No Good Dragon Goes Unpunished by Rachel Aaron (Heartstriker #3)

No Good Dragon Goes Unpunished by Rachel Aaron

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



 Jacket Blurb:  When Julius overthrew his mother and took control of his clan, he thought he was doing right by everyone. But sharing power isn’t part of any proper dragon’s vocabulary, and with one seat still open on the new ruling Council, all of Heartstriker is ready to do whatever it takes to get their claws on it, including killing the Nice Dragon who got them into this mess in the first place.

To keep his clan together and his skin intact, Julius is going to have to find a way to make his bloodthirsty siblings play fair. But there’s more going on in Heartstriker Mountain than politics. Every family has its secrets, but the skeletons in Bethesda’s closet are dragon sized, and with Algonquin’s war looming over them all, breaking his clan wide open might just be the only hope Julius has of saving it.

Read as an audio book.

Book #3 in the series, you do need to read these in order.

Julius has overthrown his mother and the full Heartstriker class is descending up on the mountain for the first ever Dragon Council vote. Julius continues to face challenges from all sides as he forces the clan into change - his older brother Gregory attempts to kill him and then his mage and Bethesda schemes reach far despite being magically bound. Julius is pushing Chelsea to the edge with his demands to know why he can't free her from her bonds of servitude. While Marci and Ghost are being courted by the likes of Amelia, Raven, and Algonquin for powers she has yet to claim.

Technically, I shouldn't be enjoying these books because the base elements are exactly what I don't care to read: fantasy, young adult, coming of age, Very Special Snowflake syndrome, main character who runs around going "I don't understand!'...but yet (so far) the books work for me. I think in great part because I'm reading on audio and the narrator does an outstanding performance.

I'm not saying these books are perfect, however. I have found aspects of the dialog and scenes repetitive; in the middle of a fight scene, where action is imperative, our characters are carrying on an internal monologues that go on far longer than the fight scene should realistically last; and I personally, do not care for Very Special Snowflake Syndrome (aka Marci). And I admit this even when Marci is one of the more interesting characters, but....it's gone too far. Julius continues to annoy me. At some point the whining has to stop.

Aspects that keep me coming back: interesting supporting characters, deftly woven plots, fantastical world building, and the overall premise of the storyline.

This latest installment received four stars from me because I guessed the ending incorrectly. I didn't see coming what actually happened (and I'm being purposely vague). I had mentally assumed a different track based on past experience. So a tip of my hat to Ms. Aaron for that lovely bit of misdirection.

Recommended if you've read the first two in the series. Highly recommend the audio books.



View all my reviews

One Good Dragon Deserves Another by Rachel Aaron (Heartstrikers #2)

One Good Dragon Deserves Another by Rachel Aaron

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Jacket Blurb:  After barely escaping the machinations of his terrifying mother, two all knowing seers, and countless bloodthirsty siblings, the last thing Julius wants to see is another dragon. Unfortunately for him, the only thing more dangerous than being a useless Heartstriker is being a useful one, and now that he’s got an in with the Three Sisters, Julius has become a key pawn in Bethesda the Heartstriker’s gamble to put her clan on top.

Refusal to play along with his mother’s plans means death, but there’s more going on than even Bethesda knows, and with Estella back in the game with a vengeance, Heartstriker futures disappearing, and Algonquin’s dragon hunter closing in, the stakes are higher than even a seer can calculate. But when his most powerful family members start dropping like flies, it falls to Julius to defend the clan that never respected him and prove that, sometimes, the world’s worst dragon is the best one to have on your side.

Read as an audio book.

I greatly enjoyed this narrator. Excellent presentation in my humble opinion.

Inconsistencies galore! VanJager (sp? mind, read as an audio book) - the reference was specifically for the dragon flying around killing magic suckers (or whatever they were). Justin. NOT Julius. Marci knew this, she acknowledged this. Yet later, she's telling Julius that she betrayed him and that VanJager is after Julius. No. He is after Justin. Major inconsistency's in this particular plot thread that had me grumbling under my breath.

Use of "either" and "neither" (pronounced by the narrator as "I"-ther or n"I"-ther). I swear it was in just about every other sentence, or it sure seemed that way. I think the narrators emphasis on the word inadvertently highlighted just how much it was used.

Oh my goodness, the repetitive sentences in this installment were just frustrating. Readers are not stupid, even young adults, and we don't need to read the same statement said four different ways on one page! Extraneous extrapolation emphasized the egregious elements of repetitiveness.

Julius is a putz. Marci is the much stronger and more dynamic character in this installment. Julius seems to run around bemoaning what a predicament they are in while Marci rolls up her sleeves and gets them out of it. While Julius stands around going "What? I don't understand?", Marci as absorbed the information and is asking probing questions about the ramifications of what they've just been told.

So, I had my issues with aspects of the book, and my frustrations aside, I did enjoy this book quite a bit. Especially the ending.

Things I found delightful: Ghost is SO COOL! Marci's character really grew in the second book. The reader gets to know more about Amelia, Chelsey, and Bob. And the ending rocked. It really rocked (except for Julius's whining and the talking. Always with the talking.).


