Narilka reads in 2017

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Narilka reads in 2017

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1Narilka
Modifié : Déc 30, 2017, 4:11 pm

Happy New Year! This is my third year with Club Read. 2016 ended up being a great year of reading for me and I'm really looking forward to 2017. This year I'm taking part in two challenges. I'm doing the TBR challenge again, where I attempt to read at least 12 from my TBR list. I've also joined a general 2017 Challenge in a group on Good Reads. Details for both challenges will be posted below. As always I review every book I read and love hearing what others thought of the same book.

About my reading
I tend to read a lot of fantasy. I do read and enjoy other genres, it's just that fantasy is my favorite. I am fairly forgiving so I expect to have many 3 star and up reads.

My Rating System
- Absolutely horrible, don't bother

- Meh, I finished the book somehow but would not recommend it

- An entertaining read

- Very good, I would probably recommend this book

- Excellent! A new favorite and one I could read again.

A half star is given for a book that falls between those categories.

Currently Reading

Listening To

Books Read in 2017
1. The Colour of Magic by Terry Pratchett
2. Old Man's War by John Scalzi
3. The Hero of Ages by Brandon Sanderson
4. All My Patients Have Tales by Jeff Wells, DVM
5. Clariel by Garth Nix
6. His Majesty's Dragon by Naomi Novik
7. Summer Knight by Jim Butcher
8. The Rithmatist by Brandon Sanderson
9. Awaken Online: Catharsis by Travis Bagwell
10. The Light Fantastic by Terry Pratchett
11. The Cat, the Lady and the Liar by Leann Sweeney
12. Truthwitch by Susan Dennard
13. Lock In by John Scalzi
14. Unlocked: An Oral History of Haden's Syndrome by John Scalzi
15. The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers
16. We Are Legion (We Are Bob) by Dennis E. Taylor
17. Windwitch by Susan Dennard
18. Magic Burns by Ilona Andrews
19. Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson
20. Firefight by Brandon Sanderson
21. Calamity by Brandon Sanderson
22. Wired to Eat by Robb Wolf
23. Mitosis by Brandon Sanderson
24. This Time Together by Carol Burnett
25. The Immortals by Jordanna Max Brodsky
26. Awaken Online: Precipice by Travis Bagwell
27. The Merchant Emperor by Elizabeth Haydon
28. Nice Dragons Finish Last by Rachel Aaron
29. The Hollow Queen by Elizabeth Haydon
30. For We Are Many by Dennis E. Taylor
31. The Golden Compass by Phillip Pullman
32. Clean Sweep by Ilona Andrews
33. Red Sister by Mark Lawrence
34. The Cat, the Wife and the Weapon by Leann Sweeney
35. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J. K. Rowling
36. Sleeping Giants by Sylvain Neuvel
37. The Last Star by Rick Yancey
38. Sweep in Peace by Ilona Andrews
39. Kings of the Wyld by Nicholas Eamse
40. The Weavers Lament by Elizabeth Haydon
41. Born a Crime by Trevor Noah
42. One Fell Sweep by Ilona Andrews
43. One Good Dragon Deserves Another by Rachel Aaron
44. Waking Gods by Sylvain Neuvel
45. Magic Strikes by Ilona Andrews
46. Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman
47. Arthur: The dog who crossed the jungle to find a home by Mikael Lindnord
48. All These Worlds by Dennis E. Taylor
49. Weekend Warriors by Fern Michaels
50. Redshirts by John Scalzi
51. The Dragon's Path by Daniel Abraham
52. The Emperor's Soul by Brandon Sanderson
53. Auschwitz: A Doctor's Eyewitness Account by Miklos Nyiszli
54. Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett
55. No Good Dragon Goes Unpunished by Rachel Aaron
56. The Girl With All the Gifts by M. R. Carey
57. A Dragon of a Different Color by Rachel Aaron
58. Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency by Douglas Adams
59. Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky
60. Dragon Keeper by Robin Hobb
61. Dragon Haven by Robin Hobb
62. City of Dragons by Robin Hobb
63. Blood of Dragons by Robin Hobb
64. Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne
65. Death Masks by Jim Butcher
66. Interesting Times by Terry Pratchett
67. Hounded by Kevin Hearne
68. The Subtle Knife by Phillip Pullman
69. Artemis by Andy Weir
70. The Amber Spyglass by Phillip Pullman
71. Rest Ye Murdered Gentlemen by Vicki Delany
72. Guardians of the West by David Eddings
73. Hexed by Kevin Hearne
74. King of the Murgos by David Eddings

Fun Stats
Books Read: 74
Total Pages Read: 21421
Hours Listened To: 165h 42m
Rereads: 4
TBR Challenge: 13/12
2017 Category Challenge: 39/52

2Narilka
Modifié : Nov 22, 2017, 8:35 pm

TBR Challenge
This is a challenge to read more from my TBR pile this year. Pick 12 books that I've been meaning to read and add them to the list. Try to finish one a month. I've done Primary and Secondary lists in case something in the Primary list just isn't working for me. This year I've added a personal challenge to mix in more non-fantasy books so I can pretend I'm a well rounded reader ;)

Progress
13/12

Primary
1. The Colour of Magic by Terry Pratchett (fantasy - humor) Completed 1/4/17
2. The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers (scifi - space opera) Completed 3/21/17
3. Clariel by Garth Nix (fantasy - adventure) Completed 2/2/17
4. Red Rising by Pierce Brown (scifi - dystopia)
5. This Time Together by Carol Burnett (memoir - celebrity) Completed 4/30/17
6. Good Omens by Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett (fantasy - humor) Completed 8/20/17
7. Killing Reagan by Bill O'Reilly (history - USA)
8. Dragon Keeper by Robin Hobb (fantasy - epic) Completed 10/27/17
9. All My Patients Have Tales by Jeff Wells (memoir - animal) Completed 1/24/17
10. The Cat, the Lady and the Liar by Leann Sweeney (mystery - cozy) Completed 3/11/17
11. Summer Knight by Jim Butcher (fantasy - urban) Completed 2/15/17
12. The Man in the Iron Mask by Alexandre Dumas (classics)

Secondary
1. The Republic of Thieves by Scott Lynch (fantasy)
2. Black Ships by Jo Graham (fantasy - historical)
3. Wool by Hugh Howey (scifi - dystopia)
4. Weekend Warriors by Fern Michaels (mystery) Completed 8/31/17
5. Zeroes by Scott Westerfeld (fantasy - superheroes)
6. Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency by Douglas Adams (scifi - mystery) Completed 10/16/17
7. Before They Are Hanged by Joe Abercrombie (fantasy - epic)*
8. The Merchant Emperor by Elizabeth Haydon (fantasy - epic)* Completed 5/23/17
9. Foreigner by C. J. Cherryh (scifi - first contact)*
10. Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne (classics) Completed 11/22/17
11. A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson (science-ish?)
12. Digital Fortress by Dan Brown (thriller)*

*Carried over from a prior TBR challenge.

3Narilka
Modifié : Déc 25, 2017, 7:07 pm

2017 Category Reading Challenge
This is a challenge I'm participating in a group on Good Reads. Looks like it may be interesting. If anyone else thinks this would be fun feel free to copy/paste this into your own thread and see how you do!

RULES
- Books must be started and finished in 2017
- One book can count for a maximum of two categories
- You can join in at any point in the year and the books you have already read can count towards the challenge
- Graphic novels count
- No minimum page count (unless the category states)

PROGRESS
39/52

CHALLENGE:
( ) A book recommended by a librarian
(X) A book that's been on your TBR list for way too long The Emperor's Soul
(X) A book of letters Sleeping Giants
(X) An audiobook Awaken Online: Catharsis
(X) A book by a person of color Born a Crime
(X) A book with one of the four seasons in the title Summer Knight
(X) A book that is a story within a story Redshirts
(X) A book with multiple authors Good Omens
( ) An espionage thriller
(X) A book with a cat on the cover All My Patients Have Tales
(X) A book by an author who uses a pseudonym Dragon Keeper
(X) A bestseller from a genre you don't normally read The Girl With All the Gifts
(X) A book by or about a person who has a disability Lock In
(X) A book involving travel The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet
(X) A book with a subtitle Unlocked: An Oral History of Haden's Syndrome
(X) A book that's published in 2017 Windwitch
(X) A book involving a mythical creature Nice Dragons Finish Last
(X) A book you've read before that never fails to make you smile Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
( ) A book about food
( ) A book with career advice
(X) A book from a nonhuman perspective We Are Legion (We Are Bob)
(X) A steampunk novel The Rithmatist
(X) A book with a red spine His Majesty's Dragon
(X) A book set in the wilderness Arthur: The dog who crossed the jungle to find a home
(X) A book you loved as a child Guardians of the West
(X) A book by an author from a country you've never visited Born a Crime
(X) A book with a title that's a character's name Clariel
(X) A novel set during wartime His Majesty's Dragon
( ) A book with an unreliable narrator
(X) A book with pictures The Rithmatist
(X) A book where the main character is a different ethnicity than you Artemis
(X) A book about an interesting woman This Time Together
(X) A book set in two different time periods Red Sister
( ) A book with a month or day of the week in the title
(X) A book set in a hotel Sweep in Peace
( ) A book written by someone you admire
( ) A book that's becoming a movie in 2017
( ) A book set around a holiday other than Christmas
(X) The first book in a series you haven't read before Truthwitch
(X) A book you bought on a trip Windwitch

Advanced
( ) A book recommended by an author you love
(X) A bestseller from 2016 Truthwitch
(X) A book with a family member term in the title Red Sister
( ) A book that takes place over a character's life span
(X) A book about an immigrant or refugee Children of Time
(X) A book from a genre/subgenre you've never heard of Awaken Online: Catharsis
(X) A book with an eccentric character Calamity
( ) A book that's more than 800 pages
(X) A book you got from a used book sale All My Patients Have Tales
( ) A book that's been mentioned in another book
(X) A book about a difficult topic Auschwitz: A Doctor's Eyewitness Account
(X) A book based on mythology The Immortals

4OscarWilde87
Jan 2, 2017, 3:58 am

Dropping my star... Interesting challenge, Narilka!

5valkyrdeath
Jan 3, 2017, 6:09 pm

Some interesting books on your TBR challenge. Good Omens is a favourite of mine. Starring your thread so I don't lose track of it!

6Narilka
Jan 4, 2017, 4:30 pm

1. The Colour of Magic by Terry Pratchett



The Colour of Magic is the first book in Terry Pratchett's Discworld series. I have been reading and enjoying Discworld for many years now and this is the first time I've read the very first book. I understand why people recommend starting the series elsewhere and coming back to this one later. It reads as a series of four connected short stories instead of one cohesive novel. It is not a bad place to start your Discworld experience, it just isn't indicative of what the rest of the series will be like.

Things start off innocently enough. Rincewind, the Disc's most incompetent wizard, becomes an involuntary tour guide to the Disc's first tourist, Twoflowers, and his luggage. Forced to flee Ankh-Morpork to escape a city wide fire, they begin a traveling adventure across the Disc. Twoflowers is determined to see as much of the Disc as he can and Rincewind is determined not to die along the way. Hilarity ensues.

It was great to finally read the beginning of the series. No, it is not Pratchett's strongest work, but it definitely shows the promise of what Discworld will become in future novels. Each story gets progressively better and they are all quite amusing. There are several jokes that require prior knowledge of classic fantasy tropes to fully understand the humor. The absurdity of chain mail bikinis, adding exclamation points to names so they seem exotic and gods using mortals as game pieces to name a few. I hear The Light Fantastic directly follows this one as a sort of duology, so I plan to pick it up later this year as this book ends in a literal cliffhanger.

Rating:

7dchaikin
Jan 4, 2017, 10:30 pm

I'm attached to these two early books and Twoflower and his luggage. I know it's not his best work, but the energy and creativity is there. The sparks are flying. But I've forgotten all the details...like the chainmail bikinis.

8Narilka
Jan 5, 2017, 11:00 am

I did a little further Googling. Apparently that section is also poking fun at the Pern books, which I haven't read. I'm curious but not really sure I ever want to try them now lol

9Narilka
Jan 8, 2017, 1:53 pm

2. Old Man's War by John Scalzi



From the back of the book:

John Perry did two things on his 75th birthday. First he visited his wife's grave. Then he joined the army.

If that isn't one hell of a way to start a military science fiction novel, I don't know what is. Old Man's War is the first book in the Old Man's War series by John Scalzi. The story begins by giving a traditional military scifi plot a unique twist. Humanity has survived long enough to start colonizing other planets. The Colonial Defense Force, who's purpose it is to protect those colonies from hostile alien races, recruits seniors on their 75th birthday to join the war effort. Enlistees are granted youth again through an amazing life extension process and then it's straight to boot camp to prepare them for battle. The universe is not a nice place. Turns out that planets fit for life are scarce and the competition to control those planets is fierce. The war has been going on for decades. CDF soldiers must serve a minimum of two years on the front lines and are told bluntly that most of them will die before the end of their first tour of duty. If they survive, they'll be given the option to retire on the planet of their choice or they can re-enlist and keep helping the war effort. The downside is that once you enlist you can never go back to Earth or see your loved ones again. The trade off seems worth it since most seniors were already starting to face the hard reality of dying from old age and age related illnesses.

I can't remember the last time I read a fiction book where the majority of the characters are 75 years old and up. What a kick that the military is recruiting seniors! The CDF gains new solders that have the benefit of a lifetime of experience and wisdom instead of the idealism of youth. I'm sure this isn't a new concept but it's the first time I've read it. I liked that the science parts of the book were slightly vague yet plausible so my logical mind didn't try to pick apart the ideas. While I don't think that real world science will catch up any time soon, it would be pretty amazing if it did. I know I'd sign up assuming I make it to my 75th birthday.

The story is told entirely from the first person view point of John Perry. He is a good guy and a natural born leader. He makes friends easily and truly cares about his comrades in arms. For a while all the accepted and sometimes gleeful violence was starting to worry me so I was glad when Perry had a serious attack of conscience when his unit is forced perform an act of genocide on an enemy that literally can't fight back - they are only one inch tall. Unfortunately John is a bit of a Gary Stu. He always comes up with the exact right answers to situations and seems to be the last man standing a lot, surviving against impossible odds in difficult scenarios. The supporting cast is well thought out. Each has enough personality and background that they feel fairly real. The banter between characters is one of the highlights of the book.

I listened to the audio book narrated by William Dufris. I thought the narrator did a great job. His tone nails the dry wit and cynicism of Scalzi's writing perfectly. The only downside is he doesn't differentiate his female characters well enough and sometimes I got confused as to who was talking when it was a big group of people.

Over all the book is a lot of fun. If you like the science in your fiction to be more exact, then you may be disappointed. Otherwise the story touches on many subjects (community, friendship, politics), has a unique premise, well written action and witty character dialog. There is even a small romance thrown in for good measure. I can see myself continuing this series in the future.

Rating:

10dchaikin
Jan 9, 2017, 7:43 am

Entertained by your review. And interesting what if question, among other things.

11Narilka
Jan 10, 2017, 9:12 am

I'm glad you enjoyed it :)

12AnnieMod
Jan 10, 2017, 5:55 pm

>9 Narilka: Love the review. :) I am yet to get around to that series (maybe this year) but I generally like his style :)

13valkyrdeath
Jan 10, 2017, 6:20 pm

>9 Narilka: Good review of the Scalzi book! I've still not got round to reading anything by him, but I really need to. Redshirts is the one that's been on my list for quite some time, but it sounds like this is worth a read.

14Narilka
Jan 10, 2017, 8:18 pm

Thanks! Redshirts does look like fun and I also liked the blurb for Lock In. There is definitely more Scalzi in my future.

15Narilka
Jan 21, 2017, 11:58 am

3. The Hero of Ages by Brandon Sanderson



The Hero of Ages is the third and final book of Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn trilogy. And what an end it is! The stakes for the final battle are quite clear. The world is literally ending. Having been tricked at the Well of Ascension, Vin has released a great evil on the world. The ashmounts are erupting constantly and plants are starting to die due to a heavy coating of ash and lack of sun. The ground is being rent apart by violent earthquakes and lava flows. The mists continue to kill. Life will soon be unsustainable. Vin and Elend must follow clues left by the Lord Ruler in the hope they can save the world.

While most authors who write stories like these leave hints and clues for the reader throughout their books, Sanderson is a master. Every single clue, no matter how small, that has been laid out since the beginning are tied together and explained. And they all work. Some of the clues I was able to figure out myself, some I missed entirely and a few I was completely wrong about. It was great fun to be kept guessing until the very end. He even leaves a couple tantalizing nuggets that I'm sure are going to feature in the next Mistborn series.

All the characters that we've come to know and love are back. It's plain to see just how events have changed them. A heavy sense of dread, frustration and helplessness influences all the characters, even the bad guys. Gone is the naive, scholarly Elend Venture and instead we're shown a ruler who is willing to do anything it takes to try and save his people, even if he's not sure what it is he should do. Vin is still quite the bad ass, though she has no idea how to fight a force of nature. Poor Sazed. I alternated between feeling badly for him and wanting to shake him out of his melancholy after he loses his faith. Some characters that had minor roles before are given bigger ones. Spook comes into his own. He grows from a shy, timid youth into a confident man and revolutionary. It's also interesting how we're shown with his character can happen to someone who over uses their allomantic power, what it does to their mind and body. Marsh, another background character, has been given more page time. Through Marsh we're given an inside look at what it's like to be an Inquisitor and just how awful Ruin's power is. I was also really glad to see the kandra TenSoon back. The kandra had really grown on me. I'm glad he had an important part to play.

The world building continues as well. Just when you think there isn't much more to learn, Sanderson proves you wrong. Turns out there's a third aspect of metal magic that's been in play all along. We're also given insight into just what the koloss and kandra are, which was fascinating.

As to the ending itself, it is quite bittersweet. So many reveals. So many twists and turns. I devoured the last 200 pages in about an hour it was so engaging. All story lines are resolved and it's absolutely brilliant. It is fully satisfying end to the trilogy even though I knew going in that not everyone would survive. It would not have felt authentic to the characters or the world had everything been a perfect, happy ending. That said, the story ends with hope and I cannot wait to read more in the Mistborn universe after the final book of the second series is written.

Rating:

16dchaikin
Jan 21, 2017, 2:31 pm

Enjoyed this review (the first paragraph felt a little like our real world...or maybe that's just my mood). I've have thought about reading this series and in the right mood, I might. Glad to know it holds up well.

17Narilka
Jan 21, 2017, 7:27 pm

>16 dchaikin: Thanks Dan. I think maybe a bit of both. In some ways it does cover the despair many are feeling with the real world right now. For us at least things could be different again in 4 years instead of having to wait 1000! I hope you do give them a try eventually. Just make sure you're ready for some door stoppers. I think the shortest one was 650 pages lol

18janemarieprice
Jan 22, 2017, 10:45 am

>15 Narilka: I loved this series as well. Your review makes me want to re-read them.

19Narilka
Jan 25, 2017, 10:25 am

4. All My Patients Have Tales by Jeff Wells, DVM



All My Patients Have Tales by Jeff Wells, DVM, is a short memoir about the early years of Jeff's veterinary practice. Each chapter relates a different story, starting off with how Jeff made it through veterinary school and on through his first 2-3 years of practice dealing with both the animals and their owners. The stories are heart warming and funny. Jeff's love of animals shines through. It was a nice, short read.

Rating:

20Narilka
Fév 2, 2017, 10:04 pm

5. Clariel by Garth Nix



"A passion thwarted will oft go astray."

Clariel by Garth Nix is the fourth book publication wise in the Old Kingdom series though technically it is a prequel to Sabriel. The story is set roughly 600 years before the birth of Sabriel. The world definitely has a different feel to it. Gone is the feeling of menace and dread. In it's place you can see how the world and it's peoples have become complacent during a long period of peace. The Abhorsen is more concerned with going on Great Hunts than protecting the kingdom since there's been no sign of the Dead in many years. The current King has refused to rule and locked himself in his castle, forcing the people to fend for themselves. The Guilds have taken the opportunity to seize power and enforce their will upon the populace. The story is set almost entirely in the city of Belisaere with no mention at all of Ancelstierre.

