This review was a bit of an adventure in itself.
I first heard of Ash from the author herself, via The Outer Alliance discussion list. Malinda Lo told the members about her upcoming novel, a retelling of Cinderella story through a gender-mixing point-of-view. I got very interested, and emailed Malinda to ask her if I could get an ARC. She answered me and gave me her publicist's email, but right after that, I had the problem with the kidney stones and got under the radar for a while, so I couldn't even think of writing to the publishing house.
Recently I rummaged through my emails and couldn't find the publicist's address. I must have accidentally deleted it, I thought. No problem: I can ask Malinda again (I hate pestering authors, but I would apologize and ask if she could just forward me that email again - nothing more).
As it happens, I had recently downloaded a Kindle for iPhone. I haven't bought Kindle yet, but I decided to try the app and, hey, it worked wonderfully! So I bought some books and started experimenting with it.
Then I found that Malinda's novel had a Kindle version already. What the hell?, I thought. I can have it right now. Sure, I'll have to pay for it, but at least half the books I review are paid for (still not satisfied with that arrangement, but that's another story). I went for it.
And got a #majorfail.
It seems that, for copyright reasons (don't ask me what those reasons are), Amazon is just not selling Ash to Latin America and the Caribbean. This is enough material for another post entirely, so I won't bother you with whining. This story ends well, after all.
For, while I was still fuming because of this other #AmazonFail (that made me write another email to Malinda and ask her again for a copy of her novel), a good thing happened. Just before the Easter holidays, I suddenly found a copy of Ash in a bookstore in my neighborhood (a note for Brazilian readers or visitors who by any chance are in São Paulo: Livraria Cultura is one of our finest bookstores, and it has a huge English-language book section - and no, I'm not getting a penny for this piece of advertising). So I bought the book immediately and took it home with me.
And feasted on it in a single day.
First, the hardcover edition is beautiful (yes, I judge a book by its cover - you all do it, don't tell me you don't). The delicate jacket design by Alison Impey and the photo by Amina Bech are exquisitely done, and catch the reader's eye at once, even in a massive bookshelf - the fuchsia-colored spine jumps to our attention wonderfully.
And then you open the book.
The story is divided in two parts: The Fairy and The Huntress. These are the characters around whom the interest of the protagonist, Aisling, will hover, always with a mix of fear and desire.
Aisling is the daughter of a merchant and a housewife who once studied to be a greenwitch. Not exactly sorceresses but not simple superstitious healers either (as the Philosophers, a kind of brotherhood of scientists/priests, try to demonstrate all the time to discredit them), the Greenwitches offer words of wisdom and solace to all who want to listen - but each generation there's less and less people listening, because of the prejudiced Philosophers.
The story begins with the death of Aisling's mother. She is consoled by Maire Solanya, the village greenwitch, who tells her she must remember her mother, but she must let her go. What she doesn't tell her (but Aisling, an intelligent and curious girl, finds out all the same) is that she can be kidnapped by fairies if she grieves too much by her mother's tomb.
Aisling, a girl who loves books and knowledge, tries to learn more from what little she could get from her dead mother's belongings. But her father, even being loving and caring, feels the need for another wife, and soon finds himself a widow with two daughters.
You all know the rest of the story - or you think you do. Aisling lives in a world where some roles are gender-changed in relation to our own, and, for instance, every kingdom has its Royal Huntress instead of a Hunter. When Aisling (whose nickname is Ash) starts living her ordeals, one of the role models she takes up is that of the Huntress, a focused, rather serene woman and also fond of stories and knowledge. Their casual meeting in a Yule party when Ash is still a child leave a deep impression in her - that she will carry until years later, when she's eighteen and another casual encounter, this time in the Wood, but with a different Huntress, will change her profoundly.
The Wood is also a key element in the story, almost a character per se. It is in this place where Ash will find refuge from her stepmother and her stepsisters's mistreats, and it is also there that she will meet a Fairy, an extremely beautiful and attractive being who will make her want to choose a different life, a life that can mean eternal servitude in Faerie if only she can get away from the harsh reality of the household to which she is bonded.
Both beings, the supernatural Fairy and the all-too-human Huntress, will entrance and fascinate Ash and make her get in touch with her innermost desires - until a point where she must make definitive choices, and learn to live with its consequences.
In a nutshell, Ash is a Lesbian Cinderella story. But saying that would only reduce the importance of the tale Malinda has deftly woven and pigeonhole it too fast and awkwardly. Ash IS (and that's really important) a story about a Cinderella who discovers love with a person of the same sex.
Ash is a bildungsroman of sorts - the book is too short for it to be a true lifestory, and that, IMHO, is its only weakness - I would really love if it was longer and if it could encompass more of Aisling's life... But that's the nature of the fable, isn't that so? A short, sharp tale which teaches us something. Not necessarily in a didatic way, but using wisdom.
Ash is an eye-opener, and not only for young people who are discovering their way in the world. Malinda Lo's retelling of Cinderella's story is a lesson in finding out who we are, and where our home really is. It doesn't matter where that home is located. the important thing is: do we belong?
Ash should belong to every family's library. It now belongs to mine, proudly.
(This review was originally published in Post-Weird Thoughts)
12:05 AM | 
Posted by
Fabio Fernandes |
Official James Lovergrove Website
Order "The Age of Zeus" HERE
Read FBC Review of "The Age of Ra"
INTRODUCTION: In my 2010 Anticipated Books Post I initially said:
"Do not know more than the title but it seems to be related to the superb The Age of Ra so another must."
Later I found the blurb:
"The Olympians appeared a decade ago, living incarnations of the Ancient Greek gods on a mission to bring permanent order and stability to the world. Resistance has proved futile, and now humankind is under the jackboot of divine oppression.
Then former London police officer Sam Akehurst receives an invitation too tempting to turn down, the chance to join a small band of guerrilla rebels armed with high-tech weapons and battle suits. Calling themselves the Titans, they square off against the Olympians and their ferocious mythological monsters in a war of attrition which not all of them will survive!"
So the same theme as in "The Age of Ra" but this books is quite different, less deep and campier, but a lot of fun and a fast and engrossing read which is Mil-SF's take on Urban Fantasy.FORMAT/CLASSIFICATION: "The Age of Zeus" stands at almost 700 pages of mostly non-stop action, interspersed with comedy and follows the POV of Samanta Akerhust aka Sam, a former London Police Detective hotshot who emerges as the de facto leader of the Titans - though the cast is multi-ethnic, multi-racial, multi-cultural and as PC as it gets.
As opposed to "The Age of Ra" which remained mysterious to the end, "The Age of Zeus" provides explanations and the ending while predictable is very good and fitting. As mentioned above the best classification for the novel is Mil-SF's take on Urban Fantasy.
ANALYSIS: "The Age of Zeus" is a very fast read despite its bulk; with the same thematic as "The Age of Ra" but this time with the Olympians taking over humanity, "The Age of Zeus" is quite different from Ra since it is what I expected Ra to be: a mixture of low-brow comedy - "mythporn" says it all with titles that are ultra-explicit and hilarious in a sick way so to speak, though there is little explicit language beyond them - monsters and urban combat with enhanced technology, while Ra turned out to be one of the most philosophical Mil-SF novels I've ever read.
The short summary from the blurb is accurate - Olympians appear some 10 years before the start of the novel with all the monsters from the myths in tow as well as their corresponding powers and enforce peace and order on humanity at some cost like obliterating cities to make a point, defeating and destroying any army sent against them...
Twelve experienced and scarred (army and police) veterans are chosen by a rich industrialist and offered the chance to strike back using special armor that give them powers on the Olympians' scale - lower but on the same level so the attempt to overthrow the Gods has a shot; of course all take Titan names and they start by hunting the monsters (Hydra, Lamia, Typhon, Cyclops, Gorgons, Minotaur...) . Of course the rich industrialist in cause has his own secrets too.
The Olympians steal the show with their hijinks and there are a lot of "current issues" jokes, jibes and fun poked at politicians, media personalities and celebrities in general many of whom are sort of recognizable at least as type if not as actual persons.
While David Westwynter of Ra is a more interesting character than Sam, it does not matter here since the strong points of "The Age of Zeus" are action, technology, humor and of course the superb rendition of the Olympians and their pet monsters.
Hercules (a demi-god that is part of the Pantheon here), Zeus and Aphrodite are the best developed of the Gods, with Ares and Apollo a bit too strident; Hermes and Hephaestus also have strong secondary parts, while Dionysus forms a great pair with Aphrodite when they "corrupt" the celebrities with sex, alcohol and drugs, though he has less of a principal role than the Goddess.
The technology of the armored suits, weapons and related paraphernalia is extremely well done too and counterpoints very well with the Olympians' powers and their creatures' abilities which all are described in a scientific way despite the seeming supernatural involved in them.