Recommended if you've read book one



View all my reviews
 (my review here:  Nice Dragons Finish Last)

The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison

The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Jacket Blurb:  The youngest, half-goblin son of the Emperor has lived his entire life in exile, distant from the Imperial Court and the deadly intrigue that suffuses it. But when his father and three sons in line for the throne are killed in an "accident," he has no choice but to take his place as the only surviving rightful heir.

Entirely unschooled in the art of court politics, he has no friends, no advisors, and the sure knowledge that whoever assassinated his father and brothers could make an attempt on his life at any moment.

Surrounded by sycophants eager to curry favor with the naïve new emperor, and overwhelmed by the burdens of his new life, he can trust nobody. Amid the swirl of plots to depose him, offers of arranged marriages, and the specter of the unknown conspirators who lurk in the shadows, he must quickly adjust to life as the Goblin Emperor. All the while, he is alone, and trying to find even a single friend... and hoping for the possibility of romance, yet also vigilant against the unseen enemies that threaten him, lest he lose his throne – or his life.

This exciting fantasy novel, set against the pageantry and color of a fascinating, unique world, is a memorable debut for a great new talent.

2015 Hugo Nominee.

This was a story that drew me in and suddenly I'm done with the book.  There are no epic battles, no cross country chase scenes, no mano a mano duels, no blustering rages wielding a massive sword.  It's one small half goblin-half elven boy who finds himself suddenly thrust into the seat of the Elven Empire without a clue of what he should do, surrounded by people he doesn't know, in a castle he barely remembers.

Which, really, doesn't sound all that interesting on the surface.  Just another rags to riches story.  But for some reason, this was different.  Perhaps it was a combination of the world setting (a goblin/elven world) in a steampunk setting (again, not my favorite, but it worked), written with a deftness that made the words just flow.

So, setting.  It's a "steampunk" setting but subtly so - there are airships to convey people to and fro, and this plays a part in establishing the plot, but once that's done, the steampunk-ness takes a back seat.  The reader does see a bit more when the clockwork people present their bridge idea, but that was about it. 

Plot.  As I mentioned above, this is a story about Maia. The fourth son of the elvish Emperor, banished to some remote fortress with a guardian after the death of his goblin mother when he was eight.  The Guardian has been taking his anger out on Maia the last 10 years, something which Maia cannot forgive him for.

Maia's assent ion to the throne is sudden and the first thing that happens in the book.  The rest of the story is about Maia coming to terms with the loss of a Father he didn't know, a Mother he desperately misses, betrayal on numerous sides, and the forging of friendships in a court where he feels desperately alone.  In some ways, this is a coming of age book, but sans the  epic quests we usually see in high fantasy.  Which was greatly appreciated.

My main complaint with the book was actually in the names of people and things.  I'm not a fan of long names, and tend to mentally shorten them right of the bat.  It also took me a while to figure out the honorifics being used - not realizing there was an appendix at the end of the book that explained it all.  That would have been nice at the beginning. 

Overall, a solid absorbing read with beautiful world building and solid character development.



View all my reviews

The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies (part 3)

The last installment of the Hobbit/Lord of the Rings Franchise was released yesterday, and as has been tradition going on for 6 years (not consecutively), I went opening day.   For the Lord of the Rings series, my friend and I actually stood in line!  Yes!  But movie times, availability, and being able to purchase tickets ahead of time has taken away that necessity.  Now we can show up for a noon show, walk in, and be one of 8 people in the theater. 

But I digress.  This is about the movie.  Which we saw in 3D because on-line movie times didn't match real-world movie times and I didn't want to wait 45 minutes for the next 2D show.

Ultimately, I was underwhelmed.  It was and hour and a half battle scene bracketed by 30 minutes of getting the armies of Man, Elves, Dwarves, Orks, and Orks into place.  Then it was 30 minutes of tears.  I found the battle scenes to be overly large, improbable, and, well, boring.  We have our main characters dancing around, swinging swords and rocks and knives and wielding bows and arrows against impossible odds.   We have a shield wall that wasn't used properly.  We have ranks and ranks of archers that weren't used at all - even with a shield wall right in front of them! 

I sat in my seat, fidgeting, wishing I had my knitting. I sat there lamenting that if Peter Jackson was going to do his interpretation of the Hobbit, why couldn't the dragon have lived and smote all the armies and put everyone out of their misery right off the bat.  Poor dragon.  Always get the short stick right in the chest cavity.

I will maintain, Jackson took a fantastic adventure story and turned it into an action film. 

I don't need to say more, because if you've read the Hobbit, and seen the first two installments, you'll know what's coming.  

Recommended with reservations. 

Well, boys, this is a fine mess you've gotten yourself into...