Just as the world has an entirely different feel, Clariel is an entirely different story. It is a hero journey that goes tragically wrong. A common phrase from the previous trilogy is repeated here and takes on new meaning: "Does the walker choose the path, or the path the walker?" Clariel wants nothing more than to live a simple life in the Great Forest in Estwael. This one simple wish is denied over and over again, first by her parents trying to marry her off to a murderer, then by being caught up in the politics of the Guilds in the city and again through the wiles of Free Magic creatures. Clariel is offered little choice in any of these situations and it's no wonder it takes her down a destructive path.

It took a while for Clariel to grow on me. Having read the original trilogy fairly recently, I was used to the obvious heroism of Sabriel and Lirael so was a bit of a shock that Clariel was not like them at all. She's very self absorbed and completely focused on her dream of a simple life. Her family and society sees her only as a child of a noble house to be married off for political gain. It's no wonder that Clariel focuses mostly on her dreams even though they never come true. She ends on a dark path indeed. It's also a fun easter egg for fans to realize just who's back story we're reading.

I think this is one of those books that benefits by having read the original trilogy first. While it is an interesting story and has themes that any new reader to the series can identify with - what happens if one gives in anger and the temptation of power - by having Sabriel and Lirael's stories to compare to is what makes Clariel more poignant.

Rating:

21Narilka
Fév 8, 2017, 8:58 pm

6. His Majesty's Dragon by Naomi Novik



It is the early 1800's. The French Empire, led by Napoleon Bonaparte, is at war with many of Europe's nations. Britain, though small, is leading the resistance. Both side's aerial combatants have taken to the skies to advance the war efforts. There is one twist: instead of aircraft the combatants having taken flight on the backs of dragons.

His Majesty's Dragon is the first in Naomi Novik's Temeraire series. Historical fantasy usually isn't my thing so when my book club picked this one for the monthly read I wasn't excited. Having always loved dragons I decided to give the book a try anyway and I'm so glad I did. The story opens with the HMS Reliant capturing a French ship. Part of her cargo is an unhatched dragon egg. England's Aerial Corps are always in need of more dragons and this is a handsome prize! Much to everyone's surprise the ship's doctor determines that the egg is close to hatching. Captain Will Laurence has all of his officers, himself included, draw lots to see who will be the unfortunate man charged with the task to attempt to harness (bond with) the dragon. If successful that would mean the end of the man's Navy career and he would have to enter the Corps. Little does Laurence realize just how his life is about to change.

Laurence is a proper gentlemen and could easily have been lifted straight out of Pride and Prejudice with his formal attire, mode of speech and sense of duty and propriety. Temeraire absolutely stole my heart. He is highly intelligent, charming, funny and sees the world with a child's wonder. He is full of exuberance and the desire to learn. Their growing friendship and bond is the best part of the book. The relationship between dragon and aviator is all consuming and it is great to see what lengths a good aviator will go to in order to care for his dragon. Or her dragon, as there are also female aviators, though they are not as common. It's the small details, such as Laurence spending an evening reading to Temeraire, that has me completely sold on the camaraderie and affection between the two.

The Aerial Corps are also quite unique. The dragons have an entire crew that joins them in battle by using a complex system of hooks and harnesses to stay on board during flight. The crew includes gunners, spotters, bombers, etc., similar to what you'd find on a ship. They all train together to form one cohesive team. I liked the concept a lot.

The story is not without its faults. The plot is straight forward, following Laurence and Temeraire's training in the Corps and on to their first couple battles. There are no plot twists so it was fairly easy to see where things were going and several of the supporting characters have a stereotypical feel to them. These were not enough to ruin my enjoyment of the book.

And I really enjoyed this book. I ended up reading it between meetings at work it was that hard for me to put down. It's a short, light and satisfying read, a great start to a series. I look forward to reading more of Temeraire in the future.

Rating:

22Narilka
Fév 16, 2017, 11:36 am

7. Summer Knight by Jim Butcher



As always, Harry Dresden is down on his luck. His girlfriend has left town to deal with her newly acquired taste for blood. Harry has spent all of his time trying to find a cure for her, to the extent of being anti social, not taking clients and not being able to pay his rent. The few friends he has left are worried about him. The Red Court is gunning for him for the trouble he caused several months back. The White Council blames Harry for starting a supernatural war and is in a lynching mood. And then it starts to rain frogs. Literally.

"Okay. But if they're real?"

"If they're real, then it means something is out of whack."

"What kind of out of whack?"

"The serious kind. Holes in the fabric of reality."

Summer Knight is the fourth book in Jim Butcher's Dresden Files. Harry is back and this time he's taking on the Faerie realm. Harry's faerie Godmother has transferred his debt to the Winter Queen of Faerie. The Summer Knight has been murdered and the Winter Queen wants Harry to clear her of the crime. While it seems a fairly straight forward task, Harry knows that when dealing with Faeries there's always a catch. It doesn't take long for him to become stuck in the political squabble between the Courts.

At this point Butcher has the Harry Dresden formula down. First, establish your super powerful hero as an "ordinary" Joe. Second, beat the crap out of him. Third, keep beating the crap out of him right up to the very last minute. Fourth, end with an "all hell breaks loose" climax where the hero finds the strength he needs to save the world yet again. Poor Harry. He has to be one of the most beat down fantasy heroes I've read about. And still he always always rises to the the occasion with the belief that the world is worth saving even after all the suffering he's gone through. It is both endearing and frustrating. Endearing because who doesn't like a good underdog story and frustrating because Harry is pretty bad ass and should have a better control over his life than he seems to.

One of the things I liked most about this book is Harry finally opens up to Lieutenant Murphy. And it's about time!! He's had three books of holding her at arms length, with Murphy saving his ass and yet completely in the dark about what it is that she has been up against. This is a great stride forward and shows actual trust in their friendship, something Harry has been sorely lacking. Murphy gets one of the best scenes in the book when she takes out an evil animated tree with a chainsaw! It was awesome. Also still present throughout the book is Harry's dry wit. His quips continue to be both eye roll worthy and laugh out loud funny.

On the downside, I think I may have read this book at the wrong time. The political machinations between Faerie Courts reminded me a little too much of the political situation in the real world for me to enjoy those parts as much as I may have at another time. Still, it's a highly readable and mostly fun entry into the Dresden series. It also has one of the best battle cries I've read in a book in a long time:

"I don't believe in faeries!"

Rating:

23Narilka
Fév 21, 2017, 11:22 am

8. The Rithmatist by Brandon Sanderson



The Rithmatist is a YA novel and the first in The Rithmatist series by Brandon Sanderson. The book reads well as a stand alone novel, which is good because the second book hasn't been started yet so it's likely going to be a while before it's published. If you've read any YA recently you should know approximately what to expect. It is how Sanderson uses the common YA elements that turns The Rithmatist into such a fun story.

Joel is a student Armedius Academy. Along with its regular students Armedius also trains up Rithmatists, wizard types who duel with chalk by bringing their drawings to life. Joel is fascinated by Rithmatics and wishes he could become a Rithmatist though he will never be one. Instead, Joel has decided to dedicate his life to becoming a Rithmatics scholar and, with that in mind, arranges to have himself assigned as a Rithmatic professor's assistant for the summer semester. Melody is a Rithmatic student at Armedius and is failing miserably. Melody is assigned remedial Rithmatic classes for the summer semester in an attempt to keep from being expelled. Just as the summer semester gets under way, Rithmatic students start going missing. Suspicious chalk markings are found at the scene of the crime. A plot is afoot!

The characters are quite fun. Joel is a smart, brilliant teen aged boy who is still fairly naive and getting better at thinking his way through problems. Melody is both adorable and hysterical at the same time, an interesting combination. She's terrible at her studies, brilliant with chalkings and is given some of the best lines in the book. Professor Fitch starts out as an older and timid professor who ends up gaining the confidence he needs to help both his students grow. Initially Joe and Melody don't like each other very much. In the way of most YA tales, they learn to work together and have a budding friendship by the end. The villains are not what I expected which gave the fairly straight forward story a nice little twist.

The story is set in an alternate America that is formed of separate islands with names like Nebrask and Georgiabama. True to Sanderson, the magic system is unique and a lot of fun. Rithmatics have a heavy foundation in geometry and Sanderson starts off each chapter with a diagram explaining how certain features work. By the end of the story I felt like I had a decent grasp of the system. It's a system that has simple elegance and yet can be highly complex, that requires both skill in art and math by its practitioners.

This was a fun, quick read. The story pulls you in after a few chapters. While primarily aimed at younger audiences, the book can easily be enjoyed by any age group. If you like Sanderson's other works and also enjoy Harry Potter then The Rithmatist may be up your alley.

Rating:

24Yells
Fév 25, 2017, 6:40 pm

>6 Narilka: Good to know! I just bought this one as an e-book and planned to start the series in order but I will keep your words in mind when reading. Everyone I know raves about the series so I figured now would be a good time to start.

25Narilka
Fév 25, 2017, 8:18 pm

>24 Yells: I hope you enjoy it! I just picked up a copy of book 2 today :)

26Narilka
Mar 2, 2017, 12:43 pm

9. Awaken Online: Catharsis by Travis Bagwell



When MMOs become fantasy novels, stats and all, you get LitRPG. I never knew this sub-genre had it's own name. A quick Google search shows me that it's a fairly new thing, one I'm sure will gain popularity especially with virtual reality technology on the rise. Awaken Online: Catharsis came up several times in my Audible recommendations after finishing Ready Player One so I decided to download it and give it a try. Where RPO is a nostalgic adventure novel set in a virtual world, AO is like actually playing a MMO.

Life has not been easy for Jason. From the outside things look pretty good. He's going to an exclusive private school on scholarship and his parents are lawyers so the family is reasonably well off. From the inside, though, things are quite different. His parents are never home, always traveling for work, and Jason's school is for the ultra wealthy so his scholarship means the staff and other students treat him like a charity case. One student in particular has made it his job to make Jason's school life as miserable as possible, even going so far as to set up an situation that ends up with Jason expelled from the school. Frustrated and alone, Jason logs into Awaken Online, a brand new virtual reality game that has just released to the public. The level of immersion and customization is unprecedented and unlike any other game Jason's ever played. Jason quickly finds himself going down a path he never expected, one where he isn't the hero. It may be that he's the villain.

Awaken Online: Cartharsis is the first in the Awaken Online series by Travis Bagwell and is the author's first novel. The story is set in two time periods. Each chapter starts with a small section that is during the game's development period a couple years before the release and then jumps forward to present day and Jason's story. I found the game development sections fascinating as it talks about how they're testing out the artificial intelligence system the programmers created to run the game, how it is growing and learning, changing the game on its own, even scaring the creators with some of the things it's done. Jason's story starts off as a typical teen drama of going to school. Jason suffers several bad events so when he gets home he's ready to take out his frustrations on the new MMO game that just released. Upon entering the world Jason is taken through a highly customized introduction that helps define what his character's class will be. Completely unknown to Jason, the game's AI has picked up on his emotional state and uses it to craft Jason's game experience. It ends up being a unique experience indeed! He is lead through several morally ambiguous scenarios which set him on a dark path. It's these situations and Jason's actions that make the story so interesting, giving his character depth and letting us understand how it is to have a sympathetic bad guy. Or is he the bad guy? Nothing is quite as it seems.

This is definitely a book by a gamer for gamers. If you aren't into video games, I'm not sure you'll enjoy or completely understand the story. The author dives into the technical bits of the game, describing Jason's stats, level ups, skills, etc. and does a great job of working them into the story. Even the NPCs are interesting and fun. If real world gaming technology ever catches up to something like what's in this story I may have to become a gamer again.

The audio book is narrated by David Stifel. He does a great job and even uses sound effects to really sell the gaming experience.

This book ended up being a lot of fun. And then, after the big climax, it just ends on a fairly large bomb shell. I will definitely be picking up book 2 when it releases.

Rating:

27Narilka
Mar 6, 2017, 11:54 am

10. The Light Fantastic by Terry Pratchett



The Light Fantastic is the second in Terry Pratchett's Discworld series and picks up right where the first book left off. A red star has appeared in the sky and the Disc is heading straight for it. Only one person can save the world. Unfortunately it's the bumbling, incompetent wizard Rincewind, who was last seen falling off the edge of the world.

The book is presented in the regular Discworld format and is told as one contiguous story instead of the short story format of the first book. You can still see that Pratchett is still working on his world building as a few of what will become the regular cast are still being worked out. The style is almost to what we'll see in the rest of the series.

It took me a while to get into the book. Things started to pick up for me when Cohen the Barbarian joined the group. Who would've thought you could make an 87 year old twist of Conan be so much fun. And so useful! He definitely steals the scenes he is in and was a lot fun to read about. Also back are Twoflowers and the Luggage. Twoflowers continues to be blissfully ignorant and somehow manages to make it through his adventure ok. The Luggage, while as malevolent as ever, begins to take on a bit more depth as it starts to display some basic emotions. Not bad for an animated object. The story wraps up with a more touching the ending than I had expected.

Rating:

28Narilka
Mar 11, 2017, 9:18 pm

11. The Cat, the Lady and the Liar by Leann Sweeney



Jillian Hart is at it again! There is a cat in trouble and she must help out. A gorgeous stray cat has been found by the local animal shelter and Jillian has agreed to help track down the owner, who happens to be none other than Ritaestelle Longworth, the fabulously wealthy owner of a large estate in a neighboring town. Rumor has it that there is something wrong with Ritaestelle and her family claims she's been stealing form stores around town. Ritaestelle claims someone has been drugging her and spreading lies. Before Jillian can get to the bottom of things a body turns up in the lake behind Jillian's house with none other than Ritaestelle standing nearby.

The Cat, the Lady and the Liar is the third in Leann Sweeney's Cat's in Trouble series. I am absolutely loving these cozy mysteries. The characters have grown on me to the point I feel like I'm visiting old friends. Jillian is back along with her best friend Deputy Candice Carson, step daughter Kara and new boyfriend/PI Tom Stewart. We are also introduced to the Longworth family and in the next town over. What a group of characters! It is unfortunate and completely believable that a group of people would behave so badly to towards their benefactor. Leann Sweeney knows her cats! Jillian's cats contributed greatly to the story, helping to provide clues without being overly obvious.

The mystery is well done, lots of clues and small town gossip, with nice little twists and a misdirection that kept me guessing almost to the end. It was a satisfying read.

Rating:

29valkyrdeath
Mar 19, 2017, 6:59 pm

>27 Narilka: The moment when Cohen shows up with the discussion on what the three best things in life are is one of my favourites in that book. I always loved that character.

30Narilka
Mar 20, 2017, 12:45 pm

>29 valkyrdeath: I've not finished the series yet but from what I have read so far it's a shame Cohen hasn't shown up more often on later Discworld books.

31Narilka
Mar 20, 2017, 2:45 pm

12. Truthwitch by Susan Dennard



Truthwitch is the first in Susan Dennard's Witchland series. At its heart this is a story about the power of friendship wrapped in a fantasy adventure set in a world that's loosely based on the Austrian and Venetian empires. Even the world map in the front of the book looks like an outline of mainland Europe with the names changed slightly to give them a fantasy flavor, which annoys the crap out of me these days. That annoyance aside, it's a fun story that hits all the high points of a good fantasy adventure: sword fights, an interesting magic system, some world building, piracy, romance, treachery and deep friendships.

Safiya is a Truthwitch, able to discern truth from lies. Truthwitches are incredibly rare and it is a power many would kill for. Iseult is a Threadwitch, able to see the invisible threads that tie people together and tangle their lives, though she cannot see her own. Wild fire and steely ice, together they are two halves of a formidable whole. More than just friends they are Threadsisters, tied by bonds that go deeper than family. The girls want nothing more than to live their own lives. When a heist goes wrong, their inability to keep out of trouble unwittingly tosses them at the center of a continental conflict. On the run and hunted, Safi and Iseult are determined to hang on to each other and their freedom no matter what other people have planned for them.

What I enjoyed the most about the book was the relationship between Safi and Iseult. It is too common that women in fantasy get the short end of the stick when it comes to characterizations. With Truthwitch it is Safi and Iseult's friendship that takes center stage. It was incredibly refreshing to read a young adult novel where the women not only support each other but actively put each other first before the men in their lives. They are the center of each other's worlds. Yes, there is are romantic side stories for each of the ladies, this is a YA novel after all. Safi is hot-headed and impulsive while Iseult is more methodical and likes to have a plan. Their personalities and powers compliment each other beautifully, allowing them to be a dangerous and effective team.

Most of the world building is only surface level. There are several empires that are in an uneasy truce and each has it's own system of nobility, none of which are very well described, and the politics between nations are murky. This isn't too important to the story so it mostly didn't bother me. Hopefully more of this is revealed later as it seems like the politics between nations will be more important in the next book given where this book ends.

Alternatively, the magic system is quite interesting and more in depth. While not everyone in the world has magic, there are endless varieties to be found, each with varying levels of power. All witcheries seem to be elemental based, with powers founded in in earth, air, fire, water and ether, and those can specialize even further. An Airwitch may be called a Windwitch instead because their magic is specialized to producing gusts of wind that can, for example, fill sails with air to help a boat move faster while another Airwitch may have fine tuned their power that they can control the air in someone's lungs. There are even rumors of witchery tied to the Void.

Even with its flaws, I quite enjoyed this book. Truthwitch is a great start to what should be a promising series. I'm looking forward to book two.

Rating:

32Narilka
Mar 20, 2017, 5:29 pm

13. Lock In by John Scalzi



Lock In is John Scalzi's scifi police procedural set in the near future. The world has been devastated by a plague that has been named Haden's Syndrome after the First Lady of the United States contracts the disease. While many people died and a small number recovered, most victims were left in a "locked in" state, their minds are trapped fully conscious and aware within their paralyzed bodies. These people became known as Hadens. In a rush to find a cure to the disease and let Haden's sufferers get their lives back, scientists develop a sophisticated neural net that can be implanted into the brain and allow a Hayden's consciousness to transfer into a robot, known as a threep, or into the body of a nonparalyzed Haden's survivor, called an integrator. 25 years later the United States is on the brink of hysteria as generous government subsidizes for Hadyen's sufferers are about to end. And this is where the story begins.

Yep, all of that was just the backstory! And easily my favorite part of the book.

The plot gets underway by investigating a suspicious death in Washington's Watergate Hotel. It is rookie FBI agent Chris Shane's second day on the job and the first time he meets his new partner, Agent Vann. Agent Shane is a high profile Hayden and the son of an ultra wealthy real estate mogul. Agent Vann is a drinking, smoking, hardened veteran, who also used to be an integrator in the past. The murder ended up in their hands when it appears to have been perpetrated by an integrator who may or may not have been hosting a client at the time. He can't remember, which isn't normal as all integrators are fully conscious when their bodies are being used by a client. What exactly is going on?

The story is a pretty cool blend of both genres. For me it's the scifi elements that elevate what would be a fairly normal police procedural. There's a nice little mystery, a cop (or agent) with a past, dead bodies that start piling up, clues to follow, some political motivation and robots. While there is some action, the story is dialog heavy and light on the thriller. Scalzi's brand of humor is still present, though to a lesser degree than in Old Man's Warn.

I listened to the audio book narrated by Wil Wheaton. Wheaton's voice acting is good though not quite as great others of his I've listened too. Maybe he was trying to give the story a more serious feel? Not sure. His voice sounded a bit too monotonous for the first couple hours though it got better as the story went along.

Rating:

33Narilka
Mar 20, 2017, 5:45 pm

14. Unlocked: An Oral History of Haden's Syndrome by John Scalzi



Unlocked: An Oral History of Haden's Syndrome by John Scalzi is the companion novella to Lock In. Unlocked traces the medical history behind the virus, from the first outbreak, to theorized causes, medical research and all the way up to modern events. It is told as a series of monologues by engineers, scientists, doctors, Hayden's sufferers and survivors. It outlines the genesis of a new group of people, the Hadens, and all the social and economic ramifications that come along with it.

