Category: Reviewing

Book Review: The Accidental Time Machine by Haldeman (3.5 Stars)

The Accidental Time Machine by Joe Haldeman

3.5 out of 5 stars

Read in May 2009

A very quick read for me. A time travel tale with vaguely described quantum physics (string theory and gravitons) and shallow character development. A satisfying ending, but too happy and convenient with a dash of poetic or ironic justice to appeal to me. The religious aspects didn’t disturb me; in fact, they intrigued me. I look forward to the book club discussion.

The Science Fiction & Fantasy Book Club at GoodReads read this book in May 2009.  To review the main discussion thread, please visit this link:  The Accidental Time Machine — Joe Haldeman

Book Review: Left Behind by LaHaye and Jenkins (3 Stars)

Left Behind by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins

3 out of 5 stars

Read in August 2009

I reminded myself quite frequently while reading Left Behind that is was fiction. Christian fiction. Fear-driven apocalyptic (aka end times) Christian fiction. But definitely fiction.

I avoided reading Left Behind for nearly fifteen years, mostly because I avoid anything hyped or overhyped.

Just so you know a bit of history about my faith, I am a believer, a disciple of Christ, or more colloquially a “Christ-follower.” While I still use the term Christian, a pastor recently mentioned in a sermon that the term “Christ-follower” delivers a more accurate message of who and what we should be and the example we should all strive towards.

The point of view filtered through the two central characters in Left Behind – Rayford Steele and Cameron ‘Buck’ Williams – provided an up close and personal view as they experienced being left behind after the Rapture (Jesus returning to Earth and resurrecting all his followers, living, dead and innocent (i.e. the children), bodily to Heaven). Two very different perspectives strive to discover the why and how of the disappearances, to the benefit of the reader.

Rayford loses his wife and son, but not his daughter. Bruce loses his sister-in-law and her children and several co-workers.

Rayford, the self-centered, assured and confident jetliner pilot, grieves bitterly but humbly seeks answers from one of his wife’s former pastors, also humbled and shocked at having been left behind.

Buck, an ace reporter for a large news magazine, finds himself more than neck deep in world-changing people and events, as he investigates the disappearances and gathers theories for a comprehensive cover story. His cynicism protects him from realizing the consequences of denial until nearly the point of no return.

Most of the other characters play supporting roles, often only there to spur on the discourse of prophetic teachings almost literally ripped from the King James Version of the Bible, dripping with red letters.

The only other character of note, of course, is Nicolae Carpathia, the up and coming political powerhouse that promises world peace and ultimately delivers it, on his own terms. As impressive and heart pounding as the culminating conflict in the U.N. conference room was, I would have been more impressed had Nicolae convinced Stonagal to murder Todd-Cothran and kill himself. Nicolae pulling the trigger himself seemed cliche, but then brainwashing everyone present by sheer force of will, except Buck, helped seal his power as the Antichrist.

Comparing the two conversion experiences, I preferred Buck’s last-minute-must-forge-ahead one to Rayford’s poleaxed one. Neither conversion appealed to me, since both were fear driven due to the apocalyptic change wrought on the world. Such a heavy emphasis on prophecy is appropriate for this setting, but hard to stomach as an evangelizing tool towards the reader. At least Rayford read the four Gospels in one sitting before moving on to the “Shock and Awe” of Daniel and Revelation.

As a fictionalized attempt to codify popular prophetic teachings (I don’t pretend to be an expert on Amillennialism, Post-Millennialism, Pre-Millennialism, Pretribulationism and Posttribulationism), the authors did a good job of weaving the characters credibly among the events related in Revelation, Daniel, Ezekiel and other prophetic books of the Bible, putting a human face and experience to the horror of being left behind.

For a less fear-based study of the Book of Revelation, I highly recommend The Throne, the Lamb & the Dragon A Reader’s Guide to the Book of Revelation. My status updates also included comments with links to helpful web blogs and articles.

I am glad I finally read Left Behind but I won’t be joining the Tribulation Force any time soon.

Book Review: The Ghost Brigades by John Scalzi (4 stars)

The Ghost Brigades by John Scalzi

4 out of 5 stars

Read in May 2009

The first half of this sequel to Old Man’s War immersed us in Special Forces, as experienced by Jared Dirac, a very unusual recruit to the Ghost Brigades. Jared’s squad leader is none other than Jane Sagan. Unlike Old Man’s War, combat and battle are secondary to what’s going on inside of Jared’s brain.

The second half reveals more of the politics driving the war and fight to colonize in this corner of the galaxy. Jared meets Charles Broutin, and more importantly, his daughter Zoë. Jane and Jared discover ever more frightening information regarding the aliens Charles is aiding to the detriment of humanity.

I enjoyed this novel at least as much as the first installment. Scalzi might not have made me laugh, but he did make me cry on more than one occasion. If you’ve read Old Man’s War, you won’t be disappointed in this sequel.

Book Review: Assassin’s Apprentice by Hobb (3 stars)

Assassin’s Apprentice

by Robin Hobb

3 out of 5 stars

Read in July 2009

A hard knocks coming of age tale that never lets up nor provides relief or a glimmer of hope for the protagonist.

A boy of six, drug through the harsh winter weather by his maternal grandfather, and returned, like unwanted goods to a retailer, to an outpost of the King of the Six Duchies. The boy is the offspring of the King-in-Waiting, Chivalry, conceived out of wedlock. The second son of the King, Verity, happens to be in residence and assigns the care of the boy to the King’s Stablemaster, Burrich. Burrich eventually names the boy “Fitz,” a derogatory reference to his heritage (i.e. a bastard).

Fitz is raised along with the puppies and ponies. He eventually comes to the notice of the King while roaming Buckkeep. The King decides he should have a more formal education. Fitz soon begins training in weapons, horse and hound handling, reading/writing and more clandestinely as an assassin.

There aren’t many fantasy elements in this story. No magical creatures or magic, beyond psi powers of the Skill and the Forging done by the Red Ship Raiders. Most of the tale involves political intrigue and the tortured trials of Fitz, the bastard-in-residence at Buckkeep.

Robin Hobb does a masterful job of evoking emotions from me in response to all the heartache Fitz suffers and even his triumphs are bittersweet.

Book Review: A Canticle for Leibowitz by Miller (4 stars)

A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter M. Miller Jr.

4 out of 5 stars

Read in May 2010

Excellent weekend spent pondering man, God, science, religion, death, life, despair and hope. Miller’s award-winning novel stands the test of time (over fifty years now) and justifiably deserves to be continuously in print.

So many questions to ponder, presented through Miller’s monastic brothers preserving the last scraps of our civilization and an undying Jewish hermit (assumedly the Wandering Jew of legend) searching for Him who said ‘Come forth!’ Never once did I feel preached at, so skillful was Miller’s presentation.

Even though the Cold War is over, and mutually assured destruction no longer so assured, A Canticle for Leibowtiz posits convincingly that ‘those who ignore history are doomed to repeat it.’

Book Review: Before They Are Hanged by Abercrombie (4 stars)

beforehanBefore They Are Hanged by Joe Abercrombie

4 out of 5 stars

Read in May 2009

Returning to the Circle of the World, where Auda was the hub of activity in The Blade Itself, this middle installment of the trilogy spends most of its time on the fringes of the world.

The Union deployed nearly all its military resources to retaining and regaining Angland from Bethod in the North. Field promoted Colonel West strains to breaking, first by being saddled with Prince Ladisla, who charges his troops into Bethod’s trap. West, the Prince, and a handful of others survive the massacre, but barely survive the flight back to the Union army. The Northman, including Dogman, spurned by the Union army when they offered to assist, lead the refugees roughly ahead of Bethod’s scouts to report the debacle to Field Marshall Burr.

Meanwhile, ignoring the axiom that you should never fight a war on more than one front, the Closed Council send Superior Glokta to hold Dagoska at all costs and to the last man against the Emperor and his legions (eight of them at one point) in the South. While investigating the disappearance of his predecessor, Glokta finds the assassin, an Eater, and discovers that torture is ineffective against such paranormal beings.

Bayaz and his quest for the Seed crawls across the western continent and the Old Empire. Jezal, Ferro, Ninefingers, Quai and Longfoot round of the rest of the band of not-so-merry men. Their trek traverses across the entire continent, through the ancient, dessicated capital, over treacherous mountains and finally to a forgotten remanent of the past on the shores of the western ocean. Ultimately, Bayaz is frustrated by his clever former master, Kanedias the Maker.