Dance with Dragons by George RR Martin (A Song of Fire and Ice #5)

A Dance with Dragons by George R.R. Martin

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


Jacket Blurb:  In the aftermath of a colossal battle, Daenerys Targaryen rules with her three dragons as queen of a city built on dust and death. But Daenerys has thousands of enemies, and many have set out to find her. Fleeing from Westeros with a price on his head, Tyrion Lannister, too, is making his way east--with new allies who may not be the ragtag band they seem. And in the frozen north, Jon Snow confronts creatures from beyond the Wall of ice and stone, and powerful foes from within the Night's Watch. In a time of rising restlessness, the tides of destiny and politics lead a grand cast of outlaws and priests, soldiers and skinchangers, nobles and slaves, to the greatest dance of all.

Game of Thrones (1st ed 1991)
A Clash of Kings (1st ed 1998)   yup...7 year wait.
A Storm of Swords (1st ed 2000)  whew!  2 years.
A Feast for Crows (1st ed 2005)  damn, 5 years this time.
Dance with Dragons (1st ed 2012)  another 7 year wait.  Was it worth it?  No, not really.


My plot summary (I'm assuming you've read the first four or have a passing acquaintance with the series):

Tyrion went from point A to point B and really didn't accomplish anything other than being the most interesting part of the book despite nothing happening!

Jon stayed at the wall and pissed everyone off. 

Stannis marched on Bolton and got stuck in the snow, "Winter is coming!"

Reek got stuck between Bolton and Stannis.

Bran got stuck in a cave.

Daenerys spends most of her time wringing her hands, "But I'm just a young girl!" while everyone is telling her to take the damn dragons and wreak some havoc and chaos!  What good are dragons if you can't inflict some mayhem? 


It's almost as if the multiple plots have gotten out of control and GRRM doesn't quite know how to pull all the various strings back in to make a strong cohesive story. 

This was a rather grandiose, overly bloated, transition book about feasts lavish enough to make the Food Network envious, clothing descriptions to rival Project Runway, a Kim Kardashian-style (aka - pointless) wedding, and guts/shit/flux/flies and carnage enough to turn a strong person off their dinner. 

Ultimately, there was a lot of repetitive statements, such as "words are wind" and "being as useless as nipples on a breastplate". People were kinda moving around on the playing field unless they were stuck in the snow or bobbing around at sea. As for the numerous endings - which all felt the same - the reader is left once again clutching at their breast, gasping for air, wailing and tearing their hair at the cliffhangers.  

Well, no, not really that bad; mostly I just tossed the book aside in disgust, knowing that it may very well be another 5 years before we know who lives and who dies, and by that time I just won't care.   Actually, I don't care now - too many years pass between the books and I'm losing interest.

Reek. Reek, the book was weak.



View all my reviews

Movie: The Hobbit - the Desolation of Smaug

Friday the Hobbit part 2 was released.  And while I am no longer standing in line at 8am for the opening movie, which is now at Midnight rather than 11am, I still like to go opening day.

My review:  a moderately entertaining three hour movie that is nothing like the book.

Why?  The Hobbit book is an adventure. It's about a Hobbit who decides to leave his Shire and go on perhaps the grandest adventure of all.  He meets fantastical peoples in the elves and the shape shifter, saves the dwarves from more than one mishap and somewhere along the way find his courage.  It's lighthearted, whimsical, and the prose brings to life a wonderful world.

The Hobbit movie is about a vendetta between the deposed King of the Dwarves, the Necromancer and his White Orc, and one very ill tempered dragon.  We have"RUN! You Fools!", grandiose chase scenes, kung-fu like fight scenes, Gandalf holding off the necromancer on a tiny bridge while holding his staff aloft, and a love interest.  It's like watching a Dungeons and Dragons video game.  It's dark, fast paced and creepy (you can't watch this and not think the spiders are creepy...).

The movie is nothing like the book.  Except for the ill-tempered dragon, who I don't blame for being so cranky at such a deviation from adventure to action.  

Indeed, Mr. Peter Jackson, what have you done?

Recommended with reservations.  

Throne of the Crescent Moon by Saladin Ahmed

Throne of the Crescent Moon by Saladin Ahmed

My rating: 4 of 5 stars






Jacket Blurb:  The Crescent Moon Kingdoms, home to djenn and ghuls, holy warriors and heretics, are at the boiling point of a power struggle between the iron-fisted Khalif and the mysterious master thief known as the Falcon Prince. In the midst of this brewing rebellion a series of brutal supernatural murders strikes at the heart of the Kingdoms. It is up to a handful of heroes to learn the truth behind these killings.

Doctor Adoulla Makhslood, “the last real ghul hunter in the great city of Dhamsawaat,” just wants a quiet cup of tea. Three score and more years old, he has grown weary of hunting monsters and saving lives, and is more than ready to retire from his dangerous and demanding vocation. But when an old flame’s family is murdered, Adoulla is drawn back to the hunter’s path.

Raseed bas Raseed, Adoulla’s young assistant, is a hidebound holy warrior whose prowess is matched only by his piety. But even as Raseed’s sword is tested by ghuls and manjackals, his soul is tested when he and Adoulla cross paths with the tribeswoman Zamia.

Zamia Badawi, Protector of the Band, has been gifted with the near-mythical power of the lion-shape, but shunned by her people for daring to take up a man’s title. She lives only to avenge her father’s death. Until she learns that Adoulla and his allies also hunt her father’s killer. Until she meets Raseed.

