Fantasy Review: 'All The Paths of Shadow' by Frank Tuttle

There is an old story that this reviewer is much too lazy to do any research that would verify or debunk.  The story says that a man who went by Dr. Suess wrote Green Eggs and Ham on a dare based on only using a hundred distinct words.  I bring this up only because I wonder if there was a dare behind ‘All the Paths of Shadow.’

“Mr. Tuttle,” I imagine a smug friend of the author saying (though he probably wouldn’t use the impersonal Mr., but rather a more friendly Frank).  “I dare, no, I double-dog dare you to write a book within which the protagonist spends at least seventy five percent of the page count doing math in her lab.  You must also find a way to incorporate a talking houseplant.”

“Easily done,” the author may have replied.  “I accept your laughable simple challenge.”

Steampunk Review: 'The Kaiser Affair' by Joseph Robert Lewis

I recently read ‘The Burning Sky’, the author’s debut book, and while I loved the original setting and found the story a fast-paced steampunk adventure, the characters never quite came alive for me. The author had a truly wonderful response to that; he made the whole Halcyon series (of which ‘The Burning Sky’ is the first part) very cheap, and encouraged readers to decide whether they agreed or not. And he added: ‘I want you to go read my latest steampunk thriller, ‘The Kaiser Affair’, and let me know if I have improved my characters in the time between the two publications’. I dutifully went off to check it out, started reading the sample and (you can probably guess the rest) yes, I got so engrossed I ended up buying the book and neglecting a long-awaited new arrival to finish it. So indeed I would agree that Mr Lewis’s writing (and not just the characters) has improved hugely.

Like the previous work, this is steampunk but this time with strong fantasy overtones. The story is part of a collaborative effort between a number of authors, who pooled their talents to create the background world, and then each set a stand-alone story in that world, under the collective title ‘The Drifting Isle Chronicles’. The Kaiser of the title is Ranulf Kaiser, imprisoned for complex and ingenious financial crimes, who has managed to escape from prison only a short time before his release date. Our heroes, Bettina Rothschild and her husband Arjuna Rana, are given the task of tracking down the missing Kaiser and putting a stop to whatever nefarious schemes he has in mind. And so begins an entertaining chase all round the city of Eisenstadt, and above it, too.

Steampunk Review: Vampire Empire Book Two: The Rift Walker by Clay Griffith and Susan Griffith

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

Princess Adele struggles with a life of marriage and obligation as her Equatorian Empire and their American Republic allies stand on the brink of war against the vampire clans of the north. However, the alliance's horrific strategy for total victory drives Adele to abandon her duty and embark on a desperate quest to keep her nation from staining its hands with genocide. Reunited with her great love, the mysterious adventurer known to the world as the Greyfriar, Adele is pursued by her own people as well as her vengeful almost-husband, senator Clark who wants to be emperor at all costs. With the human alliance in disarrray, Prince Cesare, lord of the British vampire clan, seizes the initiative and strikes at the very heart of Equatoria.

As Adele labors to bring order to her world, she learns more about the strange powers she exhibited in the north. Her teacher, Mamoru, leads a secret cabal of geomancers who believe Adele is the one who can touch the vast power of the Earth that surges through ley lines and wells up at the rifts where the lines meet. These energies are the key to defeating the enemy of mankind, and if Princess Adele could ever bring this power under her command, she could be death to vampires. But such a victory will also cost the life of Adele's beloved Greyfriar.

Steampunk Review: 'The Burning Sky' by Joseph Robert Lewis

So there I was, struggling to get invested in a book with a fairly lack-lustre main character, a difficult alternate history setting and an opening stuffed with explosions and other dramas that I really don’t care about. And then along comes Qhora the Incan princess, with her pet sabre-toothed cat, and suddenly things are interesting. A sabre-toothed pet? Yes, count me in.

This has one of the most unusual settings I’ve encountered - a world where the ice age never ended, Europe is still in the grip of snow and glaciers and civilisation is clustered around a narrow strip of usable land. There are some locations with recognisable names - Marrakesh, Hellas, Italia, Persia, the Atlanteen Ocean - there’s an Incan empire across the sea, and there are some interesting beasties (the afore-mentioned sabre-toothed cat, plus a large bird used for riding). There’s a motley array of countries, all of them with their own belief systems, technologies and customs, trying to get along (or not). And there’s a nice steampunk feel - steam powered trains and airships, plus guns and electricity. It’s all very carefully thought out, and thank goodness, there are maps at the front and a vast, detailed glossary at the back.