Abercrombie amazes me with his ability to write heart-pounding battle scenes. The chapter “Among the Stones” stands out as my favorite from this novel. But there are many opportunities for violence to choose from. While not as grand as Tolkien, his style reminds me of Robert E. Howard, only more intense.

Characters developed apace with the circumstances they survived or overcome. Jezal learned humility. Glokta committed great evil and great good. West overcame his inhibitions. Ferro fought against hope and trust. Quai disturbed me but didn’t get much focus. I suspect he will become troublesome next time.

With Prince Ladisla dead, leaving only one heir to the Union throne, the political intrigue and corruption reach new heights and twists, culminating in the murder of the remaining an heir. Now the Open Council will be put to a vote to select a new heir and you can bet the gloves will come off in the next book, Last Argument of Kings.

I feel obliged to warn parents that this novel is not for young teens or children. It contains graphic violence, graphic language and adult situations.

Book Review: The Curse of the Mistwraith by Janny Wurts (5 stars)

The Curse of the Mistwraith by Janny Wurts

5 out of 5 stars

First Reading (June, 2009):

Great prose, good characters, intriguing plot twists.

In fact, I spent the first part of this book in total confusion. I love maps and Janny’s website has a great interactive map of Athera. Before I’d read forty pages, I had minutely scrutinized the online map in total frustration. I could not find the places Janny was referencing!

Eventually, my questions were answered (I should have had more patience).

I absolutely loved the first half of this book, riding along in the headlong rush to the first climax. I struggled a bit with the aftermath and could only watch in disgust and horror at the damage done to the characters I’d come to know and love. It made for great drama, sometimes almost melodrama, but boring it was not.

It’s one of the longest books I’ve read in quite some time – nearly seven hundred pages as a mass market paperback. After finishing it, I wondered if it wouldn’t have been better as two separate novels. I really should have taken a break after the first climax to let my mind and emotions come to grip with the consequences to the characters.

I don’t know how I missed this book when it was first released in the early nineties. I’ve been reading fantasy for over twenty-five years and this was too good to miss. I’ll have to chalk it up to having toddlers and no time to devote to reading.

I highly recommend this novel to fantastic fiction fans everywhere.

Second Reading (July/August, 2010):

Since I gave away my older Roc MMP edition to spread the ‘good news’ of Janny’s Wars of Light and Shadow series, I took the opportunity in mid-May to purchase the re-released MMP edition while at DemiCom, where I had the privilege of meeting and visiting with Janny Wurts. I felt compelled to complete my collection of the series so that I could re-read Curse of the Mistwraith repeatedly to refresh my memory of the unfolding layers and complexities that comprise Athera.

I highly recommend this book and this series for the devoted lovers and perspicacious readers of complex multifaceted myriad-layered epic fantasy brimming with inimitable characterizations and sublime universe craftsmanship.

March 2013 Update:  HarperCollins is still running a sale I referenced in a previous blog posting on the first three ebook editions for the Wars of Light and Shadow series.  For just under a buck, you can start on your journey to find the Paravians in The Curse of the Mistwraith. 

Book Review: The Crown Conspiracy by Sullivan (4 stars)

The Crown Conspiracy by Michael J. Sullivan

4 out of 5 stars

Read in February 2009

A very enjoyable quick read. I enjoyed the fast paced romp following the antics of the two thieves, Hadrian and Royce, and the intrigues entangling them with the royals Alric and Arista.

The tale starts with some stolen letters, which are then re-stolen right from under the owner’s nose from a windowless tower room behind the only door (locked) and a safe (also locked). The thieves complete the job successfully, collect their payment and plan to take a bit of a vacation before taking on another client. But Hadrian stumbles upon a desperate noble who convinces him to take an emergency job to steal a sword to prevent his death in a duel scheduled for the next day. Royce rightly chastises Hadrian for breaking the rules but agrees to do the job because the price is almost too good to be true.

And it proves to be just that. The thieves spring a trap that implicates them in the murder of the king. They are arrested and placed in the dungeon, convinced they will be executed in the morning. The Princess Arista has other plans and helps them escape on the condition that they kidnap her brother, the Crown Prince Alric. And thus begins the adventure of Prince Alric and the Thieves, as it’s referred to once the dust settles and the crown rests safely on the correct royal brow.

My favorite character was Myron, the cloistered monk who had naive chiseled on his forehead. I also related well to Hadrian. Other than that, I didn’t connect with many of the other characters. In fact, even when their lives were hanging by a thread (literally), my heart didn’t quicken nor did I hold my breath. I thoroughly enjoyed the action and adventure, but I wanted to know more about the characters, especially Royce.

Book Review: Warbreaker by Sanderson (4 stars)

Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson

4 out of 5 stars

Read in July 2009

Brandon does it again – “it” being his uncanny ability to create female characters that I immediately relate to, like and care about. Not only one, but two of them – Vivenna, the eldest, wisest, best prepared sister, and Siri, the youngest, kindest, most frivolous one. But don’t let those stereotypes delude you. Brandon turns both of these types around, on their heads and sideways and I’m convinced you’ll be pleased with the results.

The magic system in Warbreaker was a tad creepy at times, especially if you believe, as I did, that Breath is equivalent to your soul. Breath is traded, bartered, bought and sold, so you can literally sell your soul in the world of Warbreaker. The accumulation of Breath creates a social hierarchy in T’Telir readily apparent to citizens, priests, and the resident “gods” (i.e. the Returned). The more Breath you acquire, the more abilities and perceptions you enhance, including extending your life indefinitely. The use and study of Breath is ongoing so a future exploration is possible in another story.

Most of the story dealt with the political intrigue in and around the Court of Gods and the seemingly imminent war between Hallandren and Idris. The two sisters, Vivenna and Siri, are princesses of Idris, a breakaway province of Hallandren. Siri is sent to T’Telir to fulfill a twenty year old treaty obligation to provide a royal bride to the God King in Vivenna’s place. Vivenna follows Siri to the city, ostensibly to rescue Siri, but really to fight her inner battle against suddenly being useless and unimportant. How these two sisters deal with the circumstances they find themselves thrust into is the heart of this story.

Other characters of note include Lightsong, a Returned denying his divinity with every witty fiber of his being; Vasher, a ruthless Awakener burdened with the sentient irresistibly destructive sword Nightblood; and Denth, a likeable mercenary who takes Vivenna under his protection soon after her arrival in T’Telir.

The action quickens in the last fifth of the book to the point where I had to re-read several paragraphs because I kept skipping ahead with the implied breakneck pace of the story.

My only quibble with the story would be a lack of return to Idris, especially from the point of view of Vivenna and Siri’s father. Once both sisters are in T’Telir, we never return to their homeland nor hear anything from their family. Lastly, the wrap-up at the end, especially surrounding Vasher, Denth, Nightblood and Lightsong, wasn’t convincing enough for me. It seemed too convenient and too rushed.

I still enjoyed the story and am very grateful that it’s a standalone epic fantasy tale with no cliffhanger ending. Recommended for all fantasy lovers.

Book Review: The Way of Shadows by Weeks (4 stars)

The Way of Shadows by Brent Weeks

3.8 out of 5 stars

Read in December 2009

Similar in style to The Lies of Locke Lamora or The Blade Itself – gritty fantasy, bloody coups, relentless pace, morally challenged characters. The fantasy elements played second fiddle to the fighting, poisoning and similar training of the first half of the story. As the story unfolds, many characters names change, but not to protect any innocents.

Graphic violence and obscenities, while prevalent, were well placed and not over-used. The fighting sequences didn’t thrill me, nor did the political intrigue. Lately, I’m beginning to believe that the fantasy genre only has two avenues of expression – political power struggle where all the players wear gray or prophesied chosen child on a quest in a black and white landscape.

Weeks surprised me with a handful of precious tender moments between the characters, some of which brought tears to my eyes, often occurring in the vilest of surroundings or events. I smiled at some of the clever dialogue, but never laughed out loud.

Weeks managed to provide me with enough glimmers of hope and light amidst the dark, depraved, nihilistic fog to satisfy my yearning for redemption. He reminded me that no matter how abhorrent the deeds, the transgressor is always worthy of another chance. He allowed his characters to suffer, giving them the opportunity to stretch beyond their perceived limits, grasping for the fleeting glimpse of salvation and becoming better and stronger as a result.

Good character development with some twists and turns that managed to stay believable. Stands alone well, but leaves many questions unanswered.