When they learn that the murders and the Falcon Prince’s brewing revolution are connected, the companions must race against time—and struggle against their own misgivings—to save the life of a vicious despot. In so doing they discover a plot for the Throne of the Crescent Moon that threatens to turn Dhamsawaat, and the world itself, into a blood-soaked ruin

 
This is a 2013 Hugo Novel Nominee. 

I thoroughly enjoyed this story - set in an exotic land with magic, evil khalif, eastern Robin Hoods, djinns, and ghuls.   The last demon-hunter is now an old man with a young, noble hearted - but slightly misguided - warrior as an apprentice.  We meet a Badwai desert shape-changer, and feel the affection between a magic-worker and his apothecary wife.  There's love, disappointment, and promises to be honored.  We have the "great city of Dhamsawaat" that is seen from the eyes of the old and young, from the viewpoint of City dwellers and desert tribesman. 

Throne of the Crescent Moon is as rich as any middle eastern tapestry - deftly woven, delightful colors, intricate in it's design.  For some, it might be a bit...flat; others will delight in the nuances offered.

I've heard it touted as reminiscent of Arabian Nights, but I thought the only similarity was it's Far Eastern setting.  And while not marketed as YA, it's definitely straddles that line. 

Recommended if you don't mind YA.  



View all my reviews
 

Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury

Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

 Jacket Blurb: What if someone discovers your secret dream, that one great wish you would give anything for? And what if that person makes your dream come true—before you learn the price you have to pay? Something Wicked This Way Comes is the story of two boys who encounter the sinister wonders of Cooger & Dark's Pandemonium Shadow Show. They will soon discover the show's awful mystery—a mystery that will change the life of every person it touches—in this stunning masterwor of dark fantasy by Ray Bradbury.



A Classic of this nature one simply does not 'review'.  I'll leave that to the Literature courses found in schools and higher education institutions.  This is more my observations and thoughts on this particular Bradbury story.   

I "read" this as an audiobook.  The narrators voice added a delightful intensity to the dark subject matter of time, the passing of innocence, aging and death. He brought to life the characters of Will and Jim, the anguish of Mr. Halloway, and the shadowy world of Mr. Dark the Illustrated Man.  A good narrator draws you into the story that you just can't get from pages in a book.

In all honesty, I really waffled between being totally blown away by Bradbury's use of the English language to describe and illuminate, and being bored by his over use of the English language to describe and illuminate. I think his penchant for simile becomes annoying in a longer story.

Additionally, are several points in the book where the characters talk at great length about the state of affairs and in Bradbury's very flowing and almost flowery language, it becomes...pontification.  And yes, I recognize that it is a reflection of the times in which Bradbury lived, but that doesn't mean I have to like it.  Appreciate it, yes, enjoy as part of the story, not so much.

Acknowledging the time period in which this was written, and having just read the Martian Chronicles and Fahrenheit 451 in the last 6 months, I am amused by the behavior of small boys as portrayed in these stories.  Perpetually smart, incredibly polite, minding their Sir's and Ma'am's, but yet still managing to be 13 year old boys by sneaking out windows, running around at 3am in the morning, and doing their utmost to protect their mama's. The smartness factor had me rolling my eyes a bit, as it does in Heinlein's books, with the expectations that all children should be highly educated and perfectly behaved.

And - my personal quirk - another reason why not to like carnies...they are just creepy.  I've not seen the movie adaptation of the book.  Torn between wanting to and meh, read the book attitude. 







View all my reviews

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkein (book and movie)

The Movie: 
It should come as no surprise that I had advanced tickets for the opening day of the new Hobbit movie.  It will come as a surprise that, I, was not there.  My Folks and my friend Tess went, but not me.  Alas, I was on the other side of the state attending a funeral.

So it took me a while to get to the theater.  The Husband and finally I went on a snowy Saturday to the 3D version, since he had never seen a movie in 3D.

Cinamagraphically (is that even a word?  it is now...), amazing.  Rolling green hills, stunning vistas, towering mountains, lush green forests, some absolutely beautiful scenery shots.

Story-wise?  I was sadly underwhelmed.  Which lead me to pick up the book again.


The Book:
More time must have passed than I realized since I had last read this. I re-read the Lord of the Rings Trilogy after the movies.  And I've read the Simarillion in the last 10 years, as well as the Children of Hurin.  The Hobbit felt almost simple in comparison, which probably explains why there is this odd compulsion amongst SF&F convention attendees to brag about what age they read the Hobbit.  Like it is some sort of Badge of Honor to say, in a very pompous and officious voice, "I read the Hobbit when I was 5!"

But I digress.  The book is an epic fantasy adventure.  Our band of 13 dwarves and 1 Hobbit travel the width of the land to re-claim the treasure and mine of Thorin, son of Thror son of Thrain from the Dragon Smaug.  They pass through the mines of the Goblins, through the home of the Elves, are borne through the skies on the backs of the Great Eagles, become lost in the great forest of the Bear-shifter Beorne, are captured by the woodland Elves and escape to the home of the Men under the shores of the Misty Mountain, and, on the cusp of winter, come once again to Thorin's home of old.

