Monthly Archives: January 2014

Fantasy, Review

Dirty Magic by Jaye Wells

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Dirty MAgic
Dirty Magic by Jaye Wells
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This was somewhat of a random read for me. I have an ever growing list of books to read, but I felt like picking up something a little different. I looked over the brief description and decided to give Dirty Magic by Jaye Wells a try. It is the first book in her new Prospero’s War series and was published by Orbit just ten days ago on 1-21-14. The concept of magic being used to create illicit potions seemed interesting and I am always up for a fresh idea. The story revolves around Kate Prospero, a beat cop in Babylon, which is supposed to be in the Rust Belt. Think Detroit with a view of Lake Erie. In Babylon, Kate Patrols an area known as The Cauldron. The Cauldron is a particularly rundown area where the potion users and cooks are more dense.

Wizards cook up potions for vanity, greed, sex, energy, pretty much anything. Most of these potions are cooked up and distributed by a few local covens, which unlike actual covens, are really just local magic gangs. While there are legal, clean potions for sell (energy drinks for example or even fuels) most of the potions we encounter are cooked by street wizards with inferior quality, and of course are ‘dirty’ so to speak. These potions become addicting and ruin addicts’ lives as well as appearance. Kate normally arrests the users hanging around on the streets. A new and dangerous potion shows up which transforms the user into a  werewolf with no real control. In the very beginning Kate has to kill the user she encounters, which turned out to be an MEA snitch. Kate ends up getting herself assigned to the MEA (Magic Enforcement Agency) task force. Their job is to locate the source of this new potion and shut them down.

Before I go any farther, I need to say that I really enjoyed this book. It was the first book by Jaye Wells that  have ever read and I was impressed. I will have to grab some more. I have to be honest and say that this was unexpected though. I had some doubts that I would like this book at all for several reasons. First, the title. It sounded like one of those cheesy romantic-urban-fantasy stories. A quick look at the description was enough to contradict that. Next was the detective story angle. I have never considered myself a fan of generic mystery stories either. While they seem to always find their ways to the best seller lists, mysteries just never did it for me. I did reconsider this though, almost exclusively due to the magic spin. I have to say that I am glad I went outside of what I thought I would like and took a chance.

I have only one real issue though. At one point Kate makes it known that she carries a Glock .22. Sorry, no. I cannot accept that. I have several friends in law enforcement. They range from Port Authority and NYPD to federal agents. None of these people would be caught on or off duty with a little .22. It is just unrealistic, especially if you knew the daily beat meant facing people hopped up on anything. Drugs, or in this case potions, makes them harder to put down. A .22 would not cut it. In that situation a .40 would be appropriate. I could understand a 9mm. Without the insight of my LE friends, I do not know if this would have bothered me as much, or if I would have even noticed, but it did take me out of the moment.

Let us return to novel itself though. I did appreciate the building of the main character, something I always tend to focus on. More and more of her history and personality came out over the course of the book which made the “getting to know you” feel very natural. She was was well crafted and showed a bit of depth. I liked the personal and professional struggles and felt they made her more real. I think all of the major players had some good foundations and layers. There were definitely some moments of surprise as well as sudden understanding. Even on the detective side, there were enough twists where it completely threw me, yet not so much the it seemed forced. I enjoyed the interpersonal relationships as well, especially with her brother and her friend. The team member bonding is there as well and runs the expected course. There were many really interesting characters and I really hope that we see them again in the next installation. The ball-busting partner with the hard facade that opens up as well as the blow-hard captain have been done to death, but somehow even those work here. I also really like the realistic language. It is undoubtedly adult. I know a lot of authors in fantasy tend to use softer language to appeal to the wider audience, but in this setting it needed the stronger language.

Using standard ratings, I would give this a solid 4/5 stars. Very enjoyable, something I would recommend to people even if they are not fantasy readers. If you enjoy this one, the next book, Cursed Moon, is already lined up for an August release.

Fantasy

Joe Abercrombie’s 1-Star Fantasy Review

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I saw a tweet this morning before going into the office and randomly throughout the day it seemed to come back up to the front of my mind. It was something that I would normally just have shaken my head at in disappointment. Today for some reason it sat and festered until it just popped. The comment made me genuinely angry at the ignorance of some people. Let me explain

Every day Joe Abercrombie has been tweeting a portion of a one star review. These are generally just people who dislike his book, whether it is the plot, their expectations, or any aspect of the work (sometimes they are even directed at the author). They usually seem to be unevenly over the top. Today he tweeted one that was simply misrepresenting the entire genre and it gave me a stronger reaction than it should have.