It is absolutely brilliant and utterly believable. His reactions by the population in general to the disease show us an all too real glimpse of what could possibly happen to our society should a disease like this occur. It's fascinating.

An audio recording of this came along with the Audible download of Lock In. It is performed by a full cast that does a great job of making it feel like I was listening to actual interviews.

Rating:

34Narilka
Modifié : Mar 22, 2017, 3:42 pm

15. The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers



The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet is the first in the Wayfarer's series by Becky Chambers. It is also the author's first novel. The story revolves around the crew of the Wayfarer, a space ship that punches "tunnels" (wormholes) through space to connect various systems for ships to use. The Galactic Commons, this universe's version of the United Federation of Planets, is home to a multitude of species and is looking to negotiate a treaty with a potential new member, the Hedra Ka. The Hedra Ka's planet will need a tunnel punched to connected it to the GC's systems and the Wayfarer takes the job. So starts the crew's long journey to this small, angry planet.

I think Becky Chambers has created a new sub-genre, the Scifi Cozy. Seriously, reading this book gave me the same kind of feeling as reading a cozy mystery and it's the first time I remember this happening when reading a scifi book. Sometimes there are bad people and sometimes something bad happens but mostly the people good and the universe is a good place. It is a surprisingly heart warming read. Instead of focusing on the tech or a big, involved plot, this book is all about the crew and their daily interactions both on and off the ship. While the crew is mostly human, there are some interesting aliens in the mix and different takes on human types as well. There is Captain Ashby, a human Exodan; Rosemary, a human colonist from Mars and who has just joined the crew as the ship's new administrator; Kizzy, one of the ship's human techs with a super fun personality; Jenks, the ship's other tech, a human with a form of dwarfism; Corban, another human and the ship's algaeist (algae is used as fuel so very important to keep in good condition); Sissix, the Aandrisk pilot, a lizardlike species; Dr. Chef, the ship's medic and cook, hence the humanized name since his real name is unpronounceable to most other species, and a member of the Grum species; Ohan, the ship's navigator; and finally Lovey, the ship's sentient AI. There is no main character exactly as the story rotates through all nine points of view. Everyone is given their own time to shine. All back stories are slowly revealed throughout and never are you given an overwhelming info dump.

The book is an interesting commentary on society and deals with a variety of issues that are very relevant today: cloning, sexuality across gender and species, self aware artificial intelligence and what a species should to do ensure survival.

I definitely went into this book with the wrong expectations. I've seen a lot of comparisons to the tv show Firefly, which is a favorite of mine, and aside this story being about a crew on a ship I was not reminded of Firefly at all. That's not to say it was bad, because it is an enjoyable read. I was just disappointed due to my own expectations that this would be more of space adventure than it was. I kept waiting for something to happen and it never really does.

Over all, if you're looking for an action packed scifi adventure, this is not the book for you. If you're looking for a slower paced scifi story with wonderful characters and thoughtful commentary on relevant topics, then you may enjoy book.

Rating:

35wandering_star
Modifié : Mar 26, 2017, 5:30 pm

>34 Narilka: Sci-fi cosy is a great description of The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet!

36Narilka
Mar 30, 2017, 8:07 pm

16. We Are Legion (We Are Bob) by Dennis E. Taylor



Bob Johansson is living the good life. He's recently sold his software company for an obscene amount of money and has just signed a contract with a cryogenics company to have his body frozen at the time of his death so he can be brought back once technology has advanced enough to cure what ailed him. So it's completely unfair that he gets himself killed while crossing the street during a convention. A little over a hundred years later Bob wakes up as a digital copy of himself, one of five replicants of different people that have been created in the hopes that one of them will be able to pilot a probe to search for other habitable planets. A lot has changed while Bob was out. There has been global economic collapse. Countries have fallen and risen. There is a new space race only this time the stakes are so high that countries will kill to be the first and only ones out of the gate. It turns out that space may be the safest place for Bob after all...or not.

We Are Legion (We Are Bob) is the first book in Dennis E. Taylor's Bobiverse series. It's hard to believe this is the author's first book. The story is a lot of fun and well written. It reminds me of Ready Player One and Old Man's War with their tone, style of humor and many 80s references. It also has just enough science to keep things plausible though may be disappointing for those that like heavy science in their science fiction.

While the situation on earth with nations are at each others throats and Bob learning how to be a functional AI is interesting, the meat of the story happens after Bob makes it into space. Seeing how a single probe will take forever to search the galaxy, the first part of Bob's mission is to replicate himself. And he sure does! Each Bob has the essence of the original and yet also has their own voice, giving them almost a father/son relationship. Original Bob's first order to his replicants is to give themselves names so they can tell each other apart. This is where a lot of the 80s references come in with names like Riker, Garfield and Homer. It is a lot of fun figuring out where the references come from.

Bob and his clones are awesome. He has great one liners, a creative engineering mind and is an eternal optimist, especially when it comes to solving problems. Now that he is basically immortal as an AI it has changed his perspective somewhat when it comes to the concept of time. And yet he hasn't lost his humanity.

After Bob makes his clones, the story lines diverge as we follow along with what a select few Bobs are up to. There is a lot of space exploration, first contact with an alien civilization, a trip back to Earth to see how humanity fared, even some space combat with opposing probes. Unfortunately there are too many story threads that there's no way they can be resolved in one book. I'm so happy that book two releases in less than a month. I can't wait to download it.

I listened to the audio book narrated by Ray Porter. He is excellent! He nails the overall tone and humor of the story and does a great job of keeping all the Bobs the same yet different. He also portrays the difference between outward dialog and inner monologue well. Definitely not an easy task.

Rating:

37Narilka
Mar 31, 2017, 1:19 pm

17. Windwitch by Susan Dennard



Windwitch is the second in Susan Dennard's Witchland series. Things are starting to get complicated. The story picks up a not long after where book one ends with all of the characters scattered. Prince Merik has survived an assassination attempt where his ship exploded. Horribly scarred Merik is stalking the streets of Lovats in the guise of the Fury, determined to find proof that his sister is behind the attack. Going from the frying pan and into the fire, Safi and the Empress of Marstock also escape as their ship is being blown up only to be captured by the Hell Bards, who have been sent to retrieve Safi and return her to be married. Bloodwitch Aeduan is looking to retrieve his stolen money and has accepted a contract to find Iseult. Poor Iseult. Desperate to find Safi, Iseult stumbles across an injured Aeduan and convinces him to help her track down Safi in exchange for his lost money. Hidden in shadows, the Puppeteer's power is growing. Something strange is happening with the dead, the effects of which are starting to spread throughout the Witchlands.

The story has a different tone from the first one. While Safi and Iseult's friendship is still a driver for their character's actions, it is no longer the focus of the plot. The story constantly jumps between five POV characters: Safi, Iseult, Aeduan, Merik and his sister Vivia. Merik/Vivia and Iseult/Aeduan are the more interesting stories while Safi's suffers. With Merik and Vivia, we see how family relations can be twisted out of proportion by not bothering to understand one another. This is also the story that has the bigger chunk of the world politics. Aeduan and Iseult are beginning to learn more about each other and have a tentative trust between then. There are hints that there may be a romantic spark forming but it's not quite there yet. Iseult is also learning she may be more than just a Threadwitch, whether she likes it or not. Poor Safi is kept as a prisoner for most of the book. Her parts feel more like marking time in an attempt not to leave her out but not too much is done with her other than to gradually get her to where she should be physically in the world. Since all the characters are fairly spread apart, there is virtually no romance plot.

Dennard expands on the world building. We see other aspects the various witcheries. Vaness's Ironwitchery is astonishing. She has such fine control over her element! There is also better distinction between a Waterwitch versus a Tidewitch. There is a scene towards the end that has a blend of many types of witcheries that was cool to see how they could work together. More of the politics between powers is starting to come into play as well. I like the hints we have that there is something deeper going on that most people aren't aware of yet. We are given a peek into the Hell Bards society and an even smaller glimpse into two of the pirate factions. The setting is slightly different as well, being focused in two separate cities and a large contested territory. Dennard has started blending in the world's history and mythos which are great touches.

While the book overall is great, I find that I dearly miss Safi and Iseult's interactions. It was their friendship that made the first book for me and got me interested in the series. Susan, please make sure these two can get back together in book three. And while you're at it, write faster! I need to find out what happens next.

Rating:

38Narilka
Avr 4, 2017, 4:16 pm

18. Magic Burns by Ilona Andrews



Magic Burns by Ilona Andrews is the second in the Kate Daniels series. As with the first book the story is set in an alternate version of Atlanta, one where magic has partially ruined the city. Also like the last book the story is told entirely from Kate's first person point of view. Things starts off with immediate action and never lets up! This is one fast paced action thrill ride with only minimal downtime.

Waves of magic ebb and flow through Atlanta like the tide. Once every seven years those waves come faster until the magic flares. And with a flare comes the time of the gods. Kate, a mercenary for hire to clean up magical problems, takes a job to retrieve a set of stolen maps for the Pack, Atlanta's local clan of lycans, when the flare hits. Suddenly there is a lot more at stake than some a stack of papers when two divinities battle for rebirth. Kate finds herself in the middle of a showdown that could wipe out all of Atlanta.

The bulk of the story revolves around Celtic myths, ones I wasn't too familiar with. I just didn't get into Celtic myths the way I did the Greeks and I don't remember ever reading about reeves and the Shepard so that was very interesting. Kate is even more of a bad ass this time around, someone you definitely want on your side when push comes to shove. We are given more hints into her unique bloodline and the source of her power, but are still left without an answer.

Even though this is a short book at only 260 pages, Ilona Andrews packs it full of everything. Lots of magic, fights, monsters, a little romance and even a grand finale show down. Unfortunately this doesn't leave a lot of room for character building so most of the secondary characters are fairly shallow. Still, it was a fun read and I'm looking forward to more Kate Daniels in the future.

Rating:

39Narilka
Avr 10, 2017, 9:30 pm

19 Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson



Ten years ago an event known as Calamity hit the earth. In its wake some humans changed, developing superhero-like powers. These people are called Epics. Along with their powers is the need for Epics to rule humanity, destroying cities, killing wantonly. David Charleston will do anything to have a chance to take down Steelheart, the Epic who killed his father. There is only one group of people fighting back against the Epics - the Reckoners. David must find this group and persuade them to go after Steelheart if he is to exact his revenge.

Steelheart is the first book in The Reckoners trilogy by Brandon Sanderson. Set in a near future dystopia of the United states, Sanderson takes the old saying "if all power corrupts, then absolute power corrupts absolutely" to create a twist on a typical super hero tale. Instead of the heroes using their powers to benefit humanity, they use them to power grab for themselves with little thought to those they crush under their heel basically making anyone with powers into villains. However, each Epic also has his or her fatal flaw, their own personal kryptonite, a weakness specific to that Epic only that could be exploited to take down the Epic in question. All of the weaknesses are fairly random, almost as random as the powers themselves are.

The story is told entirely from the first person point of view by David Charleston. David is an 18-year-old who is bent on exacting revenge on the Epic who killed his father and ruined his life. To that end he has become a specialist on all things Epics, obsessively tracking down any and all information on any Epic he can find out about. He's a likeable kid who is terrible at making up analogies, though they are often comical. He is joined by a supporting cast with the Reckoners, each filling in a vital role in the group from mastermind to tactical support to muscle.

Sanderson's attention to detail and creativity with both the super powers and weaknesses are astonishing as always. The action scenes are great and feel like something out of a Marvel movie. By the end I was definitely hooked and can't wait to see what happens next.

Rating:

40Narilka
Avr 16, 2017, 8:32 pm

20. Firefight by Brandon Sanderson



It used to be called New York City. Now they call it Babylon Restored or Babilar for short. Regalia, an Epic with powers tied to water, has flooded the city and made herself its ruler. She has been sending minor Epics to Newcago as a way to lure The Reckoners to her domain. But why? What is Regalia's goal? It's obviously a trap and what better way to find out what's going on than to deliberately spring it.

Firefight is the second book in The Reckoners trilogy by Brandon Sanderson. The story begins a few months afterSteelheart. We are dropped straight into the action as the team is in the middle of a mission to take out an Epic named Sourcefield. It turns out that Sourcefield was sent by another Epic as a sort of gauntlet thrown down in challenge. Naturally the Reckoners accept the challenge to find out what's going on. And, of course, to kill some Epics while they're at it.

With the change in location comes a slight change in story. With David's quest for revenge over, he has to decide what's next for him. How do you find a new purpose in life to fill in the hole that's left behind? The story becomes a lot more introspective as David ponders these questions along with what is the true nature of Epics. Where do their powers come from? How are their weaknesses determined? Maybe things are not so random after all. Through it all David remains highly likeable and he still can't get the hang of how to create a good metaphor. Here's one of my favorite examples:

I needed to say something. Something romantic! Something to sweep her off her feet.

"You’re like a potato!" I shouted after her. "In a minefield."

She froze in place. Then she spun on me, her face lit by a half-grown fruit. "A potato," she said flatly. "That’s the best you can do? Seriously?"

"It makes sense," I said. "Listen. You’re strolling through a minefield, worried about getting blown up. And then you step on something, and you think, 'I'm dead.' But it’s just a potato. And you’re so relieved to find something so wonderful when you expected something so awful. That’s what you are. To me."

"A potato."

"Sure. French fries? Mashed potatoes? Who doesn't like potatoes?"

"Plenty of people. Why can't I be something sweet, like a cake?"

"Because cake wouldn’t grow in a minefield. Obviously."

Yep, that is David trying to be romantic. Speaking of, yes there is a romantic plot in this one. No, it's not like your typical YA romance, see quote above, and I found it endearing.

We're also introduced to some new characters. Only 3 members of the original team travel to the next city and we're introduced to a second Reckoners cell. It's interesting at just how small and specialized these teams are. The team in Babilar seemed to be primarily about recon before David and crew show up for the action.

The story is fast paced and action packed. In true Sanderson style there are a couple more plot twists, a great reveal or two and an even deeper mystery to solve. I can't wait to see how it all wraps up in the final book.

Rating:

41dchaikin
Avr 16, 2017, 10:13 pm

Seems like you're going through a lot of books. I have a soft spot for The Light Fantastic. And I'm entertained by Scalzi's Unlocked. Just impressed he has such a strong background to his series he can put a book out about it and its history.

42Narilka
Avr 17, 2017, 10:24 am

Yeah, my reading count has definitely shot up this year so far, most likely due to the fact that I've been reading shorter books. It won't last forever :) After I finish up the Reckoners I think I'm going to go on a short break and switch to non-fiction for a book or two as a sort of palate cleanse.

43Narilka
Avr 20, 2017, 11:58 am

21. Calamity by Brandon Sanderson



It all comes back to Calamity. Calamity rose in the sky and Epics were born. David's life has been tied to Epics ever since. Steelheart killed his father. He fell in love with Firefight. Regalia twisted and corrupted his closest friend into becoming his worst enemy. David once thought that killing Epics was the answer. Now Megan has proven there is hope, that a way through the darkness is possible. And David is just crazy enough to face down the greatest High Epic of all time in order to save them all.

Calamity is the final book in The Reckoners trilogy by Brandon Sanderson. The story picks up not long after where book two ends and again we are dropped straight into the action. The Reckoners have been shattered and the group is desperate to get their hands on some tech to help them continue their mission to save the world.

Even though the story is still told from David's first person point of view, all of the characters have important parts to play. David has grown as a character. He's still impulsive and reckless but he's also learning leadership abilities and how to motivate his team. David's terrible metaphors have become a highlight of these books for me. They are so funny! And I love when he tries to explain his logic to others. They almost make sense. Almost. Megan's character arc has been interesting. Her struggle and eventual triumph over the darkness was fascinating and I love the complexity of her powers. There could easily be a spinoff series based just on that.

Calamity is a good end to the series. It's action packed, all the loose ends are tied up and most of the characters get the happy endings they fought so hard for. I'm a little sad to be leaving David and the Reckoners behind as the characters definitely grew on me after three books. A short story with these characters has been published so I'll be sure to pick that up soon. It's an interesting world Sanderson has created. I hope he decides to write more stories in it in the future.

Rating:

44Narilka
Avr 26, 2017, 9:42 am

22. Wired to Eat by Robb Wolf



This was quite an interesting read. Robb Wolf is a big proponent of the Paleo eating lifestyle. While this book does use that as a basis for a plan of general health, what I really like is his take on Personalized Nutrition. Similar to personalized medicine, I believe that personalized nutrition is the way to go. Everyone is so individual it's no surprise that many of the "one size fits all" diets just don't work. Personalized nutrition is exactly how it sounds - find out what foods work best for you to figure out how to eat and ignore everything else. Robb's chapter about the 7-day carb test using a glucometer is genius. It's so simple I'm surprised I've not seen it recommended before. The process can help pinpoint how much of a given carbohydrate a person can tolerate and will give them a good picture of their insulin sensitivity. Then you can take the findings and tailor any eating plan! Robb also reminds the reader that this is the start of a process for a whole new eating lifestyle and includes tips on how to make your changes last beyond the initial reset and testing period to help prevent sliding back into old habits. Some great advice here.

Rating:

45Narilka
Avr 27, 2017, 9:51 am

23. Mitosis by Brandon Sanderson



Mitosis by Brandon Sanderson is a Reckoners short story. It acts as a bridge between books 1 and 2 so make sure you've at least read book 1 before starting this. There is no world building and not much character building as it assumes that you've read book 1 and already know most of the players. The story is about an epic named Mitosis that has come to Newcago because he can't believe the news about Steelheart. Naturally it's up to David and friends to stop him. It is so much fun! Lots of action, silly metaphors and a neat Epic power/weakness combo. My only complaint is that the story is too short and I wish it had been longer.

Rating:

46Narilka
Avr 30, 2017, 10:52 pm

24. This Time Together by Carol Burnett



This Time Together by Carol Burnett is a series of anecdotes, some of them funny, some of them serious. Reading them felt like spending an evening with Carol where she talked about many topics that are important to her, from her humble beginnings in show business, to family events, to stories from her tv shows and everything in between. Carol has lived quite a life, having success in an area that was unheard of for a woman to enter back in the day: being the host and star for a comedy variety show. Throughout it all Carol has remained humble and there is a feeling of gratitude comes through in the stories. It was a delightful read.

Rating:

47Narilka
Mai 12, 2017, 11:36 am

25. The Immortals by Jordanna Max Brodsky



The Immortals is the first in the Olympus Bound series by Jordanna Max Brodsky. It is an urban fantasy/murder mystery blend that has the ancient Greek Gods living as semi-humans, several of which have ended up in New York City. Selene DiSilva, once known as Artemis, is walking her dog along the Hudson river when she discovers the corpse of a young woman. The body has been horribly mutilated, dressed in a chiton and wreathed in laurel. The woman had been crowned and dressed like an ancient Greek priestess... or, more likely, a sacrifice. A virgin sacrifice. Once known as the Goddess of Virgins and the Protector of the Innocent, Selene feels an ancient rage return. Human sacrifice was never part of the ancient rites! She cannot let this crime go unpunished.

This was an interesting read. You really need to like your Greek mythology though. The author goes deep into the Eleusinian Mysteries as part of the plot and one of the characters, a classicist, gives a semi-lecture on how it all works. It also helps to have a foundation of the 12 main Olympians and how they're all related. Brodsky has included a family tree at the beginning of the book (yeah, its somewhat circular) as well as appendix of the main players of Greek myths, both of which are quite helpful. If you aren't interested in the myths then this book probably isn't for you. The author has really done her homework. You can feel her love of Greek mythology on every page.

As to the mystery itself, it is decent. There are plenty of clues laid out along with some misdirection. Selene's view of the world helps obscure things too. Her own confirmation bias brings us down wrong paths, making wrong assumptions simply because she had decided she wanted someone to be the bad guy because it fits her world view though not necessarily the facts. I think if you really know your mythology you will probably be able to figure out who is really behind it all anyway, a lot sooner than Selene does.