DNF: 'Green Light Delivery' by Anne E. Johnson

Book Abandoned

Stopping Point: 25%

Reason for abandonment: The book flat out wasn’t working for me.

Aliens in name only; despite describing how different they all looked the aliens were completely human, right down to using English acronyms like SOB when cussing. 

The plot was very disjointed; the main character was bounced all over the place and escaped from the most inept captives possible a couple of times.

Main character was unlikeable; he was either lusting after every female in the book or near tears crying about his unfortunate new circumstances. 

Reason others may enjoy it more: Quirky set up, intriguing start, very light weight and fast moving.

Fantasy Review: 'Spirit's End' by Rachel Aaron

Ah Eli Monpress series, your time is ending way too soon.  I know I should be happy.  After all, I get a satisfying conclusion to a series that has avoided turning into a repetitive serial.  A series that has avoided bloat.  A series that truly did get better with each and every book.  And it is not like the author is leaving, she has something new in the works so I will get to read her stuff again.  But I sure will miss about new adventures involving this tight cast.  I’ll miss you Eli, and you Josef and Miranda.  And Nico, wonderful Nico, I think I will miss you most of all.

Steampunk Review: Vampire Empire Book 1: The Greyfriar by Clay & Susan Griffith

Synopsis:

1870 seemed to be the beginning of the end of the human race - vampires, half mythical creatures lurking in the shadows since time immemorial - finally came out of their graveyards and tombs. They decided to attack western civilizations in the northern zone, climatically the best suited for them, and by doing so to gain access to unlimited free food supplies. The civilized world of humans, totally unprepared for such an enemy, collapsed under the attack in a matter of five years. Human leaders fled south, creating new countries in Africa, South America and Asia while those of their former subjects who were left behind became blood slaves of the conquerors.

A century and a half later, the world remains divided between the vampire and human zones which might be called the North (vampires) and the South (people). Every side prepares to war as nobody is satisfied with their current status quo. Humans rely on the advance of their technology – steel, chemical weapons, quick-firing arms and airships- ignoring the spiritual field and religions of any denomination. Vampires rely on their superior senses and ruthlessness. It seems all sides are in for a surprise.

Fantasy Review: 'Oath of Gold' by Elizabeth Moon

This is the third in the ‘Deed of Paksenarrion’ trilogy. The first described how Paks left her home to become a mercenary in Duke Phelan’s company, and was a very down-to-earth story of a soldier’s training and campaigns. The second book saw Paks take off on her own and be sucked into various disconnected enterprises. This book was very disjointed, and heavy on conventional fantasy elements, but the ending raised it above the ordinary. And then there’s this. How to describe something that feels like a different story altogether? I suppose it’s not too spoilerish to reveal that all Paks’s problems at the end of book 2 are airbrushed out of existence very early. There wouldn’t be much of a story if she couldn’t fight again. It’s all a matter of having the right kind of magical power to ‘heal’ her. So that’s all right then.

Fantasy Review: 'Any Other Name' by Emma Newman

When I reviewed ‘Between Two Thorns’ I mentioned I would probably read its sequel once it came out.  Well, I did.  The first book of the Split Worlds series was enjoyable, easy to read and introduced a strong heroine in Catherine.  The introduction of the Nether, a land acting as a go between for the real world and the land of the Fae had an interesting set up.  Though I enjoyed it, I was consistently distracted by some holes in the world building.  An unexplained economy, inconsistencies in which technologies could be trusted, and the whole confusing power structure between the Fae, sorcerers, and arbitrators ultimately dragged down much of the story. 

None of these things have changed, I still have to take the world the author built as it is shown (and I don’t buy in to all of it).  For instance I still wonder why the people of the Nether decided that nineteenth century British life was the perfect place to stop adapting.  But going into the second book I have chosen to just accept it, work around it, and enjoy all the things that are right with the series.

Fantasy Review: 'Divided Allegiance' by Elizabeth Moon

This is the second part of the ‘Deed of Paksenarrion’ trilogy. The first part told how Paks left her home to avoid a forced marriage, joining the local Duke’s private army and discovering they were mercenaries. There was a lot of detail about army life, with numerous skirmishes and battles, and Paks made many friends and attracted the attention even of the Duke himself with her fearless fighting and loyalty. I enjoyed it very much and looked forward to more of the same. And within a chapter, this book has veered sharply off in a different direction altogether.