And the action is just unbelievably good, keeping the reader on his/her edge of the seat so to speak; the monster hunts and later the direct fights with the Gods are the highlights of the book, while the humor and the jibes balance the tension well - though the explicit titles of mythporn movies that are used as cover against the all-seeing Argus who is now the "global moderator" of the world are not for the easily offended.
While lacking the deep and mysterious part of Ra, "The Age of Zeus" is a lot of fun in a campy way and better than I expected once I saw how it goes; a strong A from me.
N.K Jemisin is the author of The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms which was published this past February by Orbit. Mihir Wanchoo was able to conduct an email interview with her for Fantasy Book Critic. Read on to learn more about N.K. Jemisin.
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Your debut novel The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms was released in February this year to critical acclaim, how does it feel to finally be a published author and all that it entails? What's one thing that we wouldn't know about you based on your site bio?
It feels fantastic, but it's become very clear to me that getting published is the beginning of the journey, not the end. Now I not only have to write as well as I can, as quickly as I can, but also I have to constantly manage my "brand", travel and make appearances to promote my work, worry about income fluctuations and taxes, and so on. I'm working harder now than in my day job -- and I've still got the day job. But that's how it works for authors, these days. Being your own boss means working your butt off.
My cat's name is NukuNuku. :)
You are a part of the writing group “Altered Fluid” how does that help you in your writing, could you tell us something about it as to how the advice given by the group benefited/altered your writings?
They're a great group. Really talented writers and really hard workers! But any good writing group should be like that, or what's the point in being in it? I've had the fortune to be in several very good ones over the course of my career, of which AF is just the latest.
You had once described your book as a dilemma for the main character as the world is already a very orderly place and by the protagonist’s machinations, the peace and prosperity might be lost or even forcibly altered to the point of no return! What were your intentions behind writing such a tale?
I didn't really have any intentions, beyond writing a good story. :)
The gods in your fantasy setup behave in a very human manner in spite of their heavenly origins, was this a purposeful nod to the God pantheon of the Greek, Hindu and Norse mythologies?
Greek and Hindu to some degree; Egyptian and Dahomeyan and a couple of American Indian myths more specifically; random bits of others I've picked up over the years. Really, when you dig deep enough, most religions and myths are very similar. There's probably been some cross-pollination somewhere along the way. So with that in mind I tried very hard to *avoid* borrowing too heavily from any one religion, because I wanted the mythology to feel as if it could be a logical outgrowth of any of them. Mostly what I borrowed were archetypes and structure. Most trickster figures are similar across faiths, for example, and serve a very specific purpose. Most pantheons depict its members as an extended family and also a kind of multi-modal marriage. Most faiths feature a prominent resurrection or two.
How many interviewers have asked you about your trilogy sharing a common title with a popular series by C. Paolini, Do you have any second thoughts about changing the title or any alternative series title? Has any Paolini reader emailed you irately about the title?
Nope. A couple of interviewers have mentioned it, but no Paolini fans have said anything to me about it. That may be because I'm not the only one to use it -- there's also a science fiction and an old mystery series (long predating Paolini's use, actually) with the same title. Can't blame us all for liking it; it's a good title.
In regards to epic fantasy, as is the want of map to go along, this was missing from your book, any specific reason as to why no map was included?
It wasn't "missing"; I didn't want one. I was reluctantly willing to work with a designer on creating one if that was something Orbit required, in the interests of fitting the standards of the epic fantasy genre -- but fortunately they didn't want a map either, and I was happy with that. Diana Wynne Jones, in her hilarious THE TOUGH GUIDE TO FANTASYLAND, points out that maps have become both a cliché and a kind of spoiler within the epic fantasy genre. The maps in most fantasy novels feature only locations that will become important over the course of the series -- so by looking at the map, any savvy reader can pretty much figure out where the story is going.
Besides, the focus of THE HUNDRED THOUSAND KINGDOMS is, depending on how you look at it, either the whole planet, or one city-sized palace. Which one should've gotten the map?
What level of technology is the overall world of the 100K kingdoms set at? I mean for eg. The city of Aramari seems to be very technologically advanced, however the rest of the world doesn't seem to match up in that regard.
Technologically speaking, all of the Hundred Thousand Kingdoms are at about Renaissance-level technology. They've got newspapers, very basic sciences, long-distance seafaring, and so on. The Amn's capitol city, Sky, is no different in this respect. What Sky has more of, is *magical* advancement, mostly because the Arameri have money. Anyone in this world can have access to magic -- the power to imitate the gods -- if they can afford it. The nobility and wealthy people all use some of the same magical doodads as the Arameri, like the communication spheres and healing sigils. The poor people, however, make do like poor people in any society: they work a lot harder and they die more easily.
You have written some varied short stories such as the Red Riding-Hood’s Child, The Effluent Engine, The Narcomancer and Non Zero probabilities amongst which Non Zero probabilities is up for a Nebula this year and you will be competing with your friend Saladin Ahmed in this category, how do you feel about this?
I think it's hilarious that Saladin and I are competing in the same category. And he well deserves the honor; I love his story myself. He's not my only friend in the category this year, though -- I'm also up against Michael Burstein and Jim Kelly, both men I consider mentors, and Kij Johnson, who I met recently and thought was way cool. So the way I figure it, since I know and like all these people, I won't feel bad if one of them wins instead of me. But I still want to win myself. ;)
You have a very active online presence via your blog, Twitter and Facebook, often commenting on a variety of topics, where do you manage the time to write amidst all the online stuff?
Well, commenting on stuff doesn't exactly take a lot of time. I love the fact that Twitter forces me to be brief, actually -- that way I don't spend too much time on it. Blogging takes more, but like I said -- this is part of what an author has to do these days to get noticed. I budget time for it like I budget time for everything else. Part of the job. Fortunately it's fun, too.
The mythology which you have created for your world has a trinomial aspect to it chiefly and then further spreads out. Was this a deliberate positioning in lieu of the trilogy or just another coincidental occurrence?
No, that had nothing to do with it. The cosmology is a trinity because I just felt like doing a trinity. The books are a trilogy because I just felt like doing a trilogy. Total coincidence that it's three and three! =)
What does a normal writing day entail for you and could you give the readers a glimpse into your writing habits. Also how do you cope with the stressful nature of schedules and deadlines?
Well, I work part-time at my day job, and those days are all over the place, so I'll focus on the days that are all-writing. I get up around 9 and usually read over what I wrote the day before, for continuity. Usually I'll go to the gym at about this point, because writers really need to work at staying healthy, given the sedentary nature of our work. I've got a workout partner who's an actor, so she keeps me in line. Then I'll head either home or to a nearby coffee shop, where I'll spend several hours trying to hit my word quota (2000 words) for the day. If it's a good day, I hit it by 5 or 6 p.m. If it's a bad day, or if I'm busy with other stuff, I hit it by midnight. If it's a really bad day, or I'm really in a Zone, I wake up at 4 in the morning with an idea in my head, and I have to get up and write it down. It's usually good stuff, but I'd rather sleep.
As for coping with stress, I do the usual: friends, going out to have fun, video games, reading a good book. I'm a typical New Yorker -- I've always got a book with me in case I end up sitting somewhere for awhile, and my iPod is loaded up with short story podcasts.
In one of your blog post you have mentioned that amongst your 5 favorite non-human characters is Gerald Tarrant, from the Coldfire Trilogy by C. S. Friedman, what is it about this character which fascinated you so much?
Mostly it's just that he's so principled. His sense of honor leads him to make incredibly evil choices, and he stands by those choices without regret because he's the kind of guy who accepts the consequences of his actions. He's not admirable; he's a monster. But at least he's a grownup about it.
You also talk about your yearly obsessions, so which food article has your fancy this year?
Luckily, it seems to be Red Mango yogurt. Cheap and fat free! Except I like it with chocolate chips.
Thank you so much for your time, so looking ahead what can we expect from you in regards to the second book and the trilogy?
I think I'll leave that one for people to find out when books 2 and 3 come out. Hope they like 'em!
It feels fantastic, but it's become very clear to me that getting published is the beginning of the journey, not the end. Now I not only have to write as well as I can, as quickly as I can, but also I have to constantly manage my "brand", travel and make appearances to promote my work, worry about income fluctuations and taxes, and so on. I'm working harder now than in my day job -- and I've still got the day job. But that's how it works for authors, these days. Being your own boss means working your butt off.
My cat's name is NukuNuku. :)
You are a part of the writing group “Altered Fluid” how does that help you in your writing, could you tell us something about it as to how the advice given by the group benefited/altered your writings?
They're a great group. Really talented writers and really hard workers! But any good writing group should be like that, or what's the point in being in it? I've had the fortune to be in several very good ones over the course of my career, of which AF is just the latest.
You had once described your book as a dilemma for the main character as the world is already a very orderly place and by the protagonist’s machinations, the peace and prosperity might be lost or even forcibly altered to the point of no return! What were your intentions behind writing such a tale?
