Tag: books

Review – The Blade Itself

Posted December 31, 2015 by Nicky in Reviews / 4 Comments

The Blade Itself, Joe Abercrombie

I read this trilogy a few years ago, around the same time as I read Scott Lynch, and I was totally excited about the new voices in fantasy at the time. I remembered that much, and also that this was very much “grimdark” and gritty and portrayed a not-so-pleasant world. But I knew I’d have to reread it, at least for my own personal satisfaction, before I finally get round to other works in the same world. With the vague memories I have of the first time I read this trilogy, it’s apparent just from reading The Blade Itself that this is better crafted than I realised at the time. Things I didn’t notice before are popping up and demanding my attention.

The whole world is… not very pleasant. And every character seems to have their flaws — battle rage, abusive tendencies, the simple fact that they take joy in their work of torturing people, the fact that they’re spoilt, drinking, anger issues… And yet at the same time, they’re very compelling to me. They’re real, because Major West (one example) is a good man who works hard and wants the best for his sister, as well as being the guy that lashes out at her because she doesn’t act the way he wants. Jezal dan Luthar learns to care about people other than himself, to see women as more than decoration, because of his interest in Ardee. They’re flawed and yet they’re changing, growing; there’s hope. You can even find moments of sympathy with the torturer Glokta, because he’s been twisted and broken by other people. Because his anger and pain are justified and honest.

The world is also interesting, because it feels lived in. There are ruins, monuments, old places where no one has gone. There are things each country doesn’t know about the others.

You do have to read the whole trilogy to get the real satisfaction of this book, I think; the ending isn’t a cliffhanger, but it also isn’t a resolution, either.

Rating: 4/5

Tags: book reviews, books, Joe Abercrombie, SF/F

Review – The Cutting Room

Posted December 30, 2015 by Nicky in Reviews / 0 Comments

The Cutting Room, ed. Ellen Datlow

Received to review via Netgalley

I mostly requested The Cutting Room because I know Ellen Datlow is a majorly respected editor of anthologies, and the idea of a themed anthology based on the silver screen… well, it did appeal, even if horror isn’t really my thing. Unfortunately, that turned out to be only too true, and also I didn’t really understand the point of some of the stories. There are definitely some standouts, though, and some amazingly written ones, and clever ones which turn things around.

‘Cuts’ was pretty good, even if I kind of expected the twist at the end; ‘Onlookers’, also. Genevieve Valentine’s story is interesting, and though I thought Peter Straub’s story was too self-conscious, it was well written. ‘Tenderiser’ was tense and breathless, though I wasn’t always following the reasoning 100%.

On the other hand, ‘Ardor’ for example just read as one big mess to me. Others just cut off, or just weren’t memorable, or just went for this big gory image for kicks. Just not what I connect to or am interested in.

Still, it was interesting to explore some stories like this, and look into some new authors. I don’t think I’ll pick any of them up on the strength of these stories, but it is nice to get a bit of variety.

Rating: 2/5

Tags: book reviews, books, short stories

Review – The Masked City

Posted December 29, 2015 by Nicky in Reviews / 8 Comments

The Masked City, Genevieve Cogman

The Masked City is a sequel to The Invisible Library, following the same characters… With possibly even less time in the actual library, which is my only real disappointment here. Technically, I received it to review — but only the day after I’d already bought a copy. I was eager to get my hands on it; the first book was a lot of fun, even if I didn’t enjoy it as much as, say, Bastian’s Book Reviews did. (Trivia: a quotation from his review appears on the back cover, and in the first couple of pages!) I’m actually thinking that based on reading The Masked City, I might have judged The Invisible Library too harshly — I think it quite likely deserved four stars, rather than the three I gave at the time.

The Masked City is a worthy sequel, with all the same intriguing worldbuilding, interplay between characters, and the sense of fun. It’s fast-paced and plays with all kinds of tropes along the way — the master spy, the great detective, the enemy operative… and even fairytales. And dragons; non-conventional dragons, but dragons nonetheless.

And let’s pause for a second to appreciate once again that Irene, the main character, is an undercover Librarian who is protected from deceitful Fae magic by her Library brand, who is tasked with stealing books to strengthen the connections between worlds and stabilise them, and whose magic and ways of travelling and understanding the world all revolve around books.

Sign me the heck up.

Plus, of course, the main character is a woman who knows what she’s doing, who rescues her (male) apprentice and generally plays the hero’s role with aplomb, and knows the power of words — and a good book. Hurrah, say I.

