Latest Book Reviews and Comments
"The Willowmere Chronicles" is one of my favourite book series. I very much like the protagonist, Claire, because I like the way she always acts. "The Witches of Willowmere" is the beginning of a good story arc which, once you have started, can't put down.
Absolutely fantastic book! No trolls or other mythical beasts. This book is about people, and very well done it is, too. My only complaint is that it's part one, and not in the shops. BOO! Put it in the shops, so other people can pick it up and buy it! There's so much crap out there to buy in the High Street, and then something this good is hidden away. Shame! You can read exerts from the book on her own website www.satansmoon.webs.com As well as some background info on the author. Check it out. There's not a lot on there, but what is, is good.
After Rome's Revolution was published, I started work an a YA sequel called The Milk Run starring Aason and Lupe, all grown up, with just a guest appearance by Rei and Rome. I got about halfway done and realized I had no idea about what their life was like once they returned to Deucado. I was determined to make this one all action and adventure. No need to add much science or physics. And I always wanted to start a story with an explosion. Well, the explosion was just a grease fire but it was the best I could come up with. I wasn't sure where the story was going to go when (I swear) I was in the shower and it hit me. The Ark Lords (Erklirte), the insane people in the gray sarcophagi and The Great Dying, they were all one and the same. I had written about them for six years and NEVER KNEW IT! So the story of how Jack Henry (Hanry Ta Jihn) defeated the Ark Lords became important. I wrote a little, four chapter short story and interwove it in the relevant parts of the second half of The Ark Lords. A couple of other tidbits: Knowing that I had The Milk Run coming up, I wanted Aason to have his own "pet" starship so that's how Junior came about. The not-sex scene between Virga and Rei is still one of my favorites. I still laugh every time I read it. The final book in this arc, starring Rei and Rome, will be entitled Rome's Evolution where Rome must become a true telepath to save all of their lives. I'm hoping to have it finished by the spring. In the mean time, I hope you enjoy The Ark Lords. I really enjoyed writing it.
As the author, I thought I'd share a slightly different viewpoint as to how the story came into being. Originally written in 1973 as a short story entitled VIRUS 5, you can imagine the underlying technology has changed significantly over the last 40 years. I have always been fascinated by the idea of what if we sent people to the stars and when they got there, there were already people there. So I had to come up with two completely different methods of interstellar travel, one slow and one faster than light. My heroes, Rei and Rome, have been there since the beginning (in 1973) as well as OMCOM. And the major threat was always the Stareater. That's about it. Everything else about the story has changed and evolved over the years. The first book of the modern version, called VIRUS 5: Asdrale Cimatir (Stareater), was 108,000 words. It started with a beautiful short story about Silas Hiram, a farmer on New Earth (later called Helome in The Ark Lords). He was the first to discover that Alnilam disappeared. My intent for that book was to do a "you are there" type of style. So what are the odds that people 14 centuries in the future still speak English? Zero. So I had to invent a language. I actually wrote a computer program that would translate any English words or paragraphs into Vuduri and used as needed. Well, being a beginning writer, I was open to suggestions by other, more advanced writers, and the whole story started getting chopped down. Gone was the story of Silas Hiram. Gone was the pretty exciting chapter on how the Vuduri discovered Rei's Ark. Gone was the viscerally stunning chapter on Rei's reanimation. I think the story lost something but I persevered. I had in my mind the scene where Rei is all alone on Dara, getting ready to let the VIRUS units loose and thinking he had lost Rome forever. But then it occurred to me, when Rome figured out how to remain behind, she would just radio Rei and the scene would lose all its dramatic tension. That's how the Vuduri with their 24th chromosome and the Overmind sprang into being. They had no NEED for radios, they had their heads. So I had to go back and reengineer a whole new society. I had written a future history outline but this kind of set me back. It took a while but eventually the whole thing blossomed and became more like the story you read today. After I completed Asdrale Cimatir, I was sitting around one day and said to myself, what happens when they get there, to Deucado? The idea of traveling all that way, only to face imminent death, seemed exciting. But I had to figure out WHY they were being attacked. Genocide seem like a powerful theme so that became the underlying background. I loved the idea of a split narrative, Rei taking a physical journal, Rome taking a mental one, before they rejoined each other. The book was relatively easy to write and I wasn't burdened with having to put in as much physics and science. It became more of a philosophical and adventure story. Its original title was VIRUS 5: Bez Onquode (An Uneasy Peace). Book 3 wrote itself. Once I had set up all the political forces, the travails that Rei and Rome had to go through were pretty clear. I finished it in about 6 weeks. I loved the idea of a double climax. Just when Rei and Rome thought they had ended the threat forever, the Stareaters return. That was fun! Then reality was, nobody was going to buy Books 1, 2 or 3 from an unknown author. So I got the idea to crush the now 330,000 words down to one book, three parts. That's the book you see today called Rome's Revolution. Since so many words had to be cut out, a lot of the long developing story lines (like Rei and Rome falling in love) had to be sped up. I had to create the Espansor bands to get Rei and Rome in love super-fast. In the original book, it took them 8 chapters to even recognize they had feelings for each other. In the new one, they are sleeping together by the end of Chapter 2. Oh well. Hopefully, you won't find it too rushed and just suspend belief and go along for the ride. More on how The Ark Lords came about in my review there.