I didn't really have any intentions, beyond writing a good story. :)
The gods in your fantasy setup behave in a very human manner in spite of their heavenly origins, was this a purposeful nod to the God pantheon of the Greek, Hindu and Norse mythologies?
Greek and Hindu to some degree; Egyptian and Dahomeyan and a couple of American Indian myths more specifically; random bits of others I've picked up over the years. Really, when you dig deep enough, most religions and myths are very similar. There's probably been some cross-pollination somewhere along the way. So with that in mind I tried very hard to *avoid* borrowing too heavily from any one religion, because I wanted the mythology to feel as if it could be a logical outgrowth of any of them. Mostly what I borrowed were archetypes and structure. Most trickster figures are similar across faiths, for example, and serve a very specific purpose. Most pantheons depict its members as an extended family and also a kind of multi-modal marriage. Most faiths feature a prominent resurrection or two.
How many interviewers have asked you about your trilogy sharing a common title with a popular series by C. Paolini, Do you have any second thoughts about changing the title or any alternative series title? Has any Paolini reader emailed you irately about the title?
Nope. A couple of interviewers have mentioned it, but no Paolini fans have said anything to me about it. That may be because I'm not the only one to use it -- there's also a science fiction and an old mystery series (long predating Paolini's use, actually) with the same title. Can't blame us all for liking it; it's a good title.
In regards to epic fantasy, as is the want of map to go along, this was missing from your book, any specific reason as to why no map was included?
It wasn't "missing"; I didn't want one. I was reluctantly willing to work with a designer on creating one if that was something Orbit required, in the interests of fitting the standards of the epic fantasy genre -- but fortunately they didn't want a map either, and I was happy with that. Diana Wynne Jones, in her hilarious THE TOUGH GUIDE TO FANTASYLAND, points out that maps have become both a cliché and a kind of spoiler within the epic fantasy genre. The maps in most fantasy novels feature only locations that will become important over the course of the series -- so by looking at the map, any savvy reader can pretty much figure out where the story is going.
Besides, the focus of THE HUNDRED THOUSAND KINGDOMS is, depending on how you look at it, either the whole planet, or one city-sized palace. Which one should've gotten the map?
What level of technology is the overall world of the 100K kingdoms set at? I mean for eg. The city of Aramari seems to be very technologically advanced, however the rest of the world doesn't seem to match up in that regard.
Technologically speaking, all of the Hundred Thousand Kingdoms are at about Renaissance-level technology. They've got newspapers, very basic sciences, long-distance seafaring, and so on. The Amn's capitol city, Sky, is no different in this respect. What Sky has more of, is *magical* advancement, mostly because the Arameri have money. Anyone in this world can have access to magic -- the power to imitate the gods -- if they can afford it. The nobility and wealthy people all use some of the same magical doodads as the Arameri, like the communication spheres and healing sigils. The poor people, however, make do like poor people in any society: they work a lot harder and they die more easily.
You have written some varied short stories such as the Red Riding-Hood’s Child, The Effluent Engine, The Narcomancer and Non Zero probabilities amongst which Non Zero probabilities is up for a Nebula this year and you will be competing with your friend Saladin Ahmed in this category, how do you feel about this?
I think it's hilarious that Saladin and I are competing in the same category. And he well deserves the honor; I love his story myself. He's not my only friend in the category this year, though -- I'm also up against Michael Burstein and Jim Kelly, both men I consider mentors, and Kij Johnson, who I met recently and thought was way cool. So the way I figure it, since I know and like all these people, I won't feel bad if one of them wins instead of me. But I still want to win myself. ;)
You have a very active online presence via your blog, Twitter and Facebook, often commenting on a variety of topics, where do you manage the time to write amidst all the online stuff?
Well, commenting on stuff doesn't exactly take a lot of time. I love the fact that Twitter forces me to be brief, actually -- that way I don't spend too much time on it. Blogging takes more, but like I said -- this is part of what an author has to do these days to get noticed. I budget time for it like I budget time for everything else. Part of the job. Fortunately it's fun, too.
The mythology which you have created for your world has a trinomial aspect to it chiefly and then further spreads out. Was this a deliberate positioning in lieu of the trilogy or just another coincidental occurrence?
No, that had nothing to do with it. The cosmology is a trinity because I just felt like doing a trinity. The books are a trilogy because I just felt like doing a trilogy. Total coincidence that it's three and three! =)
What does a normal writing day entail for you and could you give the readers a glimpse into your writing habits. Also how do you cope with the stressful nature of schedules and deadlines?
Well, I work part-time at my day job, and those days are all over the place, so I'll focus on the days that are all-writing. I get up around 9 and usually read over what I wrote the day before, for continuity. Usually I'll go to the gym at about this point, because writers really need to work at staying healthy, given the sedentary nature of our work. I've got a workout partner who's an actor, so she keeps me in line. Then I'll head either home or to a nearby coffee shop, where I'll spend several hours trying to hit my word quota (2000 words) for the day. If it's a good day, I hit it by 5 or 6 p.m. If it's a bad day, or if I'm busy with other stuff, I hit it by midnight. If it's a really bad day, or I'm really in a Zone, I wake up at 4 in the morning with an idea in my head, and I have to get up and write it down. It's usually good stuff, but I'd rather sleep.
As for coping with stress, I do the usual: friends, going out to have fun, video games, reading a good book. I'm a typical New Yorker -- I've always got a book with me in case I end up sitting somewhere for awhile, and my iPod is loaded up with short story podcasts.
In one of your blog post you have mentioned that amongst your 5 favorite non-human characters is Gerald Tarrant, from the Coldfire Trilogy by C. S. Friedman, what is it about this character which fascinated you so much?
Mostly it's just that he's so principled. His sense of honor leads him to make incredibly evil choices, and he stands by those choices without regret because he's the kind of guy who accepts the consequences of his actions. He's not admirable; he's a monster. But at least he's a grownup about it.
You also talk about your yearly obsessions, so which food article has your fancy this year?
Luckily, it seems to be Red Mango yogurt. Cheap and fat free! Except I like it with chocolate chips.
Thank you so much for your time, so looking ahead what can we expect from you in regards to the second book and the trilogy?
I think I'll leave that one for people to find out when books 2 and 3 come out. Hope they like 'em!
Official William Dietrich Website
Order "The Barbary Pirates" HERE
Read FBC Review of Napoleon's Pyramids and The Rosetta Key
Read FBC Review of The Dakota Cipher (with bonus essay by the author)
INTRODUCTION: “The Barbary Pirates” by William Dietrich is the fourth historical thriller with a touch of the supernatural in what is proving to be a very successful series. It follows the adventures of one Ethan Gage, a rakish American adventurer with a talent for getting in and out of trouble as well as making powerful friends and enemies. Though part of a series, “The Barbary Pirates” is a standalone and can be read independently with all the needed back-story recounted by Ethan. For a more detailed overview of the series so far and its setting, the reviews linked above are a good place to start.
In my 2010 Anticipated Book Post I said the following:
"It's Ethan Gage, it's most likely an exciting adventure so a must. After Egypt, the Middle East, Paris and a dalliance with Napoleon' sister that made a trip back home advisable followed by an exploration of the American interior in search of Viking traces, Ethan is on to another adventure... Pyramids, masons, mysterious ancient manuscripts of power, but first and foremost page turning fun with lots of great cameos and a towering Napoleon. Loosely sfnal in content, the series is very sfnal in ethos."
And so it turned out!
FORMAT/CLASSIFICATION: "The Barbary Pirates" stands at 336 pages and is narrated by Ethan Gage, while we meet pretty much all the surviving main characters from the series so far (including Astiza and Aurora) and there are cameos of famous scientists and inventors as well as another superb rendering of Napoleon faking shooting at Josephine' swans, lecturing everyone around and asking "the brilliant imbecile" Gage to look into another supernatural mystery for him. The novel ends with an author's note that puts its events in context, note that is excellent and worth reading in itself. Standalone and with a great ending, "The Barbary Pirates" is picaresque adventure with a sfnal ethos at its best.
ANALYSIS: "After I trapped three scientists in a fire I set in a brothel, enlisted them in the theft of a stampeding wagon, got them arrested by the French secret police, and then mired them in a mystic mission for Bonaparte, they began to question my judgment."
When "The Barbary Pirates" was published at the end of March, I was trying to decide which of roughly eight asap books that had recently turned out on my doorstep or in my inbox I should read first. However I went to the bookstore on the day "The Barbary Pirates" was published to browse it and the opening line above made me get it then and read it immediately.