Epic. Fantasy. Adventure.   


The Movie:
Epic. Fantasy. Action Flick.

I fully understand that anytime someone takes it upon themselves to make a movie out of a book, it will be subjected to artistic license and interpretation.

My issues with the movie:
1) Turned and adventure book into an Action Flick.
2) Just how many times can Gandalf shout "Run!"?
3) A lot of back story was added, which to me broke up the flow of the film. 


The movie did stay true to several main components and the order in which they happened:
The Fellowship coming together
The Trolls and finding of magical weapons
Visit to Rivendell
The Goblins and the King Under the Mountain
Gollum! Gollum! and our riddle challenge
Flight from the Gollum mines and the Wargs
The Golden Eagles

But, the movie added:
A personal vendetta between Thorin and the White Orc
Thorin's reluctance to visit Rivendell
The Brown Wizard - now, I will be honest, I thought he was super cool.
and, I'm guessing here, that we are going to see more of the Necromancer than is actually in the book, which is nothing.
I'm probably missing a couple items, but for this post, you get my drift. 

So while I just wasn't overly impressed, I am curious as to how the next two episodes will be played out.  I'm NOT looking forward to the bit with the giant spiders.  I get squeamish with ones quarter sized, and to have something 12' tall in HD or 3D? Oh dear, oh dear.  Hopefully my friend Tess will tell me when I can open my eyes again...

Nebula Awards 2012 ed by James Patrick Kelley

This is August's Scifi Bookgroup Selection - we pretty much read it automatically every year and have since 2002.

Stories Included:

Ponies - Kij Johnson    nasty little girls and fitting in

Sultan of the Clouds - Geoff Landiss      terraforming

Map of Seventeen - Chris Barzak      growing up

I Awoke and Found Me Here on This Cold Hills Side  - James Triptree, Jr      society/aliens

Pishaach - Sweta Narayan   being the outsider even when on the inside

Blackout/All Clear (excerpt) - Connie Willis    I won't touch this one. 

Arvies - Adam Troy-Castro umm...how to describe? The depths to which society has sunk;  satisfing the desires of a few at the expense of others humanity

How Interesting: A Tiny Man  - Harlan Ellison    society can't mind it's own business anymore; mutliple endings.
Jaguar House in Shadow - Alliete de Bodard  
The Green Book  - Amal El-Mohtar   facinating 
And I Shall Wear Midnight (excerpt) - Terry Pratchett    Tiffany Aching series

The downside with this years selection - I had read about 1/3 of the stories last year as part of the Hugo Nominee packet. 
The upside with this years selection - I had read about 1/3 of the stories already! 

What is fascinating to me is the use of a novelette or short story format as social commentary.  It might be about current of modern day topics such as Ponies and how nasty little girls can be.  (Hey, I'm a girl - I could totally relate.)  Or Harlan Ellison's How Interesting: A Tiny Man with societies penchant for sticking our noses into everything these days and slapping it up on the web.  

And more frequently, about where society might be headed, as in Arvies by Adam Troy-Castro. 

A novel length isn't quite capable of that impact necessary to get a social message across in my opinion.  There are too many other factors that need to be plugged into a novel and the message is too easily buried.  Not to say those novels aren't being written (Kim Stanley Robinson comes to mind), or have been written (Fahrenheit 451) but it's a harder length to work with. 

So overall, I thought the Nebula Awards 2012  was a pretty good selection.   Recommended. 

Among Others by Jo Walton

Among Others by Jo Walton


My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This won the 2011 Nebula Award for novel category.


This is nominated for the 2012 Hugo Award.


I enjoyed this selection. It had wit, it was charming, it was engrossing, I enjoyed the 'memoir style and I'm *not* a dairy type person. The main character wasn't perfect - she was full of doubt, she struggled with "maths", she could be arrogant and conceited, but yet, stood firm in her beliefs. It didn’t feel like this was a ‘coming of age’ book, this young gal ‘came of age’ before the book even began, but adding in the teen angst of not fitting in, I think those of us who read scifi and fantasy growing up know the feeling and could relate to her character.


Science fiction, no. Fantasy, more so. But the reference to all those early science fiction books was nicely done. I did question more than once her ability to read that much, but I have to recall that when I was a teenager, that was all I did and I could read three, four books a week (this was when the 500pg tomes were starting to hit the shelves). However, I didn't find the weekly book group realistic with the number of books they were reading in addition to everything else she was reading.


Recommended if you like memoir style writing, light fantasy and frequent references to past science fiction.



View all my reviews

So, Among Others is the opposite end of the scifi spectrum from Leviathan Wakes so I'm not sure it’s fair or possible to compare the two. 
The 2012 Hugo Nominees
Leviathan Wakes    by James SA Corey   (click to see review)
Among Others       by Jo Walton
Deadline                 by Mira Grant
Embassytown       by China Mieville
Dance with Dragons   by GRR Martin

I Shall Wear Midnight by Terry Pratchett

I Shall Wear Midnight by Terry Pratchett

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This is book four in the Tiffany Aching Series. Recommend to be read in order.