i love this book i couldn't put it down. she is an amazing writer i just got done with the second book n loved it
Once again, Orson delivers. Loved the book, even though I don't find his cause-based time travel quite logical. Every once in a while I would come to a passage that made me think "Well, that was interesting. Not sure how it worked, but interesting." But it didn't really make me like the book any less.
I reread this recently, having read it years ago in my teens. It still chills me to the bone for many reasons. There is a robotic creature in it that is the stuff of nightmares. "The Terminator" is cute and cuddly in comparison. I used to think this scenario could never happen, like 1984 and Brave New World, but now I'm not so sure...
A book of short stories, set in the same universe as the Nights Dawn trilogy, which I'll presume anyone interested in this book has read. The shorter book made for more concisely drawn characters. The stories each examined a speculative theme, whereas the trilogy touches on many, and they sometimes get lost among the sprawling plot. That said, these are more personal, less grand stories. So, more science fiction, less space opera.
"Jazz vampire" killer, little magic and sarcastic humour in this second book of Peter Grant series. Can't go wrong with that! =)
I read this in a day, stayed up way too late to finish. Linnet Ellery is an engaging heroine placed in a most interesting, almost believable, premise. I look forward to the next in the series.
After a 2 1/2 year wait, Fury's Kiss exceeded all my expectations and confirmed the Midnight's Daughter series as Chance's best. There is never a dull moment; there are hilarious, terrifying, heart warming and tragic moments, but no dull ones. The best books are the ones a reader cannot wait to finish but wants to never end, and Fury's Kiss is one of the best.
I read Escape from Hell! a while ago. I loved it from the start and it is definetely one of my favourite books all time. Duncan is amazing writer and he really knows what he does. Plot, characters and implementation were wonderfull. There wasn't anything unfinished. Books world were thoroughly created - it was almost too realistic. It made me feel the depths of human nature, the bad and the unjustice. And that's because it was amazing. It was so realistic. Character's were as realistic as everything else in the book. I loved them - even the ones that annoyed me. There wasn't anything black and white, everything were in every shades of grey. Character's were like real persons: people who lives next door or who you meet in supermarket. I want to bring up expecially Matthew, Seven and Lucifer. They were my absolute favourite characters. And I liked that Duncan wrote about homosexual character. It's refreshing. It's really shame that there's so little homosexual character's in literature, expecially homosexual main characters. Points for that to Duncan! I have very little words for this book. Read it. Yes, it's really realistic. Yes, there's no romance in it. Yes, sometimes it's even too sickening. Still, read it. It's amazing and I loved every single page of it. It's brilliant and Duncan is genious. I really hope that there'll sequels as Duncan has said.
