Posted March 12, 2018 by Nicky in Reviews / 2 Comments
An Unnatural Vice, K.J. Charles
This is probably my least favourite of the trilogy, though it’s partly down to personal taste: I didn’t enjoy the characters or their dynamic as much. Nathaniel is pretty awesome in his unthinking protectiveness and willingness to help others, but Justin mostly just ticked me off. He does have some redeeming features (particularly his relationship with the kids he looks after), but I still didn’t quite get that relationship.
It’s useful for piecing together the full story begun in An Unseen Attraction (or An Unsuitable Heir if you started with that, like I did!) but it’s not necessary, and personally, I wouldn’t have minded giving it a miss. It’s not a bad story, and there certainly is intensity between the main couple, but they just weren’t the type of characters I really root for.
Rating: 3/5
Tags: book reviews, books, mystery, queer fic, romance
Posted March 11, 2018 by Nicky in Reviews / 6 Comments
Kushiel’s Dart, Jacqueline Carey
I’m not quite sure why it took me so long to get through my reread of this book, because I still find it incredibly rich and rewarding. It’s true that it can be problematic in some ways — it exoticises various cultures pretty much as a part of the plot, and it’s practically text that white French people are the best in the world (the most beautiful, the most talented, the most educated) because they’re descended from the equivalent of Jesus. And if you’re not into sex, well, there’s several extensive scenes that include plot-necessary information, and even if you don’t mind the occasional sex scene, S&M might be rather less your thing.
Nonetheless, there’s a deep feeling in the novel and it packs in a lot of action. Sometimes reading it I feel like it could be a trilogy all on its own in the hands of another writer. There’s so much going on with the politics and relationships between people, and the sense of history between nations as well. It’s not just about the kinky sex: there’s a whole complex plot here revealed partly through those scenes.
I still love it, though maybe I’m side-eyeing the exotic Celt and Roma analogues rather more this time.
Rating: 5/5
Tags: book reviews, books, Jacqueline Carey, SF/F
Posted March 6, 2018 by Nicky in Reviews / 7 Comments
Wonderful Life, Stephen Jay Gould
Wonderful Life is pretty, well, wonderful. If your curiosity about the Burgess Shale or the weird and wonderful beings of the Cambrian period needs sating, this book should more than do it. It is quite dense — Gould may have been a popular science writer, but he didn’t dumb it down — but it’s worth the time investment.
It’s true that some of the reconstructions of these beings have been challenged since Gould wrote, but it’s still worth reading for his overall theory about the development of life, and much important (and correct) detail about the Burgess Shale.
Rating: /5
Tags: book reviews, books, non-fiction, science
Posted March 5, 2018 by Nicky in Reviews / 4 Comments
Shadowplay, Laura Lam
Really, I don’t know why I took so long to get around to reading this trilogy. As with every other book by Lam I’ve read, the pace is great and tempts me to just sit down and read it in one go… which is more or less what I did with Shadowplay, once I picked it up. I greatly enjoyed the development of Micah and Drystan’s characters in this book, and now I’m fully on board the ship, ready to go down with all hands if necessary. The new characters introduced are fun too, and so is the fact that now they go into stage magic.
The best bit, of course, is that the fantasy setting is expanded by the addition of a character with powers, and some explanations of the Phantom Damselfly’s appearances. Doctor Pozzi makes an appearance, apparently sincere and eager to help Micah, and at the same time we get a this-book-only plot of a duel between magicians (with suitably high stakes of said magicians’ careers, of course).
I’m looking forward to how all this wraps up — the background is starting to become clear, and now I just need to know what happens to Micah in the end…
Rating: 4/5
Tags: book reviews, books, Laura Lam, queer fic, SF/F
Posted February 27, 2018 by Nicky in Reviews / 3 Comments
The Stone of Farewell, Tad Williams
There are many things about this series which are just rather typical. You can predict a lot of the narrative beats and tropes, because it’s drawing from the same well of story as a lot of other epic fantasy. However, if you made it through the first book (a feat in itself just because of how long it is), you’re probably aware of that and on board for the characters. And I’m pleased to note that they don’t disappoint: Simon gets less annoying, Rachel the Dragon continues to play her part, Binabik’s background is explored somewhat, there’s more of Jiriki… and most importantly to me, remembering that he was my favourite character before, there’s more of Josua. Although, on this read-through, I might actually be preferring Deornoth…
In any case, the story barrels along at a reasonable pace, and though there are one or two sticking points, it never slows up as much as the first half to two-thirds of the first book. I remembered somewhat why I’d found a particular character so annoying, which was a little disappointing after rather enjoying their part (such as it was) in the first book.
Pryrates remains an excellent villain of the cackling evil laugh sort, doing evil things with little remorse. Elias is a little more grey-shaded, but really not much: this series up to this point has a pretty black-and-white view of morality, with the Sithi perhaps being the most subtle element.