My only quibble is that the extra material at the back isn’t that interesting. If you’re going to give me Irene’s best heists, I need at at least a short story. Not a paragraph!

Rating: 4/5

Tags: book reviews, books, SF/F

Top Ten Tuesday

Posted December 29, 2015 by Nicky in General / 2 Comments

This week’s Top Ten Tuesday post is about books I’m anticipating in the first half of 2016, and guys, I have no idea. I don’t keep good enough track. So instead, here’s a replacement theme: my favourite books to give as gifts.

Among Others, Jo Walton. I think I might have gifted this 5+ times already? Basically, I love it to pieces and it speaks to me and if you read it and you know me, you’ll immediately get why.
The Night Circus, Erin Morgenstern. I just love this one. 3+ times gifted?
The Goblin Emperor, Katherine Addison. 2+ times gifted, but I love it so much I own two copies, ready to give it to someone deserving.
Sabriel, Garth Nix. It stands alone reasonably well and it’s a fascinating world, so yeah. I think I’ve gifted it twice.
The Summer Tree, Guy Gavriel Kay. This was my introduction to Kay’s work, and I do recommend it — even if at times it’s a bit derivative. 2+ times gifted.
Kushiel’s Dart, Jacqueline Carey. I’m careful about who I gift this to, because there are some themes that aren’t suitable for some people. But I’ve gifted it at least twice.
A Wizard of Earthsea, Ursula Le Guin. It’s Le Guin. Enough said. I’ve also gifted Changing Planes a couple of times, as a good gateway drug.
The Dark is Rising, Susan Cooper. Usually as the whole series. This is… not a shocking one at all. I love these books without reason. 3+ times gifted.
Assassin’s Apprentice, Robin Hobb. Only gifted it once, I think, but it’s excellent fantasy.
A Face Like Glass, Frances Hardinge. Gifted twice, I think, counting this Christmas.

What book do you inevitably consider giving to everyone?

Tags: books, Top Ten Tuesday

Review – Word Puppets

Posted December 28, 2015 by Nicky in Reviews / 4 Comments

Word Puppets, Mary Robinette Kowal

Received to review via Netgalley

Word Puppets is a collection of short stories written by Mary Robinette Kowal, arranged — if we can trust the alleged Patrick Rothfuss’ introduction — in the order they were written. I always think that’s a fascinating way to read an author’s work, because you get to watch their skills develop, their interests change, etc. This particular collection comes with an introduction written by Pat Rothfuss… which is a little suspect because in a little game they had on twitter, Kowal was better at being Rothfuss than Rothfuss was.

If that confused you, don’t worry; I think it bent more than a few brains.

As a whole, in any case, it’s an entertaining collection. There were one or two weaker points, where by my personal lights the twist was just a little… I saw it coming. ‘For Solo Cello, op. 12’, for example. And looking at the list of titles, there’s some where I can’t figure out which story they were, which you can attribute either to my terrible naming or perhaps less than memorable/well-matched titles/stories. ‘For Want of a Nail’, what was that one… ah, the one with the conflicted AI.

Still, for the most part I think Word Puppets is a strong collection, solidly entertaining, and what’s also nice, it has a wide range. Fantasy, various kinds of spec-fic, different settings, older protagonists… And it’s definitely quite different to her Regency/fantasy novels (which I do enjoy, but it’s nice to see Kowal taking on other frontiers). I enjoyed most of the stories, and I think particularly ‘Chrysalis’, ‘Body Language’, ‘The Lady Astronaut of Mars’ and ‘The Consciousness Problem’. Some of them really are sticking in my head, to be thought about later — so that’s a good sign.

Rating: 4/5

Tags: book reviews, books, Mary Robinette Kowal, SF/F, short stories

Bout of Books

Posted December 27, 2015 by Nicky in General / 2 Comments

I’ve never managed to participate in the Bout of Books readathon before, because I always seem to realise it’s going on too late. But here I am, ready for this round!

The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda @ On a Book Bender and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, January 4th and runs through Sunday, January 10th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 15 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. – From the Bout of Books team

Readathon Goals!

I’m not going to be too ambitious about this. I’d like to have one book finished per day, but life happens and I’ll be travelling during the readathon. So we’ll just have to see! I know I can read a lot if pushed, but 9th-10th will be the first couple of days spent with my partner for a while, and it’s a weekend too, so she won’t be working. On the other hand, maybe I’ll read a lot on the Eurostar… (I’m not holding out too much hope for reading on the train to London to catch the Eurostar, though. That train is always busy, and noisy too. The Eurostar is usually peaceful, though!)

