#SPFBO Spotlight : the sixth set of books: Update + Winner Announcement
24 October 2016
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Mark Lawrence, Sixth set of Books update, SPFBO, Winner
This is my sixth and final batch of books for the SPFBO and my final update post! I’ve listed below my links to updates and reviews for the first/second/third/fourth and fifth batch of books with links to the books chosen from each round.
The book choices were all randomly picked. I aimed to read about 20% of each book or five chapters although in quite a few cases I read considerably more. Basically, if one of the books stood out above the other four then that became the clear choice from that batch.
My final set of five books are below. I’ve added underneath each a synopsis (taken from Goodreads) and also linked up the titles so they’re easy to check out. These are only very quick thoughts, given that I’ve not read the full book in most cases it’s not possible to give a full review.
1. The Fallen Shepherd Saga by Peter Ravlich
The dark ones never forget a hunter. For Antonio, newly-former priest, that’s not a great thing. It gets worse when he’s confronted by two bodies and the unmistakable trail of a succubus. Why the Hell did it have to be a succubus?
He might have lost his title, lost his identity, lost his backup; but he still has his blade, and this hunt might offer a chance at redemption, a chance that Antonio desperately needs.
The Fallen Shepherd Saga was originally published as a three-part serial story. This volume is an expanded omnibus edition.
The Fallen Shepherd is an urban fantasy type story in which The Fallen Shepherd of the title is Antonio. Previously a priest Antonio is, at the start of the story, on the trail of a succubus who has just murdered a police officer. I didn’t get too much further into the plot with my 20%. The writing was quite engaging and I enjoyed the chapters I read. I did feel that there was a certain element of telling rather than showing. So, for example, Antonio, he makes lots of noises about being an expert hunter and yet he walks right into a fairly obvious trap early on and in spite of saying that you can’t afford to make mistakes in his line of work. That being said I did enjoy the chapters I read – not sure if it brings anything new to the UF genre but could be an interesting read nonetheless.
2. The Vengeful Half by Jaclyn Dolamore
This novel contains interior comics and art by the author.
Olivia might look human, but she’s grown up with a heavy secret: her mother is a potion-maker who fled her home in a parallel world, the Hidden Lands.
Alfred is the blind, charismatic young heir to the illegal potions trade. When Olivia’s mother is kidnapped by the magic dealers with whom she once made a bad bargain, she has no choice but to trust Alfred’s offer of help. They travel to a strange new world of bootlegged American pop culture, lifelike doll people, and reincarnation. Alfred finds himself putting his position on the line to defend Olivia against his family’s conniving plans. Maybe he has morals…or maybe he’s just falling in love.
When Olivia escapes from an attack by a curiously familiar sorceress, she learns that potion dealers weren’t the only thing Mom was hiding from. Dark secrets lurk in Olivia’s past, and now Olivia must kill or be killed by the girl with whom she once shared everything…
I quite enjoyed the writing for the Vengeful Half the author has come up with some good ideas for her Hidden Lands although I confess that I was surprised when we actually travelled there to find that they were basically very similar to our own – which I wasn’t expecting. Unfortunately I was unable to check out the artwork so I can’t really comment about that or whether it added to the read overall. Having read the first 20% I don’t really have a good enough grip on the story yet to make an overall judgement about the plot and in terms of the characters, I haven’t at this stage been able to form an attachment to any of them. Given the chapters I’ve read so far I think this could be an enjoyable YA read.
3. Magic Banquet by A E Marling – this book was a swapped title. Originally I was due to read Off Leash by Daniel Potter but I exchanged books due to a conflict of interest.
Dragon steaks, ambrosia, and chimera stew. In the Magic Banquet, one guest always dies of joy. Or so they say. The street waif, Aja, just wants a few mouthfuls of the first course, but this is a party not easily left.
The dishes lavished upon Aja do more than entice. They enchant. They endanger. They change her. When she learns that a dragonfruit will make her mature, she eats it all. She is tired of being seen as a child, of being excluded and overlooked by respectable families and that other girl at the banquet, who is the empress in disguise. But Aja ages too fast, too much, and too soon. She is dying. She must replenish her lifeforce by eating a phoenix before she can even think of escaping the mortal banquet.
Guest List:
Aja, a thirteen-year-old girl who stole into the banquet before anyone could tell her she’s too young.