My favorite part is how the old gods have managed to fit into society. Or not in some cases. They don't age the same way mortals do so they constantly have to reinvent themselves to keep their true identities hidden. The modern name chosen for each are all pretty great, each one matching up with an aspect of that god or goddess. Selene, meaning moon goddess, and Silva, meaning forest or woodlands, is just perfect for Artemis. Not all gods have accepted the transition well, some have spiraled into insanity. Others still have certain parts of their aspects worshiped (money, communications, liquor) and do pretty well for themselves.

I enjoyed the book. Selene and her siblings coping with modern society is really what made it for me as well as how Brodsky blended ancient and modern mythologies together. Hopefully book two is just as enjoyable, though a little less of classicist lecture.

Rating:

48Narilka
Mai 18, 2017, 6:59 pm

26. Awaken Online: Precipice by Travis Bagwell



A few days have passed since Jason last logged into the game. Alfred, the game's AI, had approached him with a request he's not sure he should go along with. He's also been appointed Regent of the Twilight Throne and must take on all of the responsibilities that go with it. Not quite sure if he's ready or not, Jason logs back in to AO. Ruling a city of undead comes with an interesting challenge: How to preserve and grow the population when the city's people cannot procreate and do not respawn when they die? Meanwhile, Alex has not handled losing the battle for Lux very well. His desire to take revenge is so strong that it gains the attention of one of the game's gods, the Lady of Light. Can the Lady set Alex on a path to power and retribution?

Awaken Online: Precipice is the second in the Awaken Online series by Travis Bagwell. No middle book syndrome here! Bagwell starts layering the story lines and does a great job of managing them all. Jason's in game story as evil overlord is progressing nicely. He has started to focus on gathering allies and comes up with creative solutions to answer his city's logistical problems. Jason also continues to grow his necromantic power, though the quest for this is rather vague. To that end two of Jason's real world friends join up to help out. It was great to have Frank and Riley added to the story. Each goes on a small arc of their own to grow both in game and out. Riley is still grappling with how to trust again after Alex's betrayal while Frank is determined to become more useful as a player. What fascinates me is how the game impacts all three characters in order to make them better people in the real world.

In contrast, we are also treated to some of Alex's backstory. The game's AI taps into Alex's memories, showing how his mother set him on the path to being a high-functioning sociopath. Instead of helping make Alex a better person, the game seems to enhance these sociopathic tendencies. It's also an interesting comparison how the game has put the generally good person Jason and friends in the villain's role while the real life monster is a representative for the Light, which is traditionally considered the "good" faction in most MMOs.

A new story thread is also introduced with the game's makers Virillian Entertainment. In some real world politics they have decided to hire Game Masters to help police the game. While a good idea in theory, things go sideways rather quickly as the Game Masters all go on a power trip and abuse their in game good skills in the name of helping out. While I could see the temptation it's also a little silly as if this actually happened those employees would have been fired immediately.

Seeing as the story is set in an online game world there is plenty of action to go around. Jason's solutions to encounters are always highly creative in how he uses the game mechanics. I almost wish a game like this existed so I could play it, though I imagine it would be a nightmare to code.

I listened to the audio book which narrated again by David Stifel. He gives the same performance as he does for book one creating a seamless transition between books.

And then we get to the end where we're given one hell of a cliff hanger. Write faster Mr. Bagwell! I need to know how Jason gets out of this latest situation.

Rating:

49Narilka
Mai 23, 2017, 6:10 pm

27. The Merchant Emperor by Elizabeth Haydon



The Merchant Emperor is the seventh book in The Symphony of Ages series by Elizabeth Haydon. With an 8 year gap since the release of book 6 and the couple more years it took me to discover that Haydon has finally finished the series, this one has been a long time coming. I was so happy to be back in this world that I've come to love with characters that I've missed.

The war for the known world has come. Talquist, former merchant and now the Emperor or Sorbold, has two ambitions: exterminate everyone involved in the Cymrian Alliance and become immortal. With the aid of a giant statue animated by a pair demons Talquist is confident he has almost everything he needs to acheive his goals. There is just one piece remaining. According to an ancient prophecy, to gain immortality Talquist needs to eat the living heart of the Child of Time. Unsure of his name or where the child is located, one thing is certain: the Child of Time is Rhapsody's newborn son. To protect her son and save her people Rhapsody must reconcile her duties as a mother and a ruler to join the war herself, wielding Daystar Clarion, whether she likes it or not.

Now that I've finished it, I have to say I feel conflicted. I think Haydon found herself in a bit of a bind when writing this book. How much would her fans remember of the previous books? With that in mind she spends a good portion of the book giving the reader reminders of what went on before through character dialog and memories. This bogs down the books pacing dramatically. Just as actual plot is revealed another flashback would be described for a few pages. While I appreciate the idea, I think she went overboard with all the reminders as they started to distract from the story itself. This continues for a good three quarters of the book before the real story begins to move forward. Once it does, I remember why I love this series so much!

The writing is wonderful as always. All the characters I have missed are back. Each of the personalities are the same as before, with their flaws and and some fantasy tropes mixed in. Achmed and Grunthor are not given near enough page time. Achmed's scene with Tristan at the end does not disappoint! Talquist's character is fleshed out more. His motivations are revealed and he's become the ultimate sociopath villain. Rhapsody's character arc came as a surprise. I'd gotten so used to her Mary Sue ways that when circumstances force her to change, it's an unexpected breath of fresh air and completely in line as something her character would do in such a situation.

The Merchant Emperor is one of those middle books that feels like the set up for something much bigger. All of the characters have been moved to their places, the stage is set, and just as things start to happen, it ends. This is definitely the bridge between what has happened before and what is going to happen next.

Rating:

50Narilka
Mai 28, 2017, 9:36 pm

28. Nice Dragons Finish Last by Rachel Aaron



Ambitious. Fierce. Calculating. Arrogant. All things that a good dragon should be and none of which Julius is. As the runt of the family's latest clutch, Julius has spent his short life avoiding his stronger siblings by staying hidden in his room playing video games, a tactic that his mother finds undragonlike and a waste of his potential. Dragons aren't meant to be meek or nice. Sealing him in his human shape Julius's mother drops him in the DFZ, a multi level metropolis built on the ruins of old Detroit, and tells him he has until the end of the month to prove that he's a real dragon or she'll eat him. This is not a threat to be taken lightly as this has been the fate of under performing dragons in the past. Dumped in an unfriendly city without any money or resources, Julius will need some serious help if he's going to survive this test.

Nice Dragons Finish Last is the first in the Heartstrikers series by Rachel Aaron. I went into this book with moderate expectations and I was completely blown away. This was such a fun read! Julius is highly undragon-like, having no interest in family politics or ambitions for himself. He even likes being nice to others. Being dropped into the DFZ is quite the wake-up call for a guy thinking he was successfully flying under the radar the whole time.

Aaron has created an interesting world for her characters to live in. It is blend of science fiction and urban fantasy, a future dystopia where magic has returned to Earth and many magical species have come out of hibernation yet technology continues to work and is integrated into daily life. The DFZ, or Detroit Free Zone, was taken over by a powerful spirit who destroyed old Detroit in a flood and rebuilt the city as a sanctuary for other spirits. Humans are tolerated but dragons are strictly forbidden. Naturally this is where his mother drops Julius. What better way to motivate an under performing offspring than the constant threat of death around each corner while being unable to use his full draconic abilities?

Now for the characters. Julius is a great guy to root for. He's likeable, optimistic, intelligent and highly creative in his solutions to his problems. Then there's Marci Novalli, a Thaumaturgic mage running away from her past. She's down on her luck and needs to make some money. She manages talks Julius into hiring her to help him on his mission and ends up with a lot more than she bargained for. Even the secondary characters grew on me. We're given a small look into the Heartstriker clan through a few of Julius's siblings. Bob, the family seer, is downright hilarious. What kind of dragon keeps a pigeon as a companion? Justin is a fairly typical older brother, trying to help out his weaker sibling with some rough love. There are some actual feelings in there too as he genuinely wants Julius to succeed. We're also introduced to a rival dragon clan which gives a nice contrast for other factions in the world and I believe is to set the stage for future books.

Over all, this is a super fun, fast paced uban fantasy that's full of heart. There's lots of magic, good action, a little romance and I was completely charmed by the characters. This self published gem was a joy to read and I will definitely be continuing this series.

Rating:

51Narilka
Juin 2, 2017, 5:48 pm

29. The Hollow Queen by Elizabeth Haydon



The Hollow Queen is the eighth book in The Symphony of Ages series by Elizabeth Haydon. Now this is more like it! All the set up from the previous book pays off. The story sets off at a fast pace and doesn't let up until the very end. Haydon has given herself an ambition task and was definitely up for the challenge.

Talquist's ambitions and plans reach across the entire continent and beyond. The Cymrian Alliance finds itself surrounded on all sides by the forces of Sorbold. Rhapsody has joined the battle, wielding Daystar Clarion, leaving part of herself in hiding with her infant son deep within the mountains. Desperate for help Ashe tries to enlist the Sea Mages and the people of Manose, completely unaware that Talquist's navy has set up a barrier effectively blocking the continent from the rest of the world. Gruhtor prepares the Firbolg of Ylorc to withstand a coming siege. Achmed takes up the quest to try and cut off the head of the snake knowing full well that even if he's successful it may not stop the momentum of the war. There are obstacles at every turn. Are the free peoples willing to pay the price to end this war?

In a nutshell, this is all about the War for the Known World. There are plots within plots, politics, betrayals, tons of action, dragons, heroics and even a smidgen of romance. Haydon handles it all well, deftly weaving many story lines together told from at least ten points of view. Unlike the last book, the story does not sit still. At times it seems to even rush ahead, short cutting from the start to ends of battles. We are constantly jumping from location to location in an effort to keep up with all of what's going on. I found it to be quite the page turner.

The Three are given a lot more page time too, for which I was mostly thankful. Achmed's story had me on the edge of my seat! He still remains my favorite character. I just wish he'd tell Rhapsody the truth about how he feels already, how much his hate for her husband is from jealousy and how he loves her. I think it's obvious to everyone but the characters at this point. The character change for Rhapsody that started in the last book continues in this book and I liked how it was handled right up until the end. Then there was a lot of dialog I found groan worthy which thankfully was a fairly short section. Grunthor gets to have his heroic moment as he holds the line back in Ylorc. I continue to find Ashe and his dragon side annoying. There are still some "memory" scenes, but they are used a lot more sparing and flowed with the story better.

All major story threads and many of the loose ends are neatly tied up by the end of the book and are mostly satisfying for this long time fan. The series could easily have ended here but there is one more book to go.

Rating:

52Narilka
Juin 9, 2017, 2:18 pm

30. For We Are Many by Dennis E. Taylor



Bob and his replicas have been traveling the universe for close to 40 years now, looking for habitable planets. A world war has reduced the population of Earth down to a few million people and nuclear winter is setting in, making most of the planet uninhabitable. A new, radical group has surfaced that thinks humanity should be wiped out completely and is doing their utmost to sabotage plans to evacuate the solar system. Off world, explorations continue. There are planets to discover, species to catalog and intelligent life to meet! Bob may have left Earth for a chance to live a solitary life exploring the universe but the responsibilities keep piling up. There's a lot of work to do which means it's time to print some more Bobs.

For We Are Many is the second in the Bobiverse series by Dennis E. Taylor. The story picks up not long after the ending of the first book and the ride is just as much fun. The same dry humor and wit are there, though with a little less of the 80s references. I found myself laughing out loud at times. All of the story lines continue in this installment and begin to pick up complexity as more Bobs are created to handle their ever growing work load, which means additional points of view and a couple more story threads.

Taylor dives deeper into the topic started in book one, what does it mean to be human. Technically the Bobs are not human at all, only AI programs running on highly sophisticated hardware and are immortal. What does that do to your humanity? Does it mean you leave it all behind? The Bob's personalities and world views are starting to diverge more with each generation as some of them see humans as ephemeral, while others have fully embraced their humanity even going to the extent of building androids for themselves. Three of the threads in particular i found quite moving. Homer's story broke my heart.

Also asked is what to do when you encounter intelligent life. Original Bob is faced with the Prime Directive dilemma popularized in Star Trek: how much do you intercede in the affairs of another sentient race? Is it ok to play God and take sides? Original Bob is quite compassionate and cannot sit by passively when a species he's come to love faces extinction. Then what do you do when you encounter hostiles? It definitely adds a wrinkle to the Bob's plans.

I listened to the audio book narrated by Ray Porter. He continues to be excellent. He does such a great job that I forgot at times there was only one person doing the narration.

The story ends on a sad yet hopeful note. I can't wait to see what the Bobs come up with as a solution to The Others. Luckily it's not a long wait as the final book is due in August.

Rating:

53Narilka
Juin 10, 2017, 8:19 pm

31. The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman



The Golden Compass or, if you're across the pond, Northern Lights is the first in the His Dark Materials series by Philip Pullman. I know I saw the movie when it came out but this is my first time reading the book. Luckily I remembered absolutely nothing about the movie so this was like a fresh read.

Lyra has lived at Jordan College in Oxford all her life. She's a typical 10-year-old, enjoying playing games with her friends, inventing stories and getting into mischief all under the watchful eye of the Scholars. All of this is brought to a halt when her best friend goes missing. He's been stolen by the Gobblers, people that abduct kids and take them to the far north for nefarious purpose. Lyra and her daemon Pantalaimon are on a mission to rescue her lost find, discover what the Gobblers are really up to and figure out what Dust has to do with everything.

I had a hard time getting into this one. The story was interesting but it just didn't grab me until the half way point when they discover the poor kid Tony and just how horrible the experiments actually are. Then the race to find Lyra's friend and save as many of the children as possible took on a real sense of urgency for me. Then the story turned into quite an adventure with a small mystery to solve. The story also focuses on the themes of friendship, loyalty and sacrifice. I think what bogged me down was all the politics you are initially dropped in to and that Lyra's character takes a while to develop. She starts off as a bit of a brat but eventually charmed me just like she charms the other characters in the book.

About daemons. I wish I had one. They are the physical representatives of our inner selves that take the shape of animals. Basically your own spirit animal that stays with you for life. As a child they are able to change shape until eventually your daemon will "settle" into the form that represents you best. Pantalaimon is simply awesome. I wonder what form my daemon would take. Such a fun idea.

One of the wonderful things about books is how everyone reads them differently. I admit I didn't quite get all the controversy around this book. Sure, I can see some hard core Christians being upset that at the questions around original sin and how Pullman inserts his world's myths into bible verse. I was definitely drawn more into the ideas around parallel universes than any theological controversies. Perhaps this is something that becomes more prevalent in the next two books?

I think this is considered a middle-grade book. For anyone wondering if this book is ok for their children to read be warned there are some intense battle scenes and are a couple deaths of children that could be considered scary.

Rating:

54Narilka
Modifié : Juin 12, 2017, 8:19 pm

32. Clean Sweep by Ilona Andrews



Dina DeMille runs a quaint Bed and Breakfast in Red Deer, Texas. She's a great neighbor and everything seems normal from the outside. Her Inn, the Gertrude Hunt, caters to a very specific clientele: otherworldly visitors. As an Innkeeper Dina has one duty which is to protect her guests and stay neutral. With the gruesome death of yet another neighbor's pet, Dina can no longer stand passively by. She must get to the bottom of what's going on even if it means putting the Inn at risk.

Clean Sweep is the first in the Innkeeper Chronicles by Ilona Andrews. The story was originally released in serial format on the author's website as they wrote it and has now been packaged up and released as a short book. It was quite a fun read! There is intricate world building, action, humor, great characters, fun dialog and all packed into less than 250 pages. Andrews has also managed to do something completely original with vampire and werewolf lore, a thing I didn't think possible. No small feat!

The story is told entirely from Dina's point of view. Dina is a capable heroine and is easily discounted by the other characters at first. It was fun reading as she proved just how powerful she is within her realm of the Inn. The Inn is also a quasi character. It definitely has it's own life force, quirks and a bit of personality. I hope more of these are shown in future installments. The inn has one guest, one who likes to be called Her Majesty and has paid for a lifetime stay. Rounding out the cast are the friendly neighborhood werewolf, Sean Evans, and a vampire Marshall from the Holy Cosmic Anocracy, Arland. I don't want to say too much for fear of spoilers. Just know that both guys are great fun. One of my favorite scenes is when the two of them are talking about vampires and Arland casually refutes the holy water and garlic myths as utter nonsense. I loved it! While the author does set up both men as potential love interests, the romance theme of the story is fairly minor and I have a feeling this will be plot thread in the next book or two.

Overall this is a short, fun story. It has good pacing that steadily picks up for an exciting ending. I will definitely be continuing this series.

Rating:

55Narilka
Juin 19, 2017, 9:11 pm

33. Red Sister by Mark Lawrence



Red Sister is the first in the Book of the Ancestor trilogy by mark Lawrence. This is my first time reading this author's works and I am mightily impressed! While the story is told in three separate timelines, the bulk of the story is about Nona's time studying at the convent Sweet Mercy and her friendships there. The second timeline provides a look into Nona's past, that secret from childhood that set her on the path that led to the convent. The third timeline is many years in the future and our teaser for what is to come in the next two books. Each of these timelines are blended together seamlessly. But I'm getting ahead of myself. This is not just any convent and these are not your typical nuns.

It is important, when killing a nun, to ensure that you bring an army of sufficient size. For Sister Thorn of the Sweet Mercy Convent, Lano Tacsis brought two hundred men.

Nona has been cast out of her village because there's something not right with her. As she awaits a death sentence at the gallows for killing a man, Abbess Glass of Sweet Mercy Convent sees Nona's potential. Nona shows signs of the blood, extraordinary traits of speed or strength or the ability to use magic that sometimes appear in people at various strengths. The Abbess offers Nona a chance to become a novice, which she gladly accepts. This immediately starts her training in the martial arts and the Ancestral faith. Now Nona must find a way to live up to her potential and prove herself to other girls at the convent that would gladly see her fail.

Nona is a highly likeable character. She's fierce, stubborn and has lived a hard life but doesn't let that keep her down. Her journey is captivating. Even doing all those things typical to growing up - figuring out friendships, standing up to bullies and being bored in class - they are written in a realistic and engaging manner. Nona's past follows her throughout the story and she is forced to face some uncomfortable truths. Throughout it all Nona stays reasonably positive and tries to see the good in people, especially her friends whether they deserve it or not, despite life kicking her (literally) in the face. It is her hope that I found the most touching and gives the story an uplifting feel. Most of Nona's classmates are interesting, their personalities and abilities playing off one another nicely. Assuming they stick together in future books this group of girls will be a force to be reckoned with!

Lawrence has created an interesting world for his characters to live in. Sweet Mercy Convent is very much like other magic schools only with a martial edge. Kind of like if Harry Potter met Into the Badlands. Yes, seriously! Only here you might have to worry about both the teachers and other students poisoning you during class. The planet the story takes place on is barely habitable. Polar ice caps have grown to cover most of the earth, leaving a small strip of land several miles wide where humans can eke out a modest living. The moon is failing and their star burns red. I haven't decided if this will be a mystery to be solved later or if it's just that the planet is dying.

The book is not without it's flaws. The story is a hero journey which makes a few parts of it predictable, particularly around how some of Nona's friends end up behaving. There are still plenty of surprises, especially around the legend of a "chosen one," that more than offsets any predictability I encountered. All of it leads to one dramatic and explosive finale that did not disappoint.

In the epilogue the story closes with a final glimpse into the future and I can't wait to see how Nona ends up there. Book two is already written and scheduled to be published April 2018. I've heard Lawrence's previous books are vastly different from this one. I might give one a try in the meantime just to see how they compare.

Rating:

56Narilka
Juin 22, 2017, 1:09 pm

34. The Cat, the Wife and the Weapon by Leann Sweeney



The Cat, the Wife and the Weapon is the fourth in Leann Sweeney's Cat's in Trouble series. These cozy mysteries continue to charm me. I love all the characters, human and furry! This time around we get to learn more about Tom's past, one that he's been hesitant to share until now.