"The Barbary Pirates" opens in the 1802 Paris of the Amiens Peace, glitter, tourism and Bonaparte as First Consul for life and just reopening the churches after ten years of the Revolution, while Ethan Gage is back from America trying to keep making a living by wheedling the "great men" rather than by "real work" as Napoleon puts it in another cutting jibe. This time Ethan is an unofficial ambassador from the new US president Thomas Jefferson and he is charged to convince Napoleon to sell the huge Louisiana territories to the young Republic rather than seeing it fall prey to the dastardly English; Napoleon still has an army nearby in Haiti fighting the ex-slaves so he demurs for now. But as fate has it, there is something else Ethan Gage can do that Bonaparte wants and as the opening line quoted above show, he has no real choice.
So with naturalist and Bonapartist minister Cuvier, Englishman geologist Smith and American inventor Fulton in tow and as a "guide to rough living and adventure", Gage is off to the famous volcanic island of Thira aka Santorini to chase rumors of Archimedes' famous "death ray mirror" while both the Egyptian Rite villains and the pirates of the title are in hot pursuit...
What follows is the lightest and pulpiest novel of the series with mostly cardboard characters outside Ethan - and here is one the few regrets I had in the novel, namely that both the mysterious and independent Astiza and the beautiful but deadly Aurora are turned here in cliches, including having the nasty monster dog of the dominatrix in the second case - but the one liners, the zaniness and the non-stop action make "The Barbary Pirates" an ultra-fun read. There are jokes and jibes about almost everything under the sun, many of which are quite applicable in a contemporary setting and while there is a comic-book like artificiality in many of the adventures, the book is just impossible to put down.
While the other three novels had a Paris and Egypt/Middle East/USA location, here we move in quite a few places following the trail of the "super weapon" so we get a bit into Indiana Jones like territory too, though again it mostly works because it is fun and the book never takes itself too seriously. On the way, Ethan has to learn quite a few new things including "responsibility" - his musings on the subject are among the most touching parts of the book - and parenting skills (feed, keep entertained, help get to sleep!) all of course in-between thwarting the villains and "saving the world"...
An A for pure fun, I want more Ethan Gage!
Order Subterranean from Amazon here
AUTHOR INFORMATION: James Rollins is the pen name of Jim Czajkowski and is the New York Times, USA Today and Publishers Weekly bestselling author of The Doomsday Key, The Last Oracle, The Judas Strain and many other adventure thrillers. Jim also writes fantasy under the pseudonym James Clemens—The Banned and the Banished, The Godslayer Chronicles—and was also the writer for Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull movie novelization. Jim is also a veterinarian in Northern California and can often be found underground or underwater as an amateur spelunker and scuba diver.
PLOT SUMMARY: Beneath the ice at the bottom of the Earth is a magnificent subterranean labyrinth, a place of breathtaking wonders – and terrors which are unknown and beyond imagination. A team of specialists led by archaeologist Ashley Carter has been hand-picked to explore this secret place and to uncover the riches it holds. But they are not the first to venture here – and those they follow have not returned. There are mysteries here older than time, and revelations that could help change the world. But there are also things that should not be disturbed – and a devastating truth that could doom Ashley and the expedition: they are not alone, underneath the ground lies a world akin to none!
CLASSIFICATION: Subterranean is a rip-roaring mix of action and adventure, techno thrills, and a splash of the fantastical. Think Michael Crichton’s Jurrasic Park meets Jules Verne’s Journey to the Center of the Earth.
FORMAT/INFO: Subterranean is being re-released as a hardcover after releasing nearly 11 years ago as a mass-market edition. The HC edition stands at 422 pages and is divided into 5 titled sections further divided into 37 chapters along with a prologue and an epilogue. The narration is via Third person omniscient and features many characters mainly Ashley Carter, Ben Brust, Khalid, Sergeant Michaelson, etc.
March 9, 2010 marked the HC release of this book by Harper Collins.
OVERVIEW/ANALYSIS: Subterranean was the debut novel of James Rollins under the Rollins pseudonym. It was published in 1999 and was available only in the mass market format. Nearly 11 years after its release it is being republished in the hardcover format. Subterranean is a book which is hard to describe without revealing much of its plot. The book begins with a scene set in some underground caverns and with a typical pattern ends on a note which will compel the reader to read ahead.
The book’s main protagonists are Ashley Carter, who is an expert in archaeology and Benjamin Brust who is ex-Australian military. Ashley Carter gets an exciting offer to lead an expedition into Antarctica to find out the whereabouts of a recently discovered idol. Ben Brust however gets coerced into joining the group due to his caving skills and because if he doesn’t he will have to face legal consequences for his previous action. A team of individuals is assembled which includes experts from other nations as well and they plan to go ahead to find out the origins of the idol. The set up is such that they will have to travel to Antarctica and then go below it to mine it for the idol origins and other possible treasure which can be salvaged.
As per expectations things go haywire for reasons unexpected (I cannot reveal what reason as it’s a highlight of the book) The team then due to the circumstances gets broken up into smaller groups and it is from here on the real fun begins. James Rollins draws us into a subterranean world which is wondrous and deadly at the same time; the world created is almost like an extra dimension/character to this book and this was often a highlight of James earlier standalone books wherein the environment was always a special one and a crucial part of the story as well. The story then takes some rapid twists as the reader is taken deeper into the subterranean world. The plot then totally escalates into a wild adventure ride wherein the background of the earlier teams and the origin and details of the idol are revealed. In the end James packs up an incredible climax involving several of the plot threads bringing the story to a resounding climax.
The imagination of Rollins, in making up such a fascinating underworld and the terrific action sequences will keep the readers hooked on to the book. This book is one of my favourites and was the second book I ever read of James Rollins but this was the book which made me a fan of his. This book is a self contained one and the author has also left a very appropriate strand open for a sequel which if he does write, will immediately become a must-read book personally.
CONCLUSION: Highly highly recommended for all thriller and adventure fiction fans. This book is quintessential James Rollins fare and possibly one of his best. So pick this up and find out for yourself why James Rollins is considered by many to be a unique combination channeling both Clive Cussler’s action plots and Michael Crichton’s science-laced ideas to come up with his own brand of thrillers.
PLOT SUMMARY: Beneath the ice at the bottom of the Earth is a magnificent subterranean labyrinth, a place of breathtaking wonders – and terrors which are unknown and beyond imagination. A team of specialists led by archaeologist Ashley Carter has been hand-picked to explore this secret place and to uncover the riches it holds. But they are not the first to venture here – and those they follow have not returned. There are mysteries here older than time, and revelations that could help change the world. But there are also things that should not be disturbed – and a devastating truth that could doom Ashley and the expedition: they are not alone, underneath the ground lies a world akin to none!
CLASSIFICATION: Subterranean is a rip-roaring mix of action and adventure, techno thrills, and a splash of the fantastical. Think Michael Crichton’s Jurrasic Park meets Jules Verne’s Journey to the Center of the Earth.
FORMAT/INFO: Subterranean is being re-released as a hardcover after releasing nearly 11 years ago as a mass-market edition. The HC edition stands at 422 pages and is divided into 5 titled sections further divided into 37 chapters along with a prologue and an epilogue. The narration is via Third person omniscient and features many characters mainly Ashley Carter, Ben Brust, Khalid, Sergeant Michaelson, etc.
March 9, 2010 marked the HC release of this book by Harper Collins.
OVERVIEW/ANALYSIS: Subterranean was the debut novel of James Rollins under the Rollins pseudonym. It was published in 1999 and was available only in the mass market format. Nearly 11 years after its release it is being republished in the hardcover format. Subterranean is a book which is hard to describe without revealing much of its plot. The book begins with a scene set in some underground caverns and with a typical pattern ends on a note which will compel the reader to read ahead.
The book’s main protagonists are Ashley Carter, who is an expert in archaeology and Benjamin Brust who is ex-Australian military. Ashley Carter gets an exciting offer to lead an expedition into Antarctica to find out the whereabouts of a recently discovered idol. Ben Brust however gets coerced into joining the group due to his caving skills and because if he doesn’t he will have to face legal consequences for his previous action. A team of individuals is assembled which includes experts from other nations as well and they plan to go ahead to find out the origins of the idol. The set up is such that they will have to travel to Antarctica and then go below it to mine it for the idol origins and other possible treasure which can be salvaged.
As per expectations things go haywire for reasons unexpected (I cannot reveal what reason as it’s a highlight of the book) The team then due to the circumstances gets broken up into smaller groups and it is from here on the real fun begins. James Rollins draws us into a subterranean world which is wondrous and deadly at the same time; the world created is almost like an extra dimension/character to this book and this was often a highlight of James earlier standalone books wherein the environment was always a special one and a crucial part of the story as well. The story then takes some rapid twists as the reader is taken deeper into the subterranean world. The plot then totally escalates into a wild adventure ride wherein the background of the earlier teams and the origin and details of the idol are revealed. In the end James packs up an incredible climax involving several of the plot threads bringing the story to a resounding climax.