Janny, an old woman hungry for eternal youth.
The Empress Nephrynthian. But she’ll insist on you calling her Ryn.
Her guard, Fos Chandur.
Solin, graceful on his crutches and deadly with his magic.
And a dark lord.
Another book that caught my attention quite early on and showed some promise. However, for me personally this feels like a quite young read, probably early teens – and I’m not just basing that on the age of Aja, the main protagonist, but more the feel of the read up to the point I read. From the portion I did read I felt that this had a coming of age type of feel and I think that a younger audience would enjoy Aja as she progresses through this banquet.
4. Ninth Wind by Moses Siregar III
“In THE NINTH WIND, Moses Siregar takes readers to a fascinating new world where politics, magic, and adventure mingle in exciting and profound ways. If you like fantasy, you’ll love this!” –NYT Bestseller David Farland
THE NINTH WIND SPEAKS FOR THE DEAD …
The Ancestors whisper of rebellion, their breath a cold blue wind in the forests and hills of Andars. The Rezzian occupation lingers, dragging the folk of the hills through bitterness and despair.
Three siblings stand ready to challenge the Kingdom of Rezzia. Their fates have long been seen by the primordial Orns: one by Angst, one by Fidelity, one by Wrath.
Idonea searches the dark wood to master the magic of the three sacred trees. Skye pursues omens to lead his shield-brothers to victory over Rezzia’s legions. As armies battle for control of the Andaran hills, Dag calls out so that he may become as impenetrable as Altrea, allowing nothing to bend him, or turn him, or break him, so that he may stand and defend his kin. The ten gods of Rezzia and their lions stand in his way.
The Ninth Wind is the long-awaited return to Moses Siregar III’s award-winning epic fantasy series, Splendor and Ruin. Drawing on Norse, Greek, and Indian mythologies, the Ninth Wind is a tale of betrayal and retribution, of gods and sages and witches, of fearless journeys and magical awakenings.
It is a tale of honor, devotion, and valor. An adult tale of the children of wind and wood.
As soon as I started The Ninth Wind I thought it showed a lot of promise. This is my favourite from this batch of books and my review will follow.
5. The Fall by Michael DeAngelo
Icarus must intervene before a wicked ritual is completed, or humanity will be banished from the world of Tellest forevermore. But his people, the elves, have determined that humans are too dangerous to share the realm. How can he protect the friends that he has made without betraying his race?
Samael is a man scorned, whose only desire is to enact vengeance on those who have wronged him. However, his involvement is the deciding factor in the call to banish humanity. For the sake of all the races of Tellest, he must work with Icarus to put a halt to the foul dealings.
The Fall was actually quite an intriguing read that got off to a good start and I read further than the 20% I’ve allocated for each book. The writing was easy to get on with and the world quite well imagined, but, I had the overall feeling that I was missing something, or that The Fall was only a small piece in a larger puzzle. I could of course be wrong with that as I haven’t read the full book at this point.
In conclusion, I’ve chosen The Ninth Wind as my favourite of this particular batch of books and my review will follow shortly.
SPFBO Posts:
- Cover Lover
- 1st Batch of books + update + book review
- 2nd batch of books + update + book review
- 3rd batch of books + update + book review
- 4th batch of book + update + book review
- 5th batch of books + update + book review
- 6th batch of books + update + book review
Overall winner:
At this point (although I haven’t yet reviewed the sixth book) given that I have chosen a book from each round I feel that I am now in a position to choose the book I’d like to take forward. The final six were:
- Rebel’s Honor by Gwynn White
- Unwilling Souls by Gregory D Little
- As the Crow Flies by Robin Lythgoe
- The Amber Isle (Book of Never #1) by Ashley Capes
- Outpost (The Fylking #1) by F T McKinstry
- The Ninth Wind by Moses Siregar III
And, the book I will take forward to the next round will be:
Outpost by F T McKinstry
with
Unwilling Souls by Gregory D Little a close second.
I would like to thank all the authors who submitted their work to the SPFBO – I’ve enjoyed taking part and making my way through all the entries.
I’ve tried to give overviews for all the books and give full reviews for the ones I’ve read completely. My final post will be my review of The Ninth Wind which will follow shortly.
Bloodrush by Ben Galley #SPFBO
Bloodrush is my final book for the #SPFBO and coincidentally happens to have scored the highest rating from me.