I’m enjoying it very much for what it is: very much drawn from fantasy tropes, but with a solid cast of characters who don’t fall too easily into stereotypes.
Rating: 4/5
Tags: book reviews, books, SF/F, Tad Williams
Posted February 26, 2018 by Nicky in Reviews / 0 Comments
Camelot’s Blood, Sarah Zettel
When I first read this series, I mostly dismissed it as romance — back when I felt pretty dismissive of romance in general, I’ll admit. Reading it now, I’ve been impressed all over again by the work Zettel did to bring together different Arthurian threads and weave them all into a cohesive story. Reading the end of this book, I kind of want to read her version of how the story plays out.
On the other, I really don’t, because this is a good ending to the story of the four brothers from Gododdin, which lets you imagine they stay happy. And maybe they could, in this version… after all, who could stand against Rhian, Elen, Lynet and Laurel? Forget the men: they’re really the stars of these stories.
In terms of this book alone, I adore how Zettel humanises Agravain, after the rather unflattering portrait of him we get in the other books (apart from the odd moment where his concern and love for his brothers really shows through). And I love the insight on how Arthur and Gawain are both devoted to their whole kingdom, while Agravain only cares about his own land — and that’s why he makes a good king of it.
All in all, a worthwhile series, though if you’re not a fan of romance you probably won’t enjoy them as that is the main thread.
Rating: 4/5
Tags: Arthurian, book reviews, books, romance, SF/F
Posted February 25, 2018 by Nicky in Reviews / 0 Comments
Virus X, Frank Ryan
This is a bit out of date now, in that there are emerging viruses it doesn’t touch on and scientific advances in studying them that it doesn’t include, but it’s still a fascinating glimpse into some of the emerging diseases of the last century or so, how the outbreaks were handled and what they mean. If you’re read David Quammen’s Spillover, it’s somewhat along the same lines, discussing many of the same diseases; it’s been a while since I read Spillover, so I found this a good refresher on the diseases mentioned and the early stages of their emergence.
If you find this whole subject a little stressful, this won’t exactly be reassuring; it does show that the world simply doesn’t have the infrastructure to deal with the kind of pandemics that are coming our way. We’ve been lucky so far — I’m honestly shocked there’s been nothing worse since this book was published.
Rating: 4/5
Tags: book reviews, books, non-fiction, science
Posted February 23, 2018 by Nicky in Reviews / 2 Comments
The Wanderer in Unknown Realms, John Connolly
I don’t quite know what to make of this book. It starts off well, and throughout it’s atmospheric and leaves me curious. The bit about the power of books is creepily powerful, and there’s some great description in the most uncanny bits. The main character is handled well, too, in my opinion: he has a past which he never has to elaborate on, but which nonetheless colours everything he does and says. But then you get to the end of the book and it suddenly… stops. As my wife pointed out to me, the ending is pretty classic horror stuff, with no closure, but… Then you’ve got the narrator, telling his story. To whom? How? Why? That aspect all rather broke my engagement with the story, because I like there to be a reason.
If you’re a fan of John Connolly or of creepy crustaceans in horror novellas, this might be your thing, but I don’t think I’d recommend it in general.
Rating: 3/5
Tags: book reviews, books, horror
Posted February 22, 2018 by Nicky in Reviews / 6 Comments
Libraries in the Ancient World, Lionel Casson
Libraries in the Ancient World contains a not too surprising round of historical libraries, including of course the Palace of Ashurbanipal and the Library of Alexandria, but nonetheless I found it interesting to read about exactly who libraries were for and how they worked in various societies. Casson’s style is engaging, and I found it just overall the kind of relaxing read about a thing I love that fills an excellent gap without being wildly exciting or revelatory.
I know that seems like faint praise, but I really can’t think of anything else to say! If you want to look at the history of libraries, this makes a good start.
Rating: 3/5
Tags: book reviews, books, history, non-fiction
Posted February 20, 2018 by Nicky in Reviews / 2 Comments
Five Red Herrings, Dorothy L. Sayers
Five Red Herrings does a couple of things that really annoy me, like having a long section of people positing obviously wrong ways the crime unfolded, and the whole “the reader will of course know what the missing object was” bit — no, I don’t! I’m not a painter, I don’t have that education, and I don’t know how common it would’ve been in Sayers’ time, but knowing that fact has not lasted.
In any case, reading it this time, I did enjoy Five Red Herrings more than I did last time, perhaps. The introduction in the new edition drew my attention to the fantastic sense of place and character, and to appreciate again the way that Peter is embedded in the mystery, caring about the people involved. Plot-wise, it’s very clever again, literally written according to train timetables and precise distances between places. It might not be my favourite, but I can appreciate all the work that went into it. Sayers may not have thought her detective novels terribly literary or worthwhile, but hindsight says they are.
Rating: 4/5
Tags: book reviews, books, crime, Dorothy L. Sayers, mystery