Pratchett’s books are a delight to read. Granted, there are some that grab my fancy more than others, but the witticism, the insight into the quirky parts of the human psyche, and the dry (and not so dry) sense of humor is just outstanding.

However, this was one that I thought got a bit…long. Once again, our young heroine seems to be at the center of Big Nasty Things. A Big Nasty Thing is turning people against witches, against the help they give the small communities, all the little wrongs they right, old people they care for, young people they bring into the world…you get the idea. Intolerance is blooming again in Discworld and despite knowing Miss Aching for 16 years, she’s now A Person of Dubious Character because she is a witch.

And Miss Aching, for her part, spends a goodly portion of the book running around not getting enough sleep, not eating properly and wondering how she is going to take care of the most current problem.

About half way through I was ready to skip to the end to find out. But then I might miss something cool that the Mac Nac Feegles did. So I doggedly kept going.



Not my favorite Pratchett, but not my least favorite either.




Gail’s review on Disorganized, As Usual


Andrew Wheeler's review




View all my reviews

North American Discworld Convention 2011; Madison WI,

This weekend my friend and I met up and headed down to Madison for the North American Discworld Convention, a four day fantasy convention that revolves solely around the world created by Sir Terry Pratchett  (or his UK link here).  Sir Terry was in attendance as Guest of Honor, and from my understanding this may be his last US appearance.  I could be wrong about that tho...I would like to be wrong about that...

This was a slightly different convention from what we usually attend; again 1)  it revolved around a single theme - Discworld. 2) lots more hall costumes 3) a younger crowd (which is great to see at a convention!) and 4) not a heck of a lot of panels that interested us so we were left to our own devises a fair amount, and usually in the mornings.

WI state capitol and art fair

 Which we filled up by attending the Madison Art Fair on the Square.  This...is bloody huge to paraphrase our British attendees.  It's two rows of tents - or about 375 vendors -  surrounding the entire capitol square, and down one side street, with artists from across the nation.  This is also high end art. Or, to put in another perspective - expensive.  We endured the masses - and I do mean masses - of people on Saturday morning from about 9a till Noon when we pleaded Merci! and fled back to the hotel for afternoon programming.  The next morning we ventured out again at 9a - show didn't open till 10a - and found a few vendors open.  I bought a small photograph that had grabbed my attention the day before, and my friend found two small photos that she picked up for her office. 

Lunch was a selection of goodies from the much reduced Madison Farmers Market, that was wedged in on a side street.

But, convention.  I/we attended mostly afternoon programing that Sir Terry was at:



Sign says it all...

Friday - Movie Premiere "Terry Pratchett: Choosing to Die"  (read the Wikipedia link) Very thought provoking.

Saturday - Talking with Terry; the Masquerade

Sunday - Good Omens Discussion; with a surprise appearance by Neil Gaiman!  Woot!  Then later we watched the Color of Magic in the movie room. 

Monday - Closing Ceremonies and reading of Where's My Cow?



This was my first visit to Madison since a family vacation oh...about 35 years ago.  We spent a great deal of time walking up and down State Street with it's varied shops and many many restaurants.  We walked around the inside of the Wisconsin State Capitol with it's beautiful marble stonework and architecture.  We wanted to go to the War Museum but alas, it was closed on Monday when it was raining.  We saw Monona Terrace (designed by Frank Lloyd Wright) over looking Lake Monona.  I would have liked to have grabbed a rental bike and biked around the lake a bit but an opportunity never really came up. Another trip perhaps.

Monday really didn't have much for programming except for closing ceremonies at 3p, so off to the Madison Arboretum we went...well, after the severe weather went through that is. 

One of three turkeys on the immediate grounds



The Arboretum was sadly...disappointing.  I've been to others (including the University of Minnesota's) and this was by far the most underwhelming and least diverse.  We wandered around through the grove of tree species, watching the turkeys and getting wet feet. 

It was too early to head back to the hotel by far, so we made our way to the Zoo!  This was decent little zoo, with well maintained habitats, some closed for renovations, other looking very new. 

Who will be the lucky goat?

The long weekend ended with a trip to Taliesin, the Wisconsin home of Frank Lloyd Wright.  I've always had a fascination with Mr. Wrights work and one of my dreams is to someday tour Fallingwater in Pennsylvania.  But, this was just as great an opportunity in my opinion!  My friend and I did a two hour house tour, which encompassed the grounds around the house and part of the main house itself.  Only part because a family lives in the other section and the rest is residences for the Architectural School that is in residence.  Two hours was plenty - a person could easily spend a half day here.  Another time I'll go back and tour more.   

The Mislaid Magician or Ten Years After by Patricia Wrede and Caroline Stevermere

Also known as Kate and Ceceila #3.   Young Adult, Fantasy series.