Bloodrush is a book that takes us from the dark and foggy streets of an alternative Victorian London to the very edge of the frontier. The story is a strange mash up of fantasy and western that I really enjoyed.
At the start of the story we discover that Tonmerion Hark, having recently become orphaned, is about to be sent overseas to be placed in the care of his remaining relative, Aunt Lilian. Merion is only 13 years old and not only has his father been murdered but he’s about to be sent to the western frontier. So Merion sets off on the long and torturous journey to, what feels like, the very edges of the world, or maybe hell. Thankfully Merion isn’t alone, he’s accompanied by his friend of the past few years, a 12 inch member of the fae called Rhin. Rhin has a whole bunch of secrets and unlike Merion is quite happy to find himself being removed to the farmost reaches of the world.
I don’t want to give too much away about the plot. This is a voyage of discovery story for young Merion. He’s about to learn things about himself that he has until this point been blissfully unaware. Merion has a strange legacy. Like his father before him him he possesses the ability to bloodrush – a certain type of magick that enables those with the ability to endow themselves with the characteristics of any number of animals, birds, fish, reptiles and insects by drinking their blood. The premise is interesting, it takes a bit of a leap of faith but it contains a vast number of possibilities for all sorts of weird and wonderful scenarios.
The characters are an interesting bunch. We have Merion, who, probably with reason, spends a good deal of the book huffing and puffing and basically feeling put upon. He could come across as a bit of a smacked arse sulky so and so but let’s not forget that his father has just been murdered, he’s had his privileges taken away, he’s been sent to a strange, to him, country and placed in the care of somebody he’s never met before and he then finds out he has a magick inheritance that he never dreamed of. His one wish is to get back home and in focusing on this desire he can sometimes be a little short sighted plus – he’s 13. In spite of that I liked Merion. Rhin – he has his very own storyline running throughout the book. He has a past that he’s trying to escape from but the fae following in his tracks are relentless and stubborn! Aunt Lilian – she’s turned into the town’s undertaker. She has her own secrets to keep and I dare say she never expected to find herself the guardian to a 13 year old boy. Lurker is a great character. A friend of Lilian’s he has his own blood rushing abilities that come in particularly useful when prospecting and lend him the friendship of a magpie. Those are the main characters and we of course have the supporting cast of arch baddies and cunning fae.
I loved the western setting. We have a frontier town where the railroads are forging ahead into new lands where they are frankly not always welcome – not only by the indigenous population but also the strange ghosts who seem to be able to use the very rail tracks themselves to turn into murderous monsters.
There is undoubtedly quite a lot going on here to enjoy. I think what particularly sold this novel to me was the writing style. Galley has a very engaging storytelling voice that I really enjoyed. I thought he set the scene well, his characters were interesting but more than that he managed to bring a really good combination of intrigue, fantasy and horror together whilst also injecting humour and lighter moments into the story.
In terms of criticisms. Well, this is a bit of a slow burner of a book – not an issue for me personally but may be for others and I admit that it probably could have been sharpened slightly. I think my main issues could boil down to a slight irritation with finding out that Merion is about to become quite special in terms of bloodrushing (it’s just one of my pet irritations where the young protagonist finds out they’re super special) and the ending was a bit of a stretch. Okay, I’m reading fantasy here so I’m already suspending belief to a very large extent but (and I’m trying to avoid spoilers here) I think I would have liked the ending to have been more of a team effort.
However, in spite of a few niggles, which were relatively minor, I really enjoyed this story. The writing is captivating, the story is very entertaining, it’s intriguing and fun and I will certainly continue reading this series.
What Remains of Heroes byDavid Benem #SPFBO
What Remains of Heroes is another of my SPFBO books and I must say it’s a good tale and well written.
This story takes us to a medieval style world where the forces of good and evil are once again pitting their wits. Told from multiple point of views we are immediately introduced to the key players.
Lannick is a disgraced army captain, formerly a hero. His family are dead and he now spends the majority of his time staring at the bottom of the tankard. Lannick was a captain in the army but he actually has another role and his captaincy was a secondary fiddle really. This will all become clear and so I don’t want to elaborate.
Bale is a cleric, timid and book loving. He’s going to find himself taking on a much bigger role than he’s comfortable with. Really pushed outside his comfort zone! He will be sent out on his own to try and locate a key figure, a Sentinel. Sentinels are like lesser Gods, if you will and during the course of this book – one of them has gone missing under mysterious circumstances which I won’t elaborate on.