If I were to be super super ambitious, I might hope for about ten books finished during the readathon, counting ones I was already partway through. If I beat that, I’ll be over the moon!

Anyway, look out for an update post at the start of the readathon — I’ll set it up on the 4th, and use it for all updates through the end of the event.

Tags: books, challenge, readathon

Review – Charm

Posted December 27, 2015 by Nicky in Reviews / 4 Comments

Charm, Sarah Pinborough

I liked Charm more than the first book, but I’m still somewhat wondering exactly what to think about this. There’s less of a focus on sex in this book than in Poison, and what there is ends up feeling less exploitative and like power-play. Indeed, two of the scenes include a lot of tenderness, for quite different reasons. I can appreciate the world created, in which sex isn’t a huge deal but can be a way to share joy.

It’s also an interesting set-up world-wise, with Robin Hood making an appearance and more references to Hansel and Gretel, etc. It’s all a bit too wildly promiscuous about the stories mingling for my taste — there seems little rhyme or reason behind it — but it’s kind of fun to figure the references out, anyway.

As with the first book, the narration remains fairytale-like, and the twists on the original story are quite fun. For example, the ‘ugly’ step-sisters aren’t really ugly at all, and Cinderella’s hatred of her step-mother is rather unjust… but she is lower class than them and she does work around the house, and she doesn’t go to the balls. And her sister, Rose, tries to cut off her own toes to fit the shoe… because she believes it’s what her mother would want. The characters aren’t necessarily likeable, but for me that isn’t so much an issue with the clever sort of tale chosen here. I think you’re only meant to be able to sympathise with Rose, and not so much Cinderella. It’s showing up the selfishness of pursuing a dream to others’ cost.

I’m definitely going to read the third book, Beauty; the three aren’t that closely linked together, I think, but thematically they compliment each other — and the Fairy Godmother is someone you’ll recognise if you’ve read Poison…

Rating: 3/5

Tags: book reviews, books, Sarah Pinborough, SF/F

Review – Greenwitch

Posted December 26, 2015 by Nicky in Reviews / 0 Comments

Greenwitch, Susan Cooper

Greenwitch is the shortest book of the sequence, and yet that doesn’t mean that little happens. It’s perhaps the most densely packed with symbolism and meaning and mythology that you just can’t get a handle on: the drowned man, the ship going inland, Roger Toms, the Wild Magic… This book, to me, emphasises the aspects of this sequence which are otherworldly and quite beyond the human characters, even while the humanity of those characters plays a huge part. It is Jane’s human kindness which wins the day, in the end. But she’s meeting a world which is wild and amoral and strange to her, with rules that make no sense to her.

It’s also, once again, great on human interaction: the pettiness of Barney and Simon toward the intruder, Will, and Jane’s attempts to bridge the two worlds. More out of a sense that that’s the girl’s job, perhaps, than because she has any genuine interest in Will for himself. Jane is the most reluctant of the Six — right now I’m wondering a little if that’s because she’s the only female character. I hope not, but there are so many scenes where she’s timid, more afraid than the boys… But at the same time, she also has a different understanding of the world, and a deeper view on things. She’s the one who can see the Greenwitch for the lonely creature it is, the one who can see Will for the strange being he has become. Which might, again, be rooted in gender, but I don’t think it’s any kind of simple binary. Which is a relief.

The writing is, as with the other books, very fine: there are some excellent set-pieces, for example when Will and Merriman travel beneath the sea to meet Tethys, or Jane looking out over the harbour — even the descriptions of the caravan.

I’m probably way ahead of the TDiR Readathon now. Always happens! And it means you still have the opportunity to join in…

Rating: 5/5

Tags: book reviews, books, SF/F, Susan Cooper

Stacking the Shelves

Posted December 26, 2015 by Nicky in General / 26 Comments

It’s Boxing Day already? Where’d the time go?! Anyway, I hope everyone had a good day yesterday, whether they celebrate Christmas or not. I always think of Christmas as a time when I get stacks and stacks and stacks of books… but luckily for my TBR, it didn’t really go that far. Dad and my aunt got me a load of Phryne Fisher books (yay!), and between my parents, my sister and my friends, I got plenty, haha.

Anyway, I also popped by the library this week, where I picked up a couple of books…

I’ve been meaning to read all three of these for a while, so hopefully I’ll get round to them soon.

And here’s my Christmas haul!

My sister also bought me some hard copies of Tanya Huff books that I’ve been failing to get around to on my Kindle. And since I like to show off my geekiness, here are some of my other gifts…

As you see, my Captain America bear got a dressing gown, and slippers too. And I got hedgehog slippers, and Star Trek TNG uniform pajamas. And a shield backpack, because I <3 Steve Rogers.

And most importantly, a surprise from my dad — proper library steps which convert into a chair. You may remember my surprise giraffe, from last year…

So all in all, pretty awesome haul! What’s everyone else been getting? Anything special?

Tags: books, Stacking the Shelves

Review – Tigana

Posted December 25, 2015 by Nicky in Reviews / 0 Comments

Tigana, Guy Gavriel Kay

This week’s Flashback Friday is a bit of a special one, because it turns out I’ve written a full review for Tigana every time I’ve read it, from my first encounter with it. All of these are here, dated, in chronological order. I hope you find it as interesting as I did!

August 2008.

The very last paragraph makes me want to kill Guy Gavriel Kay. The impact was somewhat spoilt by my mum spoilering me beforehand, but… on the other hand, knowing it was coming hurt more, too.

One thing I definitely have to say is that Guy Gavriel Kay’s romance was much better in this book. I never really saw Catriana and Alessan coming, but at the same time, it was understandable and it didn’t make me come over all “…no” like Paul and Jaelle in Fionavar did. Dianora and Brandin were delightfully star-crossed. I loved the little references to Fionavar, too. The characters I got to love very, very much. Maybe not quite as much as I grew to love the characters in Fionavar. He wasn’t quite as ruthless with his characters in Tigana, though, so I didn’t test my love of the characters in tears!

Guy Gavriel Kay is one of my favourite authors right now. Really. I don’t see that changing any time soon, either.

Rating: 5/5

August 2009.

This is still such a beautiful, beautiful book. This is my first reread, but I can tell you already that it won’t be my last. The writing is gorgeous, and the imagery and the politics and the characters are all amazing. The careful laying of the plot, with the different subplots that weave in, like the Carlozzini and Dianora’s own plans, is amazing. There are so many points in the book where I found tears coming to my eyes that I don’t even know how many times it happened. It’s an amazing, amazing book.

One of the things I noticed most this time round is the backstory, the creation of a mythology that hangs around the edges of the story — provides sanctuary, or is important to one subplot or another, without taking centre stage. Backstory that both enriches the world, the worldbuilding, and serves a purpose, without being pointless or entirely utilitarian.

I also noticed the moral ambiguity that he builds up. Especially in the figure of Brandin, of course, who has done such cruel, terrible things, but has reasons and a kind of nobility of his own and can actually be liked, in some ways. But not just him. Alessan himself isn’t amazing either — although one difference between him and the tyrants is, of course, that though he does use his special power to bind someone to his cause, he does release them to their own free will and does feel a lot of remorse.

The last line of all means that Guy Gavriel Kay probably deserves to go and live in his own special circle of hell. It’s an amazing, beautiful ending, and it’s so, so cruel.

Rating: 5/5

February 2013.

I found Tigana annoying me so much this time around. Kay’s overly ornate way of writing, the way he makes even the simplest of events sound So Deeply Important by the formal way he’s writing… But it all came together for me again when I sat down and just read. I fell in awkward, torn love with Alessan, with Brandin, with Catriana, with Dianora, with Baerd. I loved the way people came together, willingly and unwillingly, against the other halves of their hearts. I love how people became whole again, or didn’t, and found healing and/or revenge, or…

It’s a complex plot, full of complex people, and I love it so much. I’m rereading all of GGK’s work in chronological order, to watch his development as a novelist (and for the sheer love of his work, of course), and up to now this has always been my favourite. Right now, I’m not sure where it ranks exactly — but oh, I do love it.

Reading Kay’s afterword and seeing what his influences were is also pretty fascinating. It doesn’t surprise me, in retrospect, that Brian Friel’s Translations influenced him, even though it seems like a leap from a literary play about language to a fantasy novel that is, on the surface, about the fight against tyranny (but then, those two don’t seem so very far apart if you think in Colonial terms).

Rating: 5/5

Tags: book reviews, books, Flashback Friday, Guy Gavriel Kay, SF/F