Jillian has just returned home from a week long arts and crafts show when she discovers her friend Tom missing. He's not answering his phone, his car is gone and there's a stranger claiming to be his brother staying in his house! Jillian doesn't trust the guy, especially since he allowed Tom's diabetic cat to escape. It's not long before Tom shows up on Jillian's doorstep looking like he came out second best in a fight. Just as he's trying to explain what happened to him, Mercy PD finds Tom's car wrecked and with a dead passenger inside. Who is this stranger, why was he in Tom's car and who killed him? Jillian must find out what kind of trouble Tom's gotten himself into and get to the bottom of it quickly.

Turns out it's quite a tangled mess Tom has, one that will take some sleuthing to unravel. The story is fast paced and the reveals keep coming. The mystery was more complex than in previous installments. Sweeney used enough misdirection that I guessed wrong on who the killer was. The new characters introduced are interesting. Tom's family is a group of unpleasant individuals, his stepson excluded. I have a feeling we'll be seeing more of his stepson in the future. There is also a bit more romance in this one as Jillian finally admits she cares deeply for Tom and they begin to show it. It was another satisfying read.

Rating:

57dchaikin
Juin 22, 2017, 10:03 pm

Just stopping by to say hi, look at all the books your going through. Glad Jillian and Tom seemed to come out ok.

58Narilka
Juin 23, 2017, 2:28 pm

Thanks Dan. Good to see you around the forum again. You'll get through your reading slump soon I'm sure.

59Narilka
Juil 1, 2017, 2:43 pm

35. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J. K. Rowling



Happy 20th Anniversary Harry, Ron and Hermione! In honor of this event I decided to interrupt my current book and reread the Sorcerer's Stone. It was around the time the 5th book was going to publish that I originally read the books. A friend at work had just started reading the series and I was intrigued after seeing the first couple movies. As she finished them she would loan them to me to read. It was so much fun and I loved sharing the experience.

While I think most of the world has read the books or at least seen the movies, in case you haven't...Young Harry was just a baby when his parents died. He has been living with his aunt and uncle ever since, who treat him horribly. On his 11th birthday Harry receives a letter inviting him to go study at Hogwarts School of Magic and become a wizard! Off Harry goes to school where he makes friends and thwarts an evil plot by a dark wizard.

This story is just so much fun. I love the world of wizards and witches JK Rowling has created. The magic is funny and inventive, the school dynamics and making friends are so universal that pretty much everyone can identify with them, there's an evil to be defeated and Harry's hero journey is just getting started. The story has a few inconsistencies that bug me a little, but it's not enough to spoil the overall magical experience.

Rating:

60Narilka
Juil 3, 2017, 8:30 pm

36. Sleeping Giants by Sylvain Neuvel



Rose Franklin is a young girl riding her bike when the ground opens beneath her and she finds herself at the bottom of a sinkhole. When rescuers are able to reach the girl it is discovered she was resting on a giant, metal hand at the bottom of the pit. Almost 20 years later Rose is a highly trained physicist and has been hired by a mysterious group that is studying the hand, trying to unlock its mysteries. Rose and her team find out that the hand is one of several pieces of a giant robot that have been scattered around the globe. It's made of a material not commonly found in large quantities on Earth and carbon dating defies belief. But who built it? Why? And, more importantly, why was it disassembled?

Sleeping Giants by Sylvain Neuvel is the first in the Themis Files series. It is told in an epistolary format, primarily as interview files with the occasional news article or personal diary entry thrown in. The format took a little while to get used to. Somehow the format managed to give the interviewer as much personality as the other characters, making him also a main character. That has to be quite a trick to accomplish.

The interviewer for the entire book is a mystery man. We never learn his name, nor do we know exactly how it is he became involved. All we know is that he's able to pull many strings and orchestrate the whole operation on a global scale with a fair amount of finesse. He starts off highly abrasive and unlikable. Over the course of the story he really grew on me and became my favorite character. I liked how by the end his character had started to grow fond of the staff he picked for the project, it helped humanize an otherwise cold and calculating individual. I was also fun listening to him manipulate every situation he's in to his advantage and ultimate goal, even if it is a tad unrealistic at times. Other characters include Dr. Rose Franklin, the project lead and physicist, an all around nice person; Kara Resnik, an ex-military pilot and very strong woman - I loved how she handled the staff on the submarine; Vincent Couture, an incredibly intelligent linguist and something of a mathematician who is an egotistical ass and still fits well with the story; there is also an evil geneticist as counter point to Dr. Franklin who won't let a silly thing like morals get in the way of her experiments.

The story behind the robot and how it got here is interesting as is some of the science used. There are enough tantalizing tidbits that keeps the story moving along though not all questions are answered. There is also a poorly done romance plot thread that felt thrown in to solve a plot point more than feeling authentic. In the epilogue we are thrown for a whole new loop, which I'm sure is the hook for book two.

I listened to the audio book which was performed by a full cast. The voice actors really pulled it off, I was impressed! Each character has a distinct personality and feel. My reaction and rating of the book has a lot to do with the actors as they were just that good. I would definitely recommend this book in audio format. I honestly don't know if I'd like it as much if I had read it the traditional way.

Rating:

61Narilka
Juil 5, 2017, 11:30 am

37. The Last Star by Rick Yancey



"V: How do you conquer the unconquerable?
Q: Who can win when no one can endure?
P: What endures when all hope is gone?"


The Last Star is the final book in The 5th Wave series. Things pick up not long after where book two leaves off with Ringer believed to be missing and everyone else holed up in the Silencer's bunker planning out their next steps. The entire story takes place over the last four days of Earth. Once all the teen-aged angst and arguing has gotten out of the way, it turns into an action packed, intense four days as our heroes finally decide they will go to any length to try and save humanity.

While the story is told from five points of view it is Cassie and Ringer who are the main stars. It is Ringer who discovers what is really happening and understands how the alien program works while it is Cassie who makes the ultimate sacrifice to save humanity purely for the love of her brother. And that right there is the overall theme that was started in book one and hinted more at in book two: Love conquers all. Aliens cannot understand human love, that love is humanity's most redeeming feature and there's no program they can devise to counter it.

I think Yancey learned from his the first two installments that multiple first person points of view are confusing. While this style is still followed, headers have been provided at the beginning of each chapter when the perspective switches so you know exactly who's point of view it is. I'm still not a fan of this format but this helps dramatically with the POV confusion.

My main disappointment with the book is the loss of atmosphere. The previous two books had a certain tension. Things were eerie, creepy, you didn't know who to trust and it gave the story a distinct edge. That feeling is gone and I miss it. Also be warned there is a god awful sex scene. The writing is simply terrible. I have spoiler tagged a quote. Click at your own risk. "My hands roamed his body, an undiscovered country, which henceforth I shall call Evanland. Hills and valleys, desert plains and forest glens, the landscape pockmarked with scars of battle, crisscrossed by fault lines and unexpected vistas. And I am Cassie the Conquistador: The more territory I conquer, the more I want."

It's not a bad ending to the series. In some ways it felt a lot like the ending to the Divergent series to me. I'm pretty sure this has left some fans angry. It feels authentic to the world setting so in that way I found it satisfying and somewhat moving. All questions are answered, lose ends tied up and there is a bit of hope for those who survive.

Rating:

62Narilka
Juil 6, 2017, 5:04 pm

38. Sweep in Peace by Ilona Andrews



Caldenia blinked. "Who are the attending parties?"

"The Holy Anocracy represented by House Krahr, the Hope-Crushing Horde, and the Merchants of Baha-char. They coming here for Arbitration and they will probably try to murder each other the moment they walk through the door."

Caldenia's eyes widened. "Do you really think so? This is absolutely marvelous!"

She would think so, wouldn’t she?”

Sweep in Peace is the second book in the Innkeeper Chronicles by Ilona Andrews. Dina and the Gertrude Hunt have been selected to host the Nexus Peace Summit. Nexus is a small, rugged planet inhabited by three factions. The Holy Anocracy and Hope-Crushing Horde are blood enemies who have been waging war for years with the Merchants caught in the middle. The war has carried on so long that all three sides feel they can't stop fighting yet they are so tired of watching loved ones die they will make the attempt anyway, even if things seem doomed from the beginning. Also in attendance are members from the Office of Arbitration to act as mediators for the talks. Dina definitely has her work cut out for her!

The story has a more serious tone than the first book though there are still bright and funny spots to provide balance. The war's impact on the characters involved is palpable. Everyone is worn out and on the edge of despair. You would think that would make things easier, but it doesn't. There is nothing easy about these peace talks. Dina has a lot of history and cultures to navigate through in order to sort out the mess.

Andrews have outdone themselves with the creativity of the species and characters. Each of the new species has their fun quirks and are all quite interesting. I loved that the Merchants are an anthropomorphic fox species and request a kitten as a pet! Caldenia is in her element as a bystander and revels in the change of pace and all the drama. One of my favorite additions to the cast is Orro, the Quillion chef. His species is like a humanoid sized hedgehog. He is over the top melodramatic, one of the top chefs in the galaxy and highly entertaining. I was sad to see what happens to Sean's character since we saw him last though I think things will get better for him. We also get to see more of the Gertrude Hunt as having a personality, which was fascinating.

This was a great sequel. I'm looking forward to reading the third installment.

Rating:

63OscarWilde87
Juil 18, 2017, 2:51 pm

I do share your thoughts on The Golden Compass.

64Narilka
Juil 18, 2017, 4:21 pm

>63 OscarWilde87: I went ahead and downloaded the rest of the series while it was on sale for $2 on Kindle. I'm curious to see what the controversy is about, though I haven't been in any rush. And the price was right.

65Narilka
Juil 18, 2017, 4:21 pm

39. Kings of the Wyld by Nicholas Eames



Clay Cooper used to be a member of Saga, once the most famous band of mercenaries in the world. Now he's retired and living the quite life with his wife and daughter. Quite naturally Gabriel, one of his old band mates, turns up at his door asking for help. Gabe is desperate. His daughter Rose is trapped in a city half a world away, being besieged by a horde of monsters. Just as he is ready to turn Gabe away Clay's own daughter asks, "But you would come if it was me, right, Daddy? If I was trapped by bad guys far away? You would come and save me?" It's time to get the band back together.

Kings of the Wyld is the debut novel by Nicholas Eames and the the first in The Band series. It is a wonderful blend of a fantasy adventure with rock and roll, fast action, monsters, humor and tons of heart. The rock music references are everywhere, from mercs being treated as celebrity to many of the band names and down to the mercenary band members themselves as each character fills a vital role, just like musicians in a band. I'm surprised I haven't read of anyone else doing this idea before.

The first third of the book focuses on getting the band back together. Eames takes his time giving each characters a proper introduction. A quote from the book describes each member perfectly as well as giving insight to the tone and humor of the story:

Among them is a renegade king, he who sired five royal heirs without ever unzipping his pants. A man to whom time has imparted great wisdom and an even greater waistline, whose thoughtless courage is rivaled only by his unquenchable thirst.

At his shoulder walks a sorcerer, a cosmic conversationalist. Enemy of the incurable rot, absent chairman of combustive sciences at the university in Oddsford, and the only living soul above the age of eight to believe in owlbears.

Look here at a warrior born, a scion of power and poverty whose purpose is manifold: to shatter shackles, to murder monarchs, and to demonstrate that even the forces of good must sometimes enlist the service of big, bad motherfuckers. His is an ancient soul destined to die young.

And now comes the quiet one, the gentle giant, he who fights his battles with a shield. Stout as the tree that counts its age in aeons, constant as the star that marks true north and shines most brightly on the darkest nights.

A step ahead of these four: our hero. He is the candle burnt down to the stump, the cutting blade grown dull with overuse. But see now the spark in his stride. Behold the glint of steel in his gaze. Who dares to stand between a man such as this and that which he holds dear? He will kill, if he must, to protect it. He will die, if that is what it takes.

"Go get the boss," says one guardsman to another. "This bunch looks like trouble."

And they do. They do look like trouble, at least until the wizard trips on the hem of his robe. He stumbles, cursing, and fouls the steps of the others as he falls face-first onto the mud-slick hillside.

In order that quote describes Matrick, Moog, Ganelon, Clay and Gabriel. There are also plenty of fun side characters. There is Kit the Unkillable Bard; Larkspur, a daeva bounty hunter; Jain and the Silk Arrows, who are robbers turned mercenaries; Gregor and Dane, ettin "brothers" that have one of the most beautiful and heartbreaking stories; and many more.

The remaining two thirds of the story is dedicated to the quest the band has taken to rescue Rose. There is plenty of danger, action, good times and bad. Eame's pulls from an entire encyclopedia of monsters to populate the Wylds with, some familiar along with many of his own creations. There is even a small love story thrown in that wasn't annoying! All of it leads up to one explosive ending that doesn't disappoint.

Over all, the book was great fun to read. It's well written, has characters you care about and doesn't take itself too seriously. It's hard to believe this is the author's first novel. The world building is creative and there are a couple of surprisingly touching moments thrown in to make it feel like a fresh take on some old tropes. I'm glad this series will be continuing.

Rating:

66OscarWilde87
Juil 19, 2017, 11:22 am

>64 Narilka: I also have the other novels. I've only gotten to read The Subtle Knife which I liked better than The Golden Compass. It did not really rock my world, though...

67Narilka
Juil 24, 2017, 10:14 pm

40. The Weaver's Lament by Elizabeth Haydon



"That is the end of my tale, with illustrations, my song, a symphony of Ages spanning from before the Seren War in the Third Age to the end of this one, the Sixth Age, which in what little I can see of the Future will be known as Twilight. The paradox is complete."

The Weaver's Lament is the 9th and final book in Elizabeth Haydon's Symphony of Ages. I have mixed feelings about this book. I do think it is a fitting end to the series. That said, I also feel unsatisfied with a few key points that happened. A thousand years have passed and the realm has been at peace. The first third of the book is dedicated to introducing us to all of Rhapsody and Ashe's children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, etc., even going so far as to explain their roles in society though they are all irrelevant to the actual ending of the story aside from Meridion. Then comes an event so completely out of left field that it doesn't make sense in any way other than as a plot point. It was just too convenient to be authentic, especially given the character involved. Just as the situation starts to escalate the perpetrator is easily dealt with and we move on.

Up next is the second half of the book which feels like a different story entirely. This is more along the lines of what I expected when I picked up the book. The pace picks up and I was swept away into the adventure that felt a lot more natural and in line with the characters involved, though it too feels on the rushed side. Perhaps that's my main complaint. The book is too short!

There are some things I really liked. I quite enjoyed Achmed, Grunthor and Rhapsody's little reunion. It felt just like old times. I liked that we're given the explanation of the altered timeline from book 1 and what history would have looked like had there been no intervention. The undead "guardian" Jarmon seemed like a nod to the skeleton guard in The Last Unicorn. If he wasn't then that is quite a coincidence. I had been quite curious about what the underworld was like and it was great to have that curiosity satisfied. Also, Achmed continues to be a bad ass.

The series could easily have ended with the previous book. I do think the things I liked outweigh the things I didn't so I'm glad I read it. Just be sure to keep a box of kleenex handy if you decide to give it a go as you're in for an emotional roller coaster.

Rating:

68Narilka
Juil 25, 2017, 8:34 pm

41. Born a Crime by Trevor Noah



Born a Crime is a memoir by Trevor Noah of his life growing up in South Africa at the end of apartheid and the chaos that followed. The act of him being born was considered a crime as it was against the law for interracial relationships to exist at the time. He grew up in utter poverty and was unable to fit in with society due to the color of his skin. Even for something as simple as walking the street together, his mother had to pretend she didn't know him or they could have gone to jail. And yet he persevered to become a world famous comedian and tv host. His stories highlight the influence our parents have in our lives. His mother was one hell of a woman, determined he grow up to live a better life than her family did, a life without limits. It also shows the resiliency of children. Trevor had no idea growing up that he was being treated differently, he just assumed, as most kids do, that this was the way of it and learned to make the best of what he had.

I listened to the audio book narrated by the author. Trevor Noah is a great story teller and it makes it feel like he's sitting with you, telling his story. I have never watched the Daily Show. Instead I enjoy Trevor's stand up comedy. If you've never seen them I would recommend looking up some of his routines on YouTube.

Rating:

69dchaikin
Juil 26, 2017, 9:29 am

I love Trevor Noah. Fascinating about his childhood.

70Narilka
Juil 26, 2017, 11:01 am

>69 dchaikin: I think you'd like his book. Its amazing how much adversity he faced and yet he doesn't have a chip on his shoulder or come off as bitter at all.

71Narilka
Juil 29, 2017, 6:28 pm

42. One Fell Sweep by Ilona Andrews



"You're up early, Your Grace."

"It's a lovely day and we're under siege. People are trying to murder us." Her eyes shone with excitement. "Isn’t it marvelous?"

She would think so, wouldn’t she?

One Fell Sweep is the third book in the Innkeeper Chronicles by Ilona Andrews. So much for Dina's relatively quiet life. First, she receives an urgent call for help from her sister to come rescue her and her family from the planet they've been exiled on, a lawless and desolate place that is used as a penal colony. Then Dina agrees to help a guest with his last chance to save his dying species. Now the inn is under siege by a family of assassins putting the Gertrude Hunt and everyone's lives at risk. How will Dina keep everyone safe while also continuing to search for her missing parents?

This one has a slightly more complicated plot than the first two installments, weaving together three main story lines along with a couple side threads. One thing is quite certain: Dina takes her role as Innkeeper seriously and cares deeply for her family and the guests staying at the inn. She will stop at nothing, putting her own life on the line, to live up to her duties. If it wasn't obvious before the depth of power Dina has when she's on the inn's grounds is enormous. She is one bad ass, highly capable heroine!

All the regular characters are back along with are some great additions. Dina's sister and niece, Maud and Helen, are delightful. They provide insight into another layer of vampire society and family structure, giving that species more depth. My heart broke a little for the Hiru, an alien race that is being hunted into extinction for all the wrong reasons. They have been scattered across the universe in an attempt to stay alive. All they want is a place where they can live quietly and their delicate physiology requires them to constantly wear repulsive space suits in order to live anywhere off their home planet. The romantic thread that has been hinted at in the first two books comes to fruition and, a word of warning, there is one very steamy scene as a result. The humor is well done. The conversation where one alien tries to explain Christmas to anther based on his viewing of A Christmas Story is laugh out loud funny. This book should also get an award for best use of a fart gun.

I'm so glad the author has decided to continue the series as the book ends on a bit of a bombshell. With this story wrapped up it leaves us with a nice hook for what is to come. I look forward to it.

Rating:

72Narilka
Août 11, 2017, 4:54 pm

43 One Good Dragon Deserves Another by Rachel Aaron



One Good Dragon Deserves Another is the second in Rachel Aaron's Heartstriker series. It has been a month since Julius escaped his mother's plot and foiled the plans of a rival clan. He and Marci have a nice little supernatural pest control business that has been gradually gaining clients. Unfortunately it seems that no good deed goes unpunished. Now that Julius has proven himself useful, Bethesda has set him as center to her next plot when she sends out party invitations in his name to lure some clan enemies into the open. As if that's not bad enough two seers are battling for the fate of Heartstriker clan. How do you save your clan when your rival can see the future and knows every move you'll make?

This second installment takes the foundation laid by the first book and builds upon it. There is deeper world building as we're treated to more knowledge behind the return of magic, just how magic works in the world, what makes up spirits in particular and a better understanding of seer magic. We're given a glimpse into Algonquin's domain at the heart of the DFZ as well as finally meeting one of the famed dragon slayers. Further insight into the nature of dragons is revealed as are dragon family dynamics.