Karnag is a mercenary, well actually an assassin for hire. Hard bitten, totally unforgiving. He likes his line of work – you could say he’s more a ‘live to work’ type of guy rather than a ‘work to live’ one. He’s been hired for a very lucrative job and he and his motley crew are in search of their prey.
The plot – well, there’s no shortage of action. There’s a plot to overthrow the king who remains without heir. At the same time an invading force are attacking and working their way across the land. The forces of evil are once again stirring with the shadows becoming places to fear and Karnag and his band of assassins are in search of a man who is pivotal to the safety of the country.
Now, what I really liked about this is that the author manages to not get stuck in the usual ruts. His characters don’t go down the path you at first expect. There’s no immediate cure for Lannick. He doesn’t just snap out of his morose alcoholism to become a hero overnight. He pretty much continues to wallow around. Bale. Well he starts off a bookish unlikely hero and he pretty much continues in the same fashion and Karnag – well, his role is usurped completely by Fencress, one of his assassins. Obviously he still makes an appearance but Fencress, I thought, pretty much stole the show.
I must say that I got off to a really good start with this one. The writing is good, the author sets the scene well and the characters are unusual on top of which there is some very good imagination going on here.
What brought this novel down a little for me were a combination of things. Firstly, there was a little bit of repetition with the characters. For example, Bale was constantly thinking that he wasn’t the right man for the job and so was Lannick! I can understand the self doubt to be honest because of their individual circumstances but I felt like the author kept reinforcing the point which wasn’t really necessary. There was also quite a bit of info dumping during conversations which ended up making them seem quite unwieldy. Lastly, for some reason that I really can’t put my finger on and could simply be a ‘mood’ factor was that I lost my focus during the latter third of the book. I don’t know why but my interest just really dipped. I really don’t know why but it made my enjoyment of the book wane a little.
On the whole I think this is a good read with some very intriguing elements. I would be interested in reading the second book not only to see if my reading of this was affected by mood but also to see where the author takes the story next.
Shattered Sands by W G Saraband #SPFBO
Shattered Sands by W G Saraband is one of my SPFBO books (details here).
The story sets off at a fairly brisk pace as we are introduced to the leading characters. We have two females – Tamazi and Sabra. Tamazi is a slave and at the start of the book her master, the Great Vizier of Rilmaaqish is taken with Tamazi the only surviving witness. A fact that leads to her imprisonment. We then meet up with Sabra, a young woman who not only experiences a very unpleasant attack on her way home but then finds her father murdered and her home destroyed. As you can see, within but a few chapters we have a very dramatic start to the story.
We have a prison break with a character known as Asmun being rescued from his life long imprisonment. At the same time, Sarati, a Magistrate at the college assembly is being manipulated into an unwanted marriage by one of the Mages who also serves on the assembly. And, finally we make the acquaintance of Festus, an Ambassador of the Werde Empire who is based out in Rilmaaqish. This is an unhappy posting for Festus however he certainly doesn’t anticipate the sequence of events that leave him penniless and injured making his way across the desert to try and return to his family.
The rest of the story follows these characters on their strange journeys and gradually reveal a country on the brink of war, political backstabbing and maneuvering and the rise once again of magic with the signs indicating the unfortunate involvement of necromancy and the dark arts.
The setting has a middle eastern feel with Rilmaaqish having a very busy and heavily populated feel. Crowded streets, bustling bazaars, deserts and oasis extend beyond the City boundaries. There is a rich history which is still unfolding even as this story concludes. It appears that magic was once very real but misuse led to it’s demise. However, there is change in the air, signs and portents that could spell a return to a more magical period. There is a good deal of instability with political posturing and back stabbing as the different factions seek to gain more control and on top of that an underground movement by the commoners who are tired of being downtrodden and are poised on the edge of rebellion.
Overall I think this is a very intriguing tale with some interesting ideas. Djinns, huge scorpions, dark magic and other fantastical elements that, all taken together, make for an entertaining read.
