Category Archives: Fantasy

Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson

Words of Radicance
Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson. Click for more information

Words of Radiance is the second installment in Brandon Sanderson’s  Stormlight Archive epic fantasy series, published by Tor. This novel picks up where The Way of Kings left off. Those of you who have read the first book know that it ended with many unanswered questions and tons of foreshadowing. With the first in the series having been published in 2010, it has been a long four year wait pondering the ways everything could play out. On March 4th, we finally got what every Sanderson fan has been waiting for.  Since this is the second novel in the series, I will not go through a summary of the world as I assume anyone looking to read this should have read the previous one. If you have not, I strongly encourage it, it is worth the read. I also will not go into much of a recap in case anyone reading this has not read Way of Kings, though there may be spoilers from that book here.

I think most people would agree that Sanderson is an expert both in characterization and in creating magic systems. While most of the characters were established in the first book, they are further expanded here. Some of the bridgemen who were more ancillary characters see stronger stories and deeper roots. Where the character depth really shines is with Shallan. This is absolutely her book. Don’t get me wrong, Kaladin and Dalinar are still major part of this story. I simply mean that while Way of Kings really focused on Kalidin, his back story and his growth, Words of Radiance does the same for Shallan. She really transforms in this book from the way we perceived her in the previous novel. Both her past and her development make you see a different side, which is that of a much stronger, and frankly bad-ass, young woman.

The magic system also shows some growth from where we left off. We more or less understand the significance of stormlight in the magic through not only Szeth, but Kaladin as well. Much of Jasnah’s and now also Shallan’s research expands upon both our and the charter’s understandings of this system. You will see more of it and in a much more developed sense. The other aspect of this system that we see a deeper understanding of is the nature of spren. These strange, semi-natural, yet somewhat mystical creatures do have origins as well as parts to play, as we have seen with Syl and Kaladin.

Another great things about this is story is that it never gets stale . There are perpetual turns which are largely unexpected. Even the expected ones tend to keep you on your toes. The many shifting vantage points of the same situations is another great strength here. You can see the same events happening from multiple perspectives. It really puts an interesting spin on things wen you see the different ways an event is seen as well as how different characters are viewed. I wish I saw this more often. The only really complaint I had with the stories was the same one I had in Way of Kings. I can’t say that I really love the Interludes. There was only one that I really enjoyed, that of Eshonai. I know that most (certainly not all) of these come together at the end, but I tended to find myself pushing through them to get back to the meat of the story.

Though is book is huge, like the previous one (1088pp for the Kindle version, this is why I have not posted in a while), I still manged to read it in less than a week. I could not put it down. I would get home from work, read it within an hour of settling down, and then got to bed way later than I should because I just couldn’t stop. To me, that separates a good book from a great one. I know I am slightly biased as a fan, but I honestly felt this was phenomenal. I easily give it 5/5. I just hope we do not have to wait nearly as long for the third Stormlight Archive novel.

You can find out more about this book, series and author by checking out the corresponding pages at GoodReads, as well as Brandon Sanderson’s own web page.

Arcanum by Simon Morden

Arcanum
Arcanum
by Simon Morden

Originally scheduled for release last November, Arcanum by Simon Morden is fantasy/alt-history novel set in medieval Carinthia. The publication date was later set to January 28th to be published by Orbit, a part of Hachette Book Group in the US and Little, Brown Book Group in the UK. The novel starts in a palatinate which is indirectly governed by magic. Regular daily functions are made easier by the use of magic -magical lights, boat steering, water- and it is just about necessary for day to day life. Magic is not a skill everyone posses, nor is is simply innate abilities that grants one powers. You can tell a hexmaster (sorcerer) by their white robes. Also, any exposed skin is sure to be covered in tattooed spells. The hexmasters of The Order are extremely powerful and rightfully feared across Europe.

This, however, is not Arcanum’s story. It is a story about challenges. After centuries, the magic stops working. The magic does not just stop working overnight, though for the people, it may as well have. For Carinthia, this provides a unique challenge of how to readjust to life without magic and without hexmasters. People are so dependent on magic, it would be the same as if our power suddenly stopped working, not even batteries or generators. Things that were taken for granted, just cease to function. Needless to say it is a lot a cope with. The book combines that fantasy action scenes with alternative-historical looks at the political situations arising from the newly magic-free world. I have to admit that it took a while to build, but eventually it got to a really good pace.

The story follows several characters, too many to consider any of them the main characters. The major players come from several areas. The Prince certainly one of the central characters, while most of the others work for him in some way. His huntmaster Peter Büber, librarian Frederik Thaler, and fellow book-lovers Sophia Morgenstern and her father Aron, (local Jewish residents of a pagan town) serve the predominate major roles as do members of the Order, depending on how far into the book you are. Without getting too involved in the story and revealing anything, I will simply say there are at least two or three other major roles at any given time, though some are dynamic. The novel is broken up into three parts and they really did feel like three distinct books in a series.

The school of magic in the beginning of this story is very original, and that is something always appreciate. In all honestly, I do wish it existed a bit longer. I felt that our exposure to it was way too short. I really appreciated the political aspects though. The way the author addresses hoe the palatinate deals with the issues that arise, including public works, economics and military considerations, really interested me. I know that this is not uncommon in fantasy books, but perhaps it is the fact that we are talking about real places that added to it for me. I felt that most of the battles were well done. There was one however that  I felt was too short and should have ended more fantastically.

I appreciated the depth of characterization in a number of the characters, though I think there were too many major characters to develop them equally. It was already not a short book. The array of characters did make for interesting dynamics, shifting favor and some well engineered disappointment. I think the Librarian and huntmaster stood out to me the most. The role of the library in general (again, to me at least) was great. As a lover of books, science and history, it appealed to many of my interests.

The messages relating to struggles and overcoming certain issues were ever present and sometimes I thought were a bit strong. I get the re-adjusting, the fighting, and the civil issues. I felt though that the religious issues were a bit too overt and in your face. Messages are laced into many stories, but I prefer that as an undertone as opposed to put right out in front. I understand the purpose and through my own family’s religious background I completely relate. It just seemed a little forced at times. In some segments it fit very well with the story, other times it seemed more like the author was just reminding us. I did appreciate the care taken in language and the accuracy of the belief structures.

I found it somewhat difficult to come up with a rating for this book. I did like the book quite a bit. It is absolutely something I would recommend. Could I keep reading it all night? Yep, certainly could. Was it something I absolutely could not put down and needed to see what happened next? No not really. The slower beginning and some rushed or abrupt scenes took a little away from it in my opinion, so i would have to say 3.5/5 would be a fair rating in my eyes. Still very good and worth picking up.

Check out a preview here on the publisher’s website: Excerpt

Simon Morden’s Website

Dirty Magic by Jaye Wells

Dirty MAgic
Dirty Magic by Jaye Wells
Click for more info

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.

Joe Abercrombie’s 1-Star Fantasy Review

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>

Links & Excerpts

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!