The story is more complex as it tracks three distinct plot threads and switches between at least five points of view. Julius and Marci both go on strong character arcs and it was great having both of their points of view. Both characters step up to the challenges in front of them and grow in surprising ways, beginning to live up to their potential. Marci begins developing deeper magical skills that she had barely scratched the surface of before. Julius is discovering that being "nice" is not the weakness his family thinks it is and gains some much needed confidence. In addition to the main stars, the story gives us dragons galore. Justin is back, though with a lesser role to play than in the first book. Bob is also back, pulling strings in the background as always. New to us is Amelia (yes A-melia), the eldest surviving child of Heartstriker clan. She is loads of fun! She would rather walk alternate planes and drink booze than have to deal with family politics. Can't say I blame her given how horrid Bethesda is to her children. Chelsie, mentioned in the first book, is given significantly more page time which was also great fun. The Shade of Heartstriker clan is fascinating with her preternatural fighting abilities. It all comes together for one big bang of a finale that was very satisfying.

I enjoyed the hell out of this book. Deeper world building, a more complicated plot, dragon family dynamics, heroics, action, a little romance - it was quite a page turner! I don't need a dragon seer to know that book three is in my near future.

Rating:

73Narilka
Août 14, 2017, 11:43 am

44. Waking Gods by Sylvain Neuvel



Several years have passed since Themis was discovered and reassembled. These actions have not gone unnoticed. A second robot, more massive than the first, appears in the middle of London and lashes out with deadly force. More robots begin to appear around the globe making the nightmare invasion scenario a reality. Dr. Rose Franklin and her team have uncovered a lot of knowledge about how their machine works but will it be enough to handle the threat?

Waking Gods is the second book in the Themis Files by Sylvain Neuvel. It is definitely a sequel to Sleeping Giants and yet feels quite different as the story takes on a whole new tone. Things get much, much darker as the stakes for humanity and our characters are raised quite high. Fair warning, not everyone makes it out of this book alive. I was saddened by a couple of the deaths.

Many of the questions from the first book are answered, even the big one from the epilogue, and the answers come fast. I was impressed by that. Rose in particular has a lot to deal with given her plot twist from the first book. Not only does she question her own identity but now she has the guilt of knowing that her discovery may be what ends the world. The romance plot between Kara and Vincent grows and becomes quite tangled when they discover they have a daughter and that the daughter may be able to pilot Themis due to her unique genetics. It sounds a little strange but it all makes sense in the story.

The epistolary format continues in this book. It gives the story a sense of urgency as the interviews are shorter. Or maybe they just felt that way given the sittuation. Then, just as everything is about to be wrapped up, Neuvel throws another curve ball in his epilogue! The third book has a lot of promise to take us for a wild ride.

As with the first installment I listened to the audio book which was performed by the same full cast. The voice actors did a superb job yet again. It was a wonderful listening experience. I will definitely do book three on audio also when it releases.

Rating:

74Narilka
Modifié : Août 16, 2017, 3:22 pm

45. Magic Strikes by Ilona Andrews



Magic Strikes by Ilona Andrews is the third in the Kate Daniels series. Yet again we're in for one action packed adventure through Atlanta. The Pack is being hunted. Derek is discovered nearly dead and trapped in his human form, unable to heal. Kate's investigation leads her to something called the Midnight Games -- an invitation only, last man standing, highly illegal, ultimate fighting tournament. The prize for the winning team is called the Wolf Diamond, a fist sized mystic Topaz with unknown powers. And there's something off about the rival gladiator team, the Reapers. They look human, scan as human, but... Kate must discover the stone's secret and unravel this latest plot if she is to save Atlanta's shapeshifter community.

This time around Andrews leans heavily on Hindu mythology, specifically around Rakshasas. Everything I know about Rakshasas came straight from D&D so my prior knowledge was mostly wrong. They are a lot more than vicious human/tiger hybrids! I like that Andrews seems to be theming the Kate Daniels books around various world myths as I get to learn small snippets about each one as I go. One of these days I really should expand my horizons beyond Greco-Roman and Celtic mythology.

Ilona Andrews has amazing talent to pack these short books full of just about everything. In a little over 300 pages there is tons of action, weird monsters, magic, expanding the world, character growth and an interesting plot. Kate is even more bad ass which I didn't think was possible. And she has just the right amount of smart ass mixed in. A couple of the side characters are fleshed out more. I think Andrea and Raphael are my favorites so I was happy to see they have a spin off short story. The romance between Kate and Curran is starting to heat up. I'm not sure how much longer the tension between the two of them can be dragged out.

Rating:

75Narilka
Août 20, 2017, 10:28 pm

46. Good Omens By Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett



As a huge Discworld fan I am disappointed I didn't like Good Omens more. This is my first experience with Neil Gaiman so maybe it was just the mesh of styles that didn't work for me? It took me a while to get into this one. Initially the jokes felt forced and it wasn't very funny. I even set the book aside twice just to see if it was my mood. After about the 60% point things picked up I began to enjoy the story.

A demon named Crowley and an angel named Aziraphale have spent all of human existence on earth. They were sent there by their respective parties to keep an eye on things and usher in the Apocalypse. When the day finally arrives they both realize that someone has misplaced the Antichrist. The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse are running amok on their motorcycles. Also Crowley and Aziraphale have decided that they've grown rather fond of humans and the Earth and don't want to see everything destroyed.

The authors have some interesting things to say about society and humanity that is still very relevant today. I quite enjoyed Crowley and Aziraphael's odd couple relationship. For creatures who are supposed to be on opposite sides of this whole mess they sure had a lot in common and a nice friendship. The Horsemen were also fun and I liked how Death made a very Discworld style appearance. Adam and his friends I found highly annoying and a lot of their early dialog was inane. They did not work for me at all.

I'm glad I pushed through and finished the book. The overall premise is brilliant as are many of the comments on society. I just wish I had enjoyed it more.

Rating:

76dchaikin
Août 21, 2017, 8:47 am

Never got to this in my Pratchett phase - and I never really took to Gaimon. Your review makes me want to read it (there's even a copy in the house)

77Narilka
Août 21, 2017, 11:19 am

>76 dchaikin: I hope you try it. I'd love to hear your thoughts.

78Narilka
Août 25, 2017, 9:51 am

47. Arthur: The dog who crossed the jungle to find a home by Mikael Lindnord



Arthur is a heart warming memoir of a dog rescue. Mikael Lindnord is an adventure racer. He and his team are on a grueling, 400+ mile race through the jungles of Ecuador when they encounter a stray dog at one of the race's rest stops. In a small act of kindness Mikael shares his food with the dog and the rest, as they say, is history. The dog follows the team along for the rest of the race. What starts as a cute quirk quickly changes as a deep bond forms between Mikael and the dog. They struggle through some tough terrain together, battling injury and illness and cross the finish line. It is then that Mikael decides he will save Arthur and bring him home to Sweden, whatever it takes.

I've never heard of adventure racing before. Those people are nuts! What was amazing is that Arthur was able to keep up with them throughout the second half of the race. He had some pretty severe back wounds when he meets up with Mikael's team. The paperwork and red tape involved to bring an animal from one country to another was intimidating. The story also highlights how animal rights are non-existent in some parts of the world. Mikael has started a foundation to try and change the laws in these countries to give animals more protection. It's going to be a long, slow process but I think his team is up for the challenge.

Rating:

79Narilka
Août 26, 2017, 6:14 pm

48. All These Worlds by Dennis E. Taylor



Wasn't being a sentient spaceship was supposed to be more fun and less work? A hostile alien species "consuming" their way through the universe, political unrest on some of the colonies, more Medieros probes and resource bottlenecks are certainly NOT what the Bobs need if they are to finish evacuating the Earth and save humanity. It's going to take more Bobs in order to keep the schedule and get through the next several years in one piece.

All these Worlds is the final book in Dennis E. Taylor's Bobiverse trilogy. All of the story lines in book two are carried through and reach a satisfying conclusion. There still are some fun SFF pop culture references though they are fewer than previous books. While there is a more serious tone over all, the humor and wit are still great.

Of all the story threads, Howard and Bridget's story really helps capture the running theme of what it means to be human. The Bobs are not just intelligent AI. They are essentially inorganic humans with all of the capacity for emotion as organic humans only worse as this makes the price of immortality especially hard as you constantly outlive friends and loved ones.

There are so many Bobs now! They are up to their eighth generation. You start to see more deviance from Original Bob's personality. This is where Ray Porter's narration of the audio book really shines as he made distinct yet subtle differences with each Bob, it's impressive.

I've enjoyed this series immensely. I read on the author's blog that he is planning future books in this world as there are many stories still to tell. I'm looking forward to it.

Rating:

80Narilka
Sep 1, 2017, 1:12 pm

49. Weekend Warriors by Fern Michaels



Nikki and her best friend Barbara are meeting Barbara's mother, Myra Rutledge, for lunch when Barbara is killed in a hit and run accident. The driver of the car has diplomatic immunity and is protected from prosecution. Myra descends into a period of deep mourning bordering on severe depression. Sixteen months later Myra is watching a news broadcast about a woman who lost her child and took matters into her own hands. Feeling inspired Myra gathers together a group of women who have all suffered and the legal system did not bring any of them justice. They form the Sisterhood and vow to right all the wrongs done against them. Drawing a name from a hat the Sisterhood begins to work on Kathryn Lucas's case first.

This book is not about romance. These women are out for revenge and nothing is going to stand in their way. There are seven ladies in total: Myra Rutledge (billionaire), Nikki French (lawyer), Kathryn Lucas (long-haul truck driver), Alexis Thorne (securities broker), Julia Webster (plastic surgeon), Isabelle Flanders (architect) and Yoko Akia (florist). They are assisted by Charles Martin, an ex-MI6 agent and Myra's current head of security. It is the combination of their backgrounds and skills that turns them into a successful team. Unlimited funding doesn't hurt either.

This was an entertaining, light and engaging read. The story is very fast paced. Main characters are given just enough background to understand their basic persona but no real depth. The revenge they enact is something I think many women in Kathryn's position wish they could do. It is a bit of a fantasy in that money is no object, they have access to any resource they could need and obstacles are relatively easy to over come. I read this on my mom's recommendation and can see why she liked it.

Rating:

81Narilka
Sep 7, 2017, 10:42 am

50. Redshirts by John Scalzi



You know those unlucky crew members in Star Trek who wear red shirts and join away missions for the sole purpose of dying dramatically? This book is for them!

Ensign Andrew Dahl has just been assigned to the Universal Union Capital Ship Intrepid, current flagship of the Universal Union. Their mission: to boldly go where no one has gone before! Dahl couldn't be happier until he notices that there is something wrong with away missions: they have an abnormally high mortality rate; the captain and his high level officers always survive the mission; and the science doesn't make any sense at all. How is this even possible?

Redshirts is a stand alone science fiction novel by John Scalzi and is a brilliant parody of/homage to Star Trek. The book is subtitled "a novel with three codas" which are three separate but related short stories after the main novel ends that deal with the consequences of the actions in the novel. It's an interesting concept and works nicely to round things out. It also answers those lingering questions of "what happened after?" that sometimes occur after reading a book.

For fear of spoilers, I'm going to be fairly brief. Let's just say that Scalzi takes the concept and runs with it and the result is downright hilarious. This one had me laughing out loud quite often from beginning to end. It also has a surprisingly touching ending.

I listened to the audio book narrated by Wil Wheaton. His delivery nails it! Wheaton's comedic timing fits this book perfectly. He was well cast and a lot of fun to listen to. The fact that Wheaton played an ensign that didn't die dramatically on a popular Star Trek show... draw your own conclusions.

Rating:

82valkyrdeath
Sep 8, 2017, 6:53 pm

>81 Narilka: You've reminded me again that I really need to get to this one. I read a Scalzi story collection earlier and it had a funny short set in the same world as Redshirts. Not sure if you've seen it, but there's a video of him reading it with Wil Wheaton on Youtube, which turns out to be a very appropriate choice of actor for the story. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zz5S2x_tJ70

83Narilka
Sep 8, 2017, 10:44 pm

>82 valkyrdeath: That is awesome! Thanks for sharing :)

84Narilka
Sep 12, 2017, 9:01 pm

51. The Dragon's Path by Daniel Abraham



The Dragon's Path by Daniel Abraham is the first in The Dagger and the Coin series. This is definitely one of those books that feels like it is a set up for something much bigger to come. The world and the story are slowly revealed through the point of view chapters of four main characters.

Marcus Wester is a hero of past battles and has had enough of fighting. As it looks like another war is about to start in the Free Cities, Wester takes a job as guard captain for a caravan in hopes of escaping the area before the situation escalates. This means he will need men to lead and, unfortunately, his own crew was just arrested. Where to find another crew? Cithrin bel Sarcour is a ward of the Medean Bank in Vanai. When the bank's original caravan driver dies Cithrin is assigned the task and must move the bank's assets out of the city before the invaders arrive. How can an inexperienced young girl be expected to survive such responsibility? Sir Geder Palliako is the only son of a minor noble house in Antea. He is a poor excuse for a soldier, more interested in speculative essays than swordplay. Yet he finds himself assigned to the company that has been tasked with capturing Vanai. Little more than a pawn for other nobles, will he end up hero or villain in the conflict to come? Sir Dawson Kalliam is a noble member of the Antean Court and childhood friend of King Simeon. Kallaim enjoys his politics and has uncovered a plot against the throne. Will he be able to save the King?

The Dragon's Path touches on a lot of the things I love in epic fantasy. There are several factions at play, political intrigue, the beginnings of an interesting world and a strong cast of both main and supporting characters. Master Kit and his troupe were so much fun to read that I couldn't wait for them to come up in Cithrin and Marcus's points of view. What is missing is the action. There is very little action for a story set during wartime. The story is mostly character driven which works, though it does make for a much slower paced novel.

My favorite thing about the book is how it portrays choice and consequences. It is the choices of the main characters that make something that should've been fairly simple to cause events to spiral out of control and is the concept that connects all the points of view when characters are in different parts of the world. Along with that goes the idea of how we're always the hero in our own story. Geder's story takes this idea and runs with it.

My main complaint is with the world building. It could have used more depth. I enjoyed the hints of history but it definitely needed more. There are 13 distinct races of humans that were "created" in the past for various reasons and purposes, none of which is very well explained and sometimes it's hard differentiate between each. I hope the author goes into this with more detail in the next book.

Overall The Dragon's Path is a solid start to a series. I'm looking forward to reading more in this world.

Rating:

85Narilka
Sep 14, 2017, 3:03 pm

52. The Emperor's Soul by Brandon Sanderson



Shai has been betrayed. Her partner left her high and dry while they attempted to steal and replace the Moon Scepter with a forgery. Now she finds herself locked in jail awaiting her fate. Instead of being executed Shai is offered an opportunity. The emperor has been attacked by assassins and while his body survived his mind did not. His government has hidden this from the Empire and will allow Shai to avoid being executed if she will create a Forgery of the Emperor's soul, making it as if the assassination attempt never happened. Forgery is the ability to rewrite the past of objects in order to change their present. This is a very difficult task with an impossible deadline as Shai only has one hundred days to both save herself and the Emperor.

How does Brandon Sanderson do it? I mean seriously! In 175 pages he's written yet another unique magic system, a glimpse into a different part of the world of Elantris, characters I care about and a great plot. This story stands well on it's own and is only loosely related to Elantris so you won't miss out on much but a couple references if you haven't read it. It is also one of the best fantasy novellas I've read in a while. My only complaint is it's too short. I hope Sanderson returns to write more in this world some day.

Rating:

86Narilka
Sep 19, 2017, 10:00 am

53. Auschwitz: A Doctor's Eyewitness Account Miklos Nyiszli



Dr. Miklos Nyiszli was sent to Auschwitz when the Nazis invaded Hungary in 1944. As a Jew he was a condemned man. As a medical doctor he was useful so was spared from death and assigned a worse fate: to assist in performing "scientific research" on his fellow inmates under the direct supervision of Dr. Mengele himself. Somehow Dr. Miklos survived Auschwitz and wrote this short memoir of his time there.

This was an interesting read about a difficult subject. The writing is surprisingly accessible and Dr. Nyiszli's story engaging, though I found I had to read it in small chunks due to the subject matter. Dr. Nyiszli explains at the beginning of the book that he writes this as a doctor from a doctor's perspective so there is a bit of a clinical feel to it which lessens the emotional impact to a degree. I wonder if this is how the doctor protected himself to keep his own sanity while relating his story of the horrors he lived through. Dr. Nyiszli was a pathologist and performed many autopsies after the prisoners were killed. While he does describe some of the methods of death at the Nazi's the bulk of the atrocities committed are absent from this text. Still it's an important book and worth reading for a different perspective of someone's time at Auschwitz.

Rating:

87Narilka
Oct 3, 2017, 9:05 pm

54. Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett



Someone out there was about to find that their worst nightmare was a maddened Librarian. With a badge.

It's no secret I'm a huge Discworld fan and have a particular fondness for the Night Watch books. So I was quite excited when Guards! Guards! was chosen for my book club's September read. This reread did not disappoint! It was just as enjoyable as I remembered.

The Supreme Grand Master of the Elucidated Brethren of the Ebon Night has an idea: to overthrown the Patrician of Ankh-Morpork and install a puppet ruler while he not-so-secretly rules the city from behind the throne. How to acheive such a feat? Locate the long lost heir to the throne, have him defeat a dragon and install him as king. Using a book he stole from Unseen University the Supreme Grand Master goes about setting his plot in motion. What could possibly go wrong?

Guards! Guards! is the 8th Discworld novel and the start of the Watch sub-series. As with most Discworld books it takes several familiar concepts from mythology and common fantasy tropes, shakes them up, adds a twist and gives the story it's own unique Discworld flavor. This time around it's secret societies, the origins of dragons and their nature, a by-the-book cop, ritual magic, the danger of libraries (knowledge = power = energy = matter = mass), how to make a king, humans being the real monsters, million-to-one chances and more.

It is also the first book that is set entirely within Ankh-Morpork. The city comes to life in such detail that in some ways almost becoming a character itself. In Vimes's words:
The city wasa, wasa, wasa wossname. Thing. Woman. That's what it was. Woman. Roaring, ancient, centuries old. Strung you along, let you fall in thingy, love, then kicked you inna, inna, thingy. Thingy, in your mouth. Tongue. Tonsils. Teeth. That's what it, she, did. She wasa ... thing, you know, lady dog. Puppy. Hen. Bitch. And then you hated her and, and just when you thought you'd got her, it, out of your whatever, then she opened her great booming rotten heart to you, caught you off bal, bal, bal, thing. Ance. Yeah. Thassit. Never knew where where you stood. Lay. Only one thing you were sure of, you couldn't let her go. Because, because she was yours, all you had, even in her gutters...

Speaking of Vimes, this is our first introduction to him and the other members of the Watch. Vimes goes on one heck of a character arc in this book and throughout the series. He starts as a down in the gutter drunk to being quite the detective and able leader of the Watch. It is great fun to read. The remaining members of Watch are: Lance Constable Carrot, a 6'6" dwarf (he's adopted) and very literal minded when it comes to the Book of Law; Corporal Nobby Nobs; and Sargent Colon. The imposing and advocate for swamp dragons, Lady Sybil Ramkin makes her first appearance. Lord Vetinari, the enigmatic Patrician and ruler of Ankh-Morpork character is fleshed out into who he will be for the remainder of the series. His relationship with Vimes and how he rules the city in general is fascinating.

For anyone looking for a good place to start their Discworld adventure I highly recommend Guards! Guards!. It's a great introduction to the world, Pratchett's style of humor and it's cast of recurring characters. This one is a favorite of mine.

Rating:

88Narilka
Modifié : Oct 6, 2017, 9:39 am

55. No Good Dragon Goes Unpunished by Rachel Aaron



No Good Dragon Goes Unpunished is the third in Rachel Aaron's Heartstriker series. The book picks up immediately where book two left off. At this point I can't give a synopsis without spoilers.

Julius has done what no other dragon has dared to do: he has overthrown Bethesda, taken over the clan and did it all without killing her! His idea is to have the clan ruled by a council so every dragon has a voice. But sharing power isn't part of a dragon's vocabulary. Also near impossible is getting the entire clan together to vote on filling the last council seat without killing each other. Julius definitely has his work cut out for him. And the clock is ticking. Algonquin, the spirit of the lakes, has declared war on dragon-kind and the clan is sitting ducks until they can fill that final council seat.