In terms of criticisms. Well the main problem I had with the book was with certain elements of the writing style. There were quite a number of typos throughout the book which is slightly irritating but not enough to overly concern me. My real issue stemmed more from the use of certain phrases, at times the writing would either bring me up short because it seemed unlikely or would pull me out of the story completely in a bit of an irritating fashion. There was also a certain element in the writing that seemed to be trying to be two things at once – in one respect the writing would in one moment be quite flowery and descriptive and have an almost old school feel about it but then in the next would be a bit jarringly crude and dark. The two just didn’t seem to sit well together for me and that coupled with a general bleakness to the story with very little in the way of light relief had the effect of turning this into more of a 3 than a 4 star read.
I have to hand it to the author – he’s come up with a very interesting story which ends with a promise of more goodness yet to come. It’s a shame that the above issues detracted a little from the story for me personally. I don’t mean to be overly critical and I would probably still read the next instalment to see if the same issues remain but for this particular book I think a little more editing would have made quite a difference.
Under a Colder Sun (Khale the Wanderer #1) by Greg James #SPFBO
Under a Colder Sun is one of the SPFBO finalists that I’ve just finished reading.
The story begins with a couple of soldiers seeking out a character called Khale to convey to him a message from the King. The kingdom of Colm is in trouble with potential attack and devastation looming from two sides. King Alosse believes that Khale can help keep war at bay and is prepared to pay – although he has no idea the true cost. Khale does indeed embark on this journey, a trek across a desolate country that will lead to a cursed city.
I started Under a Cold Son with absolutely no idea what it was about and was fairly quickly drawn in. This isn’t a long story but it definitely has a fairly solid pace and it was a quick read. I would have liked a little more substance, but, more of that follows.
The setting. Well, I’m a bit puzzled by it and I think the shortness of the story doesn’t help in that it doesn’t really give enough time for any significant world building. This is a barren place where people struggle to survive, even in some areas resorting to desperate measures for their next meal. Personally, and I could be mistaken, I gained the impression this was a post apocalyptic world. It felt like there were layers of long lost civilisations just beneath the surface and the harsh conditions were potentially the result of some sort of fallout – like I said, not entirely sure that’s correct.
The main character is Khale. Very much the anti-hero. One of those characters that starts out quite despicable and quite feared by everyone around him but then begins to soften somehow. Well, he doesn’t really soften but he definitely develops feelings that were a little unexpected. I won’t give too much away about Khale. He certainly has very strong powers and appears practically invincible. Everybody believes he is demon possessed and his yellow eyes certainly give credence to this. He has committed terrible actions in the past and is now cursed and frankly world weary to boot.
The other main characters are Leste. A soldier, in fact one of the pair that we meet at the start of the story. Leste has hopes of becoming a hero. She’s not a bad character to get along with but I never totally fell in love with her. She has this sort of loud, bravado type naivety nailed down and seems to be constantly making threats or rushing into the fray without much chance of carrying them through or winning the day. I suppose she comes across as a little ‘bark worse than bite’. Princess Milanda has led a sheltered, nay, very sheltered, existence and the reasons for that will quickly become clear. It would be easy for her to come across as simpering but in actual fact she does manage to stand up for herself and gain a little respect as the story progresses. Her story isn’t exactly brimming over with good memories and happiness though.
The plot. It’s difficult to really go into the plot not only because I don’t want to go into spoilers but also because its actually a little slim – which I suppose it understandable for a novel of this size. Let’s just say it’s a quest with swords and sorcery along the way set in a very bleak landscape with flawed characters.
In terms of criticisms. Well, before I go there – I thought the writing was good, I think it could use a little editing here and there as some chapters were really quite strong with others not so much. But, overall, I did like James’ style. I think to be blunt the world building and characterisation needs more. This is a thin book with a more chunky book inside it wanting to break out. More often than not you will hear people say ‘this could have been cut, etc, etc’, I think in this instance this should have been expanded. It feels like it wants to be epic but then somebody went and chopped out half the story. It just leaves me with a story that I quite enjoyed and was poised on the brink of really enjoying but then I just didn’t quite get that push over the edge and it ends up making me feel a bit cheated somehow. I also felt like the characters weren’t always completely true to themselves in terms of jumping around a little bit with their abilities. One minute all powerful, the next almost losing the battle. And, I wanted more show and less tell. Khale is a good example of that, we’re just told he’s all powerful but it never really feels that the promise of his power is demonstrated.
On the whole though, I did find this a good read and given the ending I would be keen to see what comes next.
Books and travelling with Lynn 