Abercrombie tweet

The idea that fantasy should be only “mythic worlds” and “heroes” etc. is just simply wrong, and the notion that fantasy has to fit this person’s narrow mold is absurd. Take Neil Gaiman for example. Neverwhere, American Gods, The Ocean at the End of the Lane. I love these books and I feel they are great representations of fantasy. The same can be heard from numerous other Fantasy lovers. Why is this important? The aforementioned stories take place here, on the Earth. They are set in familiar places, London, various states in the US, and the town Gaiman grew up in. Fantasy’s only requirement is that it is by definition fantastical. This is where Urban fantasy comes in. To be truthful, I dislike the phrasing of category because it has come to signify vampires and such. That is one thing we are not lacking. True urban fantasy though, such as Gaiman’s work, or historical fiction such as the Temeraire series by Naomi Novik or the Milkweed Triptych by Ian Tregallis, can be fantastical without inventing a new world. As one of Abercrombie’s followers said, some people expect all fantasy to have elves and dragons. If that were the case, this genre would have gotten state long ago.

I am the first to admit that I really appreciate good world building, however a story cannot survive on that alone. Allow me to point out the most obvious issue here. This was from an Amazon review of The Blade Itself by Mr. Abercrombie. That book is exactly what I would call epic fantasy. Wizard? Check. Warrior? Check. Dragon? No dragon? I guess it can’t be fantasy then. The comment is ludicrous to me.

Please do not get me wrong, I  am not trying to change someone’s mind to like a book that they do not. Hate the book for all I care. I may disagree with you, but your opinion is your own. I am not advocating the need for everyone to write a glowing review. That is entirely unrealistic. Make it a scathing list of everything you felt was wrong, but make it based on real reasons. There are classic which are loved by many that I think are just boring or thoughtless. No two people have the same tastes and that is wonderful. It gives us an amazing variety. The only things I ask are not to fault something  for an arbitrary rule that you made up an nobody else agreed to, and do not try to restrict a genre or an author.

What makes fantasy so great is that is it different. There is a reason that a large number of blockbuster movies are inspired by Fantasy book (as well as SciFi and comics). It is the difference not only from the real world that makes them interesting, but their difference from each other that keeps which keeps them fresh.

</rant>

Review, SciFi

Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie

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ancillary-justice
Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie. Click for more information

Ancillary Justice is the first book in author Ann Leckie’s new trilogy, the Imperial Radch series. The novel begins by introducing us to the main character who goes by the name of Breq. We learn very early on that this name is just one chosen by our protagonist, not one they were always known by. Breq had also gone by One Esk and Justice of Toren.  This character is is very interesting with many levels being peeled by throughout the course of the story. You may have noticed, but I have been a bit evasive as to use and pronouns in identifying Breq. This is because I honestly have no idea what gender the character is. Breq aka One Esk, does not deal very well with the concept of gender or the accompanying pronouns. Everyone for the most part is referred to as “she”, even when they are clearly male.

This makes some aspects rather confusing and somewhat distracting when you find yourself trying to figure out who is really what. On the other hand it does provoke thought in terms of the importance of gender in our language. This is not where the confusion ends though. While Breq is an individual, One Esk is a collection of Ancillaries, which are, formerly human, “corpse soldiers” (not zombies, trust me on this) operating on a hive mind. Their singular consciousness is uploaded to them and they are joined in a permanent up-link with their ship and (fully human) officers. To take this up another level, Justice of Toren is the ship’s AI consciousness. This shift in perspectives between the three states of one mind is actually very interesting as it allows the narrative to take turns a first person view normally could not.

The story also takes place over an extremely vast period of time, often jumping back and forth. As part of the Justice of Toren, One Esk is a part of a Radchaai fleet. The Radch government is basically a human race with visions of colonization and assimilation. They use ancillaries for both military and domestic reasons, yet consider themselves somehow more civilized than any other society. Their civilization is also one reminiscent of feudalism with the idea of fealty. One Esk serves its Radchaai masters without question. It is an AI programmed for such things, yet it does still have feeling and the ability to pass judgement. Regardless of this, all aspects of the AI still obey, even against their own wishes. This ability to think with a conscious is really what makes the plot tick, along with some strife within the Leader of the Radch’s rule. I cannot really say more of this without some plot spoiler that I feel will better serve unspoiled. If people are interested in further discussion, let me know.

I really appreciated the complexity of the main character as well as the various views the book takes. There are some really fantastic ideas and concepts that play out. Ann Leckie really put a lot of thought into the mechanism and that work paid off to build a wonderful system and a great story. The confusing pronouns were certainly a risk, and she acknowledges that. The book is very enjoyable and only gets better as all of the pieces begin to fall into place. The style may not be for everyone, but I suggest giving it a shot. As someone who really digs into the Science Fiction and Fantasy genres, something unique like this is always worth a try.

Ancillary Justice was also recently read in two SF/F book clubs which were able to get Ann Leckie involved in the discussion. A word of caution to those who have not yet read this story, these are both taking place during wrap ups and will contain spoilers.

Sword and Laser is a personal favorite of mine. They pick some great books, alternating monthly between Fantasy and SciFi. They have forums over on Goodreads and a podcast hosted by Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont. They also just finished filming the next season of their video author spotlights. Keep and eye on them, I doubt any SF/F could be dissapointed. Follow this link to the podcast where they wrap up the book and are joined by Ann Leckie who gets in on the discussion and answers their questions.