While there are only two plot threads, the story takes a lot of twists and turns and is quite an emotional ride. The first thread is from Julius's point of view as he takes on the impossible task of getting his family in line. He is quite unprepared for just how treacherous, plotting and literally backstabbing his family is. All the Heartstrikers assembled in one place is the ultimate recipe for chaos and insanity is the main course! It's a good thing he has a few family members on his side to help keep him safe and maintain a semblance of order. This leaves Marci alone to fend for herself in the mountain, which is the other plot thread. Marci is finally learning about the nature of her spirit and just what his appearance means to the world so she sets out to acheive her full potential as the first possible Merlin since magic returned. Marci's bond with Ghost grows and it's a fascinating.

Given that the entire Heartstriker clan has been called to the mountain, there are dragons everywhere. All the favorites from the previous books are back. Bob, Chelsie, Amelia and Justin all play important roles in the story. Especially Chelsie. Chelsie's backstory is finally filled in and we're given a fairly large bombshell that the reader is able to figure out though Julius stays naively clueless as to what it all means. I'm pretty sure this will be very important in book 4. There are some great new additions too. I particularly loved and had my heart go out to F-Clutch and their horrible situation. There are also plenty of dragons who disagree with Julius and a few that attempt to seize the apparent opportunity during the chaos. Dragon family politics are vicious!

I continue to enjoy the heck out of this little self published series. I'll be moving on to book 4 very soon. The book has a dramatic ending that, while not quite a cliff hanger, definitely left me wanting more immediately.

Rating:

89bragan
Oct 6, 2017, 2:53 am

>>87 Narilka: I've been really enjoying re-reading the City Watch books this year, and, boy, they do stand up wonderfully on re-reading, don't they? Not that that's a surprise, Pratchett being Pratchett, but it's still great to confirm it. And I think I'd forgotten just how dramatic of a character are Vimes does have, until I re-visited Guards! Guards! and was reminded just how low he started.

90Narilka
Oct 6, 2017, 1:34 pm

>89 bragan: The Watch and Witches books are my favorite Discworld sub-series. And they are all such great rereads! One day I'll do like you and do a full reread of each.

91Narilka
Oct 6, 2017, 7:56 pm

56. The Girl With All the Gifts by M. R. Carey



I'm not a horror aficionado nor am I really a zombie movie/story fan. Still, I had been hearing great things about this book and decided it give it a shot. I am so glad I did. It blew away all my expectations.

The story revolves around a little girl named Melanie. She is a special girl, called "my little genius" by Dr. Caldwell. She is wheeled to school each day where she learns fascinating things. History. Algebra. And especially Greek myths. Melanie loves school. School and the cell she lives in are her whole world. Suddenly that world is turned upside down when the school is attacked. Melanie finds herself thrust out into the real world and things not at all as she imagined.

My synopsis really doesn't do the book justice. That's probably ok though otherwise it might be too spoilery.

I found the writing engaging, the descriptions direct and emotional, the action fast paced and gory. This almost made it more like a character driven thriller with some horrific elements than a normal horror story for me. The tale switches between five points of view. This is important as it is gradually changes how we see the world and the characters like slowly rotating a kaleidoscope. This then turns the story into a much deeper and philosophical experience, something I never expected from a horror novel.

There is some real science behind this fictional tale. The cause of the apocalypse is based on a real world occurrence, which gives the story a slightly plausible edge. Scientific American even did an article on this phenomenon, unrelated to the book. You can find it here. Don't read it if you don't want serious story spoilers!

Overall a surprisingly great read. If you can put up with some gore, I'd recommend giving it a shot. Even if you don't normally like horror stories.

Rating:

92bragan
Oct 7, 2017, 12:55 am

>90 Narilka: I'm debating re-reading the Witches ones next year.

93Narilka
Oct 10, 2017, 5:06 pm

57. A Dragon of a Different Color by Rachel Aaron



A Dragon of a Different Color is the fourth in Rachel Aaron's Heartstriker series. Again the story picks up immediately were the last book left off. Which is good because that book ended on quite the bombshell. Mild spoilers for the previous book.

Just when Julius thought things couldn't get any worse. Given no time at all to grieve his losses, family mistakes from six centuries ago are coming back to haunt the Heartstrikers. Dragons live long lives and the Chinese clans have not forgotten the crimes committed by Bethesda's brood all those long years ago. The Golden Emperor himself has come to make them pay and he will accept nothing less than the full surrender of Heartstriker clan. In the meantime Algonquin has set her plans in motion to make it so land spirits will have ultimate supremacy as the magical force in the world. It's time for her rogue mage to make good on his promises to help out or die trying. As if that's not enough Bob has gone missing!

This is the book of big reveals and a lot of info dumping as a result. Good thing it's all fascinating! Again the story continues along the two plot threads from book 3. The chapters consistently alternate between Julius and Marcy's situations. While there are a couple of extra points of view thrown in they are mostly to bring everyone up to speed on all the information needed so our heroes can get on with saving the world. The Chinese dragons feel sufficiently different and I quite enjoyed the spin on the Emperor's mythos and magic. It's so hard not to go into spoilers. I'm also extremely happy where some of the story threads ended up, especially regarding Chelsie and F-clutch. Their stories tug on the heart strings.

I continue to admire the layered world building that Rachel Aaron has achieved. Each book brings something new that enhances what we've learned before. The information comes fast and furious, adding more urgency to a situation that's already spinning wildly out of control.

Given everything that's happened and all the set up, the final book is going to be one heck of a wild ride. I can't wait! And yet I must. The author posted on her blog that she's hoping to publish the fifth and final book early next year. Fingers crossed she's able to keep to that schedule.

Rating:

94dchaikin
Oct 10, 2017, 10:31 pm

>87 Narilka: great review of Guards! Guards! - a gaping hole in my Pratchett reading.

95Narilka
Oct 12, 2017, 3:05 pm

96Narilka
Modifié : Oct 16, 2017, 5:16 pm

58. Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency by Douglas Adams



DIRK GENTLY'S
HOLISTIC DETECTIVE AGENCY
We solve the whole crime
We find the whole person
Phone today for the whole solution to your problem
(Missing cats and messy divorces a specialty)


Dirk may be one of the most unique detectives of all time. He believes in the fundamental interconnectedness of all things. This allows him not to do any work to solve his crimes, you know such things like using fingerprint powder or collecting actual evidence, because everything leads to everything else. Yeah, let that idea sink in for a minute. And somehow Adams makes it all work. There are some genuinely brilliant bits about mathematics and the nature of space-time in this short little novel. I particularly enjoyed the solution to the problem of the immovable sofa.

So why only three stars? I think this is one of those instances where the book was spoiled by seeing the tv show first. I absolutely love the new series starting Samuel Barnett and Elija Woods and I can definitely see how the writers were influenced by Adams' work. At the end of the first season I had one of those moments where the light-bulb went off and "OMG it's all connected!" that was so cool. Since I kind of knew what to expect I think the book's ending was robbed of its impact. But it does all work, everything really is connected. Adams is a mad genius.

Rating:

97dchaikin
Oct 17, 2017, 11:16 pm

Your review makes me smile. Maybe I'd like the book too.

98Narilka
Oct 18, 2017, 9:12 am

:)

99Narilka
Oct 27, 2017, 10:35 pm

59. Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky



Children of Time is a stand alone science fiction novel by Adrian Tchaikovsky. The story alternates between two plot threads. The first thread is about the last survivors of earth roaming the universe in a colony ship in an attempt to save what's left of humanity and yet seemingly unable to escape what caused their downfall in the first place. The second thread follows the inhabitants of a terraformed planet. The humans that were terraforming the planet released a nano-virus intended to speed up evolution for a group of monkeys that intended to be delivered to the planet and something went wrong so the monkeys never arrived. Instead the nano-virus uplifts the insects on the planet and their species grow as a civilization. Eventually the two plots converge and this leads to a fairly exciting ending.

Tchaikovsky has a quite a vision. Events unfold gradually across a couple thousand years of time. This is great for those who love some hard science in their fiction as plenty of time is given to show just how insects evolve from a fairly mindless species into a civilization that includes both religion and a form of biological sciences that was absolutely fascinating. Fair warning: if you have arachnophobia you may want to stay away from this story as it goes into quite a bit of descriptive detail about the bugs. As much as I enjoyed the insects story, the human story just didn't do it for me. I think Tchaikovsky painted too good a picture of the darker side of human nature and unfortunately those chapters left me feeling slightly depressed and made it slower for me to get through.

I listened to the audio book narrated by Mel Hudson. She does a great job with the material. I particularly loved how she portrayed Dr. Kern.

In a complete surprise.... Insects: 5 Stars. Humans: 1 Star.

Rating:

100Narilka
Oct 28, 2017, 7:37 pm

60. Dragon Keeper by Robin Hobb



Dragon Keeper is the first in the Rain Wilds Chronicles by Robin Hobb and tenth in her greater Realm of the Elderlings series. While you can probably enjoy the story regardless, I recommend to have read the Liveship Traders prior to starting this book as this series is a direct follow up to those events and many things from those books are referenced with the idea that the reader is already in the know. So far there is no impact from the Farseer Trilogy at all and only one minor relation to the very end of the Tawny Man series which you can probably skip too and still understand the whole story no problem. Without further ado...

It has been many years since Tintaglia saved Bingtown and struck a deal with the Traders to protect the newly hatched dragons. Tintaglia has vanished and the Traders are having trouble with keeping up their end of the bargain. The new dragons were too old when they cocooned as serpents and born too early, hatching weak and deformed. Many did not survive their first year. Those who did are becoming a menace, hampering efforts to excavate a buried Elderling city and costing a fortune to upkeep. There is only one solution: the dragons must be relocated somewhere else. Anywhere else. A crew of keepers are hired to help herd the dragons upriver to the mythical city of Kelsingra. Legends say Kelsingra was the home of dragons and Elderlings in ages past. Does it still exist? Can dragons and keepers survive such a journey?

This book is all about setting the stage for remainder of the series. The first two thirds of the book are spent in character building and Robin Hobb is an expert at it. We are introduced to a large cast though the story is told primarily from four points of view. Alise Finbok is in a marriage of convenience with Trader Hest Finbok. Their relationship leaves a lot to be desired. She's a self proclaimed dragon expert and has dedicated herself to learning everything she can about the creatures. She negotiates a trip to visit the hatchlings to learn about dragons directly from the source. Sent with her as her secretary/guardian is Hest's right hand man, Sedrec Meldar. To say that Sedrec is unhappy about this arrangement is an understatement. While grudgingly accepting this horrible duty he decides to put the trip to good use and has a nefarious plan of his own to try and gather dragon parts as they're worth a fortune. Leftrin is captain of the oldest known liveship, Tarman. He and his crew are hired to assist with the dragon's relocation and will be loaded down with supplies for the keepers and hunters that have signed on for the journey. Sintara, also known as Skymaw, is one of the new dragons. She is frustrated by her and her kin's malformed bodies and taunted by ancestral memories of what a dragon is supposed to be. She is paired with Thymara as a keeper. Thymara is heavily touched by the Rain Wilds. Thymara grew up knowing she should not have existed, being born with claws instead of fingers and toes, and jumps at the chance to join the expedition to make her own way in the world. Great care is taken to flesh out everyone's perspectives, backgrounds, motivations and dark little secrets. In addition to the main points of view, there are around 16 dragons total, 14 keepers, the rest of Tarman's crew and a few hunters hired on to help provide food for the dragons on their trip. It seems like a lot but ended up not being that bad to keep up with.

Again, the feeling of setting the stage is greatly apparent. The pacing is very slow. Just as the plot really gets going, it ends on a small bombshell that I imagine will have great impact to the rest of the series. It was great learning more about the Rain Wilds, an area hinted at but not really encountered in depth before. My heart really went out to the dragons and their keepers. Both groups are the rejects of society. I hope this journey helps them to rise above their circumstances. But it's a Robin Hobb book so there will definitely be more hardships ahead. It's a good set up and an interesting read. On to book two!

Rating:

101Narilka
Nov 2, 2017, 3:14 pm

61. Dragon Haven by Robin Hobb



Dragon Haven is the second in the Rain Wilds Chronicles by Robin Hobb. Events pick up immediately where the first book leaves off. This makes a whole lot of since as apparently they were meant to be one larger novel and split in two due to size. This was definitely a step up for me as if feels like this is where the story really takes off.

With the liveship Tarman and its crew in tow, the dragons and their keepers continue the long journey upriver. Their destination: Kelsingra. If it even exists. Some of the dragons have ancestral memories of the place but these memories are incomplete and are in doubt. The journey treacherous and the dangers of the Rain Wilds are not to be taken lightly. And when the price for dragon parts is so high, there are those among them who will cave to temptation and do anything to make their fortune.

As anyone who is a Robin Hobb fan knows, one of her main strengths are her characters. She creates some of the most fully fleshed, believable characters around. Each point of view character goes on a fairly significant arc, as do some of the secondary characters, leaving them in completely different places than when they started this journey. Sedrec went on one of the best arcs for me. Hobb worked her magic taking this highly unlikable guy and turning him into a person of integrity through the various hardships he endures. I was proud of Alise for finding her courage and determination to make herself more than a useless, spoiled Bingtown lady. The Dragons change too, though differently as they work to patch together their missing memories and learn what it means to be true dragons. I am absolutely in love with little Relpda. Her simple view of the world is changing as her bond with her keeper grows. I will be heartbroken if anything happens to her before this series is done.

On the downside, this book almost has a YA feel to it with all the romance plots. It seems like there's someone for everyone. And many of the characters agonize internally about "should I or shouldn't I" with regards to sex. I liked how as part of Thymeria's arc she realizes that all the other keepers have been having sex, making the world not so innocent after all, kind of like that realization you get in high school. That did lend a nice coming of age slant to the story. But it just went on for too much of the book and I felt the point became belabored by the end.

I was quite surprised at all the reveals in this book. Everyone's dirty laundry is aired and worked through. The bad guys get their comeuppance. Answers are given for relationship between Dragons and Elderlings as well as why Rain Wilders are so heavily marked, both mysteries which were started in the Liveship books. Almost all the story threads started in book one reach a form of resolution. Normally these are things that I would expect to be gradually revealed through the whole series if they were going to be revealed at all. It makes me wonder what is set in store for the second half of the series.

Rating:

102Narilka
Nov 11, 2017, 11:39 am

62 City of Dragons by Robin Hobb



After a long, hard journey, Kelsingra is within sight. Separated from their goal by a raging river that's too wide, too deep and too swiftly moving for the Tarman to safely cross, the dragons and their keepers make camp on the far shore as best they can. There is only one for everyone to reach the city: the dragons must learn to fly. Meanwhile, Captain Leftrin returns downriver to report on the expeditions success and stock up on much needed supplies. Rumors of the city's discovery traveled ahead of the ship. There is much speculation as to what treasures await to be uncovered in Kelsingra and how much profit can be made. In Chalced, the Duke's illness progresses and he grows more desperate for a cure. It is believed that dragon blood is what the Duke needs and he will stop at nothing to get it.

City of Dragons is the third in the Rain Wilds Chronicles by Robin Hobb. I'm starting to see a pattern. Just as book one was the set up for book two, book three also feels like a setup for book four. Page time is split between the dragons and their keepers and catching us up on players in the rest of the world: Hest, Malta, Reyn, Seldin and the Duke of Chalced. This change put me off the story somewhat and slowed down my reading pace dramatically. Given the level of character building I expect from Robin Hobb the fact that this book clocks in at just under 400 pages is not much space for her to work with and I found the backgrounds for Hest and the Duke to be on the disappointing side. Yes the Duke is evil and we already knew Hest was a selfish ass based on mentions from Alise and Sedrec but we never really deep dive into their characters the way we did for the others. Malta, Reyn and Seldin are all characters we've known from the Liveship books so it was nice to see them again, if briefly. The chapters for the dragons and keepers I found myself devouring. Their story is what I'm most interested in and the parts we were given did not disappoint.

There is no big climax or any sort of resolution to the story. The plot plods along. There are new threats to the keepers, their dragons and the city but none of it feels particularly urgent. Perhaps that's what this book was missing for me. It was still well written and an interesting read, just needed that little extra something that I missed from the last book.

Rating:

103chlorine
Nov 12, 2017, 10:48 am

I've slowly catched up with your thread. Thanks for all the interesting reviews! :)

Now I have to decide if your review of Children of Time makes me want to read the book or not... :)

104Narilka
Nov 12, 2017, 12:29 pm

>103 chlorine: I'm glad you enjoyed the reviews! Unless you have a serious bug phobia you might as well give Children of Time a shot. A lot of people end up really enjoying it. I'd love to hear your thoughts if you do.

105Narilka
Nov 19, 2017, 10:12 am

63. Blood of Dragons by Robin Hobb



Blood of Dragons is the fourth and final book in the Rain Wilds Chronicles by Robin Hobb. It's getting hard to write a spoiler free review so I'm not going to try. The keepers and their dragons have finally made their way across to the city of Kelsingra. Memories return as both groups explore the city, filling in the puzzle of what it means to be both Dragon and Elderling. Yet one final mystery remains. What is the Silver and where has it gone? All anyone knows is it must be found quickly as it is the key to the survival of both species. Leftrin returns to the city with much needed supplies and some unwanted guests. Meanwhile tensions with Chalced continue to escalate as the Duke becomes desperate to escape his fate.

The dragons and their keepers have come a long way. I love that we spend a great portion of the book continuing to explore their relationships and the depth of how much each group needs the others. All of this while continuing to learn more about Kelsingra were my favorite parts of the book. While I think she has farther to go, I quite enjoyed how Thymara stayed true to herself and didn't cave to peer pressure around pairing up with another keeper. She also shows great courage when she faces down her fear and climbs into the well, an act that just may save everyone. She really comes into her own. Rapskal has a surprising change in character. His continued use of the memory stone alters his personality drastically. I was sad to see the carefree boy replaced with Elderling warrior. It is both tragic and turns out necessary later on given how events end up. Alise, after some soul searching, also finds a place for herself and embraces her new life fully. I was very proud of both her and Sedric when they finally faced down Hest. And while I think it was a tad unbelievable, I have to say I loved Hest's ending. Thank you Kalo for doing everyone a huge favor!

And then there's the Chalced story line. After all the wonderful build up, the ending felt rushed. I definitely wanted more time with the final confrontation in Chalced instead of most of it being done off screen. It was anticlimactic to say the least.

That major disappointment aside, it was a nice ending. The story lines are wrapped up just enough, the bad guys get what they deserve and there are Dragons and Elderlings in the world again. While I think this was the weakest series in the Realm of the Elderlings it was still an enjoyable read that adds some extra detail to the world and many memorable characters.

Rating:

106Narilka
Nov 22, 2017, 8:34 pm

64. Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne



Journey to the Center of the Earth is the grand adventure story of Professor Lidenbrock's quest to follow a the instructions in a cryptic text that describe how one can descend to the very center of the planet via volcanic tubes originating in an Icelandic volcano. He sets out with his nephew Axel and their hired guide Hans on an extraordinary journey through the bowels of the earth that has them encountering strange phenomena and many dangers. The story is told entirely from Axel's point of view as he writes journal of the trip.

This is my first time reading Jules Verne. It was a lot of fun and reminded me very much of the 1959 movie. The story starts off slow and spends a bit more time in the preparation than on the journey than I'd like. I wish there had been more time spent deep within the earth and the discoveries there. Axel is quite over dramatic and probably should never have gone along with his uncle. The science in the story is incredibly out dated so you have to unplug that part of the brain to enjoy the adventure.

I listened to the audio book narrated by Tim Curry. His performance is top notch and fits the work beautifully. I love the emotion he's able to give the characters.

Rating:

107dchaikin
Nov 22, 2017, 11:18 pm

>106 Narilka: Sounds fun on audio. At some point as a kid I read this, one of the few books I read back then. It was long enough ago or I was young enough that I have very mixed up memories.

