Category: 4 Star

Short Story Review: Backscatter by Beneford (4 Stars)

Backscatter by Gregory Beneford

4 out of 5 stars

Read in April 2013

Every Wednesday I look forward to the latest short fiction published at Tor’s website.  For the last several weeks I’ve been somewhat disappointed in the offerings.  But this past week, I thoroughly enjoyed my first ever reading experience of Gregory Beneford’s writing.  And I liked it a lot, which spurred me to write a short review and spread the good news about this story in particular, and tangentially Tor’s short story web site.

Science fiction shines in this abbreviated format.  So much impact in such a small space.  And Beneford did not disappoint in character development (both human and non-human).

To read the story for yourself, click on the image above or follow this link:  Backscatter by Beneford

Book Review: Alphabet of Thorn by McKillip (4 Stars)

Alphabet of Thorn by Patricia McKillip

4 out of 5 stars

Read in March 2009

A coming-of-age tale for nearly all the characters involved in this novel.  An orphan raised by the royal library as a transcriptor.  The young Queen of Raine soon to be crowned after the sudden death of her father the King.  A minor son of the Second Crown sent to the magician’s Floating School.  Another library-raised orphan who is love struck by the first.  Even the legendary figures from ancient history move through their adolescent struggles via the tale being translated.  All these lives weave together to solve the mystery threatening the realm of these Twelve Crowns.

Patricia McKillip does not disappoint with her pace, prose or her poetry.  Many of these characters are also strong female role models, without appearing overly feminist.  The magic is mystical and mysterious, powerful without being pedantic.

Book Review: The Dark is Rising by Cooper (3.5 Stars)

The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper

3.5 out of 5 stars

Read in September 2009

A good adventure quest tale. A bit lacking in character development, but there were some heart-pounding scenes that made up for it. Towards the end, I almost had a sense deja vu, like I was reading Moonheart by DeLint, which got me thinking this could be classified as early urban fantasy.

As with most Young Adult fiction, the lines of good and evil are clearly drawn. Only one or two characters traversed the grey, pulling and tugging against the inevitable tides of either side.

Some blurbs and reviews have compared this novel’s moral message to the likes of C.S. Lewis or Tolkien, but I think that’s a stretch. Cooper never once made me laugh or cry, although she did get my pulse racing a few times.

Perhaps had I read this as at the age of twelve or before, I might view it differently.

That being said, I still recommend it as a good coming-of-age quest adventure tale.

Book Review: The Sparrow by Russell (4 Stars)

The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell

4 out of 5 stars

Read in February 2009

During a long trip back and forth to Houston, Texas this past weekend, I listened to the audio book version The Sparrow. The narrator, David Colacci, did a fairly good job of narrating. Some of his voice characterizations were too similar to distinguish between the individuals in a heated debate or conversation. I particularly disliked his female voice impersonations. It was at times difficult to hear some of the dialogue, which was whispered, over the high decibel level in a vehicle without increasing the volume so much that the next person to speak was shouting, literally, through my car stereo speakers.

The story is a first contact story but also a journey of faith for one man – Emilio Sandoz. The story starts at the end and bounces back and forth on two separate time-lines until convergence and revelation are achieved at the end. This literary device is one of my favorites so I enjoyed the pacing and enlightenment immensely.

I plan to read the sequel, Children of God, as many others have recommended it as the completion and fullness of Emilio’s story.

Book Review: Sailing to Sarantium by Kay (4 Stars)

Sailing to Sarantium by Guy Gavriel Kay

4 out of 5 stars

Read in June 2010

A strangely compelling story even though none of the characters evoked compassion, laughter, anger or any other strong emotion from me. Normally, without an emotional connection, I become bored and sputter to a stop. Kay crafted an exquisite tale, a risky reckless journey into intoxicating intrigue fueled by ambitious visions and ruthless machinations.

Fantasy elements are kept to a minimum, the purview of alchemists and the occasional supernatural intervention. I read this novel with the understanding that Kay ‘re-imagined’ the Byzantine Empire of Justinian II. Sort of an alternate history where the names have been changed to protect the not-so-innocent.

Book Review: The Human Divison by Scalzi (4 stars)

The Human Division by John Scalzi

4 out of 5 stars

Read Episodically January through April, 2013

Scalzi sucked me into a serialized novel last autumn with After the Coup, a short story set in his Old Man’s War universe.  He cooked up a scheme with his publisher, Tor, to not only return to that universe, but serve up the new book like you would a television season, with weekly episodes airing after midnight (in the States) on Tuesdays.  Since science fiction television in this country is all but non-existent, I took the bate – hook, line and sinker – and started reading the serialized Human Division in early January, ending with the final episode, released today.  Tor hosted a read-along at their web site, but I didn’t participate.  Not because I didn’t want to, but I just couldn’t carve out the time from an already hectic real-world schedule.

When I began this journey, I wasn’t sure if I would like waiting a week between chapters of a novel, especially if a particular chapter proved exceptionally riveting or left me hanging, just like television series tend to do (an overused trope if ever one existed).  I needn’t have worried.  Just as I used to look forward to new episodes of Stargate or Star Trek, I went to bed Monday nights knowing I would wake up to a fresh shiny new Human Division segment.  A handful of times, I even woke up after midnight and found myself reading the latest episode in the middle of the night (when I should have been sleeping … unforgiving 5:00 a.m. alarm clock).

Of the thirteen episodes, I only gave two of them less than four stars – the second episode (Walk the Plank) and the tenth one (This Must Be the Place).  Only one of the episodes got five stars from me – A Problem of Proportion.  The final double episode – Earth Below, Sky Above – would have gotten five stars, had it not been for the ending (or lack of one).  Even this morning’s announcement by the author stating the Human Division had been ‘renewed’ for a second season couldn’t assuage my angst.  I just wanted to raise an eyebrow in my best Spock impersonation and say ‘Really?’ (no, not ‘Fascinating’ … just ‘Really?!?!’).

All kidding aside, I did enjoy reading a serialized novel (in ebook format) during the first quarter of 2013.  By the time the second season rolls around, I’ll have gotten over my angst and dive right in to the next Human Division.

Book Review: Grimspace by Aguirre (4 Stars)

Grimspace by Ann Aguirre

4 out of 5 stars

Read in April 2009

I rarely like stories told from the first person viewpoint, but Grimspace is the exception to my rule. I enjoyed most the character development of Jax, the protagonist. It’s a no-holds barred look at her as a “rock star” jump navigator, accused mass murderer, psych ward patient/victim, fugitive, coward and finally almost martyred.

Oddly, the romance between March and Jax or Kai, her dead pilot, and Jax, didn’t sit well with me. Even though March and Jax supposedly connected psychically, I wasn’t convinced of their attachment, yearning, or love.

The action and mystery are well done and the pay off at the end is satisfactory. It almost qualifies as a space opera.

Book Review: A Sorcerer’s Treason by Zettel (4 stars)

A Sorcerer’s Treason by Sarah Zettel

4 out of 5 stars

Read in December 2009

From the first page, Zettel snared me with her characters, their predicaments, their dreams, ambitions, fears, lies, hopes … the full gamut of human emotion and condition. Usually, when I read a novel chock full of imperial political corruption and intrigue, I’m bored or disgusted. Zettel managed to overcome the clichéd and astound from the heart. Even more surprising was her ability to do this from nearly every character’s point-of-view.

I did not want the story to end, and thankfully, there is more to be read from the world of Isavalta.

The title intrigues me. After finishing the book, I would call the title a bald-faced spoiler. Or it could be a red herring. Truly, there are many sorcerers and many definitions of treason, depending on your perception at any given point in the plot.

Highly recommended to lovers of fantasy with great characterization and plot weaving.

Book Review: Red Moon and Black Mountain by Chant (4.5 Stars)

Red Moon and Black Mountain by Joy Chant

4.5 out of 5 stars

Read in March 2013

hcChantRed

I subscribe to numerous SFF RSS feeds and e-mail newsletters. I skim them as time allows, usually when I’m rubbing the sleep out of my eyes in the pre-dawn darkness on my smartphone or ereader tablet.  Back about six weeks ago, in the middle of February, I stumbled across an article on Tor’s web site entitled Forgotten Classics: Joy Chant’s Red Moon and Black Mountain by Erin Horakova.  After reading her erudite and articulate review, I immediately went hunting for a copy of this classic to read for myself.

I tapped into my local libraries’ catalogs and grumbled to myself that no copy existed within a couple of hundred miles.  I knew better than to hope for an ebook edition, since I knew from Erin’s article that the book had been out of print for some time.  I didn’t want to buy a used copy, as I’m trying to avoid adding to the clutter at home, so I returned to my favorite local library, the Kansas City Public Library, and sent in an ILL (interlibrary loan) request, promptly forgotting I made said request once I closed the web page.  A couple of weeks later, I received a phone call from the Library letting me know my request was waiting at the Plaza branch.  I quickly retrieved it, as all ILL loans are immediately checked out to library patrons upon receipt and the time was already ticking on my loan period.

I read the book over the course of two weekends, bracketing the last week in March.  I found Chant’s prose enthralling, her worldbuilding transcendent and her characterization enlightened.  I soaked in elements of epic and high fantasy and reminisced about other parallel world fantasies I’d read in my youth (Lewis’ Narnia series; Cooper’s The Dark is Rising; Hambly’s Darwath series; and to a lesser extent classics like Burrough’s John Carter and Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland).

I try to note while reading books any phrases that resonate through my status updates on my GoodReads feed.  Since I happened to be reading a print edition, instead of an ebook edition, this task proved slightly more difficult and inconvenient, which translates into skipping many excellent references to avoid disrupting the rapport I experienced while reading Chant’s story.  This quote, however, stood high above  the rest, and came within a few pages of the end:

And have men sunk so far, that the best they can hope for is innocence? Do they no longer strive for virtue? For virtue lies not in ignorance of evil, but in resistance to it.

The perfect moment from a near perfect ending and completely apropos, encompassing all that had gone before.  I refuse to spoil the story further for you and ask that you give this forgotten classic a chance.  I predict you will be pleasantly surprised.

Book Review: To Say Nothing of the Dog by Willis (3.5 Stars)

To Say Nothing of the Dog By Connie Willis

3.5 out of 5 stars

Read in March 2009

This was a very enjoyable jaunt through time in search of a missing bishop’s bird stump for the Coventry Cathedral’s restoration.  It’s 2057 and Lady Shrapnell (very aptly named by the way) is restoring the Coventry Cathedral exactly as it was before it’s destruction in 1940 in a German air raid.  She commandeers the services of Oxford’s space-time continuum researchers and lab to travel back in time and solve the mystery of the bird stump’s disappearance.

Initially, we meet Ned Henry, one of the researchers and time travelers, as he’s searching the still burning ruins of Coventry Cathedral in 1940 as an Air Raid Patrolman. He fails to locate the bird stump but starts acting strangely, a clear indication of severe time-lag.  He returns to 2057 and is ordered by the Infirmary nurse to two weeks of bed rest.  Lady Shrapnell will have none of that so Mr. Dunworthy, the head researcher or professor, send Mr. Henry back to 1888 on a simple mission and to hide him from the overbearing Lady Schrapnell.

Still suffering from the symptoms of the time-lag, Ned can’t remember the specifics of his assignment.  He chances to meet a young man, a student at Oxford, who convinces Ned to hire a boat for a trip downriver on the Thames.

Ned continues to meeting unbelievably interesting quixotic people and unusual circumstances – all highly hilarious.  I kept hearing or seeing the actors from Monty Python’s Flying Circus or Michael Caine performing the voices and antics of these delightful Victorian characters.  Even the pets are supporting actors, especially Cyril the English bulldog.