Alastair Reynolds is a name I've come to associate with the "hardest" of hard sci-fi, largely due to his phenomenal "Revelation Space" trilogy and othAlastair Reynolds is a name I've come to associate with the "hardest" of hard sci-fi, largely due to his phenomenal "Revelation Space" trilogy and other works in the Galactic North setting.
Imagine, then, my surprise when "Terminal" world ended up telling an entirely different type of tale: a swashbuckling romp across a post-apocalyptic desert that swiftly transitioned into a vaguely steampunkish airship adventure. And it's a pretty widely known fact that airships make everything better.
Quillon is a pathologist working in a morgue in the city of Spearpoint-the last major city on Earth. Long, long time ago, the Earth has been changed, and it is now divided into various "zones". Each zone has restricitons on what kind of technology will function there- from basic mechanics, to internal combustion engines, to electricity, to more high-tech. Quillon is an agent from the highest Zone- the Celestial Heights inhabited by the humanoid Angels who was altered to be able to survive in lower zones. Having gone rogue a few years ago, Quillon lives in hiding, but his past catches up to him and he is forced to leave Spearpoint. Along with his surly guide Meroka he ventures into the wider world-and there he stumbles onto something that leads him to question the very underlying principles of his world.
The scope of imagination here is vast. Although the story feels more grounded, Reynolds manages to cram an inordinate amount of world-building into the relatively short narrative. A whole menagerie of characters, all sufficiently believable with their motivations and characters traits & flaws.
The pacing is solid, the action follows Quillon with no shifts in PoV and that keeps the story going and building constantly. The action bits are interspersed with world- and character-building in solid proportions and overall I'd say the pacing work really well for this type of story, even if sometimes descriptions of the ruined world can get a bit elaborate.
Overall, the book went in a completely unexpected direction, but it pulled it off well. It's nothing earth-shattering, but it makes for an enjoyable adventure read. ...more
The world of Loom is tighlty split by the caste system imposed by the Dragons who live above the eternal cloud cover. The local humans (Fenthri) are mThe world of Loom is tighlty split by the caste system imposed by the Dragons who live above the eternal cloud cover. The local humans (Fenthri) are mostly forced to adopt a rigid, merit based caste system handed to them by the dragons who live up above. Arianna, a maste ro the Rivet (mechanics) guild from Before Contact is the infamous White Wraith- a player in the organ market who will accept any job, as long as it hurts their Dragon overlords. When she meets Cvaheh, a Dragon from a House that's low ithin the Dragon hierarchy, but hopes to rise to power by fomenting a Fenthri rebellion, she is forced to confront her past- and the powerful memories of the prior failed rebellion.
Overall, the book is pretty solid- the highlight is clearly the interesting worldbuilding. The action is solid and well-paced, but I felt the characterization still felt too YA-ish- too much time was spent describing how the various characters were feeling, based on their various interactions. Too much "tell" when it came to the characters' emotions is a downside- one, which, for me,makes the series less of an immediate read. I'll be picking up Volume 2, but I don't feel a particular hurry to do so. ...more
As with every concluding volume of a series that's got 3 or more books, the main question I ask myself is: "Did the author succeed in wrapping up the As with every concluding volume of a series that's got 3 or more books, the main question I ask myself is: "Did the author succeed in wrapping up the story?" Short answer: Scholes mostly does.
"Psalms of Isaak" is a very interesting series, that started with a very focused cast and plot-centered around the aftermath of a single profound event in Book 1, and proceeded to expand the scope of its story with every subsequent installment, introducing a rich and forgotten backstory dating back millennia before the earliest memories that the plot's principal societies have. There's a reason volume 4 needed a sizeable glossary to help the readers make sense of all the hints and tidbits dropped throughout the story.
In my review of Book 4 I noted that I was feeling that Scholes might have created a world too big and a history too rich for his story to contain. You can imagine my trepidation, then, when "Hymn" starts by introducing a brand-new faction into the plot-one whose initial description and role practically screams "deus ex machina plot device!". I was skeptical, and not a little bit worried. But I must say, Scholes manages to write them into the story in a way that makes sense, and limits their actual impact well. Although in several points they DO move the plot along rather conveniently, at others, their well-intentioned interference throws spanners into various characters' works in original ways.
Overall, the plot feels rushed, but at the same time, manages to lack urgency. The major "end game threat" that emerges towards the end isn't exactly a surprise, but at the same time, it's not entirely convincing. It's strange, and difficult to explain while keeping spoilers to a minimum, but the main premise revolves around several clashing plans as to how to finish undermining a common enemy, where the various character's motivations and plans result in irreconcilable differences of opinion over what seem to be minor philosophical disputes. While the plot and the story works, and it delivers a suitably epic and bittersweet conclusion, doing a good job to give closure to all principal characters and, at the same time, avoids a definitive "happily ever after" end-all finale, the way things get there can feel more than a bit contrived, once I look back at it more critically.
Nevertheless, the short answer remains the same: Scholes mostly sticks the landing. The book reads quickly, pacing is much more solid as there's always important things happening, and none of the characters act in a particularly jarring manner that'd be inconsistent with their prior arcs. I was pleasantly surprised that Scholes manages to answer most questions his expansive world-building posed previously, and overall, I am happy I read the series as it's certainly a unique mix of fantasy and SF elements, with a plot that grows progressively more labyrinthine as the series goes, and yes, it does stick the landing. Mostly. I'm certainly interested to see what Scholes writes next. ...more
Most importantly, it seems he learned the lessons from the Stormlight archive, and the protagonist doesSanderson continues to pleasantly surprise me.
Most importantly, it seems he learned the lessons from the Stormlight archive, and the protagonist does not fall into a brooding spiral of self-loathing after the bad things that happened in "Shadows of Self"
Moreover, Sanderson steps up his world-building in this one. A lot. And not just the planet Scadrial, but he starts to draw connections to other bits of the Cosmere, ever so subtly.
This isn't one huge big picture, yet. But I can certainly start seeing the rough possible outlines of the arcs Sanderson is going for with his super-ambitious "Cosmere" Universe.
Beyond that, his characterization is also improving (making me hopeful the next Stormlight Archive book might convince me the series is great, instead of just being solidly good), the pacing is crisp, and the plot goes in interesting directions. I'm not salivating for the 4th book yet, but I'm certainly interested in picking it up now. ...more
After I read "Words of Radiance", I was pretty much convinced that Sanderson is stuck writing Saturday morning cI must admit, Sanderson is improving.
After I read "Words of Radiance", I was pretty much convinced that Sanderson is stuck writing Saturday morning cartoon-level fantasy. This book managed to be a pleasant surprise.
This is in part to the fact that compared to the Stormlight Archive it's a much shorter book. But that's not it. To put it simply, Sanderson started writing much more interesting characters. Although his main protagonist is still afflicted with the same type of development curve problems his other main characters (most of them beginning with "K") have, the supporting cast is much, much better. Although most are still archetypes at heart, the way they are written is much, much more compelling than what I've come to expect.
The story and especially the tone borrows quite a few beats from a Batman-type setup, but it also manages to link back to themes from the original Mistborn trilogy, and insert some cool original ideas as well.
Generally if you liked the "Guns and Allomancy" mix of "Alloy of Law" as the direction in which Mistborn is going, there's a lot to love here. ...more
This book is not part of the official Gollanz collection. In fact, many (if not most) stories from it have been published in other parts of the MichaeThis book is not part of the official Gollanz collection. In fact, many (if not most) stories from it have been published in other parts of the Michael Moorcock collection. However, this book presented a thematic collection, pitting Moorcock's genius detective archetype, Seaton Begg against his distant cousin, the white-haired albino Monsieur Zenith.
The book is a short and entertaining read. The stories don't pretend to maintain internal coherency. We are looking at multiple versions of Earth, with deviations from history that nod back to other moorcock works. Seaton Begg is a "metatemporal" detective, meaning he works across the Multiverse, in parallel timelines, and so internal consistency is never a serious question.
The whole book is an homage to pulpy detective fiction, but it's got its high points, and nice nods to the "Eternal Champion" mythos, which makes it a non-essential, but useful reading for those looking for the complete picture. ...more
"Far-Called" series had a really rough start before becoming something very fun. Then in Volume 2 it went incredibly bleak, while piling up plot twist"Far-Called" series had a really rough start before becoming something very fun. Then in Volume 2 it went incredibly bleak, while piling up plot twist upon plot twins. Volume 3 had a lot of high expectations attached to it. And Hunt essentially delivered.
Why the qualifier? because although the main conflict and most characters' arcs get a nice conclusion in the end of the trilogy, the world is left ripe for more stories. Some of the backstory revealed here- concerning the nature of the Stealers' War--are (if true) pretty astounding, in terms of what they do for the plot. So I' left wanting more, and not fully satisfied, which is why it's a 4 rather than a 5.
IN terms of more technical stuff- Plot is intricate and fun, in a way only an action plot can be- there's plot twists galore and a few cliffhanger chapter endings, but nothing super-egregious. The pacing is pretty relentless-there's a lot of stuff for the plot to get through and events keep happening throughout. Not a lot of new characters are introduced- the plot's been pretty much established by now, and in this regard it feels very much like a conclusion of the story. Existing characters also appear pretty consistent with their previous descriptions, so no complaints in this regard.
In short: Hunt delivers a solid finish. If you liked the series so far, it's a worthy conclusion to these characters' story, that leaves a lot of potential promise for the world of Pellas. ...more
I hesitated to recommend Book 1, because it took over 100 pages to finish its slow-paced set-up and get good and exciting.
I was convinced I'd be hesiI hesitated to recommend Book 1, because it took over 100 pages to finish its slow-paced set-up and get good and exciting.
I was convinced I'd be hesitating to recommend Book 2 around the same mark, because Hunt starts out with incredibly grim writing. His pacing is good this time, but the content is almost unbearably bleak, as bead things happen one after another.
Then there is a scene and a particular monologue that made me remember that, yes, no matter how twisted, sordid or single-minded, everyone here has motivations that make sense, . And the action also picked up.
The backdrop of the setting is civil war- which means Hunt had lots of opportunity to use betrayals as plot device. Although it's done a lot, he does a pretty good job avoiding being predictable (although to be fair, I had a bad feeling about this book's "immediate villain" from very early on). The action is well-written, the plot is twisted, as multiple factions with conflicting desires collide, and the ending sets up the last book in the trilogy to be quite an exciting finale.
On the balance, that's now TWO solid, (mostly) page-turners vs. the slow and seemingly cliche opening of Book 1. Definitely recommended. ...more
This book was not great. Just like"Codex Alera" by Butcher, an introduction to a new series appears pretty formulaic, heavy on exposition, and lackingThis book was not great. Just like"Codex Alera" by Butcher, an introduction to a new series appears pretty formulaic, heavy on exposition, and lacking the excitement one associates with Butcher's action-packed "Dresden Files" novels.
The action picks up in the last third of the book, and Butcher drops a number of intriguing tidbits about the "bigger picture", which promises to expand the series' scope. However, taken on its own, "Aeronaut's Windlass" is not a particularly exciting book.
Pacing is ok. I've had real life issues that prevented me from getting a good pace with this book, so my perception may be skewed. Chapters are short, POVs jump fairly consistently. But I never felt particularly compelled to keep reading until the last third, when things pick up somewhat.
Characters are relatable and pretty fun, but also quite archetypical. The tone reads somewhat YA-ish. Not necessarily a bad thing- light toned steampunk can be quite wonderful- but combined with mostly flat action (until the last third of the book), it fails to make the characters particularly memorable. Characterization works, but doesn't stand out, in other words.
Just like "Furies of Calderon", I'm hesitant to really recommend this book. In Alera, Butcher really shook things up with Book 2, finding his stride and launching a fairly insane story that went on for 5 more books (although I felt it peaked around Book 4). It remains to be seen if Butcher will pull of something similar with "The Cinder Spires"...more
Some may remember I wasn't too crazy about Book 2, although I said it picked up in the end with a convergence. Well....
ThThis book is beyond awesome.
Some may remember I wasn't too crazy about Book 2, although I said it picked up in the end with a convergence. Well....
This book is PURE PAYOFF. Everything that's been set up in Book 2 and parts of Book 1 now comes to the head. Clan politics, New Britain politics, US government-- all of it. Stross manages to add another 4 or 5 layers to the tangle, as new connections emerge between the same players. And there's a bunch of shock moments, and the body count keeps risings. The stakes rise up till you think there's no way they can anymore.. and then they rise again. And then it ends. Almost, but not quite on the highest note.
The ending may seem abrupt, but I found it's fitting. Like every great "epic" story, the ending is inevitably not the end, because true "epic" is a slice of life- a slice of history during periods of change. But there's a past before it and the future past it. And I felt Stross gave me enough leads to fill in the blanks for myself as to how the the future could unfold. Enough to make sure I didn't feel disappointed.
And, my God, what a ride to get there. It's just moment, after moment, after moment. The tension never goes away, you don't know who will die next, who will betray who next, or where will a WMD go off next (slight spoiler, but there's nukes on the cover, so not really). Most certainly worth the slog and build of Book 2, but even if you can't ANY slog- pick up and read book 3- Stross does enough of context-filling to get you up to speed even if you missed the last 2 volumes.
Great, awesome book. The series is gonna become one of my all-time favourites. ...more
Decently quick read. Setting is faux-Japan, and it's a steampunk dystopia-technological progress made the nation great, at the expense of nearly wipinDecently quick read. Setting is faux-Japan, and it's a steampunk dystopia-technological progress made the nation great, at the expense of nearly wiping out most fauna, and the country's limited soil is dying, which is why the Shima need to wage war for more land. Oh, and most of population are hooked on the "lotus"- which is opium, and the local oil substitute (powering all machinery) AND the cause for the soil dying and environment being destroyed all rolled into one. Being a dystopia, there's some social commentary, but it's kept fairly light, since the book tries for a somewhat YA-ish tone, keeping its themes from becoming too deep.
The basic plot comes down to a young girl who's the daughter of a Royal Master of the Hunt, and her developing an unexpected friendship with a griffin she catches for the Shogun. The girl, Yukiko has a gift of telepathy, which the Empire's Lotus Guild is keen on eradicating. although at first the animal despises her for being its captor, eventually their relationship develops into mutual respect and then affection, as they get involved in a plot to start a revolution and overthrow the corrupt social order.
Overall, the book's strength is the setting. Plotting is okay, and pacing is decent, but nothing is incedibly remarkable. There's a few moments later on where the author tries his hand at mis-directing the reader with a few plot twists and potential betrayals, but nothing I found incredibly gripping or enthralling. Beyond the main cast, most supporting characters are fairly one-dimensional and somewhat archetypical. not to say they're bad, just, once again, nothing super-remarkable.
There were a couple of typos that survived editing, but nothing I felt was particularly jarring. Not a bad start to the series, but nothing makes go and want the next book immediately.
Overall, decently enjoyable read if the setting works for you. ...more
This is Wild West meets Cthulhu. That's literally all I need to say to describe the book.
Ok, if you need more: read the blurb. It basically tells youThis is Wild West meets Cthulhu. That's literally all I need to say to describe the book.
Ok, if you need more: read the blurb. It basically tells you almost everything. Every named character of Golgotha has some kind of secret. Christian, Asian, Native mythologies all intertwine. and out of all this, you get a typical Cthulhu-esque plot about a bunch of cultists trying to start the Apocalypse.
The book tries for horror at times, but it doesn't get there. Personally, I'm not a fan of horror, so I wasn't bothered by it, but others may find this to be a flaw. The plot is overall kida typical "weird stuff is starting to happen. More weird stuff happens. The really bad stuff starts happening. The apocalypse is here. Heroes launch last ditch effort to stop it", but it works.
The setting is neat and unusual. A lot of background is given through flashbacks, and these work nicely. Characters are believable and not overly cliche.
Solid book with decently intriguing setting. I'll be interested to see where the author takes the setting. ...more
This book is a collection of short stories that appear to be mysteries-they tend to involve at least one or more "detective" out of the main cast. ExcThis book is a collection of short stories that appear to be mysteries-they tend to involve at least one or more "detective" out of the main cast. Except that's not really at all what it's about. It's really about a vampire who's so old he forgot his original life and his attempts to start fresh in the New World, away from vampire politics. And it's less about him and more about the people he gathers around himself (his "court"), and how they handle events around them.
Let's say a few words about the setting: alt-history Earth, early 20th century. Magic is a thing that exist alongside technology. Because of this, the Natives of the New World were never properly conquered (there's still an Aztec Empire, and although both British and French established colonies on the East Coast (Quebec is a thing), the Iroquois Confederacy is still a power checking European advances further west), and New Amsterdam (much like the Cape in real life) only became British while the Netherlands were occupied by the French in the 19th century. British colonies are still ruled from London, though there's pressure for Home Rule. Okay, enough about the setting.
A series of murder mysteries involving the main characters gradually fills in their back stories, and helps to establish an overall plot. By the end of the Book the action moves out of New Amsterdam, and it appears the next few books (sadly, currently not available on Kindle) take place in other parts of the world.
The book's strength is unquestionably its characters. They tend to be multi-faceted, despite not really a ton of pages being spent on them. The plotting seems simple, but internal politics and relationships get tangled very quickly, producing some unexpected plot twists . I'm certainly left interested in more. ...more
In part I feel it's due to the book's cover. Although we're told not to, the books are often judged by the cover anThis is a hard one to write about.
In part I feel it's due to the book's cover. Although we're told not to, the books are often judged by the cover and the back blurb. In this case, both evoked in me reminiscence to Alex Marshall's "A crown for Cold Silver" (which I loved), as well as Abercrombie's "Best Served Cold". Possibly an unfair comparison, but one that's hard not to draw.
With the comparison come expectations, and Hunt struggles to fulfill them. I'll be frank: it takes the 566-page book about 200 pages to get good prior to this there's set-up and foreshadowing, and oblique hints as to the mysterious past of Jacob Carnehan, one of the 2 main protagonists, but not a whole lot happens to actually draw the reader in. The story is cliche, the pacing is quite atrocious.
And yet, almost as soon as the lingering mystery is revealed, the story ramps up. Plot develops, supernatural elements are thrown in, and a very neat dynamic is set up that'll likely go on through the series, as one of the likeable characters is made the PoV of the "bad guys", with perfectly good reasons for doing what he's doing. Hunt manages to craft a very interesting world, and his political, and philosophical dilemmas are complex and engaging. The ending is explosive, and the set-up for the sequel is comparable to that of the "Crown for Cold Silver". And yet...
And yet I cannot recommend this book. The first 150 pages are a collection of tired tropes and the veneer of awesomeness that comes from having a fantasy book revolving around airships is stripped by realization that the Ketty Jay series have done it before, but better. The pacing was simply atrocious, with way too much exposition and internal monologues. The story does change, and becomes drastically better-- but being honest, I'm hesitant to say someone ought to put up with the incredibly slow beginning. But the payoff IS solid. ...more
What I really like about the Ketty Jay books is that despite feeling like a Hollywood summer blockbuster- all about the non-stop crazy action with gooWhat I really like about the Ketty Jay books is that despite feeling like a Hollywood summer blockbuster- all about the non-stop crazy action with good humour sprinkled in-that's not really what they're about.
These books are about the crew of the Ketty Jay. The characters. The crazy adventures that happen along the way are unquestionably fun, but really it's just the framing device to get to know the back-stories of the disparate bunch of misfits, and to give them a chance to develop, grow and learn. Wooding excelled at layering really solid character development among the frantic action-packed adventure. And "Ace of Skulls" continues this trend- it brings the story to its conclusion, and it gives appropriate closure to each of the crew.
Not to mention the action's insane, because the stakes are even higher now. And the final epic set of setpieces (yes: it's not a redundant plural) brings together pretty much everything from all the previous 3 books. All plot threads are tied. The resolution is good. And the ride is exhilarating as always. ...more
Basically, a nice little summer action movie of a book. There's a heist, then Frey does something stupid, and tSolid entry to an entertaining series.