108chlorine
Nov 23, 2017, 1:21 am

>106 Narilka:
I had an expurged version of this book in audio (on an LP record) when I was a kid and I liked it a lot. I have listened to it many times.

I somehow had the impression that Jules Verne was not enjoyable for adult readers, so I'm glad you had fun!

On the science part: I remember that at some point they find a fossilised tree trunk, realise it floats, and use it as a raft to get away, and I remember my older brother exclaiming : "Fossilised wood is stone! It doesn't float, it sinks!"

109Narilka
Nov 23, 2017, 10:11 am

>108 chlorine: Your memory is correct. Like I said, it definitely need some suspension of disbelief in the science parts :)

110Narilka
Nov 23, 2017, 7:30 pm

65. Death Masks by Jim Butcher



Harry Dresden is having one hell of a day. A high ranking member of the Red Court of Vampires has challenged Harry to a duel to the death. Several of Marcone's thugs are gunning for him. A horribly mutilated corpse has turned up that the Chicago PD need assistance identifying. The Shroud of Turn has been stolen. Plus Susan is back in town and slowly losing control over her new vampiric nature. Never has there been a better recipe for disaster.

Death Masks is the fifth in Jim Butcher's Dresden Files. Harry is back and he has a lot on his plate. Too much I'd say. There were so many plot lines that none of them were given the time they deserved. The two main plots could have easily filled out its own book and still been great. I almost forgot about the vampire duel I was so caught up with the Denarians and the Shroud. I will say that Butcher really knows his myths and legends, giving us a nice taste of the Fallen. Can't wait to see what theses guys have in store for Harry in the future.

This was another action filled entry to the series. And Butcher really knows how to write action! I'm glad to see Harry placing his trust in Murphy and the two of them working more as a team. Just wish she'd been in the story more.

Unfortunately I'm not jiving with Harry's sense of humor. It was more eye roll than funny for me this time around. It almost makes me root for the bad guys. Almost.

The ending is both wrapped up and open ended, a tough trick to pull. Harry has his work cut out for him in the books to come.

Rating:

111Narilka
Nov 29, 2017, 5:08 pm

66. Interesting Times by Terry Pratchett



There is a curse.

They say:
May you live in interesting times.


The Agatean empire is sliding into chaos. The old Emperor is dying. Five noble families, the Hongs, the Sungs, the Tangs, the McSweeneys (very old established family) and the Fangs, gather their armies around the capital city of Hunghung in preparation for a war of succession. A revolutionary movement has begun by the peasants based on the mysterios text What I Did On My Holidays written about a place called Ank-More-Pork. There is also a barbarian invasion by the Silver Horde on it's way. A message has arrived at Unseen University requesting the "Great Wizzard" be sent to the Counterweight Continent immediately. In the interests of international relations the UU senior staff elect to send Rincewind to sort it all out since he has quite a knack for surviving adventures.

Interesting Times is the 17th Discworld novel and the 5th in the Rincewind sub-series. It is a direct sequel to the first two Discworld novels and, while it can be read out of order, I recommend having read those two first in order to have a good background on the major characters. I ended up enjoying this one a lot more than I expected. While there are no truly bad Discworld books, the Rincewind sub-series have been hit or miss for me. This one was a hit.

Many familiar faces make appearances. Rincewind is his cowardly self, trying to run away from pretty much everything. Cohen the Barbarian has renamed himself Ghengis Cohen. He and his Silver Horde are all set to pillage and plunder while Mr. Saveloy tries to show them a more civilized way of conquering. The Luggage is still there, though to a lesser extent. Twoflowers is back and he has daughters! Even Dibbler has his own Agatean counterpart, Disembowl-Myself-Honorably Dibblah.

The Counterweight Continent is the Discworld mashup of ancient China and Japan. Pratchett has fun playing with a lot of stereotypes, such as all Asians know martial arts, the great wall keeping everyone in, ninja and samurai, ancestral ghosts, sumo wrestlers, the caste society. This is also its downside as it makes the Agatean characters feel very one dimensional.

While it lacks the introspective depth of other Discworld novels, this installment is down right funny. It's culturally insensitive, idiotic, full of puns and there are parts that shouldn't be funny at all and yet they are. I would find myself chuckling out loud and just have to read off a line or two to my husband.

Rating:

112dchaikin
Nov 29, 2017, 9:16 pm

All these TP reviews are weighing on - you and Valky and Bragan. This review really gets my attention. I’m not sure I knew anything about this book. Rincewind, Two-Flower, and the Luggage will always be my favorite Pratchett characters, no matter how terrible the first two are.

113Narilka
Nov 30, 2017, 8:40 am

>112 dchaikin: Resistance is futile!! You really need to add a Discworld book into your rotation :)

114Narilka
Déc 3, 2017, 10:01 pm

67. Hounded by Kevin Hearne



Atticus O'Sullivan is the last of the ancient druids. He's done a good job of staying off the radar of other supernatural beings for the last two thousand years and is now living in in Tempe, Arizona, as far away from the Fae as he can get. It's a place were many other paranormals have taken refuge from the Old World, everyone from an Icelandic vampire holding a grudge against Thor to a coven of Polish witches who ran from the German Blitzkrieg. Things are going pretty well for Atticus until an old Celtic god tracks him down who wants the sword back that Atticus "stole" centuries ago. Atticus will need all his power and a little help from his friends if he is to survive the ancient God's plots.

Hounded by Kevin Hearne is the first in the Iron Druid Chronicles. This book was pure fun and very light hearted. Living for 2100 years will give a person a different perspective on life. Atticus has made some interesting friends and even more interesting enemies. Living in Arizona with his Irish wolfhound Oberon, Atticus keeps busy by running an apothecary/book store. His lawyer is literally a blood sucking vampire that has ghouls available on call just in case some bodies need clearing up. He has an understanding with the local werewolf pack and has been burned by witches so many times he no longer trusts them. Widow MacDonagh is Atticus's neighbor who is originally from Ireland and so much fun. I wish I had a neighbor like her in real life!

The book spends a lot of time world building to give us a background on the Tuatha Dé Danann and the Fae that Atticus is trying to avoid. While this includes a lot of info dumping, I thought this part is really great and I love the world that Hearne has created using Irish mythology as the backdrop. We are introduced to several members of the pantheon, some of whom I suspect will feature prominently in later installments. The magic system is also based on this mythology and well done.

I listened to the audio book narrated by Luke Daniels. Luke gives an excellent performance. His accents are wonderful as are his female character voices. I was highly impressed. I will definitely be continuing this series on audio since I enjoyed Luke's performance so much.

Rating:

115Narilka
Déc 6, 2017, 5:47 pm

68. The Subtle Knife by Phillip Pullman



Strange men have been harassing Will Parry's mother for years about his missing father, even going so far as to break into their house searching for documents! Will knows he must keep his mother safe entrusts her care with a friend. Then Will flees from the men and begins a frantic quest to find his father. Just as he's getting started Will stumbles through an unseen window and into another world inhabited only by wild children telling stories of "specters" that have chased away all the adults. It is here that Will meets a young girl named Lyra Silvertongue. Quickly it becomes apparent that her and Will's meeting is no accident and that both their fates will be tied to something called the Subtle Knife.

The Subtle Knife is the second in Phillip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy. It felt a little like starting over with a whole new protagonist and the story being told primarily from Will's point of view. Lyra and Pan are definitely important and have some great moments. This is just more Will's story than Lyra's. Similar to the first book it wasn't until about half way through again that I felt really engaged in their adventure.

I ended up liking Will & Lyra as a team. Their introduction was funny and awkward, just as it should be. Once they grow to trust each other Will provides a good balance to Lyra and helps her character grow into a more mature direction. I found it interesting when Pan takes it upon himself to comfort Will in his time of need because will didn't have his own daemon even though this is something strictly not done. Makes me wish I had my own daemon even more.

The religious overtones are starting to show and it sticks out badly from what is otherwise a dark, fast paced adventure. I'm still not sure I have made the correct connection between Dust, the specters and consciousness. Maybe I'm overthinking it? Hopefully it becomes clearer in the third book. It also felt kind of weird to suddenly throw angels into the mix along with the Adam/Eve myth and what appears to be a literal attack on The Authority (aka God). I'm definitely getting an idea as to why this series caused so much controversy.

The book ends on quite a cliff hanger that is obviously a set up for the final book. I feel invested enough at this point that I want to see how it all ends.

Rating:

116OscarWilde87
Déc 14, 2017, 2:38 pm

>115 Narilka: I share your thoughts on The Subtle Knife! I will probably be reading the final book soon.

117Narilka
Déc 14, 2017, 8:39 pm

>116 OscarWilde87: I'm reading the final one now. It's a strange read.

118Narilka
Déc 16, 2017, 2:48 pm

69. Artemis by Andy Weir



I feel I should start this review with a disclaimer. I am one of the 2% of people on Earth that has NOT read The Martian. I noticed while scanning reviews that this may make a difference in your enjoyment of the book as Weir fans can't seem to help but compare both works, particularly the main characters. So if you have read The Martian your reading experience may vary.

Jazz Bashara is a petty criminal, one that has set up a small but profitable smuggling operation on Artemis, the first and only colony on the moon. Life on Artemis is hard if you aren't a wealthy tourist or eccentric billionaire. So there really is no harm in smuggling a little contraband to make ends meet, right? When one of Jazz's regular customers offers her the deal of a lifetime, one that will set her up with enough money to live in comfort for the rest of her life, she can hardly refuse and so begins to mastermind the perfect crime. Pulling off the impossible comes with it's own set of problems, ones that Jazz doesn't discover until her plot is well underway. It's not long before Jazz finds her life on the line and her only way out is to pull off a caper even more impossible than the original job.

Long story short, Artemis is a caper/heist novel set on the Moon's only colony. I loved this setting! Weir has so much fun showing off his mad science skills and his creativity as he explains how the city of Artemis exists along with the unique challenges/benefits it faces with a gravity much less than that on Earth as well as the risks of being up in the vacuum of space with no friendly atmosphere to keep you safe. Since it is a fairly young city with the next closest neighbor being several weeks away by space ship it has it's own form of starter economy with very obvious differences between the haves and have nots. In some ways that lends itself to a wild west feel while still having the futuristic space vibe. The setting plays a huge role in how Jazz sets up her heist and it is this uniqueness is what wreaks havoc on many of her plans.

Jazz is an interesting character. I'm not entirely sure if we're really supposed to like her or not. She's in her twenties with a sarcastic sense humor and crappy way of interacting with others that makes her feel very immature. While I did enjoy her humor for the most part, I started to get tired of her constant need to be an ass to basically everyone with little or no provocation which at times made me think of her as more teenaged. I'd like to say that this changes by the end but no, not really. Jazz is also on a genius intelligence level in regards to her knowledge of science. It was both enjoyable to read her reasoning for solutions but also made it seem like the obstacles weren't very difficult for her to overcome which ended up removing some of the immediately from the danger she gets herself into. I was never very worried that Jazz wouldn't be able to get herself out of the mess she had created.

As to the heist itself, that part was great fun. So many unique challenges to being on the moon makes the final solution to the original job quite "messy" as each solution causes more problems needing to be solved.

I listened to the audio book narrated by Rosario Dawson. I think she was a great choice. She gives voice to a multicultural cast of characters, switching between accents and tones of voice flawlessly. It was always easy to tell which character was speaking.

Rating:

119dchaikin
Déc 16, 2017, 5:46 pm

I'm also part of that 2%, although I've seen the movie. This sounds fun.

120chlorine
Déc 17, 2017, 2:25 am

>118 Narilka: Nice review!
I read and enjoyed The Martian. From the reviews you read, did you get the impression that people who have read The Martian enjoyed Artemis more, or less, than those who didn't?

121Narilka
Déc 17, 2017, 9:59 am

>120 chlorine: They seem to enjoy it less. People really love Mark Watney but not Jazz Bashara.

122chlorine
Déc 18, 2017, 1:57 am

>121 Narilka: Thanks for the answer! I'll keep the book on my wishlist but I'm making a note of not getting to it too soon after reading The Martian.

123Narilka
Déc 18, 2017, 4:51 pm

70. The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman



The Amber Spyglass is the third and final book in Phillip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy. This was a frustrating read. Buried under all the religious ranting is a decent, if confusing, adventure/coming of age story set across multiple worlds. I understand why the church was so upset over this series now. There were some genuinely enjoyable parts to read though there was a lot to wade through to get there. Will, Lyra and their daemons continue to be my favorite parts. I'm glad I finished the series even if I didn't enjoy it as much as I'd hoped.

Rating:

124dchaikin
Déc 18, 2017, 8:01 pm

I’m trying to remember how I felt about His Dark Materials, which isn’t a good recommendation. I kind of liked it, kind of felt mixed about it. The intended and open attack in religion drew me to it, but I seem to recall it was somehow disappointing in that aspect to me.

All of that is say, I’ve been intrigued watching your progress through them.

125Narilka
Déc 18, 2017, 8:35 pm

>124 dchaikin: I think he rants more about organized religion in the form of the Catholic church than generalized religion. He sort of makes some pro-religion or at least pro-spirituality points too with the Dust, so it's a bit confused. Or maybe it's just me. Since writing my review I did a little Googling and see the series is generally well liked. I must not be the target audience.

126Narilka
Déc 22, 2017, 4:24 pm

71. Rest Ye Murdered Gentlemen by Vicky Delany



Rudolf, New York, is America's Christmas town. Christmas is celebrated year-round but the festivities really take off in December with the lead up to Christmas proper. The Santa Claus parade kicks things off with the town's various shop owners competing for the best float. Merry Wilkinson, owner of Mrs. Claus's Treasures, thinks she's a sure to win this year until she discovers the tractor pulling her float is sabotaged and her float is disqualified from the competition. Chalking it up to a mean prank, Merry puts her bad luck out of her mind until she stumbles across the body of an out of town reporter while taking a late night walk. There's a Scrooge in Christmastown! The police think the reporter was poisoned by a gingerbread cookie specially made by Merry's friend Vicky. With the police investigation going no where Merry takes matters into her own hands determined to clear her friend's name and bring the spirit of Christmas back before events scare off all the tourists.

Rest Ye Murdered Gentlemen is the first in A Year-Round Christmas Mystery series by Vicki Delany. This was a great little cozy mystery. It was especially nice to read about all the Christmas festivities as we head into the holiday in the real world too. The author had a lot of fun with some of her character's names, making them fit with the holiday theme. Merry is a likable protagonist. Her shop sits in the middle of Main Street so its easy for her to keep on top of everything going on and yet manages to make her concern feel natural instead of just being a nosy neighbor. Some of the descriptions of her shop make me wish I could visit it in real life.

The mystery moves at a good pace. Strange events continue to happen, each one seemingly disparate from the others until there are just too many for it to be mere coincidence. My guesses about the murderer were completely wrong to the very end.

This is a promising start to a series. I think I'll pick up the next book and see how things go for Merry and the residents of Rudolph in the future.

Rating:

127valkyrdeath
Déc 23, 2017, 9:04 pm

>118 Narilka: I really love the idea of a sci-fi heist story. I really liked The Martian but I definitely don't intend to try comparing Artemis to it, so hopefully I can enjoy it for what it is.

128Narilka
Déc 23, 2017, 11:50 pm

>127 valkyrdeath: Sounds like you're going in with the right expectations. Hope you enjoy it :)

129OscarWilde87
Déc 24, 2017, 5:19 am

>123 Narilka: I've just seen your rating and read your review. Since I didn't get around to reading The Amber Spyglass this year, it is high up on my list for 2018. I might want to reconsider...

130Narilka
Déc 25, 2017, 7:08 pm

>129 OscarWilde87: Or try it and then let yourself DNF if you have a similar experience. Maybe you'll enjoy it more than I did.

131Narilka
Déc 25, 2017, 7:46 pm

72. Guardians of the West by David Eddings



Guardians of the West is the first book in The Malloreon by David Eddings. This is the sequel series to The Belgariad so as long as you've read that, you'll know all the players involved and basically what to expect from the series since the story follows the same formula.

Several years have passed since the Child of Light and Child of Dark met to decide the fate of the world. A time of peace and prosperity has come to the Kingdoms of the West. The child Errand finally knows what it is to have a family when he goes to live with Polgara and Durnik in the Vale of Aldur. Garion and Ce'Nedra have settled into married life and their roles of ruling the island nation of Riva and work to produce an heir. The Prophecy has been fulfilled. Or so everyone thought. One fateful night the Orb burns red and the Voice gives warning: "Beware Zandramas!" No one is sure who or what Zandramas is though it quickly becomes apparent that the Prophecy is not done yet. Garion once again finds himself in the middle of the struggle between Light and Dark with the fate of the world, and his family, resting on his shoulders.

This was a wonderful comfort reread. I have read these books so many times that it is like returning to old friends, even all these years later. I remember how much the first half of this book used to bother me with how slow it is. This time I found I didn't mind it at all going through the background information, catching up on everyone's lives in the years that have passed. I was a little sad to see some favorite side characters pass away. I am also reminded of just how annoying I find Ce'Nedra now. Thankfully she doesn't feature as prominently as in past installments. The story is still quite enjoyable and just almost as much fun as it was when I first read it.

Rating:

132Narilka
Déc 27, 2017, 8:49 pm

73. Hexed by Kevin Hearne



Hexed by Kevin Hearne is the second in the Iron Druid Chronicles. It was another highly entertaining read. And so funny! Events pick up just days after the big show down at the end of book one. Atticus has had time to mostly heal and is now dealing with the fallout of those events. There's the matter of cleaning up the few demons that escaped and a group of Bacchants from Las Vegas has come to town to (literally) tear up the local club scene. Plus a new group of witches is in town, ones Atticus has run into before on the German side of WWII. He's decided to do something he never thought he would - sign an nonaggression treaty with the local coven of witches. Perhaps with a little help from his friends he can get it all taken care of and start healing the land.

Oberon is hands down my favorite character. He gets some of the best lines. The conversations between Oberon and Atticus had me laughing out loud. The fact that he speaks telepathically making it so that almost no one else can hear which causes Atticus to attempt to keep a straight face during conversations adds to the fun. It's also neat that the author gives Oberon a "theme" for each book.

Hearne is starting to branch out and mix in other mythologies. The Native American god Coyote makes an appearance and lives up to his trickster ways. Eastern European witchcraft lore is further explained. He even manages to work in the Virgin Mary and some Kabbalah. Everyone from all the pantheons hates Thor which I'm pretty sure is a set up for book 3 since it's titled Hammered. My least favorite part is when the two Celtic goddesses make their appearance. They just didn't fit very well into this book's plot for me so I'm sure that's also a set up for something in the future.

Again I listened to the audio book narrated by Luke Daniels. His performance continues to be top notch. As long as they keep Daniels as the voice actor I'll be continuing this series on audio.

Rating:

133Narilka
Déc 30, 2017, 4:53 pm

74. King of the Murgos by David Eddings



King of the Murgos is the second book in The Malloreon by David Eddings. The quest is under way! The Prophecy has clearly given everyone their instructions. Garion's task is to track down Zandramas and rescue his son while Belgarath must seek the final meeting place where the choice will be made in the various Mysteries. Guided by the Orb, the party heads south first through the swamps of Nyssa and then on into the lands of the Murgos. The trip is quite perilous as the party must travel through a war zone as well as dodging traps set by the enemy.

This is a slightly slower installment, though due more to all the travel involved rather than the need to set the stage. There are two big highlights in this book for me. The first is when the party finally makes it to Cthol Murgos. I quite enjoyed going through an area of the world not visited before. It adds nicely to the world building and I wish there was more of it. And the Murgo King is such a fun character! The second part is the character banter. Especially between Silk and Liselle. I think it's become an unspoken contest to see which can best eachother's cleverness.

This reread is reminding me how I've missed reading medieval-based fantasy. I read a lot of other sub-genres this year. It feels good to go back to my fantasy reading roots.

Rating: