for some inexplicable reason.
Anyway, clearly I got over the feeling, as one minute I was considering not reading and the next I found myself nicely on the hook and turning the pages pdq.
As I mentioned above the main thrust of the story revolves around the desire for revenge. The victims start to deliver a picture of intent and it isn’t long before it becomes clear to those in authority that the Queen will be the final target.
Apparently this is the second book in the Thomas DeQuincey series – I haven’t read the first but I don’t think this was detrimental at all as the author has a pleasing style and the characters and place are easily conjured and each book is self contained.
The main character of course is DeQuincey. DeQuincey was notorious during the Victorian era – not only for writing a number of successful and revealing books but also for his prolific consumption of opium – for which he became known as ‘the opium eater’. Whether this habit gives him an increased clarity of mind or whether it simply increases his imagination is debatable by society but nobody can deny that he has a knack for looking at things in a logical fashion and cutting to the heart of the matter. The other characters are DeQ’s daughter Emily and two of Scotland Yard’s finest in Ryan and Becker. There are other characters on the outskirts but these are the main focus – along with the killer of course.
I can see that this would be an enjoyable series to read, just to read a standalone in a series is never as satisfying as reading from the beginning and picking up important details about the character and watch them develop and expand as you read is part of the enjoyment of a series. In that respect I would definitely continue with DeQuincey to see what comes next. I liked Emily – she knows her own mind and she’s not afraid to follow her own instincts even if that singles her out from the norm.
This book has a good pace, there are plenty of random little facts thrown in for good measure and a good build up of tension.
In terms of criticisms – well, I think it misses a trick in terms of using the Victorian era to better effect. It’s one of those periods in time that can have such a dark and creepy feel, Slums, dark alleys, pea soup fog, footsteps echoing behind a person – I didn’t quite get the spook factor that I would have liked in that respect although there was one particular scene where the murderer has literally closeted himself inside somebody’s house which was a bit chilling to say the least and definitely shone the spotlight on the murderer in all his incandescent rage! I was practically shouting at the book ‘run, get out’, ‘fly you fools’!!
All in all, after not the best start, I enjoyed this. It had that wonderful, over the top detective type feel that you would probably enjoy if reading a Sherlock Holmes story – where the baddies are just delightfully ‘bad’ and seem to be able to accomplish anything. Plus, I hand it to DM – i didn’t figure out the identify of the murderer – well, until about two seconds before the author decided to reveal it!
If you fancy a good murder/detective story with a crazy madman bent on destruction then I would recommend this.
I received a copy of this through the publishers courtesy of Netgalley for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.
Three Parts Dead by Max Gladstone, readalong part 1
8 March 2015
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Max Gladstone, Readalong week one, Three Parts Dead
And we’re off. It’s the first week of our readalong for Max Gladstone’s Three Part Dead. Firstly, if you haven’t already read the book the Q&A below will be rife with spoilers so you might want to step away now! The schedule and other participants are here and if you want to join in feel free to do so. We’ve only read the first 100 or so pages so far so easy to catch up. If you haven’t read the book – we get off to a great start as Tara graduates and is simultaneously thrown out of school. She almost immediately becomes caught up with Kelethres, Albrecht, and Ao, a mysterious firm (so far) whose employees seem to use the Craft. The craft is a magic system and the users so far seem to particularly focus on necromancy. We’re also introduced to Abelard who’s basically been having a bad time – being a devotee and priest of the God Kos who has basically just died! Yeah, that’s right – but, did he die or was there foul play?? Anyway, to the questions:
1. Max Gladstone isn’t holding any hands here, we’re dropped straight into the world (which is a bit ironic given the start – but I’ll get to that) and expected to pick up and run with it. Are you enjoying the style and, more to the point, what ‘reveals’ have been the most surprising for you so far??
I’m really enjoying Gladstone’s approach to be honest, I actually enjoy reading a book where the world building and history are revealed as we go along so this is working really well for me. It also helps to give the story a very good pace as it isn’t bogged down with annoying info dumps. I can’t say I really have a good feel for the world itself yet but we’re only a third in so plenty of time. It’s a strange mixed up place though. Vampires – didn’t see that coming at all and you have to hand it to MG for getting the jaw dropping wow factor – wtf with the whole face removal thing!! I mean, firstly, we have a stone man/gargoyle and then we have a crazy assed bit of magic that results in a face being removed from a body and, well, never mind, but take my word for it – it’s a bit mind boggling. Okay, I’ve not described that very well but that’s basically because I’m still in the shock zone. I think that was one of the weirdest things, ever!
2. At the start of the book Tara graduates and is cast out of school (literally from a great height) simultaneously – any ideas about why that might be?
I’m really curious about why she was thrown out. I’m assuming this isn’t a ‘last test’ type of scenario to see whether or not you’ll survive although i suppose it could be – seems a bit harsh though. Tara does seem like a confident sort and also quite resourceful, she’s also not averse to a bit of creative crafting from what we’ve seen so far so I’m wondering if she veered from the straight and narrow somehow? We’ve already found out that Elayne Kevarian has taken a bit of a risk in taking her on and that this is only a temporary arrangement pending how successful she is.
3. I’m always interested in the magical systems and how they work and the one here seems to almost be a ‘payback’ type of affair. What are your thoughts about the magical system so far, we do have a dead deity after all, not to mention it appears that regular everyday people can access magic as well as deities. Discuss please (if only to enlighten my tiny brain!)
I’m still a bit all over the place with the magical system. We have the Gods who presumably derive their power through the belief system. They’re much more apparent than your normal deity types. For example, Kos, being the Fire God, his power seems to underpin the whole working of the City Alt Coulomb and that’s what makes his death such a disaster as quite literally the City will pretty soon descend into chaos. On the opposite side of the coin we have people who can use the craft – this seems to be soul magic?? That’s about the best description I can come up with so far and I’m definitely interested in reading everyone else’s thoughts on the magic system.
4. We’re only a third in but how are you feeling towards the characters so far. are you developing any favourites already, any sneaky suspicions of any of the characters or are you loving them all?
I like Tara so far, she’s a cool character for sure and not afraid to take risks – or at least she might be afraid but she just gets over it and gets on with what needs doing. I don’t feel like I’ve really seen enough of Elayne to really make a judgement about how she’ll really turn out although I did like her for coming clean with Tara about her job being reliant on how she undertakes this first job. I’m really enjoying the character of Abelard though. He just makes me smile for some reason – he comes across as a bit beleaguered and being dragged into this whole thing reluctantly. It was interesting to see when he changed into his different togs to go out on the town and find some more help – clearly he doesn’t spend all his time practising being saintly!
Other posts this week:
