"Wintertide" by Michael Sullivan (Reviewed by Liviu Suciu and Cindy Hannikman)
Official Michael Sullivan Website
Order "Wintertide" HERE (print) or HERE(Kindle)
Read FBC Review of The Crown Conspiracy
Read FBC Review of Avempartha
Read FBC Review of Nypron Rising
Read FBC Review of The Emerald Storm
INTRODUCTION:In the space of two years, Michael Sullivan has moved from a small press debut author that was featured in one of my first "Indie Spotlight Reviews" to a "name" in the fantasy field who sold-out his first novel and is getting both critical acclaim and fan appreciation. In my 2009 end-of-the-year rankings, Avempartha went head to head against the "big names" and made both my Top 2009 Books list and Cindy's Top 2009 Book list, while The Crown Conspiracy made Mihir's Top 2009 Reads too.
"Nyphron Rising" started the epic part of the series which had a lot of ground prepared in The Crown Conspiracy and Avempartha two mostly standalone adventures, while in "The Emerald Storm" the series ramped up considerably and the world expanded; the twist ending made "Wintertide" one of my top titles of the second part of the year. So very high expectations, but even so I was not prepared for the punches that Wintertide pulls which left me in need of complete reread of all five books to get an inkling where the series might be going in its finale...
FORMAT/CLASSIFICATION:"Wintertide" stands at about 330 pages divided into 21 named chapters that follow several main POV's: Hadrian, Royce, Arista and Amilia, the lady in waiting and "mouthpiece" of Empress Modina as well as a young street kid Mince who is a new character. All the colorful characters from previous novels like Regent Saldur, Sentinel Guy, Archie, Marius reappear and there are several other characters that grow in importance here. The novel starts with two detailed maps of the world and ends with the most emotional and twisty chapter of the series so far.
While "Nyphron Rising" started getting into the heart of the main story of the series and The Emerald Sea thickened the plot and expanded the world, Wintertide returns to the heart of the action in the Imperial capital of Aquesta, where the two regents are preparing to celebrate the marriage of an Empress and the rebirth of an Empire with the burning of a witch as closing entertainment.
As its two predecessors from the heart of the series, "Wintertide" is adventure fantasy in an epic context.
OVERVIEW/ANALYSIS: Liviu:"‘Black queen takes king. White rooks retreat. Black queen captures bishop. White rook to bishop’s four, threatening. Check. White’s pawn takes queen and bishop. Jade’s tomb, full face."
While a bit spoilerish at least if you know what the above means, the paragraph quoted is something that makes a book worth reading by itself; of course getting there and understanding it takes a while and Wintertide has much more, from action, to intrigue, to heart-breaking drama and a lot of subplots closure. The big picture becomes even more intriguing since quite a lot of assumptions are challenged by the end of the novel. And there is only one more installment to go...
Since it is book 5 and I strongly recommend reading at least the previous two installments to fully appreciate this one, the only thing I will mention about the story is that as opposed to the world expanding The Emerald Storm, Wintertide returns to a more compact geographic location and urban/castle action including a knight tourney that offers quite a lot of comic relief to the tension buildup as Wintertide (the event) gets closer and closer.
The dramatic ending of the novel made me go back and reread books 1-4 for clues about where the author may take the series in Percepliquis, and I made a big list of "things to watch for/possibilities" but the one thing I am sure of is that the series ending will be one of those "put down everything and read immediately" novels.
Wintertide (A++) is the second top-rated combo (with The Emerald Storm) of 2010 for me and establish the series as one of the best traditional epic fantasies currently being published and a top 10 novel of mine.
Cindy: After completing Emerald Storm I wanted the next book right away. After a few months of waiting the wait is finally over. One thing about authors is that they make you wait and wait for books and then you get the book and there's a feeling of let down. Let me assure you if you've been following this series at all you won't be let down.
At this point in the series we're so far into it that it's hard to do an analysis of the plot and characters because part of the appeal for the series is the growth of the characters and plots as you read.
Wintertide is everything that I've come to love and expect about anything written by Sullivan. It has all the characters that I'm familiar with. After having them fleshed out a bit in the previous book everything just seemed to flow and come together.
There is a sense of more to come, yet Wintertide has a feeling of the end is almost near. While reading I was impressed with everything but at the same time I couldn't shake the feeling that this series that I have come to love is starting to wind down.
Without being all dramatic the ending will keep you hanging and waiting for the next book.
Like Liviu I really feel that this is one of those series that has a place in the fantasy world. I know it's a series that I will gladly be returning to time and time again. Sullivan has earned my respect and admiration with all the work that he's achieved and I can't wait to see what he pulls out of his hat for the final book. If these past few books are any indication I'm sure it'll be a memorable ending. Well worth the read and time to look into the series and the next book is a must read for myself!
3:01 AM | 
Posted by
Liviu |
Five Capsule Reviews: Harry Turtledove, Chris Wooding, Hannu Rajaniemi, Tim Akers and Val Gunn (by Liviu Suciu)
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FBC Review of 'Hitler's War" and of "The Man with the Iron Heart"I liked Hitler's War, the series debut a lot, it's among the best Turtledove I've read and as fine a WW2 historical novel with a slight twist (WW2 starts in Sept 1938) that expands to quite different outcomes as it gets, but the rest is pitch perfect period, all told from the point of view of "grunts" - mostly soldiers and non-coms, with a submarine captain and a Stuka pilot Lt the highest ranked pov's - and two special women, a middle age US socialite from Philadelphia that gets stuck in the Reich and a 17 year old Jewish girl from Munster.
West and East continues the same absorbing story, with mostly the same pov's (some die and some new ones appear) and the book has a lot of happenings on the personal level of everyone, but as the big picture goes it is mostly a lull in the big battles kind of action, though things advance and we end as 1940 is approaching; since the series will go 6 minimum there is a lot to come (A)
Recommended by me and for all mil-fiction/alt-history fans who like a "grunt's eye of events".
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FBC Review of "Retribution Falls"Not on par with Retribution Falls but it has its moments - all the crew interactions in solving their personal issues from the last volume are superb, as are Frey's interactions with Trinica.
The plot is ok, less suspenseful than in Retribution Falls and there is a bit too much repetition and not enough new stuff. The biggest failing though was in pulp moments like the silly beginning and the Amalicia part which made me cringe. All in all I am still in the series and I hope the next installment recaptures the excitement of Retribution Falls. (B)
Check this one out if you liked Retribution Falls
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After all the hype, it turned out the author can write "gadget fiction" but it remains unclear if he can write interesting fiction otherwise since this book despite its moments falls flat as writing style goes. Far away from the vigorous prose of RK Morgan to whose Altered Carbon debut this one has been compared and far away from the ornate prose of JC Wright's debut The Golden Age to which this novel has many similarities in themes, the novel has many "goodies" and a great ending but it suffers from three major flaws:
The writing depends on gadgets and this was not a surprise since the author' short fiction I have read before had the same issues and made me a bit wary about this novel.
Emotional remoteness almost verging on solipsism and the worst flaw of all, plot dependence on "my magic is bigger than yours" typical of run-off-the-mill fantasies - here of course it's tech magic but there is the destined boy and all nonetheless.
If you are new to "sf as magic" - could not call it sense of wonder since there is only some of that - you may try this one, otherwise wait for the next installment to see if the author gets better at writing fiction rather than gadgetry. Though to be honest, the author writes better prose than other hard-sf authors like Charles Stross or Vernor Vinge so there may be hope, but this book' subject and his style do not match well. (B)
Instead of The Quantum Thief, I would also direct you to Liz Williams considerably superior "Banner of Souls" or 'Winterstrike" which have similar themes too though they eschew the mumbo-jumbo from this one.
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FBC Review of "Heart of Veridon"Very disappointing; I had so high hopes for this one after the wonderful Heart of Veridon novel and The Horns of Ruin was so linear, unsubtle, lacking nuance, predictable and with a heroine that is "wonder woman on steroids", untouchable and unbeatable with the often repeated "magical" invocations that became so annoying that I would shudder and skip when I encountered them...
Basically The Horns of Ruin is a comic strip disguised as a novel and set in a steampunk/fantasy world and the inventiveness of the author reads like unnecessary baggage; better do a straight out Superwoman in Gotham than this elaborate world wasted on such thin and totally lacking in depth novel.
The only redeeming quality is the narrative energy which the author clearly possesses and that made the experience of reading The Horns of Ruin partly enjoyable, but again so far from my high expectations.... (D)
If you are a fan of comic-book novelizations or of action-only UF and you do not mind an elaborate setting, this one may be for you.
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Disappointing; the world is supposedly exotic but has no depth, the writing is ok in a thriller-ish mode, fast enough, but very bland characters, very disjointed plot and all depending on supposedly long going (nine centuries or so) conspiracies that are based on everyone being dumb and on coincidences; the extract that I read and made me try this one gives a very misleading impression of what comes after.
The ending redeems a bit the rest with some intriguing developments, but I have no intention of reading more in this series. Somewhat similar to Lamentation by K. Scholes, so if you liked that, you may like this one, but sadly not me... (D)
Also for fans of Richard Patterson and other "no-characters, all-action" thrillers with an exotic background.
AUTHOR INFORMATION: Cameron Haley is a Pseudonym for Greg Benage. He lives in Minneapolis with his family. He’s a Magna Cum Laude graduate of Tulane University with a degree in Political Economy. He currently works a senior product manager in US Bank. Previously Greg worked as a managing editor and product development executive in the publishing industry for more than six years and has more than 14 years of experience in commercial writing and business communications. He’s previously freelanced as a copywriter before focusing his energy into writing, this is his debut.
PLOT SUMMARY: As LA plunges into an occult gang war, mob sorceress Domino Riley must unravel a conspiracy that reaches beyond the magic-soaked mean streets into a world of myth and legend. Domino investigates the ritual execution of a mob associate, a graffiti magician named Jamal. The kid isn’t just dead, he’s been squeezed — the killer stole his magical power or “juice.” Domino summons Jamal’s shade, and the ghost points to Adan Rashan as his killer. This is tricky, because Adan is the favored son of Domino’s boss, Shanar Rashan, a six-thousand-year-old Sumerian wizard. It’s even trickier because only a mobbed-up sorcerer could have squeezed Jamal and Adan isn’t a sorcerer. As the corpses pile up, Domino must confront the killer and unmask an otherworldly kingpin with designs on her gang’s magic-rich turf.
CLASSIFICATION/FORMAT/INFO: Mob Rules is 313 pages long divided over fifteen numbered chapters, with no Prologue and Epilogue. Narration is in the first person and features Domino Riley as its sole voice. Mob Rules can be read as a standalone novel, but is the first volume in the “Underground Cycle” series. September 1, 2010 marked the North American trade paperback publication of Mob Rules via Luna Books.
Mob Rules is an Urban Fantasy novel set in a contemporary Los Angeles.
ANALYSIS: Mob Rules was brought to my notice via a friend on the Goodreads website. As soon as I read the blurb I decided to give it a shot. I contacted Greg asking for the same and he promptly sent me a review copy. The story is set in Los Angeles and features a world wherein magic is present and it has been utilized to set up a feudalistic crime structure which has led to various US cities being divided up by gangs. Dominica “Domino” Riley is a Mexican-Irish member of one such gang which is situated in South Central part of LA. Its lead by a Sumerian wizard turned gang lord called Shanar Rashan.
Domino is the gang’s top enforcer who’s been personally handpicked by Shanar Rashan due to her ability to detect & manipulate “Juice” (magic as described in this world). She describes her work in the following way which sums it up nicely:
“Ninety-nine percent of my job is pretty simple. I’m a fixer, a problem solver. I make sure the outfit is operating as it should. When it isn’t, I step in and make the necessary adjustments. I have no day-to-day routine, no ongoing managerial responsibilities. It’s a nice gig!”
The book begins with Domino being called in to investigate the murder of Jamal James, a Juice tagger (collector) for the organization. She finds the crucified & skinned corpse and then tries to contact Jamal’s spirit for finding the killer’s identity. However she is unable to get a smooth connection before Jamal’s spirit disappears. Domino’s powers while arcane are smoothly connected with the technology of the present world, Domino uses her spells via the internet (I found this to be a very cool interpretation of magic). Her search efforts don’t pan out the way as envisioned and so she decides to hit the streets to find out about Jamal’s recent activities. She finds out that he’s been seen in a rival gang’s club called The Cannibal Club so she proceeds to the club and is surprised to find Adan, Rashan’s son over there. He admits to have seen Jamal a few times however Adan is a non-magical person and amongst his posse is a vampire who reeks the wrong way and soon gets into a fight with Domino. She makes short work of him and delivers deadpan humour at the same time.
Next day Domino meets up with Rashan to discuss the possibilities of forthcoming war with the rival gang of Papa Danwe. She learns that there’s been another death in a similar skinned fashion however the person was magically different from Jamal. Rashan & Domino set their plans for meeting with the neighboring Russian & Korean gangs to discuss an alliance and also find out who will be the next target. Also at the same time Domino is getting some romantic signals from Adan and finds herself attracted to him as well. She also then decides to hire the help of a pixie named Honey to facilitate her search; however Honey seems to be more interested in Domino than finding other things. Thus the plot then escalates as she races against time to find out who is hitting upon their gang and also to save her own skin as the general consensus is that they might have a betrayer amongst them.
Mob Rules is a slightly darker version of the UF stories being put out. The world settings are pretty gritty & and the protagonist is a Mob enforcer. One whose conscience is regularly bended to benefit her position and her job. Domino Riley makes an exciting protagonist to read about as she’s tough and ruthless and she understands Shanar’s cardinal mob rule “Survive, pick a side and do whatever it takes to win!” It’s a rule wherein the strong survive and they continue to stay strong by crushing all possible opposition and one which Domino thoroughly espouses.
Greg also combines crime and magic to gives the readers a potent combo in the tale settings. The city of LA is very realistically described and adds to the ambiance of the story. Also adding to the reading experience is the plot twist in the latter half of the tale, the story veers off from where the reader thinks it might be heading into a slightly different direction. Another distinct plus point is the way the author has manifested magic within the contemporary settings for example the combining of magic with the internet for Domino, the presence of Genies who aren’t as helpful as the stories foretell & magic with its relation to crime for eg. Vampires being blood magicians, prostitution being sex magic, etc. This was a very apt way to merge both genres of crime fiction and Urban fantasy & so full marks to the author on this front.
Now onto the drawbacks, the story manages to lose steam in the middle third part where Domino is running blind and trying to figure out the mastermind behind the attacks. The tale drags a bit before rushing on to the climax and all its revelations. Also Domino’s past is hinted at but never properly explored [This I believe could covered in the prequel short story Retribution in the Harvest Moon anthology] also this is the first book so it pretty much serves as a set up for the future stories namely Skeleton Crew which will be released next year. Overall a good debut effort and Cameron Haley marks himself out amongst the UF crowd with this dark tale and with a promise of more mayhem to come in the form of zombies in next year’s Skeleton Crew.
Order Trespass HERE
Read a short extract HERE or a longer one with Google Books
INTRODUCTION: I have first heard of Trespass from the 2010 Booker Longlist but when it was recently published here in the USA and a copy fell in my hands, I was hooked from the first page and the novel turned out to be even more haunting than I expected.
"Two pairs of siblings and their twisted pasts converge in this gripping, dark novel from Orange Prize–winner Tremain (The Road Home). In the southern French Cévennes region, Audrun lives a peaceful if bitter life in a small bungalow a stone's throw from her family home. She's been cast out, either by inheritance or some terrible transgression; her drunken, spiteful brother, Aramon, who still resides there, hopes to sell the home to foreign tourists, an act that would further uproot Audrun. Meanwhile, Anthony Verey, a once-renowned London antiques dealer, having reached an existential precipice, descends on his sister, Veronica, who lives near the Cévennes with her lover, Kitty. As Anthony and Kitty quietly battle for Veronica's affections, Audrun and Aramon struggle with their history and land. Anthony wants a home in the region, hoping it will fill his void, and he joins the wave of foreigners hungrily circling the area. Soon, a series of rash decisions impacts all of their lives in brutal, unforgettable ways."
FORMAT/CLASSIFICATION: Trespass stands at about 270 pages divided into 44 numbered chapters. The narration is in third person, mostly in the present of the novel but with flashbacks to the past that illuminate the choices of the five main characters described in the blurb above.
Trespass is a dark literary drama that one could call a "literary thriller" if one understands that the gripping action is mostly psychological rather than car-chases and shootouts, though there are shotguns, disappeared cars and such here too...
OVERVIEW/ANALYSIS: "About the earth she knew she was not wrong. About the earth of her beloved C̩vennes she never conjured inappropriate thoughts. There was a pattern to how things became and she РAudrun Lunel, child of the village of La Callune Рunderstood it perfectly. Fire or flood could come (and often did come) to sweep everything away. But still the rain fell and the wind blew."
The above quote illustrates the title meaning in a "physical way"; well-to-do "foreigners" coming with large amounts of money - at least from the locals' point of view - and wanting to buy properties that are in the middle of nowhere, mostly decrepit and where people earn a meager living these days. A very powerful temptation and since Aramon has inherited most of the land and the big house, Audrun cannot do that much about...
"As Kitty walked towards the water, she wondered: Doesn’t every love need to create for itself its own protected space? And if so, why don’t lovers understand better the damage trespass can do? It made her furious to think how easily Veronica was colluding with the unspoken open-endedness of Anthony’s visit – as though he was the one who mattered most to her, who had the right to come first and always would, and it was up to her, Kitty, to accept this hierarchy with grown-up grace and not make a fuss."
This quote shows the psychological meaning of the title; while Kitty and Veronica seem to form a stable couple in the French village they live and work and they even have made friends with the mayor and the locals after a rough beginning concerning water-rights, Anthony's epiphany and arrival to look for his own house around spells trouble...
But there is much more than that, with the slowly revealed past of the Lunel family on one hand and the complicated relationship between Veronica, Anthony and their mother Lal on the other, so there will be more instances of "trespass", some darker and with long lasting effects.
The atmosphere of the novel - I could not really call it world building, though it is as absorbing as many exotic secondary worlds - is just perfect and it is probably the first thing that will impress you. The characters who at first glance seem to be just "passed" and of little interest - two men in their sixties and three late middle aged women - are actually very engrossing and while all have their warts, from the arrogance of Anthony and to a lesser extent of Veronica, to the drunkenness and coarseness of Aramon, the fainting spells of Audrun or the insecurities of Kitty, they all become sympathetic to some extent and there is a deep irony in the way the plot goes and who will be doing what...
Trespass' structure is also interesting since we are first thrown into the fray through the eyes of a schoolgirl who sees herself "exiled from Paris" and hates the Cevennes region and the bullying of her new schoolmates, so in looking for isolation she also "trespasses" and makes a discovery that will be revealed later and bring the novel full circle toward its dramatic denouement. A bit of a gamble in a way since this first chapter seems unrelated to what follows, but it worked beautifully as an opening gambit ...
Trespass (A+) is a novel of secrets, of unwanted intrusions both physical and psychological and which range from the "annoying" to the dark and literally life-changing and a literary thriller with characters that will stay with you for a long time.
The major drawback that I discovered was that the Collated/Updated post got way too big and I tried to keep a "first look" list of titles to mitigate that. Now that of all the books mentioned there, I miss only three 2010 ones which I expect to get sooner rather than later, I thought it's time for an uncluttered look back.
Total 2010 Anticipated Books - 94 - some moved to 2011
Read 78 with one that I decided it is not-for-me for a total of 79 "done"
Currently reading 3; not-yet-have 3 more, all more-or-less asap reads
Nine started and moved back on the pile for a "nebulous" later, though I have not yet given up on any of those
Of the 78 read I rated:
2 F's : hated them, would not touch anything by the author 1/10
7 D's : disliked but not hated them 4/10
6 C's : ok'ish at least partly, but far from being favorites 6/10
4 B's : liked them but either major flaws or irritating stuff detracted a lot from my enjoyment 7.5/10
2 A- : these should have been a B, but they have so many goodies to mostly compensate for major flaws in one case or lack of ambition in another 8.5/10
24 A : liked a lot, no major complaints, or occasionally very ambitious but with flaws that stop it from the A+/A++ level, will read more from the author/series automatically 9/10
11 A+ : loved them and they had the added "extra" - personal favorite, ambition, type of novel I prefer, but either short a bit of the top-top level or from a sub-genre I cannot rate there and the books in cause did not transcend (mundane-sf or mil-fantasy are such) 9.5/10
22 A++: utterly loved them, my top books with of course the several 2010 A++ that were quite unexpected and are not here; some are for series achievement rather than the books themselves 10/10
Other statistics; out of the 79 below, 46 were author/publisher copies, 33 got independently by me, while for the total of 91 I have, it is 51 author/publisher, 40 me; of the total 94, 22 are by women authors, so about 23%.
My full list of 2010 Books read (151 so far, some read in 09) as well as of books read in 2010 (209 so far) are on Goodreads. Here are the 79 ones from the original anticipated list in chronological order of reading.
City of Ruin/Newton (A++, full rv )
The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms/Jemisin (A+, Goodreads minireview, full rv RT)
Spellwright/Charlton (D from me, Goodreads minireview, full rv RT)
The Bookman/Tidhar(A, full rv),
The Desert Spear/Brett(A, full rv)
Servant of the Underworld/de Bodard(A, full rv)
The Left Hand of God/Hoffman(A++, dual full rv)
The Conqueror's Shadow/Marmell(C from me, Goodreads minireview, full rv RT)
The Napoleon Concerto/Mellon(A, full rv)
The River Kings Road/Merciel (D from me, Goodreads minireview, full rv RT)
Geosynchron/Edelman(A+, full rv),
Freedom/Suarez(C, Goodreads minireview)
Spirit Lens/Berg(A, full rv),
Thirteen Years Later/Kent(B,Goodreads minireview, full rv RT with my short take)
Black Hills/Simmons (A++ , full rv),
The Folding Knife/Parker (A++, full rv)
Mission of Honor/Weber (A+, full rv)
Funeral Games/Cameron(A, Goodreads minireview)
Grand Central Arena/Spoor (A, full rv)
Salute the Dark/Tchaikovsky (A++, full rv),
A Mighty Fortress/Weber (A++, full rv),
Farlander/Buchanan(A, full rv),
Bitter Seeds/Tregillis (A++, full rv),
Up Jim River/Flynn(A, full rv)
The Emerald Storm/Michael Sullivan(A++, full rv),
Raven:Sons of Thunder/Kristian(A, full rv),
The Orphaned Worlds/Cobley(C, Goodreads minireview)
The Dream of Perpetual Motion/Palmer(D, Goodreads minireview, full rv RT)
Ghosts of Manhattan/Mann(A, full rv)
Terminal World/Reynolds (A-, full rv)
The Sorcerer's House/Wolfe (A, full rv),
Secrets of the Fire Sea/Hunt (A++, full rv)
Children No More/Van Name (A+, full rv),
The Barbary Pirates/Dietrich(A, full rv)
Shadow's Son/Sprunk(A+, full rv),
Dragonsoul/Jones & Bennett(A, full rv),
Gaslight Dogs/Lowachee(C, Goodreads minireview)
The Age of Zeus/Lovegrove(A, full rv),
West and East/Turtledove(A, Goodreads minireview)
Office of Shadow/Sturges(A, full rv)
The Lotus Eaters/Kratman(C, Goodreads minireview)
Migration/Hogan(A, full rv)
The King of the Crags/Deas(A, full rv)
Tome of the Undergates/Sykes(F, un-review)
A Magic of Dawn/Farrell(A, full rv)
The Hypnotist/Rose(D, Goodreads minireview)
New Model Army/Roberts(B, full rv)
The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet/Mitchell(A++, full rv)
Naamah's Curse/Carey(A, full rv)
The Last Page/Huso(A++, full rv)
Deceiver/Cherryh (D, Goodreads minireview)
The Prince of Mist/Zafon(C, Goodreads minireview, full rv CH)
Lex Trent Versus The Gods/Bell(A, full rv)
Stealing Fire/Graham(A+, full rv)
The Evolutionary Void/Hamilton(A++, Goodreads minireview, full rv soon)
Absorption/Meaney(B, full rv)
Who Fears Death/Okorafor (not for me)
Spies of the Balkans/Furst (A-, Goodreads minireview)
The Map of all Things/Anderson (A+, full rv)
The Dervish House/McDonald (D, Goodreads minireview)
Passion Play/Bernobich (A+, full dual review)
The Black Prism/Weeks (A++, full rv)
Imager's Intrigue/Modesitt(A++ book/series, full rv)
Restoration Game/MacLeod(A+, full rv)
Empire of Light/Gibson (A+, full rv)
The Half Made World/Gilman(A++, full rv)
The House on Durrow Street/Beckett(A++, full rv)
The Scarab Path/Tchaikovsky (A++, full rv)
Black Lung Captain/Wooding (B, Goodreads minireview)
The Technician/Asher (A++, full rv)
Ragnarok/Vanner (F, Goodreads minireview)
Midsummer Night/Warrington (A++, full rv soon, Goodreads minireview )
Horns of Ruin/Akers (D, Goodreads minireview)
The Thief-Taker's Apprentice/Deas (A, full rv)
Empire/Saylor (A++, full rv)
Corvus/Kearney (A+, full rv soon, Goodreads minireview )
Surface Detail/Banks (A++, full rv soon,Goodreads minireview)
Wintertide/Sullivan (A++, full rv soon, Goodreads minireview)
1635 The Eastern Front/Flint (A, Goodreads minireview, since it's only half a book, full review together with its second half due April 2011)
Edit 10/20 The Quantum Thief/Rajaniemi (B, Goodreads minireview)
Edit 1/2/11 Prospero in Hell/Lamplighter (C, Goodreads minireview)
Edit 1/2/11 The House of Discarded Dreams/Sedia (Tried and not for me)
Edit 1/2/11 Guardians of Paradise/Fenn (C-, Goodreads minireview)
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Not yet have, But hope to get soon:
Guardians of Paradise/Fenn - finally bought it in November but strangely it did not scream 'read me" on the first page so on the pile for now
Edit 1/2/11 Disappointing, almost a series dropping book; see minireview HERE
Transformation Space/De Pierres
Edit 1/2/11 Got it; will read sooner or later;
The House of Discarded Dreams/Sedia
Edit 1/2/11 Tried and not for me.
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Read From and Moved down on the Pile:
Behemoth/Westerfeld - back to reading pile for now; too much YA/same, but still wanna give it a chance
Version 43/Palmer - back to reading pile for now; cannot find the mood for 500 pages of it
Above the Snowline/Swainston - prequel and no full Jant narration moved this one down, but it will be most likely the first one I will finish of the 9 here
Prospero in Hell/Lamplighter - picks up where Prospero Lost ended but have not yet found the mood for it
edit 11/24; Finally got around to (fast) read Prospero in Hell (C,too much of the same) and like All That Lives Must Die/Nylund another dropped series where I liked the first book on novelty mostly, but the second book read same and I quickly lost interest.
Stone Spring/Baxter - read 50 pages and the prehistoric setting/naming got tiresome, but I expect to get over that soon
Heretics/Swann - despite being a big fan of previous sff from the author, this series goes slow for me; should read it when #3 and trilogy ending comes next year
Veteran/Smith - wannabe Richard Morgan and not quite there; need to find the mood for it and decide if I want to finish or if it goes to 'dropped'
Inside Out/Snyder - YA and showing but I plan a fast read when its sequel and series ending (?) is out since it moves well
Cryoburn/Bujold - reads tired, more like series milking than anything else; it's still Bujold, so I will read it sometime
Kraken/Mieville - got stuck on page 200 and unclear when I will resume; maybe when CM's sf comes next year
The Midnight Mayor/Griffith - liked the first installment which was the first and maybe last traditional UF I've read; this one not yet on "dropped" list but the odds are I will never open it again; just cannot suspend disbelief to take (widespread) magic in the modern scientific world...
I have discussed this HERE too.
In honor of her recent interview with Fantasy Book Critic. Fantasy Book Critic is giving to ONE lucky winner a set of Jennifer Estep's Elemental Assassin Novels. The winner will receive a set of books including: Spider's Bite, Web of Lies and Venom.
A big thank you goes out to Jennifer Estep for providing the giveaway.
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Rules to Enter:
1. This giveaway is limited to the US/Canada only.
2. Only one entry per person. Multiple entries by the same person will result in disqualification of all entries.
3. Contest starts at 1:01 PM EST October 17, 2010 and will end October 25, 2010 at 1:01 PM EST.
4. To enter please send an email with your name and mailing address and the subject "Jennifer Estep" to fbcgiveaway@gmail.com. Make sure you include your name and mailing address.
5. All entries will be deleted upon completion of the contest.
6. Good luck and have fun!
Fantasy Book Critic was lucky to sit down with Jennifer Estep in an email interview. Jennifer Estep is the author of the UF series Elemental Assassin and Big Time. Most recently her book Venom was released which is the third book in the Elemental Assassin series.
A big thank you goes out to Jennifer Estep for taking the time to sit down with Fantasy Book Critic.*****************************************************************************
Welcome to Fantasybookcritic, could you please give us an introduction about yourself, how you first got published and what set you on to the path of a wordsmith!
Thanks for having me here! I started writing my first book back in college. Eventually, I sold the seventh book that I wrote – Karma Girl – in 2006. That book was published in 2007, and I've been writing and publishing ever since. Venom, my October release, is the third book in my Elemental Assassin urban fantasy series and my sixth published book overall.
I've always loved books and reading, and my mom used to take me to the library every Saturday so I could pick out some books for the week. That's really why I fell in love with books. One day, I just thought it would be cool to write my own book with my own characters and tell the story that I wanted to – so I sat down and started my first novel. I haven't stopped writing since then.
Earlier in the year you recently had a very interesting post about Epic fantasy and the over epicness of it. Could you expound upon that for the readers as to why overtly long epics turn you off to some extent?
As much as I love epic fantasy books, sometimes I think that they could be a little less epic – or shorter in other words. I enjoy all the world building that goes along with epic fantasy, but I don't think that authors need to describe things to death. Sometimes, I think that authors focus on the world building instead of moving the story forward. For me as a reader, paragraph after paragraph of descriptions really slows down the pace of a book and kills my enjoyment of the story.
I'd rather read a good fight scene than pages and pages about what someone's hairstyle really means. Some of my favorite epic fantasy authors right now are Alex Bledsoe and Scott Lynch. I think both of them write a good balance of action and world building.