The other book club which recently covered this is io9‘s. Here Ann Leckie joined the discussion in the user’s comments and answered many readers’ questions through the threads at the bottom of the page. I absolutely suggest giving that a look.

Fantasy, Links, Preview

Links & Excerpts

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There are many really exciting new books coming out this year. Some authors and publishers understand our deep addiction to their content and are kind enough to share a small taste of what is to come. The drawback is that instead of temporarily satiating us, it only leaves us wanting more now, adding to our anticipation. Click the title of the book for the link.

The first excerpt comes from the good folks at Tor Books. This excerpt contains the prologue and first two chapters (with recently released cover art) from the highly anticipated and long awaited second book in the Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson: Words of Radiance. The first book in the epic fantasy series was released almost four years ago and has been very highly praised by both readers and critics. A Pavlovian response was triggered when I first saw this link. I am very excited to see where it goes considering the end of the previous book.

Our next link is from io9, which is a a really great site. If you you are not checking it out regularly, I highly recommend it. This link has an excerpt and cover art from Joe Abercrombie’s new novel Half a King. Joe Abercrombie is best known for The First Law trilogy, but of course you already knew that. This new novel is being published by Del Rey. It revolves around the youngest son of a king born with a disabled hand. Due to this he is referred to as “half a man” by those around him.

For our final link for today, we head back over to Tor for the second novel in Marie Brennan‘s Memoir by Lady Trent series, The Tropic of Serpents. This of course is the follow up to A Natural History of Dragons published last year.  This story took an interesting turn on dragon fantasy, taking the topic into the scientific realm. The point of view is of an older and more accomplished Lady Trent taking a look back at her early work as a natural historian, studying dragons. I enjoyed the first book very much and am eagerly waiting for the next.

Check back for more updates from the lands of SF/F!

Review, SciFi

Sand by Hugh Howey

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Sand cover art
Sand by Hugh Howey. Click image for full description on Goodreads

Sand is latest book by Hugh Howey, the author best known for Wool and the rest of the Silo Saga. Like Wool, this was initially published in five parts. I initially read part of the first book, but with a full reading queue I opted to wait for the full version to come out and bump that to the top of my list. Sand starts by taking you into an unfamiliar desert world where we are introduced to a couple of divers- Palmer and Hap. Unlike the type of diving we are accustomed to, these divers traverse the sand by means of a specialized dive suit which causes the sand to flow around it. From the beginning this idea really intrigued me. The idea of swimming though sand hit me as both brilliant and obvious. I had a feeling of “Why didn’t I think of that?” followed by a daydream of swimming through sand dunes. It feels like a thought you would have as a kid sitting on a playground looking at the sand and letting your imagination wander.

We quickly learn is these divers are not on an alien world, rather a post-apocalyptic Earth. The divers use their suits to dive down below the sand dunes to scavenge whatever our modern society has left behind. Story follows the lives of several family members living on the outskirts of one of these desert towns, situated a few hundred feet above modern day Colorado. Palmer is a somewhat accomplished diver, who lives in the shadow of his more accomplished older sister Vic. Their two younger brothers Conner and Rob live at home and are still in school. While neither are divers, both are interested in the family profession. Their mother is around, occasionally supporting them financially,  while their father walked out on them years prior. Though their lives are mostly separate, certain decisions and unimaginable events in their sand covered, dreary world lead them down crossing paths, forcing them to work together to survive this increasingly hostile and lawless world.

The way this world was created was truly imaginative and as the story goes progresses there are several moments of realization that only add to this. What I most enjoy about Hugh Howey’s writing is the care he takes in building solid characters. I find myself actually relating to and caring about the characters because they have such depth and history. They easily feel like real people and I feel like I have spent time getting to know them. While some might find this type of building up slow, I find it to be essential and wholly interesting. If you are one of the people who does not appreciate this as much as I do, the story does build to a much more eventful turn of events that should be able to carry anyone’s interest.

I can honestly say I loved this book because it met and exceeded my expectations of what makes my ideal post-apocalyptic story. The only criticism I have is that there were a few point which I felt were a little too predictable, but I cannot say that it had any negative effect on my enjoyment. Most reviews I have read around time of publication were comparisons to Wool. I find this to be a poor comparison. While they were written by the same author, that is not enough to warrant any expectation of similarity. Howey himself has said these are polar opposites. Wool was about a totalitarian society, whereas Sand is almost anarchistic. Wool is a bit more family friendly, Sand is completely adult with some strong adult themes and language. To the author’s credit, I prefer to judge a story on its own merit.

Then end left me wanting more, but in a good way. I did not feel that it was lacking, I just wanted to know what comes next. At the time of this entry the author has not indicated that this will be a series, but he has said that there is a lot that could be done with this world. I will remain hopeful for now.

You can find more from Hugh Howey at:

HughHowey.com

@HughHowey

Goodreads