The imagination of Rollins, in making up such a fascinating underworld and the terrific action sequences will keep the readers hooked on to the book. This book is one of my favourites and was the second book I ever read of James Rollins but this was the book which made me a fan of his. This book is a self contained one and the author has also left a very appropriate strand open for a sequel which if he does write, will immediately become a must-read book personally.
CONCLUSION: Highly highly recommended for all thriller and adventure fiction fans. This book is quintessential James Rollins fare and possibly one of his best. So pick this up and find out for yourself why James Rollins is considered by many to be a unique combination channeling both Clive Cussler’s action plots and Michael Crichton’s science-laced ideas to come up with his own brand of thrillers.
Official Ian Tregillis Website (excerpt available)
Order "Bitter Seeds" HERE
INTRODUCTION:"It’s 1939. The Nazis have supermen, the British have demons, and one perfectly normal man gets caught in between
Raybould Marsh is a British secret agent in the early days of the Second World War, haunted by something strange he saw on a mission during the Spanish Civil War: a German woman with wires going into her head who looked at him as if she knew him.
When the Nazis start running missions with people who have unnatural abilities—a woman who can turn invisible, a man who can walk through walls, and the woman Marsh saw in Spain who can use her knowledge of the future to twist the present—Marsh is the man who has to face them. He rallies the secret warlocks of Britain to hold the impending invasion at bay. But magic always exacts a price. Eventually, the sacrifice necessary to defeat the enemy will be as terrible as outright loss would be.
Alan Furst meets Alan Moore in the opening of an epic of supernatural alternate history, the tale of a twentieth century like ours and also profoundly different."
As a big fan of Alan Furst the above was an important selling line for me, but I had not really expected the awesome novel that "Bitter Seeds" turned out to be. "Bitter Seeds" is the first novel in the Milkweed Tryptich and it has a superb cover to boot.
FORMAT/CLASSIFICATION: "Bitter Seeds" stands at about 350 pages and is divided into fourteen numbered chapters that cover events from 1939 to 1941, plus a prologue taking place some decades earlier and an epilogue shortly after the main action ends. Each chapter follows several threads that feature at least one of the three main POV's: Marsh a British intelligence officer who was sort of adopted as a poor urchin by John Stephenson a WWI hero who later becomes a leader of the British secret service, Will a British noble, younger brother of a duke, warlock, college roommate and friend of Marsh and Klaus a German "superman" - "the ghost who can teleport through solid matter". The threads are marked by date and location.
"Sold" as children to Herr Doktor von Westarp in the aftermath of WWI, Klaus and his sister Gretel - who becomes the most important of the "super-humans" of the Germans as her powerful precognition ability can literally mean life or death for people and victory or defeat for nations - are of gypsy origin in the racial Nazi society, but since the seemingly crazy experiments of von Westarp worked and produced several people with supernatural abilities, the Nazi leadership is less than fussy in looking at their racial origins. Of course what someone like Gretel with her ability to see the most probable future will do about that remains to be seen.
Starting as an alt-history with some supernatural touches that does not diverge obviously from the known history until 1939, "Bitter Seeds" quickly accelerates the pace of events once the war begins and the fantastic elements take over the more we advance in the novel. "Bitter Seeds" ends at a reasonable point and the next installment became another top anticipated novel for me.
ANALYSIS: "Bitter Seeds" grabbed me from the first pages that take place in the bitter aftermath of WWI: in a suitably isolated Gothic manor, Herr Dr. Von Westarp is "buying' unwanted children for nefarious purposes, while on the winning side, one armed former aviator John Stephenson currently of British Intelligence watches a pack of poor children trying to vandalize his garden to get some edible roots, when a ten year old urchin that later will become Captain Raybould Marsh catches his eye by his bravery and leadership abilities. Also in another isolated Gothic manor, an English Duke initiates his young grandson William in ancient family rites and secrets.
Fast forward to 1939 and the action becomes non-stop following Marsh, Will, Klaus and Gretel in their various doings, so much so that "Bitter Seeds" was one of those novels I could not put down until I finished it and reread it immediately to get the subtler nuances I missed on my first read.
The Germans have now several "science" based super-humans, each with some power like those mentioned above with additions like twin telepaths, a burning man, a retarded man with pure "inhuman" brute force... The British tap some super beings - Eidolons - that seem to form the essence of the universe and are described as "pure will and quite disliking humanity" but being so powerful and all seeing they cannot see individual humans, the way we cannot see an ant in an anthill; they can be contacted by blood since that's the one thing they seem to latch on and they bargain sacrifices against services; as the war intensifies, both escalate...
There are lots of cool touches like "Milkweed" the British agency to combat/use supernatural and after which the series is called, while its creator John Stephenson recalls famous real life agent Intrepid, there are Red Orchestra agents in the picture, some Nazi chiefs have cameo appearances, but most of all "Bitter Seeds" shines in its characters about which we get to care a lot and in the style which is just superb. While the excerpt linked above will give you an idea about the style of the novel, I want to talk a bit about the four main characters.
Marsh starts as the typical "secret agent" devoted to Crown and country, with a young pregnant wife to whom he wants to return from his dangerous missions. Will is the seemingly dissolute scion of privilege - but without responsibility as second son - who drunkenly slips once too many times in front of his friend Marsh about his "secret warlock powers", so when the German super-humans are sort of confirmed, the two are the natural first recruits in Stephenson's Milkweed. As the war escalates, the atrocities multiply and the price of staving imminent defeat and later maybe even moving toward victory increases, Marsh and Will are tested to the limit.
On the German side, Klaus is a dutiful son of the "Fatherland" and while his cynical and perverted "comrade in powers" Reinhardt - the burning man - seems to be more appreciated for being "Aryan", Klaus is not overtly bothered and does his best to fulfill his missions for the Reich. Of course Gretel as the seemingly all-knowing seer steals the show and she may have her own ideas of what duty means...
There are lots of superb action scenes too, while a - Nazi "supermen" and their support troops against British warlocks and their special troops - direct fight is worth the price of admission by itself. Another great touch from "Bitter Seeds" is how the supernatural elements get more and more accentuated as the war escalates, since as all history teaches, once a weapon is invented -or discovered as here is the use of Eidolons' magic to combat the powerful German pressure - it gets refined and improved; nothing stays static and nowhere is that better shown than under the pressures of war, with "Bitter Seeds" taking this to the inevitable extremes.
Based on writing quality and main characters "Bitter Seeds" (A++) is hands down the best debut of 2010 so far. It is also the one novel of 2010 I would recommend to anyone who believes that speculative fiction cannot compete with "literary" novels, while having a strong core-genre content.
Order "Bitter Seeds" HERE
INTRODUCTION:"It’s 1939. The Nazis have supermen, the British have demons, and one perfectly normal man gets caught in between
Raybould Marsh is a British secret agent in the early days of the Second World War, haunted by something strange he saw on a mission during the Spanish Civil War: a German woman with wires going into her head who looked at him as if she knew him.
When the Nazis start running missions with people who have unnatural abilities—a woman who can turn invisible, a man who can walk through walls, and the woman Marsh saw in Spain who can use her knowledge of the future to twist the present—Marsh is the man who has to face them. He rallies the secret warlocks of Britain to hold the impending invasion at bay. But magic always exacts a price. Eventually, the sacrifice necessary to defeat the enemy will be as terrible as outright loss would be.
Alan Furst meets Alan Moore in the opening of an epic of supernatural alternate history, the tale of a twentieth century like ours and also profoundly different."
As a big fan of Alan Furst the above was an important selling line for me, but I had not really expected the awesome novel that "Bitter Seeds" turned out to be. "Bitter Seeds" is the first novel in the Milkweed Tryptich and it has a superb cover to boot.
FORMAT/CLASSIFICATION: "Bitter Seeds" stands at about 350 pages and is divided into fourteen numbered chapters that cover events from 1939 to 1941, plus a prologue taking place some decades earlier and an epilogue shortly after the main action ends. Each chapter follows several threads that feature at least one of the three main POV's: Marsh a British intelligence officer who was sort of adopted as a poor urchin by John Stephenson a WWI hero who later becomes a leader of the British secret service, Will a British noble, younger brother of a duke, warlock, college roommate and friend of Marsh and Klaus a German "superman" - "the ghost who can teleport through solid matter". The threads are marked by date and location.
"Sold" as children to Herr Doktor von Westarp in the aftermath of WWI, Klaus and his sister Gretel - who becomes the most important of the "super-humans" of the Germans as her powerful precognition ability can literally mean life or death for people and victory or defeat for nations - are of gypsy origin in the racial Nazi society, but since the seemingly crazy experiments of von Westarp worked and produced several people with supernatural abilities, the Nazi leadership is less than fussy in looking at their racial origins. Of course what someone like Gretel with her ability to see the most probable future will do about that remains to be seen.