Halo was pretty good book but it included some things within that I couldn't agree. As a atheist the religional subtext was really annoying, expecially how it showed in the book. I got the feeling from the book that you're good if you believe in God and do as he has said, and that you're bad if you don't. It was really black and white, which was really annoying. The book and character's itself was really black and white. It's not realistic because life isn't black and white. The plot was pretty predictable which took most of the trilling away. Character's were okay but they didn't have much depth in them. They were unfinished. When I was reading it, I got the feeling that writer must have been pretty young when she write Halo. After reading I found out that she was pretty young. Being young published author isn't bad thing but in Halo it showed so much that it distracted reading - expecially when I felt more mature than books plot or any character. I recommented that you think twice if you want read Halo in case if you don't like books for young adults. I'd say that Halo is pretty much for religious people and teenagers - for them I recommend it but not so much for people who isn't religious or whose doesn't enjoy books for teenagers. Halo's idea was good and some character's interesting, like Gabriel and Ivy (for their long life and everything they've experienced), but implementation wasn't so good. Most of character's, expecially Bethany, were unfinished. Maybe Adornetto has deepened character's in sequel's but in Halo most of character's felt unfinished - like they would've created in hurry and that they were just made for stereotypies. Halo is readable book and if you like religious subtext and books for teenagers, it could be pretty good for you. But to be it wasn't special or that good so I'll give it only two stars.
Tad Williams has been a constant fixture in the fantasy & science fiction genre for the past 25 years. His MEMORY, SORROW AND THORN series is often hailed as one of the finest post-Tolkien epics, and he has established a reputation for writing intelligent door-stopping, novels such as the OTHERLAND books (four volumes) or the SHADOWMARCH series (again, four volumes). His new novel, THE DIRTY STREETS OF HEAVEN, however, is something of a departure for him, maybe even a career changer. It is the first of three (for now at least) planned volumes in this series called the BOOBY DOLLAR BOOKS, but each volume is self-contained and can be read independently from the others. Doloriel is a rather ordinary low-level angel working under his earthly alias Bobby Dollar. He is an angelic advocate; on behalf of the recently deceased he argues for their immortal souls to be accepted into heaven rather than going to hell or even purgatory. He meets his fellow angelic advocates regularly in his favourite angel bar, but he is largely minding his own business and doing his job (which is a lot less glamorous than it sounds like), when suddenly immortal souls start disappearing and neither heaven nor hell seem to now why or how. Bobby Dollar´s life is suddenly at stake even though he does not really know why. However, he is quite sure that his heavenly superiors are not telling him everything and that if he wants to save his own immortal soul, he just has to find out what is happening by himself. DIRTY STREETS starts out as a classic noir detective novel with overtones of Raymond Chandler rather than echoes of Tolkienian epic fantasy. Bobby Dollar is an engaging POV character whose distinctive, witty narrative voice drives the story forward at breakneck pace. He is playing against a colourful ensemble cast of angels, demons and other otherworldly beings. And while the books offers plenty of action and excitement, it is not all empty calories; there is some serious meat on the bones of this novel. A great, fun read that leaves this reader wanting more as soon as possible!
I picked this book up in an airport in 1997 because I'm not a good flyer and needed something to distract me. I liked the cover art and the brief synopsis on the back. Fifteen years later...Robert Jordan is my absolute FAVORITE author. The Wheel of Time series is not an easy read. Jordan is hyper-descriptive to the point of madness sometimes, but because of the way he writes you really feel like you are THERE and the characters (and there are a LOT of them) are rich and full and you get a strong picture of who they are. There are few books/authors that measure up to this type of Epic story telling...if you have read these books and enjoyed them, Patrick Rothfuss is a fantastic writer who reads almost like poetry. If you are a true reader...pick up these books...it's a long commitment, but well worth the story!!!
Book review: 3 Treasure Boxes Earth is the playing field and the game is a never ending struggle of good versus evil between the demons and the angels; using human souls to determine the score. The weight of each person’s soul is measured by the moral value of his deeds. But now the two teams have decided to put all their money on one player; one person who’s responsible to save seven souls balanced on a knife edge between good and evil. If he can help them all move up onto the side of good, then humanity wins and the demons will be banished forever. Covet is the first battle and it all rests on the shoulders of Jim Heron. J.R. Ward is the pen name of Jessica Bird and she uses it for the paranormal romance novels that she has written. These include the Black Dagger Brotherhood and the Fallen Angel series. There are currently four books in the Fallen Angel series and book five is expected to be released in September 2012. These books are told in a third person narrative alternating the point of view between several of the characters, but primarily from the point of view of the main protagonist Jim Heron. The Fallen Angel series is an interesting concept with a unique twist on good against evil. Ms. Ward gave us a good insight into who the three main characters are, and she did good job a showing us why they would be motivated to act and respond the way that they did. I liked the world that she creates, although I myself do not buy into the idea that it is up to one man to influence the balance between good and evil in the world. I also do not buy that there is such a fine line between good and evil, but leaving that aside, the concept was well thought out and presented. This is a standalone story, and it leads really nicely into the next book in the series. I recommend this book as a good read, and I am interested to see where the story is going so I am probably going to read the next book in the series, Crave. For more of my reviews go to http://books-treasureortrash.com
If you like the first and third books in the series, then 'The Unincorporated Future' is must read. If you haven't read 'The Unincorporated Man', then that should be your first priority. The action that escalated throughout the third book will have you tearing through the pages in this book, broken up only by the times your mind is blown by the bombshells the Kollin brothers keep dropping. The character development reaches new levels of richness that haven’t been seen in the series since Justin Cord of the first book. There is enough closure that if you feel like this series is being drawn out too long, you can move on with your life, but most people that read this will be praying that the Kollin Brothers add to this magnificent universe they’ve created!