You have an interesting take on the whole elemental power scenario, curiously you have chosen Air, Fire, Ice and Stone as the 4 choices, this is just me but did you select stone instead of Earth as it would facilitate Gin's career or are there other reasons?
I decided on Stone because I wanted something that was the exact opposite of Air, just like Fire is the exact opposite of Ice. Plus, I thought that by using Stone and these other elements that I could come up with some really cool powers for Gin, as well as the bad guys that she faces. For example, with her Stone magic, Gin can make her own skin as hard as marble. With her Ice power, she can create small shapes, like Ice cubes, crystals, and the occasional set of lockpicks. Those come in handy in Gin's line of work. ;-)
Also, there are folks who can use offshoots of the four main elements. For example, metal is an offshoot of Stone magic, while electricity is an offshoot of Air magic. I think that adds a little more variety to my world and the powers that I can have my villains use.
You have said that you are a big fan of the James Bond series by Ian Fleming, so what are your thoughts on the book franchise reboot which is to be done next year with Jeffrey Deaver heralding the first book?
I do love the James Bond series – both the books and the movies. It seems like both the books and the movies get a reboot every few years, and I'm okay with that. I just like reading the new books and watching the new movies. Like any long-running series, there are high points in the Bond series (the movie Casino Royale) and low points (the movie A View to a Kill).
I haven't read many of Deaver's other books, but I'm interested to see what he does with the character. I just hope it's a good, action-packed story that stays true to Fleming's original books with a few modern updates.
Could you explain about how the genesis of the Elemental Assassin series occurred? How long have you been working on it, and how much has it evolved from its original idea (if any)?
I've always loved reading about assassin characters, especially in fantasy books. But after a while, I noticed that there were a lot of whiny, angsty assassins out there – characters who would go on and on and on about how evil and conflicted they were. It always seemed to me like there was a simple solution to that problem – quit being an assassin!
With Gin, I wanted to create the assassin that I wanted to read about – someone who was strong and tough and still a little vulnerable underneath her cold exterior. Also, someone who is okay with all the violent, bloody things that she has to do in order to survive. Someone who realizes that maybe she's not the best person around, but that there are worse folks out there – and good people who need the help of her deadly skills.
Originally, I tried to write the book as an epic fantasy, but I'm just not that great at writing a medieval-type of world. So after a couple of tries, I decided to write the story as an urban fantasy, and that's when the story really started working for me. I worked on Spider's Bite on and off for a couple of years before I settled on the urban fantasy angle and created the world that is featured in the books today.
You have some short stories on your site with regards to your Elemental Assassin books, how do you decide upon which character to focus upon & any thoughts on putting them up as a short story collection for your readers in the future? Also could you tell us about the specific order they have to be read in with the series?
The stories are just fun extras that I do for readers so they have something to read and look forward to in between the books. I try to focus on a different character every time just so readers get to see Gin's world from different points of view. So far, I've written short stories from Gin, Fletcher, and Finn's point of view. Next up, I think that I'll do a couple of stories from Jo-Jo Deveraux's point of view.
The stories don't necessarily have to be read in order, but it helps. I would recommend the following reading order:
Read Spider's Bite (1st book), then read Spider's Bargain (short story).
Read Web of Lies (2nd book), then read Web of Death and Web of Deceit (short stories.)
Read Poison and Wasted (short stories), then read Venom (3rd book) when it comes out on Sept. 28.
Most writers have a muse and some don't, what has been the case for you? Also what is your daily writing schedule like? Do you write best in the morning or evening? Or do you have any specific routines like a certain Dan Brown who gets up at 4:30 & performs shirsasan[a yoga posture] before writing
I have a full-time day job, so I do my writing at night and on the weekends. I don't really have a particular time of day that I like to write, although I do seem to get the most work done on Sundays when it's quiet and I have several hours that I can devote to whatever project I'm currently working on.
I don't know that I have a muse. I just sit down and write until I have a very rough draft. Then, I go back, read through it, and see if my story/characters hang together. If they do, that's when I really dig in and start making everything come together and flow.
On your blog, you seem to have a review count going on as currently you have just crossed 1000, what's the story behind this numbering?
A long time ago, I read somewhere that people can only read an average of 3,000 books in a lifetime, which I think is really sad – 3,000 doesn't seem like that many books to me. So, back in high school, I started keeping a list of all the books that I read just to see if I could beat the 3,000 mark. I just crossed the 1,000 mark, and I review all of the books that I read on my blog. So that's where the numbers come from. I wish I had more time to read!
You Elemental Assassin books have had great covers by Tony Mauro, now usually UF covers aren't something to brag about as usually they portray stereotypical pictures of females with minimalistic clothing or of people who have no connection to the story. What do you feel when you see your covers.
Tony has done an awesome, awesome job with the Elemental Assassin covers – they really capture the dark, gritty spirit of Gin, Ashland, and the books, as well as tie into with the plot of the story. I couldn't be happier with the covers, and I'm always eager to see what Tony will come up with next.
You are contracted for five books but will this mean the end of the Elemental assassin series or do you have plans to write more beyond book 5?
I would love to continue the series beyond book 5. In fact, I have an idea for book 6 that I think would be really cool. But whether or not the series continues will depend on sales, like everything else does. So if you like the books, I hope you'll recommend them to your friends.