Basically, a nice little summer action movie of a book. There's a heist, then Frey does something stupid, and the crew of the Ketty Jay is racing against time to prevent bad things from happening.
More developments of certain characters, more filling in the backgrounds of Ketty Jay's characters, more growing up for Frey.
Light, fast-paced read. Plenty of actions, logical character development, and more of the same fun world with airship combat, what's not to like?...more
The pacing sucks in this book. The novelty's worn off, and the main character of the first 2 books spends most of this volume under various types of hThe pacing sucks in this book. The novelty's worn off, and the main character of the first 2 books spends most of this volume under various types of house arrests, to the point where her chapters/sections were easily the most boring part of the book.
Some of the other storylines were better, but it sometimes seemed that Stross is juggling too many balls, and he keeps trying to add more facets to the story- to the point where I don't really see a way to resolve it all nicely. Also, he completely dropped one of the main plot strands from the first volume, without any real resolution in a kind of "and we're not really gonna talk about them anymore. We hope they won't show up again for a while"-type manner.
The ending picks up, as a whole bunch of things unravel at once and a convergence happens. But i'm not sure if this can be resolved neatly. Also, there's a possible Deus Ex Machina being set up, and i'd be annoyed if that was the ending. I'm certainly gonna grab volume 3 next time I see it, but this wasn't really all that great. Also, somewhat of a cliffhanger in the end, which is always annoying....more
The series was recommended to me for its world-building. And I must say, that's unquestionably a major strength of the book. The action takes place onThe series was recommended to me for its world-building. And I must say, that's unquestionably a major strength of the book. The action takes place on another Earth, primarily in the continent dominated by the Hundred Kingdoms of Ruthnia. The world is in the midst of an Industrial revolution, fuelled by a strange, magical "glimmer" oil. Magic is still around, but religion is seriously on the wane, since a few hundred years ago, a powerful mage "banished" most of the gods. Nevertheless, magic IS still present in various forms, though in many places it is being replaced by magitek science.
The plot largely follows the children of the powerful industrial Kressind family. Trassan, the youngest brother is the inventor of the titular Iron Ship- a giant ship powered by new technology that's supposed to revolutionize industry- and its first journey is to be to the frozen south pole to uncover the last city of a highly advanced precursor civilization; Gius, the oldest brother is a playwright and a capable mage, haunted by mental instability and an ongoing battle with his darker half; Rel Kressind is a soldier sent to the Gates of the World- the fields that are the source of the glimmer oil to guard against incursions from other worlds; Katriona, the second child and only daughter struggles to make use of her intellect and business acumen in a traditional male-dominated society; Aarin Kressind is a Guider of the dead, a priest of a necromantic cult whose duties in guiding restless ghosts to their final repose lead him to uncover a dark secret. These are pretty formulaic and tropey plots, and none of them are ever anything exceptional. However, the world is quite interesting and it's fun to put together bits and pieces of history that McKinley drops here and there like breadcrumbs.
The story is told in third-person, with alternating PoVs, and the chapters are generally pretty short, keeping the pacing crisp. I did run into a few occasions of "internal cliffhangers", where a particular character's arc is left hanging for a few chapters while the author revisits events in other parts of the world, but overall the book avoided anything egregious. At a few occasions the plot did feel a bit thin- as in, one chapters sets up a thing to happen; a few chapters later, you see the result of the thing happening, without any additional explanation as to how it happened, but YMMV on this. I found it a bit disappointing, but it didn't really detract from my enjoyment, and I'm looking forward to reading the sequel.
Highly recommended to anyone looking for complex fantasy worlds, especially in an early industrial setting. ...more
Mieville almost went an entire book without inserting some social commentary!
What else to say about it? It is quintessential Mieville--I mean, it's NeMieville almost went an entire book without inserting some social commentary!
What else to say about it? It is quintessential Mieville--I mean, it's New Weird. A rich, imaginative word that's all sorts of "wrong" from nearly any perspective. But it's informed by such logic and vision that it works. I wasn't sure about it for the beginning (the " & " thing was of particular annoyance, until he specifically addressed that), but it really grew on me. By the end was hooked. Plot-wise, it's really nor the strongest of works, but the setting makes it all work....more