Starting as an alt-history with some supernatural touches that does not diverge obviously from the known history until 1939, "Bitter Seeds" quickly accelerates the pace of events once the war begins and the fantastic elements take over the more we advance in the novel. "Bitter Seeds" ends at a reasonable point and the next installment became another top anticipated novel for me.
ANALYSIS: "Bitter Seeds" grabbed me from the first pages that take place in the bitter aftermath of WWI: in a suitably isolated Gothic manor, Herr Dr. Von Westarp is "buying' unwanted children for nefarious purposes, while on the winning side, one armed former aviator John Stephenson currently of British Intelligence watches a pack of poor children trying to vandalize his garden to get some edible roots, when a ten year old urchin that later will become Captain Raybould Marsh catches his eye by his bravery and leadership abilities. Also in another isolated Gothic manor, an English Duke initiates his young grandson William in ancient family rites and secrets.
Fast forward to 1939 and the action becomes non-stop following Marsh, Will, Klaus and Gretel in their various doings, so much so that "Bitter Seeds" was one of those novels I could not put down until I finished it and reread it immediately to get the subtler nuances I missed on my first read.
The Germans have now several "science" based super-humans, each with some power like those mentioned above with additions like twin telepaths, a burning man, a retarded man with pure "inhuman" brute force... The British tap some super beings - Eidolons - that seem to form the essence of the universe and are described as "pure will and quite disliking humanity" but being so powerful and all seeing they cannot see individual humans, the way we cannot see an ant in an anthill; they can be contacted by blood since that's the one thing they seem to latch on and they bargain sacrifices against services; as the war intensifies, both escalate...
There are lots of cool touches like "Milkweed" the British agency to combat/use supernatural and after which the series is called, while its creator John Stephenson recalls famous real life agent Intrepid, there are Red Orchestra agents in the picture, some Nazi chiefs have cameo appearances, but most of all "Bitter Seeds" shines in its characters about which we get to care a lot and in the style which is just superb. While the excerpt linked above will give you an idea about the style of the novel, I want to talk a bit about the four main characters.
Marsh starts as the typical "secret agent" devoted to Crown and country, with a young pregnant wife to whom he wants to return from his dangerous missions. Will is the seemingly dissolute scion of privilege - but without responsibility as second son - who drunkenly slips once too many times in front of his friend Marsh about his "secret warlock powers", so when the German super-humans are sort of confirmed, the two are the natural first recruits in Stephenson's Milkweed. As the war escalates, the atrocities multiply and the price of staving imminent defeat and later maybe even moving toward victory increases, Marsh and Will are tested to the limit.
On the German side, Klaus is a dutiful son of the "Fatherland" and while his cynical and perverted "comrade in powers" Reinhardt - the burning man - seems to be more appreciated for being "Aryan", Klaus is not overtly bothered and does his best to fulfill his missions for the Reich. Of course Gretel as the seemingly all-knowing seer steals the show and she may have her own ideas of what duty means...
There are lots of superb action scenes too, while a - Nazi "supermen" and their support troops against British warlocks and their special troops - direct fight is worth the price of admission by itself. Another great touch from "Bitter Seeds" is how the supernatural elements get more and more accentuated as the war escalates, since as all history teaches, once a weapon is invented -or discovered as here is the use of Eidolons' magic to combat the powerful German pressure - it gets refined and improved; nothing stays static and nowhere is that better shown than under the pressures of war, with "Bitter Seeds" taking this to the inevitable extremes.
Based on writing quality and main characters "Bitter Seeds" (A++) is hands down the best debut of 2010 so far. It is also the one novel of 2010 I would recommend to anyone who believes that speculative fiction cannot compete with "literary" novels, while having a strong core-genre content.
Official Peter Brett Website
Order "The Great Bazaar and Other Stories" HERE
Read FBC Review of "The Painted Man"
Peter Brett burst onto the fantasy scene in 2008 with The Painted Man (UK) aka The Warded Man (US, 2009). I was a little skeptical about it based on the blurb, but the glowing reviews and then reading an excerpt online made me eager to try it and I posted my opinions in the review above. When I received an arc of "The Great Bazaar" I took a look but since the main novella deals with the Krasian culture, I decided to wait for when I will have a copy of The Desert Spear and start that warming up with the "The Great Bazaar" so to speak, so I checked only the glyphs at the end of the book and the scenes deleted from the first novel that complete "The Great Bazaar".
It was a very inspired decision since the first 200 or so pages of The Desert Spear that deal with the Krasian culture and recount the tale of Jardir and Abban from early childhood friendship, to how their fates separated and then reunited later put both the title novella of "The Great Bazaar" and the relatively short time that Arles spends with the Krasians in clear focus.
As a tale in itself "The Great Bazaar" is very well done with great local color, adventure, danger and a great twist ending, but its full power shows itself if you read it after you read the first 100 or so pages in The Desert Spear up to the moment that Arlen makes his appearence in Krasia and goes from a relatively despised "cowardly foreigner" to a brother in arms that fights the demons every night in the killing pit alongside the holy warriors that Jardir leads. Of course the events from "The Great Bazaar" lead to the happenings in the next chapter of Jardir and Arlen's complicated relationship that are told first in The Painted Man and recounted from the Krasian point of view in The Desert Spear too, so I would suggest to reread the relevant pages from The Painted Man after you read the novella and then continue with The Desert Spear.
The rest of the "The Great Bazaar and Other Stories" consists of some deleted scenes from The Painted Man with author's notes on the whys of that, scenes that I liked though I did not find them essential to the general series and then the other piece of resistance of the book is formed by the glyphs at the ending which are just superb. There are some minor spoilers there for The Desert Spear but those glyphs add a lot to the depth of the series by providing a visual guide to the demon world of Arles and Jardir.
Overall "The Great Bazaar and Other Stories" is an excellent addition to the Peter Brett canon, though I strongly recommend reading the title novella after those pages from The Desert Spear since that way you will get the most out of it.
Order "The Great Bazaar and Other Stories" HERE
Read FBC Review of "The Painted Man"
Peter Brett burst onto the fantasy scene in 2008 with The Painted Man (UK) aka The Warded Man (US, 2009). I was a little skeptical about it based on the blurb, but the glowing reviews and then reading an excerpt online made me eager to try it and I posted my opinions in the review above. When I received an arc of "The Great Bazaar" I took a look but since the main novella deals with the Krasian culture, I decided to wait for when I will have a copy of The Desert Spear and start that warming up with the "The Great Bazaar" so to speak, so I checked only the glyphs at the end of the book and the scenes deleted from the first novel that complete "The Great Bazaar".
It was a very inspired decision since the first 200 or so pages of The Desert Spear that deal with the Krasian culture and recount the tale of Jardir and Abban from early childhood friendship, to how their fates separated and then reunited later put both the title novella of "The Great Bazaar" and the relatively short time that Arles spends with the Krasians in clear focus.
As a tale in itself "The Great Bazaar" is very well done with great local color, adventure, danger and a great twist ending, but its full power shows itself if you read it after you read the first 100 or so pages in The Desert Spear up to the moment that Arlen makes his appearence in Krasia and goes from a relatively despised "cowardly foreigner" to a brother in arms that fights the demons every night in the killing pit alongside the holy warriors that Jardir leads. Of course the events from "The Great Bazaar" lead to the happenings in the next chapter of Jardir and Arlen's complicated relationship that are told first in The Painted Man and recounted from the Krasian point of view in The Desert Spear too, so I would suggest to reread the relevant pages from The Painted Man after you read the novella and then continue with The Desert Spear.
The rest of the "The Great Bazaar and Other Stories" consists of some deleted scenes from The Painted Man with author's notes on the whys of that, scenes that I liked though I did not find them essential to the general series and then the other piece of resistance of the book is formed by the glyphs at the ending which are just superb. There are some minor spoilers there for The Desert Spear but those glyphs add a lot to the depth of the series by providing a visual guide to the demon world of Arles and Jardir.
Overall "The Great Bazaar and Other Stories" is an excellent addition to the Peter Brett canon, though I strongly recommend reading the title novella after those pages from The Desert Spear since that way you will get the most out of it.
Saturday, April 3, 2010
"Poetry Speaks Who I Am" Edited by Elise Paschen Series Editor Dominique Raccah (Reviewed by Cindy Hannikman)
In honor of April being National Poetry Month I was approached to review Poetry Speaks Who I Am, an poetry anthologies meant for the middle grade audience that is filled with poems that are meant to inspire both the love of poetry and the child themselves. It is one of the first anthologies of poetry that is specially made for the middle school audience.
Poetry has always been a present in my life. I remember reading some of the poetry books in the library when I was in 5th or 6th grade. I think I would have a better grasp of poetry and make it a bit more of a priority if at that age I wasn't reading poems that were above my head. When reading Poetry Speaks Who I Am, I kept thinking "I wish I had this book when I was in middle school."