You also spoken upon "Touch of Frost" the YA book on your blog. From your description this book seems to be something which I would love to read. Is there any new news to share about it at this time?
Actually, I do. I've sold a young adult urban fantasy series called Mythos Academy. The first book is called Touch of Frost and will be out in August 2011. The books focus on Gwen Frost, a Gypsy girl who has the gift of psychometry, or the ability to know an object's history just by touching it. After a serious freak-out with her magic, Gwen finds herself shipped off to Mythos Academy, a school for the descendents of ancient warriors like Spartans, Valkyries, and more.
The Mythos Academy books won't be quite as dark and gritty as the Elemental Assassin series, since they are young adult books, but I think folks who enjoy the Elemental Assassin series will find plenty to like in the Mythos books – namely a strong, sassy heroine, cool magic/world building, and a sexy Spartan guy.
What are the types of books you like to read, similarly who are your literary heroes and lastly Who do you feel is an underrated writer that deserves more attention and why?
I read pretty widely – romance, fantasy, young adult, spy thrillers, action-adventure books, westerns. Science fiction, literary fiction, and non-fiction are really the only genres that I don't care for. I love books with a little bit of everything in them – action, adventure, danger, and romance. That's one of the reasons why I love the James Bond books by Ian Fleming so much – because the books feature all those elements, plus a larger-than-life hero.
Some of my other favorite authors include Robin McKinley, David Eddings, Donald Westlake/Richard Stark, Robert Parker, Kristin Cashore, Suzanne Collins … I could go on all day!
Hmm. That's a toughie. There are so many great writers out there. But if I had to pick just one, I'd say Donald Westlake. He wrote a great series of comic crime caper novels focusing on John Dortmunder, a thief who has the worst luck in the world and a zany crew to go along with it. I just love those books.
What can we expect from the EA series in terms of books 4 & 5, also what other books are you writing/publishing next.
Gin Blanco will be back for two more books. Tangled Threads (book 4) comes out in May 2011, and book 5 will be out in October 2011. In Tangled Threads, an assassin named Elektra LaFleur comes to town to kill Gin. I had a lot of fun writing a character like Elektra who's just as strong, smart, and cunning as Gin is. Elektra is definitely one of my favorite villains that I've written.
Also, the first book in my Mythos Academy young adult series will debut next year. Touch of Frost will be out in August 2011.
I'm also mulling over ideas for a third series – maybe another urban fantasy or paranormal romance series. We'll see what I come up with. ;-)
Writers often have a different connection to their creations; readers agree or sometimes disagree with the path authors choose. You had very patiently pointed it out when we spoke about Spider's Bite and the scene which I noticed (in the latter third of the book). Why do you think this occurs and have you experienced such a situation within your reading?
It's just part of being an author and a reader – everyone is going to have a different reaction to a book and its characters. I've read books where I didn't think that the characters would (or should) do the things that they did. But it was the author's book, and she wrote it the way that she wanted to. I have no problem with that. She writes her books the way that she wants to, and I write mine the way that I want to. We all listen to our characters' voices or muse or whatever you want to call it and interpret it in different ways.
Also, you never know what experiences your readers have had or what their reading tastes are. There are certain kinds of plots/characters that some readers love – but other readers hate those same kinds of plots/characters. Both the author and the reader bring their own likes and dislikes to every book. Sometimes, the two mesh – and sometimes they don't. I really enjoy talking with other authors and readers about books that we've read and what we all do or don't like in them. I think that's a good way to learn about the craft of writing and what resonates with people. Plus, it's just fun.
I don't expect everyone to love every single thing that I write – I certainly don't love every book that I read. Different strokes for different folks, and all that. I say live and let live. We all like some books and authors better than others. Variety and having our own likes and dislikes is what makes life and books interesting.
You have also previously written the Paranormal Romance BIG TIME series. Could you tell us more about it and do correct me but I think I may have noticed a small connection in between your BT & EA series as in one of your short stories I noticed Finn mention "Fiona Fine Menswear" which I believe is a reference to "Hot Mama" So is there any more connections to the 2 series or just something you would like your readers to have fun with?
The Bigtime books feature sexy superheroes, evil ubervillains, and smart, sassy gals looking for love. Titles in the series are Karma Girl(2007), Hot Mama (2007), and Jinx (2008). Basically, the Bigtime books are campy, comic book spoofs, sort of like the old Wonder Woman show with Lynda Carter or Batman with Adam West. The books are paranormal romances, and they are quite a bit lighter in tone than my Elemental Assassin series.
In every Elemental Assassin book, I have a small reference to someone or something from the Bigtime books. For example, as you mentioned, in Spider's Bite, someone is wearing a Fiona Fine suit – Fiona happens to be the fashion designer heroine of Hot Mama. In Web of Lies, someone reads a news story by Carmen Cole, the journalist heroine of Karma Girl. These are just a fun little reference that I like to throw in for fans of my Bigtime series.
In closing, is there anything else you'd like to say about writing or your upcoming books.
I just want to say thanks again for taking the time to feature me on the blog. I hope everyone has as much fun reading my books as I do writing them. Also, if anyone is interested, they can read my blog and follow me on these various sites:
Happy reading, everyone! ;-)