From Goodreads.com: The epistolary cousins of Sorcery and Cecelia and The Grand Tour are back! Ten years have passed, and sweetly bumbling Kate and headstrong Cecy have settled into their marriages with Thomas and James. While all seems quiet on the domestic front, trouble is percolating in early-19th-century England. The advent of railways has brought with it unexpected complications: In addition to smoke-belching engines and clattering passenger cars, these mechanical intruders have destabilized the entire ancient realm of underground magic, endangering the entire British Isles. As in previous books, authors Patricia Wrede and Caroline Stevermer convey both realism and superrealism in their quaint missives. A treat that must be sampled.

As noted above, this is a continuation in the adventures of Kate and Cecilia, now grown with children. Cecy and her husband are summoned to go find a missing surveyor, and leave their children in the hands of Kate and her spouse. What Cecy and her husband find is more than just missing person. There is strong magic afoot! Kate and Cecilia continue to correspond by letter, each letter a chapter from that characters perspective.  We have some correspondence between James and Thomas, but it really didn't seem to add anything to the story other than remind the reader that they were still there.



As a Young Adult book, this is an enjoyable sequel to the first two books, but it really is not as strong as its predecessors were from a ‘grown-ups’ point of view. It also seemed to lack some of the charm from the first story and felt a bit forced in places.


If you have youngsters who enjoyed Harry Potter and the like, and if you have pre-teen girls or tween girls who liked Harry Potter, then they might enjoy this series.  

Blood Bound by Patricia Briggs

Book two in the Mercedes Thompson series.

From Goodreads.com:  The second installment of Patricia Briggs's paranormal fantasy saga...pits the butt-kicking mechanic/coyote shape-shifter against a foe that is as rare as he is ruthless -- a demon-possessed sorcerer who is also a vampire!



When Mercy agrees to help out friend Stefan (a bloodsucker from the local vampire clan in the Tri-Cities area of Washington State), she has no idea that she is about to inadvertently come face-to-face with an otherworldly creature that epitomizes pure evil. After barely surviving her encounter with sorcerer Cory Littleton, Mercy -- with the help of a small group of supernatural friends -- vows to track down the mysterious Littleton before he can butcher more innocent people. Her mission is twofold: Not only will she stop a mass murderer from killing again but she will also (hopefully) protect the invaluable secrecy of the vampires who live in the Tri-Cities area. But can a shape-shifting mechanic with a thing for Volkswagen cars defeat a monstrosity powered by spirits from the depths of Hell?

Friend Gail reviewed it here as well: Disorganized, As Usual.

Actually, Gail's summary is much, much better than Goodreads. 

Mercedes, aka "Mercy" finds herself caught between the Vampires and the Werewolves of Tri-Cities once again, this time pitting her against a vampire-sorcerer.  The Vampires, Werewolves and Fae are all deathly afraid of this creature, but it seems that everyone has pinned their hopes on Mercy being able to kill it.  Now, this does, at first reading, seem to be at the very best, corny, but oddly, Briggs makes it work and she does it well.  Book two was fast paced, a well thought out plot, and very interesting characters.  And, because this is book two, the characters start to flesh out a bit more (no pun intended). 

My complaint with this book was, because it was book two, that the author had to keep filling in background material covered in book one, for those poor souls who were by chance not fortunate enough to start with book one.  More than once I found myself going yeah,yeah yeah, story already! as the why fore and how were filled in. The downside to a series, I suppose, but I kept wondering if it couldn't have been done a bit more succinctly.

Nuff said. Off to find book three. 

Patrick Rothfuss Visits Duluth

On Tuesday evening, on very short notice, fantasy author Patrick Rothfuss made a stop in Duluth while visiting Northern Wisconsin.  I noted in my previous post that we don't get any scifi-fantasy authors up here.  In the 11 years I've been going to book group, he's technically second. The first scifi guest author (who shall remain nameless) was so bad he doesn't count.  To this day the book group agrees his book was the worst we have ever read.  I'm not kidding here.

So.  Patrick came, he read two selections, and signed books.  The first reading was from his college years when he was doing a column for the college paper.  He had a good point - for him  it was a precursor to modern day blogging.  The second selection was from his forthcoming book The Wise Man's Fear (Day 2 in the Kingkiller series).  Patrick was adamant that this book will be released on time in March, 2011.

As I said earlier, I have not read Day 1: In the Name of the Wind.  I'll get around to it eventually - I keep hoping we'll vote it in at book group but until one steadfast person is in absentea, that probably won't happen.  That and we had to wait till it came out in mass paperback. 

Now I noted Patrick read two selections, but he also talked and answered questions from the audience of about 40 people.  I found him to be engaging, comfortable in front of a group, and humorous.  He engaged the group for about an hour, then took a break before starting to sign books.  I departed at that point, not getting in line fast enough to get a copy of his children's story nor desiring an autograph. You will notice in the picture that the background looks suspiciously like a clothing store - B&N stuck us out in the hall at the mall, right across from Old Navy.  Poor Patrick had to compete with mall music, people walking by and no microphone.   If he could survive this, I suspect in not too long he'll be showing up at some local conventions.