Poetry Speaks Who I Am, is filled with over 100 poems that are specially picked out for this anthology. There are current poets, poets of the past and all types of poems. This really is a great introduction to poetry for those that are younger or even those that wish to get poetry into their lives.
The poems are all very easy to read, nothing mystic and filled with double or triple meanings. The thing that is so amazing about this book is the editing, it doesn't feel as though poems were taken and just thrown into a book for those to read. It feels as if careful thought was put into each poem and where to place it in the book. There are poems by Robert Frost, Edger Allan Poe, and Emily Dickinson so it gives an introduction to poets that are some of poetry's greatest authors.
I really believe the mixture of the older poets and the newer poets really makes this book unique. It can speak to those that are a bit younger and hopefully inspire the kids to learn to love poetry, because a first experience in poetry is a lasting one.
Poetry Speaks Who I Am also comes with a CD that has some of the poems actually read aloud. Not only do you get to read the poetry but you get to hear the speed and flow of some of the poems which is an added bonus.
Poetry has always been a present in my life. I remember reading some of the poetry books in the library when I was in 5th or 6th grade. I think I would have a better grasp of poetry and make it a bit more of a priority if at that age I wasn't reading poems that were above my head. When reading Poetry Speaks Who I Am, I kept thinking "I wish I had this book when I was in middle school."
Poetry Speaks Who I Am, is filled with over 100 poems that are specially picked out for this anthology. There are current poets, poets of the past and all types of poems. This really is a great introduction to poetry for those that are younger or even those that wish to get poetry into their lives.
The poems are all very easy to read, nothing mystic and filled with double or triple meanings. The thing that is so amazing about this book is the editing, it doesn't feel as though poems were taken and just thrown into a book for those to read. It feels as if careful thought was put into each poem and where to place it in the book. There are poems by Robert Frost, Edger Allan Poe, and Emily Dickinson so it gives an introduction to poets that are some of poetry's greatest authors.
I really believe the mixture of the older poets and the newer poets really makes this book unique. It can speak to those that are a bit younger and hopefully inspire the kids to learn to love poetry, because a first experience in poetry is a lasting one.
Poetry Speaks Who I Am also comes with a CD that has some of the poems actually read aloud. Not only do you get to read the poetry but you get to hear the speed and flow of some of the poems which is an added bonus.
Friday, April 2, 2010
"The Emerald Storm" by Michael Sullivan (Reviewed by Cindy Hannikman and Liviu Suciu)
Official Michael Sullivan Website
Order "The Emerald Storm" HERE
Read FBC Review of The Crown Conspiracy
Read FBC Review of Avempartha
Read FBC Review of Nypron Rising
INTRODUCTION:In the space of a short year and a half, Michael Sullivan has moved from a small press debut author that 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 which were mostly standalone adventures, but here in "The Emerald Storm" the series ramps up considerably and "Wintertide" became of of my top five titles of the second part of the year.
FORMAT/CLASSIFICATION: "The Emerald Storm" stands at about 400 pages divided into 26 named chapters that mainly follow our four main POV's: Royce, Hadrian, Arista and Thrace aka Modina, alternating between the adventures of Royce and Hadrian and the ones of Arista and Thrace. The novel starts with two detailed maps of the world and ends with a chapter that by itself shows how the series evolved to fulfill its early promise.
While "Nyphron Rising" started getting into the heart of the main story of the series, here the plot thickens, the world expands and we have action from the high seas, to the jungle, to the den of a barbarian warlord with allies in unexpected places and of course to the palace of the "Empress" where the main movers and shakers plot their takeover.
ANALYSIS: Cindy:
When setting out to write a series as Michael Sullivan has it can be quite an undertaking. The ability to keep the momentum going and not lose interest in the process can be very hard. Luckily Sullivan has done just that. In the fourth installment of the Riyria Revelations, the series is still running strong, possibly stronger now then when it first started.
When I read Crown Conspiracy I was amazed at this debut novel. Readers are now on the fourth title, and Sullivan still knows how to amaze readers with every twist and turn of the series. Every element that makes up an epic series is manifesting itself within these novels. After reading Nyphron Rising which gave everyone a bit more background and fleshed out the characters I was prepared to jump into Emerald Storm.
Emerald Storm has the gripping qualities that made me first enjoy this series. It's quick moving, action packed, but also character driven. There's a hard balance between action and character development, but Sullivan finds out to balance the two and not drag down the novel with lengthy paragraphs or time consuming character development. The main appeal to this whole series is just how natural the characters are developing, and really how each character grows as the series moves on. The bit of a darker approach to some of the aspects in the series was a nice touch. All threads that have been developing in the past 2 books are starting to really form and take shape, and that it what makes Emerald Storm so spectacular.
Every time I finish a book in this series it makes me want the next one instantly. As stated in Nyphron Rising review, the novels could be read as each individual book really doesn't properly show the whole picture without reading the series together. Emerald Storm would be a rough read if one didn't know the background, not an impossible read but it'd be a bit rough if you hadn't read the other books.
For those that are veteran readers of fantasy there is a little plot twist that will spice up a bit of the novels and makes the next novel something that readers will be waiting in anticipation for.
Michael Sullivan shows that he isn't just a one book wonder, or that his other novels were random hits. His Riyria Revelations series is taking shape very nicely, and it'll be amazing to watch where he takes the other novels after this because with each novel there is a new surprise or approach to his writing.
Liviu: "The Emerald Storm" was awesome and it finally realizes the strong potential of the Ryria series; it also made me reconsider Nyphron Rising which sets this one up and reads much more fulfilling once we can continue the story started there.
The part cliffhanger ending makes Wintertide a big asap, but "The Emerald Storm" sits well on its own and lots of things happen, while we have great, great stuff in opening more the world and exploring stranger parts of it, duels, magic, suspense and even the weaker Modina thread started getting much better; the super-twist at the end left me stunned since I really did not see it coming; also the novel is considerably darker than the rest and while it's no spoiler to know that the main characters (Royce, Arista, Hadrian) survive, the body count including secondary but interesting characters is rising.
"The Emerald Storm" is an A++ and a top fantasy of 2010.
This month Robert Thompson provided most of the book titles with additions by Cindy Hannikman, Liviu Suciu and Mihir Wanchoo. We are featuring 60 books. This month there were considerably more new sff releases but we tried to limit ourselves to a reasonable number and we chose the books most in tune with what's reviewed here.
The release dates are US unless marked otherwise and the books are first edition unless noted differently. The dates are on a best known basis so they are not guaranteed; same about the edition information. Since information sometimes is out of date even in the Amazon/Book Depository links we use for listings, books get delayed or sometimes even released earlier, we would truly appreciate if you would send us an email about any listing with incorrect information.
Sometimes a cover image is not available at the time of the post and also sometimes covers change unexpectedly so while we generally use the Amazon one when available and cross check with Google Images, the ultimate bookstore cover may be different.
***************************************************
"Inside Out" by Maria Snyder. Release Date: April 1, 2010.
“White Tiger” by Kylie Chan. UK Release Date: April 1, 2010.
“Amortals” by Matt Forbeck. UK Release Date: April 1, 2010.
“Guardian of the Dead” by Karen Healey. Release Date: April 1, 2010.
“Half World” by Hiromi Goto. Release Date: April 1, 2010.
“This World We Live In” by Susan Beth Pfeffer. Release Date: April 1, 2010.
***************************************************
"Starlighter” by Bryan Davis. Release Date: April 1, 2010.
"Conflicts" ed Ian Whates, UK Release Date: April 2, 2010.
“At the Gates of Darkness” by Raymond E. Feist. Release Date: April 6, 2010.
“WWW:Watch” by Robert Sawyer. Release Date: April 6, 2010.
“A Magic of Dawn” by S.L. Farrell. Release Date: April 6, 2010.
“Changes” by Jim Butcher. Release Date: April 6, 2010.
***************************************************
“Directive 51” by John Barnes. Release Date: April 6, 2010.
“The Bradbury Report” by Steven Polansky. Release Date: April 6, 2010.
“Destiny’s Star” by Elizabeth Vaughan. Release Date: April 6, 2010.
“Enchanted Glass” by Diana Wynne Jones. Release Date: April 6, 2010.
“Touched by an Alien” by Gini Koch. Release Date: April 6, 2010.
“The Poison Throne” by Celine Kiernan. Release Date: April 7, 2010.
***************************************************
"The Emerald Storm" by Michael Sullivan Release Date: April 8, 2010.
“Thirteen Days to Midnight” by Patrick Carman. Release Date: April 12, 2010.
“A Mighty Fortress” by David Weber. Release Date: April 13, 2010.
“Watcher of the Dead” by J.V. Jones. Release Date: April 13, 2010.
“The Edge of Ruin” by Melinda Snodgrass. Release Date: April 13, 2010.
“The Desert Spear” by Peter V. Brett. Release Date: April 13, 2010.