Book Review: 1 Treasure Box Eric and Sookie are now married and Eric’s sire is in town. Sookie has to deal with her vampire father-in law and her crazy, vampire brother-in-law. At the same time she is recovering from the ordeal she went through in Dead and Gone. Dead in the Family is the tenth book in The Southern Vampire Mysteries series (also known as A Sooke Stackhouse Novel), and currently there are a total of twelve books. The thirteenth and final book is going to be released May 2013. All the books are contemporary fantasy but are also known as urban fantasy. They also fall into the romance genre. The story is told in the first person narrative with Sooke’s voice and thoughts as we follow her around. Not too much happens in the beginning of this book because Sookie is recuperating from being captured and tortured. Eric’s sire is in town making life difficult for the couple. There are a few problems which crop up surrounding the werewolves and there are still some lingering faerie problems. This book continues to examine prejudice showing the damage it can cause. The end of the book was exciting and had plenty of action. Previously, I had found this series to be one of the better in this genre, but now I am questioning if that is still true. While reading Dead in the Family, I found some of the writing to be trite and rushed with a story that was not very well formulated. I also thought the book lacked its usual exciting pace. However, I still enjoyed reading Sookie's thoughts and I still really like all of the characters. This is a standalone book that continues immediately after the events in book nine, and since there are going to be three more books in the series, I know that there is more to tell in Sookie’s story. I have read all the previous books in the series and I have enjoyed them all, but I found Dead in the Family to be underwhelming. I thought the book was OK, and I am planning to give the next book in the series a read. I am hoping it will pick up some speed. Favourite Quote: “I love spring for all the obvious reasons. I love the flowers blooming (which happens early here in Louisiana); I love the birds twittering; I love the squirrels scampering across my yard. I love the sound of werewolves howling in the distance. No, just kidding. But the late, lamented Tray Dawson had once told me that spring is the favorite season of werewolves.” Page 37 For more of my reviews go to http://books-treasureortrash.com
Book review: 2 Treasure Boxes Hyden Hawk knows he must defeat The Warlord, even if this evil creature was once his brother. The Dragon Queen was defeated but she is not gone. The Warlord can use her body as a tool to reach into the world. The Elves realize it is time to stop hiding and instead they must help the humans defeat this evil before it annihilates the world. The Warlord and his minions are extremely powerful, but can the High King and Hyden Hawk, with the help of the Elves, Giants, Dragons and Dwarves defeat this evil? The Wizard and Warlord is the third and final installment in the Wardstone Trilogy. Mr. Mathias has written numerous books, primarily fantasy novels, and he has also written a couple of Horror books as well. There are several protagonists in this fantasy tale and it is told in the third person narrative with the voice and thoughts of the main players. This is the best book in the trilogy. The story starts with the Elves and introduces their culture as well as some new characters. These new characters are skillfully brought into the storyline and connected with some of the previous players. There are numerous quests that occur which lead the characters into unique situations. Most of the characters grow and develop as the trilogy concludes. The characters are likeable and the comradery that exists between them is fun the read. The book examines the idea of revenge and shows the undesired effects that can occur when revenge is the only motivator. Within the Warlord a small part of Gerard remains, and it is sad to see how evil power corrupted a sweet boy. Hyden Hawk hopes that he can stop The Warlord, the being who was once his brother, but he also hopes they can both still survive. Although this book is the final in the trilogy, the story can stand on its own, however to receive the most enjoyment the previous two books should be read first. I recommend this book as a good read. It is an exciting epic tale filled with interesting characters, lots of action and numerous adventures. Favourite Quote: “The snow-capped mountains literally looked to be formed of molten copper as the sun inched down behind them. Then as the sun’s glow faded and the silvery light of the stars took over, the mountains appeared frosted in crystal.” For more of my reviews go to http://books-treasureortrash.com