Patrick kindly posing for pictures

Patrick Rothfus: Author Reading and Signing in Duluth

First, I will say straight up that I have not yet read Mr. Rothfuss's book: In the Name of the Wind.  However!  I want to support any scifi-fantasy author that manages to make it to Duluth.  We are really off the beaten path up here and don't get very many (ie: none) scifi/fantasy authors.

Reading/Booksigning

Tuesday, October 12th
7:00pm – 10:00pm
Barnes and Noble
Duluth, MN 55811
218-786-0710

His website:  Patrick Rothfuss

Wild Seed by Octavia Butler

This is July's book group selection. We must have been in an odd mood when we picked this one as it is very different from our usual choices.

Anyanwu is a healer with the ability to metamorphose herself into any creature that she has tasted or
eaten. She can ingest plants and ascertain if they will heal or poison. She can alter her form to be male or female, but in the end, she is always Anyanwu, a healer. Anyanwu knows she cannot easily die and estimates she is over 300 years old.

Doro is neither a ghost or a spirit, but lives off of other bodies. He kills for pleasure, for necessity, to keep on living. Over the eons, he has built up colonies of peoples for his purposes, to try and breed another Doro, to supply himself with strong bodies, to create a super race of peoples. In his selfish quest for unique individuals he finds Anyanwu, a wild seed not of his making, but who he will make part of his plans.

This is both a fascinating and disturbing story. The dance between Anyanwu and Doro can be perplexing. Anyanwu is by no means stupid or dim witted, she has lived a long time and seen a lot, but yet she remains very passive/submissive in the presence of Doro.

Doro's actions and plans are disturbing as he is using people for breeding purposes. Here we see cultural conventions being challenged as he mates who he wants, when he wants, and, in some cases, how he wants.

I enjoyed this book because it made me think and squirm a bit. It's good to read something non-conventional every once and a while. Recommended.

Jhegaala by Steven Brust

Jhegaala by Steven Brust

Book blurb: Fresh from the collapse of his marriage, and with the criminal Jhereg organization out to eliminate him, Vlad decides to hide out among his relatives in faraway Fenario. All he knows about them is that their family name is Merss and that they live in a paper-making industrial town called Burz.
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Book 11 is basically a mystery. Our hero, Vlad Taltos, has decided he needs to disappear and going to find his Mother's family seems to be the right way to go about it. However, what was supposed to be a somewhat simple geneological research, ends up being a mystery of great depth and peril.

I have decided this wasn't one of Brust's better Vald Taltos books. I enjoy the occasional mystery, but this just didn't have enough depth for me. Vlad spent the first part of the book walking back and forth between two taverns trying to solve what was going on, and the second part of the book lying flat on his back trying to solve what was going on. Throughout the whole thing, his familiar sounds like a parrot "Can we go now, Boss? Can we go now, Boss?"

The plot concept for the ending was moderately interesting, but how he came to the whole "who done it" while lying on his back was rather weak. I gave myself a week to mull my reaction over, and decided overall this book was just 'eh'.

View all my reviews

Sunshine by Robin McKinley

I've been reading Robin McKinley's books for about 25 years now and, for the most part, have enjoyed them. On the flip side, I haven't read so many vampire books. The Vampire books I've read are (yes, I can tell you how many!): Dracula, Those who Haunt the Night by Barbara Hambly, The Madness Season by C.S. Friedman, and Interview With a Vampire and The Vampire Lestat by Anne Rice. I haven't even cracked a page on the new Twilight series, much less any of the other vampire books currently on the shelves. However, when my friend reviewed Sunshine here: Disorganized as Usual I had to give this one a whirl.


Taking the description from Goodreads: "Rae Seddon, nicknamed Sunshine, lives a quiet life working at her stepfather's bakery. One night, she goes out to the lake for some peace and quiet. Big mistake. She is set upon by vampires, who take her to an old mansion. They chain her to the wall and leave her with another vampire, who is also chained. But the vampire, Constantine, doesn't try to eat her. Instead, he implores her to tell him stories to keep them both sane. Realizing she will have to save herself, Sunshine calls on the long-forgotten powers her grandmother began to cultivate in her when she was a child. She transforms her pocketknife into a key and unchains herself--and Constantine. Surprised, he agrees to flee with her when she offers to protect him from the sun with magic. They escape back to town, but Constantine knows his enemies won't be far behind, which means that he and Sunshine will have to face them together. A luminous, entrancing novel with an enthralling pair of characters at its heart."


This book was fantastic...with exceptions. I enjoyed the story immensely. I detested the pages and pages of Sunshine agonizing about her sudden ability to do magic when she knew she was from a magical family. I was annoyed by the pages and pages of Sunshine's inner monologue which seemed to be mostly whining. I grew irritated with the pages and pages of exposition describing the world setting. I didn't feel like those pages of explanation added much to the story and I kept finding inconsistencies. I wanted action, not lengthy details on why some humans had demon blood in them and what would happen to them if anyone found out they weren't registered with the Special Forces. I wanted Sunshine to grow some balls and kick vampire ass instead wandering around moping.

Hmm, not exactly a glowing review, but this was a really good book. It's just one you have to read and see for yourself.