Fantasy Review: 'The Somnambulist' by Jonathan Barnes

Edward Moon was once the darling of London, a magician who helped break some of the biggest cases of the time.  His day seems to be pasts however and he is now invited to soirées more out of habit than any desire to have him present.  His stage act still draws modest crowds, though mostly because of his silent (as in mute) partner, The Somnambulist, a giant of a man who does not bleed.  He is bored, spending his time lamenting the lack of interesting criminals and visiting a brothel specializing in very unique tastes.  As is bound to happen, strange murders around London brings him out of his lull, and once he starts investigating things take a turn right past strange and into ****ing weird.

Fantasy Romance Review: Come The Night (Vampire/Werewolf Trilogy #3) by Susan Krinard

Synopsis:

Gillian Delvaux, nee Maitland, a young widow with a 12-year-old son, belongs to a very exclusive pure blood British werewolf family. Noblesse oblige – she must marry an appropriate candidate even if it is the 20th century and normal people have something to say about it. She doesn’t. The problem is her father, sir Averil Maitland, still treats his children and household as if he was a medieval prince and them – his chattels. It concerns mainly Gillian but also to some extend her younger brother, Hugh. Marrying or in fact doing anything without their father’s consent is out of question. Sir Averil plans to organize a Convocation of all pure blood werewolves from Britain and abroad and he wants to choose Gillian a new husband (of course without consulting anybody, let alone his own daughter).

Still there was that Great War not so long ago (the novel is set in the Roaring Twenties) during which Gillian worked as a nurse in London and met a very nice young American soldier, Ross Kavanaugh. Ross was only ¼ of a werewolf but somehow it didn’t bother her. In spite of the fact her dad would disapprove (to put it mildly) she decided to have a child with him (and didn’t inform him about it – are you seeing a pattern?). Then she married promptly a Belgian werewolf who, very conveniently, went to war one week after his marriage and died. The boy, named Toby, has been raised at Snowfell, the manor his grandfather, and, being a bright boy, found out about his real father and decided to visit America and meet with Ross. All alone and without as much as by your leave of course. Like mother like son…

Fantasy Review: 'Six-Gun Snow White' by Catherynne M. Valente

I may have a new rule when reading Valente.  First give the book five stars.  Then read the awesomeness.  Repeat and enjoy.  No review I do will ever do justice to her works.

Fairytale deconstruction is hard to do, which is why parody is so much more common.  Snow White may be the silliest fairytale I can think of.  I am therefore kind of amazed that my favorite deconstruction efforts both deal with Snow White; Neil Gaiman’s short story ‘Snow, Glass, Apples’ and this new effort by Valente.

Steampunk Review: 'Deadly Games' by Lindsay Buroker

Nathan's Review:  (posted 24th April 2013)

Say one thing about the Emperor Edge series, it is highly consistent.  Three books in and I know exactly what to expect from each book at this point.  I know that I will be very entertained by enjoyable banter between entertaining characters.  I  know that main character Amaranthe Lokdon  will come up with the craziest, most implausible plan imaginable, her crew will go with it, it will fail, and quick thinking from her and her crew will save the day.  And to top it off, I know when it is over I will immediately go to Amazon and book mark the next book, then try to talk myself out of buying right away…It will be there later man, have some control!

This time around Lokdon discovers that athletes are disappearing from some Olympic-like event before it even starts.  Hey, our crew is in great shape!  Let’s enter Basilard into an event against people who have trained their whole life.  This way we have an insider AND a chance to speak to the Emperor at the end.  It is fool proof!  Following a patter in the series the plan falls apart, a couple teammates get kidnapped, and things spiral farther out of control.

Review: 'Star Wars: Crucible' by Troy Denning

Forgive the self-indulgent review.  I will give my honest opinion for this newest Star Wars book, but I also want to chime in my thoughts on the Expanded Universe in general.  Specifically, with the possibility of a reset coming after the Disney buyout what I hope to see in the next go around.

First for a review of the book at hand.  I will not even begin to bother with a recap at this point, there is no point.  This book would be completely impossible to read without knowing the full and total backstory of all the Star Wars books before it, and even managed to throw some curve balls at me, a man who has been reading these books for over fifteen years.

It was alright. ‘Meh’ may sum it up better.  Certainly an improvement over the horrible books I slogged through from Fate of the Jedi.  What I appreciated the most in this book was the smaller scale of the conflict.  While eventually it became apparent the fate of the galaxy could be at stake, most of the book dealt with a smaller conflict in an out of the way area of the galaxy.  This allowed the book to focus on a smaller cast, spend more time with the characters, and lent a bit of believability to the scale of the threat that has been lost in the Star Wars universe for a while.  So that was nice, and something I want to get into after the actual review.