Book review: 2 Treasure Boxes Kvothe was the most notorious wizard ever known, but now he can no longer access magic and he is hiding out in a small town. Kvothe is retelling his life story which he claimed would take 3 days for the tale to unfold; this is day one. The story covers the first part of his life, reliving in detail the early years of his life. The Name of the Wind is Patrick Ruthfuss’ debut novel and it is the first book in the Kingkiller Chronicles. The story is told primarily in a first person narrative from the point of view of the main protagonist, Kvothe. This book is a fantasy, and in this world magic, dragons, elfs, as well as the Chandrian exist. The story was interesting, moving back and forth through time, but it progressed at a pretty slow pace. As Kvothe tells his life story the past is replayed. Kvothe is a likeable and interesting character. The world that the story takes place in is unusual and unique with a fascinating magic system. This is not a standalone story, but only one third of the tale, and by the end of the book, we still do not know how of Kvothe ended up as an Innkeeper. I am curious to find out what happens next, so I will be reading the next installment, Wise Man’s Fear. I recommend this book as a good read. For more of my reviews go to http://books-treasureortrash.com
Book review: 3 Treasure Boxes Arthur is close to death from an asthma attack when he notices two strange men who seemed to appear out of nowhere. One of the men, Mister Monday, gives Arthur a key and a small notebook because he thinks Arthur is about to die. However, the key has healing abilities which help to restore Arthur to good health. When Mister Monday realizes this he tries to recapture the key. Arthur does everything in his power to protect himself and the key from these evil men. Garth Nix has written numerous young adult books and series including: the Old Kingdom series, The Seventh Tower series, and The Keys to the Kingdom. Mister Monday is part of The Keys to the Kingdom series and it is a fantasy story that is told in the third person narrative primarily from the point of view of the main protagonist, a 12 year old boy named Arthur Penhaligon. Mister Monday sets the premise of series by introducing the characters and the world that the story revolves around. As Arthur learns about the key he received, both he and the reader learn about the Keys to the Kingdom, which are the keys to the House. The House is the center of the universe and anything outside the House, like the earth and the solar system are part of the Secondary Realms. There are seven keys for the seven territories within the confines of the house, with each key governed by a master named for a day in the week. This first book covers the Lower House and is ruled by Mister Monday. Arthur’s adventure takes place both on earth as well as in the House. This series is great for children of all ages, starting from age 7 and it is very well written.I really enjoyed this book. I loved all the characters and found Arthur to be a likeable protagonist, who shows compassion to those around him. Garth Nix has a great writing style, creating an interesting universe and a unique concept of creation. The house is the center of creation and the idea of the seven days of the week each ruling one part of the house alludes back to the seven days of creation in Genesis. Throughout the book there is a big emphasis on the written word and its impact on creation. This is a standalone book, but it is also just the beginning of a bigger story. It ends with an introduction to the next book in the series. I recommend Mister Monday as a very good read and I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series, Grim Tuesday. for more of my reviews go to http://books-treasureortrash.com
I've read lots of future dystopia books recently but I have to say that Under the Never Sky is one of the best - if not the best one. The begin was little difficult because the Never Sky world was very different and I felt that there was new information too much. All the Realms, smarteye's, Blood Lord's and everything. But I didn't quit reading and I'm very happy about that because after couple of chapter's everything started make sense. Veronica Rossi is genious writer and she has created throughly her character's. There's so much about Aria and Perry that you can't see first. Their character's develop through the book and in the end I still had the feeling that the developement wasn't over. I respect that really much because nothing annoys me more than character's that doesn't show any developement through book. I recommend Under the Never Sky to all who likes to read about future dystopias. And, well, to everybody else too. It's amazing book with wonderfull character's and itn didn't leave me cold. Quite opposite, I fell in love with it. Now I just have to wait till January that Under the Never Sky's sequel will be released!
Truly an amazing book on adventure, love, friendship, and fantasy. I first read this book when I was a kid and was my favorite of all E.B. White's books. The story is simple and easy to read with likeable characters. Definitely a good book for kids.