***************************************************
“Bitter Seeds” by Ian Tregillis. Release Date: April 13, 2010.
“Up Jim River” by Michael Flynn. Release Date: April 13, 2010.
“The Hittite” by Ben Bova. Release Date: April 13, 2010.
“Instinct” by Jeremy Robinson. Release Date: April 13, 2010.
“The Birth of Love” by Joanna Kavenna. Release Date: April 13, 2010.
"The Knife That Killed Me" by Anthony McGowan Release Date: April 13, 2010.
***************************************************
“The Celestial Globe” by Marie Rutkoski. Release Date: April 13, 2010.
“New Model Army” by Adam Roberts. UK Release Date: April 15, 2010.
“The King of the Crags” by Stephen Deas. UK Release Date: April 15, 2010.
“Tome of the Undergates” by Sam Sykes. UK Release Date: April 15, 2010.
“Neverland” by Douglas Clegg. Release Date: April 13, 2010 (Reprint).
"The Iron Khan" by Liz Williams April 15, 2010.
***************************************************
"Saltation” by Sharon Lee & Steve Miller. Release Date: April 20, 2010.
“All That Follows” by Jim Crace. Release Date: April 20, 2010.
“Burning Lamp” by Amanda Quick. Release Date: April 20, 2010.
“Morpheus Road: The Light” by D.J. MacHale. Release Date: April 20, 2010.
“Under Heaven” by Guy Gavriel Kay. Release Date: April 27, 2010.
“Ghosts of Manhattan” by George Mann. Release Date: April 27, 2010 (US Debut).
***************************************************
“Dragonfly Falling” by Adrian Tchaikovsky. Release Date: April 27, 2010 (US Debut).
“Ares Express” by Ian McDonald. Release Date: April 27, 2010 (US Debut).
“The Noise Within” by Ian Whates. Release Date: April 27, 2010.
“The Lost Fleet: Victorious” by Jack Campbell. Release Date: April 27, 2010.
“Black Blade Blues” by J.A. Pitts. Release Date: April 27, 2010.
“Feed” by Mira Grant. Release Date: April 27, 2010.
***************************************************
“Song of Scarabaeus” by Sara Creasy. Release Date: April 27, 2010.
“Sparrow Rock” by Nate Kenyon. Release Date: April 27, 2010.
“Lord of the Changing Winds” by Rachel Neumeier. Release Date: April 27, 2010.
“The Wager” by Donna Jo Napoli. Release Date: April 27, 2010.
“Thief Eyes” by Janni Lee Simner. Release Date: April 27, 2010.
“ Whisper” by Phoebe Kitanidis. Release Date: April 27, 2010.
***************************************************
“The Darkly Luminous Fight for Persephone Parker” by Leanna Renee Hieber. April 27, 2010.
“The Year's Best Science Fiction & Fantasy 2010” edited by Rich Horton. April 29, 2010.
“The Orphaned Worlds” by Michael Cobley. UK Release Date: April 29, 2010
“Windward Passage” by Jim Nisbet. Release Date: April 29, 2010.
"Grand Central Arena" by Ryk Spoor, Release Date: April 29, 2010.
"Lesser Demons” by Norman Partridge. Release Date: April 30, 2010.
The release dates are US unless marked otherwise and the books are first edition unless noted differently. The dates are on a best known basis so they are not guaranteed; same about the edition information. Since information sometimes is out of date even in the Amazon/Book Depository links we use for listings, books get delayed or sometimes even released earlier, we would truly appreciate if you would send us an email about any listing with incorrect information.
Sometimes a cover image is not available at the time of the post and also sometimes covers change unexpectedly so while we generally use the Amazon one when available and cross check with Google Images, the ultimate bookstore cover may be different.
***************************************************
"Inside Out" by Maria Snyder. Release Date: April 1, 2010.“White Tiger” by Kylie Chan. UK Release Date: April 1, 2010.
“Amortals” by Matt Forbeck. UK Release Date: April 1, 2010.
“Guardian of the Dead” by Karen Healey. Release Date: April 1, 2010.
“Half World” by Hiromi Goto. Release Date: April 1, 2010.
“This World We Live In” by Susan Beth Pfeffer. Release Date: April 1, 2010.
***************************************************
"Starlighter” by Bryan Davis. Release Date: April 1, 2010."Conflicts" ed Ian Whates, UK Release Date: April 2, 2010.
“At the Gates of Darkness” by Raymond E. Feist. Release Date: April 6, 2010.
“WWW:Watch” by Robert Sawyer. Release Date: April 6, 2010.
“A Magic of Dawn” by S.L. Farrell. Release Date: April 6, 2010.
“Changes” by Jim Butcher. Release Date: April 6, 2010.
***************************************************
“Directive 51” by John Barnes. Release Date: April 6, 2010. “The Bradbury Report” by Steven Polansky. Release Date: April 6, 2010.
“Destiny’s Star” by Elizabeth Vaughan. Release Date: April 6, 2010.
“Enchanted Glass” by Diana Wynne Jones. Release Date: April 6, 2010.
“Touched by an Alien” by Gini Koch. Release Date: April 6, 2010.
“The Poison Throne” by Celine Kiernan. Release Date: April 7, 2010.
***************************************************
"The Emerald Storm" by Michael Sullivan Release Date: April 8, 2010. “Thirteen Days to Midnight” by Patrick Carman. Release Date: April 12, 2010.
“A Mighty Fortress” by David Weber. Release Date: April 13, 2010.
“Watcher of the Dead” by J.V. Jones. Release Date: April 13, 2010.
“The Edge of Ruin” by Melinda Snodgrass. Release Date: April 13, 2010.
“The Desert Spear” by Peter V. Brett. Release Date: April 13, 2010.
***************************************************
“Bitter Seeds” by Ian Tregillis. Release Date: April 13, 2010.“Up Jim River” by Michael Flynn. Release Date: April 13, 2010.
“The Hittite” by Ben Bova. Release Date: April 13, 2010.
“Instinct” by Jeremy Robinson. Release Date: April 13, 2010.
“The Birth of Love” by Joanna Kavenna. Release Date: April 13, 2010.
"The Knife That Killed Me" by Anthony McGowan Release Date: April 13, 2010.
***************************************************
“The Celestial Globe” by Marie Rutkoski. Release Date: April 13, 2010.“New Model Army” by Adam Roberts. UK Release Date: April 15, 2010.
“The King of the Crags” by Stephen Deas. UK Release Date: April 15, 2010.
“Tome of the Undergates” by Sam Sykes. UK Release Date: April 15, 2010.
“Neverland” by Douglas Clegg. Release Date: April 13, 2010 (Reprint).
"The Iron Khan" by Liz Williams April 15, 2010.
***************************************************
"Saltation” by Sharon Lee & Steve Miller. Release Date: April 20, 2010.“All That Follows” by Jim Crace. Release Date: April 20, 2010.
“Burning Lamp” by Amanda Quick. Release Date: April 20, 2010.
“Morpheus Road: The Light” by D.J. MacHale. Release Date: April 20, 2010.
“Under Heaven” by Guy Gavriel Kay. Release Date: April 27, 2010.
“Ghosts of Manhattan” by George Mann. Release Date: April 27, 2010 (US Debut).
***************************************************
“Dragonfly Falling” by Adrian Tchaikovsky. Release Date: April 27, 2010 (US Debut). “Ares Express” by Ian McDonald. Release Date: April 27, 2010 (US Debut).
“The Noise Within” by Ian Whates. Release Date: April 27, 2010.
“The Lost Fleet: Victorious” by Jack Campbell. Release Date: April 27, 2010.
“Black Blade Blues” by J.A. Pitts. Release Date: April 27, 2010.
“Feed” by Mira Grant. Release Date: April 27, 2010.
***************************************************
“Song of Scarabaeus” by Sara Creasy. Release Date: April 27, 2010.“Sparrow Rock” by Nate Kenyon. Release Date: April 27, 2010.
“Lord of the Changing Winds” by Rachel Neumeier. Release Date: April 27, 2010.
“The Wager” by Donna Jo Napoli. Release Date: April 27, 2010.
“Thief Eyes” by Janni Lee Simner. Release Date: April 27, 2010.
“ Whisper” by Phoebe Kitanidis. Release Date: April 27, 2010.
***************************************************
“The Darkly Luminous Fight for Persephone Parker” by Leanna Renee Hieber. April 27, 2010.“The Year's Best Science Fiction & Fantasy 2010” edited by Rich Horton. April 29, 2010.
“The Orphaned Worlds” by Michael Cobley. UK Release Date: April 29, 2010
“Windward Passage” by Jim Nisbet. Release Date: April 29, 2010.
"Grand Central Arena" by Ryk Spoor, Release Date: April 29, 2010.
"Lesser Demons” by Norman Partridge. Release Date: April 30, 2010.
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